Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons^™

Understanding Effect Of Ionic Liquid On Metalloproteins: Laccase And Azurin, Aashka Y. Patel

Theses and Dissertations

Interactions between ionic liquids and biomolecules have been of great interest due to the intrinsic properties of ionic liquids and the flexibility to mix and match cations and anions to create unique ionic liquids. A number of ionic liquid-biomolecule studies have focused on the interactions with proteins, including industrially relevant enzymes. One of these, laccase from Trametes versicolor, is a naturally derived enzyme used in the breakdown of phenolic compounds in a wide variety of industries, especially useful in breakdown of lignocellulosic materials. Here, a combination of experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to investigate the interactions …

Chemical Explosion, Covid-19, And Environmental Justice: Insights From Low-Cost Air Quality Sensors, Guning Liu, Katie Moore, Wei-Chung Su, George L Delclos, David Gimeno Ruiz De Porras, Bing Yu, Hezhong Tian, Bin Luo, Shao Lin, Grace Tee Lewis, Elena Craft, Kai Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: to examine the impact of the Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) fire and COVID-19 on airborne particulate matter (PM) concentrations and the PM disproportionally affecting communities in Houston using low-cost sensors.

METHODS: We compared measurements from a network of low-cost sensors with a separate network of monitors from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Houston metropolitan area from Mar 18, 2019, to Dec 31, 2020. Further, we examined the associations between neighborhood-level sociodemographic status and air pollution patterns by linking the low-cost sensor data to EPA environmental justice screening and mapping systems.

FINDINGS: We found increased PM levels during …

Acknowledgment Of Reviewers

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

No abstract provided.

Inorganic Arsenic Speciation Analysis In Food Using Hplc/Icp-Ms: Method Development And Validation, Yu-Cheng Lai, Yi-Chen Tsai, Yu-Ning Shin, Ya-Chun Chou, Ying-Ru Shen, Nu-Ching Lin, Shu-Han Chang, Ya-Min Kao, Su-Hsiang Tseng, Der-Yuan Wang

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Arsenic (As) compounds can be classified as organic or inorganic, with inorganic arsenic (iAs) having significantly higher toxicity than organic As. As may accumulate in food materials that have been exposed to As-contaminated environments. Thus, the “Sanitation Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Foods” published by the Ministry of Health and Welfare set the standard limits for iAs content in rice, seaweed, seafood, and marine oils to safeguard public health. Therefore, a robust analytical method must be developed to selectively and quantitatively determine iAs content in rice, seaweed, seafood, and marine oils. Herein, we reported and verified the method of …

Optimization Of Quechers And High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Fluorescence Detection Conditions To Assess The Impact Of Preparation Procedures On Eu Priority Pahs In Coffee Samples And Their Pahs Consumption Risk, Ying-Chun Wan, Zwe-Lin Kong, Yu-Hsuan Chao, Chia-Fang Teng, Deng-Jye Yang

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

The good performance conditions for determination of EU priority PAHs in coffee samples were established to evaluate the effects of roasting degree on the PAHs in coffee beans and the brewing methods on the PAHs transfer from coffee beans to their brews. The consumption risk of the PAHs in coffee products was also assessed. The PAHs levels of the roasted coffee beans were in the order: 923.65 ng/g (dark roast) > 132.20 ng/g (medium roast) > 69.28 ng/g (light roast). Compared with general brewing with the drip bag (PAHs content, 0.30–0.62 ng/mL in coffee brews), the coffee machine brewing (set at 4 …

Effect Of Sterilization Conditions On The Formation Of Furan And Its Derivatives In Canned Foods With Different Substrates, Wen-Xuan Tsao, Bing-Huei Chen, Tsai-Hua Kao

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

This study explored the effects of sterilization conditions on the formation of furan and its 10 derivatives in canned foods with a sterilizing value (F0) at 4. The contents of furans were determined by SPME arrow-GC-MS/MS, along with the furan precursors analyzed for elucidating the possible mechanism of furan formation. Results revealed that the total furan contents rose substantially in canned meat paste, tomato mackerel, chicken puree, tomato paste, pineapple slice, pineapple juice and carrot juice following sterilization. However, the total furan content did not change significantly ( p > 0.05) in canned oily mackerel, but decreased significantly ( p < 0.05) in canned apple puree after sterilization. With the exception of apple puree and pineapple slice, all the other canned foods showed a higher total furan content under low-temperature-long-time condition than that under high-temperature-short-time condition. Following heating, only the furan level showed a large increase in chicken puree, meat paste and tomato mackerel, whereas in canned fruit- and vegetable-based foods, the contents of furan and furfural showed a pronounced increase. The levels of alkylated furans were higher in sterilized samples containing high level of amino acid, while that of oxygenated furans were higher in sterilized samples containing high level of reducing sugar.

