Search Results (130)

Aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA oligonucleotides screened by systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) methods, which are widely used in food analysis. Aptamers have the advantages of low molecular weight, ease of preparation, simplicity of chemical modification, and structural stability. Aptamers generated by SELEX are typically 80–100 bases in length, and the affinity of the aptamer can be improved by sequence optimization. Methods of aptamer optimization commonly include truncation, mutation, and chemical modification, and molecular docking, molecular dynamics, circular dichroism, and isothermal titration to assess often the binding performance of the aptamer to the target. Optimized aptamers usually enhance the affinity of the aptamer for the target and increase its sensitivity in the detection of pesticides, heavy metals, fungal toxins, pathogenic bacteria, and other objects. This paper focuses on truncation, mutation, chemical modification, the introduction of rare nucleotides, and computer-aided design. It provides an overview of non-immobilized optimization metrics. Full article

Food safety plays an important and fundamental role, primarily for human health and certainly for the food industry. In this context, developing efficient, highly sensitive, safe, inexpensive, and fast analytical methods for determining chemical and biological contaminants, such as electrochemical (bio)sensors, is crucial. The development of innovative and high-performance electrochemical (bio)sensors can significantly support food chain monitoring. In this review, we have surveyed and analyzed the latest examples of electrochemical (bio)sensors for the analysis of some common biological contaminants, such as toxins and pathogenic bacteria and chemical contaminants, such as pesticides, and antibiotics. Full article

Mitochondria are primary targets for environmental toxic chemicals; these typically disrupt the mitochondrial electron transport chain, resulting in reduced ATP production, increased reactive oxygen free radical species (ROS)-induced oxidative stress, increased apoptosis, and increased inflammation. This in turn suggests a rationale for investigating the potential role of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in mediating such chemical-induced mitochondrial dysfunction, given the key roles of CoQ10 in promoting normal mitochondrial function, and as an antioxidant and anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory agent. In the present article, we have, therefore, reviewed the potential role of supplementary CoQ10 in improving mitochondrial function and mediating adverse effects following exposure to a number of environmental toxins, including pesticides, heavy metals, industrial solvents, endocrine-disrupting agents, and carcinogens, as well as pharmacological drugs and lifestyle toxicants. Full article

Sustainable agricultural practices are essential for eradicating global hunger, especially in light of the growing world population. Utilizing natural antagonists, such as fungi and bacteria, to combat plant diseases, rather than relying solely on synthetic chemical pesticides, which pose significant risks to the environment and human health, is known as biocontrol. Microbial biological control agents (MBCAs) have proven effective against phytopathogens and are increasingly embraced in agricultural practices. MBCAs possess several beneficial traits, including antagonistic potential, rhizosphere competence, and the ability to produce lytic enzymes, antibiotics, and toxins. These biocontrol mechanisms directly target soil-borne pathogens or indirectly stimulate a plant-mediated resistance response. The effectiveness of MBCAs in managing plant diseases depends on various mechanisms, such as hyperparasitism, antibiosis, competition for nutrients or space, disruption of quorum-sensing signals, production of siderophores, generation of cell wall-degrading enzymes, and the induction and priming of plant resistance. Formulating effective biopesticides requires optimal conditions, including selecting effective strains, considering biosafety, appropriate storage methods, and ensuring a prolonged shelf life. Therefore, formulation is crucial in developing pesticide products, particularly concerning efficacy and production costs. However, several challenges must be addressed to ensure the successful application of biological control, including the shelf life of biopesticides, slower efficacy in pest management, inadequate awareness and understanding of biocontrol methods, regulatory registration for commercialization, and suitable agricultural applications. This review clarifies the principles of plant disease biocontrol, highlighting the mechanisms of action and functionality of MBCAs in biocontrol activities, the formulation of biopesticides derived from microorganisms, and the challenges and barriers associated with the development, registration, commercialization, and application of biopesticides. Full article

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain a leading global health concern, responsible for substantial morbidity and mortality. In recent years, as our understanding of the multifaceted nature of CVDs has increased, it has become increasingly evident that traditional risk factors alone do not account for the entirety of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Environmental toxins, a heterogeneous group of substances ubiquitous in our surroundings, have now entered the spotlight as offenders in the development and progression of CVDs. Environmental toxins include heavy metals, air pollutants, pesticides, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, among others. Upon exposure, they can elicit oxidative stress, a condition characterized by an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the body’s ability to detoxify and repair the resulting damage. Oxidative stress triggers a cascade of events, including inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, lipid peroxidation, and vascular remodeling, which can contribute to the development of atherosclerosis, hypertension, and other cardiovascular pathologies. This article delves into the molecular mechanisms underpinning oxidative stress-mediated cardiovascular damage induced by environmental toxins, emphasizing the role of specific toxins in this process. Further research is necessary to understand how individual susceptibility and genotype influence the impact of environmental toxins on oxidative stress and the risk of CVD. Full article

