Iron-based materials functionalized with carbon and phosphorus recovered from sludge enhanced the formation of stable minerals to passivate lead and chromium in wastewater and soil.

The bioaccumulation and toxicity of heavy metals are serious threats to human activities and ecological health. The exploitation of environmentally friendly passivated materials is major importance for the remediation of heavy metal contaminated soil. This research developed a new type of environmental functional material with a core-shell structure, which is an iron-based material functionalized with phosphorus and carbon from sludge for heavy metal pollution remediation. The results indicated that the C/P@Fe exhibits excellent heavy metal removal ability, and the maximum removal rates of the two heavy metals in simulated wastewater could reach 100% under optimum reaction conditions. It also effectively converts the labile Cr/Pb into the stable fraction after 28 days of incubation, which increased the maximum residual fraction percentage of Cr and Pb by 32.43% and 160% in soil. Further analysis found that the carbon layer wrapped around the iron base could improve the electron transport efficiency of reducing iron, phosphorus and ferrum could react with heavy metal ions to form stable minerals, such as FeCr2O4, FeO·Cr2O3, Pb5(PO4)3OH, PbCO3, 2PbCO3·Pb(OH)2 and PbS, after reacting with C/P@Fe. The study demonstrated that the Iron-based materials functionalized with carbon and phosphorus from sludge provided a more efficient way to remove heavy metals.

Inhibition of HSP20 Ameliorates Steatotic Liver Disease by Stimulating ERK2-Dependent Autophagy.

HSP20 emerges as a novel regulator of autophagy in the heart. Nonetheless, the detailed function of HSP20 in the liver and its effect on autophagy remain unknown. Here, we observed that HSP20 expression is increased in liver tissues from mice and patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Liver-specific downregulation of HSP20 mitigates hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance in obese mice, while upregulating HSP20 promotes lipid deposition and hepatocyte cell death. Mechanistically, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry revealed that HSP20 interacts with phosphorylated extracellular regulated protein kinase 2 (ERK2) and prevents its dephosphorylation by dual specificity phosphatase 6, leading to ERK2-mediated repression of autophagy and resulting in aggravated saturated fatty acid (SFA)-triggered hepatocyte death. Importantly, such adverse effects could be ameliorated by ERK inhibitor. Our data reveal a framework of how HSP20 increases susceptibility of SFA-induced liver injury through enhancing ERK2 phosphorylation, which represents a plausible therapeutic intervention to combat MASLD.

PRMT4 Facilitates White Adipose Tissue Browning and Thermogenesis by Methylating PPARγ.

Obesity is a global health threat, and the induction of white adipose tissue (WAT) browning presents a promising therapeutic method for it. Recent publications revealed the essential role of protein arginine methyltransferase 4 (PRMT4) in lipid metabolism and adipogenesis, but its involvement in WAT browning has not been investigated. Our initial studies found that the expression of PRMT4 in adipocytes was upregulated in cold-induced WAT browning but downregulated in obesity. Besides, PRMT4 overexpression in inguinal adipose tissue accelerated WAT browning and thermogenesis to protect against high-fat diet-induced obesity and metabolic disruptions. Mechanistically, our work demonstrated that PRMT4 methylated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) on Arg240 to enhance its interaction with the coactivator PR domain-containing protein 16 (PRDM16), leading to the increased expression of thermogenic genes. Taken together, our results uncover the essential role of the PRMT4/PPARγ/PRDM16 axis in the pathogenesis of WAT browning. ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS: Protein arginine methyltransferase 4 (PRMT4) expression was upregulated during cold exposure and negatively correlated with body mass of mice and humans. PRMT4 overexpression in inguinal white adipose tissue of mice improved high-fat diet-induced obesity and associated metabolic impairment due to enhanced heat production. PRMT4 methylated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ on Arg240 and facilitated the binding of the coactivator PR domain-containing protein 16 to initiate adipose tissue browning and thermogenesis. PRMT4-dependent methylation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ on Arg240 is important in the process of inguinal white adipose tissue browning.

Novel adipokine asprosin modulates browning and adipogenesis in white adipose tissue.

