Analysis of 28 trace elements in the blood and serum antioxidant status in chickens under arsenic and/or copper exposure

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the 28 trace elements in the blood and serum antioxidant status in chickens under arsenic (As) and/or copper (Cu) exposure. A total of 200 1-day-old male Hy-Line chickens were fed either a commercial diet (C-group) or arsenic trioxide (30 mg/kg) and/or cupric sulfate (300 mg/kg) for 90 days. The 28 trace element levels in the blood were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The concentrations of As in the blood of chickens were elevated approximately 17.15-fold, 2.30-fold, and 13.37-fold in the As-group, Cu-group, and As + Cu-group, respectively, at 90 days. The concentrations of Cu did not change in the As-group and increased approximately 29.53 and 23.37% in the Cu-group and As + Cu-group, respectively, at 90 days. Moreover, As exposure caused ion profile disorders in the blood, including increased concentrations of Na, Mg, Si, K, Cr, Fe, and Se and reduced B, Ca, Ti, V, Mn, Co, Ni, Zn, Sr, and Mo. Cu exposure increased the contents of Mg, Si, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Zn, and Se and decreased the content of B, Ca, Al, Ni, and Mo. As + Cu exposure increased the contents of Mg, Si, Cr, Fe, Zn, and Se and decreased the content of B, Ca, Ti, Co, Ni, Sr, and Mo. Moreover, As and/or Cu exposure induced oxidative stress in the blood of chickens. In conclusion, the results indicated that the mixture of As and Cu caused a synergistic effect via disturbing homeostasis of trace elements and oxidative stress in the blood of chickens.

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Application of micro X-ray fluorescence and micro computed tomography to the study of laser cleaning efficiency on limestone monuments covered by black crusts

Publication date: 1 February 2018
Source:Talanta, Volume 178
Author(s): Giorgio S. Senesi, Ignazio Allegretta, Carlo Porfido, Olga De Pascale, Roberto Terzano
Laser cleaning is widely used to remove black crusts from weathered limestone monuments. The cleaning efficiency is commonly tested using conventional analytical techniques, which do not allow to analyze the same sample before and after the treatment. In this paper, micro computed tomography (μ-CT) and micro X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (μ-XRF) techniques were used for the first time to evaluate the laser cleaning efficiency on two different encrusted quoins collected from a limestone monument. Analyses were carried out non-destructively on the same portion of the two lithotypes before and after the treatment. μ-XRF confirmed the presence of gypsum in the black crust, and showed a marked decrease of S and other typical elements after laser cleaning of both samples. μ-CT clearly showed the different structure of limestone before and after cleaning and the crust portion removed by the laser. The combination of the two techniques allowed to assess that, even if the two samples had a similar chemical composition, their response to laser cleaning was different on dependence of their different fabric/structure. In fact, in one sample calcium sulphate was still partially retained also after the black crust removal, whereas in the other sample the sulphate layer was almost completely ablated due to its more compact structure. In both cases, laser cleaning operation was shown not to cause any structural modification or mechanical damage of the original stone material. In conclusion, the use of these novel techniques appears very promising for studying the effects of laser ablation on rock samples in order to set the best working conditions for their cleaning.

Graphical abstract

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A robotic magnetic nanoparticle solid phase extraction system coupled to flow-batch analyzer and GFAAS for determination of trace cadmium in edible oils without external pretreatment

