Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons^™

Impact Of Imidacloprid On Forebrain Mitochondrial Enzymatic Activities Ec50, Ic50 And Impacts Of Mellissa Extracts, Sarra Zouaoui, Rachid Rouabhi, Chahinez Taib, Zina Bouteraa, Salim Gasmi, Brahim Benaicha, Nadjiba Toualbia

Journal of Bioresource Management

Neonicotinoids are new generation of neuroactive pesticides, used against a wide specter of insect species, and many non-target beings are affected with these pesticides’ impacts. Our work was focused on the impact of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 mg/kg of Imidacloprid the nicotinergic neuronal pathway inhibitor (N-ACh receptors) on the activities of mitochondrial detoxification enzymes (Catalase, SOD, GST and GPx) and acetylcholine esterase (AchE) in forebrain region of Wistar rats. Direct impact on enzymes activities was measured and the IC50, EC50 with or without Mellissa extracts were investigated. Our results showed that the IC₅₀ of imidacloprid on …

A Study On Bioaccumulation Of Two Heavy Metals In Pastures Irrigated With Wastewater And Translocation In Grazing Ruminants Through Forages: Public Health Implications, Zafar Iqbal Khan, Kafeel Ahmad, Tasneem Ahmad, Kausar Parveen, Asma Ashfaq, Naila Riaz, Faiza Zubair, Hafsa Memona, Shahzadi Mahpara, Ijaz Rasool Noorka, Tooqeer Abbas, Humayun Bashir, Abid Ejaz, Shahzad Akhtar, Aima Iram Batool, Naunain Mehmood, Farzana Siddique, Muhammad Nadeem, Muhammad Umer Farooq Awan, Allah Bakhsh Gulshan, Tayyba Liaqat, Tayyaba Aziz, Natasha Ameer

Journal of Bioresource Management

Copper and zinc play a very important role in plant development, but exposure at higher concentrations causes severe toxic effects. Copper (Cu) is an essential element for plants as it is involved in the synthesis of ATP and CO₂ assimilation, while zinc (Zn) stimulates several enzymes and is necessary for the biosynthesis of chlorophyll. The present research appraised the Cu and Zn concentrations in water, soil, forages (Trifolium repens, Cynodon dactylon, Lolium perenne, and Festuca arundinacea), milk, and hair samples of buffaloes. The samples were collected from the selected sites of Tehsil Bhalwal Punjab, Pakistan, and analyzed through an …

Degradation Of Chlorpyrifos Residue On Tropical Inceptisol Soil With Indigenous Bacteria Treatment, Asep Kurnia, Hidayatuz Zu`Amah, Baiq Nunung Sulastri, Ria Fauriah Makmur

Makara Journal of Science

The use of soil microbes is one of the most effective methods for degrading pesticide residue in soil. Microbes can accelerate the degradation of persistent pollutants including chlorpyrifos in soil. This research aims to find soil bacteria with the greatest potential to degrade chlorpyrifos residue in tropical inceptisol soil and determine its degradation index (DI). The soil used in this experiment was collected from agricultural fields in the districts of Demak, Central Java Province, Indonesia. The experiment was performed using factorial randomize complete block design composed of two factors and four replications. The first factors were made up of two …

Toxicosis From Range Lupine Ingestion In A Research Herd Of Rafter 7 Merino Sheep, Benjamin J. Weigler, Walter F. Mandeville Iii, Scott Huber, Gary Mccuin, Fabrizio Caragena, Daniel D. Cook, Stephen T. Lee, Chris A. Pritsos

Poisonous Plant Research (PPR)

An outbreak of lupine alkaloid neurotoxicosis and death occurred in sheep grazed on rangeland areas of the Nevada Great Basin during the summer of 2023. Overall, 97 sheep died despite veterinary supportive care. Lupinus argenteus var. utahensis was implicated as the causative plant with high levels of lupanine (11.5 µg/mg) and spartiene (13.7 µg/mg) in collected and archived samples. Previous reports of sheep deaths due to lupine ingestion have not been recorded in this region. An increased abundance of the number plants producing seed pods having a high alkaloid content may have been associated with abnormally elevated levels of precipitation …

Photopolymer Material Durability And Safety In Holographic Diffusers For Visual Applications, Matthew Hellis, Alan Casey, Edoardo Splendi, Suzanne Martin, Matthew Sheehan, Kevin Murphy

