Liquid Ethanol Research Articles

Synthesis of Cinnamon Nanoparticles by Using Laser Ablation Technique

The natural polyphenolic compound that cinnamon contains is well known for its various biological activities, a broad variety of pharmacological and therapeutic properties. Diversified biomedical and pharmacological applications benefit from organic nanoparticles with controlled properties. Bioactive and non-toxic, cinnamon nanoparticles (CNPs) can be effective antibacterial agents. Driven by this idea, we prepared spherical CNPs using liquid (PLAL) pulse laser ablation technique and defined those NPs. Using Q-switched Nd : YAG With a wavelength of 1064 nm pulse laser of constant energy 500 mj , And different laser pulses ( 250 , 500 , 750 , 1000 ) pulse /sec a pure cinnamon target submerged in liquid ethanol (5 mL) was ablated. The results on the composition, morphology and optical properties of as-grown CNPs of differing laser fluence were determined. Samples were described through Fe-SEM , UV-Vis , FTIR , The synergy between ethanol as liquid growth media and fundamental laser wavelength has been due to certain distinctive characteristics of CNPs. It has been developed that the spherical CNPs achieved in the suspension of ethanol could be beneficial for antioxidant purposes.

Highly Sensitive Detection of Refractive Index and Temperature Based on Liquid-Filled D-Shape PCF

A plasmon resonance sensor (SPR) based on D-shape photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is proposed to realize the simultaneous measurement of refractive index (RI) and temperature. The upper surface of the D-shape PCF is coated with gold film as a plasmon resonance excitation material for the detection of RI. An air hole near the fiber core is coated with gold film and filled with temperature-sensitive liquid ethanol to detect temperature. Results show that the y-polarized peaks supported only shift with RI variation and is unaffected by the temperature floating. Similarly, the x-polarized peak is only influenced by the change of temperature in the external environment. The proposed sensor achieved wavelength sensitivity of 3940nm/RIU with analyte RI between 1.35 and 1.40, and 1.075nm/°C of temperature ranging from 20°C to 60°C. The proposed liquid-filled D-shape photonic crystal fiber will have potential application in solving the problem of cross-sensitivity of temperature and RI.

Systematical investigation on the solar-thermal conversion performance of TiN plasmonic nanofluids for the direct absorption solar collectors

The research on the efficient utilization of solar energy has far-reaching significance. Meanwhile, the preparation of high-efficiency, low-cost nanofluids as the working fluid in the photothermal conversion system is the current research hotspot. Herein, TiN is introduced as a plasmonic nanoparticle with excellent optical absorption and photothermal conversion properties. In our work, the optical absorption properties of TiN nanoparticles (NPs) were compared with those of Au, Ag and Cu nanoparticles by FDTD method. The results showed that the TiN NPs could be used as a potential photothermal material because of its good optical properties and lower cost. In addition, TiN nanofluids (10–50 ppm) based on ethylene glycol were prepared by a two-step method, which were well dispersed. The optical properties and thermal conductivity of TiN nanofluids were also measured and discussed, because of its plasmon resonance effect, the absorption characteristics and thermal conductivity of TiN nanofluids have been greatly improved. The solar-thermal conversion experiments were carried out by simulated light source in a direct absorption solar collector (DASC), and the efficiency of TiN nanofluid was maximum increased by 67.1% compared with the based liquid glycol ethanol. These findings therefore suggested that TiN nanofluids have promise and potential in photothermal conversion applications.

