The Royal Society of Chemistry最新文献

Under proatherogenic conditions, epicardial (EAT) and pericardial adipose tissue (PAT) acquire inflammatory/pro-atherogenic phenotypes that contribute to coronary atherosclerosis. Recent data have highlighted a significant inverse relationship between levels of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in adipose tissue and risk of myocardial infarction. Our study aimed at investigating whether DHA/EPA supplementation of cardiac fat adipocytes attenuates cardiac adipose tissue inflammation. To this aim mature adipocytes and adipose stem cells were isolated from PAT samples collected from coronary artery disease (CAD) patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, exposed to DHA/EPA ex vivo, and evaluated for pro-inflammatory gene expression and activity. PAT adipocytes and stem cell exposure to DHA led to a significant increase in the membrane ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 PUFAs and decreased mRNA expression levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, interleukin(IL)-6, matrix metalloproteinase(MMP)-9 and CXC motif chemokine ligand (CXCL)10 (p < 0.05). This downregulation was accompanied by increased expression of uncoupling proteins (UCP)1 and 2 and heme-oxygenase (HO)-1 and of the anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving lipid mediator resolvin D1. Mechanistically, this protective modulation appears to be driven by the upregulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR)-γ and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (NRF)2, leading to increased NRF2 activity and suppressed NF-κB signaling. Functionally, supernatants from DHA-conditioned adipocytes exhibited reduced monocyte-attracting activity in chemotaxis assays. While EPA conditioning produced effects similar to DHA, arachidonic acid (AA) showed no significant biological effects. In conclusion, DHA and EPA mitigated the PAT inflammatory profile, highlighting the potential therapeutic role of such PUFAs in reducing cardiac adipose tissue inflammation. These results may have implications for treatment of CAD patients.

Ergosterol and β-sitosterol are dietary sterols with cholesterol-lowering effects. They lower cholesterol by regulating cholesterol absorption and metabolism in the intestine and liver. Due to the low intestinal absorption rate of ergosterol and β-sitosterol, gut microbiota may play a key role in their anti-hypercholesterolemic effects. However, the precise mechanisms by which ergosterol and β-sitosterol modulate cholesterol absorption and metabolism via gut microbiota remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the relationship between the cholesterol-lowering effect of ergosterol and β-sitosterol and their regulation of gut microbiota. The results indicated that ergosterol and β-sitosterol promoted the excretion of cholesterol and bile acids and inhibited intestinal cholesterol absorption in hypercholesterolemic mice. They increased the intestinal proportion of Firmicutes and Clostridium to inhibit small intestinal FXR activity and activate hepatic FXR activity, consequently regulating the expression of bile acid transporters. Moreover, ergosterol and β-sitosterol elevated the cholesterol sulfate levels in the large intestine, which was linked to an increased proportion of Bacteroidia in the gut. Further experiments using the intestinal pseudo-sterility model revealed that the aforementioned effects of ergosterol and β-sitosterol depend on the presence of intestinal microbiota. The findings of this study provide novel insights into the cholesterol-lowering mechanism of ergosterol and β-sitosterol: they enhance cholesterol sulfonation and total bile acid excretion mediated by gut microbiota.

