scholarly journals Metabolomic Studies for the Evaluation of Toxicity Induced by Environmental Toxicants on Model Organisms

Metabolites ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 485
Author(s):  
Hyung Min Kim ◽  
Jong Seong Kang
Keyword(s):  
Sample Preparation ◽  
Environmental Pollutants ◽  
Data Interpretation ◽  
Reliable Data ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Environmental Toxicants ◽  
Step Procedure ◽  
Significant Toxicity ◽  
Environmental Metabolomics ◽  
Living Organisms

Environmental pollution causes significant toxicity to ecosystems. Thus, acquiring a deeper understanding of the concentration of environmental pollutants in ecosystems and, clarifying their potential toxicities is of great significance. Environmental metabolomics is a powerful technique in investigating the effects of pollutants on living organisms in the environment. In this review, we cover the different aspects of the environmental metabolomics approach, which allows the acquisition of reliable data. A step-by-step procedure from sample preparation to data interpretation is also discussed. Additionally, other factors, including model organisms and various types of emerging environmental toxicants are discussed. Moreover, we cover the considerations for successful environmental metabolomics as well as the identification of toxic effects based on data interpretation in combination with phenotype assays. Finally, the effects induced by various types of environmental toxicants in model organisms based on the application of environmental metabolomics are also discussed.

scholarly journals Volatilomics of Natural Products: Whispers from Nature

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Carazzone ◽  
Julie P.G. Rodríguez ◽  
Mabel Gonzalez ◽  
Gerson-Dirceu López
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Sample Preparation ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Data Interpretation ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Dynamic Headspace ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Gas Chromatographic Separation

Volatilomics studies the emission of volatile compounds from living organisms like plants, flowers, animals, fruits, and microorganisms, using metabolomics tools to characterize the analytes. This is a complex process that involves several steps like sample preparation, extraction, instrumental analysis, and data processing. In this chapter, we provide balanced coverage of the different theoretical and practical aspects of the study of the volatilome. Static and dynamic headspace techniques for volatile capture will be discussed. Then, the main techniques for volatilome profiling, separation, and detection will be addressed, emphasizing gas chromatographic separation, mass spectrometry detection, and non-separative techniques using mass spectrometry. Finally, the whole volatilome data pre-processing and multivariate statistics for data interpretation will be introduced. We hope that this chapter can provide the reader with an overview of the research process in the study of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and serve as a guide in the development of future volatilomics studies.

scholarly journals Alginate/porous silica matrices for the encapsulation of living organisms: tunable properties for biosensors, modular bioreactors, and bioremediation devices

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mercedes Perullini ◽  
Mariano Calcabrini ◽  
Matías Jobbágy ◽  
Sara A. Bilmes
Keyword(s):  
Physical Stability ◽  
Porous Silica ◽  
Biological Response ◽  
Optical Quality ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Radius Of Gyration ◽  
Host Matrix ◽  
Operation Conditions ◽  
Step Procedure ◽  
Living Organisms

Abstract:The encapsulation of living cells within inorganic silica hydrogels is a promising strategy for the design of biosensors, modular bioreactors, and bioremediation devices, among other interesting applications, attracting scientific and technological interest. These hostguest multifunctional materials (HGFM) combine synergistically specific biologic functions of their guest with those of the host matrix enhancing their performance. Although inorganic immobilization hosts present several advantages over their (bio)polymer-based counterparts in terms of chemical and physical stability, the direct contact of cells with silica precursors during synthesis and the constraints imposed by the inorganic host during operating conditions have proved to influence their biological response. Recently, we proposed an alternative two-step procedure including a pre-encapsulation in biocompatible polymers such as alginates in order to confer protection to the biological guest during the inorganic and more cytotoxic synthesis. By means of this procedure, whole cultures of microorganisms remain confined in small liquid volumes generated inside the inorganic host, providing near conventional liquid culture conditions.Moreover, the fact of protecting the biological guest during the synthesis of the host, allows extending the synthesis parameters beyond biocompatible conditions, tuning the microstructure of the matrix. In turn, the microstructure (porosity at the nanoscale, radius of gyration of particles composing the structure, and fractal dimension of particle clusters) is determinant of macroscopic parameters, such as optical quality and transport properties that govern the encapsulation material’s performance. Here, we review the most interesting applications of the two-step procedure, making special emphasis on the optimization of optical, transport and mechanical properties of the host as well as in the interaction with the guest during operation conditions.