The increasing prevalence of toxic compounds in food, agriculture, and the environment presents a critical challenge to public health and ecological sustainability. Carbon nanodots (CNDs), with their excellent photoluminescence, biocompatibility, and ease of functionalization, have emerged as highly promising materials for developing advanced sensors that target hazardous substances. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the synthesis, functionalization, and sensing mechanisms of CND-based sensors, highlighting their versatile application in detecting toxic compounds such as heavy metals, pesticides, mycotoxins, and emerging contaminants. The article outlines recent advancements in fluorescence, electrochemical, and colorimetric detection strategies and presents key case studies that illustrate the successful application of CNDs in real-world monitoring scenarios. Furthermore, it addresses the challenges associated with reproducibility, scalability, selectivity, and sensor stability and explores future directions for integrating CNDs with smart and sustainable technologies. This review emphasizes the transformative potential of CNDs in achieving rapid, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly toxin detection solutions across multiple domains. Full article

The rapid growth of the world’s population is generating escalating demands for food production. Global food demand is expected to increase by 35% to 56% between 2010 and 2050. Therefore, food mass production is becoming more challenging. The chemicalization of food production, processing, transport, packaging, and storage is almost impossible to avoid. These factors, along with environmental pollution, contribute to the increase in food product contamination. Xenobiotics appearing in food, including a variety of toxic substances (heavy metals, acrylamide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), and pathogens (pathogenic bacteria, fungi, molds, and yeast-producing mycotoxins) can threaten consumers’ safety and have negative economic implications. In this regard, the introduction of effective detoxification methods appears to be very important. It can be accomplished by physical, chemical, and biological means. Many reports have proved that probiotics are useful in food biodetoxification. Probiotics effectively reduce food contamination (at various stages of food production) and, moreover, annihilate toxins present in the human body. Many in vitro studies have confirmed the biodetoxification properties of probiotics, demonstrating that they diminish the toxic effects of the main types of food contaminants (heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides, mycotoxins, nitrates and nitrites, acrylamide, alkylphenols, biogenic amines, and dioxins). Probiotics produce various bioactive compounds, including antimutagenic, antioxidant, and anti-carcinogenic compounds. Their protective and beneficial influence on human microbiota can modulate host inflammatory processes, inhibit carcinogenesis, and modify immune resistance. Detoxification with probiotics is environment-friendly and, unlike physical and chemical methods, does not adversely affect the nutritional value and quality of food. In addition, probiotics in food are associated with well-known human health benefits; therefore, as a functional food, they have gained common consumer acceptance. The large-scale application of biodetoxification methods in both agriculture and the food industry is a challenge for the future. Based on contemporary research, this review provides the mechanism of probiotic biodetoxification, possible applications of various probiotics, and future trends. Full article

Chemical food safety is a fundamental pillar of public health, regulatory governance, and economic stability, with far-reaching implications for human, animal, and environmental well-being. In the matter of chemicals in the food chain, the European Union (EU) has established one of the most sophisticated and robust regulatory frameworks to ensure food safety and balance consumer protection with scientific advancements and industry needs. This review provides a holistic analysis of the EU chemical food safety scenario, examining its regulatory framework, key risk assessment methodologies, and the roles of critical institutions involved in monitoring, enforcement, and policymaking. The new and evolving challenges of chemical food safety, including transparency, cumulative risk assessment, and emerging contaminants, were discussed. Special attention is given to major classes of chemical substances in food, their regulatory oversight, and the scientific principles guiding their assessment, as well as to the role of key actors, including regulatory agencies, official laboratories, and competent authorities. This work offers an updated and integrated analysis of chemical food safety in the EU, uniquely combining regulatory, scientific, and enforcement perspectives and providing a structured roadmap for future directions. Full article