The fruit of Hippophae rhamnoides L. is not only an edible fruit, but also an important medicinal plant. Therefore, it has potential research and development value. Twelve new phenylpropanoid-homoisoflavonoid derivatives (1-12), including (9 → 1″)-rutinosyl-12-methyl-6,7-furan-phenylpropanoid-homoisoflavonoids (1-3), (9 → 1″)-(3″-O-(3‴'-methoxy-4‴'-cinnamic acid))-(6″ → 1‴)-diglucosyl-phenylpropanoid-homoisoflavonoids (4-6), (9 → 1″)-glucosyl-phenylpropanoid-homoisoflavonoids (7-9), 10-methylol-9-rutinosyl-(2″ → 1‴')-glucosyl-phenylpropanoid-homoisoflavonoids (10-12), and eleven known phenylpropanoid-homoisoflavonoid derivatives (13-23) were isolated from the fruits of Hippophae rhamnoides L. for the first time, and their structures were identified by extensive spectroscopic data (1D and 2D NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance), MS (Mass Spectrometry), IR (Infrared Spectroscopy), UV (Ultraviolet and Visible Spectroscopy), etc.), physical and chemical properties, and comparison with references. Among them, compounds (3-5) (12 μM) exhibited moderate hepatoprotective activities with survival rates of 62.40 ± 1.44%, 72.52 ± 1.16%, 65.31 ± 1.21%, respectively. Moreover, compounds (3-5) increased the GSH (Glutathione) level, and lowered ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase), AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase), LDH (Lactate Dehydrogenase) levels. Meanwhile, compounds (7-9) (120 μM) displayed moderate inhibition of pancreatic lipase activity with inhibition rates of 67.75 ± 2.03%, 71.81 ± 1.32%, 64.11 ± 1.37%, respectively. Moreover, compounds (7-9) decreased FFA-induced lipid accumulation in HepG2 liver cells, and inhibited triglyceride and intracellular neutral lipid accumulations at the concentration of 60 μM with inhibition rates of 52.93 ± 1.73% and 64.23 ± 1.87%, 44.47 ± 1.16% and 51.62 ± 1.05%, 75.08 ± 2.52% and 74.04 ± 2.39%, respectively. In addition, compounds (3-5), which mainly possessed 3'/4'-furan ring or 4'/5'-pyran ring in their structures, showed moderate hepatoprotective activities, and compounds (7-9) showed moderate hypolipidemic activities because their structures contained 7'-alkene fragment. Compounds (1-12) were classed into four different types of phenylpropanoid-homoisoflavonoid derivatives according to their structural characteristics and complex biogenetic pathways. The molecular docking simulations of compounds (3-5) with hepatoprotective activities and compounds (7-9) with hypolipidemic activities were analyzed and discussed in the work.

In this paper, a electrode based on 3D-printed carbon black (3D-CB), and coated with a hydroxyethylcellulose/chitosan (HEC/CH) bilayer and finished by copper electrodeposition, is presented for the electrochemical sensing of ammonia nitrogen (AN) in water. Measurements were performed using square-wave voltammetry (SWV) in borate buffer (pH 9) under optimized conditions. The electrochemical method displayed good linear relationship between 0.7 and 20.4 mg L^-1 of AN with limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) of 0.014 and 0.043 mg L^-1 respectively, good precision (RSD ≤≃4.18% intra/inter-day, n = 10), and practical throughput (∼70 analyses per h). Accuracy in real waters was evaluated through standard-addition and spike-recovery experiments, yielding ∼99.8% recoveries. Statistical analysis was used to compare the obtained results to the expected values and no significant difference was observed between added and found concentrations. Therefore, the proposed 3D-CB/HEC-CH@Cu SWV method presents a viable alternative for the efficient, low-cost and safe determination of ammoniacal nitrogen in the water quality control process.

The extensive utilization of synthetic detergents presents a substantial threat to the global environment. Inspired by traditional practices in Asia-such as using rice-washing water for cleaning-this study develops a green, non-toxic, and surfactant-free detergent. The innovative detergent was fabricated using natural collagen extracted from delimed bovine hide trimmings as the core component, requiring no chemical modification. It forms in situ Pickering emulsions on contaminated surfaces, effectively encapsulating and removing oil stains. Interfacial desorption energy measurements indicate that the collagen detergent adsorbs irreversibly at the oil-water interface (approximately 2.2 × 10⁷K_BT). The collagen detergent achieves a comparable cleaning efficiency of up to 90% on both human skin and various material surfaces, in comparison with commercial products. More importantly, it is non-irritating to the eyes and skin and exhibits no toxicity toward cells, seeds, lettuce seedlings, and zebrafish. By combining high detergency with exceptional biocompatibility and environmental safety, this approach offers a compelling alternative to conventional surfactants. Remarkably, the detergent is produced solely from delimed bovine split trimmings, demonstrating the potential of collagen valorization for next-generation sustainable cleaning agents that align with ecological preservation and public health priorities.

