Soybean Agglutinin Alters the Gut Microbiota and Promotes Inflammation in Lupus-Prone MRL/lpr Mice.

BACKGROUND: Certain foods can trigger flares in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Lectins in edible plants have been reported to increase inflammation. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the effects of 1-time intake of soybean agglutinin (SBA) on the gut microbiota and immune response in lupus-prone MRL/MpJ (MRL)/lpr mice. METHODS: MRL/MpJ-Faslpr/J (MRL/lpr) and MRL mice were randomly assigned into 4 groups (8 mice/group): MRL mice + phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) (CON), MRL mice + SBA (CS), MRL/lpr mice + PBS (LPR), and MRL/lpr + SBA (LS). PBS and SBA were orally administered at 16 wk of age, and all mice were killed 24 h after oral challenge. The disease phenotype, levels of proinflammatory cytokines, and composition of the intestinal microbiota were determined. RESULTS: Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) in the serum was significantly higher, whereas the level of serum IL-10 was significantly lower in LS mice than in LPR mice [fold change (FC) = 1.31 and FC = 0.36, respectively]. The expression levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in the spleen of LS mice were significantly higher than those in LPR mice (FC = 1.66 and FC = 1.96, respectively). The expression levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1ß in the kidney were also significantly higher in LS mice than in LPR mice (FC = 2.89, FC = 3.78, and FC = 2.02, respectively). The relative abundances of Erysipelotrichaceae and Turicibacter in LS mice were significantly higher than those in LPR mice (FC = 1.73 and FC = 1.74, respectively). The percentage of Breg cells in the mesenteric lymph nodes was significantly lower in LS mice than in LPR mice (FC = 0.53) (P < 0.05). No change was found between SBA treatment or not in the control (MRL) mice. CONCLUSIONS: One-time intake of SBA can promote the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, downregulate Breg cells, and alter the intestinal flora in MRL/lpr mice within 24 h of oral challenge, which may contribute to exacerbation of lupus.

Comparison between Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and LuxS-deficient strain in regulating gut barrier function and inflammation in early-weaned piglets.

Background: Early weaning-induced stress impairs the intestinal barrier function and adversely affects the health of piglet. Probiotics can be used to prevent and treat various intestinal diseases. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) has an LuxS/AI-2 quorum sensing (QS) system that senses environmental changes through chemical signaling molecules. The aim of the study was to explore whether luxS mutant affects the protective role of LGG in the gut barrier of weaned piglets by comparing the luxS mutant (ΔluxS) with its wild-type (WT). Methods: Newborn piglets were orally administered with WT and ΔluxS at dosage of 109 CFU, respectively. Accordingly, newborn piglets in the Con group were orally administered with PBS. Piglets were weaned on day 21 and euthanized on day 24, three days following weaning. Results: Supplementation of ΔluxS in advance significantly boosted the relative abundances of healthy microbes (including Catenibacterium, Eubacterium, Lachnospiraceae and Bifidobacterium). WT and ΔluxS maintain intestinal barrier function mainly by promoting intestinal villus to crypt ratio (VCR), occludin protein expression and mucus secretion (P<0.05). Furthermore, LGG reduces pro-inflammatory mediators by inhibiting TLR4 and MAPK signal transduction (P<0.05). Conclusion: Both WT and ΔluxS were shown to resist weaning stress by enhancing the intestinal barrier function of piglets. It has to be said that the ability of ΔluxS to maintain intestinal tissue morphology and promote mucus secretion significantly decreased compared with that of WT.

Simulation of BNNSs Dielectrophoretic Motion under a Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Field.

Using a nanosecond pulsed electric field to induce orientation and arrangement of insulating flake particles is a novel efficient strategy, but the specific mechanism remains unclear. In this study, the dielectrophoretic motion of boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) in ultrapure water under a nanosecond pulsed electric field is simulated for the first time. First, the simulation theory is proposed. When the relaxation polarization time of the dielectric is much shorter than the pulse voltage width, the pulse voltage high level can be considered a short-term DC voltage. On this basis, the Arbitrary Lagrangian-Euler (ALE) method is used in the model, considering the mutual ultrapure water-BNNS particles-nanosecond pulsed electric field dielectrophoretic interaction, to study the influence of different BNNSs self-angle α and relative angle ß on local orientation and global arrangement. The particles are moved by the dielectrophoretic force during the pulse voltage high level and move with the ultrapure water flow at the zero level, without their movement direction changing during this period, so the orientation angle and distance changes show step-like and wave-like curves, respectively. The model explains the basic mechanism of dielectrophoretic motion of BNNSs under a pulsed electric field and summarizes the motion law of BNNSs, providing a reference for subsequent research.

Biomass-derived carbon from Ganoderma lucidum spore as a promising anode material for rapid potassium-ion storage.

