The contamination, bio-concentration and distribution of mercury (Hg) in wild mushrooms of the genus Tricholoma such as T. equestre, T. portentosum, T. columbeta, and T. terreum were studied, and the ...possible dietary intake and risk for human consumers in Europe was estimated. Mushrooms, together with the associated forest topsoils were collected from 10 unpolluted and geographically distant areas, far from local or regional emission sources, in Poland (2 sites) and Croatia (8 sites). The Hg contents were in the range 0.10 ± 0.06 to 0.71 ± 0.34 mg kg−1 dry matter in caps and 0.04 ± 0.02 to 0.38 ± 0.13 mg kg−1 in stems. The corresponding topsoil concentrations varied over a relatively narrow range between sites, from 0.013 ± 0.003 to 0.028 ± 0.006 mg kg−1 dry matter. Overall, the study results showed low levels of mercury both, in edible Tricholoma mushrooms and forest topsoils from background (unpolluted) forested areas in Croatia and Poland. The morphological distribution showed considerably greater concentrations of mercury in the caps relative to the stems with ratios ranging from 1.6 ± 0.6 to 3.9 ± 1.8. T. equestre showed good ability to bioconcentrate Hg, with bioconcentration factors (BCF) values in the range 18 ± 7 to 37 ± 18. The data suggests that Tricholoma mushrooms from unpolluted areas in southern and northern regions of Europe can be considered as a low risk food from the point of view of the tolerable Hg intake.
•Mushrooms are a valuable food all over the world.•Mercury concentrations in Tricholoma spp. from Croatia and Poland were determined.•Tricholoma spp. mushrooms efficiently bio-accumulate mercury.•Hg intake via Tricholoma spp. poses no health risk for studied regions.
Heavy metals cause serious problems in the environment, and they can be accumulated in organisms, especially in the higher fungi. The concentration of Ni, Cr, Pb, Cd, and Hg in 10 species of edible ...mushrooms in Medvednica Nature Park, Croatia was therefore determined. In addition, the similarity between the studied species was determined by cluster analysis based on concentrations of the aforementioned metals in the fruiting bodies. The contents of nickel, chromium, lead, cadmium, and mercury in the fruiting bodies of mushrooms were obtained by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The highest concentrations of Ni (3.62 mg kg
−1
), Cr (3.01 mg kg
−1
), and Cd (2.67 mg kg
−1
) were determined in
Agaricus campestris
. The highest concentration of Pb (1.67 mg kg
−1
) was determined in
Macrolepiota procera
, and the highest concentration of Hg (2.39 mg kg
−1
) was determined in
Boletus edulis
. The concentration of all heavy metals significantly differed (
p
< 0.001) between examined saprophytic and ectomycorrhizal mushrooms. Considering anatomical part of the fruiting body (cap-stipe), a considerably higher concentration of the analyzed elements was found in the cap for all mushroom species. According to calculated bioconcentration factors, all the examined species were found to be bioexclusors of Ni, Cr, and Pb and bioaccumulators of Cd and Hg. Cluster analysis performed on the basis of the accumulation of the studied metals revealed great phenotypic similarity of mushroom species belonging to the same genus and partial similarity of species of the same ecological affiliation.
Salt stress negatively affects the growth, development, and yield of horticultural crops. Nitric oxide (NO) is considered a signaling molecule that plays a key role in the plant defense system under ...salt stress. This study investigated the impact of exogenous application of 0.2 mM of sodium nitroprusside (SNP, an NO donor) on the salt tolerance and physiological and morphological characteristics of lettuce (
L.) under salt stress (25, 50, 75, and 100 mM). Salt stress caused a marked decrease in growth, yield, carotenoids and photosynthetic pigments in stressed plants as compared to control ones. Results showed that salt stress significantly affected the oxidative compounds (superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX)) and non-oxidative compounds (ascorbic acid, total phenols, malondialdehyde (MDA), proline, and H
O
) in lettuce. Moreover, salt stress decreased nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium ions (K
) while increasing Na ions (Na
) in the leaves of lettuce under salt stress. The exogenous application of NO increased ascorbic acid, total phenols, antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, CAT, and APX) and MDA content in the leaves of lettuce under salt stress. In addition, the exogenous application of NO decreased H
O
content in plants under salt stress. Moreover, the exogenous application of NO increased leaf N in control, and leaf P and leaf and root K
content in all treatments while decreasing leaf Na
in salt-stressed lettuce plants. These results provide evidence that the exogenous application of NO on lettuce helps mitigate salt stress effects.
Climate change, inadequate possessions, and land degradation all pose obstacles to modern agriculture. In the current scenario, the agriculture industry is mainly dependent on the use of ...chemical-based pesticides and fertilizers that impact soil health and crop productivity. Moreover, water scarcity leads farmers in drastically affected regions to use heavy metal-enriched water sources mainly originating from industrial sources for field crops irrigation. Soil pollutants can be carried into the human body via dust and water, creating negative health effects varying from simple symptoms, e.g., nausea and diarrhea and reaching death in critical cases. Thus, to clean soil contaminants, and improve soil fertility and agricultural production, alternatives to chemical fertilizers must be developed. Therefore, using beneficial microbes found in plant-associated soil microorganisms offers an effective strategy to alleviate some of these challenges, improving soil fertility, and crop yield, and protecting plants from stress conditions. Through the use of synergistic interactions, the synthetic consortium strategy seeks to improve the stability of microbial communities. In this review, synthetic consortia and their potential use in agriculture were discussed. Further, engineering new effective synthetic consortia was suggested as an effective approach in the concept of environmental bioremediation of soil pollutants and contaminants.
