Hinge-like paper-based dual-channel enzyme-free ratiometric fluorescent microfluidic platform for simultaneous visual detection of carbaryl and glyphosate.

On-site multi-pesticide residues detection is particularly urgent and challenging. Here, we fabricated an enzyme-free ratiometric fluorescent detection system in combination with a hinge-like dual-channel 3D microfluidic paper analytical device (3D µPAD) for simultaneous visual detection of carbaryl and glyphosate. Blue-emission 1-naphthol (Em. 470 nm) was hydrolyzed from carbaryl, while yellow-emission 2,3-diaminophenazine (Em. 570 nm) was produced with the aid of Cu2+ for glyphosate sensing. Inner-filter effect between 1-naphthol or 2,3-diaminophenazine and green-emission carbon dots (Em. 510 nm) realized two ratiometric fluorescent detection systems. Remarkable color variation of green-blue for carbaryl (50.00-1100 µΜ) and yellow-green for glyphosate (5.00-600 µΜ) were observed on a dual-channel 3D µPAD without crosstalk. Their detection limits were 1.11 and 0.63 µΜ, respectively. The strategy realized simultaneous visual detection of carbaryl and glyphosate in food/herbal with excellent accuracy (spiked recoveries, 91.00-107.2%), high precision (RSD ≤ 8.43%), and superior selectivity.

Design of a sustainable light-up flavonol probe for dual-ratiometric fluorescent sensing and visual differentiating ammonia and hydrazine.

Ammonia (NH3) and hydrazine (N2H4) present potential risks to human health, food and environmental safety. A sustainable flavonol-based probe, quercetin pentaacetate (QPA, weak blue emission 417 nm), was fabricated for dual-ratiometric fluorescent sensing and visual differentiating NH3 and N2H4. Excited state intramolecular proton transfer-on products with green (487 nm) and yellow (543 nm) emissions occurred as meeting with NH3 and N2H4, respectively, for their different nucleophilicities. Such a promising response offered a great opportunity of QPA to discriminatively detect NH3 and N2H4 with large Stokes shifts (>122 nm), high sensitivity (limit of detection: 35.4 µM and 0.70 ppm for NH3 solution and gas; 0.26 µM for N2H4 solution), excellent accuracy (spiked recoveries from 98.6 % to 105 %), and superior selectivity. Importantly, QPA was utilized for monitoring NH3 vapor in fish spoilage procedures and detecting N2H4 in water samples for food and environmental safety evaluation.

A dual-emission carbon dots-based nonenzymatic fluorescent sensing platform for simultaneous detection of parathion-methyl and glyphosate.

Simultaneous and high-performance detection of pesticides is still a considerable challenge and urgent need. Herein, a dual-emission carbon dots (CDs)-based nonenzymatic fluorescent sensing platform has been developed, which shows excellent sensitivity and selectivity in simultaneously detecting parathion-methyl (MP) and glyphosate. CDs with emissions at 440 nm (bCDs) and 660 nm (rCDs) were prepared by hydrothermal treatment of mulberry leaves and sodium hydroxide. bCDs response to hydrolyzed MP via inner filter effect, while rCDs sense glyphosate with the aid of Cu2+ by static quenching effect. Excellent linear correlations were found for MP (0.3-65.0 µM) and glyphosate (1.0-110.0 µM) with limits of detection at 0.14 and 0.60 µM. Notably, the presented dual-channel strategy was successfully applied in simultaneously detecting MP and glyphosate in food/herbal samples with acceptable recoveries, good precision, and high selectivity. Moreover, an ORlogicgatewas achieved for estimating food, herbal, or environmental safety.

The extraction of phenolic acids and polysaccharides from Lilium lancifolium Thunb. using a deep eutectic solvent.