Publication date: 1 February 2018
Source:Talanta, Volume 178
Author(s): Inakã S. Barreto, Stefani I.E. Andrade, Francisco A.S. Cunha, Marcelo B. Lima, Mario Cesar U. Araujo, Luciano F. Almeida
A lab-made magnetic-mechanical robotic (MMR) system coupled to a flow-batch analyzer (FBA) for magnetic nanoparticles solid phase extraction (MSPE) is presented. As an illustrative application, an NMR-FBA couple was connected to a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer (GFAAS) for quantification of trace cadmium in edible oils. Factors affecting MSPE, such as the amount of adsorbent, the type, concentration and volume of the eluent and elution time were studied. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the interferents studied did not reveal a significant change in the analytical response, indicating that proposed method is selective. The sampling rate, characteristic mass, working linear range, limits of detection (LOD), and sensitivity were 10h⁻¹, 0.18pg, 0.05–1.0μgkg⁻¹, 0.006μgL^–1, and 0.4197, respectively. An enrichment factor of 9 was achieved using a 2.5mL oil sample. In order to evaluate the accuracy, a certified reference material was analyzed by the proposed and a reference method. The values obtained were compared with the one provided from the manufacturer and no statistically significant differences were observed among three values at a confidence level of 95% using paired t-test. In addition, the precision intra-day and inter day of the proposed method and the robustness were assessed and again no statistically significant differences were observed at a confidence level of 95%. The use of a microcolumn to immobilize the MNPs is not needed with the proposed MMR-FBA-GFAAS system, thus avoiding the well-known problem of non-uniform packing of the MNPs presented in previous flow-based automatic methods. Despite a high organic load of edible oils, the method developed is simple, robust and presents satisfactory analytical features when compared with others that have been reported in the literature, suggesting that it is a potentially useful alternative to determine trace analytes in viscous matrices without external pretreatment.

Graphical abstract

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Design and construction of an injection port for coupling stir-bar sorptive extraction with ion mobility spectrometry

Publication date: 1 February 2018
Source:Talanta, Volume 178
Author(s): Mohammad T. Jafari, Mohammad R. Rezayat, Mehdi Mossaddegh
An appropriate injection port was designed and constructed for direct analysis of stir-bar sorptive extractions using an ion mobility spectrometry (IMS). The novel design of the port offers great simplicity in use, high sensitivity, and high thermal and mechanical stability. The sol-gel technique was applied to prepare polydimethylsiloxane absorbent on a stir-bar. The parameters affecting extraction efficiency including stirring rate, extraction temperature, extraction time, salt addition and desorption temperature were optimized. The detection limit of the method was calculated to be 1.5μgL⁻¹, for diazinon, an organophosphorus pesticide selected as a test compound. The linear dynamic range was obtained to be 5.0–200.0μgL⁻¹ with a determination coefficient of 0.9991 for the test compound. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations were calculated to be 4% and 5%, respectively. Agricultural wastewater, well water, and apple were selected as real samples. The detection limit was calculated to be 1.5μgL⁻¹ and 7.5μgkg⁻¹ for the real water samples and the apple sample, respectively. The recovery values (%) were 105 ± 6, 107 ± 3 and 96 ± 6 for the spiked agricultural wastewater, well water and apple samples, respectively. The results revealed that the injection port can be used for direct analysis of samples extracted by any sorbent support, without any further sample preparation.

Graphical abstract

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Assessment of cyanide contamination in soils with a handheld mid-infrared spectrometer

Publication date: 1 February 2018
Source:Talanta, Volume 178
Author(s): José M. Soriano-Disla, Leslie J. Janik, Michael J. McLaughlin
We examined the feasibility of using handheld mid-infrared (MIR) Fourier-Transform infrared (FT-IR) instrumentation for detecting and analysing cyanide (CN) contamination in field contaminated soils. Cyanide spiking experiments were first carried out, in the laboratory, to test the sensitivity of infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectrometry to ferro- and ferricyanide compounds across a range of reference soils and minerals. Both benchtop and handheld diffuse reflectance infrared spectrometers were tested. Excellent results were obtained for the reference soils and minerals, with the MIR outperforming the near-infrared (NIR) range. Spectral peaks characteristic of the –C≡N group were observed near 2062 and 2118cm^-1 in the MIR region for the ferro- and ferricyanide compounds spiked into soils/minerals, respectively. In the NIR region such peaks were observed near 4134 and 4220cm^-1. Cyanide-contaminated samples were then collected in the field and analyzed with the two spectrometers to further test the applicability of the DRIFT technique for soils containing aged CN residues. The prediction of total CN in dry and ground contaminated soils using the handheld MIR instrument resulted in a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.88–0.98 and root mean square error of the cross-validation (RMSE) of 21–49mgkg^-1 for a CN range of 0–611mgkg^-1. A major peak was observed in the MIR at about 2092cm^-1 which was attributed to "Prussian Blue" (Fe4[Fe(CN)6]3·xH2O). These results demonstrate the potential of handheld DRIFT instrumentation as a promising alternative to the standard laboratory method to predict CN concentrations in contaminated field soils.

