ABSTRACT
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an extremely complex disease, characterized by several pathological features including oxidative stress and amyloid-ß (Aß) aggregation. Blockage of Aß-induced injury has emerged as a potential therapeutic approach for AD. Our previous efforts resulted in the discovery of Monascus pigment rubropunctatin derivative FZU-H with potential neuroprotective effects. This novel lead compound significantly diminishes toxicity induced by Aß(1-42) in Neuro-2A cells. Our further mechanism investigation revealed that FZU-H inhibited Aß(1-42)-induced caspase-3 protein activation and the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. In addition, treatment of FZU-H was proven to attenuate Aß(1-42)-induced cell redox imbalance and Tau hyperphosphorylation which caused by okadaic acid in Neuro-2A cells. These results indicated that FZU-H shows promising neuroprotective effects for AD.
ABSTRACT
Copper in drinking water causes a significant environmental problem. Composite material based on alginate hydrogel has been gaining attention in the field of Cu(II) adsorption. However, alginate-based hydrogel exhibits poor mechanical property and relative low adsorption capacity which limit their application. The present study is devoted to the modification of chitosan/calcium alginate/Fe3O4 (CAF) hydrogel microsphere by NaOH solution for enhancement of Cu(II) adsorption. Results reveal that modification of CAF via NaOH solution significantly improves the mechanical strength and Cu2+ adsorption capacity of pristine materials. FTIR and XRD analysis confirms that CAF and newly prepared materials (NACAF) are successfully prepared. SEM and EDX are employed to analyze the surface morphology and elemental composition, respectively, both before and after their loading with Cu2+. XPS study demonstrates adsorption mechanism is based on chelation and ion-exchange. Compressive stress-strain curves demonstrate NACAF has better mechanical performance than CAF. The adsorption kinetics of the two adsorbents follow a pseudo-second-order model. The equilibrium data were best described by Langmuir isotherm model, and the estimated maximum equilibrium sorption capacity, q m,is 261.31 mg/g for the NACAF, which is larger than that of CAF (145.39 mg/g). Hence, NACAF shows excellent mechanical strength and high sorption capacity for Cu2+. It has great potential for Cu(II) removal in aqueous solutions.
