Journal of Toxicology最新文献

Introduction: The use of medicines is a ubiquitous practice for the management of healthcare conditions. In the delivery of healthcare, medicines may remain unused and may expire within the various stakeholders in the pharmaceutical value chain. If these unused and expired medicines are not disposed of properly, they may result in the concentration of pharmaceuticals in environmental media contaminating food sources for humans and animals. Implementation of ecopharmacovigilance strategies will reduce the quantities of pharmaceuticals in the environmental media, reduce the potential for inadvertent consumption by humans and animals, and reduce potential pharmacological effects on the environment, humans, and animals. The drug disposal flow diagram (DDFD) provides an effective way of assessing the most cost-effective strategies to reduce environmental contamination.

Method: A combined method of desk study and questionnaires, both structured and unstructured was used. The desk study reviewed the institutional arrangements for the regulation of disposal of pharmaceutical waste in Krowor. The questionnaires were used to gather information from community members, community pharmacies, and pharmaceutical manufacturers in Krowor.

Results: The drug disposal flow diagram shows that up to 96% of pharmaceuticals are handled and disposed of in ways that are harmful to the environment with only 4% being handled in ways that are environmentally friendly. Forty-nine percent (49%) of generated pharmaceutical waste ends up in the local and surrounding areas, 21% contaminates the drainage system and 25% is discharged into receiving waters. Discussion. The DDFD for Krowor shows that engagement with community members and institutional healthcare service providers and strategies that result in separation of pharmaceutical waste from general household waste will reduce the quantities of pharmaceuticals that end up in the environmental media.

Conclusion: The DDFD will support the effective implementation of ecopharmacovigilance (EPV) strategies.

Background: Local Ethiopians regularly use Cymbopogon martini for cosmetic purposes. The plant's safety, however, is not supported by any solid facts. This investigation aimed to evaluate the acute and subacute toxicities of C. martini essential oil in mice.

Methods: The essential oil was analyzed using GC-MS. The approach outlined by Chinedu et al., 2013 has been used to calculate the median lethal dose. According to organization for economic cooperation and development (OECD) 407 standard, a 28-day repeated dose oral toxicity study was carried out on female mice. Three groups of ten experimental mice each were distributed at random. Group I received the same saline volume and was considered the control. Groups II and III were treated with doses of C. martini of 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg, respectively, of body weight. Hematological and biochemical markers were assessed. The liver and kidney were taken out after the sacrifice using sodium pentobarbital for pathological analysis.

Results: Geraniol (40.89%) was the predominant component in the essential oil composition of C. martini with cyclofenchene (13.91%), myrcene (9.34%), 2, 4, 6, octatriene, 2, 6, dimethyl (8.20%), and ocimene (5.93%) being present in small amounts. The LD₅₀ of C. martini essential oil was discovered to be greater than 5000 mg/kg body weight. During a 4-week follow-up period, mice treated with C. martini, the essential oil, at doses of 500 mg/kg or 1000 mg/kg body weight showed no evidence of toxicity or mortality. Biochemical and hematological parameters were not significantly altered in mice treated with the essential oil of C. martini compared with the control group. Histopathological evaluation of the liver and kidney did not exhibit any adverse results.

Conclusions: The essential oil of C. martini from Ethiopia is considered relatively safe and nontoxic.