Current studies suggest that environmental toxins may play a significant role in the fetal origins of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Significant evidence from animal experiments has demonstrated that these toxins can disrupt fetal neurodevelopment. PD is a neurodegenerative disorder related to the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (S. nigra) and accumulation of α-synuclein (α-syn) in the brain. Parkinson’s disease has long been associated with an idiopathic etiology, with environmental or ontogenetic factors as causes; however, the list of causal agents continues to expand as their effects are investigated at different stages of development. To explore the potential ontogenetic origins of PD, we exposed female rats subcutaneously (s.c.) to 1 mg/kg of the pesticide rotenone (ROT)—21 days during gestation, 21 days of breastfeeding, or 42 days in both periods—and assessed its long-term effects on their pups in adulthood. Our findings reveal that ROT exposure induces the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the S. nigra of adult rats. We administered ROT to dams during specific developmental stages and examined the nigrostriatal pathway and its functionality in offspring upon reaching young adulthood. Our results showed that perinatal ROT exposure led to (1) diminished motor skills, (2) greater concentrations of α-syn in the caudate nucleus (C. nucleus) and S. nigra, (3) reduced numbers of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive neurons, and (4) hypomethylation of global 5-methylcytosine DNA compared to control rats at 60 days of age. The effects were more pronounced in rats exposed to ROT in utero and in both the in utero and breastfeeding periods, with fewer effects observed in those exposed only during breastfeeding. Thus, our findings suggest that exposure to ROT during the early developmental stages predisposes rats to Parkinsonian symptoms later in adulthood. Full article

Food safety is a significant issue of global concern. Consumer safety and government regulations drive the need for the accurate analysis of food contaminants, residues and other chemical constituents of concern. Traditional methods for the detection of food contaminants often present challenges, including lengthy processing times and food matrix interference; they often require expensive equipment, skilled personnel or have limitations in sensitivity or specificity. Developing novel analytical methods that are sensitive, specific, accurate and rapid is therefore crucial for ensuring food safety and the protection of consumers. The immuno-polymerase chain reaction (IPCR) method offers a promising solution in the analysis of food contaminants by combining the specificity of conventional immunological methods with the exponential sensitivity of PCR amplification. This review evaluates the current state of IPCR methods, describes a variety of existing IPCR formats and explores their application in the analysis of food contaminants, including pathogenic bacteria and their toxins, viruses, mycotoxins, allergens, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, phthalic acid esters, pesticides, antibiotics and other food contaminants. Depending on the type of analyte, either sandwich or competitive format IPCR methods are predominantly used. This review also examines limitations of current IPCR methods and explores potential advancements for future implementation in the field of food safety. Full article

Regulatory heterogeneity on the maximum residue levels (MRLs) of hazardous substances for food is identified as a challenge of trade between countries. To balance the import and export trade of milk, a high-throughput determination method was established for hazardous substances with regulatory differences. In this paper, we investigated 462 hazardous substances with different MRLs for food based on different countries’ regulations, involving pesticides, veterinary drugs, and some toxins. A mass database was established for these compounds including the basic information, retention time, collision cross section, parent ion, and product ions with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography ion mobility quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-IM-QTOFMS). After that, the sample preparation for milk, including extraction solvents and purified sorbents, was optimized by selecting 274 hazardous compounds as the representative compounds. Acetonitrile/methanol (9:1, v/v) containing 1% acetic acid was used for extracting, and 50 mg EMR and 50 mg PSA were used for purifying the target substances in milk. Then, the methodology was evaluated by spiking the compounds in real milk. The experiment was conducted by matrix calibration, and the results displayed that most compounds had good linearity within their linear ranges (R² > 0.99). The recovery ranged from 61.8% to 119.7% at three spiking levels, with RSDs between 1.1% and 20.2%. The limits of quantitation of target compounds in milk ranged from 1 to 10 μg/kg. This could meet the MRL requirements among different countries. All the results demonstrated this determination technology was a fast, sensitive, and accurate method for screening hazardous substance. Full article

