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A calibration strategy using porous nylon disks and reference solutions is proposed for the first time for matrix matching and determination of As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Pb, Sr and Zn in polymers by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Polymer samples commonly used in contact with food were analyzed. The procedure consists on the use of porous nylon disks as support for a dried droplet reference solution. Calibration in the range of 0.50-190μgg-1 for Ba, Cd, Cr, Pb, Sr and Zn and from 0.30-9.0μgg-1 for As was used. Laser and ICP-MS instrument conditions were evaluated in order to achieve the best signal-to-background ratio. The radiofrequency power and carrier gas flow rate were fixed at 1300W and 1.25Lmin-1, respectively. Spot size, repetition rate, scan line speed and laser fluency were set to 100µm, 20Hz, 100µms-1 and 17.9Jcm-2, respectively, as the established conditions for analysis of standards and samples. By using these conditions, limits of detection, estimated considering B+3s (where B is the value of the blank and s is the standard deviation of 10 measurements of the blank), ranged from 0.09μgg-1 (208Pb) to 1.09 (53Cr) and 0.05μgg-1 (208Pb) to 2.10 (53Cr) for calibration with and without 13C as internal standard (IS). In spite to the use of nylon for matrix matching of different polymeric matrices, the normalization with 13C as IS was also evaluated. The precision of the method is relatively good (RSD

Highlights • Rice milk consumption is increasing but may be contaminated with toxic elements. • Arsenic species are highly toxic and are present in rice and byproducts. • IC-ICP-MS was used for the speciation analysis of As in rice milk. • Inorganic As and methylated As species are present in most of the analyzed samples., The consumption of rice milk has increased, mainly by individuals intolerant to lactose or allergic to cow milk. However, rice milk contains As. In this sense, the concentration of As in rice milk should be controlled. In the present study it is proposed a methodology for determination of As(III), dimethylarsenic (DMA), monomethylarsenic (MMA) and As(V) species in rice milk using LC-ICP-MS. The main features of the methodology are fast analysis, easy and simple sample preparation, where the sample is 3-fold diluted in the mobile phase and then filtered. The four arsenic species investigated were detected in the analysed samples, being As(V) the main species. The limit of quantification of the method ranges from 0.25 to 0.43 μg L−1 As. The analyte recovery ranged from 81 to 116% for samples spiked to 1.00 μg L−1 or 5.00 μg L−1 As and the relative standard deviation was better than 5%.

Electrothermal vaporization (ETV)-inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) is proposed for multielement determination in powdered medicinal plants. Simultaneous determination of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn was performed in 10 herbs consumed in Brazil. Heating of the ETV system and the influence of carrier gas flow rate, modifier gas (Freon R12, CCl2F2) flow rate and sample mass were evaluated and adjusted to obtain the best signal/noise ratio. Temperatures of 300 °C and 1800 °C were used for pyrolysis and vaporization, respectively. Freon has a strong influence on the pyrolysis and vaporization temperatures and the sensitivity. Although the partial elimination of the sample matrix and Freon can act to minimize matrix effects, standard addition calibration was necessary for direct element determination in solid samples. The accuracy of ETV-ICP OES measurements was evaluated by analysing two certified reference materials (NIST 1515 – Apple Leaves and NIST 1574 – Peach Leaves), and the comparison of results obtained by solution nebulization ICP OES (NEB-ICP OES) for acid decomposed samples. The results were in good agreement (t-test at the 95% confidence level) with certified values and those obtained by NEB-ICP OES. Precision was better than 20%, considering the standard deviation of five replicates, and limits of detection and quantification varied from 0.01 to 0.48 and 0.03 to 1.60 μg g−1, respectively. The proposed method allows the simultaneous determination of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in medicinal plants in less than 5 min, including the sample preparation step.