In the present research, a novel cloud point extraction (CPE) method was developed for the separation and preconcentration of toxic Cu(II), Ni(II), Pb(II), and Cd(II) ions in environmental water and vegetable samples, prior to their determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The ligand 2-(2-(4-fluorobenzyl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole-1-yl)acetohydrazide (FB-BIAH) was employed for the first time as an analytical complexing agent for the aforementioned metal ions, and Triton X-114 (TX-114) was preferred as the nonionic surfactant. Within the scope of optimizing CPE conditions, experimental parameters, such as pH, FB-BIAH and surfactant amounts, and incubation temperature and time, as well as centrifugation speed and duration, were systematically investigated. The optimal conditions for the simultaneous quantitative recovery of analyte ions were established as pH 7.0, an FB-BIAH amount of 2.5 mg, a TX-114 quantity of 25 mg, an incubation temperature of 60 °C, and an incubation time of 30 min. Under optimal conditions, the proposed method was successfully applied to river water and seawater, as well as different vegetable samples such as lettuce, parsley, and pepper. The results obtained demonstrated that the analyte ions could be reliably determined in complex matrices and that the method exhibited high analytical performance. Due to its simplicity, rapid applicability, environmentally friendly nature, and cost-effectiveness, the proposed CPE-FAAS method represents a promising approach for the routine analysis of toxic heavy metals in environmental water and food samples.

Correction for 'Progress in the discovery and development of anticancer agents from marine cyanobacteria' by Hendrik Luesch et al., Nat. Prod. Rep., 2025, 42, 208-256, https://doi.org/10.1039/D4NP00019F.

Hitherto unidentified abiotic formation pathways leading to the organosulfur molecules ethanethiol (C₂H₅SH), methanethiol (CH₃SH) and, dimethyl sulfide (CH₃SCH₃) were investigated through a series of laboratory simulation experiments. Interstellar analog ices of methane (CH₄) and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) were exposed to proxies of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) in the form of energetic electrons released in the GCR track in interstellar ices simulating typical cold molecular cloud lifetimes of a few 10⁶ to 10⁷ years. During the temperature-programmed desorption phase, the molecules subliming fractionally from the ice mixtures were photoionized with vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photons at energies both above and below the adiabatic ionization energies of the product molecules of interest. Exploiting photoionization reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PI-ReToF-MS) and isotopically labelled ice experiments, the reaction products were selectively photoionized to discriminate between isomers. Ethane (C₂H₆) and methanethiol (CH₃SH), as first-generation irradiation products, along with second-generation dimethyl sulfide (CH₃SCH₃), were identified via infrared spectroscopy and PI-ReToF-MS. The formation of ethanethiol (C₂H₅SH) was further confirmed by matching the photoionization efficiency (PIE) curve to the experimental PI-ReToF-MS data. Our findings instigate a deeper understanding of interstellar sulfur chemistry linking interstellar and cometary ices to the gas-phase detection of sulfur bearing organics in star-forming regions.

Xanthine oxidase (XO) is an effective therapeutic target for the treatment of hyperuricemia-related diseases. Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. (pigeon pea) is a traditional medicine and food homologous plant. Here, we found that the EtOAc extract of pigeon pea (EEP) and the active ingredient pinostrobin (PSB) showed strong XO inhibitory effects with IC₅₀ = 72.83 μg mL^-1 and 16.07 μM, respectively. Kinetic analysis showed that PSB is a reversible competitive inhibitor. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to explore the mechanisms of inhibitory activity difference against XO between PSB and its structural analogue naringenin-7,4'-dimethyl ether (NDE). Finally, we demonstrated in mice that EEP and PSB possess urate-lowering and renal protective activities, including organ coefficient assessment, transcriptome profiling, metabolomic profiling, kidney histological section evaluation, and analysis of fibrosis- and inflammation-related gene expression. Conclusively, these findings suggest that pigeon pea and PSB are promising anti-hyperuricemia agents.

In this work, we demonstrate for the first time tunable upconversion luminescence in three primary colors using a single excitation wavelength of 980 nm, via altering the excitation intensity. A core/shell/shell nanocrystal of about 50 nm diameter was synthesized using a design strategy with 2% Er³⁺ and 98% Yb³⁺ in the core, and the outer shell is made of NaYF₄:Yb³⁺,Tm³⁺ (with 2% Tm³⁺ and 18% Yb³⁺), separated by an inert intermediate shell. This rationally designed architecture enables green, red, and blue light emissions by modulating the excitation power density, leveraging the photon-order-dependent upconversion process. As the power density of the 980 nm continuous-wave (CW) laser increases, the emission color shifts systematically from green to red and ultimately to blue, corresponding to the involvement of 2-photon, 3-photon, and 4-photon processes, respectively. Chromaticity coordinate shifts on the CIE diagram validated this dynamic color modulation, demonstrating precise control over emission pathways. The findings offer a simplified yet highly versatile excitation setup for full RGB tunability, paving the way for advancements in photonics and enabling possibilities in high-resolution color display and biomedical applications.