Magnolol against enterovirus 71 by targeting Nrf2-SLC7A11-GSH pathway.

Enterovirus 71 (EV71), a prominent pathogen associated with hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), has been reported worldwide. To date, the advancement of effective drugs targeting EV71 remains in the preliminary experimental stage. In this study, magnolol demonstrated a significant dose-dependent inhibition of EV71 replication in vitro. It upregulated the overall expression level of nuclear factor erythroid 2 - related factor 2 (Nrf2) and facilitated its nucleus translocation, resulting in the increased expression of various ferroptosis inhibitory genes. This process led to a reduction in reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation induced by viral infection. Additionally, magnolol exhibited a broad-spectrum antiviral effect against enteroviruses. Notably, treatment with magnolol substantially enhanced the survival rate of EV71-infected mice, attenuated viral load in heart, liver, brain, and limb tissues, and mitigated tissue inflammation. Taken together, magnolol emerges as a promising candidate for the development of anti-EV71 drugs.

The Leaching Kinetics of Iron from Titanium Gypsum in a Citric Acid Medium and Obtain Materials by Leaching Liquid.

In this study, the effect of citric acid on iron leaching from titanium gypsum (TiG) was systematically investigated. The conditions for the leaching of valuable metals were optimized while varying such parameters as the leaching time, citric acid mass fraction, leaching temperature, and the liquid-solid ratio. It was found that under the conditions of a citric acid mass fraction of 10%, at a 80 °C leaching temperature, a leaching duration of 80-90 min and a liquid-solid ratio of 8, the whiteness of titanium gypsum (TiG) increased from 8.1 to 36.5, and the leaching efficiencies of iron reached 84.37%. The kinetic analysis indicated that the leaching process of iron from TiG was controlled by the reaction product layer from 0-20 min, while the leaching process of iron from TiG was controlled by internal diffusion from 20-90 min. The apparent activation energy of the leaching reactions was 33.91 kJ/mol and 16.59 kJ/mol, respectively. High-value-added calcium oxalate and ferrous oxalate were prepared from the calcium and iron in the filtrate of the oxalic acid extraction. The leaching liquid could be recycled, which will provide a new way to utilize titanium gypsum.

ML390 inhibits enterovirus 71 replication by targeting de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway.

Enterovirus 71 (EV71), a small, single-stranded, positive-sense RNA virus belonging to the enterovirus genus in the family Picornaviridae, causes hand, foot, and mouth disease. Although EV71 seriously threatens to public health, no effective antiviral drugs are available for treating this disease. In this study, we found that ML390, a dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitor, has potential anti-EV71 activity. ML390 dose-dependently inhibited EV71 replication with IC50 and selectivity index values of 0.06601 µM and 156.5, respectively. Supplementation with the downstream product orotate significantly suppressed the ability of ML390 to inhibit EV71 replication. Moreover, an adequate supply of exogenous uridine and cytosine suppressed the anti-EV71 activity of ML390. Thus, the antiviral activity of ML390 is mediated by the inhibition of the pyrimidine synthesis pathway. In an EV71-infected mouse model, ML390 reduced the load of EV71 in the brain, liver, heart, spleen, front legs, and hind legs, and significantly increased the survival rate of the mice infected by EV71. ML390 shows potential for the treatment of hand, foot, and mouth disease caused by EV71 infection.

Study on soil physical structure after the bioremediation of Pb pollution using microbial-induced carbonate precipitation methodology.

Soil structure is an important index to evaluate soil quality; however, previous researchers have only paid attention to the effect and economic benefits of soil heavy metal remediation. In this study, microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) technology was used to remediate soil Pb pollution, and its effect on soil structure was studied by sieving and X-ray computed tomography techniques. The results showed that the leaching amount of heavy metals in soil decreased by 76.34% after remediation. Interestingly, due to the addition of organic matter and microorganisms, the soil particle size changed from microaggregates to large aggregates, and the large soil particle size (diameter > 2 mm) increased significantly by 71.43%. The soil porosity increased by 73.78%, which enhanced the soil permeability and increased the soil hydraulic conductivity. Therefore, MICP bioremediation not only remediated soil heavy metal pollution but also promoted the soil aggregation structure, which has important significance for soil remediation and improvement.