Evaluation of disinfection byproducts for their ability to affect mitochondrial function

In the race to deliver clean water to communities through potable water reuse, disinfection and water quality assessment are and will continue to be fundamental factors. There are over 700 disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in water; evaluating each compound is practically impossible and very time consuming. A bioanalytical approach could be an answer to this challenge. In this work, the response of four major classes of DBPs toward mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and cytoplasmic adenosine triphosphate (C-ATP) was investigated with human carcinoma (HepG2) cells. Within 90 min of cell exposure, only the haloacetic acid (HAA) mixture caused a cytotoxic response as measured by C-ATP. All four groups (haloacetonitriles (HANs), trihalomethanes (THMs), nitrosamines (NOAs), and HAAs) responded well to ΔΨm, R² > 0.70. Based on the half-maximum concentration that evoked a 50% response in ΔΨm, the response gradient was HANs >> HAAs ∼ THM > NOAs. The inhibition of the ΔΨm by HANs is driven by dibromoacetonitrile (DBAN), while dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN) did not cause a significant change in the ΔΨm at less than 2000 µM. A mixture of HANs exhibited an antagonistic behavior on the ΔΨm compared to individual compounds. If water samples are concentrated to increase HAN concentrations, especially DBAN, then ΔΨm could be used as a biomonitoring tool for DBP toxicity.     

Is the growth stimulation by low doses of glyphosate sustained over time?

The herbicide, glyphosate, has been shown to stimulate growth in a range of species when applied at doses of 5-60 g a.e. ha⁻¹, corresponding to realistic spray drift events. This study investigates growth of shoot parameters over time to detect whether the glyphosate induced growth increase was sustained and had a final effect on reproduction. The results showed that an actual biomass growth rate increase took place within the first week after spraying with glyphosate doses <60 g a.e. ha⁻¹. This initial growth boost kept treated plants larger than untreated plants for up to six weeks, but at harvest there was no significant difference between control plants and treated plants. Possible effects of glyphosate hormesis on the competitive ability of spray drift affected plants are discussed.     

Bioassay for Determining Sensitivity to Sulfosulfuron on Seven Plant Species

This study presents a bioassay procedure, based on the root and shoot growth parameters, for the determination of the herbicide sulfosulfuron (1-(4,6 dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl)-3-(2-ethylsulfonylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-3-ylsulfonil)urea) sensitivity on seven vegetal species. Plant response to sulfosulfuron was calculated with the equations fitted to the root growth data as a function of the logarithm of the herbicide concentration by non-linear regression and was used to calculate the doses for 10, 30 and 50% inhibition of root growth (EC₁₀, EC₃₀ and EC₅₀). The results indicate that the phytotoxic effect of sulfosulfuron in all the species assayed followed the order: flax > maize > onion > vetch > lepidium sativum > tomato > barley. These species showed phytotoxicity at low levels of sulfosulfuron and flax appeared to be the most susceptible species to sulfosulfuron (0.001 mg/L).     

Deriving ozone dose-response of photosynthesis in adult forest trees from branch-level cuvette gas exchange assessment

Branch-level gas exchange provided the basis for assessing ozone flux in order to derive the dose-response relationship between cumulative O3 uptake (COU) and carbon gain in the upper sun crown of adult Fagus sylvatica. Fluxes of ozone, CO2 and water vapour were monitored simultaneously by climatized branch cuvettes. The cuvettes allowed branch exposure to an ambient or twice-ambient O3 regime, while tree crowns were exposed to the same O3 regimes (twice-ambient generated by a free-air canopy O3 exposure system). COU levels higher than 20mmolm(-2) led to a pronounced decline in carbon gain under elevated O3. The limiting COU range is consistent with findings on neighbouring branches exposed to twice-ambient O3 through free-air fumigation. The cuvette approach allows to estimate O3 flux at peripheral crown positions, where boundary layers are low, yielding a meso-scale within-crown resolution of photosynthetic foliage sensitivity under whole-tree free-air O3 fumigation.     

Phytotoxicity of silver nanoparticles to Lemna minor L

The use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in commercial products has increased significantly in recent years. Although there has been some attempt to determine the toxic effects of AgNPs, there is little information on aquatic plants which have a vital role in ecosystems. This study reports the use of Lemna minor L. clone St to investigate the phytotoxicity of AgNPs under modified OECD test conditions. AgNPs were synthesised, characterised and subsequently presented to the L. minor. Results showed that inhibition of plant growth was evident after exposure to small (∼20 nm) and larger (∼100 nm) AgNPs at low concentrations (5 μg L⁻¹) and this effect became more acute with a longer exposure time. There was a linear dose-response relationship after 14 d exposure. Using predicted environmental concentrations for wastewaters it was found that AgNPs may pose a significant potential risk to the environment.