A method based on flow injection-hydride generation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (FI-HG-ICP-MS) for the determination of trace amounts of As, Bi, Sb, Se, Sn and Te in lead alloys was developed. The analytical parameters for the analyte determination were 0.60% m/v sodium tetrahydroborate (2.6 mL min−1); 90 μL sample volume and 1.25 L min−1 carrier gas (Ar) flow rate. Hydrochloric acid (6.0 mol L−1 for As, Bi, Se and Te and 0.1 mol L−1 for Sb and Sn) was used as sample carrier at 7.4 mL min−1. Three FI systems were developed and consist of a single channel and dual channel, with one and two gas–liquid separators, respectively. The systems with a dual channel permit the simultaneous determination of all elements, by using two reaction conditions. The effect of Ag, Bi, Cu, Pb, Sb and Te, which were the main elements present in the sample, on the analyte determination was evaluated. With the use of optimized experimental conditions, all elements could be determined by external calibration. The LOQ were 0.14, 0.02, 0.03, 0.02, 0.02 and 0.02 μg g−1 for As, Bi, Sb, Se, Sn and Te, respectively, and the RSD was 8% or lower for five consecutive measurements of a sample solution. Analyte recoveries were in the range of 94 to 101% and the results were in good agreement with those obtained by ICP OES. The method was applied to determine the analytes in lead alloy samples used in automotive battery manufacture, with a sample throughput of 10 determinations h−1.

In this work, the application of dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) for the extraction and preconcentration of Cd and Pb in honey and subsequent determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) is proposed. Parameters such as type and volume of dispersive solvent (300 μL of acetonitrile for Cd and 900 μL of acetone for Pb), type and volume of extraction solvent (140 μL of carbon tetrachloride), concentration of complexing agent (sodium diethyldithiocarbamate, 0.25 g L − 1 for Cd and 0.50 g L − 1 for Pb), pH (7.0), temperature (35 °C), washing cycles of extract (2 times), centrifugation speed (840 g for Cd and 4600 g for Pb) and sample mass (500 mg) were evaluated. The limits of detection (LODs) were 20 and 140 ng g − 1 for Cd and Pb, respectively. These limits are lower than those established by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (500 ng g − 1 for both elements) for honey and for food in European Community. Samples were also digested in a microwave-assisted digestion system followed by element determination by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Therefore, the proposed method is promising for routine analysis and quality control of Cd and Pb in honey.

The aim of this study was to assess the Mn toxicity to silver catfish considering Mn accumulation and oxidative status in different tissues, as well as pituitary hormone expression after acclimation to hypoxia. Silver catfish acclimated to hypoxia for 10 days and successively exposed to Mn (9.8 mg L−1) for an additional 10 days exhibited lower Mn accumulation in plasma, liver, kidneys and brain and prevented the hematocrit decrease observed in the normoxia group. Hypoxia acclimation also modified Mn-induced oxidative damage, which was observed by lower reactive species (RS) generation in gills and kidneys, decreased lipid peroxidation (LP) levels in gills, liver and kidneys and decreased protein carbonyl (PC) levels in liver, kidneys and brain. Manganese accumulation showed positive correlations with LP levels in gills and kidneys, as well as with PC levels in gills, liver and brain. In addition, hypoxia acclimation and Mn exposure increased catalase (CAT) activity in gills and kidneys and Na+/K+-ATPase activity in gills, liver and brain. Silver catfish that were acclimated under normoxia and exposed to Mn displayed increased pituitary prolactin (PRL) and decreased somatolactin (SL) expression. Interestingly, hypoxia acclimation prevented hormonal fluctuation of PRL and SL in fish exposed to Mn. These findings indicate that while the exposure of silver catfish to Mn under normoxia was related to metal accumulation and oxidative damage in tissues together with endocrine axis disruption, as represented by PRL and SL, hypoxia acclimation reduced waterborne Mn uptake, thereby minimizing oxidative damage and changes in hormonal profile. We hypothesized that moderate hypoxia is able to generate adaptive responses, which may be related to hormesis, thereby ameliorating Mn toxicity to silver catfish.

A novel procedure based on ultrasound-assisted oxidative desulfurization was applied for diesel oil treatment, which was performed simultaneously to ultrasound-assisted oxidative denitrogenation (UAODN) in order to minimize N interference over S oxidation. The effect of ultrasonic irradiation time, reagent amount and the nature of extraction solvent were evaluated. A petroleum product feedstock containing quinoline was used as a model nitrogen compound and acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide were used as oxidizing agents. Nitrogen removal above 95% was obtained for the model oil after 5 min of ultrasonic irradiation (20 kHz, 750 W, 40%). Additionally, this study showed that quinoline can reduce the oxidative desulfurization efficiency of an oil containing dibenzothiophene. The application of oxidative treatment without ultrasound showed that nitrogen and sulfur removal efficiencies for five diesel oil samples were considerably lower (lower than 22 and 40% for nitrogen and sulfur, respectively). The UAODN procedure was applied for the treatment of a hydrotreated petroleum product feedstock and samples of diesel oil with nitrogen and sulfur content up to 226 and 375 mg kg− 1, respectively. Under optimized conditions, nitrogen content below 20 mg kg− 1 was obtained and the feasibility of ultrasound for simultaneous denitrogenation and desulfurization was demonstrated.

