Blood Response to Mercury Exposure in Athletic Horse From Messina,Italy

Mercury (Hg) exists in various chemical forms, and it is different to health effects. The most toxic effects occur in the central nervous system during fetal development with irreversible alterations of the nerve cells of the cerebral cortex and, it is essential to monitor the tissue residues of Hg to protect the animal’s health. The present investigation was carried out during May 2019 in 20 horses located in equine sport center near the area of Milazzo, Messina, that is a part of Sicilian territory heavily polluted by many toxic substances. The purpose of this study was to determine the concentration of Hg in blood, serum, food, and water administered to horses and from the hematological profile as a biomarker of blood in relation to the bioaccumulation of Hg. The hematologic parameters (red blood cell, white blood cell, hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and platelets) were processed with an automated hematology analyzer, and Hg concentrations were determined by DMA-80. To carry out the variation in the Hg levels in serum and blood, the data were subjected to paired t-test analysis; post-hoc comparisons were performed using Tukey’s test. The differences were considered statistically significant when P < .05. Paired t-test showed that in blood samples, Hg concentrations were significantly higher than the serum, and blood samples were positively correlated with serum (r = 0.99; P < .0001). The Hg contents determined in blood, serum, hay, and water samples were below the respective benchmarks, and therefore, we can exclude any toxicological risk for athletic horse.     

Evaluation of biomarkers of kidney injury following 4% succinylated gelatin and 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 administration in a canine hemorrhagic shock model

Objective : To investigate the association between synthetic colloids and biomarkers of acute kidney injury (AKI) in dogs with hemorrhagic shock. Design : Experimental interventional study. Setting : University. Animals : Twenty‐four healthy ex‐racing Greyhounds. Interventions : Anesthetized Greyhounds subjected to hemorrhage for 60 min were resuscitated with 20 mL/kg of fresh whole blood (FWB), 6% hydroxyethyl starch (HES) 130/0.4, 4% succinylated gelatin (GELO), or 80 mL/kg of isotonic crystalloid (CRYST) over 20 min (n = 6 per treatment). Concentrations of biomarkers of AKI were measured at baseline, end of hemorrhage, and at 40 (T60), 100 (T120), and 160 (T180) min after fluid bolus. Biomarkers included neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin in urine and serum (uNGAL; sNGAL), and urine cystatin C (uCYSC), kidney injury molecule‐1 (uKIM), clusterin (uCLUST), osteopontin, gamma‐glutamyl transferase, monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (uMCP), interleukin‐6, interleukin‐8, protein (uPROT), hyaluronan, and F₂‐isoprostanes. Renal histology was scored for tubular injury and microvesiculation. Biomarker fold‐change from baseline was compared between groups using mixed effects models (Bonferroni–Holm corrected P<0.05). Frequencies of histology scores were compared by Fisher's exact test. Measurements and main results : In dogs treated with GELO, uNGAL fold‐change was markedly greater compared with all other groups at T60, T120, and T180 (all P<0.001), and uCYSC was greater at T60 compared with CRYST (P<0.001), and at T120 and T180 compared with all other groups (all P<0.001). Smaller, albeit significant, between‐group differences in uKIM, uCLUST, uMCP, and urine protein concentration were observed across the FWB, GELO, and HES groups, compared with CRYST. The GELO group more frequently had marked tubular microvesiculation than the other groups (P = 0.015) although tubular injury scores were comparable. Conclusion : In dogs with hemorrhagic shock, GELO was associated with greater magnitude increases in urine biomarkers of AKI and more frequent marked tubular microvesiculation, compared with FWB, CRYST, and HES.     

代谢组学技术在有毒有害物质检测应用中的研究进展

有毒有害物质如致病微生物、生物毒素、农药、兽药及添加剂残留等会造成极大的食品安全隐患,严重威胁人类健康。目前,对有毒有害物质的风险监测仍然面临着巨大挑战。代谢组学技术通过考察生物受到有毒有害物的刺激或干扰后代谢产物的变化,进行系统的定量定性分析,获得具有高度敏感性及特异性的代谢组学投影,适用于对多种微量毒物的鉴别监测。同时,代谢组学技术可反映出毒物代谢过程中可能的生物标志物,为毒物代谢过程和毒理机制的进一步研究提供参考。因此,以色谱质谱联用、核磁共振等为代表的代谢组学方法逐渐成为检测和研究有毒有害物质的关键技术,为其风险评估提供依据。同时各种生物标志物的发现及检测方法的优化将进一步促进代谢组学技术在毒物监测中的实际应用。作者介绍了代谢组学技术的产生和发展,总结了代谢组学技术对常见有毒有害物质的检测方法和生物标志物的研究进展,旨在为代谢组学技术在有毒有害物质检测中的进一步应用提供参考。     