Flaxseed is a source of antioxidants utilized for female infertility treatment in traditional medicine. This study investigated the effects of flax hydroalcoholic extract and flaxseeds during prenatal and postnatal (PND) periods on folliculogenesis and serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Pregnant NMRI mice received 500 and 1000 mg/kg of flax extract (LE) and the same doses of flaxseed (LS). Female pups received the same regimen for 56 days. The body, ovarian morphometry, follicle development, and TAC levels were evaluated. The ovarian weight significantly increased in the LE1000 group compared to the LS500 group. The LE500 group had a considerably lower number of primary and antral follicles compared to the CTL and LS1000 groups. The number of antral follicles significantly increased in the LE1000 group compared to the LS500 and LE500 groups. The number of preovulatory follicles was higher in the LE1000 group. A significant increase in the TAC levels was detected in the LS500, LS1000, and LE1000 groups. LE showed a dose-dependent protective effect on the folliculogenesis in F1, which is more evident with the dosage of 1000 mg/kg. This could be related to the strongest antioxidant property of LE1000, as shown by the highest levels of TAC.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an environmental toxin utilized for the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Due to BPA's extensive production and environmental contamination, human exposure is unavoidable. The effects of low-dose of BPA on various body tissues and organs remain controversial. Our study investigated the potential of BPA to induce biochemical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical changes in the coronary artery and myocardium and the potential protective role of L-carnitine (LC). 24 adult Wistar albino male rats were divided equally into a control group, a BPA-treated group (40 mg/kg/d, by gavage for 4 weeks), and a BPA plus LC-treated group (received 40 mg/kg/d of BPA and 300 mg/kg/d of LC, by gavage for 4 weeks). BPA-exposed rats demonstrated structural anomalies in the coronary artery tissue including vacuolation of cells in the media and detachment of the endothelium of the intima. Congestion of blood vessels and infiltration by polynuclear cells were observed in the myocardium. There was an enhanced collagen deposition in both tissues indicating fibrosis. Immunohistochemical changes included enhanced eNOS and caspase-3 expression in the coronary artery and myocardium indicating vascular disease and apoptosis, respectively. Oxidative damage was evident in the coronary artery and the myocardium of BPA-treated rats, which was indicated by the reduced level of glutathione (GSH) and elevated malondydehyde (MDA) levels. The coadministration of LC significantly improved BPA-induced structural alterations and oxidative stress. In conclusion, BPA could potentially cause pathologic changes and oxidative damage in the coronary artery and myocardium, which could be improved by LC coadministration.

Paracetamol (AKA acetaminophen) is a widely used drug and is used for mild to moderate pains, such as mild osteoarthritis, toothache, headache, and pain caused by minimally invasive surgeries. Despite being a harmless drug in lower doses, acetaminophen can be toxic to the liver and kidneys if overdosed and even results in death. In this study, the therapeutic effects of Solidago canadensis L. extract (SCE) were investigated. 48 adult male Swiss albino mice (20-30 grams) were randomly divided into six groups of 8. The control group was gavaged with normal saline every 12 hours for 6 days. The second group received paracetamol at a 500 mg/kg intraperitoneally (i.p) dose on the sixth day. The third, fourth, and fifth groups were gavaged doses of 125, 250, and 500 mg/kg of SCE every 12 hours for six days, respectively, and on the sixth day, we received paracetamol at a dose of 500 mg/kg i.p. The sixth group only received SCE every 12 hours at a dose of 1000 mg/kg via gavaging for six days. On the seventh day (24 hours after paracetamol injection), blood samples were collected to measure the serum level of creatinine, uric acid, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), total protein, albumin, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and total and direct bilirubin, and liver and kidney tissues were also sampled for histopathological examination. It was observed that paracetamol caused a considerable increase in the ALT, AST, ALP, uric Acid, and BUN levels (P < 0.01), while those in SCE-treated groups were significantly lower. In addition, various lesions in the paracetamol group were observed, while in the SCE-receiving groups, receiving prophylactic SCE inhibited the high-intense lesions such as the infiltration of inflammatory cells, hyperemia, and vacuolar degeneration, which decreased significantly in the control group in comparison with that of the paracetamol group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, SCE can have substantial protective effects against paracetamol's hepatorenal toxicity.

Momordica cochinchinensis or gac fruit has been reported to have several biological activities, including antioxidation, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities. However, the effect on cancer cell metastasis has not been extensively studied. With this aim, the extract from the aril part was selected and investigated for prostate cancer cell migration. The aril extracts were prepared as boiled extract, sonicated extract, ethanol extract, and HAE (hexane:acetone:ethanol; 2 : 1 : 1) extract, while the prostate cancer cell models were PC-3 and LNCaP cells. An MTT assay was performed to compare the antiproliferative effect between prostate cancer cells and normal Vero cells. As a result, the sonicated extract had the highest efficiency in PC-3 cells, with IC₅₀ values of 2 mg/mL and 0.59 mg/mL for 48 and 72 h, respectively, while it had less of an effect in LNCaP cells and was not toxic to normal cells. Cell damage was further confirmed using LDH and cell cycle analysis. As a result, the sonicated extract did not cause cell damage or death and only inhibited cell proliferation. The effect on cancer metastasis was further examined by wound healing, transwell migration assays, and western blotting. The results demonstrated that the sonicated extract inhibited PC-3 cell migration and decreased MMP-9 but increased TIMP-1 expression. All these results support that gac fruit is a valuable source for further development as an anticancer agent for prostate cancer patients.

