Effect of acute exposure to PFOA on mouse liver cells in vivo and in vitro

Increasingly, epidemiological evidences indicate chemosynthetic perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), an environmental pollutant, induces potential adverse effect on human health after long-term exposure. However, less study has been performed for assessment of acute effect of PFOA exposure on metabolic homeostasis. In experimental designs, PFOA-exposed liver cells in vivo and in vitro were used to discuss underlying mechanism related to PFOA-induced metabolic dysfunction. In serological tests, PFOA-exposed mice showed increased treads of liver functional enzymes in alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), and total bilirubin (T-BIL), trypsinase, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and insulin, while blood glucose, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), and glucagon levels were reduced. In histocytological observations, PFOA-exposed liver showed visible cytoplasmic vesicles, and intact pancreatic islets were observed in PFOA-exposed pancreas. Additionally, increased insulin-positive cells and reduced glucagon-positive cells were detected in PFOA-exposed islets. As shown in immunoassays, PFOA-exposed liver resulted in elevations of cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36)-labeled cells and CD36 protein. In mouse liver cell study, PFOA-exposed cells showed increased cell apoptotic count, and increased phosphorylated levels of Bcl-2 and Bad in the cells. Furthermore, PFOA-exposed liver cells exhibited elevations of CD36-labeled cells and CD36 protein. Taken together, the present data demonstrate that acute exposure to PFOA-impaired liver function is associated with inducting CD36 expression and apoptosis, as well as disrupting key hormones in the pancreas.     

Urinary metabolomic profiling in rats exposed to dietary di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) using ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS)

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is an omnipresent environmental chemical with widespread nonoccupational human exposure through multiple ways. Although considerable efforts have been invested to investigate mechanisms of DEHP toxicity, the key metabolic biomarkers of DEHP toxicity remain to be identified. The aim of this study was to assess the urinary metabonomics of dietary DEHP in rats using the technique of ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS). Fourteen female Wistar rats were divided into two groups and given increasing dietary doses of DEHP for 30 consecutive days. The urinary metabolite profile was studied using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) enabled clusters to be clearly separated. Eleven principal urinary metabolites were identified as contributing to the clusters. The clusters in the positive electrospray ionization (ESI) mode were xanthurenic acid, kynurenic acid, nonate, N6-methyladenosine, and L-isoleucyl-L-proline. The clusters in the negative ESI mode were hippuric acid, tetrahydrocortisol, citric acid, phenylpropionylglycine, cPA(18:2(9Z, 12Z)/0:0), and LysoPC(14:1(9Z)). The urinary metabonomic changes indicated that exposure to dietary DEHP can affect energy-related metabolism, liver and renal function, fatty acid metabolism, and cause DNA damage in rats. The findings of this study on the urinary metabolites and metabolic pathways of DEHP may form the basis for future studies on the mechanisms of toxicity of this commonly found environmental chemical.     

Genetic diversity and population structure of the invasive plant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Solanum rostratum</Emphasis> in China

The level of genetic diversity of 13 Chinese populations of S. rostratum was investigated using nine microsatellite loci. The genetic diversity of the Weisanlu population in Hebei province was the highest and the Hohhot population was the lowest. The genetic differentiation among the populations was highly significant (P < 0.001). A total of 68.54% of the total genetic variation of population was within populations, and the genetic variation between populations accounted for 31.46%. The long-distance dispersal of its seeds by human transport mainly resulted in the rapid dispersal of S. rostratum in China.     

文思湖底泥COD释放规律模拟研究

采用室内模拟实验方法,研究环境因子（温度、pH、扰动强度、供气量）对底泥释放COD的影响。结果表明,水温升高能加速底泥中有机质的释放;上覆水在弱酸至中性条件下底泥释放有机质最低;扰动上覆水体会加快有机质的释放。     

Comparison of semi-aerobic and anaerobic degradation of refuse with recirculation after leachate treatment by aged refuse bioreactor