TiO2-reduced graphene oxide-Pt nanocomposites for the photogeneration of hydrogen from ethanol liquid and gas phases

The production of hydrogen by photocatalysis presents attractive features but also stringent requirements of materials properties. A series of TiO2-based photocatalysts containing reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and platinum, TiO2-rGO(x)-Pt(y) (x=0−5 wt%; y=1.5, 2.5, 3.8 wt%), were synthesized by a simple two-step procedure. The ternary composites exhibited promising performance for hydrogen generation, in both liquid and gas phase photocatalysis, using ethanol as hole scavenger, under UV light. The effect of the concentration of ethanol, graphene oxide, and Pt, as well as photocatalyst loading and solution pH were assessed. The photocatalyst TiO2-rGO3%-Pt3.8%, in the liquid phase, produced gases containing over 95% hydrogen at very high initial production rates, ∼560 mmolh−1gcat−1. The gas production vs irradiation time (6 h) showed linear dependence in a two-slope graph, with a drastic decrease of the rate due to Pt poisoning. Solution pH reached values of 3.5, regardless of the initial value. In the liquid phase, partial oxidation of ethanol took place with the dehydrogenation of ethanol to acetaldehyde. In the gas phase photocatalysis, TiO2-rGO3%-Pt3.8% showed capability for photo-reforming as indicated by produced gases with a molar ratio H2/CO2 of 3. rGO reinforces the effect of Pt as a suppressor of charge recombination.

Edge, confinement effects, and measurement of the number of layers of MoS2 nanosheets by liquid-exfoliated method assisted by different solvents

A liquid exfoliation method is an indispensable productive approach, inhibited by our breakdown to measure nanosheet concentration, estimation, and thickness. The light scattered by MoS2 nanosheets in liquid solvents, viz., dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, and ethanol results in optical extinction spectra which determines the optoelectronic properties. All samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and UV–Vis spectroscopy for determining their structure, morphology, and optical properties, respectively. The minimum estimated number of layers was found to be 15 in DMSO as solvent. The liquid-phase method can be employed to a wide range of 2D material including MoSe2, WS2, and WSe2.

Valence Photoelectron Spectra of Liquid Methanol and Ethanol Measured Using He II Radiation.

High-resolution photoelectron (PE) spectra of liquid methanol and ethanol were measured using a liquid microjet and He IIα radiation (40.813 eV). The vertical ionization energy and the ionization threshold were determined as 9.70 ± 0.07 and 8.69 ± 0.07 eV for methanol and 9.52 ± 0.07 and 8.52 ± 0.07 eV for ethanol, respectively. Individual photoemission bands observed for the liquids are well correlated with those in PE spectra of the gaseous samples also measured in the present study, except that the liquid band positions were shifted on average by -1.23 eV for methanol and -1.10 eV for ethanol as compared to the gas. The 5a' and 7a' bands of liquid methanol exhibit specifically larger broadening than other bands, for which we attempted spectral fitting with two components, similarly with the case of the 3a1 band of liquid water. PE spectra of both liquid and gaseous ethanol are congested partly due to the presence of the trans and gauche isomers; however, the overall band positions are generally in good agreement with predictions based on quantum chemical calculations. Comparison of the measured PE spectra with experimental and simulated X-ray emission spectra indicate that spectral differences in the lowest ionization band of both methanol and ethanol originate from involvement of nuclear dynamics in the X-ray emission process.

Mechanism analysis of hydrogen production by microwave discharge in ethanol liquid

Microwave discharge in ethanol solution to produce hydrogen can obtain optimistic flow rate of hydrogen, because of the high mass transfer efficiency and water participation in the reaction. In this work, combined with liquid and gas products analysis, the main aim is to identify the reaction pathways of hydrogen production by microwave discharge plasma in ethanol-water mixtures. The features of radicals, gas-phase and liquid-phase products were investigated by the optical emission spectrum (OES) and gas chromatography (GC). The experimental results showed the gas-phase products included: H2, CO, CH4, C2H2, C2H4, C2H6, and CO2, and the liquid-phase products primarily included CH3CHO and CH3OH. By analysis, it is found that the amount of hydrogen production is closely related to the production of the intermediate product CH3CHO, and the OH radicals can inhibit the formation of solid carbon and by-product (C2H2), also promote the generation of hydrogen.

FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF PHARMACEUTICALY STABLE SERUM OF DUCHESNEA INDICA (ARBENAN)

Objective: Arbenan (Duchesnea indica) plants contain saponins, flavonoids, and tannins which have antioxidant activity. The purpose of this research is to perform formulation and evaluation extract ethanol of Arbenan leaves in the form of serum which is pharmaceutically stable.
 Method: Arbenan leaf powder was macerated with ethanol solvent, and then left for 3-4 days while stirring repeatedly, and then filtering. Furthermore, the liquid ethanol extract that has been obtained is evaporated using a Rotary Vacum Evaporator was used to evaporate the extract. Prepared extract was used to evaluate various parameters like organoleptics, homogeneity, viscosity, and pH.
 Result: All formulations were having typical smell, light brown color and a little thick consistency. Formulations of leaf extract of Arabenan with four variations bases have shown to have good stability after stress condition. It can be seen from the evaluation result are organoleptics, homogeneity, viscosity, rheology, and pH.
 Conclusion: Study concludes that a stable leaf extract of Arabenan can be effectively formulated into a serum by the means of various bases.
 
 Peer Review History: 
 Received 8 January 2021; Revised 13 February; Accepted 4 March, Available online 15 March 2021
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 Received file: Reviewer's Comments:
 Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 5.0/10
 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 7.0/10
 Reviewer(s) detail:
 Dr. Marwa A. A. Fayed, 
 University of Sadat City, Egypt, maafayed@gmail.com
 Prof. Dr. Ali Gamal Ahmed Al-kaf, 
 Sana'a university, Yemen, alialkaf21@gmail.com
 Ahmad Najib,
 Universitas Muslim Indonesia, Makassar, Indonesia, ahmad.najib@umi.ac.id
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Polarizability relaxation in water/ethanol mixtures

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate structural and dynamical properties of liquid mixtures of water and ethanol over the entire range of compositions from neat liquid water to neat liquid ethanol. Particular emphasis is given to the time relaxation of the anisotropic collective polarizability and the low-frequency part of the depolarized Raman spectra. While the dynamics was carried out using simulations with standard force fields for water and ethanol, the post-analysis was performed employing the chemical potential equalization (CPE) method. For comparison purposes, the CPE results are compared to those obtained with the traditional interaction-induced model. Both methods are able to capture the basic shape and position of the Raman bands. Polarizability response in time and frequency domains is disentangled in permanent, interaction-induced and induced-permanent (cross) terms. Our findings suggest that the polarizability relaxation of water is more sensitive to environmental fluctuations. Once water signal remains covered by the ethanol contribution even in water-rich concentrations, some water polarizability features were unveiled and correlated with H-bond dynamics. The permanent term, representative of the reorientational dynamics, captures the short-time oscillations and responds for a part of the total relaxation, while the long-range interaction-induced contribution is responsible for great part of the total polarizability relaxation.

Hepatic COX-2 expression protects mice from an alcohol-high fat diet-induced metabolic disorder by involving protein acetylation related energy metabolism

