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Journal Article 2012; 33(Suppl 3): 173-178 PubMed PMID: 23353863 Citation  Keywords:  Age Factors, Animals, Arthropods:drug effects, Behavior, Animal:drug effects, Female, Male, Platinum:toxicity, Platinum Compounds:toxicity, Reproduction:drug effects, Soil Pollutants:toxicity, Toxicity Tests,.   

OBJECTIVES: Regarding the environmental pollution, platinum group elements (PGE) are in the centre of interest of current research. These rare elements are used as effective substances in automotive catalysts to reduce pollution by emissions originating from fuel combustion. Due to their harmful potential, it is necessary to monitor their content and behaviour in different samples. Comprehensive studies on PGE behaviour and effects are still lacking. Their distribution in the food chain and data on bioaccumulation has not been described so far.

METHODS: We focused on reproductive effects of platinum (PtCl4), in particular. Our study is based on a collembolan laboratory breed, test optimalization and validation according to the OECD 232 standards [CSN ISO 11267 - Soil quality - Inhibition of reproduction of Collembola (Folsomia candida) by soil pollutants]. The concentrations of PtCl4 tested were as follows: 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 µM. The EC50 was determined after 28 days of testing.

RESULTS: The results were evaluated using the inhibition of reproduction compared with controls. The EC50 was determined after the 28-day test. The value of 28dEC50 of the boric acid test was estimated at 120 mg/kg and the measured 28dEC50 of PtCl4 was 200.4 µM.

CONCLUSION: The presented data can be considered as a step forward in the assessment of the potential risk of platinum in the terrestrial environment. However, more toxicity data for various species are needed to evaluate the environmental risk of platinum in soils....

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Journal Article 2012; 33(Suppl 3): 155-160 PubMed PMID: 23353860 Citation  Keywords:  4-Hydroxycoumarins:toxicity, Animals, Anticoagulants:toxicity, Biomass, Brain:drug effects, Carcinogens:toxicity, Cholinesterase Inhibitors:toxicity, Coturnix, Cyanobacteria:chemistry, Female, Heart:drug effects, Kidney:drug effects, Liver:drug effects, L.   

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to examine the hypothesis that a combination of cyanobacterial biomass containing microcystins, acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and anticoagulant can enhance avian toxic effects produced by single exposures only.

METHODS: A total of 48 two-month-old Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) with average body weight of 160 g were randomly divided into 8 experimental groups of six birds and sex ratio of 1:1. Experimental groups of control Japanese quails (C) and birds exposed to single and combined sub-lethal doses of paraoxon (P), bromadiolone (B), and microcystins in cyanobacterial biomass (M) included: C, P, P+B, B, B+M, P+M, M, and P+B+M. During the 10-day exposure birds in the respective groups received biomass containing 61.62 µg microcystins daily (i.e. 26.54 µg MC-RR, 7.62 µg MC-YR and 27.39 µg MC-LR), two 250 μg/kg doses of paraoxon, and two 500 mg/kg doses of bromadiolone. Group responses were compared using standard plasma biochemistry and antioxidant/oxidative stress parameters in tissues.

RESULTS: While single and double combinations of toxicants induced responses in individual biochemical parameters measured and evaluated using univariate statistical analysis, those in the triple exposure were most extensive. The principal component analysis of antioxidant/oxidative stress parameters (glutathione reductase, lipid peroxidation, and ferric reducing antioxidant power) in tissues (liver, kidney, heart, brain, lungs, gonads, and pectoralis major muscle) clearly separated the triple group (P+B+M) from all single and double exposure groups and the control and indicated thus marked joint effects in the overall pattern of antioxidant/oxidative stress responses of this group. The separation was driven by the modification of the ferric reducing antioxidant power levels in heart and brain and the cardiac lipid peroxidation level, in particular.

CONCLUSIONS: This experiment contributes to the understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of combined sub-lethal exposure to natural toxins and agrochemicals and may be used for risk assessment of environmental pollution in birds....