Impact of sublethal di‐n‐butyl phthalate on the aquaculture fish species Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus): histopathology and oxidative stress assessment

Phthalates such as di‐n‐butyl phthalate (DBP) and their esters are widely used plasticizers, their ubiquitous presence in daily life, inevitably leads to their restricted use due to important environmental pollution and health impacts and endocrine disruption potential. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a sublethal concentration of 10 mg L^?1 DBP on haematocrit (HCT) values, gills and liver histology, malondialdehyde (MDA, 2‐thiobarbituric acid‐TBA reactivity) and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels in gills and liver tissue as oxidative stress biomarkers in the aquaculture fish species Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) after 24 (DBP‐24) and 96 (DBP‐96) h exposure. No differences were found between per cent HCT values in the 24 h exposure groups (P > 0.05). Response of antioxidant defence systems in liver and gill tissues of the fish were dependent on exposure duration and changed to a higher extent during 96 h. MDA levels in liver tissue increased in DBP treated fish in comparison to the control fish. However, the differences between the exposure and control groups were not significant (P > 0.05). A statistically significant decrease (P > 0.05) was recorded in gill MDA levels in the DBP‐96 group when compared to the control and DBP‐24 groups. The liver GSH levels were unchanged in the DBP treated fish. However, GSH levels were significantly lower in the gill tissue of the DBP‐96 group. Exposure to DBP caused several degenerative changes in the histology of gill and liver tissue. Gills displayed hyperaemia, epithelial lifting, oedema, talengiectasia, epithelial hyperplasia and fusion of secondary lamellae, whereas in liver several circulatory anomalies (hyperaemia, blood congestion and sinosoid dilatation) and vacuolization of hepatocytes were observed. Histopathological results demonstrated that the gills were more affected than the liver perhaps due to their direct contact with DBP.     

Liver histology and histomorphometry in hybrid sorubim (Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum × Pseudoplatystoma corruscans) reared on intensive fish farming

This study aimed to characterize the liver histology and histomorphometry in sorubim hybrid of different categories (nursery, growth and grow‐out) reared on fish farming. The categories were defined considering body weight (BW): nursery category (n = 5): BW = 37.06 ± 6.00 g (31.6–45.3 g); growth category (n = 5): BW = 310.40 ± 53.80 g (242.1–376.4 g) and grow‐out category (n = 5): BW = 874.28 ± 27.59 g (846.2–913.1 g). Liver fragments were processed to paraffin inclusion, and sections were stained by haematoxylin and eosin (H&E), PAS (Periodic Acid Schiff) and Perl's staining to histology, histomorphometry and density volumetric of liver structures; glycogen analysis and to detect ferric irons (Fe³⁺) respectively. The hepatosomatic index decreased between the categories (P < 0.01). The percentage of PAS‐positive hepatocytes in the nursery category was higher (P < 0.05) in relation to the growth and grow‐out categories. The hepatocytes from all fish were positive to Perl's staining. The density volumetric of liver structures did not differ among categories except to blood vessels were higher (P < 0.01) in the nursery and growth. The area (μm²) and perimeter (μm) of hepatocytes, and the area (μm²), perimeter (μm) and volume (μm³) of the nuclei from grow‐out fish were lower (P < 0.01) than those from the nursery and growth categories. Changes in morphometric characteristics of hepatocytes may result from metabolic changes associated with body growth surubins; therefore, these morphometric characteristics of liver tissue can be used as functional biomarkers for the assessment of fish health and nutrition status.     

