Search

While the effects of chronic exposure to microplastic particles (MPs) are extensively studied, the outcomes of a single treatment have received relatively less attention. To investigate MPs’ potential acute toxicity, including their impact on general health status (victual consumption, sensorimotor deficits, and clinical toxicity signs) and serum biochemical parameters (markers of organ/tissue function and oxidative stress indicators), we administered thoroughly characterized MPs (1.4, 35, or 125 mg/kg), generated from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, to adult male Wistar rats via oral gavage. The MPs’ short-term effects were assessed with well-established tests and methods. The results point to the absence of sensorimotor deficits and clinical toxicity signs, while levels of markers of liver, heart, and kidney function were altered in all MP groups. Decreased victual consumption and increased levels of oxidative stress indicators were evident following treatment with the two higher MP doses. Presented data indicate that examined MPs are able to initiate the development of local changes in tissues and organs within a short time frame, potentially leading to their damage and dysfunction. This study may increase the awareness of the detrimental effects of plastic contamination, as even a single exposure to MPs may provoke adverse health outcomes.

Nanoparticles (NPs), a distinct class of particles ranging in size from 1 to 100 nm, are one of the most promising technologies of the 21st century, and titanium dioxide NPs (TiO2 NPs) are among the most widely produced and used NPs globally. The increased application of TiO2 NPs raises concerns regarding their global safety and risks of exposure. Many animal studies have reported the accumulation of TiO2 NPs in female reproductive organs; however, evidence of the resultant toxicity remains ambiguous. Since the surface area and chemical modifications of NPs can significantly change their cytotoxicity, we aimed to compare the toxic effects of pristine TiO2 powder with surface-modified TiO2 powders with salicylic acid (TiO2/SA) and 5-aminosalicylic acid (TiO2/5-ASA) on the ovaries, oviducts, and uterus on the 14th day following acute oral treatment. The results, based on alterations in food and water intake, body mass, organ-to-body mass ratio, hormonal status, histological features of tissues of interest, and antioxidant parameters, suggest that the modification with 5-ASA can mitigate some of the observed toxic effects of TiO2 powder and encourage future investigations to create NPs that can potentially reduce the harmful effects of TiO2 NPs while preserving their positive impacts.

The beneficial effects of probiotics are severely limited due to their low stability during production and storage. Encapsulation of probiotic cells remains the main strategy to overcome this problem, and in this regard, the use of yeast cells may have potential. Viable, sonicated and thermally treated yeast cells as well as yeast cell wall polymers have been shown to promote the growth and survival of probiotic bacteria; however, the effects of plasmolyzed yeast have not yet been investigated. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate the potential of plasmolyzed yeast cells for maintaining the viability of probiotic bacteria. Plasmolysis of Saccharomyces uvarum yeast cells was performed using a 10% NaCl solution (55 °C, 48 h). The cells were then washed, spray-dried and mixed with a previously prepared Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299v culture (DSM 9843) in two ratios (1:1 and 2:1, w/w). Finally, the mixtures were freeze-dried. The viability of the probiotic cells was assessed after encapsulation and every two weeks during three months of storage under refrigerated conditions using the plate count method. In addition, water activity and morphology analyses were performed and the auto/coaggregation properties of the cells were investigated. After storage, the number of viable cells in both formulations remained above 7 log CFU/g, i.e. above the minimum required for probiotic benefits. The obtained powders showed satisfactory water activity, while optical microscopy and aggregation assays indicate that the protective effect of the yeast may be due to direct cell-to-cell contact. The results suggest that plasmolyzed yeast cells have the potential to serve as wall material for probiotic bacteria by maintaining their viability during freezing and storage. Further studies are needed to gain a better insight into the properties of the encapsulates under gastrointestinal conditions and in food matrices.

