Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) are new materials of emerging technological importance. As SWCNT are introduced into the life cycle of commercial products, their effects on human health and ...environment should be addressed. We demonstrated that pharyngeal aspiration of SWCNT elicited unusual pulmonary effects in C57BL/6 mice that combined a robust but acute inflammation with early onset yet progressive fibrosis and granulomas. A dose-dependent increase in the protein, LDH, and gamma-glutamyl transferase activities in bronchoalveolar lavage were found along with accumulation of 4-hydroxynonenal (oxidative biomarker) and depletion of glutathione in lungs. An early neutrophils accumulation (day 1), followed by lymphocyte (day 3) and macrophage (day 7) influx, was accompanied by early elevation of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-1beta; day 1) followed by fibrogenic transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 (peaked on day 7). A rapid progressive fibrosis found in mice exhibited two distinct morphologies: 1) SWCNT-induced granulomas mainly associated with hypertrophied epithelial cells surrounding SWCNT aggregates and 2) diffuse interstitial fibrosis and alveolar wall thickening likely associated with dispersed SWCNT. In vitro exposure of murine RAW 264.7 macrophages to SWCNT triggered TGF-beta1 production similarly to zymosan but generated less TNF-alpha and IL-1beta. SWCNT did not cause superoxide or NO.production, active SWCNT engulfment, or apoptosis in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Functional respiratory deficiencies and decreased bacterial clearance (Listeria monocytogenes) were found in mice treated with SWCNT. Equal doses of ultrafine carbon black particles or fine crystalline silica (SiO2) did not induce granulomas or alveolar wall thickening and caused a significantly weaker pulmonary inflammation and damage.
Single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) can be synthesized and purified by a number of techniques, and always contain certain amount of impurities of varying composition (mostly metal catalyst and ...non-tubular carbon), as well as defects resulting from purification. Particular purification route also affects homogeneity of nanotube material and its dispersability in organic solvents, which are important in the subsequent application development. A number of analytical characterization tools have been used successfully in the past years to access various properties of nanotube materials, but lack of standards makes it difficult to compare these measurements across the board. In this work we report on the protocol which standardizes measurements in TEM, SEM, TGA, Raman and UV–VIS spectrometer, consumes <30 mg of material, and was found to provide fast and reliable feedback in the development of purification techniques. The amount of residual metal catalyst is determined directly, and numerical measures are established for parameters such as homogeneity, thermal stability and dispersability, to allow easy comparison of SWCNT materials. Quantitative measurement of non-tubular carbon impurities still remains a problem, and we have to rely on qualitative electron microscopy observations.
With the development of nanotechnology, there is a tremendous growth of the application of nanomaterials, which increases the risk of human exposure to these nanomaterials through inhalation, ...ingestion, and dermal penetration. Among different types of nanoparticles, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) with extremely small size (1 nm in diameter) exhibit extraordinary properties and offer possibilities to create materials with astounding features. Since the release of nanoparticles in an enclosed environment is of great concern, a study of possible genotoxic effects is important. Our previous data showed that pharyngeal aspiration of SWCNT elicited pulmonary effects in C57BL/6 mice that was promoted by a robust, acute inflammatory reaction with early onset resulting in progressive interstitial fibrogenic response and the formation of granulomas. In the present study, the genotoxic potential of SWCNT was evaluated in vitro. The genotoxic effects of nanoparticles were examined using three different test systems: the comet assay and micronucleus (MN) test in a lung fibroblast (V79) cell line, and the Salmonella gene mutation assay in strains YG1024/YG1029. Cytotoxicity tests showed loss of viability in a concentration- and time-dependent manner after exposure of cells to SWCNT. Results from the comet assay demonstrated the induction of DNA damage after only 3 h of incubation with 96 μg/cm
2
of SWCNT. The MN test indicated some but not significant micronucleus induction by SWCNT in the V79 cell line at the highest concentrations tested. With two different strains of Salmonella typhimurium, no mutations were found following SWCNT exposure.
