Potential hepatoprotective effects of vitamin E and Nigella sativa oil on hepatotoxicity induced by chronic exposure to malathion in human and male albino rats

Malathion is an organophosphorus (OP) insecticide and has a wide range of use in agriculture, veterinary medicine, and public health. Malathion and other OP insecticides produce hepatotoxic effects. The objective of the present study was to investigate the protective effects of Nigella sativa oil and α-tocopherol (vitamin E) on the hepatotoxicity induced by malathion on workers involved in the formulation of pesticides, chronically exposed to malathion, and in male albino rats orally administrated malathion. This study was conducted on both human and experimental animals, the human study was conducted on 30 control subjects working as administrators and 45 subjects working in formulation of pesticides and exposed to malathion (≥3 years), all were males with age ranges from 30 to 60 years. The 45 males working in pesticides formulation were classified into three groups; (1) 15 workers exposed to pesticides (2) 15 workers exposed to pesticides and received vitamin (E), in a dose of 10 mg kg?1 day^?1 orally for 60 days, and (3) 15 workers exposed to pesticides and received 100 mg kg^?1 day^?1 of N. sativa oil for 60 days. The animal experiment was conducted on 40 adult male albino rats weighing 150–200 g. They were divided into four groups (10 rats in each group). First group served as the control group, the second group received malathion in a dose of 50 mg kg^?1 orally per day for 60 days, the third group received malathion (in the same dose and route of administration) and vitamin E in a dose of 10 mg kg^?1 day^?1 orally for 60 days, and the fourth group received malathion (in the same dose and route of administration) and N. sativa oil in a dose of 100 mg kg^?1 day^?1 orally for 60 days. Liver function tests (alanine aminotransferase [ALT], aspartate aminotransferase [AST], serum alkaline phosphatase [ALP], albumin, globulin, albumin/globulin ratio, and total proteins), antioxidant enzymes (catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and total glutathione peroxidase (GPx)), and lipid peroxidation [MDA] were analyzed in both human and animal experiments. The results of both human and animal study revealed that, exposure to malathion produced significant increases in AST, ALT, and lipid peroxidation. There were significant decrease in albumin, albumin/globulin ratio, total protein, and antioxidant enzymes. There was no significant change in ALP. In addition exposed workers showed significant decreases in serum globulin. Nigella sativa oil or vitamin E administration showed significant improvement of liver function tests, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant enzymes impairment induced by malathion. Thus, dietary supplement, N. sativa oil, or vitamin E may represent a potential therapeutic agent in reducing malathion-induced hepatotoxicity.     

EQUIVALENCE BETWEEN TOPMODEL AND THE NRCS CURVE NUMBER METHOD IN PREDICTING VARIABLE RUNOFF SOURCE AREAS1

An equivalence is proposed between two rainfall‐runoff methods with a long history of use in the United States and Europe. In watersheds where variable source areas dominate runoff, the two methods can have comparable probability distribution functions of moisture deficit, and therefore predict similar saturated runoff source areas. A novel approach is introduced to determine the S parameter in the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) method. This approach constrains S by the physical soil and topography characteristics of the catchment and depth to water table. The NRCS curve number method is at the core of many rainfall‐runoff models in hydrology. As a simple lumped parameter method, it is often scrutinized because it is not obvious how to derive S from catchment hydromorphological characteristics. The novel approach provides a clear physical meaning for S, allowing better estimation of this parameter in humid shallow water table environments where the variable source area can be the dominant runoff mechanism.     

Visible light photocatalytic water disinfection and its kinetics using Ag-doped titania nanoparticles

The UN estimated about five million deaths every year due to water-borne diseases, accounting from four billion patients. Keeping in view, the ever increasing health issues and to undermine this statistics, a reliable and sustainable water-treatment method has been developed using visible light for water treatment. titania nanoparticles (NPs) have been synthesized successfully by a more applicable method Viz: liquid impregnation (LI) method. The bacterial death rate by photocatalysis under visible light was studied by employing a typical fluorescent source and was found to follow pseudo first-order reaction kinetics. The nanoparticles were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to deduce their size range, surface morphology, and elemental compositions, respectively. Among all the prepared grades, 1 % Ag–TiO₂ was found to be a very effective photocatalytic agent against Escherichia coli. The resulted photoinactivated data were also evaluated by different empirical kinetic models for bacterial inactivation. Hom, Hom-power, Rational, and Selleck models were not able to explain the disinfection kinetics but modified-Hom model fitted best with the experimentally obtained data by producing a shoulder, log-linear, and a tail region.     

