Preventing pathogenic viral and bacterial transmission in the human environment is critical, especially in potential outbreaks that may be caused by the release of ancient bacteria currently trapped in the permafrost. Existing commercial disinfectants present issues such as a high carbon footprint. This study proposes a sustainable alternative, a bioliquid derived from biomass prepared by hydrothermal liquefaction. Results indicate a high inactivation rate of pathogenic virus and bacteria by the as-prepared bioliquid, such as up to 99.99% for H1N1, H5N1, H7N9 influenza A virus, and Bacillus subtilis var. niger spores and 99.49% for Bacillus anthracis. Inactivation of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis confirmed that low-molecular-weight and low-polarity compounds in bioliquid are potential antibacterial components. High temperatures promoted the production of antibacterial substances via depolymerization and dehydration reactions. Moreover, bioliquid was innoxious as confirmed by the rabbit skin test, and the cost per kilogram of the bioliquid was $0.04427, which is notably lower than that of commercial disinfectants. This study demonstrates the potential of biomass to support our biosafety with greater environmental sustainability.
Endometrial decidualization refers to a series of morphological changes and functional remodeling of the uterine endometrium to accept the embryo under the effect of estrogen and progesterone secreted by ovaries after ovulation. During decidualization, endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) proliferate and differentiate into decidual stromal cells (DSCs), undergoing cytoskeletal rearrangement-mediated morphological changes and expressing decidualization markers, such as insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 (IGFBP1) and prolactin (PRL). Ras homology (Rho) proteins, a family of small G proteins, are well-known as regulators of cellular morphology and involved in multiple other cellular processes. In this study, we found ras homolog family member B (RHOB) was the most significantly upregulated gene in Rho protein family after the in vitro decidualization of human primary ESCs. RhoB expression was induced mainly by cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)/protein kinase A (PKA)/cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) signaling and partly by progesterone signaling. Knockdown of RhoB in ESCs greatly inhibited actin cytoskeletal rearrangement, cell morphological transformation and upregulation of IGFBP1, suggesting an indispensable role of RhoB in decidualization. Mechanistically, the downstream target of RhoB was Semaphorin3A (Sema3A) which mediated its signaling via interacting with the receptor, plexinA4. More importantly, decreased expression of RhoB, Sema3A and plexinA4 were detected in deciduas from patients with unexplained spontaneous miscarriage. Collectively, our results indicate that RhoB/Sema3A/plexinA4 signaling plays a positive role in endometrial decidualization and relates to unexplained spontaneous miscarriage, which is worthy of further exploration so as to provide new insights into therapeutic strategies for pregnancy diseases associated with poor decidualization.
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