4-octyl itaconate ameliorates alveolar macrophage pyroptosis against ARDS via rescuing mitochondrial dysfunction and suppressing the cGAS/STING pathway.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a high-mortality pulmonary disorder characterized by an intense inflammatory response and a cytokine storm. As of yet, there is no proven effective therapy for ARDS. Itaconate, an immunomodulatory derivative accumulated during inflammatory macrophage activation, has attracted widespread attention for its potent anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. This study pointed to explore the protective impacts of 4-octyl itaconate (4-OI) on ARDS. The results showed that lung injury was attenuated markedly after 4-OI pre-treatment, as represented by decreased pulmonary edema, inflammatory cell infiltration, and production of inflammatory factors. LPS stimulation induced NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis in vitro and in vivo, as represented by the cleavage of gasdermin D (GSDMD), IL-18 and IL-1ß release, and these changes could be prevented by 4-OI pretreatment. Mechanistically, 4-OI eliminated mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) and mtDNA escaping to the cytosol through the opening mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) in alveolar macrophages (AMs) under oxidative stress. In addition, 4-OI pretreatment markedly downregulated cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS), stimulator of interferon genes (STING) expression, and interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) phosphorylation in vitro and in vivo. Meanwhile, inhibition of STING/IRF3 pathway alleviated NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis induced by LPS in vitro. Taken together, this study indicated that 4-OI ameliorated ARDS by rescuing mitochondrial dysfunction and inhibiting NLRP3-mediated macrophage pyroptosis in a STING/IRF3-dependent manner, which further revealed the potential mechanism of itaconate in preventing inflammatory diseases.

Novel TiO2-Pt@SiO2 nanocomposites with high photocatalytic activity.

This article reports a facile and controllable two-step method to construct TiO(2)-Pt@SiO(2) nanocomposites. TiO(2) nanoparticles (NPs), with small size and high surface energy, were synthesized by a solvothermal reaction process. The TiO(2)-Pt@SiO(2) nanocomposites were fabricated by a reverse micro-emulsion method. SiO(2) shell coated NPs were adopted for further photocatalytic reaction. Because of their small size and high surface energy, TiO(2)@SiO(2) and TiO(2)-Pt@SiO(2) nanocomposites show higher photocatalytic activity than commercial Degussa P25. Compared with TiO(2)@SiO(2), TiO(2)-Pt@SiO(2)nanocomposites have improved photocatalytic activity due to the Pt induced spatial separation of electrons and holes. The silica shells not only maintain the structure of the nanocomposites but also prevent their aggregation during the photocatalytic reactions, which is highly important for the good durability of the photocatalyst. This strategy is simple, albeit efficient, and can be extended to the synthesis of other composites of noble metals. It has opened a new window for the construction of hetero-nanocomposites with high activity and durability, which would serve as excellent models in catalytic systems of both theoretical and practical interest.

Thermally stable Pt/CeO(2) hetero-nanocomposites with high catalytic activity.

Pt/CeO(2) hetero-nanocomposites were prepared from Pt/CeO(2)@SiO(2) obtained by a microemulsion-mediated method. Facilitated by the earlier calcination under the protection of a silica shell, the as-formed Pt/CeO(2) hetero-nanocomposites exhibit a good thermal stability, which can preserve their pristine properties after subsequent calcination at even 450 degrees C. The thermally stable Pt/CeO(2) hetero-nanocomposites possess the characteristics of small particle size, low aggregation, and maximized Pt/CeO(2) interfaces and thus exhibit high catalytic activity in CO oxidation.

Colour modification action of an upconversion photonic crystal.

Colour modification of the upconversion emission has been successfully achieved in a novel upconversion photonic crystal.

Controllable assembly of diverse rare-earth nanocrystals via the Langmuir-Blodgett technique and the underlying size- and symmetry-dependent assembly kinetics.

The Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique provides a facile and robust method for the formation of large-area films of various nanoparticles (NPs), including 24.9 nm NaYF(4):Yb,Er nanospheres, 12.0 nm LiYF(4) nanopolyhedra, 14.1 x 1.8 nm triagonal-shaped LaF(3), 12.6 nm square CaF(2), 9.5 x 2.0 nm hexagonal EuF(3), and so forth. The assembly patterns of the deposited films were studied in accordance with the pi-A isotherms. Combined with the TEM observations, several representative stages of assembly process can be distinguished. The scrutiny of the self-assembly process by means of their pi-A isotherms elucidates that the concentration, size, and symmetry of nanoparticles play crucial roles in this process. The concept of "effective concentration", which is defined as the amount of nanoblocks in the "gas phase" rather than the actual number of nanoparticles at the air-water interface, was first proposed as a control parameter to elucidate the possible assembly kinetics. The similarly shaped 12.0 nm LiYF(4) and the 24.9 nm NaYF(4):Yb,Er were selected as the size-dependent examples. The smaller nanoparticles show a strong tendency of congregation to lower the surface energy. Three representative samples, namely, 24.9 nm NaYF(4):Yb,Er nanospheres (O(h)), 14.1 x 1.8 nm oblate triagonal LaF(3) nanosheets (D(3h)), and 41.3 nm x 24.6 nm NaYF(4) rods (D(6h)), were selected as the shape-dependent samples, which showed that the assembly patterns were contributed by the stability arising from the geometry of the nanoparticles, the tendency of aggregation of nanoparticles, and the probable rotation energy during the compression. More importantly, guided by the above assembly kinetics, for the 9.5 x 2.0 nm hexagonal EuF(3), we can effectively acquire the desirable assembly pattern.

Spontaneous organization of uniform CeO2 nanoflowers by 3D oriented attachment in hot surfactant solutions monitored with an in situ electrical conductance technique.

Uniform CeO(2) nanoflowers were synthesized by rapid thermolysis of (NH(4))(2)Ce(NO(3))(6) in oleic acid (OA)/oleylamine (OM), by a unique 3D oriented-attachment mechanism. CeO(2) nanoflowers with controlled shape (cubic, four-petaled, and starlike) and tunable size (10-40 nm) were obtained by adjusting the reaction conditions including solvent composition, precursor concentration, reaction temperature, and reaction time. The nanoflower growth mechanism was investigated by in situ electrical conductance measurements, transmission electron microscopy, and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The CeO(2) nanoflowers are likely formed in two major steps, that is, initial formation of ceria cluster particles capped with various ligands (e.g., OA, OM, and NO(3) (-)) via hydrolysis of (NH(4))(2)Ce(NO(3))(6) at temperatures in the range 140-220 degrees C, and subsequent spontaneous organization of the primary particles into nanoflowers by 3D oriented attachment, due to a rapid decrease in surface ligand coverage caused by sudden decomposition of the precursor at temperatures above 220 degrees C in a strong redox reaction. After calcination at 400 degrees C for 4 h the 33.8 nm CeO(2) nanoflowers have a specific surface area as large as 156 m(2) g(-1) with high porosity, and they are highly active for conversion of CO to CO(2) in the low temperature range of 200-400 degrees C. The present approach has also been extended to the preparation of other transition metal oxide (CoO, NiO, and CuO(x)) nanoflowers.