Delivery of Quantum Dot-siRNA Nanoplexes in SK-N-SH Cells for BACE1 Gene Silencing and Intracellular Imaging

The fluorescent quantum dots (QDs) delivered small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting β-secretase (BACE1) to achieve high transfection efficiency of siRNAs and reduction of β-amyloid (Aβ) in nerve cells. The CdSe/ZnS QDs with the conjugation of amino-polyethylene glycol (PEG) were synthesized. Negatively charged siRNAs were electrostatically adsorbed to the surface of QDs to develop QD-PEG/siRNA nanoplexes. The QD-PEG/siRNAs nanoplexes significantly promote the transfection efficiency of siRNA, and the siRNAs from non-packaged nanoplexes were widely distributed in cell bodies and processes and efficiently silenced BACE1 gene, leading to the reduction of Aβ. The biodegradable PEG polymer coating could protect QDs from being exposed to the intracellular environment and restrained the release of toxic Cd2+. Therefore, the QD-PEG/siRNA nanoplexes reported here might serve as ideal carriers for siRNAs. We developed a novel method of siRNA delivery into nerve cells. We first reported that the QD-PEG/siRNA nanoplexes were generated by the electrostatic interaction and inhibited the Alzheimer's disease (AD)-associated BACE1 gene. We also first revealed the dynamics of QD-PEG/siRNAs within nerve cells via confocal microscopy and the ultrastructural evidences under transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This technology might hold promise for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as AD

Calcium Sulfite Solids Activated by Iron for Enhancing As(III) Oxidation in Water

International audienceDesulfurized gypsum (DG) as a soil modifier imparts it with bulk solid sulfite. The Fe(III)sulfite process in the liquid phase has shown great potential for the rapid removal of As(III), but the performance and mechanism of this process using DG as a sulfite source in aqueous solution remains unclear. In this work, employing solid CaSO3 as a source of SO3 2− , we have studied the effects of different conditions (e.g., pH, Fe dosage, sulfite dosage) on As(III) oxidation in the Fe(III)-CaSO3 system. The results show that 72.1% of As(III) was removed from solution by centrifugal treatment for 60 min at near-neutral pH. Quenching experiments have indicated that oxidation efficiencies of As(III) are due at 67.5% to HO • , 17.5% to SO5 •− and 15% to SO4 •−. This finding may have promising implications in developing a new cost-effective technology for the treatment of arsenic-containing water using DG

Synergistic degradation of bisphenol A in heterogeneous Fenton and photo-Fenton systems catalyzed by graphitized carbon-nano zero valent iron

Fenton-like processes have gained widespread acceptance due to their high oxidative potential and environmental compatibility. In this study, a composite of graphitized carbon and nZVI (GC-nZVI) was synthesized and applied toward the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) in water. The morphological structure and stability of GC-nZVI were evaluated using different characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Our results showed that the catalytic graphitization of carbon occurred simultaneously with the carbothermal reduction of iron oxide, and ZVI was distributed uniformly on the carbon material. Excluding the adsorption effect, there was almost no degradation of BPA using GC-nZVI only. However, in the presence of H2O2 and UVA radiation, BPA was rapidly degraded. The synergistic effect of the photo-Fenton process carried out in the presence of H2O2 showed that 90% of BPA degradation was obtained after 60 min using only 50 mg L–1 of GC-nZVI and 0.5 mM of H2O2 at pH 6. The generation of HO• has been demonstrated using chemical competition experiments and the photo-Fenton process, which could eliminate 66% of BPA within 15 min under the same conditions. Finally, recycling experiments have shown that after three cycles of BPA and H2O2 addition, a degradation efficiency of 71% was achieved over 60 min. The GC-nZVI/H2O2/UVA system demonstrated great potential for advanced oxidation processes and had good application prospects in the treatment of actual wastewater

IL-17A promotes the migration and invasiveness of cervical cancer cells by coordinately activating MMPs expression via the p38/NF-κB signal pathway.

