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Chemosphere 2021 May 29;282:131045. Epub 2021 May 29.

Naturalea, Terra Alta, 51, 08211, Castellar del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.

Stormwater runoff from urban and suburban areas can carry hazardous pollutants directly into aquatic ecosystems. These pollutants, such as metals, nutrients, aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals, are very toxic to aquatic organisms. Recently, significant amounts of zinc oxide engineered nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) have been detected in urban stormwater and its bioretention systems. Read More

J Hazard Mater 2021 Jun 6;418:126292. Epub 2021 Jun 6.

College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. Electronic address:

We investigated the performance and encapsulation mechanisms of novel biochar-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI-BC) used for the remediation of soil co-contaminated with arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) via incubation and column experiments. Compared with the control, 0.50% of nZVI-BC significantly decreased the leakage of As, Cd, and Pb by 97. Read More

Food Chem Toxicol 2021 Jun 9:112332. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, P.R. China; Key Laboratory of the Provincial Education Department of Heilongjiang for Common Animal Disease Prevention and Treatment, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, P.R. China; Heilongjiang Key Laboratory for Laboratory Animals and Comparative Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, P.R. China. Electronic address:

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the toxic environmental heavy metals that poses health hazard to animal due to its toxicity. Nano-Selenium (Nano-Se) is a Nano-composite form of Se, which has emerged as promising therapeutic agent for its protective roles against heavy metals-induced toxicity. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) play a critical role in cellular homeostasis. Read More

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2021 Jun 11. Epub 2021 Jun 11.

State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.

Application of hydrogen-rich water (HRW) could improve plant growth under stress conditions; however, its effects on early growth and related physiological functions of fragrant rice under cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) toxicity are unknown. The present study was composed of two HRW treatments, i.e. Read More

Front Vet Sci 2021 25;8:673756. Epub 2021 May 25.

Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.

Aquaculture is a fast-growing animal food sector, and freshwater fish farming is particularly common in Central and Eastern Europe. As the biodiversity of fishery ponds is changed toward fulfilling the industrial needs, precautions should be taken to keep the system sustainable and protect the adjacent environment from possible damage. Due to risk of infectious diseases, antibiotics are used in aquaculture production systems. Read More

Braz J Biol 2021 4;82:e237604. Epub 2021 Jun 4.

Centro Universitário Cesmac, Programa de Pós-graduação em Análise de Sistemas Ambientais, Maceió, AL. Brasil.

This study goal to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of lead (Pb) and silver (Ag) on germination, initial growth and anatomical alterations of Lactuca sativa L. Plants use various mechanisms to reduce the impacts caused by anthropic action, such as xenobiotic elements of soils and water contaminated by heavy metals. These metals were supplied as lead nitrate and silver nitrate and the following treatments were established: control for both metals, maximum dose of heavy metals, for arable soils, allowed by the National Council of the Environment (Ag = 25 mg. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2021 Jun 5;220:112395. Epub 2021 Jun 5.

College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, Guangdong, PR China. Electronic address:

Copper (Cu), one of the heavy metals, is far beyond the carrying capacity of the environment with Cu mining, industrial wastewater discharging and the use of Cu-containing pesticides. Intaking excess Cu can cause toxic effects on liver, kidney, heart, but few studies report Cu toxicity on brain tissue. It is noteworthy that most toxicity tests are based on rodent models, but large mammals chosen as animal models has no reported. Read More

Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2021 Jun 5;248:109099. Epub 2021 Jun 5.

Departamento de Farmacia, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Unidad Profesional Adolfo López Mateos, Av. Wilfrido Massieu Esq. Cda. Miguel Stampa S/N, Delegación Gustavo a. Madero, México, DF C.P. 07738, Mexico.

Spirulina (Arthrospira maxima) has been recognized as a superfood and nutraceutical by its high nutritional value and the benefits of its consumption; it is an important source of lipids, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It is known that spirulina has positive effects on the toxicity induced by pharmaceuticals and metals. Heavy metals such as cadmium, frequently used in industrial activities, are continuously detected in water bodies and can generate adverse effects on aquatic organisms even at low concentrations. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Jun 7;11(1):11994. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

College of Resources and Environment, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, 410128, People's Republic of China.