Articles

This study introduces novel holographic diffuser applications employing acrylamide- or diacetone acrylamide-based photopolymers, patterned within the volume on a micron scale by a single-beam holographic recording process. These diffusers have previously been presented as potential treatments for amblyopia and diplopia. This work has now been extended to spectrometric analysis to determine their properties under broadband light. Diffusive elements with higher diffusion efficiencies exhibited a marginal reduction (< 5%) in diffusion efficiency across most of the visible spectrum. Given the intended application of these holographic diffusers, cytotoxicity assessments were also performed. This is significant as there is a difference in toxicity between the crystalline acrylamide (classified as a category 3 material) and diacetone acrylamide (classified as a category 4 material). The findings indicated substantially lower toxicity in holograms produced with diacetone acrylamide-based photopolymer. The accelerated ageing of both formulations of holographic diffusers indicated that the acrylamide-based holographic diffusers did not reduce efficacy in the 292 days of ageing. The diacetone acrylamide-based holographic diffusers exhibited reduced efficacy by day 182. Despite this, both formulations have been shown to perform for prolonged periods as the treatment modality would require. These results emphasise that holographic diffusers exhibit minimal spectral impact, and longevity on the scale of treatment regimes which are crucial considerations for their prospective use case as treatments for amblyopia and diplopia.

Fluorescent Carbon Nanodot-Based Rapid Cell Nucleus Staining And Application For Diagnosis, Daiming Zhong, Huamin Yuan, Qiuyan Tian, Gongping Deng, Yanhong Ouyang, Yi Chen, Yang Wang, Zhiqin Yuan

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Cell nucleus status decides the activities of corresponding cells, making its rapid and effective staining important for revealing the actual condition of biological environment in life science and related fields. In this study, fast staining of cell nucleus is realized by fluorescent carbon nanodots (CDs). The staining mechanism is due to the positively charged CD surface-induced cell membrane penetration, which facilitates the CD-nucleus binding via electrostatic attraction. The size of cell nucleus is easily measured with fluorescence imaging technique. In addition, the CD-based cell nucleus stain is applied for discriminating the normal and cancer cells by determining the cell-to-nucleus ratio …

Effects Of Ibuprofen In The Zdf Rat Model Of Type 2 Diabetes, Alexander Gosslau, Unsal Ozdogru, Emmanuel Zachariah, Shiming Li, Chi-Tang Ho

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

We aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential of ibuprofen against type 2 diabetes (T2D) using obese Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats as type 2 diabetes model. ZDF rats were hyperglycemic, dyslipidemic and expressed pro-inflammatory markers in contrast to lean controls, thus reflecting the relationship between obesity and chronic inflammation promoting T2D. Chronic treatment with ibuprofen (2-(4-Isobutylphenyl)propanoic acid) was used to study the impact on pathological T2D conditions as compared to metformin (1,1-dimethylbiguanide) treated ZDF as well as lean controls. Ibuprofen decreased A1c but induced a high insulin release with improved glucose tolerance only after early time points (i.g., 15 and …

Citrus Depressa Peel Extract Act As A Prebiotic To Reduce Lipid Accumulation And Modulate Gut Microbiota In Obese Mice, Zheng-Yuan Su, Jie-An Liao, Ching-Ting Lin, Guor-Jien Wei, Yen-Chen Tung

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Citrus peels contain abundant polyphenols, particularly flavonoids, and have been shown to exert lipid accumulation decreasing ability. In this study, Citrus depressa peel applied to oven drying and extracted with ethanol extract as CDEE to analyze its flavonoids compositions and investigated its effects on a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice model. CDEE contained several flavonoids such as hesperidin, sinesentin, nobiletin, tangeretin, 5-demethylnobiletin, and 5-demethyltangeretin. The mice fed an HFD, and administration of 2% CDEE to could decrease weight gain, abdominal fat weight, inguinal fat weight, and the adipocyte size, and CDEE also reduced serum total cholesterol (TCHO), triacylglycerol (TG) compared …

Antityrosinase Activity And Lc-Ms/Ms Analysis Of Optimized Ultrasound-Assisted Condition Extracts And Fractions From Strawberry Tree (Arbutus Unedo L.), Serdar Demir, Halil Koyu, Mustafa Abdullah Yilmaz, Abbas Tarhan, Sura Baykan Ozturk

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Investigation of utilization possibilities of natural sources has been an important area for research. Tyrosinase inhibitory activity plays a key role in food and medicine industry. Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), a widely distributed plant among Mediterranean countries, possess fruits and leaves with rich bioactive phytochemicals, especially polyphenolic compounds. In this study, we aimed to investigate the antityrosinase activity of the fruit and leaf extracts of the plant, and to determine the phenolic compounds that contribute to the antityrosinase activity. In this regard, we evaluated the effect of solvent composition on the extraction of phenolic compounds from A. unedo …

