Lithium chloride ameliorates learning and memory ability and inhibits glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta activity in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome

In the present study,Fmr1 knockout mice （KO mice） were used as the model for fragile X syndrome.The results of step-through and step-down tests demonstrated that Fmr1 KO mice had shorter latencies and more error counts,indicating a learning and memory disorder.After treatment with 30,60,90,120,or 200 mg/kg lithium chloride,the learning and memory abilities of the Fmr1 KO mice were significantly ameliorated,in particular,the 200 mg/kg lithium chloride treatment had the most significant effect.Western blot analysis showed that lithium chloride significantly enhanced the expression of phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta,an inactive form of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta,in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of the Fmr1 KO mice.These results indicated that lithium chloride improved learning and memory in the Fmr1 KO mice,possibly by inhibiting glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta activity.

Mechanism and performance of a lithium chloride accelerator

To address present concerns about thickening time and high early-strength in deepwater cementing at low temperatures when using conventional accelerators, a new type of set-accelerating admixture comprising of lithium chloride, aluminium hydroxide and alkaline metal chlorides, named as LS-A, was studied in this paper. Mechanism analysis and performance tests show that the accelerator LS-A accelerated the hydration of tri- and dicalcium silicates （C3S and C2S） at low-temperatures by speeding up the breakdown of the protective hydration film and shortening the hydration induction period. Therefore, LS-A could shorten the low-temperature thickening time and the transition time of critical gel strength from 48 to 240 Pa of the Class-G cement slurry, and improve the early compressive strength of set cement at low-temperatures. It exhibited better performance than calcium chloride and had no effect on the type of hydration products, which remain the same as those of neat Class-G cement, i.e. the calcium silicate gel, Ca（OH）2 crystals and a small amount of ettringite AFt crystals. LS-A provides an effective way to guarantee the safety of cementing operations, and to solve the problems of low temperature and shallow water/gas flowing faced in deepwater cementing.

Lithium chloride promotes osteogenesis and suppresses apoptosis during orthodontic tooth movement in osteoporotic model via regulating autophagy

Osteoporosis is a widely distributed disease that may cause complications such as accelerated tooth movement,bone resorption,and tooth loss during orthodontic treatment.Promoting bone formation and reducing bone resorption are strategies for controlling these complications.For several decades,the autophagy inducer lithium chloride(LiCl)has been explored for bipolar.In this study,we investigated the autophagy-promoting effect of LiCl on bone remodeling under osteoporotic conditions during tooth movement.Ovariectomy was used to induce osteoporosis status in vivo.The results showed that LiCl rejuvenated autophagy,decreased apoptosis,and promoted bone formation,thus protecting tooth movement in osteoporotic mice.Furthermore,in vitro experiments showed that LiCl reversed the effects of ovariectomy on bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs)extracted from ovariectomized mice,promoting osteogenesis and suppressing apoptosis by positively regulating autophagy.These findings suggest that LiCl can significantly decrease adverse effects of osteoporosis on bone remodeling,and that it has great potential significance in the field of bone formation during tooth movement in osteoporosis patients.

Inhibitory Effect of Lithium Chloride on Mouse Thymocyte Apoptosis

This study investigates the effect of lithium chloride (LiCl) on mouse thymocyte apoptosis. A primary culture of mouse thymocytes was preincubated with LiCl (from 5 to 500 μmol/L) before exposure to dexamethasone (DEX), the apoptosis inducer. With 100 μmol/L of LiCl, apoptotic cell death induced by DEX was almost completely prevented as determined by flow cytometric analysis, terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase (TdT) mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay and DNA laddering assay. The results show that the DEX induced increment of caspase 3 activity in thymocytes is completely eliminated by LiCl preincubation. The results suggest that LiCl may protect Balb/c mouse thymocytes from apoptosis induced by glucocorticoid in a dose dependent matter.