Purpose:A diet high in fat and ethanol often results in chronic metabolic disorder, hepatic steatosis, and liver inflammation. Constitutive hepatic cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression could protect from high fat-induced metabolism disturbance in a murine model. In this study, we explored the influence of hCOX-2 transgenic [TG] to high fat with ethanol-induced metabolic disorder and liver injury using a mouse animal model.Methods:12-week-old male hepatic hCOX-2 transgenic (TG) or wild type mice (WT) were fed either a high fat and ethanol liquid diet (HF+Eth) or a regular control diet (RCD) for 5 weeks (four groups: RCD/WT, RCD/TG; HF+Eth/TG, HF+Eth/WT). We assessed metabolic biomarkers, cytokine profiles, histomorphology, and gene expression to study the impact of persistent hepatic COX-2 expression on diet-induced liver injury.Results:In the HF+Eth diet, constitutively hepatic human COX-2 expression protects mice from body weight gain and white adipose tissue accumulation, accompanied by improved IPGTT response, serum triglyceride/cholesterol levels, and lower levels of serum and liver inflammatory cytokines. Histologically, hCOX-2 mice showed decreased hepatic lipid droplets accumulation, decreased hepatocyte ballooning, and improved steatosis scores. Hepatic hCOX-2 overexpression enhanced AKT insulin signaling and increased fatty acid synthesis in both RCD and HF+Eth diet groups. The anti-lipogenic effect of hCOX-2 TG in the HF+Eth diet animals was mediated by increasing lipid disposal through enhanced β-oxidation via elevations in the expression of PPARa and PPARg, and increased hepatic autophagy as assessed by the ratio of autophagy markers LC3 II/I in hepatic tissue. Various protein acetylation pathway components, including HAT, HDAC1, SIRT1, and SNAIL1, were modulated in hCOX-2 TG mice in either RCD or HF+Eth diet.Conclusions:Hepatic human COX-2 expression protected mice from the metabolic disorder and liver injury induced by a high fat and ethanol diet by enhancing hepatic lipid expenditure. Epigenetic reprogramming of diverse metabolic genes might be involved in the anti-lipogenic effect of COX-2.

Chemically synthesized ZnO and Cd-ZnO thick films as Ethanol sensor

In this paper, we report precipitation method for preparation of pure and Cd-ZnO nanorod using different doing concentration. Thick films are fabricated by screen printing technique. For structural, morphological, compositional and optical characteristics of fabricated thick films X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray technique and UV–visible spectroscopy were used. To check gas sensing properties, hydrogen sulphide (H2S), carbon dioxide (CO2), liquid petroleum gas (LPG), ammonia vapour (NH3), ethanol vapour and hydrogen (H2) gases were used. The excellent gas response was obtained for 3.0 wt.% Cd-ZnO towards ethanol among all Cd-ZnO thick films at operating temperature 573 °K.

Effects of porous media on partially premixed combustion and heat transfer in meso-scale burners fuelled with ethanol

Porous media (PM) have the potential to enhance the flame stability and improve thermal performance in a micro/meso-scale burner. In this work, zirconia foam and high-porosity nickel foam are used in the meso-scale burners and partially premixed submerged combustion of liquid ethanol is achieved. An experimental investigation of the effects of foamed PM on flame structure, detailed temperature distributions, emissions, and thermal performance is undertaken. A blue flame can be observed in the nickel foam and the transient features of flame front is obtained. The flame front propagates intermittently when the combustion zone moves upstream. The maximum instantaneous flame speed in the PM is 6.519 mm/s and the average flame speed is 0.225 mm/s. The foamed PM in the meso-scale burners are shown to significantly improve the heat transfer efficiency. The burner in submerged combustion has a lower reaction zone temperature (806 °C vs. 1721 °C), lower exhaust gas temperature (419 °C vs. 1227 °C) and higher wall temperature than that with free flame. The heat transfer efficiency of the submerged flame is about twice that of the free flame.

4,4'-trimethylenedipiperidine as a nitrogen heterocycle solvent and/or catalyst: Liquid phase tandem Knoevenagel-Michael condensation.

Liquid phase tandem Knoevenagel–Michael condensation of various aromatic and heteroaromatic aldehydes with barbituric acid or 2-thiobarbituric acid and malononitrile was studied in a one-pot three-component reaction. For the first time, TMDP was employed as a safe and efficient solvent and/or catalyst in the liquid and aqueous ethanol medium, respectively, for the practical and eco-friendly Knoevenagel–Michael condensation. The reactions were carried out by using greener procedures, including a) the use of TMDP as an N-heterocycle organocatalyst in a green medium including water and ethanol (1:1 v/v) at reflux temperature, and b) the use of TMDP as a dual solvent-catalyst at 65 °C in the absence of any solvent. High to excellent yields of the desired pyrano[2,3- d ]pyrimidinones were obtained under the two earlier mentioned conditions. The current methodologies have advantages, including (a) avoiding hazardous, toxic, volatile, and flammable materials and solvents, (b) avoiding tedious processes, harsh conditions, and multiple steps for the preparation of catalysts, (c) using a less toxic and noncorrosive catalyst, (d) minimizing hazardous waste generation and simple workup process, and (e) high recyclability of TMDP. Another important result of this work is that the TMDP can be a promising alternative for toxic, volatile, and flammable base reagents such as piperidine and triethylamine in liquid phase organic syntheses owing to its unique properties such as being less toxic, nonflammable, and nonvolatile, and having a low melting point, broad liquid range temperature, high thermal stability, and safe handling and storage.