scholarly journals Estimation of the Uncertainties Related to the Measurement of the Size and Quantities of Individual Silver Nanoparticles in Confectionery

Materials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 2677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Waegeneers ◽  
Sandra De Vos ◽  
Eveline Verleysen ◽  
Ann Ruttens ◽  
Jan Mast
Keyword(s):  
Silver Nanoparticles ◽  
Sample Preparation ◽  
Measurement Uncertainty ◽  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
Food Additives ◽  
Data Interpretation ◽  
Background Concentration ◽  
Inductively Coupled ◽  
Validation Parameters ◽  
Plasma Mass Spectrometry

E174 (silver) is a food additive that may contain silver nanoparticles (AgNP). Validated methods are needed to size and quantify these particles in a regulatory context. However, no validations have yet been performed with food additives or real samples containing food additives requiring a sample preparation step prior to analysis. A single-particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (spICP-MS) method was developed and validated for sizing and quantifying the fraction of AgNP in E174 and in products containing E174, and associated uncertainties related to sample preparation, analysis and data interpretation were unraveled. The expanded measurement uncertainty for AgNP sizing was calculated to be 16% in E174-containing food products and increased up to 23% in E174 itself. The E174 food additives showed a large silver background concentration combined with a relatively low number of nanoparticles, making data interpretation more challenging than in the products. The standard uncertainties related to sample preparation, analysis, and challenging data interpretation were respectively 4.7%, 6.5%, and 6.0% for triplicate performances. For a single replicate sample, the uncertainty related to sample preparation increased to 6.8%. The expanded measurement uncertainty related to the concentration determination was 25–45% in these complex samples, without a clear distinction between additives and products. Overall, the validation parameters obtained for spICP-MS seem to be fit for the purpose of characterizing AgNP in E174 or E174-containing products.

scholarly journals On the Diversification of the Translation Apparatus across Eukaryotes

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greco Hernández ◽  
Christopher G. Proud ◽  
Thomas Preiss ◽  
Armen Parsyan
Keyword(s):  
Model Organisms ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Translational Machinery ◽  
Functional Differences ◽  
Profound Knowledge ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Translation Apparatus ◽  
Fundamental Process ◽  
Organismal Complexity ◽  
Living Organisms

Diversity is one of the most remarkable features of living organisms. Current assessments of eukaryote biodiversity reaches 1.5 million species, but the true figure could be several times that number. Diversity is ingrained in all stages and echelons of life, namely, the occupancy of ecological niches, behavioral patterns, body plans and organismal complexity, as well as metabolic needs and genetics. In this review, we will discuss that diversity also exists in a key biochemical process, translation, across eukaryotes. Translation is a fundamental process for all forms of life, and the basic components and mechanisms of translation in eukaryotes have been largely established upon the study of traditional, so-called model organisms. By using modern genome-wide, high-throughput technologies, recent studies of many nonmodel eukaryotes have unveiled a surprising diversity in the configuration of the translation apparatus across eukaryotes, showing that this apparatus is far from being evolutionarily static. For some of the components of this machinery, functional differences between different species have also been found. The recent research reviewed in this article highlights the molecular and functional diversification the translational machinery has undergone during eukaryotic evolution. A better understanding of all aspects of organismal diversity is key to a more profound knowledge of life.

Accumulation of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Mussels: A Proteomic Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 316-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Letizia Ambrosio ◽  
Rosario Russo ◽  
Anna Maria Salzano ◽  
Francesco Paolo Serpe ◽  
Andrea Ariano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polychlorinated Biphenyls ◽  
Protein Expression ◽  
Environmental Pollutants ◽  
Specific Protein ◽  
Animal Origin ◽  
Proteomic Approach ◽  
Food Of Animal Origin ◽  
Seafood Products ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Analytical Approaches