This study was conducted to investigate the speciation, bioavailability and environmental risk of heavy metals (HMs) in chicken manure (CM) and water-washed swine manure (WSM) and their biochars produced at different pyrolysis temperatures (200 to 800 °C). As the pyrolysis temperature increased, the remaining proportion, toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), HCl and diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) of HMs gradually declined. This result proved that the speciation of HMs in chicken manure biochars (CMB) and water-washed swine manure biochars (WSMB) was influenced by pyrolysis temperature. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2021 ;2326:19-32

Department of Environmental Health Science, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.

The contamination of heavy metals, a class of naturally occurring and persistent toxicants, has become a major public health concern due to increasing industrial and anthropogenic activities. The use of COPAS Biosort, a flow cytometer capable of measuring thousands of nematodes in minutes via high-throughput assays, has been widely applied in C. elegans studies for assessing toxicity of individual metals; however, such application yet to be seen for metals or other chemical mixtures. Read More

Front Microbiol 2021 21;12:651124. Epub 2021 May 21.

Department of Bacteriology, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Addlestone, United Kingdom.

The European epidemic monophasic variant of enterica serovar (. 1,4,[5],12:i:-) characterized by the multi sequence type ST34 and the antimicrobial resistance ASSuT profile has become one of the most common serovars in Europe (EU) and the United States (US). In this study, we reconstructed the time-scaled phylogeny and evolution of this in Europe. Read More

BMC Genomics 2021 Jun 5;22(1):416. Epub 2021 Jun 5.

College of Eco-Environmental Engineering, Qinghai University, Xining, 810016, China.

Background: Copper was used for many years in aquaculture operations as an effective algaecide or a parasite treatment of fish. It is an essential nutrient with numerous functions in organisms, but is toxic at high concentrations. However, the toxicity of copper to fish remains unclear. Read More

Environ Pollut 2021 May 27;285:117443. Epub 2021 May 27.

Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, 247667, Uttarakhand, India; Centre for Transportation Systems, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, 247667, Uttarakhand, India. Electronic address:

Heavy metal pollution in ecosystem is a global threat. The associated toxicity and carcinogenic nature of heavy metals/metalloids such as mercury, cadmium, lead, and arsenic are imposing a severe risk to both ecological diversity and human lives. Harnessing the adaptive feature of microalgae for remediating toxic heavy metal has reached a milestone in past few decades. Read More

J Environ Manage 2021 Jun 2;293:112860. Epub 2021 Jun 2.

University School of Environment Management, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Sector-16C, Dwarka, New Delhi, 110078, India. Electronic address:

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging as a severe threat in our environment. Their diverse existence in marine environments is being researched globally and thus a widely known fact; however, their presence in the freshwater counterpart has gained attention lately only. Riverine systems, the most critical freshwater resources serve as an essential link between terrestrial and marine environments and their contamination with MPs is going to create severe environmental issues. Read More

J Hazard Mater 2021 08 26;415:125755. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Centro Mexicano para la Producción más Limpia (CMP+L), Av. Acueducto s/n, Col. Barrio la Laguna Ticomán, Del Gustavo A. Madero, C.P. 07340, México, D.F., Mexico. Electronic address:

The identification and quantification of metals in microplastics are necessary to determine their exposure levels as well as to understand their potential toxicity in the environment linked to the ubiquity of microplastics. The readiness of effective protocols and measurement techniques for accurate metal quantification is of utmost importance. This first review, based on 28 original articles, provides a systematic assessment of the current protocols for extraction, detection and quantification of metals in microplastics and the challenges associated with them. Read More

J Hazard Mater 2021 08 26;415:125712. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Key Laboratory of Nonferrous Metal Chemistry and Resources Utilization of Gansu Province and State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, PR China. Electronic address:

Mercury is an anthropogenic toxic heavy metal found in the environment. It is highly desirable to develop a fluorescence probe that can selectively and sensitively detect mercury ions using a turn-on response. This paper reports the successful development of a peptide fluorescence probe, TP-2 (TPE-Trp-Pro-Gln-His-Glu-NH), which uses aggregation-induced emission effects and high selectivity to detect Hg. Read More

J Hazard Mater 2021 08 18;415:125666. Epub 2021 Mar 18.