Optimum Synthesis Of Au@Ag Nanoparticle As Plasma Amplifier To Detect Trace Concentration Of Afb1 Via Object-Binder-Metal Sers Method, Wenwen Chen, Qiang Chen, Wei Zhang, De Zhang, Zhi Yu, Ying Song, Xiubing Zhang, Dejiang Ni, Pei Liang

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

The problem of aflatoxin contamination emerged gradually in the field of food safety. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an ultra-sensitive and non-destructive spectroscopy technology with extensive application prospects in the detection field. In this paper, with the detection of AFB1 as the target, Au@Ag NPs substrate with uniform morphology and strong SERS effect was prepared. Furthermore, the intermediates formed by hydrogen bonding between AFB1 and melamine facilitate the binding of toxin molecules to the substrate. Moreover, the AFB1-melamine-Au@Ag NPs detection system was established by optimizing the melamine dosage, and the limit of detection can reach 10^-8 mol/L (M). In …

Simple And Rapid Detection Of Ractopamine In Pork With Comparison Of Lspr And Lfia Sensors, Min Ji Lee, Sheik Aliya, Eun-Seon Lee, Tae-Joon Jeon, Mi-Hwa Oh, Yun Suk Huh

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

This study developed a simple and rapid strategic technique to detect ractopamine (chemical growth-promoting agent) in pork. Two highly sensitive and specific gold nanoparticle-based portable sensors, i.e., localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensors, and lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) strips were developed to detect veterinary drug residues in food products, that have detrimental effects on humans. Optimization studies were conducted on several sensor devices to improve sensitivity. Each sensor comprised functionalized gold nanoparticles conjugated with ractopamine antibodies. The LSPR sensor chip achieved excellent detection sensitivity = 1.19 fg/mL and was advantageous for quantitative analysis due to its wide dynamic range. On …

Recent Trends In Analysis Of Mycotoxins In Food Using Carbon-Based Nanomaterials, Bing-Huei Chen, Baskaran Stephen Inbaraj

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Mycotoxins (MYTs), a class of low molecular weight secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi in food and feed, pose serious global threat to both human health and world economy. Due to their mutagenic, teratogenic, carcinogenic and immunosuppressive effects, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified various MYTs under Group 1 to 3 category with aflatoxins being designated under Group 1 category (carcinogenic to humans). Also, the presence of MYTs in trace amounts in diverse food matrices necessitates exploration of highly sensitive methods for onsite analysis. Although conventional chromatographic methods are highly sensitive, they are expensive, tedious and cannot …

Recent Advances In Immunoassay-Based Mycotoxin Analysis And Toxicogenomic Technologies, Winnie-Pui-Pui Liew, Mohd-Redzwan Sabran

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

The co-occurrence and accumulation of mycotoxin in food and feed constitutes a major issue to food safety, food security, and public health. Accurate and sensitive mycotoxins analysis can avoid toxin contamination as well as reduce food wastage caused by false positive results. This mini review focuses on the recent advance in detection methods for multiple mycotoxins, which mainly depends on immunoassay technologies. Advance immunoassay technologies integrated in mycotoxin analysis enable simultaneous detection of multiple mycotoxins and enhance the outcomes’ quality. It highlights toxicogenomic as novel approach for hazard assessment by utilizing computational methods to map molecular events and biological processes. …

Analysis Of Highly Polar Pesticides In Foods By Lc-Ms/Ms, Wan-Rou Liao, Kuan-Lu Wu, Kun-Hao Chiang, Chieh-En Teng, Sung-Fang Chen

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Highly polar pesticides (HPP) are a group of pesticides that are characterize as low Log Kow. Many high-throughput multi-residue analysis methods based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the simultaneous determination of such polar pesticides have been proposed. In this article, we summarize the various sample preparation methods including quick polar pesticides (QuPPe), dispersive solid phase extraction (dSPE), solid phase extraction (SPE) and QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe), especially for QuPPe, which are mainly used for the determination of HPP in foods. In addition, we summarize LC-based separation methodologies that are currently used for the analysis …

Microbial Toxins In Fermented Foods: Health Implications And Analytical Techniques For Detection, Khadijah Fayyaz, Asad Nawaz, Amin N. Olaimat, Kashif Akram, Umar Farooq, Mehreen Fatima, Shahida Anusha Siddiqui, Insha Shakeel Rana, Mahnoor Mahnoor, Hafiz Muhammad Shahbaz