Biosensors are innovative and cost-effective analytical devices that integrate biological recognition elements (bioreceptors) with transducers to detect specific substances (biomolecules), providing a high sensitivity and specificity for the rapid and accurate point-of-care (POC) quantitative detection of selected biomolecules. In the meat production chain, their application has gained attention due to the increasing demand for enhanced food safety, quality assurance, food fraud detection, and regulatory compliance. Biosensors can detect foodborne pathogens (Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli/STEC, L. monocytogenes, etc.), spoilage bacteria and indicators, contaminants (pesticides, dioxins, and mycotoxins), antibiotics, antimicrobial resistance genes, hormones (growth promoters and stress hormones), and metabolites (acute-phase proteins as inflammation markers) at different modules along the meat chain, from livestock farming to packaging in the farm-to-fork (F2F) continuum. By providing real-time data from the meat chain, biosensors enable early interventions, reducing the health risks (foodborne outbreaks) associated with contaminated meat/meat products or sub-standard meat products. Recent advancements in micro- and nanotechnology, microfluidics, and wireless communication have further enhanced the sensitivity, specificity, portability, and automation of biosensors, making them suitable for on-site field applications. The integration of biosensors with blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT) systems allows for acquired data integration and management, while their integration with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) enables rapid data processing, analytics, and input for risk assessment by competent authorities. This promotes transparency and traceability within the meat chain, fostering consumer trust and industry accountability. Despite biosensors’ promising potential, challenges such as scalability, reliability associated with the complexity of meat matrices, and regulatory approval are still the main challenges. This review provides a broad overview of the most relevant aspects of current state-of-the-art biosensors’ development, challenges, and opportunities for prospective applications and their regular use in meat safety and quality monitoring, clarifying further perspectives. Full article

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors are widely used for the symptomatic treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD). They demonstrate antiparkinsonian activity in different toxin-based models induced by 6-hydroxydopamine, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), and pesticides (rotenone and paraquat). In some models, such as MPTP-induced PD, MAO inhibitors prevent the formation of the neurotoxin MPP⁺ from the protoxin MPTP. Regardless of the toxin’s nature, potent MAO inhibitors prevent dopamine loss reduction, the formation of hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen peroxide signaling, and the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide-derived reactive oxygen species responsible for the development of oxidative stress. It becomes increasingly clear that some metabolites of MAO inhibitors (e.g., the rasagiline metabolite 1-R-aminoindan) possess their own bio-pharmacological activities unrelated to the parent compound. In addition, various MAO inhibitors exhibit multitarget action, in which MAO-independent effects prevail. This opens new prospects in the development of novel therapeutics based on simultaneous actions on several prospective targets for the therapy of PD. Full article

Environmental toxins and epigenetic changes have been linked to neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Parkinson’s Disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This paper aimed to (i) identify environmental toxins associated with AD, PD, and ALS, (ii) locate potential industrial sources of toxins in the United States (U.S.), and (iii) assess epigenetic changes driven by exposure to toxins reported by patients. Environmental factors and epigenetic biomarkers of neurodegeneration were compiled from 69 studies in the literature using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) and geographic information system approaches. Some 127 environmental toxins have been associated or putatively associated with AD, PD, or ALS, with four toxic metals (As, Cd, Mn, and Hg) common to all three of these neurodegenerative diseases. Environmental toxins associated with epigenetic changes (e.g., DNA methylation) in patients include air pollutants, metals, and organic chemicals (e.g., pesticides, mycotoxins, and cyanotoxins). Geographic analysis showed that study locations (e.g., U.S., Europe, and East Asia) were selected by researchers based on convenience of access rather than exposure risk and disease prevalence. We conclude that several toxins and epigenetic markers shared among neurodegenerative diseases could serve as attractive future targets guiding environmental quality improvements and aiding in early disease detection. Full article

ABC toxin complexes (Tcs) are tripartite complexes that come together to form nano-syringe-like translocation systems. ABC Tcs are often compared with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins, and as such, they have been highly studied as a potential novel pesticide to combat growing insect resistance. Moreover, it is possible to substitute the cytotoxic hypervariable region with alternative peptides, which promise potential use as a novel peptide delivery system. These toxins possess the unique ability to form active chimeric holotoxins across species and display the capability to translocate a variety of payloads across membrane bilayers. Additionally, mutagenesis on the linker region and the receptor binding domains (RBDs) show that mutations do not inherently cause a loss of functionality for translocation. For these reasons, Tcs have emerged as an ideal candidate for targeted protein engineering. However, elucidation of the specific function of each RBD in relation to target receptor recognition currently limits the use of a rational design approach with any ABC Tc. Additionally, there is a distinct lack of targeting and biodistribution data for many Tcs among mammals and mammalian cell lines. Here, we outline two separate strategies for modifying the targeting capabilities of the A subunit (TcA) from Xenorhabdus nematophilus, Xn-XptA2. We identify novel structural differences that make Xn-XptA2 different than other characterized TcAs and display the modular capabilities of substituting RBDs from alternative TcAs into the Xn-XptA2 scaffold. Finally, we show the first, to our knowledge, biodistribution data of any TcA in mice. Full article