The design and preparation of powerful anode materials are key to developing potassium-ion batteries. A biomass-based potassium anode material with a distinct hollow-cage structure was prepared by one-step carbonization. The target carbon exhibited a specific surface area of 104.4 m2 g-1 and mesopores/macropores distributed materials. When used as the negative electrode of a potassium-ion battery, the cage-like porous carbon (CPC) showed a reversible capacity of 407 mAh g-1 after 50 cycles at 50 mA g-1 current density. After 100 cycles, at a current density of 200 mA g-1, the reversible capacity was 163.8 mAh g-1. It still exhibits an extremely long cycle stability at high current densities (discharge capacity of 124.6 mAh g-1 after 700 cycles at a current density of 1 A g-1). The excellent performance is attributed to the stable cage-like carbon scaffold and uniform continuous distribution of mesopores/macropores to improve ion diffusion kinetics and electronic conductivity. These results indicate that a properly designed CPC can effectively increase the capacity and cycle stability of a potassium-ion battery.

Controlled Morphology of Single-Crystal Molybdenum Trioxide Nanobelts for Photocatalysis.

Uniform MoO3 nanobelts and nanomaterials with various morphology are successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method with nitric acid as additive. The obtained MoO3 nanomaterials were characterized by means of XRD, SEM, SAED and TEM. In addition, the photocatalytic property of MoO3 nanomaterials have been studied, showing the excellent photocatalytic property for degradation of rhodamine-B (RhB) under simulated sunlight irradiation (visible light).

Si@SnS2 -Reduced Graphene Oxide Composite Anodes for High-Capacity Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Invited for this month's cover is the group of Weitang Yao at the Southwest University of Science and Technology. The image shows that developing low-cost and high-energy-density batteries is important for powering our city. The Si@SnS2 -rGO composites are good electrode materials for Li-ion batteries. The Full Paper itself is available at 10.1002/cssc.201902839.

Si@SnS2 -Reduced Graphene Oxide Composite Anodes for High-Capacity Lithium-Ion Batteries.

One of the key challenges for the development of lithium-ion batteries is the preparation of high-performance anode materials. In this paper, a micro/nanostructured Si@SnS2 -rGO composite is reported in which Si nanoparticles with a particle size of 30 nm are electrostatically anchored on a 3D reduced graphene oxide (rGO) network and mixed with SnS2 . The step-wise lithiation/delithiation of SnS2 provided space-constraining effects to accommodate volume expansion and particle aggregation, thereby alleviating the volume expansion of Si during cycling as well as enhancing the structural stability, whereas the rGO in the 3D network stabilized the composite. The composite had a high specific capacity of 1480.1 mAh g-1 after 200 cycles at a current density of 200 mA g-1 and a high stability at rates of 200-3000 mA g-1 . The capacity attenuation after cycling was only 89.18 %. A stable specific capacity (425.5 mAh g-1 ) was achieved after 600 cycles at a current density of 3000 mA g-1 . Therefore, the micro/nanostructured Si@SnS2 -rGO composite is a promising anode material for use in lithium-ion batteries.

Biological processes and pathway changes in isoflurane-induced anesthesia revealed by bioinformatics analysis of gene expression profiles.

OBJECTIVE: To identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and further analyze potential biological processes and pathways involved in isoflurane-induced anesthesia. METHODS: Microarray data (ID: GSE64617) from rat brains treated with exposure to either isoflurane in oxygen (2%) (test group) or oxygen alone (control group) for 15 min were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus. Data pre-processing was performed using the Affy package, followed by DEG screening using the limma package. Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) among DEGs were obtained from STRING (Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins), and then visualized by constructing a network using Cytoscape. Functional and pathway enrichment analyses were further implemented to identify the biological processes and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathways enriched by DEGs. RESULTS: A total of 240 DEGs were identified between the test and control groups, including 128 up-regulated DEGs and 112 down-regulated DEGs in the test group, of which 17 DEGs with a connectivity degree >4 were identified as hub genes (e.g., Pik3r1 and Pik3r2) in the constructed PPI network. Additionally, Slc17a7 and Camk4 interacted with Syn1, and Pik3r1 interacted with Pik3r2. Enrichment analysis further revealed the significantly enriched biological processes of 'synaptic transmission', 'cell-cell signaling' and 'transmission of nerve impulse' (e.g., Slc17a7, Camk4, Syn1, Gria1, Prkcg and Lphn1), as well as KEGG pathways including 'focal adhesion', 'Fc γ R-mediated phagocytosis' (e.g., Prkcg, Pik3r1 and Pik3r2), and 'regulation of actin cytoskeleton' (e.g., Pik3r1 and Pik3r2). CONCLUSIONS: The identified DEGs significantly enriched in biological processes and KEGG pathways might be implicated in isoflurane-induced anesthesia.