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Journal Article 2012; 33(Suppl 3): 151-154 PubMed PMID: 23353859 Citation  Keywords:  Antioxidants:chemistry, Ascorbic Acid:chemistry, Copper:chemistry, Cysteine:analogs & derivatives, Extracellular Matrix:chemistry, Free Radicals:chemistry, Humans, Hyaluronic Acid:chemistry, Molecular Weight, Oxidation-Reduction, Spectroscopy, Fourier Tra.   

OBJECTIVES: Hyaluronan (HA), one of the main components of extracellular matrix, is a glycosaminoglycan composed of repeating disaccharide units of N-acetyl-d-glucosamine and d-glucuronic acid linked by β-(1→4) and β-(1→3) glycoside bonds. High-molar-mass HA was used as a model for studying its oxidative degradation. In the present paper protective effects of bucillamine against the free-radical degradation of HA were investigated. The HA fragments generated were characterized as well.

METHODS: To induce free-radical-mediated degradation of high-molar-mass HA under aerobic conditions, we applied Weissberger's oxidative system, comprising biogenic compounds in relevant pathophysiological concentrations, i.e. 100 µM ascorbate plus 1 µM Cu(II). Time-dependent decreases of dynamic viscosity of the HA solutions were recorded by rotational viscometry. Electron donor behaviors of bucillamine were studied by a standard ABTS test method and a chemiluminescence (CL) assay. Ability of incorporation of generated bucillamine thiyl radicals into the biopolymer was verified by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and size exclusion chromatography with a multi-angle light scattering photometer (SEC-MALS).

RESULTS: Decrease of HA viscosity reflected HA degradation. The drug tested was applied in two arrangements: to prevent •OH radical generation (1) and ROO• type radicals propagation (2). Bucillamine, which acted as an efficient •H donor, is also a proper electron donor, as proved by ABTS and CL assays. FT-IR and SEC-MALS methods showed that the drug tested did not incorporate into the biopolymer chains.

CONCLUSION: Bucillamine significantly protected high-molar-mass HA against free-radical degradation in vitro, and supposedly this positive action of the drug may be involved in its beneficial effect observed in clinical practice....

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Journal Article 2012; 33(Suppl 3): 145-150 PubMed PMID: 23353858 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal:toxicity, Blood Proteins:metabolism, Coturnix, Diclofenac:toxicity, Drug Synergism, Environmental Pollutants:toxicity, Gastrointestinal Tract:drug effects, Hemoglobins:metabolism, Lead:toxicity, Lead Poison.   

OBJECTIVES: Pharmaceuticals and heavy metals such as diclofenac and lead, respectively, have been identified as environmental contaminants toxic to birds and posing serious threats to declining populations of raptors worldwide. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that a sublethal combination of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and lead induces more pronounced effects than single exposures in birds.

METHODS: A total of 40 Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) at the age of 2 months and average weight of 180g were on a random basis divided into four experimental groups of 10 specimens (i.e., control, diclofenac, lead, and lead+diclofenac exposures). Six lead shots in the total weight of 1.5 grams were inserted into the crop on day 0 of the experiment, while a total of 5 mg/kg of diclofenac administered intramuscularly were divided into treatments on days 0 and 5. Group responses were compared using haematology and biochemistry after 10 days.

RESULTS: There was no mortality in control and both single and combined diclofenac and lead exposure groups, nor did the birds show any clinical signs of intoxication. Univariate analyses of blood parameters yielded a decrease in haematocrit in birds exposed to both substances when compared with the control, a lower haemoglobin level of the lead-exposed group, increased activity of aspartate aminotransferase in the NSAIDs-exposed group, increased activity of alkaline phosphatase in birds exposed to a combination of diclofenac and lead, and a higher phosphorus level in the lead-exposed group. The principal component analysis revealed no multivariate pattern of responses of blood parameters and did not allow separation of exposure groups from controls when the variables and samples were projected onto a two dimensional space.

CONCLUSIONS: Results of the present study can enhance understanding of combination toxicity of veterinary drugs and heavy metals in birds, i.e. a scenario that has become environmentally relevant in recent decades. Fortunately, individual blood parameter effects prevailed and no joint mortal effects were recognised in Japanese quails exposed to a combination of sublethal doses of diclofenac and lead....

