Environmental Properties of Minerals and Contaminants Purified by the Mineralogical Method

The investigation of the environmental properties of minerals, i.e., environmental mineralogy, is a branch of science dealing with interactions between natural minerals and spheres of the Earth surface as well as a reflection of global change, prevention of ecological destruction, participation in biomineralogy, and remediation of environmental pollution. Pollutant treatment by natural minerals is based on the natural law and reflects natural self-purification functions in the inorganic world, similar to that of the organic world - a biological treatment. A series of case studies related to natural self-purification, which were mostly completed by our group, are discussed in this paper. In natural cryptomelane there is a larger pseudotetragonal tunnel than that formed by [MnO6] octahedral double chains, with an aperture of 0.462-0.466 nm2, filled with K cations. Cryptomelane might be a real naturally-occurring mineral of the active octahedral molecular sieve (OMS-2). CrⅥ-bearing wastewater can be treated by natural pyrrhotite, which is used as a reductant to reduce CrⅥ and as a precipitant to precipitate CrⅢ simultaneously. Batch experiments were conducted using the CTMAB-Montmorillonite as an adsorbent for aromatic contaminants (phenol, aniline, benzene, toluene and xylenes), which are detected frequently in the leaching water from municipal waste deposits around China. The CTMAB modification has proved very effective to enhance the adsorption capacity of the sorbent. Expansion of vermiculite develops loose interior structures, such as pores or cracks, inside briquettes, and thus brings enough oxygen for combustion and the sulfation reaction. Effective combustion of the original carbon reduces the amount of dust in the fly ash.

Ecological succession of a natural community of Castanopsis sclerophylla on Laoshan Island, China

Castanopsis sclerophylla was surveyed for its root turion capacity on Laoshan Island in Zhejiang Pro- vince and dispersion patterns of seedlings, genetic diversity and genetic variation coefficient was studied using a SSR （simple sequence repeat） molecular marker technique to explore the genetic diversity of C. sclerophylla （Lindl.） Schott as a community and evaluate the community＇s development. The results showed that C. sclerophylla had strong root turion capacity, of which type Re2 was the most frequent, accounting for 32.4 and 82.4 % of the seedlings under the stock plant were from within-community mating; the 6 pairs of SSR primers chosen yielded high resolution with 97.6 % polymorphic sites; the within-community genetic diversity was over 88.9 % with stock plants （0.49） 〉 seedling plants （0.45）. Apparently, C. scerophyllan on Laoshan Island, propagating mainly by root tufions, has developed high genetic diversity within a short period, keeping the community in a stage of stable growth and moving toward a climax community. The tillers, however, aggravate closing of the community so that it receives less pollen from outside. Within-community mating is thus reaching seriously high levels, which can lead to lower within-community genetic variation, a decline in DNA genetic diversity, and is bad for its development. Therefore, human interference should be taken to expand genetic exchange among communities.

MOLECULAR UNDERSTANDING OF NATURAL POLYPHENOLS: FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING AND INTERACTION WITH BIOMEMBRANES

Quantum calculations(mainly DFT)and molecular dynamics are increasingly effective tools to evaluate the physical chemical properties of natural and bio-inspired compounds.Free Radical Scavenging Capacity.Thermodynamic parameters(mainly bond dissociation enthalpies(BDE)of the O-H phenolic bond)allowed an accurate prediction of the antioxidant capacities of

A metal ions-mediated natural small molecules carrier-free injectable hydrogel achieving laser-mediated photo-Fenton-like anticancer therapy by synergy apoptosis/cuproptosis/anti-inflammation

Tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an important role in the tumorigenesis, proliferation, invasion and metastasis. Thereby developing synergistic anticancer strategies with multiple mechanisms are urgent. Copper is widely used in the treatment of tumor chemodynamic therapy (CDT) due to its excellent laser-mediated photo- Fenton-like reaction. Additionally, copper can induce cell death through cuproptosis, which is a new modality different from the known death mechanisms and has great promise in tumor treatment. Herein, we report a natural small molecules carrier-free injectable hydrogel (NCTD Gel) consisted of Cu2+-mediated self-assembled glycyrrhizic acid (GA) and norcantharidin (NCTD), which are mainly governed by coordination and hydrogen bonds. Under 808 nm laser irradiation, NCTD Gel can produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), consume glutathione (GSH) and overcome hypoxia in TME, leading to synergistically regulate TME via apoptosis, cuproptosis and anti-inflammation. In addition, NCTD Gel’s CDT display high selectivity and good biocompatibility as it relies on the weak acidity and H2O2 overexpression of TME. Notably, NCTD Gel’s components are originated from clinical agents and its preparation process is easy, green and economical, without any excipients. This study provides a new carrier-free hydrogel synergistic antitumor strategy, which has a good prospect in industrial production and clinical transformation.