Metal impurities within as-produced single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are generally coated with thick shells of graphitic carbon, which prevent the acid treatments commonly used in SWCNT ...purification from attacking the metals. The purpose of this study was to determine a more effective and efficient means for the removal of metal impurities from SWCNTs produced by pulsed laser vaporization (PLV). The method investigated was a modified version of a soft-bake purification procedure developed at Rice University, and in the current work, the soft-bake temperature suitable for PLV-produced SWCNTs was determined, and several samples were purified. The quality of material was determined using the standard protocol developed at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), and data was collected for several samples in order to determine the consistency and reproducibility of the purification yield and purity. The properties and quality of soft-bake purified material were compared with those of several equivalent materials purified by the JSC standard purification method. It is found that this modified procedure resulted in better purity of SWCNTs, while reducing the purification time by two-thirds.
Beetroot is rich in various bioactive phytochemicals, which are beneficial for human health and exert protective effects against several disease conditions like cancer, atherosclerosis, etc. Beetroot ...has various therapeutic applications, including antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, and analgesic functions. Besides the pharmacological effects, food industries are trying to preserve beetroots or their phytochemicals using various food preservation methods, including drying and freezing, to preserve their antioxidant capacity. Beetroot is a functional food due to valuable active components such as minerals, amino acids, phenolic acid, flavonoid, betaxanthin, and betacyanin. Due to its stability, nontoxic and non-carcinogenic and nonpoisonous capabilities, beetroot has been used as an additive or preservative in food processing. Beetroot and its bioactive compounds are well reported to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, antimicrobial, antiviral, etc. In this review, we provided updated details on (i) food processing, preservation and colorant methods using beetroot and its phytochemicals, (ii) synthesis and development of several nanoparticles using beetroot and its bioactive compounds against various diseases, (iii) the role of beetroot and its phytochemicals under disease conditions with molecular mechanisms. We have also discussed the role of other phytochemicals in beetroot and their health benefits. Recent technologies in food processing are also updated. We also addressed on molecular docking-assisted biological activity and screening for bioactive chemicals. Additionally, the role of betalain from different sources and its therapeutic effects have been listed. To the best of our knowledge, little or no work has been carried out on the impact of beetroot and its nanoformulation strategies for phytocompounds on antimicrobial, antiviral effects, etc. Moreover, epigenetic alterations caused by phytocompounds of beetroot under several diseases were not reported much. Thus, extensive research must be carried out to understand the molecular effects of beetroot in the near future.
Nusupov AM, Sambetbaev AA, Kozhebaev BZ, Nurzhanova KH, Gorelik OV. 2021. A comparison of the milk yield and morphometrics of Irtysh type Simmental cows and their Holstein and Simmental crosses in ...East Kazakhstan. Biodiversitas 22: 3663-3670. Cattle breeding is still a significant part of agriculture manufacture both in milk and beef production. Dairy manufacture needs more and more modifications to increase milk productivity and produce milk with better nutrition properties. The authors present a comparison of the dairy cattle of the Simmental breed (Kazakhstan Irtysh type) and its cross-breeds with red-piebald Holstein and Simmental breeds. All the animals' breeds were studied at the time of the first lactation period in cows at the “Kamyshinskoye” farm, Shemonaikha District, East Kazakhstan region. We studied the milk productivity, exterior parameters, and reproductive indicators for the control animal group (Simmental breed Irtysh type) and the crosses (cross-breeds) of the red-piebald Holstein when collecting the research results and Irtysh type and Simmental and Irtysh type. All data obtained in this study have been fully compared with the indicators of the first lactation period of Simmental cows of the Irtysh type. As a result of the study, authors have created the curve of the 305-day lactation period, studied the exterior of the animals, the morphological structures of the udder, and the annual capacity cycles of the tested cows' group. The milk yield obtained in the first complete lactation period from the red-piebald Holstein cross-animals was 240 kg or 4.2% more than the control mother group, but the average milk fat percentage has been 0.09% less. On the contrary, the cross of the Irtysh and Simmental breed has a yield less by 258 kg or 4.7% (5277 kg), but a fat milk percentage has been 0.1% more.