Obesity is an increasingly serious epidemic worldwide characterized by an increase in the number and size of adipocytes. Adipose tissue maintains the balance between lipid storage and energy utilization. Therefore, adipose metabolism is of great significance for the prevention, treatment and intervention of obesity. Asprosin, a novel adipokine, is a circulating hormone mainly secreted by white adipose tissue. Previous studies have shown that asprosin plays a role in fasting-induced homeostasis, insulin resistance, and glucose tolerance. However, whether it can regulate the metabolism of adipose tissue itself has not been studied. This study intended to examine the roles and potential mechanisms of asprosin in adipose regulation. We first demonstrated that the expression level of asprosin was significantly downregulated in subcutaneous white adipose tissue (scWAT) of high-fat diet (HFD)-fed or cold-stimulated mice. Overexpression of asprosin in scWAT reduced heat production, decreased expression of the browning marker uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and other browning-related genes, along with upregulation of adipogenic gene expression. Mechanistically, we found that Nrf2 was activated upon cold exposure, but this activation was suppressed after asprosin overexpression. In primary cultured adipocytes, adenovirusmediated asprosin overexpression inhibited adipose browning and aggravated lipid deposition, while Nrf2 agonist oltipraz could reverse these changes. Our findings suggest that novel adipokine asprosin negatively regulated browning and elevate lipid deposition in adipose tissue via a Nrf2-mediated mechanism. Asprosin may be a promising target for the prevention and treatment of obesity and other metabolic diseases.

Bis(ethanamidinium) (1,10-phen-an-thro-line-2,9-dicarboxyl-ato)manganate(II) hepta-hydrate.

In the title complex, (C2H7N2)2[Mn(C14H6N2O4)2]·7H2O, the Mn(II) atom is coordinated by four N atoms and four O atoms from two 1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarboxyl-ate ligands in a distorted dodeca-hedral geometry. The double negative charge is balanced by two ethanamidinium cations. A three-dimensional supra-molecular structure is formed through N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking inter-actions [centroid-centroid distance = 3.553 (2) Å].

[Emulsion liquid membrane extraction with D2EHPA mobile carrier Hirudinaria manillensis hirudin in experimental study].

OBJECTIVE: To study the extraction system of hirudin emulsion liquid membrane with the Poecilobdella manillensis as raw material, di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (D2EHPA) as carrier, Span 80 as emulsifier, octane and D2EHPA mixed to constitute membrane solution, diluted HCl solutions as internal aqueous phase. METHOD: Using the orthogonal experiment to optimize the extraction conditions of hirudin reference substance such as membrane phase, internal aqueous phase volume ratio (MIPVR), external aqueous phase pH, internal aqueous phase pH, mobile carrier concentration and so on, and then using hirudin crude extracts to do purifying experiment, and gaining experimental samples. RESULT: The optimal conditions of hirudin extraction were as follows: MIPVR 10: 3, internal aqueous phase pH 2.6, external aqueous phase pH 3.4, the mass fraction of carrier D2EHPA 2%. In the optimal extraction conditions, when the initial concentration of hirudin was one anti-thrombin activity units (ATU) x mL(-1), ATU recovery rate of the reference substance was 83.06%. In the purifying experiment of crude extracts, ATU recovery rate was 82.99%, and the specific activity of sample was 3 289.48 the ATU x mg(-1). Discontinuous polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and spectral scanning, the results showed that the purity and reference substance were considerable. CONCLUSION: The method of preparation hirudin was relatively simple, the purity of the experimental samples and ATU recovery were both high.

Two novel Dy8 and Dy11 clusters with cubane [Dy4(µ3-OH)4]8+ units exhibiting slow magnetic relaxation behaviour.

