Zhejiang Gongshang University

About: Zhejiang Gongshang University is a education organization based out in Hangzhou, China. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Adsorption & Supply chain. The organization has 8258 authors who have published 7670 publications receiving 90296 citations. The organization is also known as: Zhèjiāng Gōngshāng Dàxué.

Andrographolide induces autophagic cell death in human liver cancer cells through cyclophilin D-mediated mitochondrial permeability transition pore.

Abstract: Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide and about half of the patients with liver cancer require adjuvant therapy after surgical resection. Therefore, development of novel agents to eradicate cancer cells may constitute a viable approach to treat patients with liver cancer. Andrographolide, a diterpenoid lactone isolated from Andrographis paniculata, is known to possess potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antineoplastic and antiviral properties. In this study, we investigated the cytotoxic effect of andrographolide on human liver cancer cells and explored the cell death mechanism. Andrographolide induced a cell death distinct from apoptosis in multiple human liver cancer cells. The death was characterized by autophagy as evidenced by the accumulation of LC3 II and autophagosomes, and the formation of puncta GFP-LC3. This autophagy as well as cytotoxicity caused by andrographolide could be effectively prevented by 3-methyladenine (a chemical inhibitor of autophagy). Mechanistic study indicated that andrographolide induced autophagic cell death by disruption of mitochondrial transmembrane potential and elevation of reactive oxygen species, which were correlated with mitochondrial permeability transition pore Inhibition of cyclophilin D (a component of MPTP) by cyclosporin A or abrogation of its expression by small interfering RNA significantly suppressed the cytotoxicity of andrographolide, suggesting that cyclophilin D may play an important role in mediating andrographolide-induced cytotoxicity. Taken together, our findings unveil a novel mechanism of drug action by andrographolide in liver cancer cells and suggest that andrographolide may represent a promising novel agent in the treatment of liver cancer.

One-pot template-free synthesis, growth mechanism and enhanced photocatalytic activity of monodisperse (BiO)(2)CO3 hierarchical hollow microspheres self-assembled with single-crystalline nanosheets

Abstract: This work presents a one-pot template-free synthesis, detailed characterization, growth mechanism and application of well-defined uniform monodisperse (BiO)2CO3 hierarchical hollow microspheres self-assembled with single-crystalline nanosheets. The synthesis was conducted by hydrothermal treatment of bismuth citrate and sodium carbonate in water. Time-dependent evolutions of phase structure, composition, and morphology were investigated systematically and revealed that the growth mechanism of such novel structures involved a unique multistep pathway. First, near amorphous particles were produced through reaction, nucleation, crystallization, and aggregation processes. Then, stacked embryos of intermediate (BiO)4CO3(OH)2 microspheres with attached particles were produced due to dissolution and recrystallization. Subsequently, stacked uniform solid microspheres with small particles attached on edges were generated by the consumption of particles through Ostwald ripening. The stacked microspheres further grew to form monodisperse hierarchical microspheres with a hole in the center, like flower buds. Finally, uniform monodisperse (BiO)2CO3 hierarchical hollow microspheres were produced through layers splitting. The aggregation of the self-assembled nanosheets contributed to the formation of 3D hierarchical architecture containing mesopores, which is favorable for efficient reactants transport and photo-energy harvesting. Furthermore, the band gap structure of (BiO)2CO3 was revealed by the experimental method combined with density functional theoretical calculation. As expected, the novel (BiO)2CO3 hierarchical hollow microspheres exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity due to the special hierarchical morphology, exceeding that of (BiO)2CO3 particles and commercial P25. The as-prepared uniform (BiO)2CO3 microspheres with well-defined hierarchical hollow structures are also ideal candidates for investigating their architecture-dependent performances in other areas, such as solar energy conversion, catalysis, electronics and so on.