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Journal Article 2012; 33(Suppl 3): 136-144 PubMed PMID: 23353857 Citation  Keywords:  Alzheimer Disease:chemically induced, Animals, Antioxidants:metabolism, Brain:drug effects, Caspase 3:metabolism, Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury:metabolism, Cholinesterase Inhibitors:toxicity, Disease Models, Animal, Female, Guinea Pigs, Heart:dru.   

OBJECTIVES: Tacrine was the first acetylcholinesterase inhibitor approved for the treatment of Alzheimer disease. The compound is not available for therapeutic purposes as it was withdrawn due to hepatotoxicity of its metabolites. The hepatotoxicity can be decreased by alternative ways of drug administration avoiding thus the first pass effect. The present study is aimed to investigate the influence of intramuscularly administrated tacrine on oxidative stress.

METHODS: Laboratory guinea pigs were exposed to tacrine at doses of 0-800 μg/kg. The animals were euthanized 1 and 24 hours after the exposure. Parameters such as ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), carbonylated proteins, caspase 3 activity, superoxide dismutase activity and glutathione reductase activity were assessed in the frontal, temporal and occipital lobe, cerebellum, liver, spleen, heart, and kidney. Moreover, levels of glucose, total and HDL cholesterol forms, triglycerides, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, total bilirubin, total protein, albumin and activities of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase were assessed in plasma samples.

RESULTS: Activities of the enzymatic markers, level of carbonylated proteins in organs and levels of biochemical markers in plasma were only slightly influenced by tacrine. Dose-dependent elevation of the FRAP value was recognized in the brain tissues and the liver. The TBARS value was increased in the kidney and heart 1 and 24 hours, respectively, after exposure.

CONCLUSION: In the study, the effect of tacrine on markers of oxidative stress was proved. Possible positive effects of tacrine on the antioxidant defence in the brain tissue were discussed....

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Journal Article 2012; 33(Suppl 3): 120-123 PubMed PMID: 23353854 Citation  Keywords:  Animal Feed, Animals, Aquaculture:methods, Bacterial Toxins:toxicity, Carps:growth & development, Cryopreservation, Cyanobacteria, Ecosystem, Marine Toxins:toxicity, Microcystins:toxicity, Muscle, Skeletal:anatomy & histology, Oncorhynchus mykiss:growth &.   

OBJECTIVES: Cyanobacteria are studied from the viewpoint of the issue of risks to water supply, agriculture and recreational activities for a long time. Cyanobacteria produce a wide range of substances which can be toxic and can influence the safety and quality of fish products. The aim of this study was to determine whether the diet with the content of cyanobacteria can affect the water activity and the dry matter of fish muscle and whether this diet can contribute significantly to the shelf life of fish muscles.

METHODS: Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were used in this study. Both fish species were divided into two groups. The first group of fish was fed with feed with cyanobacteria (3% of dry matter), the second group with feed without cyanobacteria. The water activity and the dry matter were monitored immediately after sampling of the fish muscle on day 7, 14 and 21 (carp) or on day 10, 20 and 30 (rainbow trout) and seven days after every sampling and cold storage (6-8 °C).

RESULTS: Feed with the content of cyanobacteria significantly decreased the water activity in muscles of both fish species on day 21 (in carp) and on day 30 (in rainbow trout). The dry matter of fish muscle significantly increased on day 7 and 21 (in carp) and on day 10 and 30, but decreased on day 20 (in rainbow trout). The cold storage significantly influenced the dry matter only. While the dry matter was increased in the common carp (7 days of cold storage after sampling on days 14 and 21), the dry matter decreased in the rainbow trout (7 days of cold storage after sampling on day 10).

CONCLUSIONS: The decrease of water activity was found only after longer exposure in the both exposed fish species. The dry matter was influenced far greater and was mostly increased in the both exposed fish species....

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Comparative Study 2012; 33(Suppl 3): 107-112 PubMed PMID: 23353852 Citation  Keywords:  Biological Assay, Biomass, Chlorophyta:drug effects, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Ecosystem, Platinum:toxicity, Platinum Compounds:toxicity, Toxicity Tests, Water Pollutants, Chemical:toxicity,.   

