The effects of high metal concentrations in soil-compost mixtures on soil enzymes

The study was undertaken to determine the impact of high-metal composts on the activities of four soil enzymes. High concentrations of metal salts (Cr, Cu, Ni or a Co-Mo-Pb combination) were added to feedstocks during the thermophilic stage of composting. These four metal-enriched composts and an unamended control compost were then mixed with soil collected from long-term agriculture plots under organic management or conventional management. The compost-soil mixtures were prepared at two rates (1:1 or 1:3 compost:soil, v/v) and incubated at 20°C for three weeks. These 20 combinations plus the five composts and the two soils were added to pots and incubated for three weeks. Following incubation, soil enzyme activities (acid phosphatase, arysulfatase, dehydrogenase, phosphodiesterase) were measured using traditional assay procedures. Compared to the control, none of the high-metal composts inhibited soil enzyme activity. Notably, the Cu compost treatment produced significantly higher activity of all four enzymes in the soil compared to the control. Previous soil management influenced the activity of three enzymes, arysulfatase and dehydrogenase had greater activity in the organic soil while phosphatase activity was greater in the conventional soil. Increasing the proportion of compost in the pot had a positive effect on phosphodiesterase activity only. In conclusion, the high-metal compost treatments either enhanced or caused no adverse effects on soil enzyme activity.     

Effects of two organophosphorus insecticides on some biochemical constituents in the nervous system and liver of rabbits

Abstract

Male Baladi rabbits were acutely and sub‐chronically intoxicated with cyanofenphos and profenophos. The levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, B‐lipoproteins and total proteins were determined in the serum, brain, spinal cord and sciatic nerve of rabbits. Moreover, the activities of alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase and glutamic‐pyruvic transaminase were determined in the liver of the animals. The whole Studie revealed that the biochemical constituents were highly affected by the tested insecticides. Also, the liver function suffered from adverse effects of the tested insecticides.     

Effects of metolachlor on activities of enzymes in a malaysian soil

Abstract

Effects of metolachlor on the activities of cellulase, phosphatase, urease and protease in a loamy sand soil, were evaluated for up to 28 days. Metolachlor at 10 ppm and above caused a reduction in phosphatase and urease activities for the entire period of study. The cellulase activity decreased during the very first day of incubation compared to that of the control but a recovery trend was obvious at all concentrations from day 14 onwards. Protease activity was also reduced in the metolachlor treated soil and the lower activity was observed during the entire study.     

磷和金属对荣成天鹅湖水体碱性磷酸酶活性和动力学性质的影响研究

磷酸酶催化水解有机磷是水体生物有效磷的重要补充途径.以天鹅湖富营养化水体为研究对象,研究了磷和金属对水体中碱性磷酸酶的活性(APA)和动力学性质的影响.结果表明:磷酸根(PO_4~(3-))、六偏磷酸根((PO_3)_6~(-6))、焦磷酸根(P_2O_7~(4-))、β-甘油磷酸根((C_3H_4O_6P)~(2-))在0.01～1 mmol·L~(-1)范围内对APA表现为抑制作用,并且抑制作用随浓度的升高而增强:浓度为1 mmol·L~(-1)时,与对照相比,水体中APA分别降低50.8%、55.8%、52.4%和14.4%.金属Al~(3+)、Co~(2+)、Pb~(2+)和Cr~(6+)对APA的激活作用随浓度增大而增强,浓度为1 mmol·L~(-1)时,水体APA分别是空白的2.8、3.1、2.3和2.7倍.重金属Cu~(2+)、Zn~(2+)、Ni~(2+)对水体中碱性磷酸酶表现出抑制作用,3种重金属中Cu~(2+)抑制作用最显著.当Cu~(2+)浓度为1 mmol·L~(-1)时,碱性磷酸酶相对活性仅为空白的62.3%.随着Cu~(2+)、PO_4~(3-)、(PO_3)_6~(-6)、P_2O_7~(4-)浓度增大,碱性磷酸酶的最大反应速率Vmax保持基本稳定,米氏常数Km增大,因此,它们对碱性磷酸酶的抑制为竞争性抑制类型.同时,V_(max)/K_m值随Cu~(2+)、PO_4~(3-)、(PO_3)_6~(-6)、P_2O_7~(4-)、(C_3H_4O_6P)~(2-)浓度的增大而降低,催化效率降低,说明V_(max)/K_m可作为水体磷酸酶催化能力的有效指标.总体而言,含磷基团和金属离子会显著影响富营养化水体APA,将间接影响水体有机磷的转化和供磷效率.     

