Search Results (15)

Sediments of alpine lakes serve as crucial records that reveal the history of lacustrine basins, offering valuable insights into the effects of global changes. One significant effect is the variation in rainfall regimes, which can substantially influence nutrient loads and sedimentation rates in lacustrine ecosystems, thereby playing a pivotal role in shaping biotic communities. In this study, we analyze subfossil chironomid assemblages within a sediment core from an alpine lake (western Italian Alps) to investigate the effects of rainfall and flood regime variations over the past 1200 years. Sediment characterization results highlight changes in sediment textures and C/N ratio values, indicating phases of major material influx from the surrounding landscape into the lake basin. These influxes are likely associated with intense flooding events linked to heavy rainfall periods over time. Flooding events are reflected in changes in chironomid assemblages, which in our samples are primarily related to variations in sediment texture and nutrient loads from the surrounding landscape. Increased abundances of certain taxa (i.e., Brillia, Chaetocladius, Cricotopus, Psectrocladius, Cricotopus/Orthocladius Parorthocladius) may be linked to higher organic matter and vegetation inputs from the surrounding landscape. Biodiversity decreased during certain periods along the core profile due to intense flood regimes and extreme events. These results contribute to our understanding of alpine lake system dynamics, particularly those associated with intense flooding events, which are still understudied. Full article

Plant secondary metabolites are important sources of biologically active compounds with wide pharmacological potentials. Among the different classes, the chalcones form integral pharmacologically active agents. Natural chalcones and bis-chalcones exhibit high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in various experiments. Studies are also underway to explore more biologically active bis-chalcones by chemical synthesis of these compounds. In this study, the effects of six synthetic bis-chalcones were evaluated in intestinal epithelial cells (IEC-6); further, the anti-inflammatory potentials were studied in lipopolysaccharide-induced cytokine production in macrophages. The synthesized bis-chalcones differ from each other first of all by the nature of the aromatic cores (functional group substitution, and their position) and by the size of a central alicycle. The exposure of IEC-6 cells to peroxide radicals reduced the cell viability; however, pre-treatment with the bis-chalcones improved the cell viability in these cells. The mechanism of action was observed to be the increased levels of glutathione and antioxidant enzyme activities. Further, these bis-chalcones also inhibited the LPS-stimulation-induced inflammatory cytokine production in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Overall, the present study indicated the cytoprotective and anti-inflammatory abilities of synthetic bis-chalcones. Full article

Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) constitute a wide variety of chemistries with diverse properties that may/can pose risks to both humans and the environment. Herein, a total of 26 compounds, including steroids, flame retardants, and plasticizers, were monitored in three major and heavily urbanized river catchments: the R. Liffey (Ireland), the R. Thames (UK), and the R. Ter (Spain), by using a single solid-phase extraction liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPE-LC-MS/MS) method. Occurrence and frequency rates were investigated across all locations over a 10-week period, with the highest concentration obtained for the flame retardant tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) at 4767 ng∙L⁻¹ in the R. Thames in Central London. Geographical variations were observed between sites and were partially explained using principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). In particular, discrimination between the R. Ter and the R. Thames was observed based on the presence and concentration of flame retardants, benzotriazole, and steroids. Environmental risk assessment (ERA) across sites showed that caffeine, a chemical marker, and bisphenol A (BPA), a plasticizer, were classified as high-risk for the R. Liffey and R. Thames, based on relative risk quotients (rRQs), and that caffeine was classified as high-risk for the R. Ter, based on RQs. The total risks at each location, namely ΣRQ_river, and ΣrRQ_river, were: 361, 455, and 723 for the rivers Liffey, Thames, and Ter, respectively. Caffeine, as expected, was ubiquitous in all 3 urban areas, though with the highest RQ observed in the R. Ter. High contributions of BPA were also observed across the three matrices. Therefore, these two compounds should be prioritized independently of location. This study represents a comprehensive EDC monitoring comparison between different European cities based on a single analytical method, which allowed for a geographically independent ERA prioritization to be performed. Full article

The agro-livestock sector produces about one third of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Since more energy is needed to meet the growing demand for food and the industrial revolution in agriculture, renewable energy sources could improve access to energy resources and energy security, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and reduce GHG emissions. Hydrogen production is a promising energy technology, but its deployment in the global energy system is lagging. Here, we analyzed the theoretical and practical application of green hydrogen generated by electrolysis of water, powered by renewable energy sources, in the agro-livestock sector. Green hydrogen is at an early stage of development in most applications, and barriers to its large-scale deployment remain. Appropriate policies and financial incentives could make it a profitable technology for the future. Full article

