Flower-like citrate modified ferrihydrite microstructures, which exhibited good absorption ability and Fenton-like catalytic activity, were synthesized via a simple route.

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Cataracts are a serious complication of diabetes. In long-term hyperglycemia, intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are increased. The apoptosis of lens epithelial cells plays a key role in the development of cataract. We investigated a potential role for transient receptor potential vanilloid 2 (TRPV2) in the development of diabetic cataracts. Immunohistochemical and Western blotting analyses showed that TRPV2 expression levels were significantly increased in the lens epithelial cells of patients with diabetic cataracts as compared with senile cataract, as well as in both a human lens epithelial cell line (HLEpiC) and primary rat lens epithelial cells (RLEpiCs) cultured under high-glucose conditions. The [Ca2+]i increase evoked by a TRPV2 channel agonist was significantly enhanced in both HLEpiCs and RLEpiCs cultured in high-glucose media. This enhancement was blocked by the TRPV2 nonspecific inhibitor ruthenium red and by TRPV2-specific small interfering (si)RNA transfection. Culturing HLEpiCs or RLEpiCs for seven days in high glucose significantly increased apoptosis, which was inhibited by TRPV2-specific siRNA transfection. In addition, ROS inhibitor significantly suppressed the ROS-induced increase of TRPV2-mediated Ca2+ signal and apoptosis under high-glucose conditions. These findings suggest a mechanism underlying high-glucose–induced apoptosis of lens epithelial cells, and offer a potential target for developing new therapeutic options for diabetes-related cataracts.

In this paper, a simple and efficient route had been developed for the synthesis of hierarchical α-Fe2O3 hollow microspheres with open pores on the shells. All chemicals used were low-cost compounds and environmentally benign. The as-prepared samples were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) gas sorptometry. The results showed that the chelating ligand SSA and the initial pH value of the solution played important roles in the morphological control of the α-Fe2O3 nanostructures. A possible formation mechanism was described based on the experimental results. The obtained α-Fe2O3 hollow spheres exhibited an excellent adsorption capacity for Cr(VI) ions because of their high surface area and a good ability to preserve the accessible surface.