Two unique octa- and hendeca-nuclear dysprosium(III) clusters incorporating [Dy(4)(µ(3)-OH)(4)](8+) cubane units have been synthesized with the 1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarbaldehyde dioxime (H(2)phendox) ligand and DyCl(3)·6H(2)O or Dy(OAc)(3)·4H(2)O. They are [Dy(8)(OH)(8)(phendox)(6)(H(2)O)(8)]Cl(2)(OH)(2)·18H(2)O·18MeOH (1) and [Dy(11)(OH)(11)(phendox)(6)(phenda)(3)(OAc)(3)](OH)·40H(2)O·7MeOH (2). Adjacent Dy(8) in 1 or Dy(11) in 2 motifs are packed by off-set π-π interactions of the aromatic rings on phendox(2-) to generate a 3D supramolecular architecture in the honeycomb topology and with 1D or 3D channels along the c-axis. Adsorption research shows that complex 1 has selective adsorption ability for H(2)O over small gas molecules (H(2), N(2), CO(2)). Complex 2 is stable upon the removal of guest molecules and the desolvated compound absorbed a considerable amount of CO(2). Furthermore, the oximes underwent hydrolysis to carboxylic acid and the resulting 1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarboxylate link the dysprosium atoms to form a hendecanuclear cluster of 2. Magnetic studies reveal that both clusters exhibit slow magnetic relaxation behavior, expanding upon the recent reports of the pure 4f type single-molecule magnets (SMMs).

Synthesis, structures, adsorption behaviour and magnetic properties of a new family of polynuclear iron clusters.

Solvothermal reactions of 1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarbaldehyde dioxime (H(2)phendox) with FeCl(3)·6H(2)O or FeBr(3) under solvothermal conditions yielded two trinuclear iron(III) clusters [Fe(III)(3)(mu(3)-O)(phendox)(3)]X·14H(2)O (X = Cl 1·14H(2)O, Br 2·14H(2)O) and three hexanuclear iron(III) and iron(II) clusters, [Fe(III)(6)(mu(4)-O)(2)(MeO)(6)X(4)(phendox)(2)]·MeOH (X = Cl , Br 4) and (H(3)O)[Fe(II)(6)(mu(6)-Cl)(phenda)(6)]·6H(2)O (5·6H(2)O). The phendox(2-) ligand is very useful in constructing magnetically active and stable high-nuclearity metal clusters in that the phenanthroline rings and the oxime nitrogen atoms grasp the metal ions tightly while the two oxygen atoms on the oximates can link other metal centres in the shortest pairwise magnetic exchange pathway. Adjacent Fe(3)(mu(3)-O)(phendox)(3)(+) motifs in 1 and 2 are packed by off-set pi-pi interactions of the aromatic rings on phendox(2-) to generate a 3D supramolecular architecture in the honeycomb topology and with 1D hexagonal channels in the dimension of 13 x 13 Å along the c-axis. 2 is stable upon the removal of guest molecules and the desolvated compound absorbed considerable amount of N(2), CO(2) and H(2). 3 and 4 are isostructural. Two mu(4)-O(2-) and two phendox(2-) units link four metal atoms into a coplanar butterfly-shaped unit with the mu(4)-O(2-) slightly above and below the plane (+/-0.264 Å). The other two Fe(III) ions are capped on the alternate planes via the three bridging mu(2)-methoxides and accordingly form an unprecedented hexanuclear Fe(III) cluster. Furthermore, the oximes underwent hydrolysis to yield carboxylate groups and the resulted 1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarboxylate link the iron atoms to form a hexanuclear cluster of 5. Magnetic studies show that the antiferromagnetic interactions are present in the Fe(3)O core of 2 and in the (mu(6)-Cl)Fe(6)(mu-O)(12) core of 5.

Aqua-chlorido(4-methyl-benzoato-κO)(1,10-phenanthroline-κN,N')copper(II).

In the title mononuclear complex, [Cu(C(8)H(7)O(2))Cl(C(12)H(8)N(2))(H(2)O)], the Cu(II) atom is coordinated by one carboxylate O atom from a monodentate 4-methyl-benzoate ligand, two N atoms from the 1,10-phenanthroline ligand, one chloride ion and one water mol-ecule in a square-pyramidal geometry. The crystal structure exhibits inter- and intra-molecular C-H⋯Cl, C-H⋯O, O-H⋯Cl and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, as well as C-H⋯π inter-actions of phenanthroline and methyl H atoms towards the π-systems of neighboring 4-methyl-benzoate units and the pyridine rings of the phenanthroline system [centroid-centroid distances are 2.706 (2) and 2.992 (1) Å, respectively].