Effect of Compression Ratio on Performance and Emission Characteristics of Dual Spark Plug Ignition Engine Fueled With n-Butanol as Additive Fuel

Renewable energy called normal-butanol is a possible alternative fuel for automobile vehicles like some other possible fuel such as compressed natural gas (CNG), liquid petroleum gas (LPG), ethanol, and methanol. Bio-butanol or normal-butanol is also a meritable energy source to substitute for regular fossil fuels. The normal-butanol has recently started to use as a possible substitute fuel to regular fuels for internal combustion engines to attain eco-friendly and capital benefits. As compared to regular energy sources in internal combustion engines, normal-butanol has some benefits, so it shows the potential to decrease tailpipe emission andan increase in positive network delivery. The current work carried out to investigate the performance and emission characteristics of dual spark plug ignition engine fuelled with normal-butanol as additive fuel by adopting 10:1 and 10.5:1compression ratios. The experimental results reveal that when compared between 10:1 and 10.5:1 compression ratios, brake power (BP) is increased by 3.5% and 3.2% for normal-Butanol 35 (nB35) blend and energy efficiency increased by 2.72% and 2.14% for nB35 blend at a part and full load for 10.5:1 compression ratio. The n-butanol create a greater impact on tailpipe emissions that the carbon monoxide (CO) decreased by 32%, 29%, and hydrocarbon (HC) reduced by 2.38% and 2.22% for nB35 blend at a part and full load condition respectively. The experimental results on dual spark ignition engine using n-butanol as additive fuel by varying compression ratioreveals that n-butanol can be a suitable replacement energy source for the automobile sector in the nearest future.

Molecular dynamics investigation of the structural flexibility of H2O2 and H2S2 in response to medium polarity

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and hydrogen persulfide (H2S2) are the simplest members of the peroxide and persulfide families, and both are signaling molecules that regulate several biological functions. Rotation about the O–O and S–S bonds impacts the strength of these molecules as H-bond donors or acceptors and tunes their polarity and stability by converting the polar equilibrium skewed structure (ϕHOOH ~ 112°, ϕHSSH ~ 91°) to the nonpolar less stable trans (ϕ = 180°) or the most polar and least stable cis (ϕ = 0°) conformers. The change in geometry in response to the structure and polarity of the microenvironment is an important feature that would influence how these molecules interact with or permeate through biological systems. Consistent with larger energy barriers for rotation about the S–S bond, quantum chemical calculations with MP2(full)/6–311++G(3df,3pd) reveal that when interacting with a single water, ethanol, or n-pentane molecule in the gas phase, the geometry of H2S2 is more rigid (ϕHSSH = 91 ± 3°) than that of H2O2 (ϕHOOH = 112 ± 8°). Molecular dynamics simulations of a single H2O2 or H2S2 in liquid water (ε = 80), ethanol (ε = 25), or n-pentane (ε = 2) reveal that, compared to the gaseous monomer, H2O2 maintains a more polar geometry in ethanol and water. Interestingly, the distribution of ϕHOOH significantly shifts towards the nonpolar conformation as solvent polarity decreases; the fraction of structures with ϕHOOH ≥ 160° is 0.10, 0.14, and 4.30% in water, ethanol, and n-pentane, respectively. The high-energy cis conformation of H2O2 was negligible in all solvents, especially in n-pentane. The equilibrium geometry of H2S2 is hardly influenced by solvent polarity and both cis and trans conformations are essentially absent in the three solvents. In contrast to rigid H2S2, H2O2 is thus a flexible molecule whose geometry depends on the environment polarity, a property that enables stabilizing H2O2 in different microenvironments and possibly plays a role in how biological systems discriminate between H2O2 and the rigid and polar close analog, H2O.

