Tissue Distribution, Histopathological and Genotoxic Effects of Magnetite Nanoparticles on Ehrlich Solid Carcinoma

Nanoparticles can potentially cause adverse effects on cellular and molecular level. The present study aimed to investigate the histopathological changes and DNA damage effects of magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) on female albino mice model with Ehrlich solid carcinoma (ESC). Magnetite nanoparticles coated with L-ascorbic acid (size ~ 25.0 nm) were synthesized and characterized. Mice were treated with MNPs day by day, intraperitoneally (IP), intramuscularly (IM), or intratumorally (IT). Autopsy samples were taken from the solid tumor, thigh muscle, liver, kidney, lung, spleen, and brain for assessment of iron content, histopathological examination, and genotoxicity using comet assay. The liver, spleen, lung, and heart had significantly higher iron content in groups treated IP. On the other hand, tumor, muscles, and the liver had significantly higher iron content in groups treated IT. MNPs induced a significant DNA damage in IT treated ESC. While a significant DNA damage was detected in the liver of the IP treated group, but no significant DNA damage could be detected in the brain. Histopathological findings in ESC revealed a marked tumor necrosis, 50% in group injected IT but 40% in group injected IP and 20% only in untreated tumors. Other findings include inflammatory cell infiltration, dilatation, and congestion of blood vessels of different organs of treated groups in addition to appearance of metastatic cancer cells in the liver of non-treated tumor group. MNPs could have an antitumor effect but it is recommended to be injected intratumorally to be directed to the tumor tissues and reduce its adverse effects on healthy tissues.

Iron Deposition in Gray Matter Nuclei of Patients With Intracranial Artery Stenosis: A Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping Study

Purpose: This study aimed to use quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) to systematically investigate the changes of iron content in gray matter (GM) nuclei in patients with long-term anterior circulation artery stenosis (ACAS) and posterior circulation artery stenosis (PCAS).Methods: Twenty-five ACAS patients, 25 PCAS patients, and 25 age- and sex-matched healthy controls underwent QSM examination. Patients were scored using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) to assess the degree of neural function deficiency. On QSM images, iron related susceptibility of GM nuclei, including bilateral caudate nucleus, putamen (PU), globus pallidus (GP), thalamus (TH), substantia nigra (SN), red nucleus, and dentate nucleus (DN), were assessed. Susceptibility was compared between bilateral GM nuclei in healthy controls, ACAS patients, and PCAS patients. Partial correlation analysis, with age as a covariate, was separately performed to assess the relationships of susceptibility with NIHSS and mRS scores.Results: There were no significant differences between the susceptibilities for left and right hemispheres in all seven GM nucleus subregions for healthy controls, ACAS patients, and PCAS patients. Compared with healthy controls, mean susceptibility of bilateral PU, GP, and SN in ACAS patients and of bilateral PU, GP, SN, and DN in PCAS patients were significantly increased (all P < 0.05). In addition, mean susceptibility of bilateral TH and SN in PCAS patients was significantly higher than in ACAS patients (both P < 0.05). With partial correlation analysis, mean susceptibility at bilateral PU of ACAS patients was significantly correlated with mRS score (r = 0.415, P < 0.05), and at bilateral PU in PCAS patients was correlated with NIHSS score (r = 0.424, P < 0.05).Conclusion: Our findings indicated that abnormal iron metabolism may present in different subregions of GM nuclei after long-term ACAS and PCAS. In addition, iron content of PU in patients with ACAS and PCAS was correlated with neurological deficit scores. Therefore, iron quantification measured by QSM susceptibility may provide a new insight to understand the pathological mechanism of ischemic stroke caused by ACAS and PCAS.

Temporal Change in Iron Content of Vegetables and Legumes in Australia: A Scoping Review

Studies in UK and US have reported a temporal decline in the iron content of plant-based foods. Limited research on this topic has been conducted in Australia. The aim of this scoping review was to provide a comprehensive evaluation on the temporal change in iron content of Australian vegetables and legumes from 1900 onward. A systematic search of electronic databases, websites, backward reference searching, and Australian food composition tables was conducted. A total of 34 articles and six versions of Australian food composition databases published between 1930s to 2021, were included in this review. Overall, iron content of vegetables and legumes were assessed at limited time points and geographical origin, cultivars, sampling and analytical techniques varied across studies. The majority of vegetables had similar iron content between two or more timepoints but decreases of 30–50% were noted for sweet corn, red-skinned potatoes, cauliflower and green beans while increases of 150–300% were seen for Hass avocadoes, mushrooms and silverbeet. More pronounced reductions in iron content were observed for legumes, with higher and more variable values reported pre-2000 compared to recent years. Due to limited data and variations in sampling and analytical techniques, no definitive conclusions could be established. As plant-based diets are becoming more popular, consistent monitoring of the nutrient composition of staple plant-based foods is strongly recommended.