Detection Of Aflatoxin B1 In Chili Powder Using Attenuated Total Reflectance–Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Thin Thin Sein, Urairat Mongmonsin, Patutong Chatchawal, Molin Wongwattanakul, Oranee Srichaiyapol, Rungrueang Pattanakul, Patcharaporn Tippayawat

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Aflatoxin B₁, a major global food safety concern, is produced by toxigenic fungi during crop growing, drying, and storage, and shows increasing annual prevalence. This study aimed to detect aflatoxin B₁ in chili samples using ATR–FTIR coupled with machine learning algorithms. We found that 83.6% of the chili powder samples were contaminated with Aspergillus and Penicillium species, with aflatoxin B₁ levels ranging from 7.63 to 44.32 µg/kg. ATR–FTIR spectroscopy in the fingerprint region (1800−400 cm^-1) showed peak intensity variation in the bands at 1587, 1393, and 1038 cm^-1, which are mostly related …

Comparative Bioactivity Assessment Of Bixin Pigment And Associated Phytochemicals Extracted From Annatto Seeds Using Conventional And Green Solvents, Sonakshi Puri, Sumit Kumar Mandal, Harshit Jain, Pankaj Kumar Sharma, Perinkulam Ravi Deepa

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Nutraceuticals, that include food ingredients and bioactives from natural products, confer physiological health benefits and protection against chronic diseases. Annatto is a tropical shrub grown in Central and South America and parts of India. Its seeds are rich in the edible carotenoid-derived apocarotenoid pigment, bixin, which is used as a natural colorant in food, textiles, and cosmetics, and is now gaining attention for its potential health-promoting attributes. Here, we compared a green solvent (ethyl lactate) based extraction of bixin and associated metabolites in annatto seeds (crushed and seed coat) with two other conventional solvents (acetone and acid-base). Bixin was characterized …

Chemical Constituents From A Marine Medicinal Brown Alga-Derived Xylaria Acuta Sc1019, Hsiao-Yang Hsi, Shih-Wei Wang, George Hsiao, Li-Kwan Chang, Yuan-Chung Cheng, Shu-Jung Huang, Yi-Shan Lu, Tzong-Huei Lee

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

In this study, a marine medicinal brown alga Sargassum cristaefolium-derived fungal strain Xylaria acuta SC1019 was isolated and identified. Column chromatography of the extracts from liquid- and solid-fermented products of the fungal strain was carried out, and led to the isolation of twenty-one compounds. Their structures were characterized by spectroscopic analysis, and the absolute configurations were further established by single X-ray diffraction analysis or modified Mosher’s method as nine previously undescribed compounds, namely xylarilactones A–C (1–3), ent-gedebic acid 8-O-α-D-glucopyranoside (4), 5R-hydroxylmethylmellein 11-O-α-D-glucopyranoside (5), ent …

The Role And Mechanism Of Cinnamaldehyde In Cancer, Jiahua Peng, Xin Song, Wenbin Yu, Yuhan Pan, Yufei Zhang, Hui Jian, Bin He

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

As cancer continues to rise globally, there is growing interest in discovering novel methods for prevention and treatment. Due to the limitations of traditional cancer therapies, there has been a growing emphasis on investigating herbal remedies and exploring their potential synergistic effects when combined with chemotherapy drugs. Cinnamaldehyde, derived from cinnamon, has gained significant attention for its potential role in cancer prevention and treatment. Extensive research has demonstrated that cinnamaldehyde exhibits promising anticancer properties by modulating various cellular processes involved in tumor growth and progression. However, challenges and unanswered questions remain regarding the precise mechanisms for its effective use as …

Trends And Current Food Safety Regulations And Policies For Functional Foods And Beverages Containing Botanicals, Jarunee Intrasook, Takuji W. Tsusaka, Anil Kumar Anal

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Globally, the demand for functional foods and beverages has significantly increased due to socioeconomic changes, particularly in health consciousness to enhance their functionality. Functional ingredients derived from botanicals are widely used because of their phytochemical properties with health benefits. This study aims to (1) review the capabilities and challenges of botanical addition in functional foods, (2) review current policies and regulations for functional foods containing botanicals in the European Union (EU), Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Thailand, and (3) provide recommendations on effective food safety control measures for better consumer trust and trade facilitation. This critical review was …

A Library Of 39 Plant Peroxidases: Plants From The Families Cucurbitaceae And Brassicaceae Show Promising Peroxidase And Peroxygenase Activity, Sally Hess

