Toxics最新文献

A considerable quantity of microplastic debris exists in the environment and the toxicity of these materials has a notable impact on aquatic ecosystems. In this paper, 50-500 µm polystyrene microplastics (exposure concentrations were 200 µg/L, 800 µg/L, and 3200 µg/L concentrations) were selected to study the effects of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) on cell morphology, detoxification enzyme activity, and mRNA expression in the liver tissues of crucian carp juveniles. The results demonstrated that: (1) Different concentrations of PS-MPs cause varying degrees of pathological and oxidative damage to liver tissue cells of crucian carp. The higher the concentration of microplastics, the lower the antioxidant enzyme (CAT, GST, SOD) activity and the greater the tissue cell damage. These results demonstrate a typical dose-effect relationship. (2) Principal component analysis and Spearman's correlation analysis demonstrated that four components, namely glutathione S-transferase (GST) and its related genes (GSTpi, GSTα), along with catalase (CAT), contributed the most to the observed outcome. These four components demonstrated a relatively high level of responsiveness to PS-MP exposure and can be employed as ecotoxicological indicators of microplastics. (3) This experiment evaluated five genes in three treatments, which found that PS-MPs had different effects on gene expression in the liver and the tested genes were involved in different response pathways associated with virulence. In this study, the toxicity of PS-MPs to crucian carp was determined at the cellular, protein, and mRNA expression levels, and combined with principal component analysis and correlation analysis to identify response sensitivity indicators that provide a scientific basis for ecological risk assessment and the safe use of microplastics.

Recently, there has been a growing demand for plant-based products to treat a range of health conditions. Platostoma menthoides (L.), a member of the Lamiaceae family, is widely known for its versatile therapeutic properties. The primary aim of this study is to analyze and identify the secondary metabolites found in the extract of P. menthoides obtained using ethyl acetate and to assess its antioxidant, antimicrobial, and mosquito larvicidal properties for the first time. For the chemical profiling, a GC-MS analysis of the extract was conducted, and it showed the presence of various phytoconstituents, and the FT-IR spectrum revealed the functional groups associated with them. The quantitative phytochemical estimations revealed values of 34.87 ± 0.53 mg of GAE equivalents/g and 22.19 ± 1.11 mg of QUE equivalents/g, respectively, for total phenolic and flavonoid content. The biological studies of P. menthoides extract showed potent mosquito larvicidal activity against fourth instar larvae of Aedes aegypti at a 100 µg/mL concentration with LC₅₀ and LC₉₀ values of 81.328 and 161.471 µg/mL, respectively. Moreover, the DPPH and FRAP radical scavenging potentials were evaluated, and the results revealed their ability to scavenge the free radicals. The extract also showed higher antibacterial effects against gram-negative bacteria when compared to gram-positive bacteria. All these findings suggest that P. menthoides is a rich source of phytoconstituents with various medicinal applications and can be used as an antioxidant, antibacterial, and mosquito-larvicidal agent.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) technology offers significant advantages in addressing environmental issues arising from the intensification of livestock production since it enables waste reduction and energy recovery. However, the molecular composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and its linkages to microbial biodiversity during the industrial-scale AD process of chicken manure (CM) remains unclear. In this study, the chemical structure of CM digestate-derived DOM was characterized by using multi-spectroscopic techniques and ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry, and the microbial composition was detected by using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results revealed that the DOM contained abundant free amino acids and protein-like compounds but fewer humic-like substances, identified as lignin/carboxylate-rich alicyclic molecules, lipids, and proteins/aliphatic compounds featuring enriched S_5-6O₁ and N_1-5O_X fragments. In addition, the 16S rRNA results revealed microorganisms that were centered on metabolic function in the production of volatile fatty acids, H₂S/CH₄, and the hydrolysis reaction in the AD process. Free amino acids and protein-like compounds were mainly associated with hydrolysis reactions and H₂S production functional microorganisms. Lignin/carboxylate-rich alicyclic molecules were linked to microorganisms possessing hydrolysis reactions and, indirectly, CH₄ production. This study elucidates the linkage with the microbial and molecular composition of DOM, establishing a theoretical foundation for employing AD in the disposal of CM.

Hypochlorous acid has been attempted as an additive to animal drinking water in practical animal farming processes for water microbial quality control. Despite its potential, there is still a knowledge gap concerning the effects of hypochlorous acid on both poultry growth performance and gut microbial load. To address this gap, an animal study was conducted using flow cytometry to quantify the age-related microbial load in broiler manure and gut contents. We observed that the effect on growth performance was sustained only during the starter phase, with no significant impact throughout the entire production cycle. The treatment could reduce the microbial load of both fresh broiler manure and cecal contents. Despite this convergence in the duodenum, significant differences in microbial loads between the control and treatment groups persisted in the manure and cecal contents throughout the later stages. Our findings demonstrate that consuming low-concentration hypochlorous acid water over the long term can lower the microbial load in the broiler gut throughout the entire growth cycle without impacting overall growth performance. Future research on drinking or feed additives should incorporate microbial absolute quantification methods to achieve a more precise assessment of microbiota.

In order to protect the environment and public health, this Special Issue's goal was to provide a platform for the discussion of emerging trends in the monitoring and removal of contaminants from soil, water, and air [...].