Melanomacrophages in three species of free-ranging sharks from the northwestern Atlantic, the blue shark Prionacae glauca (L.), the shortfin mako, Isurus oxyrhinchus Rafinesque, and the thresher, Alopias vulpinus (Bonnaterre)

The melanomacrophage aggregates or cells (MMC) are commonly used as biomarkers of exposure to pollution in fish, albeit their numbers and morphological characteristics can be influenced not only by environmental toxins but also by a range of physiological parameters and pathological conditions. Accordingly, before we can use MMC as biomarkers in any fish species, their normal, 'background' characteristics have to be established in apparently healthy fish. The knowledge of MMC in sharks is minimal. The aim of this study was to characterize MMC from 51 free-ranging, large pelagic sharks from the northwestern Atlantic, including shortfin mako, Isurus oxyrhinchus , thresher, Alopias vulpinus and blue shark, Prionacae glauca . The rationale of this study was twofold. First, because, sharks have life histories predisposing them to the accumulation of environmental toxins they constitute good sentinel species of the health of the global marine ecosystem. Second, because many shark populations are in decline or threatened by extinction, we need to expand our understanding of their health status in order to develop appropriate protective measures. All sharks were collected by sports fishing gear between June and August in 2007. Their health condition was assessed by necropsy, morphometrics, and by microscopic examination of gonads, livers, spleens and kidneys. Routine, haematoxylin and eosin and/or Pearl's reagent-stained paraffin embedded sections were studied by light microscopy. Our results provide the first data on the morphometric and morphological characteristics of MMC in viscera of apparently healthy free-ranging sharks from the northwestern Atlantic.     

Acute phase proteins as indicators of stress in Baladi goats from Jordan

This study aimed to evaluate haptoglobin (Hp), serum amyloid A (SAA), and C-reactive protein (CRP) in goats following exposure to heat and transportation stressors. In the heat stress (HS) experiment (4-week period), six goats were exposed to direct solar radiation vs. six goats exposed to shade regimen. In the transportation stress experiment, six goats were transported for 2?h in a vehicle vs. a control group (n?=?6). Blood samples were collected and serum concentrations of acute phase proteins (APPs) were measured. Rectal temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate, and body weight were recorded. All statistical analyses were performed using the proc General Linear Model (SPSS 19.0). Results indicated that Hp and SAA concentrations were significantly affected by HS (P?P?相似文献   

芭蕉属植物内生细菌磷脂脂肪酸(PLFA)生物标记特性研究

【目的】分离、鉴定芭蕉属植物内生细菌,了解内生细菌的种群结构及其脂肪酸生物标记特性。【方法】采用平板分离纯化芭蕉、威廉斯蕉和野生蕉植株内生细菌,利用细菌脂肪酸鉴定技术进行鉴定。【结果】共获得内生细菌11属14种,野生蕉植株分离得到9种,威廉斯蕉植株7种,芭蕉植株3种。共检测到35个磷脂脂肪酸生物标记,这些生物标记分为4种类型,即(1)高频次分布:在14株细菌中出现10—14次,属于细菌总体类群(general)的生物标记。(2)中频次分布:在14株细菌中出现4—6次,可以用于代表细菌属类群(genus)识别生物标记。(3)低频次分布:在14株细菌中出现2—3次,可以用于指示特定细菌种间差异的生物标记。(4)微频次分布:仅在一种细菌种类出现,是细菌种(species)特征生物标记。利用磷脂脂肪酸生物标记分析内生细菌群落结构,可将14种细菌分为3类;运用多样性、丰富度、均匀度及优势度指数等生态学概念,分析了磷脂脂肪酸生物标记总量与各生态学参数之间的关系,结果表明,磷脂脂肪酸生物标记16:0、18:1W7C、14:0、12:0、18:0、17:0CYCLO的丰富度皆相对较高;磷脂脂肪酸生物标记的Response值总和较高,均匀度(J)较低,其Simpson优势度指数(D)、Shannon-Wiener(H1)、Brillouin(H2)、Mcintosh(H3)多样性指数也相对较高。【结论】芭蕉属植物内生细菌及其磷脂脂肪酸生物标记存在多样性。     

蚯蚓生物标志在农药污染评价中的应用

农药污染问题越来越多的被人们所重视,单纯依靠化学分析方法来阐释农药污染的危害,已不能真实地判别出农药是否会对环境产生不利影响,因此需要建立有效的生物评价体系来弥补这一缺陷。蚯蚓位于食物链最底层且在土壤生态系统中生物量最大,已被广泛地应用到农药污染状况的评价中,基于分子、细胞水平的蚯蚓生物标志物可以在农药污染的早期阶段就辨别出来。文章在简要回顾了生物标记物发展历史的基础上,从蚯蚓作为土壤生态风险评价的模式生物的特点出发,着重概述了几种蚯蚓生物标志物(乙酰胆碱酶、抗氧化酶系、免疫细胞、基因表达)评价农药污染水平及作用机理的研究进展,并就未来的研究重点和趋势提出见解。