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•Microplastics enter into marine environments mainly through human activities.•Microplastics are one of greatest threats for marine biodiversity in the world.•The ingestion of ...microplastics introduce toxic compounds to marine biota.•Microplastics could influence ecological processes in benthic and pelagic habitats.
Microplastics are tiny ubiquitous plastic particles present in marine environments. They are not an individual entity, but constitute a cocktail of polymers and additives that can absorb substances from the surrounding environment, including living substances, nutrients and marine pollutants. Given their small size (< 5 μm), microplastics can be ingested by a wide range of marine organisms with the potential to cause harms. Microplastics are a growing threat for marine biota and ecosystem. For organisms, the risks associated with microplastic ingestion are not only due to the material itself, but also to its ability to absorb and concentrate environmental contaminants in seawater and subsequently transfer them through food chains. Moreover, microplastics could influence ecological processes. Recently, plastic debris are recognized as emerging pollutants and represent a great risk for marine biodiversity worldwide. Here, we summarize the main effects of plastics and microplastics on some marine organisms and ecosystem.
The growing accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic environments is a global concern. MPs are capable to interact with other environmental contaminants, including heavy metals, altering their ...toxicity. The aim of the study was to investigate the sub-lethal effects of cadmium chloride (Cd) alone and in combination with MPs on common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Multi-biomarkers, including plasma biochemical parameters and intrinsic immunological factors, were measured after 30 days of exposure. Exposure to Cd or NPs reduced the plasma activities of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and gamma-glutamyl-transferase (GGT) and increased aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Exposure to both compounds enhanced the observed effects except for AST activity and ALP at the highest concentrations, whereas evidenced an antagonistic interaction in ALT. Plasma total protein, albumin, and globulin levels were decreased, and the levels of glucose, triglyceride, and cholesterol levels increased mainly in the Cd groups with no additional effects derived from the co-exposure to both stressors. Lysozyme and alternative complement (ACH50) activities and the levels of total immunoglobulins, and complement C3 and C4 in fish exposed to Cd and MPs were lower than those in the control group and this decrease was more significant by the mixture of both compounds. These findings showed that the exposure to Cd or MPs alone is toxic to fish altering the biochemical and immunological parameters. Moreover, these alterations are even greater when the Cd and the MPS are combined suggesting synergistic effects in increasing Cd toxicity and vice versa.
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•The effects of Cd and MPs alone or in combination were investigated in Common Carp.•Exposure to Cd or MPs alone alters blood biochemical and immunological parameters.•The combination of MPs and Cd exerts synergistic toxic effects.•MPs interaction with other environmental pollutants should be considered in risk assessment.
Negative psychological and physiological consequences of neurodegenerative disorders represent a high social and health cost. Among the neurodegenerative disorders Alzheimer's disease (AD) is ...recognized as a leading neurodegenerative condition and a primary cause of dementia in the elderlys. AD is considered as neurodegenerative disorder that progressively impairs cognitive function and memory. According to current epidemiological data, about 50 milLion people worldwide are suffering from AD. The primary symptoms of AD are almost inappreciable and usually comprise forgetfulness of recent events. Numerous processes are involved in the development of AD, for example oxidative stress (OS) mainly due to mitochondrial dysfunction, intracellular the accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau (τ) proteins in the form of neurofibrillary tangles, excessive the accumulation of extracellular plaques of beta-amyloid (Aβ), genetic and environmental factors. Running treatments only attenuate symptoms and temporarily reduce the rate of cognitive progression associated with AD. This means that most treatments focus only on controlLing symptoms, particularly in the initial stages of the disease. In the past, the first choice of treatment was based on natural ingredients. In this sense, diverse natural products (NPs) are capable to decrease the symptoms and alleviate the development of several diseases including AD attracting the attention of the scientific community and the pharmaceutical industry. Specifically, numerous NPs including flavonoids, gingerols, tannins, anthocyanins, triterpenes and alkaloids have been shown anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-amyloidogenic, and anti-choLinesterase properties. This review provide a summary of the pathogenesis and the therapeutic goals of AD. It also discusses the available data on various plants and isolated natural compounds used to prevent and diminish the symptoms of AD.
Natural products and their structural analogues have historically made a major contribution to pharmacotherapy, especially for cancer and infectious diseases. Nevertheless, natural products also ...present challenges for drug discovery, such as technical barriers to screening, isolation, characterization and optimization, which contributed to a decline in their pursuit by the pharmaceutical industry from the 1990s onwards. In recent years, several technological and scientific developments - including improved analytical tools, genome mining and engineering strategies, and microbial culturing advances - are addressing such challenges and opening up new opportunities. Consequently, interest in natural products as drug leads is being revitalized, particularly for tackling antimicrobial resistance. Here, we summarize recent technological developments that are enabling natural product-based drug discovery, highlight selected applications and discuss key opportunities.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) cause the largest mortality worldwide, and much attention has been focused to unravel the mechanisms and optimize the treatment regimens. Curcumin is an important ...bioactive component of turmeric that has been widely applied as traditional medicine to prevent and treat various diseases in some countries. Recent studies have demonstrated its potent activities in modulating multiple signaling pathways associated with cellular growth, proliferation, survival, inflammation and oxidative stress. The cardiovascular protective properties of curcumin in CVDs have been fully illustrated in numerous studies. In this review, we first briefly introduce the medicinal history of curcumin. Secondly, we systematically analyze the preclinical studies of curcumin in CVDs such as cardiac hypertrophy, heart failure, drug-induced cardiotoxicity, myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, abdominal aortic aneurysm, stroke and diabetic cardiovascular complications. The potential molecular targets of curcumin are also summarized. Thirdly, the clinical trials of curcumin in CVDs are overviewed and discussed. Finally, we discuss the therapeutic utility of derivatives of curcumin, and highlight existing problems of curcumin as an effective drug lead in treating CVDs.
