NO Generation Research Articles

Lathyrane and ent-isopimarane diterpenoids from Euphorbia wallichii and target prediction of active ingredient

Fourteen undescribed diterpenoids, including eleven lathyrane diterpenoids wallathyanes A-K (1–11) and three ent-isopimarane diterpenoids wallisopiranes A-C (12–14), together with fourteen known analogues 15–28, were obtained from the whole plant of Euphorbia wallichii. Their chemical structures were elucidated by spectroscopic data analysis, experimental electronic circular dichroism measurements, and X-ray crystallography. Bioactivity screening indicated that compound 2 exhibited an inhibitory effect on NO generation in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells with an IC50 value of 4.76 ± 1.08 μM. The network pharmacology and molecular docking studies also revealed that compound 2 can bind with the potential targets GRB, AKT1, MAPK1, MAPK14, HSP90AA1, PIK3R1, PIK3CB, PRKACA, SRC, CASP3, RXRA, PTPNA11, ZAP70, and PRKC of inflammation.

Evaluation of Inhaled Nitric Oxide Generation Systems at Altitude.

Inhaled nitric oxide (INO) is a selective pulmonary vasodilator delivered from compressed gas cylinders filled to 2,200 psig (137.8 bar) with 800 ppm of NO in a balance of nitrogen. NO is currently FDA-approved for use in term or near-term infants with hypoxemia and signs of pulmonary hypertension in the absence of cardiac disease. INO has also been shown to improve oxygenation in adults with refractory hypoxemia. Current doctrine precludes the use of NO during military aeromedical transport owing to the requirement for large compressed gas cylinders. We performed a bench evaluation of 2 delivery systems that create NO from room air without the need for pressurized cylinders. We evaluated 2 portable nitric oxide INO generation systems (LungFit PH, Beyond Air Inc, Garden City, NJ and a prototype NO generator, Odic Inc, Littleton, MA) at ground level, 8,000, and 14,000 feet (2,437 and 4,267 meter) simulated altitude in an altitude chamber. The output from each device was injected into the inspiratory limb of the ventilator circuit that was attached to a test lung. A 731 ventilator (Zoll Medical, Chelmsford, MA) and T1 (Hamilton Medical, Reno, NV) were used employing 24 combinations of ventilator settings each repeated in duplicate. An INOmax DS IR was used to measure delivered INO and NO2 via a sampling line attached in the ventilator circuit inspiratory limb. A fast response oxygen analyzer (O2CAP, Oxigraf Inc, Sunnyvale, CA) was used to measure inspired FiO2. Target INO concentration was 20 ppm. Across all ventilator settings, the LungFit device delivered INO was 19.8 ± 1.6 ppm, 16.1 ± 1.9 ppm, and 11.6 ± 1.7 ppm at ground level, 8,000 ft (2,437 meter), and 14,000 ft (4,267 meter), respectively. The Odic device delivered INO dose was 20.6 ± 1.4 ppm, 21.3 ± 5.5 ppm, and 20.4 ± 9.1 ppm at ground level, 8,000 ft (2,437 meter), and 14,000 ft (4,267 meter), respectively. Both devices delivered a reliable INO dose at ground level. Altitude significantly affected INO delivery accuracy at 14,000 ft (4,267 meter) (P < 0.01) with both devices and at 8,000 ft (2,437 meter) (P < 0.01) with LungFit. Differences in INO dosage were not statistically significant with the Odic device at 8,000 ft (2,437 meter)(P > 0.05) although there were large variations with selected ventilator settings. With careful monitoring, devices creating INO from room air without cylinders could be used during aeromedical transport without the need for pressurized cylinders.