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Recently, demand for fermented foods has increased due to their improved nutritional value, taste, and health-promoting properties. Worldwide consumption of these products is increasing. Fermented foods are generally safe for human consumption. However, some toxins, primarily biogenic amines (putrescine, phenylethylamine, histamine, tyramine, and cadaverine), mycotoxins (fumonisins, aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, zearalenone, and trichothecenes), and bacterial toxins (endotoxins, enterotoxins, and emetic toxins) can be produced as a result of using an inappropriate starter culture, processing conditions, and improper storage. These toxins can cause a multitude of foodborne illnesses and can lead to cardiovascular aberration and adverse gastrointestinal symptoms. Analytical techniques are in …

Recent Advances In The Analysis Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In Food And Water, Bing-Huei Chen, Baskaran Stephen Inbaraj, Kuo-Chiang Hsu

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a class of harmful and persistent organic contaminant, are widely distributed in the environment and eventually accumulated in water and food. Also, they are formed in different varieties and varying amounts during processing of food depending on the food composition, cooking method and processing condition. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), various PAHs are classified under Group 1 to 3 category, with Group 1 designated as carcinogenic to humans, Group 2A as probable carcinogen, Group 2B as possible carcinogen and Group 3 as noncarcinogenic. Therefore, it is imperative to develop rapid and …

Preface, Bing-Huei Chen

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

No abstract provided.

Discovering New Potential Inhibitors To Sars-Cov-2 Rna Dependent Rna Polymerase (Rdrp) Using High Throughput Virtual Screening And Molecular Dynamics Simulations., Dylan Brunt, Phillip M Lakernick, Chun Wu

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), is an essential in the RNA replication within the life cycle of the severely acute respiratory coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing the deadly respiratory induced sickness COVID-19. Remdesivir is a prodrug that has seen some success in inhibiting this enzyme, however there is still the pressing need for effective alternatives. In this study, we present the discovery of four non-nucleoside small molecules that bind favorably to SARS-CoV-2 RdRp over the active form of the popular drug remdesivir (RTP) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by utilizing high-throughput virtual screening (HTVS) against the vast ZINC compound database coupled with extensive …

An In Silico Study Of The Delta Opioid Receptor Using Small Molecules, Emily Dean

Theses and Dissertations

The DOR is the least studied out of the three opioid receptors (Mu, Kappa, and Delta). The most is known of the Mu Opioid receptor (MOR) and the drugs that target it have led to the global opioid epidemic due to their adverse effects of tolerance and addiction. The DOR is not known for the same adverse effects and therefore, is a promising pharmacological target for the development of new opioid ligands. In this thesis, molecular modeling, simulations and other computational methods are introduced in Chapter 1 where these methods are used to study the activation mechanism of DOR (Chapter …

Esterase Mediated Insecticide Resistance In The Southern House Mosquito, Culex Quinquefasciatus, Vivek Pokhrel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Much is known about the development of insecticide resistance associated with targeted application against insect populations. However, off-target selection by applications of insecticides in agricultural and residential sites also impacts development of insecticide resistance and is understudied. Similarly, the impact of selecting one life stage of mosquitoes on the insecticide susceptibility of different life stages is largely unknown. The first part of this study shows that susceptibility to chlorantraniliprole, which is applied in rice and sugarcane fields in LA, decreased (5.7 to12-fold) in populations of Culex quinquefasciatus collected from near these fields compared to a reference field strain. In addition, …

The Presence Of Microcystin In The Northwest Indiana Watershed, Breeann Mild

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Developmental Behavioral Alterations Following Lead (Pb) Exposure In The Zebrafish Model System, Jenny Chen

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Behavioral Alterations Following Exposure To A Mixture Of Lead And Atrazine During Early Development In The Zebrafish Model System, Anusha Kv Lakshmi Dharmavathi

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

Lead (Pb) and atrazine (ATZ) are hazardous environmental toxicants that can exist as a mixture in potable water. Numerous single chemical studies on Pb and ATZ support adverse health outcomes, including neurotoxicity, but mixture studies are limited. Th e aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that Pb and ATZ mixtures result in a greater than additive toxicity, causing increased adverse health outcomes than single chemical exposures. Th e zebrafish model system was exposed to 3 or 30 ppb (µg/L) ATZ, 10 ppb (equivalent to 0.1 µg/dL) or 100 ppb Pb, along with mixtures of each beginning at …

Supporting The Protect Initiative, Josh Lefton, Jackson Murray, Ahmed Thabet, Sriram Baireddy, Prakash Shukla, Mridul Gupta, Reagan Becker, Julie Ertle, Tony Doan, Aerin Yang

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Recently, medication dosage errors have received more political and media attention. Dosage errors are the most common medical errors, affecting about 1.5 million people annually.

