ABSTRACT
In view of recent advances in photodegradation of antibiotics, low cost and stable photocatalyst remain rare. In this article, shape-controlled Cu2O@CuS nanocubes with the larger specific surface area were successfully prepared via a simple template-engaged strategy. Cu2O nanocubes were synthesized through a reduction method as original templates, the core-shelled Cu2O@CuS nanocubes were formed by sulphuration with Na2S as sulphur source, and the Cu2O core can be incompletely removed by Na2S2O3 to generate the Cu2O@CuS nanoboxes. Herein, hierarchical nanoboxes with two-layered Cu2O@CuS were used as photocatalyst materials for photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline (TC). The obtained nanocubes manifested high specific surface area (39.65â m2â g-1) and large pore volume (12.3â cm3â g-1). The degradation performance for TC was investigated in detail, including the effect of parameters such as photocatalyst, pH and catalyst dosage. The results indicated that degradation efficiencies were higher than 90% under visible light. Moreover, the degradation efficiency was 71% after six times.
Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents , Photochemical Processes , Tetracycline , Light , SulfurABSTRACT
In plants, brassinosteroids (BRs) are a class of steroidal hormones that are involved in numerous physiological responses. However, the function of BRs in cold tolerance in cotton has not been explored. In this study, cotton seedlings were treated with five concentrations (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/L) of 24-Epibrassinolide (EBR) at 4°C. We measured the electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, proline content, and net photosynthesis rate (Pn) of the seedlings, which showed that EBR treatment increased cold tolerance in cotton in a dose-dependent manner, and that 0.2 mg/L is an optimum concentration for enhancing cold tolerance. The function of EBR in cotton cotyledons was investigated in the control 0 mg/L (Cold+water) and 0.2 mg/L (Cold+EBR) treatments using RNA-Seq. A total of 4,001 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 2,591 up-regulated genes and 1,409 down-regulated genes were identified. Gene Ontology (GO) and biochemical pathway enrichment analyses showed that EBR is involved in the genetic information process, secondary metabolism, and also inhibits abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene (ETH) signal transduction. In this study, physiological experiments showed that EBR can increase cold tolerance in cotton seedlings, and the comprehensive RNA-seq data shed light on the mechanisms through which EBR increases cold tolerance in cotton seedlings.
Subject(s)
Brassinosteroids/metabolism , Cold-Shock Response/genetics , Gossypium/genetics , Steroids, Heterocyclic/metabolism , Brassinosteroids/pharmacology , Gene Expression Profiling/methods , Gene Expression Regulation, Plant , Gossypium/drug effects , Photosynthesis/drug effects , Plant Growth Regulators/metabolism , Plant Growth Regulators/pharmacology , Plant Proteins/genetics , Seedlings/drug effects , Seedlings/genetics , Seedlings/growth & development , Steroids, Heterocyclic/pharmacology , Stress, Physiological/drug effects , TranscriptomeABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Gouty arthritis is characterized by intense, acute inflammatory reactions that occur in response to articular deposits of monosodium urate crystals. In this study we have assessed the effects of the flavonoid, quercetin, on monosodium urate crystal-induced inflammation in rats, an experimental model for gouty arthritis. METHODS: Gouty arthritis was induced by intra-articular injection of monosodium urate crystal suspension inside the ankle joint of the rat right hind limb. Circumference was assessed at 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, and 48 h after monosodium urate crystal injection. Histopathological analysis of joint synovial tissue, inflammatory mediator levels, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant status in serum, liver and joint synovial tissue were determined in control and monosodium urate crystal-treated rats at the end of experiment. KEY FINDINGS: Quercetin treatment attenuated oedema in a dose-dependent manner and decreased histological signs of acute inflammation in the treated animals. In addition, quercetin treatment suppressed leucocyte recruitment, decreased chemokine levels, decreased levels of the lipid peroxidation end-product malondialdehyde, and increased antioxidant enzyme activity in treated rats. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicated that quercetin exerted a strong anti-inflammatory effect that may be useful for the treatment of acute gouty arthritis.