Graphical abstract

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Optical molecular analysis using office flatbed photo scanner: New approaches and solutions

Publication date: 1 February 2018
Source:Talanta, Volume 178
Author(s): K.V. Oskolok, E.V. Shults, O.V. Monogarova, A.A. Chaplenko
The design and operations principles of a prototype of optical device based on an office flatbed photo scanner with a slide adapter are described in the paper. The developed device is intended for the analysis of liquid-phase samples by colorimetry, photometry, fluorimetry and nephelometry. Teflon cassettes designed for fixing cuvettes on glass plate of the scanner. Teflon wedge-shaped inserts for cuvettes have been developed to optimize the conditions of colorimetric analysis. These inserts allow varying the thickness of the absorbing layer of solutions. Multilayer absorption filters with a variable bandwidth are proposed for light monochromatization. Filters are obtained by the method of inkjet printing on polymer films. A violet laser pointer is used as a light source for fluorimetric and nephelometric analysis. The principal possibility of measuring the absorption and fluorescence spectra using photo scanner is shown. The analytical capabilities of the developed prototype of an optical molecular analyzer are demonstrated when determining riboflavin in an injection solution, acetylsalicylic acid and magnesium hydroxide in Cardiomagnyl® drug.

Graphical abstract

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ChromiSense: A colourimetric lab-on-a-disc sensor for chromium speciation in water

Publication date: 1 February 2018
Source:Talanta, Volume 178
Author(s): G. Duffy, I. Maguire, Brendan Heery, Pauline Gers, J. Ducrée, F. Regan
The development of a centrifugal device for quantitative analysis of both chromium (III) and (VI) species in water is reported. ChromiSense is a colourimetric sensor system that has been applied to the measurement of chromium in spiked river water samples. For analysis, the sample is loaded into a reservoir on the disposable microfluidic disc, along with reagents. A centrifugal force is created by spinning the disc to pump liquids through microchannels, causing them to mix and react to form a coloured product. The coloured product is then presented to a low-cost optical detection system, where absorbance measurements can be recorded. The optical detection system consists of a light emitting diode (LED) and photodiode (PD) couple. Chromium (III) was measured using 2,6-pyridine dicarboxylic acid as a ligand, forming a complex that was measured at 535nm and at 335nm. While measuring at 535nm allowed for the use of a low cost LED, the sensitivity was improved 2.5 times by measuring at 335nm. However, 335nm also yielded a diminished linear range with little improvement in limit of deteciton (LOD), and required a lengthier manufacturing process due to the need for a UV-transparent material. Chromium (VI) was detected using 1,5-diphenyl carbazide (DPC). This standard analysis method was simplified for automation on-disc, and optimised to achieve a low LOD. The LOD for trivalent and hexavalent chromium using this device were 21mgL⁻¹ and 4μgL⁻¹, respectively. The linear range for quantitative analysis was found to be 69–1000mgL⁻¹ for Cr(III) and 14–1000μgL⁻¹ for Cr (VI). While this range is high for Cr(III), incorporation of an off-disc pre-concentration method would make this technology suitable for environmental sample analysis. The device is simple to use, low in cost, and could provide rapid on-site measurements, with results comparable to those obtained using a benchtop spectrophotometer.

