The Photocatalytic Effects of Modified Hydrothermal Nanotitania Extraction on the Skin and Behavior of Sprague-Dawley Rats

Background. Potential antibacterial substances, such as titanium dioxide (TiO2), are being extensively studied throughout the research world. A modified hydrothermal nanotitania extraction was shown to inhibit Staphylococcus aureus growth in the laboratory. However, the toxicity effect of the extract on rats is unknown. In this study, we observed the effects of a modified hydrothermal nanotitania extraction on the skin and behavior of Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods. Sprague-Dawley (Rattus norvegicus) rats were used as the experimental animals. The skin around the dorsum of the tested animals was shaved and pasted with 0.1 mg and 0.5 mg of the nanotitania extraction. The color and condition of the pasted area and the behavior of the animals were observed. Results. 0.1 mg nanotitania extraction application on the dorsum of the rat produced no skin color changes at day 1, day 3, day 5, or day 7 postapplication. There were no changes in their behavior up to day 7 with no skin rashes or skin scratches seen or fur changes. However, 0.5 mg of nanotitania extraction resulted in redness and less fur regrowth at day 7. Conclusions. A 0.1 mg modified nanotitania extraction was observed to have no effect on the skin of Sprague-Dawley rats.

Total phenolic, antioxidant activity and toxicity of taxus leaf herbal tea in two different brewing temperature

Taxus has been recognized to have many medicinal properties. This study aims to determine the total phenolic, antioxidant activity, toxicity effect of taxus leaf herbal tea from two brewing temperatures. Antioxidant test was carried out by IC50-DPPH, total phenolic was carried out by spectrophotometric analysis, and toxicity effect was measured with BSLT (Brine Shrimp Lethality Test) method. The taxus leaves were prepared by drying method at 60°C until the water content reached 10% and then ground until they were quite smooth. Brewing was carried out at a temperature of 75°C and 95°C. The results showed that taxus leaves had strong antioxidants with IC50 values reaching 62.5 ppm and total phenols of 15.68% (w/w) and 14.08% (w/w) at each brewing temperature. The LC50 of toxicity effect of taxus leaves at 290.58 ppm and 536.38 ppm. We concluded the taxus leaves was a good natural antioxidant source with phenol content and could be develop to natural drug for anticancer.

Effects of Turmeric Rhizome Powder Supplemented Diet on Indomethacin-induced Toxicity in Wistar Rats

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) L rhizome powder (TRP) was commonly reported to have antiulcerogenic and non-toxicity effects. However, the scientific evidence showing the effectiveness of turmeric in the treatment of gastric ulcer and its non-toxicity effect are controversial. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of different percentages of turmeric rhizome powder supplemented diet on toxicity induced by indomethacin in Wistar rats. This study investigated the effects of TRP formulated diet on the activities of blood enzymes in indomethacin-induced gastric ulcerated Wistar rats. This investigation was carried out through a 28-day experiment using corn-starch flour meal-based diet containing four levels of TRP (1%, 2%, 5% and 10%) as treatments with five replicates in a completely randomized design. The remaining three groups were fed with basal diet, one group received standard drug, another received no treatment but induced while the last group received no treatment and not induced. 35 male Wistar rats weighing 150-200 g were housed in seven cages and received feed and water ad-libitum. At the end of the experiment, all the animals were sacrificed, blood and some organs were collected and evaluated for hepatoxicity and nephrotoxicity induced by indomethacin (60mg/kg bw). Measurements of serum, kidney and liver alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were performed. Statistical evaluation of the results at a p < 0.05 showed significantly elevated values (P ≤ 0.05) of these enzymes in the kidney of rats in groups B, C, E and G when compared with group F. Increase in kidney ALT and AST activities of animals in groups A, C and D was detected in comparison with group F. Furthermore, there was increase in hepatic ALT and ALP activities of animals in groups A, B, C, D and E compared with animals in group F but a significant increase (P ≤ 0.05) in group G in comparison with group F. Likewise, there was significant increase (P ≤ 0.05) in liver AST activities of rats in groups A, B, C, E and G compared with group F, however, insignificant increase (P ≤ 0.05) was observed in animals in group D in comparison with rats in group F. Indomethacin induced rats (group F) showed a significant increase in serum levels of ALT, AST and ALP compared with rats in groups E and G in all the groups but those fed on 1%, 2%, 5% and 10% turmeric supplemented diet showed decrease in comparison with group F. The increased levels of these enzymes in the serum of animals in ulcerogenic group and some in group D (10%TRP group) could be a sign of tissue injury due to relative toxicity of indomethacin induction in animal model and deleterious effect of turmeric rhizome powder at large concentration. However, decrease levels of these enzymes in pretreated groups could indicate the attenuating potential of turmeric at moderate dose against toxicity effect of indomethacin induction. Therefore, turmeric rhizome powder should be consumed with caution and its percentage in the whole recipe should not be up to 10% (100g/kg).

