Simultaneous production and functionalization of cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) for heavy metal ion removal is an economical and promising solution to expedite their use in water treatment. In this work, carboxymethylated CNFs (CMCNFs) with a carboxylate content up to 2.7 mmol/g are prepared by a combination of carboxymethylation and homogenization, which show diameters of 3.40–3.53 nm and lengths of 1210.6–383.3 nm. The effect of experimental conditions (including pH, carboxylate content, contact time, initial Cu2+ concentration) on the removal performance of CMCNFs for Cu2+ is investigated in detail. Adsorption performances of CMCNFs present a record high equilibrium Cu2+ removal capacity of 115.3 mg/g at pH 5.0. Additionally, the underlying mechanism for the removal of Cu2+ ions was uncovered by coupling the fitting results based on pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models with various characterizations such as scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), EDS mapping, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction. Finally, the potential application of CMCNF-2.7 with high carboxylate content in converting copper-contaminated water into drinking water was demonstrated. CMCNFs provide a new selection for the design of novel nanocellulose-based materials for water treatments.

Background. Erzhi pill (EZP), a traditional Chinese herbal formula, has been widely used to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) in China. However, its molecular mechanisms remain unclear. The aim of the present study is to investigate the antiosteoporotic effect of EZP on an ovariectomized rat model of PMOP. We performed the biomarkers of bone metabolism disorder, bone morphology, bone mineral density (BMD), and bone biomechanics to confirm the successful establishment of the PMOP model. We then investigated the expression of biomarkers related to the Sirt1/Foxo axis. We also examined microRNA-132 (miR-132), a regulator in the Sirtuin1 (Sirt1) expression. The bone metabolism disorder, bone morphology, BMD, and bone biomechanics in ovariectomized rats were improved by EZP administration. The antiosteoporotic effect of EZP was confirmed. We also found that the expressions of Sirt1, Runx2, Foxo1, and Foxo3a were downregulated in ovariectomized rats, while being then upregulated by EZP administration. And the expression of PPAR-γ and miR-132 was upregulated in ovariectomized rats and then downregulated by EZP administration. These results provided evidence that Sirt1/Foxo axis related mechanism may play a crucial role in the therapeutic effects of EZP, indicating that Sirt1/Foxo axis can be considered as a potential therapeutic target for PMOP in the future.