The Influence of Atmospheric and Subsoil Impact on the Evaporation Process During Firefighter’s Events

The influence of sun rays, wind speed, and different type of subsoil on the evaporation process was analyzed. A dedicated experimental set-up for investigation of evaporation process of three liquids (ethanol, petrol and tap water) deposited on glass and sand was created. Results indicated that for porous surfaces wind decreased the amount of evaporated liquids. After substitution of wind with sun rays for porous surface evaporation process increased for ethanol and petrol, respectively. Finally, the influence of both wind and sun rays indicated a 1% and 5% decrease of evaporation intensity for tap water and petrol, respectively. While, a 2% increase of evaporated liquid was observed for ethanol. It was noticed that application of porous surface caused the highest improvement of evaporation process for petrol and tap water, while the lowest for ethanol. Moreover, application of wind together with porous surface increased the intensity of evaporation for all analyzed liquids.

Lipid droplet membrane proteome remodeling parallels ethanol-induced hepatic steatosis and its resolution

AbstractLipid droplets (LDs) are composed of neutral lipids enclosed in a phospholipid monolayer, which harbors membrane-associated proteins that regulate LD functions. Despite the crucial role of LDs in lipid metabolism, remodeling of LD protein composition in disease contexts, such as steatosis, remains poorly understood. We hypothesized that chronic ethanol consumption, subsequent abstinence from ethanol, or fasting differentially affects the LD membrane proteome content and that these changes influence how LDs interact with other intracellular organelles. Here, male Wistar rats were pair-fed liquid control or ethanol diets for 6 weeks, and then, randomly chosen animals from both groups were either refed a control diet for 7 days or fasted for 48 h before euthanizing. From all groups, LD membrane proteins from purified liver LDs were analyzed immunochemically and by MS proteomics. Liver LD numbers and sizes were greater in ethanol-fed rats than in pair-fed control, 7-day refed, or fasted rats. Compared with control rats, ethanol feeding markedly altered the LD membrane proteome, enriching LD structural perilipins and proteins involved in lipid biosynthesis, while lowering LD lipase levels. Ethanol feeding also lowered LD-associated mitochondrial and lysosomal proteins. In 7-day refed (i.e., ethanol-abstained) or fasted-ethanol-fed rats, we detected distinct remodeling of the LD proteome, as judged by lower levels of lipid biosynthetic proteins, and enhanced LD interaction with mitochondria and lysosomes. Our study reveals evidence of significant remodeling of the LD membrane proteome that regulates ethanol-induced steatosis, its resolution after withdrawal and abstinence, and changes in LD interactions with other intracellular organelles.

Response surface methodology based extraction optimization to improve pharmacological properties and 1H NMR based metabolite profiling of Azadirachta indica