Soil Ecology Lab, College of Resources and Environmental Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.

Due to extensive vanadium (V) mining and processing, an increasing amount of V has accumulated in soil, which poses a threat to public health. Consequently, we used earthworm (Metaphire guillelmi) incubation trials in V-contaminated soil (0-300 mg kg) to explore the response of soil indigenous bacteria and earthworm intestinal bacteria to V stress. Metagenomic analysis revealed that V exposure changed the bacterial composition in the soil and the worm gut. Read More

J Hazard Mater 2021 08 17;415:125650. Epub 2021 Mar 17.

School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. Electronic address:

Among the toxic metals, hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] has attracted much attention due to its high mobility and toxicity, rendering considerable challenges for long-term remediation. In this study, the soil was collected from a dichromate contaminated industrial site in Liaoning Province, a seasonally frozen area in northern China, and subjected to frequent freeze-thaw cycles. Three additives, including (i) ferrous sulfate; (ii) calcium polysulfide; and (iii) combined biochar and calcium polysulfide were applied to reduce and immobilize Cr(VI) in the soils. Read More

J Hazard Mater 2021 08 9;415:124907. Epub 2021 Jan 9.

Group of Antioxidants, Free Radicals and Nitric Oxide in Biotechnology, Food and Agriculture, Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology of Plants, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), C/ Profesor Albareda, 1, 18008 Granada, Spain.

Nanoparticle-pollution has associated severe negative effects on crop productivity. Hence, methods are needed to alleviate nano-toxicity in crop plants. The present study aims to evaluate if the exogenous hydrogen sulfide (HS) application in combination with silicon (Si) could palliate the harmful effects of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs). Read More

Sci Total Environ 2021 Aug 10;783:147014. Epub 2021 Apr 10.

Department of Occupational Health, Army Medical University, 400038 Chongqing, People's Republic of China. Electronic address:

Nickel (Ni) is a heavy metal that is both an environmental pollutant and a threat to human health. However, the effects of Ni on the central nervous system in susceptible populations have not been well established. In the present study, the neurotoxicity of Ni and its underlying mechanism were investigated in vivo and in vitro. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2021 Aug 3;783:147494. Epub 2021 May 3.

College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, China; Co-Innovation Center for the Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, China. Electronic address:

Heavy metals are considered major environmental pollutants. Soil microorganisms represent a predominant component of soils ecosystems, yet there is little information regarding hormetic responses of soil microorganisms to single and combined exposures to heavy metals. In the present study, to explore and predict the hormetic response of soil microorganisms, dose-response relationships of bacterial and fungal populations to single and combined treatments of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) were evaluated. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2021 Aug 21;784:147221. Epub 2021 Apr 21.

School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang, Henan 453003, China. Electronic address:

Semiconductor nanomaterials not only bring great convenience to peoples lives but also become a potential hazard to human health. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the toxicity of CuS/CdS nanocomposites in hepatocytes and mice liver. The CuS/CdS semiconductor nanocomposites were synthesized by a biomimetic synthesis - ion exchange strategy. Read More

Ecotoxicology 2021 Jun 3. Epub 2021 Jun 3.

Faculty of Nature and Life Sciences, Department of Biology, University of Mostaganem, Mostaganem, 27000, Algeria.

Neonicotinoids and heavy metals pollution exist simultaneously in agro ecosystem. However, little is known about their combined ecotoxicological effects on non-target crop plants. We have selected imidacloprid (IMI) and cadmium (Cd), applied alone and in combination, to evaluate their effect on growth, physiological and biochemical parameters of tomato. Read More

Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl 2021 Jul 29;126:112142. Epub 2021 Apr 29.