Surface-modified nanoparticles based on ibuprofen prodrug and exploring its anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer potential

Cancer aggressiveness and metastases represent a major cause of death worldwide. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and its metabolites significantly influence the tumor development, and metastatic processes. The design and synthesis of prodrugs intended for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have garnered considerable attention from medicinal chemists, particularly in the last decade. A pH-sensitive drug delivery carrier based on TEG-derivatized ibuprofen Ibu-TEG was synthesized to serve as a dual-delivery system for anti-inflammatory and anticancer agents. The successful synthesis was confirmed through various spectroscopic techniques. This amphiphilic and biodegradable prodrug was self-assembled into micellar nanoparticles (Ibu-TEG-NPs). Their surface was subsequently modified with biocompatible molecules, chitosan (Ibu-TEG-NPs-CHI), and poly-dopamine (Ibu-TEG-NPs-PDA), to enhance the drug efficacy and thermal stability. As-prepared NPs were characterized through FT-IR, DLS, TGA, AFM, and SEM. These surface-modified NPs were significantly active against ROS and NO generation, and showed a lower IC50 value than ibuprofen. Moreover, Ibu-TEG-NPs, Ibu-TEG-NPs-CHI, and Ibu-TEG-NPs-PDA revealed significant therapeutic activity against lung–NCI–H460, and hepato-HepG2 cancer cell lines, demonstrating low IC50 values.

The characteristics and mechanism NO formation during hydroxylated fuels/NH3 oxidation in oxy-fuel atmospheres

Oxy-fuel combustion, as an important technology to realize CCUS in the field of combustion, needs to control the generation of pollutants such as NOx while realizing CO2 capture, and the conversion of fuel-N to N2 is crucial. Previous experiments have provided insights into the influence of different atmospheres on NO during oxy-fuel combustion of alcohols. However, the specific reaction mechanism underlying how the atmosphere and hydroxyl fuels impact NO generation through the free radical pool remains unclear. In this study, the formation and reduction of NO during the oxidation of CH3OH/NH3 and C2H5OH/NH3 in O2/CO2, O2/H2O and O2/CO2/H2O atmospheres with oxy-fuel condition were investigated by simulation. In the NO generation stage, different H2O, CO2, O2 and fuel types have little effect on the peak of NO although they change the NH3→NO reaction path. In the process of NO reduction, stage 1 is the main reaction phase of NO→N2, and both CO2 and H2O are beneficial for the reduction of NO. But the reduction of NO by H2O was more pronounced. In the case of simultaneous addition of H2O and CO2, the reducing effect of H2O and CO2 alone on NO was attenuated. On the other hand, the reduction effect exerted by H2O and CO2 was stronger in high than in low oxygen-fuel ratio, stronger in C2H5OH than in CH3OH. The reduction of NO by H2O and CO2 is based on the general equation NO→N2+O2. H2O is used to promote the reaction in the positive direction by consuming O2 to convert it to H and OH, so that more of the element O is converted to OH than O2 to inhibit the production of NO. The CO2 contributes to the formation of less O2 during the reduction of N2 from NO by promoting reaction NO + N→O + N2, while the additional OH increases the "capacity" of O2 in the NO→N2+O2 reaction.

Numerical investigation of NO generation reaction pathway with novel embedded flue-gas internal recirculation combustion loop consisting of flue-gas and CH4-air mixture

The novel embedded flue-gas internal recirculation (FIR) combustion technology has garnered increasing attention in gas burners due to its notable advantages in combustion efficiency and ultra-low NOx emissions. In this study, we design FIR channels for a gas burner and investigate the impact of recirculation ratio (R) on temperature, combustion efficiency, concentrations of free radicals (H, O, CH), and NO concentration via Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method. In addition, this paper explores and elucidates the dynamics of four NO production pathways, namely, thermal NO, prompt NO, N2O, and NNH, as well as the contributions of the four pathways to total NO. Observations indicate a constrained range of FIR recirculation ratios, specifically between 23.2 % and 35 %. The combustion efficiency of the FIR burner is 96 % and 99.8 % at R = 23.8 % and R = 35.0 %, which is superior to conventional burners. Moreover, as R increases, both pathways for NO generation from N2O and NNH are intensified as R exceeds 23.8 %. In the embedded FIR combustion system, the contribution of N2O to total NO increases from 0.23 % to 0.78 %, while the percentage of prompt NO decreases to 0.19 %. These findings provide a development direction and technical guidance for the practical implementation of the embedded FIR technology.

Advanced Fe-COF-based photothermal cascade nano-generator for sterilization and promoting wound healing

Pharmacological treatments of diabetic ulcers remain a huge challenge due to the impaired angiogenesis and uncontrolled bacterial infection. Here, iminopyrazine-based Fe-covalent organic frameworks (Fe-COF) were synthesized via a subcomponent assembly strategy, and functionalized through covalent modification of L-arginine and encapsulated with photosensitizer IR780 and hyaluronic acid for enhancing diabetic wound healing. The functionalized Fe-COF (Fe-COF NRs) showed peroxidase-like activity and near-infrared (NIR)-controlled NO generation property, which can be used for synergistic photothermal/photodynamic antibacterial therapy and NO-based gas therapy. Treatment with Fe-COF NRs + NIR caused pathogenic elimination and enhanced angiogenesis, subsequently leading to accelerated wound healing in a rat model of infected diabetic wound. Mechanistically, the results from RNA sequencing analysis indicated that Fe-COF NRs treatment significantly induced the expression of genes involved in angiogenesis, but obviously inhibited the expression of proinflammatory cytokines. Gene Ontology enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis revealed that collagen-containing extracellular matrix, hair follicle development, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, wound healing and skin development were significantly enriched after Fe-COF NRs treatment. Taken together, Fe-COF NRs provide a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of infected diabetic wound.

Aspergillusidone G Potentiates the Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Polaprezinc in LPS-Induced BV2 Microglia: A Bioinformatics and Experimental Study.

Neuroinflammation is one of the main mechanisms involved in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), and microglial activation is the main feature of neuroinflammation. Polaprezinc (Pol), a chelator of L-carnosine and zinc, is widely used as a clinical drug for gastric ulcers. However, its potential effects on NDs remain unexplored. In LPS-induced BV-2 microglia, we found that Pol reduced the generation of NO and ROS and revealed inhibited expression of iNOS, COX-2, and inflammatory factors such as IL-6, TNF-α, and 1L-1β by Pol using qRT-PCR and Western blotting. These effects were found to be associated with the suppression of the NF-κB signaling pathway. Moreover, we evaluated the potential synergistic effects of aspergillusidone G (Asp G) when combined with Pol. Remarkably, co-treatment with low doses of Asp G enhanced the NO inhibition by Pol from approximately 30% to 80% in LPS-induced BV2 microglia, indicating a synergistic anti-inflammatory effect. A bioinformatics analysis suggested that the synergistic mechanism of Asp G and Pol might be attributed to several targets, including NFκB1, NRF2, ABL1, TLR4, and PPARα. These findings highlight the anti-neuroinflammatory properties of Pol and its enhanced efficacy when combined with Asp G, proposing a novel therapeutic strategy for managing neuroinflammation in NDs.

Resolving the overlooked photochemical nitrophenol transformation mechanism induced by nonradical species under visible light

Nitrophenols present on the surface of particulates are ubiquitous in the atmosphere. However, its atmospheric photochemical transformation pathway remains unknown, for which the crucial effect of visible light is largely overlooked, resulting in an incomplete understanding of the effects of nitrophenols in the atmospheric environment. This study delves into the photolysis mechanism of 4-nitrophenol (4NP), one of the most abundant atmospheric nitrophenol compounds, on the surface of photoactive particulates under visible light irradiation. Unexpectedly, the nonradical species (singlet oxygen, 1O2) was identified as a dominant factor in driving the visible photolysis of 4NP. The pathways of HONO and p-benzoquinone (C6H4O2) generation were clarified by acquiring direct evidence of C-N and O-H bond breakage in the nitro (-NO2) and hydroxyl (-OH) groups of 4NP. The further decomposition of HONO results in the generation of NO and hydroxyl radicals, which could directly contribute to atmospheric oxidizing capacity and complicate the PM2.5 composition. Significantly, the behavior of 1O2-induced visible photolysis of 4NP was universal on the surface of common particulates in the atmosphere, such as A1 dust and Fe2O3. This work advances the understanding of the photochemical transformation mechanism of particulate-phase atmospheric nitrophenols, which is indispensable in elucidating the role of nitrophenols in atmospheric chemistry.

Experimental and numerical study on the influence of N2/H2 on the laminar combustion characteristics of syngas premixed flames

This paper primarily analyzes the influence of N2 and H2 content on the laminar combustion characteristics of low calorific value syngas, using a constant-volume combustion bomb to measure the laminar combustion velocity (SL) of the fuel and compare it with five commonly used mechanisms. The study reveals that higher N2 content significantly reduces the SL of CO/CH4/CO2 mixed fuels, primarily due to a general decrease in the mole fractions of key intermediates and net reaction rates. Increasing H2 content leads to an increase in the SL of CO/CH4/CO2/N2 mixed fuels. The thermal effect becomes increasingly prominent with the elevation of H2 content, while the proportion of thermal effect initially decreases and subsequently increases as the equivalence ratio rises. With the increase in N2 content, the mole fraction of NO experiences a significant decrease, and the rate of decline in thermal NO production is even faster. Conversely, with the increase in H2 content, the rate of rise in non-thermal NO generation is faster, and the mole fraction of NO tends to increase.

Synthesis and characterization of phthalimide-based niosomes and its investigation as a nano-drug delivery carrier to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of curcumin

To enhance the bioavailability and solubility issues of hydrophobic drugs, the development of cost-efficient nonionic surfactants has attracted scientific interest. The current study focuses on the development of phthalimide-based nonionic surfactant N, N-DPD, and its investigation as a niosomal drug delivery system for enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of curcumin (CUR). Phthalimide-based nonionic surfactant was prepared via aliphatic nucleophilic substitution reaction and characterized by diverse analytical techniques by EI-MS,1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. Furthermore, the biocompatibility and non-cytotoxicity were evaluated through an MTT assay against the NIH/3T3 cell line. The outcomes showed that the average size of N, N-DPD, and CUR-N, N-DPD vesicles were (277.4 ± 6.2) and (564.7 ± 28.1) nm, and negative zeta potential values (−28.3 ± 1.28) and (−29.2 ± 1.21) mV of these niosomal vesicles were evidence their higher stability. The developed N, N-DPD, and CUR-N, N-DPD vesicles show nearly spherical morphology as elucidated by AFM and SEM images. The CUR-N, N-DPD niosomes showed high drug encapsulation efficiency of about 64.1 ± 10.6 % and higher drug release of 80 ± 2.45 % at pH 6.8. The designed CUR-N, N-DPD niosomal vesicles depicted enhanced anti-inflammatory efficacy when tested against ROS and NO generation in comparison with CUR alone. Moreover, our developed CUR-N, N-DPD vesicles show a significant apoptotic effect against the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line and compared with CUR. The outcomes of the study showed that our developed CUR-N, N-DPD vesicles are efficient in enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of CUR.

Haperforatones A-M, thirteen undescribed limonoids from Harrisonia perforata with anti-inflammatory activity

UPLC-Q-TOF-MS combined with mass defect filtering strategies were applied for the phytochemical investigation of Harrisonia perforata, leading to the isolation of thirteen undescribed limonoids named haperforatones A-M (1–13) and seventeen known compounds (14–30). Particularly, haperforatones D-E (4–5) have an unprecedented A, B, C, D-seco-6, 7-nor-C-24-limonoid skeleton, structurally stripped of the five-membered lactone ring B and formed a double bond at the C-5 and C-10 positions. Their 2D structures and relative configurations were identified using spectroscopic data. The absolute configurations of 1, 4, and 6 were established via X-ray diffraction crystallography. All 30 compounds were evaluated for anti-inflammatory potential in LPS-induced Raw 264.7 cell lines. Among those tested compounds, the most potent activity against LPS-induced NO generation was demonstrated by haperforatone F (6), with the IC50 value of inhibition NO production of 7.2 µM. Additionally, 6 could significantly inhibit IL-1β and IL-6 release and markedly downregulate the protein expression level of iNOS in the LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells at 10 µM. The possible mechanism of NO inhibition of 6 was also investigated using molecular docking, which revealed the interaction of compound 6 with the iNOS protein.

Numerical Study of the Combustion Characteristics of an 800-1200 kW High-Power Porous Media Combustor at Atmospheric Pressure.

Porous media combustion has the advantages of high combustion efficiency and low pollutant emissions. However, there are few studies on the combustion characteristics and pollutant emissions of high-power porous media combustion chambers and fire tubes. Based on the computational fluid dynamics method, the stable combustion characteristics and pollutant emission rules of methane-air were explored in a high-power porous media combustion chamber of 800-1200 kW. The results show that the combustion of the porous media combustor is stabilized at an inlet velocity of 0.8-1.6 m/s with an equivalence ratio of Φ = 0.5-0.9. The high-power porous medium combustor has the highest limiting temperature at Φ = 0.7. Temperature increases gradually with increasing porosity within the -2.5 to 1 m axial center interval. The outlet radial temperature distribution tends to be uniform with the increase of porosity, and the outlet temperature is highest for porous media with a thickness of 400 mm. NO emission was lowest at an inlet velocity of 1.2 m/s. A significant reduction in NO emissions was observed with increasing equivalence ratio. NO generation increases with increasing porosity at porosities between 0.75 and 0.85. NO generation increases with the thickness of the porous media and increases sharply at 600 mm. The results above can provide guidelines for the design of a high-efficiency high-power porous combustor.

Kinetic insights into ammonia-hydrogen doped ignition and emission assisted by nanosecond pulsed discharge

Non-equilibrium plasma is applied for the first time to ignite the ammonium-hydrogen mixture and reduce the NOx/N2O emission with effect in this work. Gas chromatography (GC) experiments as well as a detailed kinetic model, including neutral molecules, free radicals, charged particles, vibratory excited states, and electron excited states, are integrated to investigate the kinetic process of ammonia-hydrogen doped ignition and NOx/N2O emission facilitated by nanosecond pulsed discharge. The numerical model closely matches the GC-measured values of NH3 consumption, H2 increase, and N2O production. Pathway fluxes of important species and sensitivity analysis of ignition delay time reveal that the addition of non-equilibrium plasma has an obvious promotion effect on ammonia and hydrogen-doped oxidation and ignition. The initial ignition temperature significantly impacts the ignition delay time, with a more pronounced plasma-promotion effect observed at lower temperatures. Conversely, as the hydrogen mixing ratio increases, the ignition delay time decreases, yet the generation of NO and N2O increases. This is attributed to the heightened production of H and NH through elementary reactions such as NH3+HNH2+ H2, H + O2O + OH, and OH + H2H + H2O. Nevertheless, NO and N2O emissions are reduced by 1-2 orders of magnitude with plasma assistance compared to auto-ignition. The reduction in NO emissions can be attributed to increased consumption in the pathway of NO + NH2N2 + H2O and decreased formation in the pathways of HNO + O2HO2 + NO and NH + NON2O + H. Additionally, it was discovered that the electron attachment dissociation reaction e + N2O → O− + N2 predominantly contributes to the reduction of N2O. These research findings significantly contribute to advancing our understanding of the kinetics involved in ammonia-hydrogen doped ignition and emissions, particularly with plasma assistance, for potential engine applications.

Diterpenoids with Antibacterial Activities from the Fungus Trichoderma harzianum.

A new fusicoccane diterpenoid, harziaderma A (1), two novel harziane diterpenoids, harzianones G and H (2 and 3), one revised harziane diterpenoid (4), and two known diterpenoids (5 and 6) were isolated from the fungus Trichoderma harzianum and established via NMR, HRESIMS, Mo2(OAc)4-induced circular dichroism (ICD) and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. It is worth noting that compound 1 represents the first instance of a fusicoccane-type diterpenoid derived from T. harzianum. The structure of furanharzianone B was revised to 4 via careful spectroscopic analyses. Additionally, compounds 2 and 5 could suppress the overall growth of the foodborne bacterial pathogen Bacillus cereus. Compound 4 showed a moderate suppressive impact on NO generation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated RAW 264.7 cells. The discoveries from the current study not only expanded the structural variety of diterpenoids isolated from T. harzianum but also laid a robust foundation for the development of harziane diterpenoids as anti-foodborne pathogen agents.

NO emission during the co-combustion of biomass and coal at high temperature: An experimental and numerical study

Biomass/coal co-combustion presents a promising avenue for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. However, the mechanism of NO generation during co-combustion in pulverized coal-fired furnaces remains unclear. Herein, this study investigates NO emission characteristics at elevated temperatures, emphasizing mechanistic understanding. The experiments and simulations were conducted across temperatures ranging from 1000 °C to 1600 °C. In addition to exploring how fundamental conditions (temperature, oxygen concentration, and biomass blending ratio (BBR)) affect NO generation, the study also investigates the interactions between biomass and coal, as well as between fuel NO and thermal NO. The results indicate that the change in NO production with increasing temperature is non-monotonic, attributable to the combined contribution of fuel NO and thermal NO. Moreover, the interaction between biomass and coal manifests predominantly during the char combustion stage, owing to the disparate combustion characteristics and reactivity of biomass char and coal char. Numerical simulations were highly consistent with the experimental findings, underscoring a reduction in the rate of production (ROP) for major elementary reactions leading to NO formation as the BBR increased, consequently mitigating NO emissions. By integrating experimental insights with reaction kinetics calculations, this study proposes pathways for fuel NO and thermal NO generation during co-combustion at high temperatures, involving precursors such as NCO, HNO, and NH. These findings offer a deeper understanding of the mechanism of fuel NO and thermal NO emission during co-combustion at high temperatures.

Furnace-height FGR location impact of a cascade-arch-firing configuration in ameliorating low-NOx combustion and eliminating hopper overheating for a large-scale arch-fired furnace

This study analyses an alternative to the existing multiple-injection and multiple-staging combustion technique (MIMSCT) of large-scale arch-fired furnaces. The alternative approach is a cascade-arch-firing, low-NOx, and high-efficiency configuration (CLHC) with flue gas recirculation (FGR). The research is necessary as typical 600 MWe large-scale arch-fired furnaces produce high concentrations of NOx and have a high risk of overheating in their hoppers when firing low-volatile coals. Three furnace-height FGR locations were considered in descending order (i.e., FGR through (i) primary burners to mitigate fuel-NO (FGR-PB), (ii) tertiary air to restrain thermal-NO (FGR-TA), and (iii) auxiliary burners to reduce NO (FGR-AB)). Industrial-scale measurements and simulations were conducted in the existing MIMSCT furnace (which was used to verify simulations and compare with the subsequent CLHC furnace results), followed by numerical investigations of the CLHC furnace at the three FGR-locations. The FGR’s NO inhibition in the upstream zone decreased in the following order: FGR-PB > FGR-TA > FGR-AB. Initial combustion and NO generation in the reburning stage was most intense in the FGR-TA configuration (producing the highest NO amounts) whereas the FGR-AB configuration contributed the lowest amounts. As the FGR locations descended, burnout loss dropped a little, while NOx production was initially elevated and then descended. The FGR-PB was optimal among the three options, with a low NOx output of 604 mg/m3 (O2 = 6 %) and combustible level in fly ash of about 5 %. Compared to the MIMSCT, the CLHC not only enhanced the low-NOx environment and shortened the flame penetration but also improved combustion intensity and extended the overfire air penetration. This sharply reduced NOx without affecting burnout nor lowering apparent hopper temperatures. The above results demonstrate that a staged FGR consisting of primary FGR-PB and supplementary FGR-AB, is a promising solution to lower NOx while retaining high furnace burnout levels.

Self-assembled multifunctional Prussian blue analogues nanocomposite for MRI-guided multimodal therapy for breast cancer

Integration of multimodal imaging and therapies into one nanoplatform holds great promise to overcome the drawbacks of conventional single-modal cancer therapy. Designing multifunctional nanocomposite by self-assembled strategy with integration of various functional components into one platform is promising for effective breast cancer therapy. Herein, a L-arginine embedded Prussian blue analogue@polypyrrole@manganese oxide (PBA@PPy@MnO2) multifunctional nanocomposite was constructed by a facile self-assembled method, which could be used as an effective nanoplatform for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided multimodal therapy for breast cancer. Various properties such as enhanced MRI and catalytic capacity from PBA and MnO2, photothermal conversion performance from PPy, and NO generation capacity from Arg were integrated into one nanocomposite. In vitro and vivo experiments, satisfactory anti-cancer efficiency was observed in PBA@PPy@MnO2@Arg nanoplatform under near-infrared irradiation (NIR) due to the combined effect between chemodynamic therapy (CDT), photothermal therapy (PTT), and gas therapy (GT). This work will pave a new avenue for the construction of multifunctional nanoplatforms and overcome the inherit poor photothermal and MRI activities limitations of Prussian blue analogue in biomedical field.