IL-17A plays an important role in many inflammatory diseases and cancers. We aimed to examine the effect of IL-17A on the invasion of cervical cancer cells and study its related mechanisms.Wound healing and matrigel transwell assays were used to examine the effect of IL-17A on cervical cancer cell migration and invasion by a panel of cervical cancer cell lines. The levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) were investigated using western blotting. The activity of p38 and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signal pathway was detected too.Here, we showed that IL-17A could promote the migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells. Further molecular analysis showed that IL-17A could up-regulate the expressions and activities of MMP2 and MMP9, and down-regulate the expressions of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2. Furthermore, IL-17A also activates p38 signal pathway and increased p50 and p65 nuclear expression. In addition, treatment of cervical cancer cells with the pharmacological p38/NF-κB signal pathway inhibitors, SB203580 and PDTC, potently restored the roles of invasion and upregulation of MMPs induced by IL-17A.IL-17A could promote the migration and invasion of cervical cancer cell via up-regulating MMP2 and MMP9 expression, and down-regulating TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 expression via p38/NF-κB signal pathway. IL-17A may be a potential target to improve the prognosis for patients with cervical cancer

Toward a better understanding of peroxymonosulfate and peroxydisulfate activation using a nano zero-valent iron catalyst supported on graphitized carbon: Mechanisms and application to the degradation of estrogenic compounds in different water matrix

In this study, we employed nano zero-valent iron catalysts supported on graphitized carbon (GC-nZVI) catalyst to efficiently degrade BPA under circumneutral pH conditions in both dark and UVA radiation. The GC-nZVI catalyst was characterized using specific techniques (XPS, FTIR, BET, etc.), and was used to activate both PS and PMS in solution. Although no significant BPA degradation constant (k BPA) was determined using PS/PMS or GC-nZVI alone, a significant synergistic effect was observed in the system. Under dark conditions, k BPA increased from 0.01 min-1 to 0.17 when PS was used, both in the dark and under UVA. Notably, when PMS was present in the system, the improvement was even higher with k BPA reaching 0.18 and 0.26 min-1 under dark and UVA conditions, respectively. To further support the synergistic effect, it was found that 80 % of mineralization was achieved within 2 hours of UVA exposure. Chemical quenching experiments were conducted using selective probes and kinetic modelling showed that the activation of PS/PMS produced sulfate radicals (SO 4 •−), hydroxyl radicals (• OH) and ferryl ions (Fe IV O 2+) in both systems. Additionally, GC-nZVI/PMS system demonstrated good stability in recycling experiments, with up to 70 % of BPA still being degraded after 3 cycled in 1 hour under UVA. In conclusion, the degradation efficiencies of GC-nZVI/PMS and GC-nZVI/PS systems under dark and UVA radiation were assessed for three different EDCs (BPA, E2, and EE2) in both tap and sewage treatment plant waters. This study has demonstrated that the highly efficient GC-nZVI /PS/UVA or GC-nZVI/PMS/UVA system has significant potential for application in different water matrix, and our findings provide insights into the design of heterogeneous Fenton-like and photo-Fenton-like catalysts

Associations between Dietary Animal and Plant Protein Intake and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors—A Cross-Sectional Study in China Health and Nutrition Survey

Available data investigating the associations between dietary animal and plant protein intakes and cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs) among populations with habitual plant-based diets are heterogenous and limited in scope. The current study was to assess the associations between dietary animal and plant protein intakes and CMRFs, including lipid and lipoprotein profiles, glucose homeostasis biomarkers, low-grade chronic inflammatory biomarker and uric acid in Chinese adults. Data of 7886 apparently healthy adults were extracted from the China Health and Nutrition Survey 2009. Dietary protein (total, animal and plant) intakes were assessed with three consecutive 24 h dietary recalls, and CMRFs were measured with standard laboratory methods. Substituting 5% of energy intake from animal protein for carbohydrates was positively associated with total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) and uric acid (all p p < 0.05). Some of these associations varied in subgroup analyses by BMI, sex, age or region. There were no significant associations between animal or plant protein intakes and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. The public health implication of these findings requires further investigation