Graphical abstract

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Miniaturized QuEChERS based methodology for multiresidue determination of pesticides in odonate nymphs as ecosystem biomonitors

Publication date: 1 February 2018
Source:Talanta, Volume 178
Author(s): Florencia Jesús, Ricardo Hladki, Natalia Gérez, Natalia Besil, Silvina Niell, Grisel Fernández, Horacio Heinzen, María Verónica Cesio
The impacts of the modern, agrochemicals based agriculture that threatens the overall systems sustainability, need to be monitored and evaluated. Seeking for agroecosystems monitors, the present article focus in the occurrence and abundance of aquatic macroinvertebrates, that have been frequently used as bioindicators of water quality due to their relationship with land use. Some of these organisms are on the top of the food chain, where bioaccumulation and biomagnification processes can be observed, and they can turn into secondary pollution sources of systems and terrestrial organisms as well. Odonate nymphs, which belong to the functional group of predators, were selected for this study. A methodology to determine 73 pesticide residues in odonate nymphs by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS was developed. A QuEChERS sample preparation strategy was adapted. As it is complex to obtain samples especially in disturbed ecosystems, the method was minimized to a sample size of 200mg of fresh nymphs. The method was validated and good recoveries (71–120%) with RSDs below 20% for the majority of the studied pesticides at least at two of the assayed levels 1, 10 and 50µgkg⁻¹ were obtained. For 32 analytes the limit of quantitation was 1µgkg⁻¹ and 10µgkg⁻¹ for the others. The lineal range was observed between 1–100µgkg⁻¹ in matrix-matched and solvent calibration curves for most of the assessed pesticides. LC-MS/MS matrix effects were evaluated, 40% of the analytes presented low or no signal suppression. Only flufenoxuron presented high matrix effects. The obtained methodology is adequate for pesticide multiresidue analysis in aquatic macroinvertebrates (odonates) aiming to contribute to the ecological state evaluation of freshwater ecosystems.

Graphical abstract

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Improved assessment of accuracy and performance using a rotational paper-based device for multiplexed detection of heavy metals

Publication date: 1 February 2018
Source:Talanta, Volume 178
Author(s): Xiange Sun, Bowei Li, Anjin Qi, Chongguo Tian, Jinglong Han, Yajun Shi, Bingcheng Lin, Lingxin Chen
In this work, a novel rotational microfluidic paper-based device was developed to improve the accuracy and performance of the multiplexed colorimetric detection by effectively avoiding the diffusion of colorimetric reagent on the detection zone. The integrated paper-based rotational valves were used to control the connection or disconnection between detection zones and fluid channels. Based on the manipulation of the rotational valves, this rotational paper-based device could prevent the random diffusion of colorimetric reagent and reduce the error of quantitative analysis considerably. The multiplexed colorimetric detection of heavy metals Ni(II), Cu(II) and Cr(VI) were implemented on the rotational device and the detection limits could be found to be 4.8, 1.6, and 0.18mg/L, respectively. The developed rotational device showed the great advantage in improving the detection accuracy and was expected to be a low-cost, portable analytical platform for the on-site detection.

Graphical abstract

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Ultrasound-Guided Stellate Ganglion Block Improves Gastrointestinal Function After Thoracolumbar Spinal Surgery

Publication date: Available online 30 September 2017
Source:Clinical Therapeutics
Author(s): Ke Peng, Juan Zhang, Wei-rong Chen, Hua-yue Liu, Fu-hai Ji
PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of stellate ganglion block (SGB) on gastrointestinal function after thoracolumbar spinal surgery.MethodsForty patients with thoracolumbar fracture scheduled for posterior spinal surgery were randomly assigned to 2 groups: ultrasound-guided SGB or sham (control group). After induction, ultrasound-guided SGB (n = 20) or a sham procedure (n = 20) was conducted with a 6-mL injection of 1% lidocaine or 0.9% saline, respectively. Primary outcomes were postoperative gastrointestinal function, including auscultation of bowel sounds, incidence and degree of abdominal bloating, flatus time, and paralytic ileus.FindingsPatients in the SGB group had better gastrointestinal function compared with those in the sham (control) group, as indicated by more regular bowel sounds at 24 and 36 hours postoperatively (80% vs 40%, P = 0.024, and 95% vs 60%, P = 0.023), lesser abdominal bloating (10% vs 45%, P = 0.034), and slightly shorter flatus time (mean [SD], 12.0 [4.4] vs 14.7 [4.6] hours, P = 0.068). Survival analysis based on regular bowel sounds found a significant difference between the 2 groups (P = 0.004). In addition, more patients had higher satisfaction after SGB (85% vs 45%, P = 0.020). No postoperative ileus or mortality occurred.ImplicationsIn this preliminary study, ultrasound-guided SGB accelerated the return of gastrointestinal transit, alleviated bowel symptoms, and improved patient satisfaction after thoracolumbar spinal surgery. chictr.org.cn identifier: ChiCTR-TRC-14004289.