Senior Honors Theses

Peroxidases are enzymes that reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidize organic substances in living cells. The textile industry, wastewater treatment plants, immunological laboratories, and diagnostic laboratories have extensively used horseradish peroxidase for their oxidating needs. This research aims to provide a tool for identifying potentially useful sources of peroxidases in addition to specifically pinpointing a novel peroxygenase in jalapeño seeds. By using two widely accepted peroxidase assays, the guaiacol assay and the fluorophenol assay, fruits of the genus Cucurbita and roots or leaves of the family Brassicaceae were seen to have high peroxidase activity. Additionally, novel peroxygenase activity was …

Human Health And Outdoor Lighting: A Multidisciplinary Systematic Review Of Current Research, Kellie Joy Grover

Honors Projects

Although outdoor lighting has long been associated with reduced rates of traffic-related injuries and fatalities, a growing body of research associates it with various health problems. However, there are no systematic literature reviews on the human health impacts of outdoor lighting. This paper presents a multidisciplinary systematic literature review of current research regarding the relationship between outdoor lighting and human health. Outdoor lighting was defined as outdoor electric and vehicular lighting, while health was defined as matters pertaining to physiological wellbeing and the risk, presence, and degree of physical injuries, diseases, and disorders. A search of 45 databases produced 99 …

A Randomized Double Blind Placebo Controlled Trial To Assess The Safety And Efficacy Of A Patented Fenugreek (Trigonella Foenum-Graecum) Seed Extract In Type 2 Diabetics, Rajinder Singh Gupta, Amarjit Singh Grover, Pawan Kumar, Apurva Goel, Samudra P. Banik, Sanjoy Chakraborty, Mehul Rungta, Manashi Bagchi, Partha Pal, Debasis Bagchi

Publications and Research

Background: Fenugreek plant (Trigonella foenum-graecum) constitutes a traditionally acclaimed herbal remedy for many human ailments including diabetes, obesity, neurodegenerative diseases, and reproductive disorders. It is also used as an effective anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anti-fungal agent. The seed of the plant is especially enriched in several bioactive molecules including polyphenols, saponins, alkaloids, and flavonoids and has demonstrated potential to act as an antidiabetic phytotherapeutic. A novel patented formulation (Fenfuro^®) was developed in our laboratory from the fenugreek seeds which contained >45% furostanolic saponins (HPLC).

Objective: A placebo-controlled clinical compliance study was designed to assess …

Nanoparticles As Antioxidant Agents: A Comprehensive Review, Sulyman Olalekan Ibrahim, Halimat Yusuf Lukman, Fatimat Ronke Abdulkadir, Monsurat Yemisi Bello, Yusuf Oloruntoyin Ayipo, Halimah Funmilayo Babamale, Marili Funmilayo Zubair, Olubunmi Atolani

Al-Bahir

This study seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest progress in the antioxidant properties of nanoparticles. Nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as a promising tool in several domains of science and industry, including their application as antioxidant agents. The main knowledge gaps seem to be in correctly identifying the make-up of the naturally occurring phytochemicals that give these nano-antioxidants their extraordinary pharmacology and drug-like properties. In many instances, that characterization is done using spectroscopy instrumentation such as fourier-transform Infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). From literature appraisals, it was discovered that a lot of …

Microbial Symbiont-Based Detoxification Of Different Phytotoxins And Synthetic Toxic Chemicals In Insect Pests And Pollinators, Olivia Kline, Neelendra K. Joshi

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Insects are the most diverse form of life, and as such, they interact closely with humans, impacting our health, economy, and agriculture. Beneficial insect species contribute to pollination, biological control of pests, decomposition, and nutrient cycling. Pest species can cause damage to agricultural crops and vector diseases to humans and livestock. Insects are often exposed to toxic xenobiotics in the environment, both naturally occurring toxins like plant secondary metabolites and synthetic chemicals like herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides. Because of this, insects have evolved several mechanisms of resistance to toxic xenobiotics, including sequestration, behavioral avoidance, and enzymatic degradation, and in many …

A Drug's Life: The Untapped Potential Of Secondary Pharmacology Studies In Drug Development, Christina Scott

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

The United States Food and Drug Administration has evolved over the past century to regulate new medicine and protect the public from harmful or ineffective drugs. Drug development and testing science have advanced rapidly alongside the FDA’s increased regulation, enabling pharmaceutical companies to assess a drug's potential adverse reactions by studying its reactivity with various proteins called "off-target receptors." Off-target proteins are often screened and reported in the Investigational New Drug Application as a percentage indicating the drug's binding strength to each protein, which suggests the strength of a particular adverse drug effect. Adverse drug effects often lead to unfavorable …