Alteration of male reproductive system in rats fed on red or white meat from tuna fish caught in the Gulf of Gab��s in Tunisian coast

Fish, a widely claimed healthy food for humans, could also pose problems to health due to (1) accumulation of pollutants, especially heavy metals, (2) presence of marine toxins such as tetrodotoxin, ciguatoxin or okadaic acid and (3) metabolic production of large amount of uric acid which may crystallize in kidney or in articulations. As tuna fish represents a large part of the traditional food in some countries, the possible impact of its consumption on public health was investigated, with special attention to biochemical and histological alterations related to the genital function. For that purpose, white or red muscle from tuna fish was added for 60 days to the diet of male rats, and attention was paid to biochemical and histological alterations related to the genital function. Feeding rats with white muscle, and much more markedly with red muscle known to be more metabolically active, resulted in (1) an elevated uric acid level in blood, (2) an increase in lead level in testis, (3) an atrophy of the genital tract, including testes, epididymis, prostate and seminal vesicles, (4) a lowering of plasma testosterone level, (5) a decrease in spermatozoids number and motility, (6) an oxidative stress in testes including an increase in lipids peroxidation level and enhanced superoxide-dismutase, catalase and glutathione-peroxidase activities. We conclude that consumption of tuna fish meat, especially the dark one, should be reduced.     

Solar photo-oxidation of recalcitrant industrial wastewater: a review

Conventional methods to clean wastewater actually lead to incomplete treatments, calling for advanced technologies to degrade recalcitrant pollutants. Herein we review solar photo-oxidation to degrade the recalcitrant contaminants in industrial wastewater, with focus on photocatalysts, reactor design and the photo-Fenton process. We discuss limitations due to low visible-light absorption, catalyst collection and reusability, and production of toxic by-products. Photodegradation of refractory organics by solar light is controlled by pH, photocatalyst composition and bandgap, pollutant properties and concentration, irradiation type and intensity, catalyst loading, and the water matrix.

     

The protective potential of Nitraria retusa on penconazole-induced hepatic injury in adult rats

The protective effect of Nitraria retusa fruit extract against hepatotoxicity induced by penconazole at a dose of 67 mg/kg body weight given intraperitoneally every two days to male Wistar rats was investigated. Penconazole exposure increased malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and advanced oxidation protein product levels. Hepatic biomarkers as well as enzymatic (catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase) and nonenzymatic (vitamin C, non-protein thiols and metallothioneins) antioxidant status were also altered. Treatment with N. retusa extract improved all parameters cited above. Liver histological studies confirmed the biochemical parameters. These results provide a scientific basis for the use of N. retusa fruit against hepatotoxicity.     

Anti-oxidant and hepatoprotective effects of Salvia officinalis essential oil against vanadium-induced oxidative stress and histological changes in the rat liver

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The present study was designed to evaluate the protective effects of Salvia officinalis essential oil (SOEO) against vanadium-induced hepatotoxicity...