The oxidative desulfurization/denitrification of liquid fuels has been widely investigated as an alternative or complement to common catalytic hydrorefining. In this process, all oxidation reactions occur in the heterogeneous phase (the oil and the polar phase containing the oxidant) and therefore the optimization of mass and heat transfer is of crucial importance to enhancing the oxidation rate. This goal can be achieved by performing the reaction in suitable ultrasound (US) reactors. In fact, flow and loop US reactors stand out above classic batch US reactors thanks to their greater efficiency and flexibility as well as lower energy consumption. This paper describes an efficient sonochemical oxidation with H2O2/CH3COOH at flow rates ranging from 60 to 800 ml/min of both a model compound, dibenzotiophene (DBT), and of a mild hydro-treated diesel feedstock. Four different commercially available US loop reactors (single and multi-probe) were tested, two of which were developed in the authors' laboratory. Full DBT oxidation and efficient diesel feedstock desulfurization/denitrification were observed after the separation of the polar oxidized S/N-containing compounds (S≤5 ppmw, N≤1 ppmw). Our studies confirm that high-throughput US applications benefit greatly from flow-reactors.

The development of green protocols for amide bond formation is a major socioeconomic goal for chemical and pharmaceutical industries and an important challenge for academic research. We herein report a protocol for the quantitative conversion of carboxylic acids and amines to form amides at 100 °C in the presence of a TiO2 powder catalyst, under monomodal microwave irradiation. The sustainability of the process appears to be augmented by the ease with which the catalyst is recycled.

Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) has received significant attention over the last 10 years and has been widely used for the analysis of biological samples. The technique allows the determination of elements and isotopes in biological tissues and related materials with a spatial resolution typically ranging from 10 to 100 μm. When compared to other techniques usually employed to obtain bioimages, the greater advantage of LA-ICP-MS is its higher sensitivity. The literature survey over the last 10 years concerning the use of LA-ICP-MS for biological tissue analysis is reviewed in this article. Instrumentation, strategies of calibration for quantitative analysis, challenges and recent advances in this field are discussed. Applications of the isotope ratio (IR), including tracer experiments, and isotope dilution (ID), are reviewed for biological samples (briefly for proteins, in order to show the utility of LA-ICP-MS). Bioimaging methods, studies and applications for animal and plants tissues are emphasized, demonstrating the importance of bioimaging of metals and metalloids in biomedical research, bioaccumulation and bioavailability studies for ecological and toxicological risk assessment in humans, animals and plants. The usefulness of the IR associated with bioimaging for predicting geographical origin, habitat, movement of subjects, diet and lifestyle are also demonstrated.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the metabolism of organic chromium and its effect on digestibility and intake of lambs. Four 4-month-old male lambs, each weighing 28 kg, were used. The animals were kept in metabolic cages for a period of 20 days (15 days of adaptation and 5 days of experimentation), in two experimental phases, with inverted treatments. Organic chromium was administered by intraruminal infusion of 1 mg of chromium-rich yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) throughout the adaptive and experimental period. The dry material rates of the diet and feces of the animals were evaluated to estimate consumption, digestibility, and fecal production. During the experimental period, blood, feces, and urine were collected every 24 h to determine chromium levels. There was no significant difference in the excretion of chromium in the urine, and no mineral remnants were detected in the blood. Excretion was generally fecal. There was greater excretion of chromium in the feces of lambs in the treated group on day 0 and day 3, compared with the control group. The use of organic chromium promoted an increase in the consumption of dry material in the treated animals only at day 0 (P < 0.05). The production of fecal dry matter was greater among the treated lambs than among the animals of the control group on day 1, day 2, day 3, and day 4 (P < 0.05). The results obtained showed that organic chromium associated with live yeasts is not absorbed by the body and do not affect the intake time in the dose used.