ABSTRACT Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are environmental pollutants of industrial origin that can contaminate food, mainly food of animal origin. Although production of PCBs has been banned in many countries since the 1980s, they are still present in the environment and are considered dangerous pollutants for human health. In fact, they can bioaccumulate in living organisms such as marine organisms because of their chemical and physical properties. New analytical approaches are useful to monitor the presence of such contaminants in seafood products and in the environment. In this work, we evaluate changes in protein expression of Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lam.) experimentally exposed to a PCB mixture and identify chemically specific protein expression signatures by using a proteomic approach. In particular, we identify 21 proteins whose levels of expression are sensibly modified after 3 weeks of exposure. The present work shows that a proteomic approach can be a useful tool to study alterations of protein expression in mussels exposed to PCBs and represents a first step toward the development of screening protocols to be used for biomonitoring surveys of fishery products.

scholarly journals The Influence of Electromagnetic Pollution on Living Organisms: Historical Trends and Forecasting Changes

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Redlarski ◽  
Bogdan Lewczuk ◽  
Arkadiusz Żak ◽  
Andrzej Koncicki ◽  
Marek Krawczuk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electromagnetic Radiation ◽  
Electromagnetic Fields ◽  
Helix Pomatia ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Great Majority ◽  
Land Snail ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Electromagnetic Pollution

Current technologies have become a source of omnipresent electromagnetic pollution from generated electromagnetic fields and resulting electromagnetic radiation. In many cases this pollution is much stronger than any natural sources of electromagnetic fields or radiation. The harm caused by this pollution is still open to question since there is no clear and definitive evidence of its negative influence on humans. This is despite the fact that extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields were classified as potentially carcinogenic. For these reasons, in recent decades a significant growth can be observed in scientific research in order to understand the influence of electromagnetic radiation on living organisms. However, for this type of research the appropriate selection of relevant model organisms is of great importance. It should be noted here that the great majority of scientific research papers published in this field concerned various tests performed on mammals, practically neglecting lower organisms. In that context the objective of this paper is to systematise our knowledge in this area, in which the influence of electromagnetic radiation on lower organisms was investigated, including bacteria,E. coliandB. subtilis, nematode,Caenorhabditis elegans, land snail,Helix pomatia, common fruit fly,Drosophila melanogaster, and clawed frog,Xenopus laevis.

scholarly journals Effect of Chlorides from Chemical De-Icing Agents on Soil Contamination Depending on the Distance from Road and its Effects on Living Organisms

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 301-309
Author(s):  
Vilma Jandová ◽  
Martina Bucková ◽  
Jitka Hegrová ◽  
Jiří Huzlík
Keyword(s):  
Soil Contamination ◽  
Chloride Concentration ◽  
Soil Samples ◽  
Aqueous Extracts ◽  
White Mustard ◽  
The Road ◽  
Significant Toxicity ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
One Year ◽  
Chloride Concentrations

AbstractThe article deals with the contamination of soil in the vicinity of the D1 motorway caused by the application of chemical de-icing agents in winter. In the selected area, during a period of one year (from October 2017 to October 2018), soil samples were regularly collected once a month at five different distances from the road. Chloride concentrations in aqueous extracts of the soil were monitored and the degree of toxicity was established for the selected living organisms. The resulting chloride load was evaluated with respect to the precipitation activity and the amount of de-icing salt applied in the area. The highest concentrations of chlorides were found at a distance of 2 m from the road. At the distance of 20 m from the road, the concentration of chlorides in the soil was approaching the chloride concentration found in the referential background set for the selected locality. The concentrations of chlorides at the first three measured distances from the road corresponded to the quantity of de-icing salt applied and the precipitation activity recorded during the relevant months. The maximum concentrations were reached in April 2018. Ecotoxicological testing of aqueous extracts of soil did not confirm any significant toxicity to the selected living organisms. From the tested organisms, the white mustard was identified to be the most sensitive to this type of toxicity; the increased toxicity was observed only for aqueous extracts of soil samples collected at distances dI (0 m) and dII (1 m), thus, it could have been related to the increased concentration of chlorides during the relevant period.

scholarly journals Synthesis and Characterization of Chitosan/Agar/SiO2 Nano Hydrogels For Removal of Amoxicillin and of Naproxen From Pharmaceutical Contaminants

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omid Moradi ◽  
Samira Mhdavi ◽  
Sajjad Sedaghat
Keyword(s):  
Aqueous Media ◽  
Environmental Pollutants ◽  
Chemical Characterization ◽  
Solution Ph ◽  
Physical And Chemical Characterization ◽  
Pharmaceutical Contaminants ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Physical And Chemical