Inhibition of proliferation,migration,and invasiveness of bladder cancer cells through SAPCD2 knockdown

Introduction:Bladder cancer(BC)has a high incidence and mortality rate worldwide.Suppressor anaphasepromoting complex domain containing 2(SAPCDC2)is over-expressed in a variety of tumors.Objectives:This study investigated the effects of SAPCD2 knockdown on BC cells.Methods:T24 and UMUC3 cell models and the xenografted BC tumor model with SAPCD2 knockdown were established to observe the malignant phenotype of BC cells by cell counting kit-8 assay,colony formation test,wound healing,and Transwell assay,mRNA and proteins expressions were measured with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction,western blotting,and tissue immunohistochemistry.Lithium chloride agonist on the Wnt/β-catenin pathway was used to clarify the molecular mechanism of SAPCD2 knockdown.Results:SAPCD2 expression was significantly higher in BC cell lines than in SVHUC-1 cells.SAPCD2 knockdown inhibited viability and cloning,hindered the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle in UMUC3 and T24 cells,and decreased the migration and invasiveness of BC cells.SAPCD2 knockdown inhibited expression levels of cyclin D1,cyclin B1,N-cadherin,vimentin,Snail,β-catenin,c-Myc,and cyclin-dependent kinase 4,while the P21 and E-cadherin were raised by SAPCD2 knockdown.Furthermore,lithium chloride reversed the effects of SAPCD2 knockdown on the expression levels of the above proteins in UMUC3 and T24 cells.In vivo,SAPCD2 knockdown inhibited the volume,weight,and expression of Ki-67 andβ-catenin in tumors and increased the E-cadherin expression.Conclusion:SAPCD2 knockdown inhibits the malignant phenotype of BC via a pathway involvingβ-catenin.

Phosphorylation of tau protein over time in rats subjected to transient brain ischemia

Transient brain ischemia has been shown to induce hyperphosphorylation of the micro- tubule-associated protein tau. To further determine the mechanisms underlying these processes, we investigated the interaction between tau, glycogen synthase kinase （GSK）-313 and protein phos- phatase 2A. The results confirmed that tau protein was dephosphorylated during brain ischemia; in addition, the activity of GSK-3β was increased and the activity of protein phosphatase 2A was de- creased. After reperfusion, tau protein was hyperphosphorylated, the activity of GSK-3β was de- creased and the activity of protein phosphatase 2A remained low. Importantly, the interaction of tau with GSK-3β and protein phosphatase 2A was altered during ischemia and reperfusion. Lithium chloride could affect tau phosphorylation by regulating the interaction of tau with GSK-3β and pro- tein phosphatase 2A, and improve learning and memory ability of rats after transient brain ischemia. The present study demonstrated that it was the interaction of tau with GSK-3β and protein phos- phatase 2A, rather than their individual activities, that dominates the phosphorylation of tau in tran- sient brain ischemia. Hyperphosphorylated tau protein may play an important role in the evolution of brain injury in ischemic stroke. The neuroprotective effects of lithium chloride partly depend on the inhibition of tau phosphorylation during transient brain ischemia.

Solubility measurement and prediction of phase equilibria in the quaternary system LiCl+NaCl+KCl+H2O and ternary subsystem LiCl+NaCl+H2O at 288.15 K

Using isothermal dissolution method,the phase equilibrium relationship in quaternary system LiCl+NaCl+KCl+H2O and the ternary subsystem LiCl+NaCl+H2O at 288.15 K were investigated.Each phase diagram of two systems was drawn.The phase diagram of LiCl+NaCl+H2O system contains two solid phase regions of crystallization LiCl·2H2O and NaCl.In the phase diagram of LiCl+NaCl+KCl+H2O system,there are three crystallization regions:LiCl·2H2O,NaCl and KCl respectively.In this paper,the solubilities of phase equilibria in two systems were calculated by Pitzer's model at 288.15 K.The predicted phase diagrams generally agree with the experimental phase diagrams.

Composite electron transport layer for efficient N-I-P type monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells with high open-circuit voltage

Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells(PSTSCs) have exhibited huge technological potential for breaking the Shockley-Queisser limit of single-junction solar cells. The efficiency of P-I-N type PSTSCs has surpassed the single-junction limit, while the performance of N-I-P type PSTSCs is far below the theoretical value. Here, we developed a composite electron transport layer for N-I-P type monolithic PSTSCs with enhanced open-circuit voltage(VOC) and power conversion efficiency(PCE). Lithium chloride(Li Cl) was added into the tin oxide(SnO_(2)) precursor solution, which simultaneously passivated the defects and increased the electron injection driving force at the electron transfer layer(ETL)/perovskite interface.Eventually, we achieved monolithic PSTSCs with an efficiency of 25.42% and V_(OC) of 1.92 V, which is the highest PCE and VOCin N-I-P type perovskite/Si tandem devices. This work on interface engineering for improving the PCE of monolithic PSTSCs may bring a new hot point about perovskite-based tandem devices.

