Identification of New Non-BBB Permeable Tryptophan Hydroxylase Inhibitors for Treating Obesity and Fatty Liver Disease

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptophan) is a hormone that regulates emotions in the central nervous system. However, serotonin in the peripheral system is associated with obesity and fatty liver disease. Because serotonin cannot cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), we focused on identifying new tryptophan hydroxylase type I (TPH1) inhibitors that act only in peripheral tissues for treating obesity and fatty liver disease without affecting the central nervous system. Structural optimization inspired by para-chlorophenylalanine (pCPA) resulted in the identification of a series of oxyphenylalanine and heterocyclic phenylalanine derivatives as TPH1 inhibitors. Among these compounds, compound 18i with an IC₅₀ value of 37 nM was the most active in vitro. Additionally, compound 18i showed good liver microsomal stability and did not significantly inhibit CYP and Herg. Furthermore, this TPH1 inhibitor was able to actively interact with the peripheral system without penetrating the BBB. Compound 18i and its prodrug reduced body weight gain in mammals and decreased in vivo fat accumulation.     

Rapid Identification for the Pterocarpus Bracelet by Three-Step Infrared Spectrum Method

In order to explore a rapid identification method for the anti-counterfeit of commercial high value collections, a three-step infrared spectrum method was used for the pterocarpus collection identification to confirm whether a commercial pterocarpus bracelet (PB) was made from the precious species of Pterocarpus santalinus (P. santalinus). In the first step, undertaken by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectrum, the absorption peaks intensity of PB was slightly higher than that of P. santalinus only at 1594 cm⁻¹, 1205 cm⁻¹, 1155 cm⁻¹ and 836 cm⁻¹. In the next step of second derivative IR spectra (SDIR), the FTIR features of the tested samples were further amplified, and the peaks at 1600 cm⁻¹, 1171 cm⁻¹ and 1152 cm⁻¹ become clearly defined in PB. Finally, by means of two-dimensional correlation infrared (2DIR) spectrum, it revealed that the response of holocellulose to thermal perturbation was stronger in P. santalinus than that in PB mainly at 977 cm⁻¹, 1008 cm⁻¹, 1100 cm⁻¹, 1057 cm⁻¹, 1190 cm⁻¹ and 1214 cm⁻¹, while the aromatic functional groups of PB were much more sensitive to the thermal perturbation than those of P. santalinus mainly at 1456 cm⁻¹, 1467 cm⁻¹, 1518 cm⁻¹, 1558 cm⁻¹, 1576 cm⁻¹ and 1605 cm⁻¹. In addition, fluorescence microscopy was used to verify the effectiveness of the above method for wood identification and the results showed good consistency. This study demonstrated that the three-step IR method could provide a rapid and effective way for the anti-counterfeit of pterocarpus collections.     

人体静电放电对有机发光二极管的影响

研究了静电放电（ESD）人体模式（HBM）下的脉冲应力对有机发光二极管（OLED）的性能及寿命的影响,并讨论了相应的物理机制。对比分析了4组OLED在施加ESD放电为0,200,800,1 600 V前后的电学和光学特性,并进行了相应的寿命测试分析。研究发现,OLED器件的光谱对ESD不敏感,随着冲击电压的增大,由于静电打击对载流子的短期抑制效应,OLED的亮度出现轻微下降。在静电冲击电压为200 V和800 V时,伏安特性没有发生变化;当静电冲击电压增至1 600 V时,反向漏电有明显增加。后续的加速寿命实验表明,静电打击对器件的工作寿命没有明显的规律性影响,但是会一定程度提高非本质老化失效的概率。     

Tomatidine-stimulated maturation of human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes for modeling mitochondrial dysfunction

Human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs) have been reported to exhibit immature embryonic or fetal cardiomyocyte-like phenotypes. To enhance the maturation of hESC-CMs, we identified a natural steroidal alkaloid, tomatidine, as a new substance that stimulates the maturation of hESC-CMs. Treatment of human embryonic stem cells with tomatidine during cardiomyocyte differentiation stimulated the expression of several cardiomyocyte-specific markers and increased the density of T-tubules. Furthermore, tomatidine treatment augmented the number and size of mitochondria and enhanced the formation of mitochondrial lamellar cristae. Tomatidine treatment stimulated mitochondrial functions, including mitochondrial membrane potential, oxidative phosphorylation, and ATP production, in hESC-CMs. Tomatidine-treated hESC-CMs were more sensitive to doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity than the control cells. In conclusion, the present study suggests that tomatidine promotes the differentiation of stem cells to adult cardiomyocytes by accelerating mitochondrial biogenesis and maturation and that tomatidine-treated mature hESC-CMs can be used for cardiotoxicity screening and cardiac disease modeling.Subject terms: Heart failure, Embryonic stem cells, Stem-cell differentiation     

