NITRATE IN LEAFY GREEN VEGETABLES AND ESTIMATED INTAKE Brkić, Danijel; Bošnir, Jasna; Bevardi, Martina ...
African journal of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicines,
03/2017, