Lipid-based nanoparticles for drug delivery in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that predominantly affects dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area, resulting in symptoms such as tremors, muscle rigidity, bradykinesia, and potential cognitive and affective disturbances. The effective delivery of pharmacological agents to the central nervous system is hindered by various factors, including the restrictive properties of the blood‒brain barrier and blood‒spinal cord barrier, as well as the physicochemical characteristics of the drugs. Traditional drug delivery methods may not provide the therapeutic concentrations necessary for functional restoration in PD patients.

The amyloid fibril-stabilized Pickering emulsion significantly enhances the mechanical and barrier properties of Konjac Glucomannan active films for cherry preservation.

Konjac glucomannan (KGM), a natural polymer, is an excellent candidate for use in food packaging due to its desirable film-forming characteristics. However, the limited barrier, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties of pure KGM films restrict their practical applications. To reinforce the barrier and functional properties of KGM-based films, tea tree oil (TTO) Pickering emulsions stabilized by chitosan-modified soy protein derivative-amyloid fibril (AFS) were prepared and incorporated into KGM matrices.

Nanocellulose-based functional materials towards water treatment.

Water resources are important ecological resources for human survival. To date, advanced water purification technology has become one of the focus of global attention due to the continuous deterioration of the environment and the serious shortage of freshwater resources. Recently, nanocellulose, as a kind of sustainable and carbon-neutral biopolymer, has not only the properties of cellulose, but also the important nature of nanomaterials, including large specific surface area, tailorable surface chemistry, excellent mechanical flexibility, biodegradability, and environmental compatibility.

Enhancing stability, bioavailability and nutritional intervention effect of procyanidins using bio-based delivery systems: A review.

Procyanidins (PCs), a kind of polyphenolic compound, have attracted extensive attention due to their strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other activities. However, PCs are susceptible to complex micro-environments, resulting in low stability, poor target tissue delivery and bioavailability, which limits their biological effects. Therefore, it is urgent to find some suitable pathways to protect PCs, avoid their degradation, and maximize their health benefits in nutritional intervention.

Interfacial engineering of Co(OH)@CN composites: A study of p-n heterojunctions with enhanced xylose/xylan photoreforming and CO reduction performance.

The construction of p-n heterojunction is considered a prominent method for promoting efficient separation/migration of photoinduced carriers, thereby enhancing photocatalytic performance. Herein, a series of nanoflower spherical Co(OH)@CN-x p-n heterojunction photocatalysts were fabricated using a simplified one-step hydrothermal strategy. Notably, Co(OH)@CN-2 exhibited optimal performance, showcasing a carbon monoxide (CO) evolution rate of 46.

Metabolomic profiling reveals taste development in tomatoes during cold storage with vacuum packaging.

The alteration in the taste of tomatoes after storage significantly influences consumer demand. Identification of the key compounds and related metabolic pathways involved in the taste changes of tomatoes during storage is very important for the tomato industry. This study examined the alterations in the taste of tomatoes stored at 4 °C under vacuum packaging, focusing on changes in metabolites and identifying specific metabolites that serve as markers for different taste attributes.

Integrating adsorption and in-situ catalytic regeneration on N doped carbon aerogel for sustainable continuous-flow water treatment.

Peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation renders a promising way for in-situ regeneration of carbon-based adsorbents towards sustainable water decontamination, but the effects of structure and composition of carbon adsorbent on its adsorption and catalytic regeneration performances remains unclear. Herein, the nitrogen-doped carbon aerogels (NCAs) were prepared to couple adsorption and PMS activation in a continuous fixed-bed reactor for effective bisphenol A (BPA) removal. The nitrogen species and carbon structure of NCAs were varied by changing carbonization temperature (700 °C, 800 °C, 900 °C and 1000 °C) to investigate their correlation with the adsorption and catalytic regeneration abilities of NCAs.

Lignin-based materials for iodine capture and storage: A review.

The safety of nuclear energy, as a low-carbon energy source, has received widespread attention. One of the concerns is the appropriate handling of volatile radioactive elements (e.g.

Alcoholic Extracts from the Ganoderma Lucidum Fermentation Product Alleviated Ethanol-Induced Liver Injury, Gut Leakiness, and Gut Dysbiosis in Mice.

The hepatoprotective effect of the alcoholic extracts of Ganoderma lucidum fermentation products (GFE) was investigated. C57BL/6 mice were pretreated with GFE for 7 days and then subjected to the chronic-binge ethanol feeding model. GFE pretreatment significantly reduced the ethanol-induced elevated serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT), hepatic steatosis, and increased triglyceride content.

Gelation melioration of clam Meretrix meretrix surimi based on the interactions with different plant/animal proteins.

The effects and mechanisms of four exogenous proteins, soy protein isolate (SPI), pea protein isolate (PPI), egg white protein (EWP), and whey protein isolate (WPI), on the gelation of Meretrix meretrix (MM) surimi were investigated. The exogenous protein addition significantly increased the G* of samples to 1.36-1.

Hydrothermal synthesis of bismuth cluster-modified covalent triazine framework composite photocatalysts with effective performance in selective CC bond cleavage of lignin.

With regard to the low production of aromatic monomers generated from renewable resources, improving the selective CC bond cleavage in lignin could be the solution. Here, a novel CTF-Bi cluster photocatalyst was firstly prepared by hydrothermal method. A series of Bi/CTF composite photocatalysts varying in Bi cluster content were synthesized using confined growth techniques.

Depolymerization of lignin over heterogeneous Co-NC catalyst.

Green and atom-economic depolymerization of lignin remains a great challenge due to its complex non-repetitive structure and the inert property for chemo-digestion. A redox-neutral lignin depolymerization system without the use of extra oxidant and/or reductant over a Co-NC catalyst has been developed in this work, providing the first non-noble metal heterogeneous catalytic system for redox-neutral valorization of lignin. Mechanistic studies based on control reactions and deuterium labeling experiments suggest that the reaction proceeds via a metal-catalyzed dehydrogenation of C-OH to afford a carbonyl intermediate, followed by C-O bond cleavage (via hydrogenolysis) to afford monophenols and aromatic ketone products.

Doping Ti into RuO to Accelerate Bridged-Oxygen-Assisted Deprotonation for Acidic Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

The development of efficient and durable electrocatalysts for the acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is essential for advancing renewable hydrogen energy technology. However, the slow deprotonation kinetics of oxo-intermediates, involving the four proton-coupled electron steps, hinder the acidic OER progress. Herein, a RuTiO solid solution electrocatalyst is investigated, which features bridged oxygen (O) sites that act as proton acceptors, accelerating the deprotonation of oxo-intermediates.

Engineered microenvironments and pancreatic islet-on-chips for screening sugar substitute and antidiabetic compounds.

Recent advancements in the food industry have rekindled interest in the safety of food additives, such as sugar substitutes and food pigments. Consequently, the main purpose of this study was to develop models that can more accurately predict the effects of these additives on the human body. In response to this demand, we have created an innovative pancreas islet-on-a-chip system featuring a concentration gradient generator and a perfusable 3D cell culture array.

Structurally robust chitosan-based active packaging film by Pickering emulsion containing tree essential oil for pork preservation.

The unstable structure of Pickering emulsion caused the fast release of active substance from active packaging and failure food preservation. Herein, a novel in-situ condensation strategy was proposed to construct sustained released chitosan (CS)-based active packaging film, in which the soybean separation protein (SPI)-carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) emulsion (SCCE) containing tea tree essential oil (TTO) was physically incorporated into CS matrix. Originating from the strong electrostatic interaction of negatively charged SPI-CMC emulsion and positively charged CS matrix, a robust shell was in-situ formed on the outermost layer and served as armor to boost the structural stability of emulsion.

Paenibacillus oenotherae W2-3 degraded Welan gum to produce growth-promoting oligosaccharides.

Based on the biodegradation of Welan gum, this paper studies the properties of Welan gum degrading enzymes, degradation rules, and the application of Welan gum oligosaccharides. In order to study the biodegradation of Welan gum, a strain W2-3 capable of degrading Welan gum, was isolated from soil and identified as Paenibacillus sp. The properties of Welan gum degrading enzymes, degradation rules, and the application of Welan gum oligosaccharides were studied.

Fabrication of biodegradable polyvinyl alcohol-based plastics toward technical lignin valorization.

The fabrication of composite materials from lignin has attracted increasing attention to reducing the dependence of petrochemical-based resources on carbon neutrality. However, the low content of lignin in the biocomposites remains a challenge. Herein, industrial lignin is fractionated by an organic solvent to reduce its structural heterogeneity.