Highly Efficient Oxidative Coupling of Methane over LiCl-B_2O_3/MnO_2 and Li_2SO_4-Mn_xO_y/TiO_2 Catalysts

Because of the ever-increasing consumption of crude oil, the role played bythe natural gas as a raw material has become more and more important in chemical industry and thepotential of methane used as a source for the production of ethylene has attracted much attention.In this paper, the LiCl-B_2O_3/MnO_2 and Li_2SO_4-Mn_xO_y/TiO_2 catalysts for Oxidative Coupling ofMethane (OCM) have been studied, and the results show that the catalysts exhibit high activity andselectivity. Furthermore, The influence of the components in the catalyst and the reactionconditions on OCM performance has been studied and a possible active new component, cubicLi_4B_7O_(12)Cl, has been found.

Experiment and Pitzer Model Prediction for the Solid + Liquid Equilibria of the Ternary System LiCl–CaCl_2–H_2O

1 Introduction Lithium resources are widely distributed in the oilfield brine from the Nanyishan district in the Qaidam Basin(Fan et al.,2007).The investigation of the thermodynamics and phase diagram of the brine system is valuable in providing the theoretic foundation and scientific guidance in the comprehensive exploitation of the mixture salts effectively.Comprehensive

Synthesis of MgAl_2O_4 Powder in KCI-LiCl-KF System Molten Salt

Molten salt synthesis of MgAl204 powder from industrial alumina and light calcined MgO in KCl, LiCl, and KCl- LiCl media, and the influence of KF at 500 -1 000℃ were investigated. Synthesized powders were characterized by means of XRD, laser particle analyzer, and SEM, and the synthesis mechanism of MgAl2O4 was discussed as well. The results show that （1） the molten salt composite （ KCl - LiCl） is more .[hvorable for the synthesis of MgAl2O4 than single molten salt （LiCl or KCl）, and LiCl is more favorable than KCl; （2） KF can accelerate the formation of MgAl2O 4 and decrease its forming temperature ; （ 3 ） synthesis of MgAl204 powder in the molten salts without KF is controlled by ＂template -growth＂ mechanism, but in the molten salts with KF , it is controlled by ＂template - growth＂ and ＂dissolution -precipitation＂ mechanism.

Corrosion behavior of as-cast Mg–8Li–3Al+xCe alloy in 3.5wt% NaCl solution

Mg-8Li-3Al＋xCe alloys（x = 0.5wt%, 1.0wt%, and 1.5wt%） were prepared through a casting route in an electric resistance furnace under a controlled atmosphere. The cast alloys were characterized by X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The corrosion behavior of the as-cast Mg-8Li-3Al＋xCe alloys were studied under salt spray tests in 3.5wt% NaC l solution at 35°C, in accordance with standard ASTM B-117, in conjunction with potentiodynamic polarization（PDP） tests. The results show that the addition of Ce to Mg-8Li-3Al（LA83） alloy results in the formation of Al_2Ce intermetallic phase, refines both the α-Mg phase and the Mg_（17）Al_（12） intermetallic phase, and then increases the microhardness of the alloys. The results of PDP and salt spray tests reveal that an increase in Ce content to 1.5wt% decreases the corrosion rate. The best corrosion resistance is observed for the LA83 alloy sample with 1.0wt% Ce.

Nickel-Catalyzed Cross-Electrophile Coupling of Triazine Esters with Aryl Bromides

Cross-electrophile coupling of triazine esters with aryl bromides could be facilely accomplished by employing nickel as catalyst,magnesium as metal mediator,and lithium chloride as additive.The reactions proceeded efficiently in THF at room temperature through C—O bond activation to afford an array of structurally different diaryl ketones in moderate to good yields with wide functional group tolerance.Control experiments showed that nickel,magnesium,lithium chloride,and THF are all indispensable for the good performance of the coupling reaction.Preliminary mechanistic exploration indicated that in situ formed arylmagnesium reagent by the insertion of magnesium into aryl bromide might serve as the key intermediate of the cross-coupling.The method which avoids the utilization of moisture-labile and relatively difficult-to-obtain organometallics is step-economical,cost-efficient,and operationally simple,potentially serving as an attractive alternative to documented methods.