Texto completo. Acesso restrito. p. 108–114 Submitted by Santiago Fabio (fabio.ssantiago@hotmail.com) on 2013-10-14T19:01:05Z No. of bitstreams: 1 3333333333333.pdf: 539784 bytes, checksum: ce2658bac4bd4f948fea25e7b7e84b64 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2013-10-14T19:01:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3333333333333.pdf: 539784 bytes, checksum: ce2658bac4bd4f948fea25e7b7e84b64 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 Liquid chromatography–inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LC–ICP-MS) was used for arsenic speciation analysis in tissues of bivalve mollusks (Anomalocardia brasiliana sp. and Macoma constricta sp.). Microwave and ultrasound radiation, combined with different extraction conditions (solvent, sample amount, time, and temperature), were evaluated for As-species extraction from the mollusks' tissues. Accuracy, extraction efficiency, and the stability of As species were evaluated by analyzing certified reference materials (DORM-2, dogfish muscle; BCR-627, tuna fish tissue; and SRM 1566b, oyster tissue) and analyte recovery tests. The best conditions were found to be microwave-assisted extraction using 200 mg of samples and water at 80 °C for 6 min. The agreement of As-species concentration in samples ranged from 97% to 102%. Arsenobetaine (AsB) was the main species present in bivalve mollusk tissues, while monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and arsenate (As(V)) were below the limit of quantification (0.001 and 0.003 μg g− 1, respectively). Two unidentified As species also were detected and quantified. The sum of the As-species concentration was in agreement (90 to 104%), with the total As content determined by ICP-MS after sample digestion. Salvador

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of manganese (Mn) on silver catfish exposed to different levels of dissolved oxygen. Silver catfish ( Rhamdia quelen ) were exposed to increasing concentrations of Mn (4.2, 8.4 or 16.2 mg L −1 ) under either normoxia (100 percent saturation) or moderate hypoxia (51.87 percent saturation) for 15 days. Under normoxia, Mn exposure increased lipid peroxidation (LP) in brain and kidney; it increased gluthatione (GSH) levels in brain and decreased catalase (CAT) activity in both tissues. Moderate hypoxia was able to prevent Mn-induced LP in brain and to reduce this oxidative parameter in kidney; GSH level was increased in brain, while CAT activity was reduced in both tissues. Activity of isolated mitochondria of liver and gills was reduced by Mn exposure under both levels of dissolved oxygen, but this effect was more prominent in normoxia. As expected, liver, kidney and gills showed an increase of Mn accumulation according to waterborne levels, and these parameters presented positive relationship. The highest waterborne Mn (8.4 and 16.2 mg L −1 ) resulted in greater accumulation under normoxia, indicating that moderate hypoxia can stimulate mechanisms capable of reducing Mn accumulation in tissues (though not in blood). Moderate hypoxia can be considered a stress factor and Mn an aquatic anthropogenic contaminant. Therefore we hypothesized that these two conditions together are able to invoke defense mechanisms in juvenile silver catfish, acting in a compensatory form, which may be related to adaptation and/or hormesis.

Ultrasound-assisted oxidative desulfurization (UAOD) process was applied to diesel oil and petroleum product feedstock containing model sulfur compounds (benzothiophene, dibenzothiophene and dimethyldibenzothiophene). The influence of oxidant amount, volume of solvent for the extraction step and time and temperature of ultrasound treatment (20 kHz, 750 W, operating at 40%) was investigated. Using the optimized conditions for UAOD, sulfur removal up to 99% was achieved for model compounds in petroleum product feedstock using a molar proportion for H2O2:acetic acid:sulfur of 64:300:1, after 9 min of ultrasound treatment at 90 °C, followed by extraction with methanol (optimized solvent and oil ratio of 0.36). Using the same reagent amount and 9 min of ultrasound the removal of sulfur was higher than 75% for diesel oil samples. Sulfur removal without ultrasound using the same conditions was lower than 82% for model compounds and 55% for diesel oil samples showing that ultrasound improved the efficiency of oxidative desulfurization. In comparison to conventional hydrodesulfurization, the proposed UAOD process can be performed under relatively mild conditions (atmospheric pressure and 90 °C, without using metallic catalysts).

