Abstract
Efforts to reduce air pollution in developing countries may require increased use of biomass fuels. Even biomass fuels are a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels there is limited ...quantitative information concerning heavy metal content in their ashes. Therefore, this study focuses on the determination of the heavy metal concentrations in wood pellet ash obtained from the combustion of 10 pellet brans from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy, the effects of adding the ashes to soils, and the assessment of health risk assessment. Ash content was determined by gravimetric method. The amount and composition of ash remaining after combustion of wood pellets varies considerably according to the type of biomass and wood from which the pellet is made. Samples were prepared by wet digestion using HNO
3
, and heavy metals are determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy-flame and graphite furnace. The results showed that the lowest concentration in ashes was obtained for Co 0.01 mg kg
−1
and the highest for Fe 571.63 mg kg
−1
. The Hazard Index (HI), calculated for non-cancerous substances for children was 2.23E−01, and the total Risk index was 4.54E−05. As for adults, HI was 1.51E−02, while the Risk index value was 3.21E−06. Human health risk calculated through HI and Risk index for children and adults associated with analyzed pellets is not of significant concern. The calculated enrichment factor and metal pollution index for wood pellet ashes indicate the risk of soil contamination with heavy metals. From this point of view, analyzed samples of ashes could be a serious contaminant of soil, so further monitoring is required.
Today, there is widespread concern about the potential health effects on populations from consuming contaminated leafy plants and vegetables. In this study, heavy metal content is present in commonly ...consumed leafy plants (Atriplex hortensis, Spinacia oleracea, Urtica dioica, Beta vulgaris, and Brassica oleracea) from the mining area near Tuzla in Bosnia and Herzegovina was determined. After the preparation of the samples by wet digestion with HNO3, the flame and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry was used. According to the results, the lowest concentration in leafy plants was obtained for Cr 0.08 mg/kg (Brassica oleracea) and the highest for Fe 539.15 mg/kg (Spinacia oleracea). The novelty of this study was to estimate health risk assessment for selected leafy plants. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of Pb, Mn, Zn, and Cd from consuming leafy plants was higher than the maximum tolerated daily intake. For adults, the total target hazard quotient (THQ) calculated based on EDI of the heavy metals was found to be > 1 for Pb and Cd due to all leafy plant consumption and for the children risk level of THQ was observed for most heavy metals. The hazard index due to the intake of toxic metals from ingesting leafy plants was much > 1. According to the total carcinogenic risk index for adults and children, the carcinogenic risks for all samples were higher than the tolerable range. Based on the results of this study, there is a significant non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risk to the population associated with the consumption of leafy plants cultivated in the mining area.
Iron content in leafy plants cultivated in Bosnia and Herzegovina PAZALJA, Mirha; LINDOV, Amina; SPAHIĆ, Melika ...
Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca. Food science and technology,
11/2023, Letnik:
80, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Iron deficiency anemia is one of the main health issues that has an impact on cognitive function, physical ability, immune function, and reproductive performance. Therefore, this study focused on the ...determination of iron content in leafy plants cultivated in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the average daily intake of iron via consumption of these plants. The plant samples were prepared by wet digestion with nitric acid (HNO3), and iron content was determined using flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The mean concentration of Fe ranged from 41.97 mg/kg for Brassica oleracea var. acephala to 338.73 mg/kg for Spinacia oleracea. Daily intakes for different leafy plants were also calculated. The leafy plants were arranged by daily iron intake in the following decreasing order Spinacia oleracea > Beta vulgaris > Atriplex hortensis > Urtica dioica > Brassica oleracea var. acephala. Results from this study indicate that leafy plants can be a significant source of iron. The findings conclusively suggest that our local leafy plants are good source of iron through diet.
•Synthesis and characterization of a new two Schiff base from L-cysteine.•The antibacterial activities were investigated in vitro on five gram-negative and five gram-positive standard bacterial ...strains.•Theoretical and experimental vibration spectroscopy studies were conducted and descriptors were used to predict and describe stability and reactivity.•Theoretical calculations of geometry optimization, stability, reactivity, and molecular orbital description HOMO and LUMO were performed with the DFT/B3LYP/6–31G*, 6–31G**, and 6–31+G* density functional theory.
