Updated Pharmacological Effects, Molecular Mechanisms, and Therapeutic Potential of Natural Product Geniposide.

At present, the potential of natural products in new drug development has attracted more and more scientists' attention, and natural products have become an important source for the treatment of various diseases or important lead compounds. Geniposide, as a novel iridoid glycoside compound, is an active natural product isolated from the herb Gardenia jasminoides Ellis (GJ) for the first time; it is also the main active component of GJ. Recent studies have found that geniposide has multiple pharmacological effects and biological activities, including hepatoprotective activity, an anti-osteoporosis effect, an antitumor effect, an anti-diabetic effect, ananti-myocardial dysfunction effect, a neuroprotective effect, and other protective effects. In this study, the latest research progress of the natural product geniposide is systematically described, and the pharmacological effects, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity of geniposide are also summarized and discussed comprehensively. We also emphasize the major pathways modulated by geniposide, offering new insights into the pharmacological effects of geniposide as a promising drug candidate for multiple disorders.

Towards sustainable production and utilization of plant-biomass-based nanomaterials: a review and analysis of recent developments.

Plant-biomass-based nanomaterials have attracted great interest recently for their potential to replace petroleum-sourced polymeric materials for sustained economic development. However, challenges associated with sustainable production of lignocellulosic nanoscale polymeric materials (NPMs) need to be addressed. Producing materials from lignocellulosic biomass is a value-added proposition compared with fuel-centric approach. This report focuses on recent progress made in understanding NPMs-specifically lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) and cellulosic nanomaterials (CNMs)-and their sustainable production. Special attention is focused on understanding key issues in nano-level deconstruction of cell walls and utilization of key properties of the resultant NPMs to allow flexibility in production to promote sustainability. Specifically, suitable processes for producing LNPs and their potential for scaled-up production, along with the resultant LNP properties and prospective applications, are discussed. In the case of CNMs, terminologies such as cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) used in the literature are examined. The term cellulose nano-whiskers (CNWs) is used here to describe a class of CNMs that has a morphology similar to CNCs but without specifying its crystallinity, because most applications of CNCs do not need its crystalline characteristic. Additionally, progress in enzymatic processing and drying of NPMs is also summarized. Finally, the report provides some perspective of future research that is likely to result in commercialization of plant-based NPMs.

Magnetically Driven 3D Cellulose Film for Improved Energy Efficiency in Solar Evaporation.

The architecture of cellulose nanomaterials is definitized by random deposition and cannot change in response to shifting application requirements. Herein, we present a magnetic field-controlled cellulose film derived from wood that exhibits great magnetic properties and reliable tunability enabled by incorporated Fe3O4 nanoparticles and cellulose nanofibers (CNF) with a large length-diameter ratio. Fe3O4 nanoparticles are dispersed in suspensions of CNF so as to enhance the magnetic response. The plane magnetic CNF can be processed to form a three-dimensional (3D) flower-like structure along the magnetic induction line after applying an external magnet. Inspired by the fluidic transport in natural flowers, a bilayer structure was created using the 3D flower-like film as the solar energy receiver and natural wood as the water pathway in a solar-derived evaporation system. Compared with a planar cellulose film decorated with Fe3O4, the 3D structure design can greatly improve the evaporation rate from 1.19 to 1.39 kg m-2 h-1 and the efficiency from 76.9 to 90.6% under 1 sun. Finite element molding further reveals that the 3D structural top layer is beneficial for the formation of a gradient temperature profile and the improvement of the energy efficiency through the reduction of thermal radiation. The magnetically controlled fabrication represents a promising strategy for designing cellulose nanomaterials with a complicated structure and controllable topography, which has a wide spectrum of applications in energy storage devices and water treatment.

Facile Fabrication of Nanofibrillated Chitin/Ag2O Heterostructured Aerogels with High Iodine Capture Efficiency.

Nanofibrillated chitin/Ag2O aerogels were fabricated for radioiodine removal. Chitin was first fabricated into nanofibers with abundant acetyl amino groups (-NHCOCH3) on the surface. Then, highly porous chitin nanofiber (ChNF) aerogels were obtained via freeze-drying. The ChNF aerogels exhibited a low bulk density of 2.19 mg/cm3 and a high specific surface area of 179.71 m2/g. Ag2O nanoparticles were evenly anchored on the surfaces of ChNF scaffolds via strong interactions with -NHCOCH3 groups, subsequently yielding Ag2O@ChNF heterostructured aerogels. The composites were used as efficient absorbents to remove radioiodine anions from water and capture a high amount of I2 vapor in the forms of AgI and iodine molecules. The adsorption capacity of the composite monoliths can reach up to 2.81 mmol/g of I- anions. The high adsorbability of the composite monolithic aerogel signifies its potential applications in radioactive waste disposal.