“One stone,two birds”solvent system to fabricate microcrystalline cellulose–Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)nanocomposite film as a flexible dielectric and thermally conductive material

A strategy for fabricating microcrystalline cellulose–Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)(MCC–MXene)nanocomposite films with high relative permittivity,high thermal conductivity,and excellent mechanical properties was developed.The MCC–MXene nanocomposite film was fabricated by casting a solution containing N,N-dimethylacetamide/lithium chloride(DMAc/LiCl)-soluble MCC and DMAcdispersible MXene nanosheets,followed by humidity control drying.The MXene nanosheets greatly enhanced the permittivity of the nanocomposite films owing to interfacial polarization.Thus,the nanocomposite film with 20 wt.%MXene content achieved a desirable permittivity of 71.4 at 102 Hz(a 770%improvement against that of neat cellulose),while the dielectric loss only increased by 1.8 times(from 0.39 to 0.70).The obtained nanocomposite films with 20 wt.%and 30 wt.%MXene exhibited remarkable in-plane thermal conductivities of 8.523 and 9.668 W∙m^(−1)∙K^(−1),respectively,owing to the uniform dispersion and selfalignment of the MXene layered structure.Additionally,the uniformly dispersed MXene nanosheets in the MCC network with interfacial interaction(hydrogen bonding)and mechanical entanglement endowed the nanocomposite films with excellent mechanical properties and flexibility.Furthermore,the thermal stability,water resistance,and antibacterial properties of the nanocomposite films were effectively improved with the introduction of MXene.Moreover,using DMAc/LiCl as the solvent system not only improves the compatibility between MCC and MXene but also avoids the problem of easy oxidation of MXene in aqueous systems.With the high stability of the MCC–MXene solution and enhanced properties of the MCC–MXene films,the proposed strategy manifests great potential for fabricating natural biomass-based dielectric materials.

The ER membrane protein complex subunit Emc3 controls angiogenesis via the FZD4/WNT signaling axis

The endoplasmic reticulum(ER) membrane protein complex(EMC) regulates the synthesis and quality control of membrane proteins with multiple transmembrane domains. One of the membrane spanning subunits, EMC3, is a core member of the EMC complex that provides essential hydrophilic vestibule for substrate insertion. Here, we show that the EMC subunit Emc3 plays critical roles in the retinal vascular angiogenesis by regulating Norrin/Wnt signaling. Postnatal endothelial cell(EC)-specific deletion of Emc3 led to retarded retinal vascular development with a hyperpruned vascular network, the appearance of bluntended, aneurysm-like tip endothelial cells(ECs) with reduced numbers of filopodia and leakage of erythrocytes at the vascular front. Diminished tube formation and cell proliferation were also observed in EMC3 depleted human retinal endothelial cells(HRECs). We then discovered a critical role for EMC3 in expression of FZD4 receptor of β-catenin signaling using RNA sequencing, real-time quantitative PCR(RT-q PCR) and luciferase reporter assay. Moreover, augmentation of Wnt activity via lithium chloride(Li Cl) treatment remarkably enhanced β-catenin signaling and cell proliferation of HRECs. Additionally, Li Cl partially reversed the angiogenesis defects in Emc3-c KO mice. Our data reveal that Emc3 plays essential roles in angiogenesis through direct control of FZD4 expression and Norrin/β-catenin signaling.

Glycogen synthase kinase-3： a key kinase in retinal neuron apoptosis in early diabetic retinopathy

Background Diabetes-related pathogenic factors can cause retinal ganglion cell （RGC） apoptosis, but the specific mechanism is not very clear. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between glycogen synthase kinase-3 （GSK-3） activation and retinal neuron apoptosis. Methods In an in vitro experiment, the number of apoptotic RGC-5 cells differentiated by staurosporine was evaluated via flow cytometry and nuclei staining using Hoechst 33258. GSK-3 phosphorylation and caspase-3 activation in RGC-5 cells after serum deprivation were determined using Western blotting. Mitochondrial membrane potential was detected using the dye 5,5＇,6,6＇-tetrachloro-l,l＇,3,3＇-tetrethyl benzimidalyl carbocyanine iodide, and reactive oxygen species （ROS） levels were measured with dihydroethidium. In an in vivo experiment, the number of apoptotic retinal neurons was evaluated via terminal transferase dUTP nick-end labeling （TUNEL）, and GSK-3 phosphorylation was determined using Western blotting, in the retinal nerve epithelial tissue of rats in which diabetes was induced by intravenous tail-vein injection of streptozotocin for 4 weeks. Results The levels of phosphorylated Ser21/9 in GSK-3α/13 and p-T308/S473-AKT were lower and the cleaved caspase-3 levels were higher in the serum-deprived model （P 〈0.05）. Lithium chloride treatment was associated with a slower rate of apoptosis, increased mitochondrial membrane potential, and decreased ROS levels in differentiated RGC-5 cells （P 〈0.05）. The level of blood glucose and the number of TUNEL-positive cells in the whole-mounted retinas were higher （P 〈0.01）, and the levels of phosphorylated Ser21/9 in GSK-3α/13 and body weight were lower （P 〈0.05）. However, the thickness of the retinal nerve epithelial layer was not significantly less in diabetic rats compared with control group. Lithium chloride intravitreal injection increased the levels of phosphorylated Ser21/9 in GSK-3α/13 and decreased TUNEL-positive cells in the whole-mounted retinas. Conclusion GSK-3 kinase is closely related to retinal neuron apoptosis, and the application of the GSK-3 inhibitor lithium chloride can reduce retinal neuron apoptosis in early diabetic retinopathy.