Division of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, P-1/12, CIT Scheme VII M, Kolkata 700054, India. Electronic address:

Herein, we have evaluated the in vivo therapeutic efficacy and systemic toxicity profile of a synthetic anticancer compound [3,3'-((4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)methylene)bis(2-hydroxynaphthalene-1,4-dione)]. A multifunctional mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN) based drug delivery network was also fabricated which specifically showed targeting nature towards the cancer cell. The mesopores of silica nanoparticles were tagged with phenyl boronic acid (PBA) for targeted drug delivery into tumor tissue. Read More

Int J Nanomedicine 2021 25;16:3555-3564. Epub 2021 May 25.

Post-Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Sorocaba (Uniso), Sorocaba, SP, Brazil.

Purpose: A silver nanoparticle obtained by reducing salts with solid dispersion of curcumin (130 nm, 0.081 mg mL) was used to counteract against the toxic - edematogenic, myotoxic, and neurotoxic - effects of venom.

Methods: The edematogenic effect was evaluated by plasma extravasation in rat dorsal skin after injection of 50 µg per site of venom alone or preincubated with 1, 10, and 100 µL of AgNPs; the myotoxicity was evaluated by measuring the creatine kinase released into the organ-bath before the treatment and at the end of each experiment; and neurotoxicity was evaluated in chick biventer cervicis using the conventional myographic technique, face to the exogenous acetylcholine (ACh) and potassium chloride (KCl) added into the bath before the treatment and after each experiment. Read More

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2021 Jun 2. Epub 2021 Jun 2.

College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing, China.

The aim of this study was to access the Mn contamination in soil, forages, and animals. Heavy metal pollution is a matter of prime significance in natural environment. Through food chain, toxicity of heavy metals and their bioaccumulation potential are transferred into humans. Read More

Materials (Basel) 2021 May 29;14(11). Epub 2021 May 29.

College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510408, China.

The leaching residue of the lead-zinc sulfide tailing (LRT) is the only residue generated from the tailing leaching recovery process; it is a typical hazardous material for its high heavy-metal contents and high acidity. Due to the large output of LRT, and because its main components are Ca, Si, and Al, the preparation of building construction materials with LRT was studied. The results showed that when the LRT addition is less than 47%, with the ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and fly ash (FA) added and the curing conditions appropriate, the strength values of the tested specimens meet the M15 Class of the autoclaved lime sand brick standard (GB/T 16753-1997). Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021 May 28;18(11). Epub 2021 May 28.

Centre for Sustainable SMART Cities, Central University of Technology, Private Bag X20539, Bloemfontein 9301, South Africa.

Historically, chemicals exceeding maximum allowable exposure levels have been disastrous to underdeveloped countries. The global food industry is primarily affected by toxic chemical substances because of natural and anthropogenic factors. Food safety is therefore threatened due to contamination by chemicals throughout the various stages of food production. Read More

Antioxidants (Basel) 2021 May 13;10(5). Epub 2021 May 13.

Center of Edaphology and Applied Biology of Segura River-Spanish National Research Council (CEBAS-CSIC), Department of Plant Nutrition, Campus Universitario Espinardo, Ed. 25, 30100 Espinardo, Murcia, Spain.

Metal toxicity in soils, along with water runoff, are increasing environmental problems that affect agriculture directly and, in turn, human health. In light of finding a suitable and urgent solution, research on plant treatments with specific compounds that can help mitigate these effects has increased, and thus the exogenous application of melatonin (MET) and its role in alleviating the negative effects of metal toxicity in plants, have become more important in the last few years. MET is an important plant-related response molecule involved in growth, development, and reproduction, and in the induction of different stress-related key factors in plants. Read More

Medicina (Kaunas) 2021 May 13;57(5). Epub 2021 May 13.

African Centre of Excellence for Public Health and Toxicological Research (ACE-PUTOR), University of Port Harcourt, PMB, Port Harcourt 5323, Rivers State, Nigeria.

HIV has been a serious global health concern since its discovery, with about 37.9 million people living with HIV worldwide as of 2018. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) accounts for 68% of the infection and contributed 74% of the 1. Read More