A Docosahexaenoic Acid Derivative (N-Benzyl Docosahexaenamide) as a Potential Therapeutic Candidate for Treatment of Ovarian Injury in the Mouse Model

Commonly used clinical chemotherapy drugs, such as cyclophosphamide (CTX), may cause injury to the ovaries. Hormone therapies can reduce the ovarian injury risk; however, they do not achieve the desired effect and have obvious side effects. Therefore, it is necessary to find a potential therapeutic candidate for ovarian injury after chemotherapy. N-Benzyl docosahexaenamide (NB-DHA) is a docosahexaenoic acid derivative. It was recently identified as the specific macamide with a high degree of unsaturation in maca (Lepidium meyenii). In this study, the purified NB-DHA was administered intragastrically to the mice with CTX-induced ovarian injury at three dose levels. Blood and tissue samples were collected to assess the regulation of NB-DHA on ovarian function. The results indicated that NB-DHA was effective in improving the disorder of estrous cycle, and the CTX+NB-H group can be recovered to normal levels. NB-DHA also significantly increased the number of primordial follicles, especially in the CTX+NB-M and CTX+NB-H groups. Follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone levels in all treatment groups and estradiol levels in the CTX+NB-H group returned to normal. mRNA expression of ovarian development-related genes was positive regulated. The proportion of granulosa cell apoptosis decreased significantly, especially in the CTX+NB-H group. The expression of anti-Müllerian hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone receptor significantly increased in ovarian tissues after NB-DHA treatment. NB-DHA may be a promising agent for treating ovarian injury.     

高压静电场促进植物生长技术的研究

高压静电场促进植物生长技术源于自然又高于自然 ,它包括静电种子处理和静电场生长环境等技术 .文章论述了该技术的实施方法 ,并报道了已经取得的初步成果 .     

达旦黄-曲通X-100体系共振光散射法测定蛋白质

基于在Triton X-100存在下,蛋白质与达旦黄作用使得体系的共振光散射增强,在λ＝492 nm处光散射强度最大,增强作用的强弱与蛋白质的含量成正比,据此建立了共振光散射测定蛋白质的新方法。此方法对牛血清白蛋白的检出限达到17.7 ng·mL-1,线性范围为0.03～0.9 μg·mL-1,用于合成样与人血清样品的分析,取得了令人满意的结果。同时也研究了人血清白蛋白、鸡蛋白蛋白、溶菌酶、胰蛋白酶与达旦黄的作用。     

The impact of cellulose structure on binding interactions with hemicellulose and pectin

Four cellulose substrates including highly crystalline cellulose nanowhiskers (CNWs) from Gluconacetobacter xylinus (cellulose Iα) or cotton (cellulose Iβ) and amorphous cellulose derived from CNWs (phosphoric acid swollen cellulose nanowhiskers, PASCNWs) were used to explore the interaction between cellulose and well-defined xyloglucan, xylan, arabinogalactan and pectin. The binding behavior was characterized by adsorption isotherm and Langmuir models. The maximum adsorption and the binding constant of xyloglucan, xylan and pectin to any CNWs were always higher than to PASCNWs derived from the same source. The binding affinity of xyloglucan, xylan and pectin to G. xylinus cellulose was generally higher than to cotton cellulose, showing that binding interactions depended on the biological origin of cellulose and associated differences in its structure. The surface area, porosity, crystal plane and degree of order of cellulose substrate may all impact the interactions.     

含氧空位的氟掺杂二氧化锰助力稳定锌离子电池

将无机盐NH₄F加入到MnO₂的前驱体溶液中,通过高效、简单的一步水热法制备了具有氧缺陷的F掺杂α-MnO₂纳米棒(记为F-MnO₂)。氧空位和F掺杂对提高F-MnO₂的导电性、促进离子扩散、提高倍率性能起着至关重要的作用。另外,由于F掺杂,形成了F—Mn键,这可以有效地抑制放电产物中Mn³⁺的Jahn-Teller畸变,从而提高结构的稳定性。得益于这些协同效应,组装的Zn||F-MnO₂全电池在0.5 A·g^-1下,首圈放电比容量高达274 mAh·g^-1,且具有较长的循环寿命和优异的倍率性能。同时,通过循环伏安(CV)和恒流充放电(GCD)曲线证明了F-MnO₂的储能机制为H⁺和Zn²⁺的共嵌入/脱出过程。