Effect of the overexpression of Mfn2 or the truncated Mfn2 mutant on mitochondrial function in GCDCA-treated L02 cells.

<p>The overexpression of Mfn2 or truncated Mfn2 (A) protected cell viability in L02 cells, (B) reversed the reduction in ATP levels, (C) ameliorated the decrease in ΔΨm, and (D) reduced the excess ROS production following treatment with GCDCA. The results are expressed as a percentage of the control value, which was set at 100%. The values are the means ± SEM. *P<0.05 versus the control group, <b>^#</b>P<0.05, <b>^##</b>P<0.01 versus the GCDCA group, n = 6.</p

Clinical characteristics of the patients.

<p>Clinical characteristics of the patients.</p

GCDCA-induced impairment of mitochondrial function in the treated L02 cells (A) Cell viability, (B) ATP concentrations, (C) ΔΨm, and (D) ROS production were assayed.

<p>The L02 cells were treated with various doses (25, 50, 75, or 100 µM) of GCDCA for 6 h. The results were expressed as a percentage of the control value, which was set at 100%. The values are the means ± SEM. *P<0.05 versus the control group, n = 6.</p

Effect of the overexpression of Mfn2 or the truncated Mfn2 mutant on mitochondrial morphology and mitochondrial function in GCDCA-treated L02 cells.

<p>(A) Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression of Mfn2-GFP and the truncated Mfn2 mutant transfected into L02 cells. (B) Confocal microscope photographs indicated increased mitochondrial localization of Mfn2 and the truncated Mfn2 mutant and their roles in mitochondrial morphology. (C) Proportions of cells with fragmented mitochondrial pattern was determined in at least six different cultures under basal conditions (untreated), and after the L02 cells were treated with various doses (25, 50, 75, or 100 µM) of GCDCA for 6 h. The results are expressed as a percentage of the control value, which was set at 100%. The values are the means ± SEM. *P<0.05 versus the control group, <b>^#</b>P<0.05, <b>^##</b>P<0.01 versus the GCDCA group, n = 6.</p

Mitochondrial dysfunction and loss of the mitochondrial fusion protein Mfn2 in patients with extrahepatic cholestasis.

<p>(A) Representative histology of human liver tissue. (B) The MDA concentrations and (C) ATP concentrations in human liver tissue were determined using a MDA Determination Kit and an ATP Determination Kit. (D) Representative immunoblot and quantification analysis of the protein level of Mfn2 (86 kDa) in human liver tissue. β-actin (42 kDa) was the internal standard for protein loading. The results are expressed as a percentage of the control value, which was set at 100%. The values are the means ± SEM. *P<0.05 versus the control group.</p

Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production with Synergistic Two-Phase Anatase/Brookite TiO₂ Nanostructures

Highly crystalline pure brookite and two-phase anatase/brookite TiO₂ nanostructures were synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method with titanium sulfide as the precursors in sodium hydroxide solutions. The control of the phase composition has been demonstrated via solution concentration and reaction time, and the phase transformation mechanism has been elucidated. Photocatalytic activities of the as-synthesized two-phase anatase/brookite TiO₂, pure anatase nanoparticles, and pure brookite nanoplates were appraised via photocatalytic hydrogen evolution in aqueous methanol solution. Results have shown that the photocatalytic activity is higher for the two-phase anatase/brookite TiO₂ and brookite nanoplates as compared to pure anatase nanoparticles despite the lower surface areas of the two-phase anatase/brookite TiO₂ and brookite nanoplates. From the Mott–Schottky analysis, brookite phase is shown to have a more cathodic conduction band edge potential than anatase phase, which leads to more energetically favorable hydrogen reduction. Moreover, femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy measurements suggests that the photoexcited electrons transfer from brookite to anatase phaseleading to further enhancement of the photocatalytic activity. In comparison with the highly active two-phase commercial benchmark P25, our synthesized two-phase anatase/brookite TiO₂ is 220% more active when measured by the H₂ yield per unit area of the photocatalyst surface

Capturing Phase Evolution during Solvothermal Synthesis of Metastable Cu₄O₃

The metastability of Cu₄O₃ has long hindered the synthetic preparation of bulk samples with substantial crystallinity. The lack of suitable samples has thwarted the detailed understanding of the magnetic properties of Cu₄O₃ and the ability to tune its properties. While Cu₄O₃ was recently shown to form in solvothermal reactions, the results are unpredictable, and the crystals are small. We developed a new, more uniform synthesis technique using sealed fused silica tubes. Interrogation of the solid and liquid phases resulting from this reaction has shed more light on the kinetic evolution of copper-containing phases and the microstructural correlation between different precipitation products. We find that direct conversion of the intermediate phase Cu₂(NO₃)­(OH)₃ to Cu₄O₃ is a likely consequence of dimethylformamide (DMF) triggered <i>in situ</i> reduction. The optimal reduction environment should be more straightforward to attain given the improved reliability of our method, and it remains under investigation. We verify the formation of Cu₄O₃ via X-ray diffraction, Raman microscopy, and SQUID magnetometry

Synthesis of Nanostructured Silver/Silver Halides on Titanate Surfaces and Their Visible-Light Photocatalytic Performance

Dense and uniform silver halides AgX (X = Cl, Br, I) nanoparticles were successfully fabricated on layered titanate nanowired honeycomb (TNHC) thin films. The growth of AgX nanocrystals was carried out through two steps. Firstly, ion-exchange was employed to incorporate Ag⁺ ions into the interlayer of the titanate nanowires. Secondly, hydrogen halide (HX) solution was rapidly injected onto the ion-exchanged silver TNHC surface to generate nanosized AgX particles on TNHC films. The effect of the reaction time, solution pH, and concentration of halide anions on the morphology of the AgX photocatalysts has been studied. Followed by light-irradiation, the optimized Ag/AgX thin films exhibited excellent degradation performance under visible light because of localized surface plasmon resonance effect