Unraveling the activation mechanism of oxidants using copper ferrite nanopowder and its application in the treatment of real waters contaminated by phenolic compounds

International audienceCopper ferrites (CuFe 2 O 4) nanopowder was prepared via single pot hydrothermal method followed by annealing at 500°C, and XRD, SEM, XPS and UPS were employed for the material characterization. CuFe 2 O 4 was employed as the catalyst for the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) under dark and UVA-illuminated conditions, both in the presence of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) or peroxydisulfate (PDS) as radical precursor under neutral pH values. While the individual processes of photocatalysis (using CuFe 2 O 4 alone) and photolysis of radical precursors (either PMS or PDS alone) exhibited limited efficiency in the degradation of BPA, a significant synergistic effect became evident upon combining CuFe 2 O 4 with PMS or PDS. This led to a notable increase in the degradation constant, with an enhancement of up to 3.8 times under dark and 34 times when PMS was used in the presence of UVA radiation. Under the most favourable conditions employing 0.5 g L-1 of catalyst, the degradation constant of BPA was 0.211 min-1 with the use of 2 mM of PMS and 0.018 min-1 when 2 mM of PDS were employed. These experiments were conducted under UVA irradiation at pH 6.2, resulting in the complete degradation of BPA within less than 20 min. The activation mechanism of PMS and PDS using CuFe 2 O 4 was comprehensively elucidated, revealing sulfate radicals as the primary reactive species in PMS-containing systems, whereas a predominantly non-radical pathway was observed in the presence of PDS. Indeed, XPS indicated that surface copper played an important role in the non-radical pathway. Furthermore, the CuFe 2 O 4/ PMS/UVA and CuFe 2 O 4 \PDS\UVA systems exhibited high performance in efficiently degrading different phenolic compounds including BPA, phenol and p-nitrophenol. These achievements were observed across different real-water matrices with a particular emphasis on sewage treatment plant water

Quantitative Proteomics and Functional Characterization Reveal That Glutathione Peroxidases Act as Important Antioxidant Regulators in Mulberry Response to Drought Stress

Mulberry (Morus alba L.) has been an economically important food crop for the domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori, in China for more than 5000 years. However, little is known about the mechanism underlying mulberry response to environmental stress. In this study, quantitative proteomics was applied to elucidate the molecular mechanism of drought response in mulberry. A total of 604 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified via LC-MS/MS. The proteomic profiles associated with antioxidant enzymes, especially five glutathione peroxidase (GPX) isoforms, as a scavenger of reactive oxygen species (ROS), were systematically increased in the drought-stressed mulberry. This was further confirmed by gene expression and enzymatic activity. Furthermore, overexpression of the GPX isoforms led to enhancements in both antioxidant system and ROS-scavenging capacity, and greater tolerance to drought stress in transgenic plants. Taken together, these results indicated that GPX-based antioxidant enzymes play an important role in modulating mulberry response to drought stress, and higher levels of GPX can improve drought tolerance through enhancing the capacity of the antioxidant system for ROS scavenging

Effects of p38 inhibitor (SB203580, SB), NF-κB inhibitor (PDTC), and IL-17A on cell invasion and MMP2, MMP9 expression in cervical cancer cells.

<p>C33A(<b>A</b>) and Caski(<b>E</b>) cells were pretreated with SB (20 µM) and PDTC for 30 min, then incubated in the presence or absence of IL-17A (50 ng/mL) for 24 h. The cell invasive abilities were performed by Boyden chamber invasion assay. The percentage of invasive rate of C33A(<b>B</b>) and Caski(<b>F</b>) cells was expressed as a percentage of control. C33A(<b>C, D</b>) and Caski(<b>G, H</b>) cells were treated and then subjected to western blot to analyze the protein levels of MMP2, MMP 9. Values are represented as means ± SD of three independent experiments performed in triplicate. * <i>p</i><0.05 and ** <i>p</i><0.01 compared with control group respectively.</p