Physiological response to the action of the agrotoxic 2,4-Dichlorophenoxiacetic acid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The presence of xenobiotic compounds in the environment is responsible for impacts on the ecosystem. An example is pesticides that pose risks to non-target species, such as microorganisms present in the soil and that are responsible for cycling nutrients, some can be used to measure the effects of these compounds, such as yeasts because when exposed to toxic substances begin to present changes in physiological and genetic mechanisms. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the toxicity effect of the 2,4-D pesticide on Pedra-2 (PE-2) and Fleischmann® (FLE) yeasts. 2,4-D dilutions of 2.0; 4.0 and 6.0 µg L-1 were added to a solution prepared with 20 ml of ultra-pure water and 2.0 g of sucrose where the yeasts were grown. The phenotypic profile of yeasts against the toxicity of the compound was evaluated quantitatively with cell viability. Using the methylene blue method and qualitatively with cell growth tests in Petri dishes containing 2% YPD medium and flocculation on slides with methylene blue. Yeasts showed loss of viability and the FLE strain showed greater sensitivity, the cellular growth of this yeast was also more affected and, consequently, presented higher flocculation rates. The data show that the longer exposure time and the doses and concentrations of 2,4-D interfered with the physiological response of the FLE yeast. Thus, we can suggest that this microorganism has the potential to be considered for environmental tests and analyses as a bioindicator.

The combined toxicity test of polyester and tetra ethylene glycol on Daphnia magna

The combined toxicity test of polyester and tetra ethylene glycol on Daphnia magna. Globally, wide use of plastics and its increased production has led to a mounting amount of plastic waste entering the natural ecosystems. Due to their small size, plastic particles might be ingested by organisms at the lower end of the food chain and can be transferred by feeding to top consumers. Consequently, plastic pollution in aquatic environments and its potential impact on aquatic life has recently been recognized as an issue of considerable concern for ecosystem. I produced microplastics from 100% polyester thread from Houjix, cut it finely and used a dissecting needle to cut into a size of 5mm or less through a microscope. I also included ethylene glycol to investigate its toxic effects on D. magna. Since my aim was also to compare the toxicity effect of both chemicals, I used different concentrations individually and then in combinations to determine the potential toxic effects of polyester and tetra ethylene glycol (combined and separately) on the life (survival, death) of D. magna. Microplastics from 100% polyester thread from Houjix were produced, into a size of 5mm or less through a microscope. Tetra ethylene glycol was also used to investigate its toxic effects on D. magna. The toxicity effect of both chemicals using different concentrations individually and then in combinations were employed to determine the potential toxic effects of polyester and tetra ethylene glycol (combined and separately) on the life of D. magna. The study exhibited that the IC50 of TEG was higher as compared to polyester which suggests that polyester was more ad- verse than TEG. Moreover, when TEG and polyester were treated in combination, IC50 value was lower (Figure 3) than the IC50 value of TEG and polyester separately. In other words, the TEG and polyester in combination exhibited the lowest IC50 value in this study. These results suggest that TEG and polyester in combination had adverse effects on the growth and development of D. magna. Keywords: toxicity, microplastic, organic solvent, tetra ethylene glycol, Daphnia magna, polyester

TOXICITY EFFECT OF RADIOGRAPHIC DEVELOPER EFFLUENT ON GIANT AFRICAN SNAIL (Achatina fulica)