OBJECTIVES: An enhanced worldwide application of platinum group elements (PGE), in particular platinum, has been observed during recent decades. An increased concentration of PGE was determined in collected samples of great amount of aqueous ecosystems.The aim was to compare phytotoxic effect of platinum (PtCl4) by performing two different bioassays on green algae Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata and macrophyte duckweed, Lemna minor. MEDTHODS: The algal experiment (Pseudokichneriella subcapitata) followed OECD 201, the concentration row for PtCl4 was: 0.05; 0.01; 0.25; 0.5; 1 µM. The duckweed (Lemna minor) experiment was conducted according to OECD 221, employed PtCl4 concentrations were: 5; 10; 25; 50; 100 µM. Plants were cultivated as a microbiotest, using micro-volumes.

RESULTS: The results of the algal test showed significant growth inhibition of the final biomass. The values of 72hEC5(µ), 72hEC10(µ), 72hEC20(µ) counted on a basis of average specific growth rate (µ) were 0.31 µM, 0.58 µM and 1.12 µM of PtCl4, respectively. The values, obtained on a basis of the area under the growth curves (A), were 0.04 µM (72hEC5(A)), 0.24 µM (72hEC10(A)) and 0.64 µM (72hEC20(A)). The experiment with duckweed showed 50% of growth inhibition and the values of 168hEC50(µ) were 19.55 µM and 168hEC50(A) 13.63 µM of PtCl4.

CONCLUSION: The fronds of duckweed showed strong adverse effect of platinum influence (chlorosis, necrosis). The algal test and the estimation of 72hEC5(A) appears to be the most sensitive....

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Journal Article 2012; 33(Suppl 3): 96-106 PubMed PMID: 23353851 Citation  Keywords:  Adjuvants, Immunologic:pharmacology, Animal Feed, Animals, Blood Proteins:metabolism, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Fisheries:methods, Immune System:drug effects, Oncorhynchus mykiss:blood, Pleurotus:chemistry, beta-Glucans:pharmacology,.   

OBJECTIVES: Effect of long-term oral administration of three different concentrations (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0%) of micronized β-1.3/1.6-D-glucan derived from oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus, Hiratake) on biometrical, haematological, biochemical, and immunological indices of half-year-old rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) was assessed in the study.

DESIGN: Rainbow trout were feed commercial feed pellets containing β-1.3/1.6-D-glucan in the concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0% for 85 days. Biometrical indices consisted in total and standard length, body and liver weight, from which derived somatic parameters such as Fulton´s condition factor and hepatosomatic index were calculated. Haematological parameters were evaluated according to unified methods for haematological examination in fish. Plasma biochemical profile was analysed using biochemical analyser Konelab 20i and Easy Lyte Analyzer. A phagocyte cells metabolic activity (induced chemiluminescence of phagocytes) was determined as an immunological parameter by a microplate luminometric method on Immunotech LM-01T.

RESULTS: No clinical signs of behavioral, respiratory, or neurologic distress were observed in rainbow trout. Fish showed normal feeding behavior. As for biometric parameters, no significant changes in total and standard length, body weight, liver weight, as well as in condition factor and hepatosomatic index of experimental and control fish were found. In the course of the study, weight gains in rainbow trout were similar and continuous. Shifts in PCV (p<0.05), haemoglobin (p<0.05), and MCHC (p<0.01) were found within haematological indices. Plasma concentration of glucose, lactate, total protein, cholesterol, calcium, natrium, potassium (all p<0.05), albumins and chlorides (both p<0.01), as well as catalytic activities of ALT and AST (both p<0.05) were changed in the course of the study. A phagocyte cells metabolic activity (luminol-induced chemiluminescence) in rainbow trout was not altered by oyster mushroom β-1.3/1.6-D-glucan administration.

CONCLUSION: After long-term oral administration of three concentrations of micronized β-1.3/1.6-D-glucan derived from oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus, Hiratake) shifts in haematological and biochemical profiling were found in half-year-old rainbow trout (O. mykiss) in environmental conditions of a commercial rainbow trout fishery. Biometrical indices were not found significantly altered. No specific effect of β-glucan on immune system response of rainbow trout was found in the study. The use of β-glucan in prosperous, clinically healthy aquaculture is still an issue, nevertheless, its use in breedings endangered by stress stimuli, infectious diseases or adverse environmental factors is indisputable....

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