Alkaline phosphatase activity in the phosphorus-limited southern Chinese coastal waters

Three fractions of alkaline phosphatase activity(APA), including phytoplankton APA(phyto-APA), bacterial APA(bact-APA), and free-APA, were examined in the sea surface microlayer(SML) and the subsurface water(SSW) from Daya Bay, Guishan Island, and Guanghai Bay of southern China. Relationships between APA and environmental parameters were analyzed. The growth of phytoplankton was significantly limited by dissolved inorganic phosphorus(DIP) in the three sea areas, especially in Daya Bay. TotalAPA ranged between 1.41 and 35.26 nmol/L/hr, and the highest value was found in Daya Bay. The increased APA in Daya Bay was the result of the increase of phytoplankton biomass and the response of phytoplankton to P limitation. Phyto-APA was the main contributor in Daya Bay, while phyto-and free-APA co-dominated in Guishan Island and Guanghai Bay. Bact-, phyto-, and total-APA showed a significant inverse power function relationship with DIP, and 0.2 μmol/L was the threshold for DIP on particulates and totalAPA. Pearson correlation analysis suggested that DIP limitation together with high N levels enhanced APA. High water temperature and freshwater input accelerated APA as well.Principal component analysis clearly separated samples from the three sea areas, as well as from the SML and the SSW, which indicated the differences in environmental parameters and APA levels. Our results highlight the influence of phosphorus limitation and environmental parameters on APA.     

Prenatal diagnosis of infantile hypophosphatasia

Prenatal diagnosis was attempted in a pregnant Japanese woman whose son had died of infantile hypophosphatasia, using chorionic villi sampled at 10 weeks of gestation. Southern blot analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphism was used as a guide, with cDNA for the human liver-type alkaline phosphatase as a probe, and BclI as a restriction enzyme. The fetus was found to be a heterozygote; the pregnancy was allowed to continue; and the baby born was phenotypically normal.     

Microvillar enzyme analysis in amniotic fluid and the prenatal diagnosis of cystic fibrosis

The activities of two microvillar enzymes, gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGTP) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) have been determined in amniotic fluid (AF) samples from 39 pregnancies with a 1-in-4 risk of cystic fibrosis. Seventeen of these were investigated prospectively. A reduced proportion of the fetal specific intestinal ALP isoenzyme was found in 7 of a total of 13 pregnancies with cystic fibrosis and in one pregnancy of confirmed normal outcome. Eight of the affected pregnancies were tested for AF GGTP activity and depressed levels were found in 15. None of the 3 liveborn cystic fibrosis cases in the prospective series was identified by the ALP assay although 2 had significantly reduced GGTP activity. There were several amniotic fluid samples from cases of cystic fibrosis, trisomy 18 and normal outcome which had discordant GGTP and ALP results. Four of the 6 cases of cystic fibrosis misclassified by the ALP assay had amniocentesis at 15 or 16 weeks gestation. Evidence is presented which confirms a previous suggestion that amniocentesis after 17 weeks gestation improves the predictability of the ALP isoenzyme assay for the prenatal diagnosis of cystic fibrosis.     

Cd、Cu和Pb复合污染对蚯蚓抗氧化酶活性的影响

采用蚯蚓毒性试验和均匀组合设计(Cd:0~15 mg·kg-1,Cu:0~175 mg·kg-1,Pb:0~600 mg·kg-1)方法,以赤子爱胜蚓(Eisenia foetida)为试验蚓种,研究了土壤中重金属Cd、Cu、Pb复合污染对蚯蚓体内超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、谷胱甘肽硫转移酶(GST)和酸性磷酸酶(AP)活性的影响,为重金属污染土壤的生物学诊断和风险评价提供科学依据.结果表明,Cd、Cu、Pb复合胁迫对蚯蚓SOD、GST和AP活性产生显著的诱导效应,酶活性与重金属含量及其持续时间密切相关:蚯蚓SOD活性在暴露前8 d因受重金属胁迫比第0 d增加了7.4%~240.5%,之后因胁迫过强被抑制,比第8 d下降了19.4%~69.7%.GST活性则在暴露前16 d持续增加了104.3%~217.3%,之后受抑制比第16 d下降了1.2%~40.3%.AP活性随时间呈"促进-抑制-促进-抑制"变化,在第8 d受胁迫比第0 d下降了9.2%~37.8%,至第16 d产生适应比第8 d增加了37.2%~117.2%,但最终因胁迫过强比第16 d下降了24.3%~34.0%.回归分析表明,Pb和Cd-Cu-Pb对SOD活性的产生影响最为显著,Cd和Cu则显著影响了GST和AP活性.     

Effects of overlying water aeration on phosphorus fractions and alkaline phosphatase activity in surface sediment

Microbial activity may influence phosphorus (P) deposit and release at the water sediment interface. The properties of DO (dissolved oxygen), pH, P fractions (TP, Ca-P, Fe-P, OP, IP), and APA (alkaline phosphatase activity) at the water sediment interface were measured to investigate microbial activity variations in surface sediment under conditions of two-month intermittent aeration in overlying water. Results showed that DO and TP of overlying water increased rapidly in the first week and then decreased gradually after 15 day of intermittent aeration. Microorganism metabolism in surface sediment increased pH and decreased DO and TP in the overlying water. After two-month intermittent aeration, APA and OP from surface sediment (0–2 cm) were both significantly higher than those from bottom sediment (6–8 cm) (p < 0.05), and surface sediment Fe-P was transferred to OP during the course of microorganism reproduction on the surface sediment. These results suggest that microbial activity and microorganism biomass from the surface sediment were higher than those from bottom sediment after two-month intermittent aeration in the overlying water.