Establishing a fast and effective extraction method for herbs is beneficial for the determination of their main compounds and estimating their quality. In this study, deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were optimized to simultaneously extract three main types of phenolic acids, i.e., regaloside B, regaloside C, and regaloside E, and polysaccharides from the bulbs of Lilium lancifolium Thunb. Based on the optimized extraction conditions, i.e., an extraction temperature of 50 °C, an extraction time of 40 min, a solid-liquid ratio of 1 : 25, and a ratio of water in the DES of 20%, the extracted amounts of regaloside B, regaloside C, and regaloside E reached 0.31 ± 0.06 mg g-1, 0.29 ± 0.03 mg g-1, and 3.04 ± 0.38 mg g-1, respectively. The extraction efficiencies were higher than those obtained using conventional organic solvents. Next, the polysaccharide levels were measured and compared with those obtained using a conventional hot water extraction method, and equivalent extraction efficiencies were obtained with the conventional hot water extraction method. This study provides a new application of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) for simultaneously extracting phenolic acids and polysaccharides from the bulbs of L. lancifolium Thunb. Considering the biodegradability and pharmaceutical acceptability, DESs as a class of green solvents could have wide applications in the extraction of natural products.

Rapid identification of Lilium species and polysaccharide contents based on near infrared spectroscopy and weighted partial least square method.

Polysaccharide is the main active compound of Lilium, and showed many activities, such as hypoglycemic, antioxidant, immune-modulatory. There are three types' Lilium in China market, i.e. Lilium lancifolium Thunb (JD), Lilium davidiivar. Unicolor Salisb (L. davidii var)(LZBH), and Lilium brownii F.E. Brown var. viridulum Baker (BH). Near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) technique has become popular in the fields of quality control, due to its advantages, such as fast, non-destructive, and can detect several ingredients, simultaneously. In this study, a classification model was established based on NIR technique and random forest method to accurately distinguish three types' Lilium species, and the classification accuracy reached 94.37%. Furthermore, taking the effects of neighbor wavelength into account, a new weighted partial least square algorithm was proposed to establish an accurate and quantitative model for predicting the polysaccharide contents of these samples. In the model establishing process, some signal pre-treatment methods were optimized, and the validation results with highest determination coefficient (R2) and low root mean square errors of prediction (RMSEP) were, 0.9455 and 0.9098, respectively. The obtained results showed that combined NIR technique with chemometrics was an effective and green method for quality control.

Repression of Adipose Tissue Fibrosis through a PRDM16-GTF2IRD1 Complex Improves Systemic Glucose Homeostasis.

Adipose tissue fibrosis is a hallmark of malfunction that is linked to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes; however, what regulates this process remains unclear. Here we show that the PRDM16 transcriptional complex, a dominant activator of brown/beige adipocyte development, potently represses adipose tissue fibrosis in an uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1)-independent manner. By purifying the PRDM16 complex, we identified GTF2IRD1, a member of the TFII-I family of DNA-binding proteins, as a cold-inducible transcription factor that mediates the repressive action of the PRDM16 complex on fibrosis. Adipocyte-selective expression of GTF2IRD1 represses adipose tissue fibrosis and improves systemic glucose homeostasis independent of body-weight loss, while deleting GTF2IRD1 promotes fibrosis in a cell-autonomous manner. GTF2IRD1 represses the transcription of transforming growth factor ß-dependent pro-fibrosis genes by recruiting PRDM16 and EHMT1 onto their promoter/enhancer regions. These results suggest a mechanism by which repression of obesity-associated adipose tissue fibrosis through the PRDM16 complex leads to an improvement in systemic glucose homeostasis.

Beige Adipocyte Maintenance Is Regulated by Autophagy-Induced Mitochondrial Clearance.

Beige adipocytes gained much attention as an alternative cellular target in anti-obesity therapy. While recent studies have identified a number of regulatory circuits that promote beige adipocyte differentiation, the molecular basis of beige adipocyte maintenance remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that beige adipocytes progressively lose their morphological and molecular characteristics after withdrawing external stimuli and directly acquire white-like characteristics bypassing an intermediate precursor stage. The beige-to-white adipocyte transition is tightly coupled to a decrease in mitochondria, increase in autophagy, and activation of MiT/TFE transcription factor-mediated lysosome biogenesis. The autophagy pathway is crucial for mitochondrial clearance during the transition; inhibiting autophagy by uncoupled protein 1 (UCP1(+))-adipocyte-specific deletion of Atg5 or Atg12 prevents beige adipocyte loss after withdrawing external stimuli, maintaining high thermogenic capacity and protecting against diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance. The present study uncovers a fundamental mechanism by which autophagy-mediated mitochondrial clearance controls beige adipocyte maintenance, thereby providing new opportunities to counteract obesity.