Friedelin Attenuates Neuronal Dysfunction and Memory Impairment by Inhibition of the Activated JNK/NF-κB Signalling Pathway in Scopolamine-Induced Mice Model of Neurodegeneration

Oxidative stress (OS) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) are both key indicators implicated in neuro-inflammatory signalling pathways and their respective neurodegenerative diseases. Drugs targeting these factors can be considered as suitable candidates for treatment of neuronal dysfunction and memory impairment. The present study encompasses beneficial effects of a naturally occurring triterpenoid, friedelin, against scopolamine-induced oxidative stress and neurodegenerative pathologies in mice models. The treated animals were subjected to behavioural tests i.e., Y-maze and Morris water maze (MWM) for memory dysfunction. The underlying mechanism was determined via western blotting, antioxidant enzymes and lipid profile analyses. Molecular docking studies were carried out to predict the binding modes of friedelin in the binding pocket of p-JNK protein. The results reveal that scopolamine caused oxidative stress by (1) inhibiting catalase (CAT), peroxidase enzyme (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and reduced glutathione enzyme (GSH); (2) the up-regulation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in mice brain; and (3) affecting the neuronal synapse (both pre- and post-synapse) followed by associated memory dysfunction. In contrast, friedelin administration not only abolished scopolamine-induced oxidative stress, glial cell activation, and neuro-inflammation but also inhibited p-JNK and NF-κB and their downstream signaling molecules. Moreover, friedelin administration improved neuronal synapse and reversed scopolamine-induced memory impairment accompanied by the inhibition of β-secretase enzyme (BACE-1) to halt amyloidogenic pathways of amyloid-β production. In summary, all of the results show that friedelin is a potent naturally isolated neuro-therapeutic agent to reverse scopolamine-induced neuropathology, which is characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.     

Immunoassays Based on Surface-Enhanced Fluorescence using Gap-Plasmon-Tunable Ag Bilayer Nanoparticle Films

A novel gap-plasmon-tunable Ag bilayer nanoparticle film for immunoassays is demonstrated. Different from a traditional Ag monolayer nanoparticle film, a desired number of polyelectrolyte (PEL) layers are deposited on the nanoparticles before the self-assembly of a second Ag nanoparticle layer. Interestingly, by controlling the number of the PEL interlayers, the gap plasmon between the two Ag nanoparticle layers can be tuned across the visible spectral range. The ability of the presented Ag bilayer nanoparticle films in fluorescence enhancement has been examined experimentally. A maximal enhancement of around 15.4 fold was achieved when 7 layers of polyelectrolyte were used. When this optimal Ag bilayer nanoparticle film was applied to fluorescence immunoassay, a performance with approximately 3.3-fold enhancement was obtained compared with that performed on a traditional glass substrate. The experimental results suggest that the presented gap-plasmon tunable Ag bilayer nanoparticle films have great potential in fluorescence-based immunoassays. The method of the bilayer-film construction presented here also provides new insights into the rational design of the plasmonic substrates.     

A Label-Free Biosensor for Protein Detection Based on Ring Slots in a Photonic Crystal

Journal of Russian Laser Research - We design a miniaturized and highly-sensitive biosensor based on a photonic-crystal aslant cavity (AC) to detect protein concentrations. The AC has seven ring...     

Pore-resolved simulations of porous media combustion with conjugate heat transfer

Porous media combustion (PMC) is an active field of research with a number of potential advantages over free-flame combustors. A key contributor to these phenomena is the interphase heat exchange and heat recirculation from the products upstream to the reactants. In this paper, we present a network model that captures the conjugate heat transfer in pore-resolved 2D simulations of PMC. A series of simulations are presented with varying solid conduction and inlet velocity to isolate the role of conjugate heat transfer on the salient features of the burner, including flame stability, axial temperature profiles, and flame structure. We show that both the flame stabilization and the propagation behavior are strongly related to the conjugate heat transfer, and the flame stability regime is shifted to higher velocities as the conductivity of the solid material is increased.     

Exact Solution of a(2+1)-Dimensional Anisotropic Star in Finch and Skea Spacetime

We provide a new class of interior solution of a(2+1)-dimensional anisotropic star in Finch and Skea spacetime corresponding to the BTZ black hole. We develop the model by considering the MIT bag model EOS and a particular ansatz for the metric function grrproposed by Finch and Skea [M.R. Finch and J.E.F. Skea, Class. Quantum.Grav. 6(1989) 467]. Our model is free from central singularity and satisfies all the physical requirements for the acceptability of the model.     

Superhydrophobic elastomer surfaces with nanostructured micronails

New approaches to the fabrication of microstructures of special shape were developed for polymers. Unusual superhydrophobic surface structures were achieved with the use of flexible polymers and hierarchical molds.Flexible polyurethane?acrylate coatings were patterned with microstructures with use of microstructured aluminum mold in a controlled UV-curing process. Electron microscope images of the UV-cured coatings on polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) substrates revealed micropillars that were significantly higher than the corresponding depressions of the mold (even 47 vs. 35 μm). The elongation was achieved by detaching the mold from the flexible, partially cured acrylate surface and then further curing the separated microstructure. The modified acrylate surface is superhydrophobic with a water contact angle of 156° and sliding angle of < 10°.Acrylic thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) were patterned with micro?nanostructured aluminum oxide molds through injection molding. The hierarchical surface of the elastomer showed elongated micropillars (57 μm) with nail-head tops covered with nanograss. Comparison with a reference microstructure of the same material (35 μm) indicated that the nanopores of the micro?nanomold assisted the formation of the nail-shaped micropillars. The elasticity of the TPE materials evidently plays a role in the elongation because similar elongation has not been found in hierarchically structured thermoplastic surfaces. The hierarchical micronail structure supports a high water contact angle (164°), representing an increase of 88° relative to the smooth TPE surface. The sliding angle was close to zero degrees, indicating the Cassie–Baxter state.