A microwave-induced combustion (MIC) procedure was applied for coal digestion for subsequent determination of As, Cd and Pb by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and Hg using cold vapor (CV) generation coupled to ICP-MS. Pellets of coal (500 mg) were combusted using 20 bar of oxygen and ammonium nitrate as aid for ignition. The use of nitric acid as absorbing solution (1.7, 3.5, 5.0, 7.0 and 14 mol L(-1)) was evaluated. For coal samples with higher ash content, better results were found using 7.0 mol L(-1) HNO(3) and an additional reflux step of 5 min after combustion step. For coal samples with ash content lower than 8%, 5.0 mol L(-1) nitric acid was suitable to the absorption of all analytes. Accuracy was evaluated using certified reference material (CRM) of coal and spikes. Agreement with certified values and recoveries was better than 95 and 97%, respectively, for all the analytes. For comparison of results, a procedure recommended by the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) was used. Additionally, a conventional microwave-assisted digestion (MAD) in pressurized vessels was also performed. Using ASTM procedure, analyte losses were observed and a relatively long time was necessary for digestion (>6h). By comparison with MAD procedure, higher sample mass can be digested using MIC allowing better limits of detection. Additionally, the use of concentrated acids was not necessary that is an important aspect in order to obtain low blank levels and lower limits of detection, respectively. The residual carbon content in digests obtained by MAD and MIC was about 15% and

A procedure using ultrasonic irradiation is proposed for sulfur removal of a petroleum product feedstock. The procedure involves the combination of a peroxyacid and ultrasound-assisted treatment in order to comply with the required sulfur content recommended by the current regulations for fuels. The ultrasound-assisted oxidative desulfurization (UAOD) process was applied to a petroleum product feedstock using dibenzothiophene as a model sulfur compound. The influence of ultrasonic irradiation time, oxidizing reagents amount, kind of solvent for the extraction step and kind of organic acid were investigated. The use of ultrasonic irradiation allowed higher efficiency for sulfur removal in comparison to experiments performed without its application, under the same reactional conditions. Using the optimized conditions for UAOD, the sulfur removal was about 95% after 9 min of ultrasonic irradiation (20 kHz, 750 W, run at 40%), using hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid, followed by extraction with methanol.

The use of reference solutions dispersed on filter paper discs is proposed for the first time as an external calibration strategy for matrix matching and determination of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, V and Zn in plants by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The procedure is based on the use of filter paper discs as support for aqueous reference solutions, which are further evaporated, resulting in solid standards with concentrations up to 250 μg g(-1) of each element. The use of filter paper for calibration is proposed as matrix matched standards due to the similarities of this material with botanical samples, regarding to carbon concentration and its distribution through both matrices. These characteristics allowed the use of (13)C as internal standard (IS) during the analysis by LA-ICP-MS. In this way, parameters as analyte signal normalization with (13)C, carrier gas flow rate, laser energy, spot size, and calibration range were monitored. The calibration procedure using solution deposition on filter paper discs resulted in precision improvement when (13)C was used as IS. The method precision was calculated by the analysis of a certified reference material (CRM) of botanical matrix, considering the RSD obtained for 5 line scans and was lower than 20%. Accuracy of LA-ICP-MS determinations were evaluated by analysis of four CRM pellets of botanical composition, as well as by comparison with results obtained by ICP-MS using solution nebulization after microwave assisted digestion. Plant samples of unknown elemental composition were analyzed by the proposed LA method and good agreement were obtained with results of solution analysis. Limits of detection (LOD) established for LA-ICP-MS were obtained by the ablation of 10 lines on the filter paper disc containing 40 μL of 5% HNO3 (v v(-1)) as calibration blank. Values ranged from 0.05 to 0.81 μg g(-1). Overall, the use of filter paper as support for dried aqueous standards showed to be a useful strategy for calibration and plant analysis by LA-ICP-MS.

