MnO₂-deposited lignin-based carbon fiber (MnO₂-LCF) mats are fabricated for supercapacitor applications. LCF mats are produced from alkali lignin via electrospinning followed by stabilization and carbonization. The carbonization process is carried out at 800, 900, and 1000 °C, and the corresponding mats are denoted as MnO₂-LCF-800, MnO₂-LCF-900, and MnO₂-LCF-1000, respectively. The LCF mats are immersed in a KMnO₄ solution at room temperature for 72 h to obtain MnO₂-LCF mats. The scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis confirm the deposition of MnO₂ on the LCFs. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis, X-ray spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy reveal that MnO₂-LCF-800 mat possesses a large number of mesopores and Mn vacancies as compared to MnO₂-LCF-900 mat and MnO₂-LCF-1000 mat. Consequently, MnO₂-LCF-800 mat possesses the best electrochemical properties with a specific capacitance of 131.28 F∙g⁻¹, an energy density of 14.77 Wh∙kg⁻¹, and a power density of 135.01 W∙kg⁻¹ at a specific current of 0.3 A∙g⁻¹. Hence, MnO₂-LCF-800 mat shows high potential to be used as a high-performance supercapacitor.

Silkworm pupa oil (SPO) contains unsaturated fatty acids, tocopherols, and phytosterols, which can regulate serum total cholesterol or be used as an antioxidant. In this study, we investigated the impacts of SPO on the antioxidant stress and lipid metabolism of Caenorhabditis elegans. The lifespan of the C. elegans fed with different SPO concentrations was determined. The levels of endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) were analyzed with the fluorescent probe method. The activity of antioxidant enzymes and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) were analyzed. The transcription level of specific mRNA was characterized with q-PCR. The survival time of the mutant strain under oxidative stress was determined by daf-2 (CB1370) mutant, sod-3 (GA186) mutant, and skn-1 (EU31) mutant. As for the lipid metabolism, the lipid accumulation was determined with an Oil-Red-O (ORO) staining. The transcription level of specific mRNA was determined by q-PCR. The results showed that the SPO feeding enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzyme by upregulating the expression of the genes skn-1, and sod-3 to decrease the production of ROS and MDA, which prolonged the life of nematodes treated with juglone. ORO staining analysis indicated the feeding of SPO decreased intestinal fat accumulation, downregulated expression of fat-5, fat-6, fat-7, and nhr-80, and upregulated age-1 and tph-1 expression. Conclusively, SPO enhanced the antioxidant capacity by regulating the skn-1 and sod-3 expression of antioxidant gene and reducing the fat accumulation by the insulin/IGF signaling pathway and nuclear hormone receptor nhr-80 signaling pathway of nematodes. This study provides new evidence for the antioxidant and lipid-lowering mechanisms of SPO in C. elegans.

Chitooligosaccharides (COSs), degraded products of chitosan or chitin, are attracting growing interest owing to their low degree of polymerization (DP), high solubility, and prominent anti-inflammatory activity. However, the correlation between their structure and anti-inflammatory activities still needs to be explored. In this study, we use LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages as an inflammatory model to systematically evaluate COS1–7 for their effects on inflammatory mediators and NF-κB signaling pathways. The results of Griess assay, ELISA, and real-time quantitative PCR show that COSs can inhibit the expression of NO, iNOS, and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, MCP-1 and IL-1β), thereby attenuating inflammatory signaling. Notably, chitohexaose (COS6) exhibits the most significant anti-inflammatory effect, reducing the mRNA levels of LPS-induced iNOS, IL-6, and IL-1β and the production of IL-6 and TNF-α by more than 50%. Transcriptome, western blotting, and real-time quantitative PCR analysis reveal that COSs can inhibit the activation of the NF-κB signal pathway by down-regulating TLR2 levels. Additionally, molecular docking confirms that COSs retard TLR2/4 dimerization and LPS recognition by TLR4, affecting downstream signaling cascades. In summary, this study provides a valuable insight into the potential anti-inflammatory mechanism of COSs and highlights the possible applications in human health promotion by modulating receptor-mediated signaling pathways.