In East Africa,
(L.f.) is a well-known medicinal herb. Its leaf is primarily studied in light of its ethnobotanical use. In terms of phytochemistry and biological activity, its flower is not studied. ...In a prior study, our team looked into phytochemical screening, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic levels. This study aims to compare the profiles and biological activities of the leaf and flower samples of
and to present therapeutic alternatives. The leaf and flower sample powders were extracted with methanol using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). HPTLC profile was obtained using CAMAG-HPTLC equipped with VisionCATS software. Antimicrobial agar well diffusion assay and minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) were determined. The leaf and flower extracts of
showed antibacterial activity with a MIC value of 20 µg/mL against
and
. Similarly, 40 µg/mL was found to be effective against
.
flower is a rich source of flavonoids and phenolic acids. Because of its antibacterial properties and profile, which are almost the same, the flower is emerging as a viable option for medicinal alternatives.
Lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) contents in ten species of edible mushrooms in Trakošćan, Croatia were determined. In addition, the similarity between the studied species was determined by ...cluster analysis. The caps and stipes of the fruiting bodies were analysed separately. The analyses were carried out by inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The greatest mean lead concentrations of 1.91 and 1.60 mg kg
−1
were determined in caps and stipes of Macrolepiota procera. The greatest mean concentrations of cadmium (3.23 and 2.24 mg kg
−1
) were determined in caps and stipes of Agaricus campestris and of mercury (2.56 and 2.35 mg kg
−1
) in Boletus edulis. In terms of the anatomical parts of the fruiting body (cap-stipe), a considerably greater concentration of the analysed elements was found in the cap for all mushroom species. According to calculated bio-concentration factors, all the examined species were found to be bio-accumulators of Cd and Hg. On the basis of the accumulation of the studied metals, great similarity of mushroom species belonging to the same genus and partial similarity of species of the same ecological affiliation was obtained by cluster analysis.
There is an increased production and demand for ewes’ milk in the Republic of Croatia, as well as globally. There is also a growing concern about its quality, since milk from farm animals may become ...contaminated with mercury and other toxic elements. Thus, the aim of this paper is to determine the influence of lactation stage on the ewes’ milk quality in western Croatia by considering concentrations of mercury and other elements in ewes’ milk. The research was conducted on 36 Travnik pramenka sheep during different lactation stages. The digested milk samples were analysed with continuous flow hydride generation technique by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Samples were taken during 40th, 80th and 120th d of lactation. Yield and quality of ewes’ milk was within lactation curve. As lactation progressed, significantly lower concentrations of Hg (on 80th d compared to 40th d) and of Cd (120th d compared to 80th d) were noted, and Hg on 120th d was below the detection limit. Concentrations of Ca and Cu were lower on the 120th d compared to 40th d, while P, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, and Se were lower on the 80th and 120th d compared to the 40th d. Concentrations of K, Mo, and Cr differed among all stages of lactation. Regarding toxic elements, the observed low concentrations of Hg, Co, Cd and As suggest that ewes’ milk in western Croatia is safe for human or animal consumption.
•Yield and chemical composition of ewes’ milk was within lactation curve.•Hg and Cd decreased in ewes’ milk with lactation progress.•Majority of macro and trace elements in ewes’ milk decreased during lactation.•Hg in Ewes’ milk from W Croatia does not pose a health risk for human consumption.
Shigellosis is one of the major causes of death in children worldwide. Flavonoids and phenolic acids are expected to demonstrate anti-shigellosis activity and anti-diarrheal properties. The aerial ...part of
is commonly used against diarrhea. This study aimed to identify flavonoids and phenolic acids responsible for this therapeutic purpose. Antioxidant activity, total phenol content, and total flavonoid content were determined. The antibacterial activity of the aerial part against
spp. was also tested using the agar well diffusion method. HPLC analysis was performed using UHPLC-DAD for different extracts of the aerial part. Autodock Vina in the PyRx platform was used to screen responsible components. Ciprofloxacin was used as a reference drug. An enzyme taking part in pyrimidine biosynthesis was used as a target protein. Molecular docking results were visualized using Discovery Studio and LigPlot1.4.5 software. Antioxidant activity, total phenol content, and total flavonoid content are more significant for the aerial part of
. From HPLC analysis, the presence of the flavonoids, quercetin, myricetin, and rutin and the phenolic acids gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, and syringic acid were identified from the aerial part of
Regarding the antibacterial activity, the aerial part shows considerable activity against
spp. Binding energies, RMSD and Ki values, interaction type, and distance are considered to identify the components most likely responsible for the therapeutic effects and observed activity. Antioxidant activity, total phenol content, and total flavonoid content of the aerial part are in line with anti-shigellosis activity. The top five components that are most likely potentially responsible for therapeutic purposes and anti-shigellosis activity are chlorogenic acid, rutin, dihydroquercetin, dihydromyricetin, and kaempferol.
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