Drugs of long-term use may cause the accumulation of chemical compounds in human body. Therefore, the evaluation and structure characterization of synthesis and degradation impurities is substantial to guarantee drug safety and successful pharmaceutical therapy. The present work evaluated the anticoagulant rivaroxabana (RIV) under stress conditions in order to elucidate the chemical structure of major degradation products (DPs) formed after drug exposition to acid and alkaline hydrolysis, and UVC radiation. Analyses were performed in UPLC coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight MS. ESI was applied in positive mode, and C18 Agilent(®) column (2.1×50 mm, 1.8 μm) used for separation of compounds. RIV molecular ion [M+H](+) (m/z 436.07) was fragmented under 20 kV, best energetic condition to obtain clear and reproducible fragmentation pattern, assisting identification of RIV DPs. With support from UPLC separation and specific detection by MS/MS, three main degradation products (DP-1, DP-2, and DP-3) formed under stress conditions were successfully characterized. Presented study agrees with requirements for analytical assessment of impurities in pharmaceutical formulations, ensuring quality of pharmaceutical substances.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of zinc supplementation on the ecto-adenosine deaminase activity (E-ADA), zinc seric levels and cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6, and IL -10) on rats experimentally infected by Trypanosoma evansi. Four groups with 10 rats each were used as negative controls (groups A and B), while the animals from the groups C and D were infected intraperitoneally with 0.1 mL of cryopreserved blood containing 1.4 × 10(4) of trypanosomes. Animals of groups B and D received two doses of Zinc (Zn) at 5 mg kg(-1), subcutaneously, on the 2nd and 7th day post-infection (PI). Blood samples were collected on days 5 (n = 5) and 15 PI (n = 5). Zn supplementation was able to increase the rat's longevity and to reduce their parasitemia. It was observed that seric Zn levels were increased on infected animals under Zn supplementation. Animals that were infected and supplemented with Zn showed changes in E-ADA activity and in cytokine levels (P

The present study investigated the effects of quercetin in the impairment of memory and anxiogenic-like behavior induced by cadmium (Cd) exposure. We also investigated possible alterations in acetylcholinesterase (AChE), Na(+),K(+)-ATPase and δ-aminolevulinate dehydratase (δ-ALA-D) activities as well as in oxidative stress parameters in the CNS. Rats were exposed to Cd (2.5mg/kg) and quercetin (5, 25 or 50mg/kg) by gavage for 45days. Animals were divided into eight groups (n=10-14): saline/control, saline/Querc 5mg/kg, saline/Querc 25mg/kg, saline/Querc 50mg/kg, Cd/ethanol, Cd/Querc 5mg/kg, Cd/Querc 25mg/kg and Cd/Querc 50mg/kg. Results demonstrated that Cd impaired memory has an anxiogenic effect. Quercetin prevented these harmful effects induced by Cd. AChE activity decreased in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus and increased in the hypothalamus of Cd-exposed rats. The Na(+),K(+)-ATPase activity decreased in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus of Cd-exposed rats. Quercetin prevented these effects in AChE and Na(+),K(+)-ATPase activities. Reactive oxygen species production, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance levels, protein carbonyl content and double-stranded DNA fractions increased in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus of Cd-exposed rats. Quercetin totally or partially prevents these effects caused by Cd. Total thiols (T-SHs), reduced glutathione (GSH), and reductase glutathione (GR) activities decreased and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity increased in Cd exposed rats. Co-treatment with quercetin prevented reduction in T-SH, GSH, and GR activities and the rise of GST activity. The present findings show that quercetin prevents alterations in oxidative stress parameters as well as AChE and Na(+),K(+)-ATPase activities, consequently preventing memory impairment and anxiogenic-like behavior displayed by Cd exposure. These results may contribute to a better understanding of the neuroprotective role of quercetin, emphasizing the influence of this flavonoid in the diet for human health, possibly preventing brain injury associated with Cd intoxication.

SUMMARYThe aim of this study was to evaluate the activity of delta-aminolevulinate dehydratase (δ-ALA-D) in red blood cells of rats infected withTrypanosoma evansiand establish its association with haematocrit, serum levels of iron and zinc and lipid peroxidation. Thirty-six male rats (Wistar) were divided into 2 groups with 18 animals each. Group A was non-infected while Group B was intraperitoneally infected, receiving 7·5×106trypomastigotes per animal. Each group was divided into 3 subgroups of 6 rats and blood was collected during different periods post-infection (p.i.) as follows: day 5 (A1 and B1), day 15 (A2 and B2) and day 30 PI (A3 and B3). Blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture to estimate red blood cell parameters (RBC),δ-ALA-D activity and serum levels of iron, zinc and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Rats in group B showed a significant (Pδ-ALA-D in blood was significantly (Pδ-ALA-D activity in blood had a significant (PPPδ-ALA-D activity in blood was negatively correlated with the levels of iron (r=−0·68) and zinc (r=−0·57) on day 30 p.i. It was concluded that the increased activity ofδ-ALA-D in blood might have occurred in response to the anaemia in remission as heme synthesis was enhanced.