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are associated with obesity health risks, while the association of mixed VOCs with visceral adiposity indicators remains unclear. In this study, a total of 2015 adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were included. Weighted generalized linear models, restricted cubic spline (RCS), weighted quantile sum (WQS), and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were adopted to assess the association of VOC metabolites (mVOCs) with the visceral adiposity index (VAI) and lipid accumulation product (LAP). Multiple mVOCs were positively associated with the VAI and LAP in the single-exposure model, especially N-acetyl-S-(2-carboxyethyl)-L-cysteine (CEMA) and N-acetyl-S-(N-methylcarbamoyl)-L-cysteine (AMCC). The associations of mVOCs with VAI and LAP were more significant in <60-year-old and non-obese individuals, with interactions of CEMA with age and AMCC with obesity status. Nonlinear relationships between certain mVOCs and the VAI or the LAP were also observed. In the WQS model, co-exposure to mVOCs was positively correlated with the VAI [β (95%CI): 0.084 (0.022, 0.147)]; CEMA (25.24%) was the major contributor. The result of the BKMR revealed a positive trend of the association between mixed mVOCs and the VAI. Our findings suggest that VOC exposure is strongly associated with visceral obesity indicators. Further large prospective investigations are necessary to support our findings.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have been widely used in daily life but they cause certain impacts on the environment due to their unique carbon-fluorine chemical bonds that are difficult to degrade in the environment. Toxicological studies on PFASs and their alternatives have mainly focused on vertebrates, while terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates have been studied to a lesser extent. As invertebrates at the bottom of the food chain play a crucial role in the whole ecological chain, it is necessary to investigate the toxicity of PFASs to invertebrates. In this paper, the progress of toxicological studies on PFASs and their alternatives in terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates is reviewed, and the accumulation of PFASs, their toxicity in invertebrates, as well as the neurotoxicity and toxicity to reproduction and development are summarized. This provides a reference to in-depth studies on the comprehensive assessment of the toxicity of PFASs and their alternatives, promotes further research on PFASs in invertebrates, and provides valuable recommendations for the use and regulation of alternatives to PFASs.

The global prevalence and burden of anxiety disorders (ADs) are increasing. However, findings on the acute effects of air pollution on ADs remain inconclusive. We evaluated the effects of short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants, including fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), inhalable particulate matter (PM₁₀), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and ozone (O₃), on daily hospital visits for ADs. A generalized additive model was used to perform a time-series analysis on data from a Southern China city's medical insurance system between 1 March 2021, and 31 July 2023. Although the daily levels of most pollutants (PM₁₀, SO₂, CO, NO₂ and O₃) were consistently below China and WHO's Ambient Air-Quality Standards, significant associations were observed between daily hospital visits for ADs and all six air pollutants. Each interquartile range increase in concentrations resulted in the largest odds ratios of 1.08 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.16) at lag1 for PM_2.5, 1.19 (95% CI: 1.05, 1.34) at lag07 for NO₂, 1.14 (95% CI: 1.05, 1.23) at lag02 for CO, 1.12 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.25) at lag07 for PM₁₀, 1.06 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.12) at lag7 for SO₂ and 1.08 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.15) at lag7 for O₃, respectively. The effects of NO₂ and CO remained robust across subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses. Females and middle-aged individuals showed stronger associations than other subgroups. The findings underscore the necessity for public health efforts to alleviate the impact of air pollution on mental health, even in low-concentration settings.

Bisphenol S (BPS) is a typical endocrine disruptor associated with obesity. To observe BPS effects on lipid metabolism in HepG2 and SK-Hep-1 human HCC cells, a CCK-8 assay was used to assess cell proliferation in response to BPS, and the optimal concentration of BPS was selected. Biochemical indices such as triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (T-CHO), and oxidative stress indices such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and catalase (CAT) were measured. ROS and MDA levels were significantly increased after BPS treatment for 24 h and 48 h (p < 0.05), indicating an oxidative stress response. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), T-CHO, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels also increased significantly after 24 or 48 h BPS treatments (p < 0.05). RT-PCR and Western blot analyses detected mRNA or protein expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (SREBP1C). The results indicated that BPS could inhibit the mRNA expression of PPARα and carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1B (CPT1B), reduce lipid metabolism, promote mRNA or protein expression of SREBP1C and fatty acid synthase (FASN), and increase lipid synthesis. Increased lipid droplets were observed using morphological Oil Red O staining. Our study demonstrates that BPS may cause lipid accumulation by increasing oxidative stress and perturbing cellular lipid metabolism.

Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs), formed during the cooking of meat, are potential human carcinogens, underscoring the need for long-lived biomarkers to assess exposure and cancer risk. Frequent consumption of well-done meats containing 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), a prevalent HAA that is a prostatic carcinogen in rodents and DNA-damaging agent in human prostate cells, has been linked to aggressive prostate cancer (PC) pathology. African American (AA) men face nearly twice the risk for developing and dying from PC compared to White men. We previously demonstrated that scalp hair is a reliable biospecimen for measuring PhIP intake using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. This study aimed to determine whether PhIP dietary intake is higher in AA men, potentially contributing to this health disparity. Healthy AA men were found to have a significantly higher mean hair PhIP level (2.12-fold) than White men on free-choice diets. However, this difference was not statistically significant after adjusting for melanin content. Further research is needed to understand how hair pigmentation, follicular density, and other morphological features of hair influence PhIP accumulation. These insights can improve the accuracy of using hair PhIP levels as a biomarker for exposure and its potential associations with cancer risk.