Coherent-Interface-Assembled Ag2O-Anchored Nanofibrillated Cellulose Porous Aerogels for Radioactive Iodine Capture.

Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) has received increasing attention in science and technology because of not only the availability of large amounts of cellulose in nature but also its unique structural and physical features. These high-aspect-ratio nanofibers have potential applications in water remediation and as a reinforcing scaffold in composites, coatings, and porous materials because of their fascinating properties. In this work, highly porous NFC aerogels were prepared based on tert-butanol freeze-drying of ultrasonically isolated bamboo NFC with 20-80 nm diameters. Then nonagglomerated 2-20-nm-diameter silver oxide (Ag2O) nanoparticles (NPs) were grown firmly onto the NFC scaffold with a high loading content of ∼500 wt % to fabricate Ag2O@NFC organic-inorganic composite aerogels (Ag2O@NFC). For the first time, the coherent interface and interaction mechanism between the cellulose Iß nanofiber and Ag2O NPs are explored by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and 3D electron tomography. Specifically, a strong hydrogen between Ag2O and NFC makes them grow together firmly along a coherent interface, where good lattice matching between specific crystal planes of Ag2O and NFC results in very small interfacial straining. The resulting Ag2O@NFC aerogels take full advantage of the properties of the 3D organic aerogel framework and inorganic NPs, such as large surface area, interconnected porous structures, and supreme mechanical properties. They open up a wide horizon for functional practical usage, for example, as a flexible superefficient adsorbent to capture I- ions from contaminated water and trap I2 vapor for safe disposal, as presented in this work. The viable binding mode between many types of inorganic NPs and organic NFC established here highlights new ways to investigate cellulose-based functional nanocomposites.

Poly(vinyl alcohol) films reinforced with nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) isolated from corn husk by high intensity ultrasonication.

This work was aimed at fabricating and characterizing poly(vinyl alcohol) films that were reinforced by nanofibrillated corn husk celluloses using a combination of chemical pretreatments and ultrasonication. The obtained nanofibrillated celluloses (NFCs) possessed a narrow width ranging from 50 to 250 nm and a high aspect ratio (394). The crystalline type of NFC was cellulose I type. Compared with the original corn husks, the NCF crystallinity and thermal stability increased due to the removal of the hemicelluloses and lignin. PVA films containing different NFC concentrations (0.5%, 1%, 3%, 5%, 7% and 9%, w/w, dry basis) were examined. The 1% PVA/NFC reinforced films exhibited a highly visible light transmittance of 80%, and its tensile strength and the tensile strain at break were increased by 1.47 and 1.80 times compared to that of the pure PVA film, respectively. The NFC with high aspect ratio and high crystallinity is beneficial to the improvement of the mechanical strength and thermal stability.

Fabrication and characterization of nanofibrillated cellulose and its aerogels from natural pine needles.

To obtain the nanofibriled cellulose from natural pine needles, a combination of chemical pretreatments and subsequently ultrasonic treatments was employed for removing the hemicelluloses and lignins and splitting the bundled cellulose into pine needle nanofibers. Using SEM and diameter distribution method, it was confirmed that the obtained pine needle nanofibers had a narrow diameter from 30 to 70 nm. The crystalline type of the pine needle nanofibers was the cellulose I type. The crystallinity reached 66.19%, which was increased by 7.61% as compared with the raw material pine needles. The TGA and DTG results showed that the degradation temperature of the nanofibers was increased to approximately 267 and 352°C compared with 221 and 343°C of the raw material fibers, respectively. Furthermore, the highly flexible and ultralight pine needle nanofibers aerogels were prepared from the aqueous pine needle nanofibers solution using the freezing-drying technique. Aerogels were studied by SEM observation and nitrogen gas adsorption. The mechanical properties were measured in compression for aerogels. This study provides a new opportunity to fabricate novel nanomaterials from waste biomass materials, which is crucial for the fully utilizing of abundant biomass resources.