Morroniside-mediated mitigation of stem cell and endothelial cell dysfunction for the therapy of glucocorticoid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

BACKGROUND: Prolonged use of glucocorticoids (GCs) potentially lead to a condition known as GCs-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (GIONFH). The primary mechanisms underlying this phenomenon lies in stem cells and endothelial cells dysfunctions. Morroniside, an iridoid glycoside sourced from Cornus officinalis, possesses numerous biological capabilities, including combating oxidative stress, preventing apoptosis, opposing ischemic effects, and promoting the regeneration of bone tissue. PURPOSE: This study aimed to analyze the impact of Morroniside on Dexamethasone (DEX)-induced dysfunction in stem cells and endothelial cells, and its potential as a therapeutic agent for GIONFH in rat models. METHODS: ROS assay, JC-1 assay, and TUNEL assay were used to detect oxidative stress and apoptosis levels in vitro. For the evaluation of the osteogenic capability of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells, we employed ALP and ARS staining. Additionally, the angiogenic ability of endothelial cells was assessed using tube formation assay and migration assay. Microcomputed tomography analysis, hematoxylin-eosin staining, and immunohistochemical staining were utilized to evaluate the in vivo therapeutic efficacy of Morroniside. RESULTS: Morroniside mitigates DEX-induced excessive ROS expression and cell apoptosis, effectively reducing oxidative stress and alleviating cell death. In terms of osteogenesis, Morroniside reverses DEX-induced osteogenic impairment, as evidenced by enhanced ALP and ARS staining, as well as increased osteogenic protein expression. In angiogenesis, Morroniside counteracts DEX-induced vascular dysfunction, demonstrated by an increase in tube-like structures in tube formation assays, a rise in the number of migrating cells, and elevated levels of angiogenic proteins. In vivo, our results further indicate that Morroniside alleviates the progression of GIONFH. CONCLUSION: The experimental findings suggest that Morroniside concurrently mitigates stem cell and endothelial cell dysfunction through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway both in vitro and in vivo. These outcomes suggest that Morroniside serves as a potential therapeutic agent for GIONFH.

Insights into the Surface Oxygen Functional Group-Driven Fast and Stable Sodium Adsorption on Carbon.

Engineering the oxygen functional groups (OFGs) is a dynamic strategy to tune the surface chemistry and electrochemical properties of carbon-based materials. In this paper, the species and contents of OFGs on the surface of ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) and their effects on the sodium storage performance are systematically investigated without the interference of interlayer distance variation, extrinsic defects, other heteroatoms (e.g., N, S), etc. Theoretical calculations performed on various OFGs demonstrate that quinones and carboxylic anhydride groups possess two C═O bonds with stable configurations, good electronic conductivity, and strong sodium adsorption capability, contributing greatly to the Na+ storage capacity compared to the carboxylic acid groups. The ex situ techniques disclose the evolution of the OFGs and manifest the stable coordination of Na+ with C═O bonds even after long cycles. The optimized OFGs boost the Na+ redox reaction kinetics and enhance the surface capacitance contribution, achieving a capacity enhancement of 64.7% compared to the pristine OMC. This work would present implications in rational designing of oxygen-functionalized carbon materials for energy storage fields.

High gravimetric and volumetric sodium storage in a functionalized coal-based microcrystal/CNT binder-free electrode.

Abundant oxygen functional groups in coal-based microcrystals, especially for carboxylic anhydrides and quinone groups with two Na+ storage sites, provide plentiful active sites to adsorb Na+. The carboxyl groups serve as the binder connecting active material with a current collector. High gravimetric and volumetric sodium storage was achieved in this binder-free electrode.

Enhanced sodium storage via the hetero-interface effect in BiOCl/TiO2 p-n junctions.

This work introduces a new alternative way to improve the sodium storage of TiO2, which can play a joint role in common techniques like carbon coating and heteroatom doping. The hetero-interface between BiOCl and TiO2 provides extra sodium storage sites and more importantly, a built-in electric field accelerates electron and ion diffusion.