Background: The decline in the population of snails, a source of protein of people living in the high forest zone due to environmental pollution and the hazard caused by the disposal of radiographic developer effluent into streams, bushes or forests and public sewer systems makes the assessment of the effect on giant African snails (Achatina fulica) from environmental pollution due to radiographic developer effluent very important. Materials and Methods: Ninety 5 months old, 12 months old and 24 months old giant African snails were randomly divided into 6 groups of 15 snails for each age group based on the dose of developer effluent to be administered. One group from each age group was designated the control and the remaining, the experimental group. Range finding test was performed at effluent concentrations of 100 %, 50 %, 25 %, 12.5 %, 6.25 %, 3.125 %, 1.6 % and 0 % (control) in 150 ml of distilled water. The effluent solution was administered on the feed and soil of the experimental snails only. Results: Behavioural changes occurred between 0.2 – 1.0 % concentration and mortality at 24 – 96 hours exposure to the effluent solutions. The percentage (%) mortality of the giant African snails increased as the effluent concentration increased from 0.2 - 1.0 % and at an increased exposure time of 24 – 96 hours. The estimated 96 hours LD for the 5, 12 and 24 months old giant African snails were 0.20 - 0.23, 0.23 - 0.25 and 0.30 - 0.26 respectively. Conclusion: Radiographic developer effluent is harmful to the giant African snails, with the % mortality increasing with an increase in concentration and exposure time to the developer effluent. Legislation is recommended to ensure the safe disposal of radiographic developer effluents into the Nigerian environment considering the importance of giant African snails (Achatina fulica) to the ecosystem and the economy.

Study on the Joint Toxicity of BPZ, BPS, BPC and BPF to Zebrafish

Bisphenol Z (BPZ), bisphenol S (BPS), bisphenol C (BPC), and bisphenol F (BPF) had been widely used as alternatives to bisphenol A (BPA), but the toxicity data of these bisphenol analogues were very limited. In this study, the joint toxicity of BPZ, BPS, BPC, and BPF to zebrafish (Danio rerio) was investigated. The median half lethal concentrations (LC50) of BPZ, BPS, BPC, and BPF to zebrafish for 96 h were 6.9 × 105 µM, 3.9 × 107 µM, 7.1 × 105 µM, and1.6 × 106 µM, respectively. The joint toxicity effect of BPF–BPC (7.7 × 105–3.4 × 105µM) and BPZ–BPC (3.4 × 105–3.5 × 105µM) with the same toxic ratio showed a synergistic effect, which may be attributed to enzyme inhibition or induction theory. While the toxicity effect of the other two bisphenol analogue combined groups and multi-joint pairs showed an antagonistic effect due to the competition site, other causes need to be further explored. Meanwhile, the expression levels of the estrogen receptor genes (ERα, ERβ1) and antioxidant enzyme genes (SOD, CAT, GPX) were analyzed using a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in zebrafish exposure to LC50 of BPZ, BPS, BPC, and BPF collected at 24, 48, 72, and 96 h. Relative expression of CAT, GPX, and ERβ1 mRNA declined significantly compared to the blank control, which might be a major cause of oxidant injury of antioxidant systems and the disruption of the endocrine systems in zebrafish.

Virulence of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae on different stages of the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)

Background The pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella, is the most destructive pests of the cotton plant in Egypt. Due to the several problems of insecticides, the present study was conducted to evaluate the toxicity effect of the entomopathogenic fungi (EPF), Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae, against the different stages of the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) Results The fungal isolates exhibited a toxic effect against the treated stages, egg, larva, and pupa. According to the obtained data of LC50, B. bassiana was more potent in inducing toxicity than M. anisopliae. However, eggs of P. gossypiella were less susceptible to the EPF than the other stages. Based on total mortality, LC50 was 4.97×1011, 6.03×1012 spores/ml for egg; 8.25×108, 6.03×109 spores/ml for neonate; 2.52×108, 1.29×1010 spores/ml for early 4th instar larvae; and 6.79×108, 8.36×109 spores/ml for pupae after treatment with B. bassiana and M. anisopliae, respectively. Conclusions Entomopathogenic fungi exhibited an activity in inducing mortality against different stages of P. gossypiella.