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Adsorption of non-polar compounds by suspended fullerene nanoaggregates (nC(60)) may enhance their toxicity and affect the fate, transformation, and transport of non-polar compounds in the environment. The potential of stable fullerene nanoaggregates as contaminant carriers in aqueous systems and the influence of chloromethanes (trichloromethane and dichloromethane) were studied on the midgut epithelial cells of Daphnia magna by light and electron microscopy. The size and shape of fullerene nanoaggregates were observed and measured using dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and low vacuum scanning electron microscopy. The nC(60) in suspension appeared as a bulk of aggregates of irregular shape with a surface consisting of small clumps 20-30 nm in diameter. The presence of nC(60) aggregates was confirmed in midgut lumen and epithelial cells of D. magna. After in vivo acute exposure to chloromethane, light and electron microscopy revealed an extensive cytoplasmic vacuolization with disruption and loss of specific structures of D. magna midgut epithelium (mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, microvilli, peritrophic membrane) and increased appearance of necrotic cells. The degree of observed changes depended on the type of treatment: trichloromethane (TCM) induced the most notable changes, whereas fullerene nanoaggregates alone had no negative effects. Transmission electron microscopy also indicated increased lysosomal degradation and severe peroxidative damages of enterocyte mitochondria following combined exposure to chloromethane and fullerene nanoaggregates. In conclusion, the adsorption of chloromethane by fullerene nanoaggregates enhances their toxicity and induces peroxidative mitochondrial damage in midgut enterocytes.

Backgroung/Aim. Since combining conventional drugs with herbal medicinal products is in current research focus and possible of great interest as therapy improvement way, the aim of this study was to determine the effects of well established antiatherosclerotic drug atorvastatin (CAS number 134523-00-5) and commercially available artichoke leaf tincture (ALTINC), used as combined therapy, as well as to compare effects of these two treatments separately. Methods. Experimental animals were divided into five groups: the group I (the control group of rats fed with standard diet during 11 weeks), and the remaining 4 groups of rats (II, III, IV and V) fed with standard diet during the first week and then with hypercholesterolemic diet during the next 10 weeks. The group II of rats were left without treatment, while in the groups III, IV and V were rats treated per as with atorvastatin (1.15 mg/kg body wright - b.w.), ALTINC (0.1 mL/kg b.w.) and their combination in same doses, respectively, for the last six weeks. Results. The cholesterol rich diet led to pronounced hyperlipidemia which could not be overcame with the therapy. However, the therapy showed positive effects on abdominal aorta wall thickness and parameters of oxidative stress (malondialdehyde MDA, proxidative-antioxidative balance - PAB) and anti oxidative protection (reduced glutathione - GSH, paraoxanase 1 - PON1, superoxide dismutase - SODA SH groups), especially ALTINC was successful in oxidative status improvement. Conclusion. Separate treatments comparison showed that artichoke leaf tincture is very potent antioxidant with beneficial effects in early stages of atherosclerosis. Since atorvastatin and constituents of ALTINC probably have different mechanisms of action, simultaneous use of both therapies could be beneficial but should be further investigated since our results showed that ALTINC is less effective when used in combination with atorvastatin., Uvod/Cilj. Savremena istraživanja sve više se okreću mogućnosti kombinovanja konvencionalne terapije sa biljnim lekovitim proizvodima. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je praćenje efekata atorvastatina (CAS broj 134523-00-5), poznatog leka koji se koristi u terapiji hiperlipidemije, i tinkture lista artičoke primenjenih pojedinačno, kao i u obliku kombinovane terapije. Metode. Eksperimentalne životinje bile su podeljene u pet grupa: grupa I bila je kontrolna i činili su je pacovi hranjeni standardnom hranom za glodare tokom 11 nedelja, dok su preostale četiri grupe (II-V) činili pacovi koji su hranjeni standardnom hranom tokom prve nedelje, a potom u narednih 10 hranom bogatom holesterolom. Grupa II nije dobijala nikakav tretman, dok su III, IV i V posle 4. nedelje od početka uzimanja hrane bogate holesterolom, tokom narednih šest nedelja tretirane per os, redom: atorvastatinom u dozi od 1,15 mg/kg, tinkturom artičoke u dozi od 0,1 mL/kg i njihovom kombinacijom u istim dozama. Rezultati. Hrana bogata holesterolom izazvala je uznapredovalu hiperholesterolemiju na koju terapija nije značajno delovala. Terapija je pokazala povoljan efekat na debljinu zida trbušne aorte, parametre oksidativnog stresa (malondialdehid - MDA, prooksidativni-antioksidativni balans - PAB) i anti-oksidativne zaštite (redukovani glutation - GSH, SH grupe, paraoksonazu1 - PON1, superoksid dismutazu - SOD). Tinktura lista artičoke pokazala se najboljom u poboljšanju oksidativnog statusa. Zaključak. Poređenje pojedinačne terapije pokazalo je da tinktura lista artičoke ima jako anti-oksidativno dejstvo i pokazuje povoljne efekte u početnim fazama aterosklerotskog procesa. S obzirom na to da atorvastatin i komponente tinkture lista artičoke verovatno deluju različitim mehanizmima, kombinovana primena može imati povoljne efekte, ali se mora dodatno ispitati jer dobijeni rezultati ukazuju da je tinktura lista artičoke manje efikasan kada se primenjuje zajedno sa atorvastatinom.

Fluorescent nanostructures were prepared by functionalization of gold nanoparticles with riboflavin molecules and used as probes for synchrotron radiation deep ultraviolet (SR-DUV) fluorescence imaging of gluteraldehyde-fixed Candida albicans cells. The nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and optical spectroscopy techniques. The TEM analysis showed that the nanostructures were 6 nm in diameter, while the results of the fluorescence spectroscopies confirmed the photoluminescence of the nanoparticles. The SR-DUV imaging showed that it was possible to distinguish the fluorescence of the nanoparticles from the autofluorescence of the cells, as well as that the local maxima of the signal pertaining to the fluorescence of goldriboflavin nanostructures were mostly positioned on the surfaces of the C. albicans cells of spherical morphology.

The aim of this study was to determine the role of an exopolysaccharide produced by natural dairy isolate Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei BGSJ2-8, in the adhesion to intestinal epithelial cells and a decrease in Escherichia coli's association with Caco-2 cells. Annotation of the BGSJ2-8 genome showed the presence of a gene cluster, epsSJ, which encodes the biosynthesis of the strain-specific exopolysaccharide EPS-SJ, detected as two fractions (P1 and P2) by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) coupled with multi-angle laser light scattering (MALLS) detection. SEC-MALLS analysis revealed that an EPS-SJ- mutant (EPS7, obtained by insertion mutagenesis of the glps_2198 gene encoding primary glycosyltransferase) does not produce the P2 fraction of EPS-SJ. Transmission electron microscopy showed that EPS7 mutant has a thinner cell wall compared to the EPS-SJ strain BGSJ2-83 (a plasmid free-derivative of BGSJ2-8). Interestingly, strain BGSJ2-83 showed higher adhesion to Caco-2 epithelial intestinal cell line than the EPS7 mutant. Accordingly, BGSJ2-83 effectively reduced E. coli ATCC25922's association with Caco-2 cells, while EPS7 did not show statistically significant differences. In addition, the effect of EPS-SJ on the proliferation of lymphocytes in gastrointestinal associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) was tested and the results showed that the reduction of GALT lymphocyte proliferation was higher by BGSJ2-83 than by the mutant. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report indicating that the presence of EPS (EPS-SJ) on the surface of lactobacilli can improve communication between bacteria and intestinal epithelium*Implying its possible role in gut colonization.