Screening of human health risk to infants associated with the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) levels in human milk from Punjab Province,Pakistan

This study assessed the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) levels in human milk and its associated health risk to infants from rural and urban settings of five districts of Punjab Province, Pakistan. The ∑₃₄PCB concentrations ranged from 30.9 to 68.3 ng g^?1 on lipid weight (l.w.) basis. The ∑₈DL-PCB concentrations were ranged from 0.29 to 1.35 ng g^?1 l.w., (mean 6.2 ± 8.7 ng g^?1 l.w.), with toxicity equivalent to polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs) ranging from 8.58 × 10^?6 to 0.05 ng TEQ g^?1 l.w. The spatial trend of PCB levels in human milk revealed higher bioaccumulative levels for urban mothers as compared with rural counterparts. The estimated daily intake (EDI) values of DL-PCBs to infants through trans-mammary transfer were considerably higher than tolerable daily intake limits established by WHO (i.e., 1–4 pg TEQ kg^?1 bw) and other globally recognized organizations. Similarly, the hazard quotient values for TEQ ∑₈DL-PCBs (range 1.21 to 79.87) were far above the benchmark value of 1 at all the sampling sites, indicating the high levels of adverse health risks to infants in the region through breast milk consumption. The ∑₃₄PCB levels were found to be negatively correlated with mother’ age (r = ?0.31; p = 0.02), parity (r = ? 0.85; p = 0.001), and infant’ birth weight (r = ? 0.73; p = 0.01). The present study suggests undertaking comprehensive public health risk assessment studies and firm regulatory measures to safeguard human health risks.

     

Foliar application of aspartic acid lowers cadmium uptake and Cd-induced oxidative stress in rice under Cd stress

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Cadmium (Cd) contamination of farmland soils is a widespread problem around the globe, and rice (Oryza sativa L.) tends to accumulate more Cd and is...     

Mercury chloride toxicity in human erythrocytes: enhanced generation of ROS and RNS,hemoglobin oxidation,impaired antioxidant power,and inhibition of plasma membrane redox system

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Mercury is among the most toxic heavy metals and a widespread environmental pollutant. Mercury chloride (HgCl2) is an inorganic compound of mercury...     

The relevance of economic freedom for energy,environment, and economic growth in Asia-Pacific region

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This paper investigates the relationship between energy intensity, economic freedom, and carbon emissions. The problem of environmental degradation,...     

Trade,FDI, and CO2 emissions nexus in Latin America: the spatial analysis in testing the pollution haven and the EKC hypotheses

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Americas have a mix of developing and developed economies. Thus, the pollution haven hypothesis (PHH) is expected in the developing countries of Latin...     

Insights into conventional and recent technologies for arsenic bioremediation: A systematic review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Arsenic (As) bioremediation has been an economical and sustainable approach, being practiced widely under several As-contaminated environments....     

Effect of chromium on growth attributes in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

Heavy metal soil pollution takes place when the metal concentration of soil exceeds natural background level and causes ecological destruction and deterioration of the environment. In the present study, a pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of chromium-contaminated soil in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) growth attributes. Three different levels of chromium (Cr) i.e., 20, 40, and 60 mg/kg were applied to three varieties of sunflower (G-3, G-9, and G-59). The results of morphological, chemical, and yield parameters were recorded at crop maturity. The result showed that germination, root, and shoot lengths were decreased with increase in Cr concentrations. A gradual decrease was observed for various morphological parameters like root fresh and dry weights, shoot fresh and dry weights, and plant height with increase in Cr levels. A comparison among Cr treatments obtained a significant decrease in yield parameters as achenes/capitulum, achenes/plant, and 100 achenes weight in three varieties. Cr was significantly absorbed by roots but its transport to other parts of plants was slow, and uptake in seeds was much lower than in roots and shoots.