Effect of Gelsemium elegans

Gelsemium elegans (GE) is a kind of well-known toxic plant. It can be detoxified by Mussaenda pubescens (MP), but the detoxification mechanism is still unclear. Thus, a detoxification herbal formula (GM) comprising GE and MP was derived. The Caco-2 cells monolayer model was used to evaluate GM effects on transporting six kinds of indole alkaloids of GE. The bidirectional transport studies demonstrated that absorbance percentage of indole alkaloids in GE increased linearly over time. But in GM, Papp (AP→BL) values of the most toxic members, gelsenicine, humantenidine, and gelsevirine, were lower than that of Papp (BL→AP) (P<0.05). The prominent analgesic effect members, gelsemine and koumine, were approximately 1.00 in γ values. Nowhere was this increasing efflux more pronounced than in the case of indole alkaloids with N-O structure. In the presence of verapamil, the γ values of humantenidine, gelsenicine, gelsevirine, and humantenine were decreased by 43.69, 41.42, 36.00, and 8.90 percent, respectively. The γ values in presence of ciclosporin were homologous with a decrease of 42.32, 40.59, 34.00, and 15.07 percent. It suggested that the efflux transport was affected by transporters. Taken together, due to the efflux transporters participation, the increasing efflux of indole alkaloids from GM was found in Caco-2 cells

Microwave-Hydrothermal Synthesis of SnO2-CNTs Hybrid Nanocomposites with Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity

SnO2 nanoparticles coated on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were prepared via a simple microwave-hydrothermal route. The as-obtained SnO2-CNTs composites were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The photocatalytic activity of as-prepared SnO2-CNTs for degradation of Rhodamine B under visible light irradiation was investigated. The results show that SnO2-CNTs nanocomposites have a higher photocatalytic activity than pure SnO2 due to the rapid transferring of electrons and the effective separation of holes and electrons on SnO2-CNTs

Effect of Supplemental Cyanocobalamin on the Growth Performance and Hematological Indicators of the White Pekin Ducks from Hatch to Day 21

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the requirement of cyanocobalamin of male Pekin ducks from hatch to 21 days of age. A total of three-hundred-eighty-four, one-day-old meat-type male Pekin ducks were randomly allocated to six treatments, i.e., dietary cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) concentrations of 0.00, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08 and 1.00 mg/kg, respectively in their feed. Each treatment had eight replicated pens with eight ducks for each pen. Feed and water were provided ad libitum. The experiment was conducted for 21 days. Different growth parameters including average daily weight gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and hematological indicators were evaluated because, on the basis of hematological indicators, the health and nutritional status of an animal can be accessed. It is observed that supplemental cyanocobalamin has no significant effect on ADG, ADFI, and FCR but it improves hematological parameters such as white blood cells, red blood cells, and its indices and platelet counts compared to the control group (p &lt; 0.05). On the basis of growth performance and hematological indicators it is concluded that 0.02 mg cyanocobalamin/kg of feed is the dietary requirement of male Pekin ducks from hatch to day 21 of age

Photoinduced Synthesis of Hierarchical Flower-Like Ag/Bi2WO6 Microspheres as an Efficient Visible Light Photocatalyst

A series of three-dimensional microflower-like Ag/Bi2WO6 composites were synthesized through a simple and practical photoreduction process with different photoreduction times. The UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectra indicate that the spectrum of Ag/Bi2WO6 is significantly red-shifted compared to pure Bi2WO6 microspheres in the visible light region. The photocatalytic activities of the as-prepared samples were evaluated by the decolorization of rhodamine B under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic reaction rate constants of the Ag/Bi2WO6 with a photoreduction time of 20 min was 3.60 times bigger than those of pure Bi2WO6. The enhanced photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the synergistic effect of increased light absorption range and the effective separation of photogenerated carriers caused by Ag nanoparticles

Effect of Gelsemium elegans and Mussaenda pubescens, the Components of a Detoxification Herbal Formula, on Disturbance of the Intestinal Absorptions of Indole Alkaloids in Caco-2 Cells