Two fresh refuse bioreactors (F1 and F2) were operated under semi-aerobic and anaerobic conditions, respectively. The leachate from the bioreactors F1 and F2 was introduced into the aged refuse bioreactors (A1 and A2), and the effluent from A1 and A2 was subsequently recirculated into F1 and F2, respectively. The effect of the semi-aerobic recirculation process on refuse degradation was investigated, comparing it with that of the anaerobic recirculation process. Results indicate that the semi-aerobic recirculation process can increase the accumulated net production of leachate and promote evaporation. The accumulated net production of refuse in F1 is 320 mL/kg and that of F2 is 248 mL/kg, with leachate reduction amounting to 315 and 244 mL/kg refuse, respectively. The leachate quantity reduction of semi-aerobic and anaerobic leachate recirculation process accounted for 98.4% and 98.3% of the accumulated net production of leachate, respectively. The semi-aerobic leachate recirculation process can improve the biodegradation of organic matter from fresh refuse and the reduction rate of the pollutant concentration in leachate. This should shorten considerably the time required to meet the discharge standard and the time of stabilization of the refuse as observed in the anaerobic recirculation process. It was predicted that the COD concentration of leachate from the anaerobic recirculation process would reach 1000 mg/L in the anaerobic recirculation process after 2.2 years, as for semi-aerobic leachate recirculation process it is about 100 days. Compared with anaerobic recirculation process, the semi-aerobic recirculation process is more effective on NH₃-N transformation and TN removal. The NH₃-N and TN concentration of F1 is far below those of F2 at the end of our experiment. Refuse settlement in the semi-aerobic recirculation process was faster than that in the anaerobic recirculation process. At the end of the experiment, refuse settlement ratios in the semi-aerobic and anaerobic bioreactors were 33.5% and 18%, respectively.     

Bioconversion of dairy manure by black soldier fly (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) for biodiesel and sugar production

Modern dairies cause the accumulation of considerable quantity of dairy manure which is a potential hazard to the environment. Dairy manure can also act as a principal larval resource for many insects such as the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens. The black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) are considered as a new biotechnology to convert dairy manure into biodiesel and sugar. BSFL are a common colonizer of large variety of decomposing organic material in temperate and tropical areas. Adults do not need to be fed, except to take water, and acquired enough nutrition during larval development for reproduction. Dairy manure treated by BSFL is an economical way in animal facilities. Grease could be extracted from BSFL by petroleum ether, and then be treated with a two-step method to produce biodiesel. The digested dairy manure was hydrolyzed into sugar. In this study, approximately 1248.6 g fresh dairy manure was converted into 273.4 g dry residue by 1200 BSFL in 21 days. Approximately 15.8 g of biodiesel was gained from 70.8 g dry BSFL, and 96.2 g sugar was obtained from the digested dairy manure. The residual dry BSFL after grease extraction can be used as protein feedstuff.     

XAFS study of starch-stabilized magnetite nanoparticles and surface speciation of arsenate

It has been shown that starch can effectively stabilize nanoscale magnetite particles, and starch-stabilized magnetite nanoparticles (SMNP) are promising for in situ remediation of arsenic-contaminated soils. However, a molecular level understanding has been lacking. Here, we carried out XAFS studies to bridge this knowledge gap. Fe K-edge XAFS spectra indicated that the Fe-O and Fe-Fe coordination numbers of SMNP were lower than those for bare magnetite particles, and these coordination numbers decreased with increasing starch concentration. The decrease in the average coordination number at elevated stabilizer concentration was attributed to the increase in the surface-to-volume ratio. Arsenic K-edge XAFS spectra indicated that adsorbed arsenate on SMNP consisted primarily of binuclear bidentate (BB) complexes and monodentate mononuclear (MM) complexes. More BB complexes (energetically more favorable) were observed at higher starch concentrations, indicating that SMNP not only offered greater adsorption surface area, but also stronger adsorption affinity toward arsenate.     

Distillers’ grains anaerobic digestion residue biochar used for ammonium sorption and its effect on ammonium leaching from an Ultisol

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The aim of this work was to explore the potential application of biochar from distillers’ grains anaerobic digestion residue pyrolyzed at...     

Investigation on the interaction between triclosan and bovine serum albumin by spectroscopic methods

Abstract

Multi-spectroscopic and molecular docking methods were used to study the interaction between triclosan (TCS) and bovine serum albumin (BSA). The results indicated that the fluorescence quenching of BSA by TCS was due to the formation of TCS–BSA complex through static quenching. This result was also demonstrated by time-resolved fluorescence experiment. The binding constants and number of binding sites between TCS and BSA were 1.30?×?10⁵ M^?1 and 1.17 at 298?K, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters were studied in detail which suggested that hydrophobic forces and hydrogen bond played major roles in the TCS–BSA interaction. Moreover, the site marker competitive experiments and docking studies revealed that TCS could bind BSA into site I in subdomain IIA. All the results of UV–vis spectrophotometry, circular dichroism spectroscopy and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy showed that interaction between TCS and BSA induced conformation changes of BSA.