The purpose is to study the dynamics of milk productivity and service period of Holstein black-and-white cattle by lactation, depending on origin. Methods. Milk productivity was assessed by the ...method of control milking, milk quality indicators – by the instrument method on the Lactan-1M device, reproductive qualities – by conventional methods. Results. The breeding farms breed animals that belong to the following genealogical lines: Vis Back Ideal, Reflection Sovering, Montwick Chieftain, Pabst Governor and Siling Trijun Rockit. The main livestock is represented by 3 lines. Most of the cows belong to the Vis Back Idial line – 55 % of the total livestock of more than 11.5 thousand heads, of which 61.51 % for the 1st and 2nd lactation. The dynamics of changes in milk yield during lactation confirms a well-known pattern, increasing to full-age 4th lactation. The greatest significant increase was found on the 2nd relative to the 1st (P ≤ 0.01). From the 5th lactation, milk yield gradually decreases by 9.4–9.8 % for each subsequent lactation. The effect of the duration of the service period on milk productivity has not been established. KVS is 0.86 on average for livestock, which allows us to conclude about certain problems with reproduction in cows of this line. The productive longevity of cows of this line is 2.36 lactation. The group of cows of the Reflection Sovering line includes 31.5 % of the total number of dairy cows with a share of young cows of 70.1 %. The duration of productive use is lower and amounts to 1.95 lactation, and the coefficient of reproductive ability varied depending on lactation from 0.88 to 0.93, reaching a maximum of 0.96–0.98 in the 9th and 10th lactation. The longest duration of productive longevity was established in the group of cows belonging to the Siling Trijun Rokita line, which are used for 5.6 lactation, more than 41 tons of milk were obtained from them, but lower productivity indicators were revealed. In general, there is an increase in milk yield in livestock, which leads to a decrease in productive longevity. Materials of breeding and zootechnical accounting of the Selex database, breeding cards of cows were used for research. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that the influence of origin on productive longevity has been proven, which allows through breeding work to have a positive effect on increasing the duration of productive use.
Exposure of mice to single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) induces an unusually robust pulmonary inflammatory response with an early onset of fibrosis, which is accompanied by oxidative stress and ...antioxidant depletion. The role of specific components of the antioxidant protective system, specifically vitamin E, the major lipid-soluble antioxidant, in the SWCNT-induced reactions has not been characterized. We used C57BL/6 mice, maintained on vitamin E-sufficient or vitamin E-deficient diets, to explore and compare the pulmonary inflammatory reactions to aspired SWCNTs. The vitamin E-deficient diet caused a 90-fold depletion of α-tocopherol in the lung tissue and resulted in a significant decline of other antioxidants (GSH, ascorbate) as well as accumulation of lipid peroxidation products. A greater decrease of pulmonary antioxidants was detected in SWCNT-treated vitamin E-deficient mice as compared to controls. Lowered levels of antioxidants in vitamin E-deficient mice were associated with a higher sensitivity to SWCNT-induced acute inflammation (total number of inflammatory cells, number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes, released LDH, total protein content and levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α and IL-6) and enhanced profibrotic responses (elevation of TGF-β and collagen deposition). Exposure to SWCNTs markedly shifted the ratio of cleaved to full-length extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD). Given that pulmonary levels of vitamin E can be manipulated through diet, its effects on SWCNT-induced inflammation may be of practical importance in optimizing protective strategies.
The current study was planned to prepare the camel milk yogurt (CMY) collected from different ecological zones of Punjab province (Pakistan).CMY was prepared with the addition of stabilizers and ...stored for 21 days at refrigeration temperature to evaluate the effect on physicochemical (pH, titratable acidity, total solids, fat, solids not fat, crude protein, ash, minerals, fatty acids, insulin, organic acids), rheological (viscosity, syneresis, color, textural, water holding capacity) and organoleptic characteristics (color, body & texture, flavor, appearance, mouth feel, overall acceptability). The overall comparison of CMY composition for 21 days storage exhibited that all the parameters, except acidity, had maximum components at the start of storage study and decreased gradually throughout the storage span. The data regarding rheological properties of CMY showed that viscosity, water holding capacity and texture was high on the start of storage period that gradually decreased during storage in comparison to syneresis that increased throughout the storage span. A significant effect of the source of camel milk was also observed on the insulin content of yogurt. The mean values of the sensory parameters depicted highly significant (P<0.01) effect for the sources of camel milk yogurt and storage days.
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