Temporal variations in NO, N2O, and NO2 generation in filament-induced atmospheric plasmas

Ultra-short pulse lasers generate filaments in air, inducing changes in molecular concentration and the formation of new molecules. However, our understanding of the specific chemical reactions triggered by these filaments remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the NxOy species produced by femtosecond laser filaments in a sealed chamber. We employed mid-infrared laser spectroscopy to analyze the resulting products over the reaction time. The research revealed that filament plasma generates NO, N2O, and NO2. Notably, N2O was detected for the first time in filament plasmas generated in the air. The production of NxOy species depends on the initial pressure and is influenced by factors such as plasma properties and molecular collisions. We measured the equilibrium concentrations of NO, N2O, and NO2 under atmospheric conditions, finding them to be 67, 38, and 518 ppm, respectively. Furthermore, comparative experiments conducted in zero air illustrated significantly higher concentrations of NO and NO2 under identical pressure conditions, indicating a significant negative impact of other air molecules on the generation of these species. These findings provide valuable insight into the understanding of filament-induced atmospheric chemical reactions and the generation of NxOy species.

Theoretical insight into NO formation and reduction at biochar N-sites: Influence of different oxygen-containing functional groups

Biochar is a cost-efficient and promising porous carbonaceous material for the efficient removal of flue gas NOx. The N-site located at the edge of biochar can be a crucial gateway for NO reduction to N2 or for NO formation by oxidation, which can be significantly affected by the oxygen-containing functional groups (OFGs) on the biochar edge. However, the roles of different OFGs in N-site-involved reactions remain elusive. Based on the biochar characterization results, reasonable theoretical models of biochar with different N-sites and OFGs were constructed. Subsequently, the effects of distinct OFGs on the interaction between NO and N-sites as well as the NO liberation from N-sites were elucidated, by employing density functional theory (DFT) and electronic structure analysis. The results reveal that all OFGs, encompassing -CHO, -COOH, and -OH, manifest their roles through the direct inherent electrostatic properties of O/H in OFGs (O*/H*) or altering the reactivity of edge atoms indirectly. For pyridinic nitrogen (N-6) at the zigzag edge, unsaturated (-CHO, -COOH)/saturated (-OH) OFGs inhibit/enhance NO reduction with N-6 by electrostatic properties of O*/H*, and all OFGs inhibit NO generation from N-6. Besides, all OFGs enhance the NO reduction with pyrrolic nitrogen (N-5) at the armchair edge while inhibiting the release of NO, by influencing the edge activity. The present study gives a mechanism insight into the roles of distinct OFGs in reactions involving biochar N-sites.

Daidzein and Equol: Ex Vivo and In Silico Approaches Targeting COX-2, iNOS, and the Canonical Inflammasome Signaling Pathway.

The inflammasome is a cytosolic multiprotein complex associated with multiple autoimmune diseases. Phytochemical compounds in soy (Glycine max) foods, such as isoflavones, have been reported for their anti-inflammatory properties. the anti-inflammatory activity of DZ (daidzein) and EQ (equol) were investigated in an ex vivo model of LPS-stimulated murine peritoneal macrophages and by molecular docking correlation. Cells were pre-treated with DZ (25, 50, and 100 µM) or EQ (5, 10, and 25 µM), followed by LPS stimulation. The levels of PGE2, NO, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β were analyzed by ELISA, whereas the expressions of COX-2, iNOS, NLRP3, ASC, caspase 1, and IL-18 were measured by Western blotting. Also, the potential for transcriptional modulation by targeting NF-κB, COX-2, iNOS, NLRP3, ASC, and caspase 1 was investigated by molecular docking. The anti-inflammatory responses observed may be due to the modulation of NF-κB due to the binding of DZ or EQ, which is translated into decreased TNF-α, COX-2, iNOS, NLRP3, and ASC levels. This study establishes that DZ and EQ inhibit LPS-induced inflammatory responses in peritoneal murine macrophages via down-regulation of NO and PGE2 generation, as well as the inhibition of the canonical inflammasome pathway, regulating NLRP3, and consequently decreasing IL-1β and IL-18 activation.