[Molecular mechanism of Ganoderma against gastric cancer based on network pharmacology and experimental test].

This study aims to explore the molecular mechanism of Ganoderma against gastric cancer based on network pharmacology, molecular docking, and cell experiment. The active components and targets of Ganoderma were retrieved from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP), and gastric cancer-related targets from GeneCards and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM). The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network of the common targets was constructed with STRING, followed by Gene Ontology(GO) term enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis of the common genes based on Bioconductor and R language. The medicinal-disease-component-target network and medicinal-disease-component-target-pathway network were established by Cytoscape. Molecular docking was performed between ß-sitosterol(the key component in Ganoderma) and the top 15 targets in the PPI network. Cell experiment was performed to verify the findings. A total of 14 active components and 28 targets of Ganoderma were retrieved, and the medicinal and the disease shared 25 targets, including caspase-3(CASP3), caspase-8(CASP8), caspase-9(CASP9), and B-cell lymphoma-2(BCL2). The common targets involved 72 signaling pathways and apoptosis and p53 signaling pathway may play a crucial role in the effect of Ganoderma against gastric cancer. ß-sitosterol had strong binding activity to the top 15 targets in the PPI network. The in vitro cell experiment demonstrated that ß-sitosterol inhibited gastric cancer AGS cell proliferation by inducing cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the S phase, which might be related to the regulation of the p53 pathway. This study shows the multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics of Ganoderma against gastric cancer, which lays a scientific basis for further research on the molecular mechanism.

Coupled Triboelectric Nanogenerator Networks for Efficient Water Wave Energy Harvesting.

Water wave energy is a promising clean energy source, which is abundant but hard to scavenge economically. Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) networks provide an effective approach toward massive harvesting of water wave energy in oceans. In this work, a coupling design in TENG networks for such purposes is reported. The charge output of the rationally linked units is over 10 times of that without linkage. TENG networks of three different connecting methods are fabricated and show better performance for the ones with flexible connections. The network is based on an optimized ball-shell structured TENG unit with high responsivity to small agitations. The dynamic behavior of single and multiple TENG units is also investigated comprehensively to fully understand their performance in water. The study shows that a rational design on the linkage among the units could be an effective strategy for TENG clusters to operate collaboratively for reaching a higher performance.

Silicone-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Water Wave Energy Harvesting.

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has been proven to be efficient for harvesting water wave energy, which is one of the most promising renewable energy sources. In this work, a TENG with a silicone rubber/carbon black composite electrode was designed for converting the water wave energy into electricity. The silicone-based electrode with a soft texture provides a better contact with the dielectric film. Furthermore, a spring structure is introduced to transform low-frequency water wave motions into high-frequency vibrations. They together improve the output performance and efficiency of TENG. The output performances of TENGs are further enhanced by optimizing the triboelectric material pair and tribo-surface area. A spring-assisted TENG device with the segmented silicone rubber-based electrode structure was sealed into a waterproof box, which delivers a maximum power density of 2.40 W m-3, as triggered by the water waves. The present work provides a new strategy for fabricating high-performance TENG devices by coupling flexible electrodes and spring structure for harvesting water wave energy.

A multi-dielectric-layered triboelectric nanogenerator as energized by corona discharge.

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have been invented recently for meeting the power requirements of small electronics and potentially solving the worldwide energy crisis. Here, we developed a vertical contact-separation mode TENG based on a novel multi-dielectric-layered (MDL) structure, which was comprised of parylene C, polyimide and SiO2 films. By using the corona discharge approach, the surface charge density was enhanced to as high as 283 µC m-2, and especially the open-circuit voltage could be increased by a factor of 55 compared with the original value. Furthermore, the theoretical models were built to reveal the output characteristics and store the electrostatic energy of the TENG. The influences of the structural parameters and operation conditions including the effective dielectric thickness, dielectric constant, gap distance and air breakdown voltage were investigated systematically. It was found that the output performances such as the peak voltage and power density are approximately proportional to the thickness of the MDL film, but they would be restricted by the air breakdown voltage. These unique structures and models could be used to deepen the understanding of the fundamental mechanism of TENGs, and serve as an important guide for designing high performance TENGs.