Furthermore, U.S. poison-control centers reported more than 200,000 cases per year of medication errors. These cases result in medical costs of around $3.5 billion, and children under 6 years old constitute approximately 30% of these cases.

The PROTECT Initiative (Preventing Overdoses and Treatment Errors in Children Taskforce) was launched in 2008 as a collaborative effort between public health agencies and patient advocates to minimize dosage errors.

In alignment with the PROTECT Initiative effort, this project …

Impact Of A Digital Educational Program On The Health Literacy And Perceived Drug Teratogenic Risk Of Diabetic Pregnant Women Attending A Malaysian Teaching Hospital, Sami Al-Shakhshir, Syed Azhar Sulaiman, Mohd Pazudin Ismail, Mahmoud S. Alhaddad, Yaser Mohammed Al-Worafi, Islam M. Ashram

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

ABSTRACTObjectives: The study aimed to identify the impact of clinical pharmacist’s digital educational program on health literacy and drug teratogenicity risk among Malaysian diabetic pregnant women. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was undertaken at the antenatal clinic at Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital (HUSM) in Malaysia. The study was carried out with 138 diabetic pregnant women who were conveniently interviewed to measure their health literacy and teratogenic risk perceptions before and after educational program which was conducted using WhatsApp application. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using SPSS version 22. P-values of less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Most participants had …

Citrus Aurantium Peels Secondary Metabolites Prevents Cell Senescence On Human Fibroblasts Cells By In Vitro And Bioinformatics Studies, Nur Dina Amalina, Sri Wahyuni, Harjito H, Meiny Suzery, Bambang Cahyono

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Aging is a medical problem affecting about 800 million people worldwide. However, the molecular mechanism of aging and aging-related disease has not yet been explored. Skin aging is a complex biological process primarily due to cellular senescence. Cellular senescence is an irreversible growth arrest that caused tissue to lose their cell-specific functionality, secreting pro-tumorigenic and pro-inflammatory cytokines, which eventually causes cancer. Citrus aurantium-derived secondary metabolites, including hesperidin, hesperetin, tangeretin, naringenin, nobiletin, and quercetin, are of vital importance to inhibiting aging due to their active properties. However, the effect of C. aurantium-derived secondary metabolites on the cells senescence and its molecular …

Synthesis, Docking Studies, Admet Prediction, And Antimicrobial Evaluation Of Coumarin-Oxadiazole Hybrids, Fabin Asmath Maziyuna, Abhishek Kumar, Pankaj Kumar

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

The overuse and misuse of marketed antimicrobial agents developed drug resistance, which has become a significant problem worldwide. A series of new coumarinyl-oxadiazole Schiff base derivatives were designed and synthesized. These synthesized molecules synthesis of coumarinyl-oxadiazole schiff base derivatives (FP1-FP7) were characterized using Infrared spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic spectroscopy, and mass spectroscopy and evaluated for their antibacterial potential against Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus) bacterial strain by measuring minimum inhibitory concentration values. Among the synthesized compounds, FP6 was found to be the best antibacterial agent having concentration values of 3.12 and 6.25 μg/ml against …

The Synergistic Antitumor Effects Of Curcuma Longa And Phyllanthus Niruri Extracts On Promoting Apoptotic Pathways In Breast Cancer Stem Cells, Dedy Hermansyah, Delfitri Munir, Aznan Lelo, Agung Putra, Nur Dina Amalina, Iffan Alif

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) develop apoptosis resistance by expressing pro- and anti-apoptotic protein including caspase-3, p53, and survivin. However, the induction of apoptosis is an important mechanism of action for many anticancer agents. Therefore, treatment using combination therapy was supposed to inhibit apoptosis resistance and increase the possibility of cancer apoptosis. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the combination Curcuma longa (CL) and Phyllanthus niruri (PN) extract on apoptosis induction. The single and combination cytotoxicity was analyzed using MTT assay. Apoptosis was measured by Annexin V-Propidium Iodide under flow cytometry. Caspase 3 expression was assessed by flow …