Otpadni pivski kvasac (OPK) (engl. Spent brewer’s yeast, SBY) drugi je najvažniji nusproizvod industrije piva nakon pivskog tropa. Premda se neki kvasci mogu koristiti više puta za fermentaciju sladovine, nastala biomasa se na kraju proizvodnog procesa odbacuje, što dalje uzrokuje finansijske i ekološke probleme. U cilju smanjenja otpada ovog nusproizvoda agroindustrije, OPK se uglavnom koristi kao stočna hrana i kao takav ima nisku komercijalnu vrednost. Međutim, zbog svoje visoke nutritivne vrednosti, visoke dostupnosti i niske cene, OPK ima potencijal za profitabilnije primene, između ostalog, i za inkapsulaciju bioaktivnih jedinjenja. Sastav ćelijskog zida kvasca omogućava inkapsulaciju i hidrofilnih i lipofilnih bioaktivnih supstanci, dok njegova mehanička svojstva pružaju zaštitu od spoljnih faktora tokom obrade, skladištenja i konzumiranja. Proces inkapsulacije primenom otpadnog pivskog kvasca je jednostavan i rezultuje visokom efikasnošću inkapsulacije, koja se dodatno može poboljšati različitim predtretmanima kvaščevog materijala. Jedinjenja do sada uspešno inkapsulirana u OPK i materijale dobijene iz OPK uključuju polifenole, vitamine, ulja, pa čak i probiotike. U pogledu mogućih primena, OPK inkapsulati imaju veliki potencijal za upotrebu u prehrambenoj industriji; mogu se koristiti u formulaciji funkcionalne hrane ili kao zdrava zamena za sintetičke konzervanse i/ili boje. Ipak, povišeni troškovi proizvodnje i, u nekim slučajevima, gorčina inkapsulata mogu predstavljati izazov kada je u pitanju šira primena ove tehnologije i stoga bi trebalo da budu u fokusu budućih studija., Spent brewer’s yeast (SBY) is the second most important by-product in the brewing industry after spent grain. Although some yeasts can be used multiple times to ferment wort, the resulting biomass is discarded at the end of the production process, causing financial and environmental problems. To reduce the waste of this agro-industrial by-product, SBY is mainly used as animal feed and as such has a low commercial value. However, due to its high nutritional value, high availability, and low cost, SBY has the potential for more profitable applications, including encapsulation of bioactive compounds. The composition of the yeast cell wall allows for the entrapment of both hydrophilic and lipophilic bioactives, and its mechanical properties provide protection from external factors during processing, storage, and consumption. The encapsulation process with spent brewer's yeast is simple and leads to high encapsulation efficiency, which can be further improved by various pretreatments of the yeast material. Compounds that have been successfully encapsulated in SBY and SBY-derived materials to date include polyphenols, vitamins, oils, and even probiotics. In terms of possible applications, SBY encapsulates have great potential for the food industry; they can be used to develop functional foods or as healthy substitutes for synthetic preservatives and/or colorants. However, the higher production costs and, in some cases, the bitterness of the encapsulates may pose a challenge to wider application of this technology and should therefore be the focus of future studies.

Over the past decades, polyphenolic compounds have received a lot of attention in both the scientific community and the food industry. The potential health benefits make these compounds interesting for food fortification. However, due to low stability and unpleasant taste at higher concentrations, the use of polyphenols in food products is limited. Encapsulation, a process based on forming a physical barrier around an active substance, is a promising way of overcoming these problems. The number of research studies and reviews focusing on polyphenol encapsulation is on the constant rise. Polyphenol encapsulates tend to display greater stability during processing and storage compared to non-encapsulated polyphenols and, therefore, have a high potential for application in foods. However, papers focusing on the practical application of encapsulated polyphenols are scarce. For that reason, the aim of this work was to present possible applications of such encapsulates in foods, as well as to summarize the most popular techniques used for this purpose. Encapsulated polyphenols can be applied as functional food ingredients and/or food colorants in various products, such as milk products, bakery products, and confectionery. The most commonly employed techniques for polyphenol encapsulation include spray drying and freeze-drying, as well as ionic gelation, complex coacervation, and liposome entrapment. In terms of limitations, the increased cost of industrial production and the low bioavailability of polyphenols and their encapsulates should be further investigated.

Anthocyanins are polyphenolic plant pigments associated with antioxidant and health-promoting properties. However, their application in the food industry is limited due to their poor stability. The purpose of this study was to encapsulate anthocyanin-rich bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) extract by freeze-drying and to investigate the effects of different wall materials and extract contents on the physicochemical and bioactive properties of the obtained encapsulates. Ethanolic bilberry extract was encapsulated with the use of maltodextrin (16.5–19.5 DE) (MD), gum Arabic (GA), and their combination in a 1:1 w/w ratio (MIX). Bilberry solids to wall material ratios were examined at 20:80, 30:70, and 40:60. All encapsulates showed an attractive red colour and low water activity values (aw ≤ 0.3) that indicated a low risk of microbial spoilage. In general, the biggest losses of total phenolic compounds and anthocyanins during three-week storage in the dark and at room temperature (20 ± 2 °C) were detected in the case of encapsulates with a higher content of bilberry extract (MIX30 and MIX40, and GA30 and GA40, respectively). The use of maltodextrin provided the best protection to bilberry anthocyanins during forced storage. Overall, the obtained encapsulates show suitable potential for the development of food products with added nutritional benefits.