Two new Schiff bases derived from L-cysteine and substituted benzaldehyde were synthesized: the compound 1 2-((2-chlorobenzylidene) amino)-3-mercaptopropanoic acid and the compound 2 3-mercapto-2-((2-methoxybenzylidene) amino) propanoic acid. Their structures were confirmed by experimental FT-IR, NMR (1H, 13C), and theoretical methodology DFT (density functional theory). DFT calculations were based on global chemical reactivity indices calculated using the B3LYP/6–31G*, B3LYP/6–31G**, and B3LYP/6–31+G* theory levels. Experimentally and theoretically obtained values for FT-IR and NMR (1H, 13C) of test compounds showed good agreement. The reactivity descriptors of B3LYP (E, EHOMO, ELUMO, dipole moment, ∆ɛ, μ, η, ω) were calculated to predict the stability of newly synthesized compounds. The microbiological activity of the compounds was tested on several Gram-positive bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Clostridium sporogenes, Microccocus luteus and Microccocus flavus. The following Gram-negative bacteria were used to test the compounds: Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa Proteus hauseri, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Enteritidis. Also, the activity on the following yeasts was examined: Candida albicans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and fungal strain Aspergillus brasilliensis. The Schiff base with chlorine in the structure (the compound 1) has the best antimicrobial action against all tested microorganisms. The selected quantum chemical descriptors calculated for the compounds 1 and 2 have a close relationship with the antimicrobial activity.
Rutin is quercetin heteroside widely present in plants that exhibit many health-beneficial effects, such as strengthening the capillary walls, reducing the harmful effects of LDL cholesterol, and ...reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Rutin was determined from three Allium species ( A. cepa , A. sativum , and A. ursinum ) collected in Bosnia and Herzegovina by the HPLC method associated with electrochemical detection. The analysis was performed from methanol extracts of bulb and leaf of garlic, bulb and leaf of onion, and leaves of wood garlic. Rutin was present in all of the examined samples. The highest rutin content was found in garlic leaves (0.78 ± 0.09 mg g –1 ), and the lowest in onion bulbs (0.04 ± 0.10 mg g –1 ). The contents of rutin were higher in leaf samples, suggesting that leaves of onion and garlic are recommended as a better natural source of this glycoside.
Rutin je heterozid kvarcetin široko rasprostranjen u biljkama i pokazuje
brojne pozitivne učinke na zdravlje, poput jačanja stijenki kapilara, smanjenja štetnih učinaka LDL kolesterola i smanjenja rizika od bolesti krvožilnog sustava. Udio rutina određen je u tri vrste roda Allium ( A. cepa , A. sativum i A. ursinum ) koje rastu u Bosni i Hercegovini primjenom tekućinske kromatografije visoke učinkovitosti s elektrokemijskom detekcijom (HPLC-ECD). Analiza je provedena u metanolnim ekstraktima lukovice i lista češnjaka, lukovice i lista crvenog luka, lista medvjeđeg luka. Rutin je određen u svim analiziranim
uzorcima vrste Allium . Najveći sadržaj rutina određen je u listovima češnjaka (0.78 ± 0.09 mg g –1 ), a najmanji u crvenom luku (0.04 ± 0.10 mg g –1 ). Udjeli rutina bili su veći u
uzorcima lišća, što sugerira da se listovi luka i češnjaka preporučuju kao bolji prirodni izvor ovog glikozida.
The content of macro- and microelements in dry samples of mushrooms of the species Macrolepiota procera, Boletus edulis and Cantharellus cibarius, collected at different areas in Bosnia and ...Herzegovina, was determined using the ICP-OES method (inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry). Of the macroelements, K is the most represented, followed by S, P, Mg, and the least represented Ca and Na. Zn is the most represented of the essential microelements, followed by Fe, Se, Cu, Mn and Co. Al is the most abundant of the other trace elements followed by Ni and Cr. Of the toxic metals, the most represented is Cd, followed by Pb and As. There are differences in the concentration of micro- and macroelements in the mushrooms analysed, depending on the area from which they were collected because natural geology and geochemistry influence the content of macro- and microelements in wild edible mushrooms. The results show that the analysed mushrooms can be considered a good source of essential elements. The study also assessed potential health risks of heavy metals and the target hazard quotient (THQ) for As, Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni and Cr in the analysed mushrooms was lower than the safe level. The carcinogenic risk index revealed that Cd and Ni are the most prevalent pollutants in the mushrooms studied.