Abstract Today, environmental pollutants pose a threat to human societies and all living organisms, which is why they have attracted the attention of environmental researchers. In this study, in order to remove pharmaceutical contaminants Naproxen and Amoxicillin from aqueous media with SiO2 nanoparticles based on Agar and Chitosan was investigated. The study of structural properties, physical and chemical characterization of synthesized nanocomposite was investigated by FTIR, XRD, TEM, FE-SEM, DLS and EDX analyzes. In addition, the role of parameters affecting the removal of pharmaceutical contaminants such as solution pH, contact time, contaminant concentration and temperature were studied. Nanocomposites prepared from Agar and Chitosan showed good performance in absorbing naproxen and amoxicillin. According to the studies performed to remove naproxen, the max adsorption efficiency was obtained at a concentration of 20 mg/l with an absorbent dose of 0.05 g and a pH of 8 and at an optimum temperature of 25 °C and 99% in 15 min. Also, for amoxicillin with nanocomposite prepared with an initial concentration of 20 mg/l and an adsorbent dose of 0.05 g, a time of 10 min, a temperature of 25 °C and a pH of 8, the max removal efficiency of 91.15% was obtained.

scholarly journals Potential of Different Fungi Species in Biodegradation Field of Phenolic Compounds

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Yassmin M. Shebany ◽  
Eman G. El-Dawy ◽  
Youssuf A. Gherbawy
Keyword(s):  
Phenolic Compounds ◽  
Red Sea ◽  
Environmental Pollutants ◽  
Metabolic Potential ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Good Technique ◽  
Red Sea Coast ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Sterile Mycelium ◽  
Sea Coast

Phenolic compounds are dominant pollutants in terrestrial and freshwater environmental that have toxic effects on living organisms at low concentrations, because it has the ability to persist in the ecosystem. So bio-removal is a good technique that employs the metabolic potential of microorganisms to clean up the environmental pollutants and turned into less dangerous or harmless substances. This work aims to the isolation of different species of fungi from wastewater of factories and Red Sea coast to test the ability of these fungi to degrade phenolic compounds. Ten species of fungi and sterile mycelium are used to degrade phenol and its derivatives at different concentrations (0.4%, 0.6% and 0.8%). All fungi species have the ability of degradation of phenol and their derivatives, but P. chrysogenum, Saccharomyces sp. and sterile mycelium exhibited low ability to break down of hydroxyl-benzene, 2-naphthol and 1,3 dihydroxy benzene, respectively.

scholarly journals Mechanisms of Genome Maintenance in Plants: Playing It Safe With Breaks and Bumps

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aamir Raina ◽  
Parmeshwar K. Sahu ◽  
Rafiul Amin Laskar ◽  
Nitika Rajora ◽  
Richa Sao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Damage ◽  
Dna Repair ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Genomic Instability ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Ultraviolet Rays ◽  
Genomic Integrity ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Repair Pathways ◽  
Living Organisms

Maintenance of genomic integrity is critical for the perpetuation of all forms of life including humans. Living organisms are constantly exposed to stress from internal metabolic processes and external environmental sources causing damage to the DNA, thereby promoting genomic instability. To counter the deleterious effects of genomic instability, organisms have evolved general and specific DNA damage repair (DDR) pathways that act either independently or mutually to repair the DNA damage. The mechanisms by which various DNA repair pathways are activated have been fairly investigated in model organisms including bacteria, fungi, and mammals; however, very little is known regarding how plants sense and repair DNA damage. Plants being sessile are innately exposed to a wide range of DNA-damaging agents both from biotic and abiotic sources such as ultraviolet rays or metabolic by-products. To escape their harmful effects, plants also harbor highly conserved DDR pathways that share several components with the DDR machinery of other organisms. Maintenance of genomic integrity is key for plant survival due to lack of reserve germline as the derivation of the new plant occurs from the meristem. Untowardly, the accumulation of mutations in the meristem will result in a wide range of genetic abnormalities in new plants affecting plant growth development and crop yield. In this review, we will discuss various DNA repair pathways in plants and describe how the deficiency of each repair pathway affects plant growth and development.

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