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Editorial Board/Title Page

Publication date: October 2017
Source:Cortex, Volume 95





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Cover Figure

Publication date: October 2017
Source:Cortex, Volume 95





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Clinical Thyroidology for the Public – Highlighted Article

From Clinical Thyroidology for the Public: In 2016, the encapsulated follicular variant of papillary thyroid cancer with no evidence of spread into the thyroid capsule or into the blood vessels seen under the microscope was renamed as noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP), and was suggested that it was a non-cancer diagnosis. Read More….

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Editorial board

Publication date: December 2017
Source:Biomaterials, Volume 147





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Multifunctional mesoporous ZrO2 encapsulated upconversion nanoparticles for mild NIR light activated synergistic cancer therapy

Publication date: December 2017
Source:Biomaterials, Volume 147
Author(s): Lili Feng, Shili Gai, Fei He, Yunlu Dai, Chongna Zhong, Piaoping Yang, Jun Lin
Desirable nanosystem that could not only deliver drugs safely and effectively into tumor sites, but also be expected to serve as photosensitizer to realize the photodynamic therapeutic function, would be of great significance in the synergistic cancer therapy. To perform this task, a multifunctional nanosystem has been developed for markedly enhanced cancer therapeutic efficacy by loading chemotherapy agent (doxorubicin hydrochloride, DOX) and photosensitive drug chlorin e6 (Ce6) into the channels of mesoporous zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) layer which coats on Nd³⁺-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs). As a temperature sensitive phase change material (PCM), the loaded tetradecanol was served as switch for control release of DOX and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the condition of enhanced temperature triggered by the near infrared (NIR) light irradiation. The hyperthermia generated from the UCNPs cores exposed to NIR laser could raise the temperature of tumor location to 47.8 °C. The as-synthesized UCNPs@ZrO2-Ce6/DOX/PCM nanosystem demonstrates an excellent in vivo synergistic effect by administrating into U14 tumor-bearing mice via intravenous injection, under mild NIR laser irradiation (0.5 W cm⁻², 5 min break after 5 min irradiation). In a word, our experimental results indicate that the finely designed UCNPs@ZrO2-Ce6/DOX/PCM may act as an ideal nanoplatform for multiple imaging guided tumor therapy.



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Multifunctional superparamagnetic nanoparticles conjugated with fluorescein-labeled designed ankyrin repeat protein as an efficient HER2-targeted probe in breast cancer

