Environmental Management and Toxicology

The aim of this study relates to the modulatory role of ferulic acid (FA) against cadmium (Cd)-induced oxidative stress in the liver and kidney of male Wistar albino rats. Cd is an extremely toxic industrial and environmental pollutant and is well known for its varied toxic clinical manifestations. FA is a derivative of curcumin and a ubiquitous phenolic compound having a wide range of therapeutic activities. In the current study, Cd (10 mg/kg) was administered subcutaneously for 15 and 30 days to induce hepatorenal toxicity. Cd concentration was found to be significantly high in Cd-intoxicated rats (liver > kidney) while the supplementation of FA (50 mg/kg) significantly reduces the Cd concentration in liver and kidney tissues. Reduced body and organ weights and food and water consumption and increased rectal temperature were noticed in Cd-treated rats while these parameters were significantly ameliorated in FA-supplemented rats. Liver and kidney damage induced by Cd was significantly revealed by the reduction in serum total protein contents (TPC) and increased activities of serum nitric oxide (NO) levels and hepatonephrotoxicity marker enzymes, namely aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), AST:ALT ratio, uric acid, urea, urea nitrogen, and creatinine, along with the increased levels of hepatic and renal oxidative stress markers, namely lipid peroxidation (MDA levels), lipid hydroperoxides (LOOH), protein carbonyl content (PCC), total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidative stress index (OSI) in liver and kidney tissues. In addition, the toxicity of Cd was also evidenced by a significant decrease in the levels of total thiols (TTH), total antioxidant concentration (TAC), enzymatic antioxidants (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)), and non-enzymatic antioxidants (reduced glutathione (GSH) and total free sulfhydryl groups (TSH)). Administration of FA significantly restored the serum total protein levels and activities of serum NO levels and hepatic and renal marker enzymes to normal levels in comparison with Cd-intoxicated rats. Furthermore, FA significantly reduced the oxidative stress markers and recuperated the levels of antioxidant defense in the liver and kidney as evidenced by native PAGE and spectrophotometric assays, correlation and regression analysis and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), and inferring the antioxidant role of FA. Histopathological damage due to Cd intoxication in the liver and kidney is demonstrated as vasodilatation and congestion in central veins and sinusoids as well as around the glomerulus, infiltration of mixed inflammatory cells and peripheral hemorrhage, hemorrhagic and enlarged sinusoids, disorganization of the hepatic parenchyma, focal necrosis, swelling of hepatocytes, calcified tissue inside blood vessels, hepatocyte degeneration and vacuolization of liver cells, hyaline casts, degenerated glomerulus with wide space and detached basement membrane, distal tubule with wide lumen, deformed proximal tubules with detached brush border, and degeneration and hyalinization of glomerular tuft. But, FA significantly reduced the toxicity of Cd and protected the normal histological architecture of the liver and kidney tissues. Cd-intoxicated rats were associated with a significant upregulation of TNF-α, COX-2, and HSP70 proteins, whereas treatment with FA caused downregulation of the above inflammatory Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

The objective of this work was to identify the reproductive toxico-pathological effects of cypermethrin (CY) in mature male rabbits. Apparently healthy adult age-and weight-matched rabbits (n = 40) were procured from the local market, kept under similar management conditions and divided into four equal groups. Different doses of CY (50, 100 and 150 mg kg À1 body mass) mixed in mustard oil were injected intraperitonealy at weekly intervals in male rabbits (groups B-D) prior to mating. Group A served as control and each animal in this group received equivalent volume of mustard oil. Treatment was continued for 71 days. Decreased testicular and epididymal sperm counts were recorded mostly in dose and time dependent manner in CY-treated rabbits. The serum testosterone concentrations in CY-treated rabbits were significantly lower than those of control group. Degeneration, arrested spermatogenesis and connective tissue (CT) proliferation in testes, while sperm-less seminal plasma and tailless spermatozoa in epididymis of CY-treated rabbits were observed. It was inferred that CY-induced defects in sperms and pathological alterations in testes and epididymis.

Diazinon is widely and effectively used in agriculture as well as in domestic
and aquaculture aspects. As a result of its widespread application, its
ecotoxicity study is needed to determine its effects on the aquatic organisms and
its potential impact as an environmental contaminant. In this study, the half
lethal concentration (LC50) of diazinon for Clarias gariepinus was calculated.
Diazinon toxicity was evaluated through acute and chronic exposures of fish to
1/2 and 1/10 the calculated LC50 for 1w & 6 w respectively. Results showed that
the LC50 /96h was 5.98 ppm. The effects of both acute and chronic exposures
revealed clinical abnormalities in the form of nervous and respiratory disorders
manifested by erratic swimming and/or circling, rapid opercular movements and
abnormal skin pigmentation that appeared in the form of skin fading. A
significant increase in cortisol, glucose, AST & ALT activities, urea, uric acid,
creatinine and serum Ca++ levels were recorded. Furthermore, diazinon
exposures were associated with an inhibition of cholinesterase activity, a
decrease in total protein concentration in serum with a reduction in both albumin
and globulin. This study declared that diazinon is an extremely toxic
organophosphate pesticide for C. gariepinus, its improper application often
results in contamination of the environment and consequently in deleterious
health effects. So, strict precautions should be followed.
Key words: diazinon, clinical signs, biochemical parameters, residues.