Healthy coastal sabkhas (sabkha is an Arabic term for a salt flat) offer plenty of ecosystem services including climate change mitigation. However, fewer research studies were conducted at coastal sabkhas compared to other coastal marshes. This study was conducted in a total of ten coastal sabkha sites with different vegetation covers along the southern Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. The main objectives were to model and predict the distribution of volumetric soil organic carbon (SOC) density (kg C/m³) and cumulative SOC stocks (kg C/m²) using three different mathematic functions (allometric, exponential, and sigmoid) based on sampled and observed soil carbon (C) data (total of 125 soil cores = 1250 soil samples). Sigmoid function showed the greatest fit for predicting the distribution of volumetric SOC density over soil profile depth with mean Adj. R² = 0.9978, 0.9611, and 0.9623 for vegetation cover of >25–50, >50–75, and >75–100%, respectively. For modeling the cumulative SOC stocks, both validation indices and p of the t-test confirmed that using the exponential function is the most appropriate to be used for predicting the SOC stock among different vegetation covers. Moreover, assessing the topsoil concentration factors (TCFs) showed that the distribution of the SOC content is impacted to a great extent by the vegetation cover at coastal sabkhas. Sampling the soil parameter of interest to estimate the SOC stocks is constrained by time and cost. Therefore, using the exponential function for predicting the distribution of cumulative SOC stocks at coastal sabkhas over soil profile depth is appropriate and promising for mapping SOC stocks at both regional and global spatial scales. Full article

Plants are known to have numerous phytochemicals and other secondary metabolites with numerous pharmacological and biological properties. Among the various compounds, polyphenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, alkaloids, and terpenoids are the predominant ones that have been explored for their biological potential. Among these, chalcones and bis-chalcones are less explored for their biological potential under in vitro experiments, cell culture models, and animal studies. In the present study, we evaluated six synthetic bis-chalcones that were different in terms of their aromatic cores, functional group substitution, and position of substitutions. The results indicated a strong antioxidant property in terms of DPPH and ABTS radical-scavenging potentials and ferric-reducing properties. In addition, compounds 1, 2, and 4 exhibited strong antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella enteritidis. The disc diffusion assay values were indicative of the antibacterial properties of these compounds. Overall, the study indicated the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the compounds. Our preliminary studies point to the potential of this class of compounds for further in vivo investigation. Full article

Microalgae and cyanobacteria are photosynthetic microorganisms’ sources of renewable biomass that can be used for bioplastic production. These microorganisms have high growth rates, and contrary to other feedstocks, such as land crops, they do not require arable land. In addition, they can be used as feedstock for bioplastic production while not competing with food sources (e.g., corn, wheat, and soy protein). In this study, we review the macromolecules from microalgae and cyanobacteria that can serve for the production of bioplastics, including starch and glycogen, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), cellulose, polylactic acid (PLA), and triacylglycerols (TAGs). In addition, we focus on the cultivation of microalgae and cyanobacteria for wastewater treatment. This approach would allow reducing nutrient supply for biomass production while treating wastewater. Thus, the combination of wastewater treatment and the production of biomass that can serve as feedstock for bioplastic production is discussed. The comprehensive information provided in this communication would expand the scope of interdisciplinary and translational research. Full article

Bionanocomposites based on natural bioactive entities have gained importance due to their abundance; renewable and environmentally benign nature; and outstanding properties with applied perspective. Additionally, their formulation with biological molecules with antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities has been produced nowadays. The present review details the state of the art and the importance of this pyrrolic compound produced by microorganisms, with interest towards Serratia marcescens, including production strategies at a laboratory level and scale-up to bioreactors. Promising results of its biological activity have been reported to date, and the advances and applications in bionanocomposites are the most recent strategy to potentiate and to obtain new carriers for the transport and controlled release of prodigiosin. Prodigiosin, a bioactive secondary metabolite, produced by Serratia marcescens, is an effective proapoptotic agent against bacterial and fungal strains as well as cancer cell lines. Furthermore, this molecule presents antioxidant activity, which makes it ideal for treating wounds and promoting the general improvement of the immune system. Likewise, some of the characteristics of prodigiosin, such as hydrophobicity, limit its use for medical and biotechnological applications; however, this can be overcome by using it as a component of a bionanocomposite. This review focuses on the chemistry and the structure of the bionanocomposites currently developed using biorenewable resources. Moreover, the work illuminates recent developments in pyrrole-based bionanocomposites, with special insight to its application in the medical area. Full article

Contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) localize in the biome in variable combinations of complex mixtures that are often environmentally persistent, bioaccumulate and biomagnify, prompting a need for extensive monitoring. Many cosmetics include UV filters that are listed as CECs, such as benzophenone derivatives (oxybenzone, OXYB), cinnamates (2-ethylhexyl 4-methoxycinnamate, EMC) and camphor derivatives (4-methylbenzylidene-camphor, 4MBC). Furthermore, in numerous water sources, these UV filters have been detected together with Bisphenols (BPs), which are commonly used in plastics and can be physiologically detrimental. We utilized bioluminescent bacteria (Microtox assay) to monitor these CEC mixtures at environmentally relevant doses, and performed the first systematic study involving three sunscreen components (OXYB, 4MBC and EMC) and three BPs (BPA, BPS or BPF). Moreover, a breast cell line and cell viability assay were employed to determine the possible effect of these mixtures on human cells. Toxicity modeling, with concentration addition (CA) and independent action (IA) approaches, was performed, followed by data interpretation using Model Deviation Ratio (MDR) evaluation. The results show that UV filter sunscreen constituents and BPs interact at environmentally relevant concentrations. Of notable interest, mixtures containing any pair of three BPs (e.g., BPA + BPS, BPA + BPF and BPS + BPF), together with one sunscreen component (OXYB, 4MBC or EMC), showed strong synergy or overadditive effects. On the other hand, mixtures containing two UV filters (any pair of OXYB, 4MBC and EMC) and one BP (BPA, BPS or BPF) had a strong propensity towards concentration dependent underestimation. The three-component mixtures of UV filters (4MBC, EMC and OXYB) acted in an antagonistic manner toward each other, which was confirmed using a human cell line model. This study is one of the most comprehensive involving sunscreen constituents and BPs in complex mixtures, and provides new insights into potentially important interactions between these compounds. Full article

The antimicrobial and immunostimulant proprieties of aromatic plant extracts have been widely described, but their effects on serum blood biochemistry in fish have not. For this study, we assessed the changes in serum blood biochemical parameters in rainbow trout fed with a fish diet supplemented with a basil supercritical extract (F1-BEO). Our hypothesis was that treatment and time would be associated with changes in 10 serum blood biochemical parameters. F1-BEO was added to a commercial feed (0.5, 1, 2, 3% w/w). The fish were fed for 30 days, and the blood samples were collected at 2 time points (15 and 30 days). A two-way ANOVA showed a significant effect of treatment, time, and interaction treatment × time on creatinine, urea, total protein, albumin, magnesium, and phosphorus (p < 0.05), a significant effect of both time and interaction treatment × time on cholesterol (CHOL), glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) levels, and a significant effect of time on triglycerides (p < 0.05). While changes in several of the parameters were observed, the levels remained within the normal range for rainbow trout. Notably, after 30 days there was a significant decrease in CHOL in fish treated with 0.5% and 1% w/w F1-BEO (p < 0.05). The statistically non-significant increase in GOT and GPT in the fish fed with F1-BEO up to 3% w/w indicated a positive effect of basil on liver health. Our findings suggest a potential use for basil extracts (for example., F1-BEO) in fish feed to reduce antibiotic use and improve fish welfare. Full article

Phytotherapy is based on the use of plants to prevent or treat human and animal diseases. Recently, the use of essential oils and polyphenol-enriched extracts is also rapidly increasing in the aquaculture sector as a means of greater industrial and environmental sustainability. Previous studies assessed the antibacterial and antiparasitic effects of these bioactive compounds on fish. However, studies on the modulation of oxidative stress biomarkers are still scant to date. Thus, in this study, the modulation of antioxidant defense against oxidative stress exerted by fish diets supplemented with a basil supercritical extract (F1-BEO) was assessed in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. The F1-BEO extracted with supercritical fluid extraction was added to the commercial feed flour (0.5, 1, 2, 3% w/w) and mixed with fish oil to obtain a suitable compound for pellet preparation. Fish were fed for 30 days. The levels of stress biomarkers such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, glutathione reductase, glyoxalase I, glyoxalase II, lactate dehydrogenase, glutathione and malondialdehyde showed a boost in the antioxidant pathway in fish fed with a 0.5% F1-BEO-supplemented diet. Higher F1-BEO supplementation led to a failure of activity of several enzymes and the depletion of glutathione levels. Malondialdehyde concentration suggests a sufficient oxidative stress defense against lipid peroxidation in all experimental groups, except for a 3% F1-BEO-supplemented diet (liver 168.87 ± 38.79 nmol/mg prot; kidney 146.86 ± 23.28 nmol/mg prot), compared to control (liver 127.76 ± 18.15 nmol/mg prot; kidney 98.68 ± 15.65 nmol/mg prot). Our results suggest supplementing F1-BEO in fish diets up to 0.5% to avoid potential oxidative pressure in farmed trout. Full article