Content of Mineral Elements in Rat Liver Tissue with Acquired Insulin Resistance and Obesity in Combination with Iodine

The purpose of the study was to determine the content of mineral elements in the hepatocytes of rats with insulin resistance, obesity, iodine deficiency, insulin resistance in combination with iodine deficiency and obesity in combination with iodine deficiency. Materials and methods. The study was performed on 90 white nonlinear rats weighing 120-180 g, which were divided into five experimental groups: rats with insulin resistance (1st experimental group, n = 15), animals with iodine deficiency (2nd experimental group), animals with insulin resistance in combination with iodine deficiency (3rd experimental group, n = 15), obese animals (4th experimental group, n = 15), obese animals in combined with iodine deficiency (5th experimental group, n = 15). The control group consisted of 15 intact rats. The content of Fe, Ca, Cu, Mg, Zn, Mn, Cr in the liver homogenate was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry on a SPECORD M 40 spectrophotometer (Germany). Results and discussion. In animals with insulin resistance, there was a decrease in the content of copper in the liver by 26.9%, in animals with iodine deficiency the content of this trace element increased by 20.5%, and in the group of animals with insulin resistance in combination with iodine deficiency it increased by 10.1%. The iron content in the group of animals with insulin resistance is higher in relation to the control by 33.7%, in the group of animals with iodine deficiency – by 38.5%, in animals with insulin resistance in combination with iodine deficiency – by 40.8%. Regarding the content of Calcium, in the liver homogenate of animals with insulin resistance it is higher compared to the control by 24%, in animals of the second experimental group –by 26.4%, in animals of the 3rd experimental group – by 22%. The Magnesium content in animals with insulin resitance is lower compared to the control by 19%, in animals with iodine deficiency – by 25.5%, in animals with insulin resistance in combination with iodine deficiency – by 29%. As for Zinc, no significant fluctuations in the content of this trace element were detected. In animals of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd experimental groups it is lower compared to the control by 10%, 15% and 11.1%, respectively. The Manganese content in animals with insulin resistance is lower compared to the control by 13.6%, in animals with iodine deficiency – by 18.2%, in animals with insulin resistance in combination with iodine deficiency – by 14.8%. With regard to chromium, we found a probable decrease in the concentration of this trace element in animals of the group with insulin resistance by 48%, in animals of the 2nd experimental group – by 57.5%, in animals of the 3rd experimental group – by 58%. In the group of animals with obesity and obesity in combined with iodine deficiency we found an increase in copper content compared to the control by 27.4% and 36.2%, respectively. The iron content in animals with obesity exceeds the control by 34.8%, in the group of animals with obesity in combined with iodine deficiency – by 38.4%. Regarding the content of Calcium, in animals with obesity it is higher by 25.7%, and in animals with obesity in combined with iodine deficiency – by 28.4% compared to the control. Magnesium content in animals with obesity is lower by 27.3% compared to the control group, and in animals with obesity in combined with iodine deficiency – by 28.4%. Regarding Zinc, no significant fluctuations in the content of this trace element were detected. In animals of the 4th and 5th experimental groups it is lower compared to the control by 18.4% and 23.5%, respectively. The content of Manganese in the group of animals with obesity decreased by 14.8%, and in the group with obesity in combined with iodine deficiency the content of this trace element decreased by 16.2% compared to the control. With regard to chromium, we found a probable decrease in the concentration of this trace element in animals of the group with obesity by 58.1% and in the group of animals with obesity in combined with iodine deficiency by 56.2%. Conclusion. The obtained results demonstrate changes in the content of mineral elements in groups of animals with insulin resistance, iodine deficiency, insulin resistance in combination with iodine deficiency, obesity and obesity in combination with iodine deficiency

Effects of dietary iodine supplement on sheep milk and cheese

The work reported in this paper addresses the iodine nutritional deficiency that still affects a large number of people. For this purpose, we analyzed the possibility to use, as iodine vehicle, a hard typical ewe cheese, called Canestrato d'Abruzzo, derived from milk of ewes fed with an iodine-fortified diet. Both in the milk and the cheese of these animals, the iodine level was higher than that measured in sheep with a normal diet. An increase in the lactoferrin and iron content was evident in the whey derived from milk of the iodine group. Furthermore, in derived cheese, the caseins seemed more efficiently transformed in small peptides making the product more digestible and, for this reason, particularly suitable for feeding the elderly. In conclusion, the dairy products obtained from ewes fed with iodine diet contain more bioactive compounds so that they represent a useful food to prevent iodine and iron deficiency in lamb and humans.