The benefits of the Mediterranean diet for protecting against many diseases are usually attributed to high consumption of certain foods, characterized by the presence of bioactive substances such as ...polyphenols. Inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases such as arthritis, allergies or neurodegenerative disorders. Dietary polyphenols constitute a large family of bioactive substances with potential beneficial effects against a broad group of diseases. Citrus fruits and juices are a rich source of vitamin C and flavonoids, with a potential effect on the inflammatory response.
The aim was to evidence the potential anti-inflammatory effects of the flavonoids hesperidin for its possible therapeutic application against diverse pathologies.
In the present review, available literature about the anti-inflammatory effects of hesperidin is reported and discussed. Moreover, we also discuss the chemistry, bioavailability and proposed mechanisms of action of hesperidin.
Hesperidin is a flavonoid present in high concentration in citrus species and has numerous biological properties, principally antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Several studies have been performed in order to evaluate the effects of hesperidin as anti-inflammatory agent using cellular and animal models and few clinical trials. Hesperidin treatment decreased inflammatory mediators and exerted significant antioxidant effects. The molecular basis for its anti-inflammatory effects seems to be mediated by signalling pathways especially the nuclear factor κβ pathway.
Although hesperidin evidenced anti-inflammatory effects, the specific mechanism of action is not completely known and additional studies are required for elucidation of the molecular targets.
The anticancer effects of polyphenols are ascribed to several signaling pathways including the tumor suppressor gene tumor protein 53 (p53). Expression of endogenous p53 is silent in various types of ...cancers. A number of polyphenols from a wide variety of dietary sources could upregulate p53 expression in several cancer cell lines through distinct mechanisms of action. The aim of this review is to focus the significance of p53 signaling pathways and to provide molecular intuitions of dietary polyphenols in chemoprevention by monitoring p53 expression that have a prominent role in tumor suppression.
Essential oils are complex mixtures of hydrocarbons and their oxygenated derivatives arising from two different isoprenoid pathways. Essential oils are produced by glandular trichomes and other ...secretory structures, specialized secretory tissues mainly diffused onto the surface of plant organs, particularly flowers and leaves, thus exerting a pivotal ecological role in plant. In addition, essential oils have been used, since ancient times, in many different traditional healing systems all over the world, because of their biological activities. Many preclinical studies have documented antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities of essential oils in a number of cell and animal models, also elucidating their mechanism of action and pharmacological targets, though the paucity of in human studies limits the potential of essential oils as effective and safe phytotherapeutic agents. More well-designed clinical trials are needed in order to ascertain the real efficacy and safety of these plant products.
The accumulation of microplastics (MPs) is a growing problem in aquatic ecosystems. Despite increased research on MPs in the last decade, their potential threat to freshwater ecosystems remains an ...open question. In the present study, the negative impacts of MPs were investigated on blood biochemical parameters in the European pond turtle (
Emys orbicularis
). Pond turtles were distributed into three experimental groups (
n
= 9 for each group) and were fed diets containing 250, 500, and 1000 mg MPs (PE100 polyethylene) per kg of food for 30 days, and a control group fed with a standard uncontaminated diet. The results indicated that exposure to 500 and 1000 mg kg
−1
MPs caused a significant increase in the activities of alanine and aspartate aminotransferases, and in the levels of cholesterol, glucose, creatinine, urea, and calcium (Ca
+2
) compared with the control group. On the contrary, the activity of gamma-glutamyl transferase and the levels of total protein, albumin, total immunoglobulins, and phosphorus were significantly reduced in
E. orbicularis
exposed to 500 and 1000 mg kg
−1
MPs when compared with the controls. In all the MP-exposed groups, the activity of lactate dehydrogenase and globulin and magnesium (Mg
+2
) levels were significantly reduced; while creatine phosphokinase and alkaline phosphatase activities were increased with respect to the control turtles. A significant decrease in triglyceride levels was reported in
E. orbicularis
exposed to 1000 mg kg
−1
MPs. MPs intake induced notable alterations in blood biochemical parameters of
E. orbicularis
. These results suggest that changes in the blood biochemical parameters could be an appropriate bio-indicator to evidence the existence of tissue damage in
E. orbicularis
.
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