Bidens pilosa (B. pilosa) and Cymbopogon citratus (C. citratus) are plants used individually or in combination in the traditional treatment of several ailments such as cardiovascular disorders. In order to valorise their traditional use, a toxicological study was conducted on the aqueous extract of the mixture of aerial parts of B. pilosa and C. citratus. The acute and subchronic toxicity studies were conducted according to the OECD 425 and 407 guidelines. Regarding the acute study, the aqueous extract of the mixture of B. pilosa and C. citratus 50 : 50 (2000 and 5000 mg/kg) was administered once to rats of both sexes. In the subchronic study, the aqueous extract of the mixture of B. pilosa and C. citratus (200, 400 and 800 mg/kg) was administered once daily to rats for 28 days. The aqueous extract of the mixture of B. pilosa and C. citratus (2000 and 5000 mg/kg) did not cause death and did not induce any apparent sign of toxicity during the 14 days of observation. The DL₅₀ of the extract is therefore greater than 5000 mg/kg. Taken daily for 28 days, the extract had no significant effect on selected parameters (creatinine, AST, ALT, urea, and uric acid) of renal and hepatic function, as well as on the number of some blood cells. However, the aqueous extract of the mixture of B. pilosa and C. citratus (200 and 400 mg/kg) caused a significant (p  <  0.05; p  <  0.001, respectively) decrease in creatinine levels in male rats as compared to normal control animals. In females, the aqueous extract of the mixture of B. pilosa and C. citratus (200 and 400 mg/kg) resulted in a significant (p  <  0.05) increase in total cholesterol levels as compared to normal control animals. The study showed that the aqueous extract of the mixture of B. pilosa and C. citratus has a low toxicity and does not cause any injury to the liver, kidney, lungs, or spleen.

Background: Chronic exposure to arsenic is a major health concern consequent upon generation of excessive reactive oxygen species. The safety of treatment with chelating agents has not been well established; therefore, there is a need for a paradigm shift in the approach to management of arsenic toxicity. Bioflavonoids are known to influence redox homeostasis in cells; the study therefore investigates the efficacy of quercetin and its zinc and iron metal complexes on sodium arsenite (NaAr)-intoxication in rats.

Methods: Spectroscopic study of quercetin hydrate and its metal complexes was performed using UV-Vis and FT-IR spectrometer. Furthermore, twenty male Wistar rats were obtained and equally divided into four groups, treated orally and daily for 28 days with 10 mg/kg NaAr, 30 mg/kg quercetin, quercetin-zinc, and quercetin-iron separately. Five more rats were used as control. Plasmatic aspartate transferase (AST), alanine transferase (ALT), creatinine (CREA), and total protein (TP) were estimated. Levels of kidney and liver lipid peroxidation (LPO), glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) were determined. Histology was used to view the lesions.

Results: Treatment of arsenic-toxicity with quercetin and its complexes decreased the activities of ALT, AST, CREA, TP, CAT, and GST and concentration of LPO and GSH. Quercetin-zn treatment showed a better result than quercetin-iron in the liver. Histology results showed absence of lesions in quercetin zinc and iron treatment in both the kidney and the liver.

Conclusion: Quercetin zinc and iron increased the bioavailability of quercetin and therefore could be relevant as adjuvants in arsenic poisoning.

The large number of pollutants discharged into the aquatic environment may influence the physicochemical and biological qualities of the aquatic ecosystem. This study discloses the global quality of the surface waters and the effect of physicochemical variables on the abundance of the African freshwater crab Potamon algeriense inhabiting Zegzel watercourse, a mountain stream in the northeast of Morocco. Physicochemical variables including streamflow, water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, suspended matter, chloride, calcium, magnesium, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, orthophosphate, and organic matter were evaluated monthly for one year (October 2017-September 2018). The evaluation of the physicochemical quality showed that the waters of all the stations studied are between the excellent and good quality classes concerning all the physicochemical variables and highlights also two variations with a tendency towards degradation, one spatial from upstream to downstream and the other seasonal from the wet to the dry period. The abundance of crabs was recorded to exhibit a positive correlation with dissolved oxygen, calcium (N = 44) (p < 0.01), and magnesium. However, a negative correlation has been noticed for streamflow (N = 1) (p < 0.01), water temperature, pH, suspended matter, chloride, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, orthophosphate, and organic matter. The results obtained reveal that besides the biotic variables, the distribution of P. algeriense also depends on these specific environmental variables.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2014/576496.].