Ash is a by-product of wood biomass combustion that must be removed daily from stoves or fireplaces. Therefore, operators or owners are exposed to the potential impact of ash. The goal of this study ...was to determine whether heavy metal present in wood pellet ash posed a health concern to stove operators/owners. The risk assessment procedure was carried out in several steps, including exposure evaluation, toxicity evaluation, and risk categorisation. The hazard coefficient (HQ) and non-carcinogenic hazard index (HI) were calculated for Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn. HQ had the highest value for the ingestion pathway (3.62 ∙ 10−6), and the value for non-carcinogenic HI was 3.70 ∙ 10−6. The value HI < 1 suggests that there is no risk to operator health related to heavy metals in analysed wood pellets ash. The carcinogenic risk (CR) was calculated for Ni, Pb, Cr, and Cd, and the values were within the permitted limits. The risk assessment based on HI and CR indicators proved that there was no significant health concern regarding exposure to the analysed ashes.
The purpose of this study was to assess the antioxidant activity of the fresh extracts of Croatian and Greek watermelon seeds. Samples were prepared using two extraction methods: Soxhlet and ...maceration. Ethanol was used as a solvent in the Soxhlet, and methanol in the maceration method. The mass fractions of the extracts obtained by maceration were lower compared to those obtained by the Soxhlet method. The antioxidant capacity of fresh watermelon-seed extracts was determined by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical) method. The antioxidant capacity of the extracts was also expressed via IC50 (half maximal inhibitory concentration). Based on the obtained IC50 values (1.41 to 2.60 mg ml−1), all tested extracts showed antiradical activity but antioxidant capacity was better in extracts obtained by the maceration method. The reason for this may be the use of methanol as a solvent, which was to be expected, since methanol is a more polar solvent than ethanol. The neutralisation capacity of DPPH radicals of analysed extracts was compared to the neutralisation capacity of ascorbic acid as standard. The concentrations of tested extracts required to neutralize 50 % of DPPH radicals were significantly higher than the required concentration of ascorbic acid (0.25 mg ml−1).
Using X-ray single crystal diffraction, the crystal structures of biologically active benzoxazole derivatives were determined. DFT calculation was performed with standard 6-31G*(d), 6-31G** and ...6-31+G* basis set to analyze the molecular geometry and compare with experimentally obtained X-ray crystal data of compounds. The calculated HOMO-LUMO energy gap in compound 2 (2-(2-hydroxynaphtalen-1-yl)-4-methyl-7-isopropyl-1,3-benzoxazol-5-ol) is 3.80 eV and this small gap value indicates that compound 2 is chemically more reactive compared to compounds 1 (4-methyl-2-phenyl-7-isopropyl-1,3-benzoxazol-5-ol) and 3 (2-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-methyl-7-isopropyl- 1,3-benzoxazol-5-ol). The crystal structures are stabilized by both intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds in which an intermolecular O–H⋅⋅⋅N hydrogen bond generates N3 and O7 chain motif in compounds 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The calculated bond lengths and bond angles of all three compounds are remarkably close to the experimental values obtained by X-ray single crystal diffraction.
Twelve previously synthesized, biologically active 2,6,7-trihydroxyxanthen-3-one derivatives were evaluated
for antiproliferative activity. Compounds were screened against HeLa, SW620, HepG2 and A549 ...tumor cell lines. Compound with the trifluormethyl group on C-4’ position of the phenyl ring showed the best inhibitory activity towards HeLa and A549 tumor cells with
of 0.7 and 4.1 µmol L
, resp. Compound with chlorine and fluorine substituents on aryl ring showed the best antiproliferative activity against SW620 with
of 4.1 µmol L–1 and against HepG2 tumor cell line with
of 4.2 µmol L–1. Analyses of cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of the trifluormethyl derivative were performed with cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome assay in human lymphocyte culture and revealed no genotoxic and cytotoxic effects. The most potent compounds were subjected to molecular docking simulations in order to analyse bindings to molecular targets and, at the same time, further support the results of experimental cytotoxic tests. Docking studies showed sites of importance in forming hydrogen bonds of the most potent compounds with targets of interest.
PDF