BackgroundMany studies shed light on the therapeutic importance of Azadirachta indica leaves extract as a source of drugs and neutracuticles for treatment of different diseases including diabetes mellitus. The extraction of these bioactive phytochemicals is optimized according to different pharmacological applications of extract. Study designThe current study was performed to optimize the extraction from leaves of Azadirachta indica. The temperature, extraction time, solid to liquid ratio, ethanol concentration and ultrasonication frequency were optimized to improve extract yield with improved antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory properties. MethodsUtrasonication assisted extraction from Azadirachta indica leaves was optimized using Response Surface Methodology. Sets of extraction conditions that gave optimum yield, antioxidant activity and α-glucosidase inhibition were determined through statistical analysis. The phytochemicals present in extract were identified by 1H NMR and docked with homology modelled α-glucosidase structure to get and insight of enzyme-phytochemicals interaction. ResultsThe maximum extract yield and α-glucosidase inhibition were observed when plant sample was extracted with 60% ethanol (15% solid-liquid ratio), and ultrasonication was done at 35 °C for 75 min having frequency of 30 KHz. The 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging observed the same extraction strategy except the time duration for ultasonication which was 52.5 min. The 1H NMR based metabolite profiling revealed the identification of 2α,4α,dihydroxy-pregn-5-en-(6-one-3α-O-D-glu-copyranoside, ferruginol, azadirachtin A, meliatetraolenone, odoratone, 7α‑hydroxy-15-β‑hydroxy-7′15,dioxonimbin, zeeshanol, nimbinene, epoxyazadiradione, azadirachtin B, 17-(5‑methoxy-2-oxo-furan-3-yl)-28-deoxonimbolide, epicatechin, 2-oxo-3-deacetyl salanin (nimbolide derivative), nimonol, nimbic acid B, 3‑methoxy-cumerine 6–0-(1,4) triglycoside, 17‑hydroxy-sandaracopimar-8,15-en-11-one(diterpene), and 23-O-methylnimocinolide. The molecular docking studies provided a deep insight on molecular interactions which might be useful for antidiabetic drug development. ConclusionAzadirachta indica leaves extract contain various bioactive compounds and can be considered as a source of α-glucosidase inhibitors hence, it may also be used for the development of functional foods.

Echinacoside ameliorates alcohol-induced oxidative stress and hepatic steatosis by affecting SREBP1c/FASN pathway via PPARα

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is one of the most common health problems for drinkers, especially in men. Echinacoside (ECH), a natural phenylethanoid glycoside welcomed by the market, has been shown to have a variety of biological activities, such as neuroprotective, anti-fatigue, anti-diabetes and so on. Here, the protective effect and the underlying mechanism of ECH on ethanol-induced liver injuries were studied.In vitro, the HepG2 cells were treated with ECH prior to ethanol. In vivo, C57BL/6 J mice were fed a Lieber-DeCarli ethanol liquid diet and gave with or without 100 mg/kg ECH for 10 days. Our experiments showed that ECH significantly enhanced the levels of antioxidants and reduced the level of ROS, thus attenuating ethanol-induced oxidative stress. Besides, ECH attenuated lipid accumulation caused by ethanol, as evidenced by oil-red O staining, histological examination and the quantification of TG and TC. Finally, ECH increased the level of PPAR-α, and reduced the levels of SREBP-1c and FASN. When PPAR-α inhibitor was introduced in the system, the effects of ECH on SREBP-1c and FASN were reversed. Taken together, our study suggest that ECH can protect against ethanol-induced liver injuries via alleviating oxidative stress and hepatic steatosis by affecting SREBP-1c/FASN pathway via PPAR-α.

Hylocereus polyrhizus Peel Extract Retards Alcoholic Liver Disease Progression by Modulating Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Responses in C57BL/6 Mice.

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) has become a health problem as alcohol consumption has increased annually. Hepatic lipid accumulation, oxidative stress, and inflammation are important factors in the progression of ALD. Red pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus (Weber) Britt. & Rose) peel is rich in polyphenols and betanins, which possess antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of red pitaya peel extract (PPE) on ALD and explore the associated mechanisms. C57BL/6 J mice were administered an ethanol liquid diet for 11 weeks with or without two different doses of PPE (500 and 1000 mg/kg BW). PPE treatment significantly ameliorated liver injury and hepatic fat accumulation, and it improved hepatic lipid metabolism via increases in AMPK and PPAR-α protein expression and a decrease in SREBP-1 expression. In addition, PPE inhibited CYP2E1 and Nrf2 protein expression, reduced endotoxin levels in the serum, and decreased TLR4 and MyD88 expression and inflammatory cytokine TNF-α and IL-1β levels in the liver. In conclusion, these findings suggest that PPE may prevent the progression of ALD by modulating lipid metabolism and reducing oxidative stress and inflammatory responses.