Room-temperature synthesis of cyan CsPb(Cl/Br)3/SiO2 nanospheres with Li Cl-H2O solution

There are many strategies to maintain the excellent photoluminescence(PL) characteristics of perovskite quantum dots(QDs). Here, we proposed a facile and effective method to prepare cyan CsPb(Cl/Br)3/SiO2 nanospheres at room temperature. Cubic CsPb(Cl/Br)3 was obtained by adding a LiCl-H2O solution and anion exchange reaction. With(3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane as an auxiliary agent, a QDs/SiO2 composite was extracted from a sol-gel solution by precipitate-encapsulation method. The transmission electron microscopy images and Fourier transform infrared spectra indicated the QDs were indeed embedded in silica substances.Besides, humidity stability and thermal stability show the composite possesses a great application value.Finally, cyan QDs@SiO2 powder has a high PL quantum yield of up to 84%;the stable cyan fluorescent powder does have great potential to play a key role in commercial full spectrum display.

A new method for direct synthesis of Li2CO3 powders by membrane electrolysis

A new method for the direct synthesis of Li2CO3 powders by membrane electrolysis from LiC1 solution is demonstrated in this paper, where a novel electrolysis system combining ventilation, agitation and loop filtration functions was reported. The aim of this work is to explore the effect of the starting concentration of LiC1 on the phase and micromorphology of Li2CO3 crystals and thereafter to explore the mechanism of crystallization and grain growth law. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） images indicate that the particles become irregular polycrystalline from well-defined flower-like and the micro-crystals change from lamellar to needle-like and subsequently to smaller globular granules, and the surface of the crystals becomes smooth with LiC1 concentration increasing from 50 to 400 g.L^-3. The crystalline phases of the different samples were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction （XRD） and the results prove that pure LiaCO3 crystals can be obtained in a single step by the electrolysis method. The particle size distributions show that both volume mean crystal sizes and the full width at half maximum （FWHM） decrease when the starting LiC1 concentration increases from 50 to 300 g.L 3 and also decreases from 400 to 300 g-L^-3.

Modulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling affects the directional differentiation of hair follicle stem cells

Aim:The differentiation of hair follicle stem cells(HFSCs)into hair follicle cells has potential clinical applications for cutaneous burns.However,the mechanisms regulating the differentiation of HFSCs into hair follicular papilla or epidermal cells are currently not clear.This study investigated the role of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and its crosstalk with other signaling components during this differentiation process.Methods:Lithium chloride(LiCl,10 mmol/L)and keratinocyte growth factor(KGF,10μg/L)were used to induce HFSC differentiation,validated by immunofluorescence analysis.The mRNA expression ofβ-catenin,adenomatous polyposis coli,glycogen synthase kinase-3β(GSK-3β),axin,and lymphoid enhancer factor-1 after 3,5,7,and 9 days were measured to evaluate the role of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.Results:During LiCl-induced HFSC differentiation into hair follicle cells,the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway was activated and the expression of GSK-3β,a vital component of the degradation compound,was inhibited.This led to increased cytoplasmicβ-catenin expression,nuclear translocation,and subsequent target gene transcription.By contrast,KGF induced the differentiation of HFSCs into epidermal cells and did not affect the expression ofβ-catenin.This data indicates that LiCl and KGF distinctly regulate the differentiation of HFSCs into hair follicle and epidermal cells,respectively.Furthermore,the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is predominantly involved in hair follicle differentiation.Conclusion:these results demonstrate that LiCl can be used to differentiate HFSCs into hair follicle cells in vitro,which has important therapeutic applications for treating patients with cutaneous damage.