Acute Toxicity Of Atrazine, Alachlor, And Chlorpyrifos Mixtures To Honey Bees, Christopher J. Fellows, Troy D. Anderson, Daniel R. Swale

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The acute toxicity of chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-oxon (organophosphorothioate insecticides) was examined alone and in combination with atrazine (triazine herbicide) and alachlor (chloroacetanilide herbicide) to honey bees (Apis mellifera). Atrazine and alachlor were observed to not be acutely toxic to bees at doses up to 10 and 4 μg per bee, respectively. However, atrazine significantly increased chlorpyrifos toxicity by 3-fold while reducing chlorpyrifos-oxon toxicity by 1.8-fold. These changes in toxicity are correlated with significant 1.3- and 1.2-fold inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in bees exposed to chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-oxon, respectively. Atrazine significantly increased cytochrome P450, general esterase, and glutathione …

Carbon Dots: An Updated Overview On Their Synthesis, Properties, And Applications In Pharmaceutical And Biomedical Sciences, Earle Radha Rani, Majji Usharani, A. Lakshmi Usha

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Nowadays, carbon-based materials have acquired more attention in numerous fields including engineering, medicine, and pharmaceutics. As a new class of small carbon nanomaterials, carbon dots are developed due to their excellent physicochemical properties such as spherical shape, non-toxicity, cost effectiveness, facile, biocompatibility, and discrete particles <10 nm in diameter. In 2004, these carbon dots were first discovered accidentally during processing of single walled carbon nanotubes. Carbon dots have created huge excitement due to their advantages such as high water solubility, excellent biocompatibility, and resistance to photo bleaching. Carbon dots show unique properties such as photo stability, low toxicity, fluorescence, photo chemiluminescence, and electrochemiluminescence. Due to these properties, they have a wide range of applications in the field of bioimaging and drug delivery. Carbon dots are classified into two groups: Amorphous based carbon dots and graphene-based quantum dots with sp2 hybridization. The synthesis methods of carbon dots were reviewed along with their advantages and disadvantages. The applications of carbon dots in drug delivery, gene delivery, targeted drug delivery, crossing blood–brain barrier, and bio imaging were discussed.

Insights Into Novel Therapeutic Targets And Molecular Aspects In Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: A Review, Rukaiah Fatma Begum, M. Sumithra, V. Chitra, Sharmila Devi

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine syndrome in women associated with many other complications such as insulin resistance, obesity, hirsutism, increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, and infertility. As the pathophysiology of the syndrome still is not clear, it is difficult for the health-care professionals to precisely treat the syndrome. The cause of this syndrome is also unknown, but the evidences suggest that the factors such as environment, diet, and lifestyle are also a very common cause now a day for the syndrome. Recent pathophysiology of PCOS based on the Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) and melatonin levels has been seen …

Efficacy Of Investigative Candidate Drugs Against Sars Cov-2: An Update On Pre-Clinical And Clinical Trials, Maryam Bibi, Aatika Sadia, Muhammad Shahzad, Ahmad Irfan, Muhammad Asim Raza Basra

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

The unprecedented challenges presented by COVID-19 pandemic demands for an urgent development of effective therapeutic strategies against the deadly virus. Researchers thus far have revealed outcomes of pre-clinical and clinical studies of different interventions. This study aims to present overall summary of therapeutics that until this date are reported for their efficacy against COVID-19 in pre-clinical and clinical trials. A thorough literature search was conducted using databases for identification of studies published on the severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV (SARS COV-2) treatment. According to pre-clinical experiments, Nefamostat mesylate, Remdesivir, Chloroquine (CQ), Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), β-D-N4-hydroxycytidine (NHC EIDD-1931), Ivermectin, Boceprevir, Calpain inhibitors, …

Assessment Of Risk Factors And Prescription Analysis Among Embolic And Atherosclerotic Stroke Patients In A Charitable Hospital-A Retrospective Study, Shanty Mary Jose, Amala Johnson, Akshay Abraham, Uday Venkat Mateti, Adithi Kellarai, Raushan Kumar Chaudhary, Shraddha Shetty

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Purpose: Despite the burden of stroke globally, there is a lack of data on the current clinical profile of stroke in middle and low-income countries including, India. Hence, the purpose of this study was to identify risk factors, clinical presentations, and importantly, prescription trends in ischemic stroke patients. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted for six months using data of 350 ischemic stroke patients for the analysis of risk factors and prescription pattern. Results: The incidence of ischemic stroke was higher (66%) in males in compared to (34%) females with mean age of 61.07 ± 11.460. Further the atherosclerotic stroke …