Microplastics (MPs) pollution is arousing growing attention, yet knowledge about its occurrence in amphibians is scant to date. With this study, we aimed to determine whether plastic (>5000 μm) and MPs (10–5000 μm) could be detected in adult Rana temporaria from a high-mountain ecosystem (the Cottian Alps, northwest Italy). To do this, aquatic compartments and the digestive tract of adult R. temporaria were analyzed. Water, sediment, periphyton, aquatic macroinvertebrates, and tadpoles tested negative for plastic and MPs. Microplastics were detected in all the adult frogs (n = 5); all the identified items (one per specimen) were fibers (size range: 550.91–2355.51 µm). A statistically significant positive correlation between the particle length and frog size was recorded. The predominant fiber color was blue. The chemical composition was polyamide (60%), polyethylene (20%), and polyethylene terephthalate (20%). Since both the biotic and the abiotic freshwater compartments (tadpoles included) revealed the absence of MPs, it can be assumed that adult frogs ingest MPs from the surrounding terrestrial environment. Full article

Essential oils are biologically and environmentally safe pesticidal compounds yielded from aromatic plants. Spices are important sources of essential oils, and they are widely used in the medicine, food, and various other industries. Among the different spices, Allspice (Pimenta dioica) is underexplored in terms of its biological efficacy and a limited number of studies are available on the chemical composition of Allspice essential oil (AEO); thus, the present study evaluated the larvicidal property, the repellency, and the fumigant toxicity against common pests of stored products of AEO. AEO was found to inhibit the survival of larvae of such vectors as Aedis, Culex, and Armigeres species. Further, AEO was found to exert repellant effects against the pests of such stored products as Sitophilus, Callosobruchus, and Tribolium. Similarly, the fumigant toxicity was found to be high for AEO against these species. The contact toxicity of AEO was high against Sitophilus and Callosobruchus. Apart from that, the essential oil was found to be safe against a non-target organism (guppy fishes) and was found to be non-genotoxic in an Allium cepa model. Overall, the results of the present study indicate that the essential oil from Allspice could be used as an environmentally safe larvicidal and biopesticidal compound. Full article

Microplastics (MPs) pose biological and chemical hazards in aquatic and terrestrial food webs across the globe. Research on microplastic contamination has long focused on marine ecosystems, whereas the toxicological impact on freshwater organisms is still little explored. In this study, the lethal and sublethal response of the freshwater macroinvertebrate Hydropsyche pellucidula exposed to polypropylene MPs after different pre-conditioning treatments was assessed. Field samples were collected in a riverine system (Vipacco river; northeast Italy) to assess the characteristics of the MPs in the aquatic environment Both water and sediment were contaminated by MPs (3.73 ± 2.11 items m⁻³ per min and 3.33 ± 4.16 items dm⁻³, respectively). The chemical MPs composition included polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyurethane, polyamide, polypropylene, and polyethylene. Polypropylene (PP), although not the most abundant polymer recorded in the study area, was preferred over the other types according to its abundance in freshwater and H. pellucidula feeding behavior. A housing test was performed to recreate the natural conditions of larvae sampled for a reliable response to the ecotoxicological tests. The microplastics underwent either preconditioning with Vipacco River water (PP-river) and surfactant Triton X-100 (PP-sf) or no pre-treatment (PP). Submersion of microplastics in 10 µg L⁻¹ of surfactant solution for 24 h was sufficient to induce consistent spectral changes and modify the chemical profile of the plastic surface. Mortality rate differed according to treatment: PP and PP-river > positive control > PP-sf > negative control. Integrated biomarker response (IBRv2) and analysis of oxidative stress biomarker levels showed a greater response of superoxide dismutase and lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde) in larvae treated with PP conditioned in surfactant. Our findings enhance knowledge on the toxicity of PP and conditioning phases on H. pellucidula larvae. Full article

Despite the prevalence of the common pharmaceutical ibuprofen (IBU) in water and sediments worldwide, the effects of IBU on plants are largely unknown. This study was designed to assess the ecotoxicological effects of emerging pharmaceutical pollutant IBU on plant growth and development in a series of toxicity experiments using cowpea (Vigna unguiculata). Plant growth parameters (morphological and physicochemical) were investigated under a series of IBU concentrations (0, 400, 800, 1200, 1600, 2000 ppm IBU). IBU exposure reduced the shoot and root lengths, fresh and dry weights, leaf area, and chlorophyll a and b, carotenoid, total chlorophyll, mineral (K and Mg), glutathione reductase, and soluble protein contents. Simultaneously, increases in Ca and Mn contents, sodium translocation from roots to shoots, H₂O₂, malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and IBU uptake were observed. The amount of bioaccumulated IBU varied between 7% and 8%. IBU was translocated from roots to shoots with a translocation factor of 3–16%. The IC₅₀ values for biomass and plant length were 1253 and 1955 ppm IBU, respectively, which is much higher than the reported levels of IBU in the environment. This study demonstrates that cowpea plants develop several morphological and physicochemical adaptations to cope under ibuprofen stress; environmentally relevant concentrations of IBU are unlikely to produce negative impacts. Full article