BACKGROUND-AIM Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is the most rapidly diagnosed cancer worldwide and the most frequent endocrinemalignancy, comprised of differentiated subtypes, specifically papillary and follicular thyroid cancer. Thyroidectomyis currently the preferred treatment for DTC. However, adjuvant therapy in the form of radioactive iodine (131I) is oftenadministered to reduce the risk of tumor recurrence and to facilitate future cancer surveillance. As 131I treatmentadditionally might upregulate oxidative stress regularly observed in thyroid cancer patients, the aim of our study wasto investigate the alterations in the levels of glutathione (GSH), superoxide anion (O2-), nitric oxide (NO) and activityof superoxide dismutase (SOD) in blood of DTC patients treated with 131I. METHODS All investigated parameters were determined with well-established spectrophotometric methods in blood samples ofthyroidectomized DTC patients obtained 0 (before), 3, 7 and 30 days after the 131I treatment. The treatment was orallyadministered once in the dose of 3.7 GBq. RESULTS Our results showed that, compared to the values before the therapy, SOD activity was significantly increased on the3th and 30th day after the 131I treatment alongwith the levels of GSH on 7th day. Other investigated oxidative stressindicators were unchanged. According to obtained data, in the blood of thyroidectomized DTC patients during the first30 days after the therapy, increased antioxidative capacity, reflected through upregulated SOD activity and GSH levels,might be sufficient to prevent the increase of O2- and NO and, in general, suppress the oxidative stress. CONCLUSIONS Our findings provide a better insight into individual antioxidant parameters fluctuations, thus contribute to a betterunderstanding of the redox mechanisms critical for 131I treatment outcomes, since an increase in the oxidative stressin the early stages of therapy can affect later health concerns and may represent a potential ri

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) are widely used in pharmaceutics, food products and cosmetics. Besides numerous beneficial outcomes, they also induce toxic effects in different organs, including the eyes. The recent findings report that some surface modifications can attenuate TiO2NPs toxicity. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare the effects of acute oral treatment with commercially available, bare TiO2NPs and TiO2NPs surface modified with salicylic acid (SA-TiO2NPs) using adult Wistar rats as model organisms. Control animals were gastrically intubated with vehicle (0.01 M HCl), while others were treated with either TiO2NPs or SA-TiO2NPs (1000mg/kg dissolved in vehicle). Afterward, the mortality rate as the acute toxicity parameter and parameters of neurological function were assessed. Animals were sacrificed on the 14th day following treatment. In the eye crude synaptosomal fraction, the effects of treatments on oxidative stress markers such as prooxidant/antioxidant balance (PAB) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) were compared. According to the obtained results, the mortality was 0 in all experimental groups. TiO2NPs and SA-TiO2NPs treatments displayed mild effects on spontaneous activity and pacing and had no impact on the visual placing reflex. Moreover, TiO2NPs and SA-TiO2NPs exposure significantly elevated PAB levels, when compared to controls. Animals treated with SA-TiO2NPs had similar LPO levels as controls, while in TiO2NPs group LPO levels were significantly increased. The presented data showed that both examined nanoparticles exerted similar outcomes referring to most of the investigated parameters, however, surface binding of SA decreased the level of LPO and thus, mitigated some of TiO2NPs toxicity in the eyes.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (Ti02 NPs) are widely used in different cosmetic products, food additives and pharmaceuticals. Their accumulation within the body is associated with adverse health effects. Since animal studies indicate that their outcomes could be ameliorated by different modifications, we tested the impact of Ti02 NPs surface-modified with 5-aminosalicylic acid (Ti02/5-ASA NPs) in female adult Wistar rats. For the purpose of this experiment,14 days following the acute oral intake, the effects of commercially available Ti02 NPs and i02/5-ASA NPs were compared, using well defined methods, to assess the signs of acute toxicity (agitation, convulsion, and mortality) and neurological function (visual placing, spontaneous activity, and pacing/circling) along with the levels of end products of lipid peroxidation (LPP) in eyes. Our results indicate that following the treatments, spontaneous activity was disturbed while mortality, convulsion and visual placing were unaltered. The modification decreased Ti02 NPs-induced impairment of agitation and pacing/circling. The insight into biomolecules in the eyes, more precisely into a marker of oxidative stress (LPP), showed that it was decreased after treatment with Ti02/5-ASA NPs in comparison to Ti02 NPs, indicating that this type of modification might mitigate Ti02 NPs-induced oxidative stress. According to obtained results, even though the exact mechanism of the actions is still unknown, the modification with 5-aminosalicylic acid alleviates toxic effects of commercially available Ti02 NPs.