Publication date: December 2017
Source:Biomaterials, Volume 147
Author(s): Dong-Li Li, Jian-Er Tan, Ying Tian, Shun Huang, Peng-Hui Sun, Meng Wang, Yan-Jiang Han, Hong-Sheng Li, Hu-Bing Wu, Xing-Mei Zhang, Yi-Kai Xu, Quan-Shi Wang
Based on the discordance of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) expression between primary and metastatic/recurrent breast cancer, HER2 molecular imaging, which had potential to systemically assess and dynamically monitor HER2 expression, might improve the selection of patients for anti-HER2 therapy. In this study, designed ankyrin repeat protein (DARPin) G3, a novel binding protein with picomolar affinity for HER2, was used and multifunctional superparamagnetic nanoparticles modified with fluorescein-5-maleimide-labeled DARPin G3 (SPIO-G3-5MF) were developed for HER2 imaging. Our results showed that SPIO-G3-5MF nanoparticles, which possessed uniform size of about 100 nm, favorable dispersity and low cytotoxicity, could selectively bind to HER2-positive breast cancer cells even in the presence of trastuzumab. Biodistribution assay demonstrated that abundant accumulation and long retention of SPIO-G3-5MF were observed in HER2-positive transplantation breast tumors although a portion of SPIO-G3-5MF nanoparticles were unavoidably captured by liver and spleen. Further MR imaging revealed that SPIO-G3-5MF could selectively image HER2-positive transplantation breast tumors, yielding remarkable T2 signal reduction (50.33 ± 2.90% at 6 h and 47.29 ± 9.36% at 24 h). Our study suggested that SPIO-G3-5MF might be a promising MR molecular probe for diagnosing and monitoring HER2 expression state of breast cancer in the future.



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Molecular insights for the biological interactions between polyethylene glycol and cells

Publication date: December 2017
Source:Biomaterials, Volume 147
Author(s): Li Xu, Jiapei Yang, Bai Xue, Chuan Zhang, Leilei Shi, Chenwei Wu, Yue Su, Xin Jin, Yumin Liu, Xinyuan Zhu
As the gold standard polymer for drug delivery system, polyethylene glycol (PEG) has excellent biocompatibility. It's reported that the low nonspecific interactions between PEG and body contribute to its biocompatibility. However, here we discover dynamic biological interactions exist between PEG and cells on the molecular level. PEG (2 kD) can induce metabolism modulations and survival autophagy by creating an intracellular hypoxic environment, which act as cellular survival strategies in response to the hypoxia. In the cellular adaption process during hypoxia, PEG-treated cells decrease energy consumption by reducing cell growth rate, increase energy supply by amino acid catabolism in a short period, and survival autophagy over a relatively long period, to keep energy homeostasis and survival. Our research provides molecular insights for understanding the mechanism underlying the excellent biocompatibility of PEG, which will be of fundamental importance for further related studies on other polymers and development of polymeric materials with improved characteristics.

Graphical abstract

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Tumor cell-targeted delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 by aptamer-functionalized lipopolymer for therapeutic genome editing of VEGFA in osteosarcoma

Publication date: December 2017
Source:Biomaterials, Volume 147
Author(s): Chao Liang, Fangfei Li, Luyao Wang, Zong-Kang Zhang, Chao Wang, Bing He, Jie Li, Zhihao Chen, Atik Badshah Shaikh, Jin Liu, Xiaohao Wu, Songlin Peng, Lei Dang, Baosheng Guo, Xiaojuan He, D.W.T. Au, Cheng Lu, Hailong Zhu, Bao-Ting Zhang, Aiping Lu, Ge Zhang
Osteosarcoma (OS) is a highly aggressive pediatric cancer, characterized by frequent lung metastasis and pathologic bone destruction. Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), highly expressed in OS, not only contributes to angiogenesis within the tumor microenvironment via paracrine stimulation of vascular endothelial cells, but also acts as an autocrine survival factor for tumor cell themselves, thus making it a promising therapeutic target for OS. CRISPR/Cas9 is a versatile genome editing technology and holds tremendous promise for cancer treatment. However, a major bottleneck to achieve the therapeutic potential of the CRISPR/Cas9 is the lack of in vivo tumor-targeted delivery systems. Here, we screened an OS cell-specific aptamer (LC09) and developed a LC09-functionalized PEG-PEI-Cholesterol (PPC) lipopolymer encapsulating CRISPR/Cas9 plasmids encoding VEGFA gRNA and Cas9. Our results demonstrated that LC09 facilitated selective distribution of CRISPR/Cas9 in both orthotopic OS and lung metastasis, leading to effective VEGFA genome editing in tumor, decreased VEGFA expression and secretion, inhibited orthotopic OS malignancy and lung metastasis, as well as reduced angiogenesis and bone lesion with no detectable toxicity. The delivery system simultaneously restrained autocrine and paracrine VEGFA signaling in tumor cells and could facilitate translating CRISPR-Cas9 into clinical cancer treatment.