Gelsemium elegans (GE) is a kind of well-known toxic plant. It can be detoxified by Mussaenda pubescens (MP), but the detoxification mechanism is still unclear. Thus, a detoxification herbal formula (GM) comprising GE and MP was derived. The Caco-2 cells monolayer model was used to evaluate GM effects on transporting six kinds of indole alkaloids of GE. The bidirectional transport studies demonstrated that absorbance percentage of indole alkaloids in GE increased linearly over time. But in GM, Papp (AP→BL) values of the most toxic members, gelsenicine, humantenidine, and gelsevirine, were lower than that of Papp (BL→AP) (P<0.05). The prominent analgesic effect members, gelsemine and koumine, were approximately 1.00 in γ values. Nowhere was this increasing efflux more pronounced than in the case of indole alkaloids with N-O structure. In the presence of verapamil, the γ values of humantenidine, gelsenicine, gelsevirine, and humantenine were decreased by 43.69, 41.42, 36.00, and 8.90 percent, respectively. The γ values in presence of ciclosporin were homologous with a decrease of 42.32, 40.59, 34.00, and 15.07 percent. It suggested that the efflux transport was affected by transporters. Taken together, due to the efflux transporters participation, the increasing efflux of indole alkaloids from GM was found in Caco-2 cells

Dynamic Land-Use Patterns and the Associated Impacts on Ecosystem Services Value in Putian City, China

Human actions have led to consistent and profound alterations in land use, which in turn have had a notable effect on the services provided by ecosystems. In this research, the Google Earth Engine (GEE) was initially employed to perform a supervised classification of Landsat satellite images from 2000 to 2020, which allowed us to obtain land-use data for Putian City, China. Next, the geo-informatic Tupu model and the revised valuation model were used to explore the spatial attributes and ecological effects of land-use changes (LUCs). Subsequently, EEH (eco-economic harmony), ESTD (ecosystem services tradeoffs and synergies degree index), and ESDA (exploratory spatial data analysis) methods were employed to further analyze the coordination level, trade-offs, synergies, and spatial patterns of ecological-economic system development. The findings revealed that: (1) The land-use composition in Putian City was predominantly cultivated land and forest land, with other types of land intermixed. Concurrently, there was an ongoing trend of expansion in urban areas. (2) ESV in Putian City exhibited an upward trend, increasing from 15.4 billion CNY to 23.1 billion CNY from 2000 to 2020. (3) ESV exhibited an imbalance in spatial distribution, with high-high agglomeration areas concentrated in the central part of Putian City and the coastal region of Hanjiang District, while low-low agglomeration areas were prevalent in Xianyou County in the southwest, Xiuyu District along the coast, and Licheng District in the urban center. (4) Synergistic relationships among ESs predominated, though the trade-off relationship showed a tendency to expand. (5) The ecological environment and economic progress in Putian City collectively faced a region of potential risk. The findings of this study are intended to serve as a guide for improving the distribution of land resources and for developing strategies that ensure the sustainable development of the region’s socio-economic framework

Construction and Application of a Non-Enzyme Hydrogen Peroxide Electrochemical Sensor Based on Eucalyptus Porous Carbon

Natural eucalyptus biomorphic porous carbon (EPC) materials with unidirectional ordered pores have been successfully prepared by carbonization in an inert atmosphere. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were employed to characterize the phase identification, microstructure and morphology analysis. The carbon materials were used to fabricate electrochemical sensors to detect hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) without any assistance of enzymes because of their satisfying electrocatalytic properties. It was immobilized on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with chitosan (CHIT) to fabricate a new kind of electrochemical sensor, EPC/CHIT/GCE, which showed excellent electrocatalytic activity in the reduction of H2O2. Meanwhile, EPC could also promote electron transfer with the help of hydroquinone. The simple and low-cost electrochemical sensor exhibited high sensitivity, and good operational and long-term stability