Azotobacter vinelandii scaffold protein NifU transfers iron to NifQ as part of the iron-molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis pathway for nitrogenase

ABSTRACTAzotobacter vinelandii molybdenum-dependent nitrogenase obtains molybdenum from NifQ, a monomeric iron-sulfur molybdoprotein. This protein requires of a preexisting [Fe-S] cluster to form a [MoFe3S4] group to serve as specific donor during nitrogenase cofactor biosynthesis. Here, we show biochemical evidence for NifU being the donor of the [Fe-S] cluster. Protein-protein interaction studies using apo-NifQ and as-isolated NifU demonstrated the interaction between both proteins which is only effective when NifQ is unoccupied by its [Fe-S] cluster. The apo-NifQ iron content increased after the incubation with as-isolated NifU, reaching similar levels to holo-NifQ after the interaction between apo-NifQ and NifU with reconstituted transient [Fe4-S4] groups. These results also indicate the necessity of co-expressing NifU together with NifQ in the pathway to provide molybdenum for the biosynthesis of nitrogenase in engineered nitrogen-fixing plants.

Importance of the Rhizosphere Microbiota in Iron Biofortification of Plants

Increasing the iron content of plant products and iron assimilability represents a major issue for human nutrition and health. This is also a major challenge because iron is not readily available for plants in most cultivated soils despite its abundance in the Earth’s crust. Iron biofortification is defined as the enhancement of the iron content in edible parts of plants. This biofortification aims to reach the objectives defined by world organizations for human nutrition and health while being environment friendly. A series of options has been proposed to enhance plant iron uptake and fight against hidden hunger, but they all show limitations. The present review addresses the potential of soil microorganisms to promote plant iron nutrition. Increasing knowledge on the plant microbiota and plant-microbe interactions related to the iron dynamics has highlighted a considerable contribution of microorganisms to plant iron uptake and homeostasis. The present overview of the state of the art sheds light on plant iron uptake and homeostasis, and on the contribution of plant-microorganism (plant-microbe and plant-plant-microbe) interactions to plant nutritition. It highlights the effects of microorganisms on the plant iron status and on the co-occurring mechanisms, and shows how this knowledge may be valued through genetic and agronomic approaches. We propose a change of paradigm based on a more holistic approach gathering plant and microbial traits mediating iron uptake. Then, we present the possible applications in plant breeding, based on plant traits mediating plant-microbe interactions involved in plant iron uptake and physiology.

Slaughter Results, Meat Chemical Composition and pH of Aberdinangus, Hereford and Limousin bulls

Beef production must combine the interests of both producers and consumers, taking into account the sustainable use of environmental resources. The aim of the study was to analyze and compare the slaughter results, meet chemical composition and pH value of three beef breeds – Aberdinangus (AA), Hereford (HF) and Limousin (LI) bulls. The bulls were fattened on Latvian and Lithuanian farms, mainly using grass forage. The breed and age of bulls before slaughter significantly affected all slaughter results, except for fat class. From the meat chemical composition traits, the bull breed and age before slaughter had a significant effect only on the protein content. LI bulls showed the highest carcass weight 301.1±6.8 kg (p<0.05), dressing percentage 58.2±1.1% (p<0.05) and conformation score 3.56±0.18 points. The best fattened carcasses were obtained from AA bulls - 2.43±0.20 points. Muscle samples of musculus longissimus (M. longissimus) bulls of LI breed showed higher content of moisture (72.0±1.0%), protein (23.0±0.2%), ash (1.1±0.0%) and cholesterol (56.7±6.6 mg 100 g−1). AA breed bulls showed higher total fat (6.6±1.2%) and iron content (13.1±0.6 mg). The highest pH was observed in the meat obtained from AA bulls – 6.0±0.1, LI and HF breed bulls showed pH 5.8±0.0 and 5.8±0.1 respectively. Correlation analysis showed a significant, strong positive correlation between cold carcass weight and dressing percentage for AA and LI bulls, r=0.90 and r=0.88, respectively. For LI breed bulls, a strong positive correlation was also found between the cold carcass weight and the conformation score (r=0.98, p<0.01).