It is known that the “superalkali” cluster Li2F can significantly improve the hydrogen storage capabilities in carbon materials; boron compounds play a similar role. However, the possibility of interactions of lithium fluoride clusters with boron and hydrogen has not been investigated so far. In this work, a laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI MS) was used for this purpose. Preliminary results showed that the interaction between the “superalkali” Li3F cluster, boron and six hydrogen atoms is possible; the ion Li3FBH6+ was detected. Non-stoichiometric clusters of lithium fluoride can also combine with boron and hydrogen in the following manner: Li5F2BH5+ Li5F3BH2+ Li4F5BH4+ Li6F2B6H+, and Li8F6H+.

The careful monitoring of patients with mild/moderate COVID-19 is of particular importance because of the rapid progression of complications associated with COVID-19. For prognostic reasons and for the economic management of health care resources, additional biomarkers need to be identified, and their monitoring can conceivably be performed in the early stages of the disease. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we found that serum concentrations of high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), at the time of hospital admission, could be useful biomarkers for COVID-19 management. The study included 160 randomly selected recovered patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 on admission. Compared with healthy controls, serum HMGB1 and HO-1 levels increased by 487.6 pg/mL versus 43.1 pg/mL and 1497.7 pg/mL versus 756.1 pg/mL, respectively. Serum HO-1 correlated significantly with serum HMGB1, oxidative stress parameters (malondialdehyde (MDA), the phosphatidylcholine/lysophosphatidylcholine ratio (PC/LPC), the ratio of reduced and oxidative glutathione (GSH/GSSG)), and anti-inflammatory acute phase proteins (ferritin, haptoglobin). Increased heme catabolism/hemolysis were not detected. We hypothesize that the increase in HO-1 in the early phase of COVID-19 disease is likely to have a survival benefit by providing protection against oxidative stress and inflammation, whereas the level of HMGB1 increase reflects the activity of the innate immune system and represents levels within which the disease can be kept under control.

Prolonged disturbance of cerebral blood flow causes metabolic insufficiency and neuronal hypofunction, for which there is still no adequate therapeutic strategy. In several animal models of neurodegenerative diseases, progesterone (P4), a potent gonadal steroid hormone, and its metabolites showed neuroprotective outcomes through reduction of oxidative stress and stabilization of membrane lipids and their downstream signalling. As P4 actions in rat striatum following permanent bilateral occlusion of both common carotid arteries are still uncertain, we investigated its capacity to reduce neuronal damage induced by permanent occlusion of both carotid arteries (2VO), focusing on several oxidative stress markers (end products of lipid peroxidation (LPP) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) to lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) intensity ratio) in crude synaptosomal fraction. Adult male Wistar rats were divided into groups: control ‒ sham operated animals treated with vehicle (commercial flax oil, 1 mg/kg) and permanently occluded animals subjected to either vehicle (commercial flax oil, 1 mg/kg) or P4 (dissolved in commercial flax oil, 1.7 mg/kg). Animals were subcutaneously injected for 7 days and sacrificed 4 h following the last treatment. LPP levels were determined spectrophotometrically, while PC/LPC intensity ratio was estimated by mass spectrometer. Obtained results indicate that P4 treatment alleviates 2VO – induced prooxidative changes by decreasing LPP levels and elevating PC/LPC intensity ratio, and returning them closer to levels observed in controls. According to our findings, P4 treatment in cerebral hypoperfusion model, via targeting striatal cell lipid components and altering lipid profile, might be implicated in reduction of oxidative stress and promotion of protective environment.