The concentrations of heavy metals were determined from the soil of the mechanic village, in Abeokuta and a control farmland located at Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB). The soil sample collected at the base of different species of tree showed that the heavy metals were below permissible levels (FAO/WHO and EC/CODEX standard) and show no significant difference in the range of mean. Absorption of heavy metals by the bark of the trees in the mechanic village was evident when compared relatively to the presence and uptake of the heavy metals from the soil by tree in the farmland. The mean concentrations of the heavy metals in the soil of the farmland are in this order of magnitude Cd>Cu>Pb, while the mean concentration of the heavy metals in the soil of the mechanic village are in the order of magnitude Pb>Cu>Cd. Lead has the least concentration in the farmland, while in the mechanic village, it is the predominant heavy metal detected which also shows greater significant different at p<0.05 with a value of 24.34 mg/kg indicating area of high mechanic activities. The concentration values of heavy metals in the barks in comparison to the standard shows that the concentration of the heavy metals in those vicinities is within the permissible range for cadmium and copper, while lead present was above the WHO/FAO standard at 0.299 mg/kg and close to the EC/CODEX standard. It can also be concluded that the uptake efficiency of heavy metal under study of the three species are in the order magnitude Mango>Cashew>Neem.

Dye pollution in water system is of concern due to its carcinogenicity and its effect on aesthetic feature. One pollutant of interest is methylene blue (MB), which is a cationic dye widely used in industries. In this study, pyrolysis process was used to convert pineapple waste biomass (PWB) into useful adsorbents such as biochar (BC) and activated carbon (AC) to remove MB in water. BC was produced from pyrolysis of PWB (340 °C, 3 hours) whereas AC was prepared from pyrolysis of PWB (500 °C, 1 hour) impregnated with zinc chloride (ZnCl2). Prior to use, AC-PWB and BC-PWB were characterized for surface area, functional groups and surface morphology. Removal of MB was investigated by varying different parameters i.e. initial MB concentration and contact time, adsorbent dosage and temperature. Results obtained showed that AC-PWB has higher adsorption capacity than BC-PWB. The adsorption capacity and adsorption rate increased with increasing initial concentration of MB, adsorbent dosage a...

The quest for alternative methods is driven by the need to provide expertise in real time in biological fields such as medicine, pathogenic bacteria and viruses identification, food protection, and quality control. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) are examples of traditional methods that have some limitations and lengthy procedures. Biosensors are the most appealing option because they provide easy, dependable, fast, and selective detection systems compared to conventional methods. This review provides an overview of electrochemical genosensor based biosensor diagnostic system for infectious diseases detection as well as their applications, demonstrating their utility as a fast and responsive tool for detecting pathogenic bacteria, viruses, GMOs, and human diseases.

A preliminary morphological screening and isolation of bacterial colony from latex industrial wastewater was carried out. Bacteria colonies from latex processing wastewater were isolated from a local latex processing industry. It was found that 17 bacterial isolates had been purified grown on nutrient agar under 35˚C. The colonies were then purified and morphologically indicated via Gram staining and motility test. After morphological observation, it was identified that out of 17 isolates, 9 isolates were Gram positive and 8 isolates were Gram negative. There are 11 out of 17 colonies were rod-shaped bacterial colonies, while the other 6 colonies were cocci-shaped bacteria. There were 11 colonies of gliding bacteria, three colonies were non-motile bacteria and the other three colonies were flagellated bacteria. This study is only limited to morphological observation as the main aim of this study was to investigate the potential occurrence of viable growth in treated latex processing...

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) presence has considerable impact on microbial growth. In this paper, AgNPs was deposited on surface of four textiles to enhance the anti-microbial properties using immersion technique. Immersion technique was selected since it was simple, no need high energies, and no additional equipment required. In addition, AgNPs was synthesized using in situ-bio technique which is non-toxic, harmless and eco-friendly approach. Four textiles were evaluated, such as TA, TB, TC and TD. The finding projected that antifungal ability was correlated to the type of the textiles. TC textile has the significant antimicrobial activity with 12.33 ± 2.08 of inhibition zone which followed by TD (16.00 ± 3.46), TB (17.67 ± 7.09), and TA (17.67 ± 6.65). In addition, the surface bonding AgNPs on textile was possibility caused by the -OH group. It has a lone pair of electrons on the O atom that can interact with AgNPs to form –OAg bonds.

Diazinon is widely and effectively used in agriculture as well in domestic and aquaculture applications. Due to the widespread and ecotoxicity of diazinon, therefore a study is needed to determine its effects on the aquatic organisms. In this study, the half lethal concentration (LC50) of diazinon for Clarias gariepinus (C. gariepinus) was calculated. Diazinon toxicity was evaluated through acute and chronic exposures of fish to 1/2 and 1/10 the calculated LC50 for one week and six weeks, respectively. Results showed that the LC50/96h was 5.98 ppm. The effects of both acute and chronic exposures revealed a marked decrease in RBCs, Hb content, PCV, MCV, MCH, MCHC and WBCs . The histopathological alterations of skin, gills, liver, kidney, spleen and brain of the exposed fish were recorded. However, this study declared that diazinon is an extremely toxic organophosphorous pesticide for C. gariepinus, its improper application often results in contamination of the environment and consequently in deleterious health effects. So, strict precautions should be followed during diazinon application to prevent its access into the aquatic system. The agricultural drainage water used for fish culture should be monitored for diazinon contamination periodically.
Keywords: Diazinon, Freshwater fish, Pathological changes, Blood parameters toxicity.