Deprivation/Reperfusion-induced Apoptosis by Inhibiting Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Autophagy in PC12 Cells

This study aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which berberine protects against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion(I/R)injury.The oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion(OGD/R)PC12 model was established.Cell counting kit-8(CCK-8)was used to detect the toxicity of berberine and the viability of PC12 cells.Hoechst 33258 staining and flow cytometry were used to observe the nuclear morphology,and changes of apoptosis and reactive oxygen species(ROS),respectively.Western blotting and immunofluorescence assay were employed to detect autophagy-related proteins[microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3(LC3),P62/SQSTM-1,Beclin-1]and endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress-related markers[glucose-regulated protein 78(GRP78),C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP),Bcl-2-associated X(Bax)and cleaved caspase-3].The GFP-RFP-LC3 adenovirus was used to assay the change of autophagic flux.Our results showed that berberine could increase the viability of PC12 cells,decrease the concentrations of ROS after OGD/R treatment,and suppress OGD/R-induced ER stress and autophagy.Moreover,the results revealed the involvement of the mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR)pathway in the induction of autophagy,and berberine could activate the phosphorylation of mTOR and thus mitigate autophagy.In conclusion,our study suggested that berberine may protect against OGD/R-induced apoptosis by regulating ER stress and autophagy,and it holds promises in the treatment of cerebral I/R injury.

Liquid phase synthesis of dendritic nickel carbide alloy with high conductivity for advanced energy storage

Alloy materials have attracted increasing attentions because they possess superior electrical conductivity which can contribute to excellent electrochemical performance. Herein a dendritic Ni;C alloy material has been prepared by the pyrolysis of nickel acetylacetonate employing oleylamine as a reductant and 1-octadecene or octadecane as the solvent. The current–voltage curves indicating that the electrical conductivity of Ni;C is higher than that of nickel oxide. Electrochemical testing indicates that a high specific capacity of 390 C/g is found in alkaline electrolyte at 0.5 A/g, and deliver excellent rate characteristic as well as cycle life. The excellent electrochemical performance may be attributed to its high electrical conductivity and dendritic nanostructure that can promote diffusion of electrolyte ions. In addition, the AC//Ni;C asymmetric supercapacitor has been assembled at a cell voltages between 0 and 1.6 V, achieving a maximum energy density of 37 Wh/kg（at a power density of 0.3995 k W/kg）, and this manifests that the Ni;C alloy is a promising electrode material for electrochemical energy storage.