D-galactose (d-gal) is broadly used in animal aging studies as its chronic administration mimics learning and memory impairments related to aging in humans. However, within the few studies that utilize chronic oral d-gal intake, none of them is focused on alteration in synaptic structure and function. We examined the effects of 6-weeks oral d-gal intake (200 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg, dissolved in tap water) on age-related changes, with emphasis on the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HIP) of adult male Wistar rats. Memory assessment was followed by histological examination of the PFC and HIP (Nissl staining and Iba-1 immunostaining), while in crude synaptosomal fractions the state of oxidative stress and the expression of proteins involved in glutamatergic signaling was determined. Although applied dosages compromised memory, alterations such as impaired sensory-motor function and aberrant morphology were not detected. In the PFC, analysis of microglia revealed reduction of branching pattern following d-gal intake, in parallel with increased oxidative damage of proteins, lipids and disturbed pro-oxidant antioxidant balance. These changes in the PFC were further accompanied with decreased levels of vesicular glutamate transporter 1, syntaxin-1 and NMDA receptor 2B subunit in both treated groups. Simultaneously, the increased hippocampal oxidative damage of lipids was detected. Results indicate successful provocation of age-related changes following oral d-gal intake, and suggest greater sensitivity of the PFC to d-gal treatment than HIP.

A dysregulated and overwhelming response to an infection accompanied by the exaggerated pro-inflammatory state and metabolism disturbance leads to the fatal outcome in sepsis. Previously we showed that meldonium, an anti-ischemic drug clinically used to treat myocardial and cerebral ischemia, strongly increases mortality in faecal-induced peritonitis (FIP) in rats. We postulated that the same mechanism that is responsible for the otherwise strong anti-inflammatory effects of meldonium could be the culprit of the increased mortality. In the present study, we applied the LPS-induced model of sepsis to explore the presence of any differences from and/or similarities to the FIP model. When it comes to energy production, despite some shared similarities, it is evident that LPS and FIP models of sepsis differ greatly. A different profile of sympathoadrenal activation may account for this observation, as it was lacking in the FIP model, whereas in the LPS model it was strong enough to overcome the effects of meldonium. Therefore, choosing the appropriate model of sepsis induction is of great importance, especially if energy homeostasis is the main focus of the study. Even when differences in the experimental design of the two models are acknowledged, the role of different patterns of energy production cannot be excluded. On that account, our results draw attention to the importance of uninterrupted energy production in sepsis but also call for much-needed revisions of the current recommendations for its treatment. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Background This study aimed to investigate the effects of lithium treatment on gene expression and activity of the prefrontal antioxidant enzymes: copper, zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1), manganes superoxide dismutase (SOD2), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in animals exposed to chronic restraint stress (CRS). Methods The investigated parameters were quantified using real-time RT-PCR, Western blot analyses, and assays of enzyme activities. Results We found that lithium treatment decreased gene expression of SOD2, as well as the activities of SOD1 and SOD2 in chronically stressed rats to the levels found in unstressed animals. However, lithium treatment in animals exposed to CRS increased prefrontal GPx activity to the levels found in unstressed animals. Conclusions These findings confirm that treatment with lithium induced the modulation of prefrontal antioxidant status in chronically stressed rats. Our results may be very important in biomedical research for understanding the role of lithium in maintaining the stability of prefrontal antioxidant defense system in neuropsychiatric disorders caused by chronic stress.

A dysregulated and overwhelming response to an infection accompanied by the exaggerated pro-inflammatory state and metabolism disturbance leads to the fatal outcome in sepsis. Previously we showed that meldonium, an anti-ischemic drug clinically used to treat myocardial and cerebral ischemia, strongly increases mortality in faecal-induced peritonitis (FIP) in rats. We postulated that the same mechanism that is responsible for the otherwise strong anti-inflammatory effects of meldonium could be the culprit of the increased mortality. In the present study, we applied the LPS-induced model of sepsis to explore the presence of any differences from and/or similarities to the FIP model. When it comes to energy production, despite some shared similarities, it is evident that LPS and FIP models of sepsis differ greatly. A different profile of sympathoadrenal activation may account for this observation, as it was lacking in the FIP model, whereas in the LPS model it was strong enough to overcome the effects of meldonium. Therefore, choosing the appropriate model of sepsis induction is of great importance, especially if energy homeostasis is the main focus of the study. Even when differences in the experimental design of the two models are acknowledged, the role of different patterns of energy production cannot be excluded. On that account, our results draw attention to the importance of uninterrupted energy production in sepsis but also call for much-needed revisions of the current recommendations for its treatment.