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To investigate the correlation between the behavioral performance and the expressions of substance P (SP) and neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R) in the posterior horn of the L5－S2 spinal cord in rats with chronic prostatitis (CP).A CP model was made in 30 adult male SD rats by intraperitoneal injection of 0.5 ml dyphtheria pertussis tetanus (DPT) vaccine and mixed solution of 1 ml prostatein extract and complete adjuvant in a 1∶1 ratio, and another 10 rats were injected with the same volume of normal saline as controls. At 45 (n = 10), 60 (n = 10) and 90 days (n = 10) after modeling, the behavioral changes of the rats were observed by open-field and sucrose consumption tests, the prostatic indexes and levels of serum TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-2 and IL-10 were obtained, and the expressions of SP and NK1-R in the L5－S2 spinal cord were determined by immunohistochemistry.Compared with the controls, the CP model rats showed obviously decreased horizontal and vertical movement scores and sucrose consumption, particularly in the 90 d group (P < 0.05), significantly reduced prostatic indexes in the 45 d, 60 d and 90 d groups (all P < 0.05), even lower in the 90 d than in the 45 d and 60 d groups (P < 0.05). Edema and lymphocytes were increased in the prostatic tissue with the prolonged time of modeling. The levels of serum TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-2 and IL-10 were markedly elevated in all the CP rats as compared with those in the controls (P < 0.05), and so were the expressions of SP and NK-1R in the L5－S2 spinal cord (P < 0.05), even more significantly in the 90 d than in the 45 d and 60 d groups (P < 0.05).Rats with chronic prostatitis are characterized by behavioral manifestation of depression, increased levels of serum TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-2 and IL-10, and a time-dependent upregulation of the expressions of SP and NK-1R in the posterior horn of the L5-S2 spinal cord, which suggests a correlation between the behavioral performance and the expressions of SP and NK-1R in the L5－S2 spinal cord of the rats.
Abstract During natural tissue regeneration, tissue microenvironment and stem cell niche including cell–cell interaction, soluble factors, and extracellular matrix (ECM) provide a train of biochemical and biophysical cues for modulation of cell behaviors and tissue functions. Design of functional biomaterials to mimic the tissue/cell microenvironment have great potentials for tissue regeneration applications. Recently, electroactive biomaterials have drawn increasing attentions not only as scaffolds for cell adhesion and structural support, but also as modulators to regulate cell/tissue behaviors and function, especially for electrically excitable cells and tissues. More importantly, electrostimulation can further modulate a myriad of biological processes, from cell cycle, migration, proliferation and differentiation to neural conduction, muscle contraction, embryogenesis, and tissue regeneration. In this review, endogenous bioelectricity and piezoelectricity are introduced. Then, design rationale of electroactive biomaterials is discussed for imitating dynamic cell microenvironment, as well as their mediated electrostimulation and the applying pathways. Recent advances in electroactive biomaterials are systematically overviewed for modulation of stem cell fate and tissue regeneration, mainly including nerve regeneration, bone tissue engineering, and cardiac tissue engineering. Finally, the significance for simulating the native tissue microenvironment is emphasized and the open challenges and future perspectives of electroactive biomaterials are concluded.
Triboelectrification is one of the most common effects in our daily life, but it is usually taken as a negative effect with very limited positive applications. Here, we invented a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) based on organic materials that is used to convert mechanical energy into electricity. The TENG is based on the conjunction of triboelectrification and electrostatic induction, and it utilizes the most common materials available in our daily life, such as papers, fabrics, PTFE, PDMS, Al, PVC<italic>etc.</italic>In this short review, we first introduce the four most fundamental modes of TENG, based on which a range of applications have been demonstrated. The area power density reaches 1200 W m<sup>−2</sup>, volume density reaches 490 kW m<sup>−3</sup>, and an energy conversion efficiency of ∼50–85% has been demonstrated. The TENG can be applied to harvest all kinds of mechanical energy that is available in our daily life, such as human motion, walking, vibration, mechanical triggering, rotation energy, wind, a moving automobile, flowing water, rain drops, tide and ocean waves. Therefore, it is a new paradigm for energy harvesting. Furthermore, TENG can be a sensor that directly converts a mechanical triggering into a self-generated electric signal for detection of motion, vibration, mechanical stimuli, physical touching, and biological movement. After a summary of TENG for micro-scale energy harvesting, mega-scale energy harvesting, and self-powered systems, we will present a set of questions that need to be discussed and explored for applications of the TENG. Lastly, since the energy conversion efficiencies for each mode can be different although the materials are the same, depending on the triggering conditions and design geometry. But one common factor that determines the performance of all the TENGs is the charge density on the two surfaces, the saturation value of which may independent of the triggering configurations of the TENG. Therefore, the triboelectric charge density or the relative charge density in reference to a standard material (such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)) can be taken as a measuring matrix for characterizing the performance of the material for the TENG.