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Clausena anisata and Dysphania ambrosioides essential oils: from ethno-medicine to modern uses as effective insecticides

Abstract

Dysphania ambrosioides (L.) Mosyakin & Clemants (Amaranthaceae) and Clausena anisata (Willd.) Hook. f. ex Benth. (Rutaceae) are two aromatic species traditionally used in Cameroon to repel and kill insects. The present work was carried out to substantiate this traditional use and to evaluate the possible incorporation in commercial botanical insecticides of their essential oils (EOs). The EOs were distilled from leaves of C. anisata and aerial parts of D. ambrosioides and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The insecticidal activity of both EOs was investigated against the filariasis vector, Culex quinquefasciatus, and the housefly, Musca domestica. As possible mode of action, the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) by the two EOs was investigated as well. The D. ambrosioides EO was characterized by the monoterpene peroxide ascaridole (61.4%) and the aromatic p-cymene (29.0%), whereas the C. anisata EO was dominated by the phenylpropanoids (E)-anethole (64.6%) and (E)-methyl isoeugenol (16.1%). The C. anisata EO proved to be very toxic to third instar larvae of C. quinquefasciatus showing LC₅₀ of 29.3 μl/l, whereas D. ambrosioides EO was more toxic to adults of M. domestica showing a LD₅₀ of 51.7 μg/adult. The mixture of both EOs showed a significant synergistic effect against mosquito larvae with LC₅₀ estimated as 19.3 μl/l, whereas this phenomenon was not observed upon application to M. domestica adults (LD₅₀ = 75.9 μg/adult). Of the two EOs, the D. ambrosioides one provided a good inhibition of AChE (IC₅₀ = 77 μg/ml), whereas C. anisata oil was not effective. These findings provide new evidences supporting the ethno-botanical use of these two Cameroonian plants, and their possible application even in synergistic binary blends, to develop new eco-friendly, safe and effective herbal insecticides.

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Removal of industrial dyes and heavy metals by Beauveria bassiana : FTIR, SEM, TEM and AFM investigations with Pb(II)

Abstract

Presence of industrial dyes and heavy metal as a contaminant in environment poses a great risk to human health. In order to develop a potential technology for remediation of dyes (Reactive remazol red, Yellow 3RS, Indanthrene blue and Vat novatic grey) and heavy metal [Cu(II), Ni(II), Cd(II), Zn(II), Cr(VI) and Pb(II)] contamination, present study was performed with entomopathogenic fungi, Beauveria bassiana (MTCC no. 4580). High dye removal (88–97%) was observed during the growth of B. bassiana while removal percentage for heavy metals ranged from 58 to 75%. Further, detailed investigations were performed with Pb(II) in terms of growth kinetics, effect of process parameters and mechanism of removal. Growth rate decreased from 0.118 h⁻¹ (control) to 0.031 h⁻¹, showing 28% reduction in biomass at 30 mg L⁻¹ Pb(II) with 58.4% metal removal. Maximum Pb(II) removal was observed at 30 °C, neutral pH and 30 mg L⁻¹ initial metal concentration. FTIR analysis indicated the changes induced by Pb(II) in functional groups on biomass surface. Further, microscopic analysis (SEM and atomic force microscopy (AFM)) was performed to understand the changes in cell surface morphology of the fungal cell. SEM micrograph showed a clear deformation of fungal hyphae, whereas AFM studies proved the increase in surface roughness (RSM) in comparison to control cell. Homogenous bioaccumulation of Pb(II) inside the fungal cell was clearly depicted by TEM-high-angle annular dark field coupled with EDX. Present study provides an insight into the mechanism of Pb(II) bioremediation and strengthens the significance of using entomopathogenic fungus such as B. bassiana for metal and dye removal.

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