KLHL3 deficiency in mice ameliorates obesity,insulin resistance,and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by regulating energy expenditure

Obesity is a growing global epidemic that can cause serious adverse health consequences, including insulin resistance (IR) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Obesity development can be attributed to energy imbalance and metabolic inflexibility. Here, we demonstrated that lack of Kelch-like protein 3 (KLHL3) mitigated the development of obesity, IR, and NAFLD by increasing energy expenditure. KLHL3 mutations in humans cause Gordon’s hypertension syndrome; however, the role of KLHL3 in obesity was previously unknown. We examined differences in obesity-related parameters between control and Klhl3^−/− mice. A significant decrease in body weight concomitant with fat mass loss and improved IR and NAFLD were observed in Klhl3^−/− mice fed a high-fat (HF) diet and aged. KLHL3 deficiency inhibited obesity, IR, and NAFLD by increasing energy expenditure with augmentation of O₂ consumption and CO₂ production. Delivering dominant-negative (DN) Klhl3 using adeno-associated virus into mice, thereby dominantly expressing DN-KLHL3 in the liver, ameliorated diet-induced obesity, IR, and NAFLD. Finally, adenoviral overexpression of DN-KLHL3, but not wild-type KLHL3, in hepatocytes revealed an energetic phenotype with an increase in the oxygen consumption rate. The present findings demonstrate a novel function of KLHL3 mutation in extrarenal tissues, such as the liver, and may provide a therapeutic target against obesity and obesity-related diseases.Subject terms: Obesity, Homeostasis     

In Vitro and In Vivo Human Body Odor Analysis Method Using GO:PANI/ZNRs/ZIF−8 Adsorbent Followed by GC/MS

Among various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from human skin, trans-2-nonenal, benzothiazole, hexyl salicylate, α-hexyl cinnamaldehyde, and isopropyl palmitate are key indicators associated with the degrees of aging. In our study, extraction and determination methods of human body odor are newly developed using headspace-in needle microextraction (HS-INME). The adsorbent was synthesized with graphene oxide:polyaniline/zinc nanorods/zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (GO:PANI/ZNRs/ZIF−8). Then, a wire coated with the adsorbent was placed into the adsorption kit to be directly exposed to human skin as in vivo sampling and inserted into the needle so that it was able to be desorbed at the GC injector. The adsorption kit was made in-house with a 3D printer. For the in vitro method, the wire coated with the adsorbent was inserted into the needle and exposed to the headspace of the vial. When a cotton T-shirt containing body odor was transferred to a vial, the headspace of the vial was saturated with body odor VOCs. After volatile organic compounds were adsorbed in the dynamic mode, the needle was transferred to the injector for analysis of the volatile organic compounds by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The conditions of adsorbent fabrication and extraction for body odor compounds were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM). In conclusion, it was able to synthesize GO:PANI/ZNRs/ZIF−8 at the optimal condition and applicable to both in vivo and in vitro methods for body odor VOCs analysis.     

Increasing Chemical Diversity of B2N2 Anthracene Derivatives by Introducing Continuous Multiple Boron-Nitrogen Units

Increasing the chemical diversity of organic semiconductors is essential to develop efficient electronic devices. In particular, the replacement of carbon-carbon (C−C) bonds with isoelectronic boron-nitrogen (B−N) bonds allows precise modulation of the electronic properties of semiconductors without significant structural changes. Although some researchers have reported the preparation of B₂N₂ anthracene derivatives with two B−N bonds, no compounds with continuous multiple BN units have been prepared yet. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of a B₂N₂ anthracene derivative with a BNBN unit formed by converting the BOBN unit at the zigzag edge. Compared to the all-carbon analogue 2-phenylanthracene, BNBN anthracene exhibits significant variations in the C−C bond length and a larger highest occupied molecular orbital–lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy gap. The experimentally determined bond lengths and electronic properties of BNBN anthracene are confirmed through theoretical calculations. The BOBN anthracene organic light-emitting diode, used as a blue host, exhibits a low driving voltage. The findings of this study may facilitate the development of larger acenes with multiple BN units and potential applications in organic electronics.     

Isocassiaoccidentalin B,A New C‐Glycosyl Flavone Containing a 3‐Keto Sugar,and Other Constituents from Cassia nomame

A new C‐glycosyl flavone containing a 3‐keto sugar, isocassiaoccidentalin B ( 1 ), was isolated from whole Cassia nomame (Sieber ) Honda plants, along with eleven known compounds, including two flavonoids ( 2 and 3 ), five flavonoid glycosides ( 4  –  8 ), two chalcones ( 9 and 10 ), and two phenylpropanoids ( 11 and 12 ). The chemical structures of all compounds were determined via 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR, and ESI‐MS. Among these, compounds 2 , 3 , 7 , and 8 were found to be the most potent in inhibiting nitric oxide release. Compounds 1 , 2 , 4 , 8 , 9 , and 10 showed significant free‐radical scavenging activity.     

Relationship between liquid crystalline phase stability and ingredient composition in liquid crystal oil–water emulsion

In this study, we postulated that the optical retardation magnitude could be used to evaluate the stability of the LC phase through the Mueller matrix polarimeter method in LC emulsion. In addition, we found that the increase of cetearyl alcohol concentration induced the more periodic dense lattice structure in crystalline phase of LC lamellae and the sorbitan olivate was relatively more responsible for higher ordering in LC phase compared to C12–20 alkyl glucoside in terms of molecular parallel packing on the basis of the optical retardation magnitude. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the LC emulsion had higher skin barrier function owing to lower TEWL and higher reflectance than ordinary emulsion on human skin and maintained a uniform phase without phase separation for 8 weeks.     

Anisotropic assembly of Ag nanoprisms

The Ag nanoprisms with controlled arrangements show distinct optical, crystallographic, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering properties depending on their orientation in the assemblies, demonstrating that the controlled assembly of anisotropic nanostructures can be utilized as a powerful tool for studying their physicochemical properties and for the creation of new classes of functional materials.     

Mechanistic investigation of the isomerization of 5-vinyl-2-norbornene

The isomerization reaction of 5-vinyl-2-norbornene (VNB) to 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene (ENB) has been performed using a catalytic system consisting of an alkali metal hydride and an amine. Among various amines tested, only aliphatic 1,2-diamines exhibited the activity for the isomerization. The isomerization was also affected by the alkali metal hydride employed. The activity of the alkali metal hydride increased with the increasing size of alkali metal: KH > NaH > LiH. A series of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and UV-vis experiments on the active species suggest that the isomerization of VNB proceeds through a radical mechanism.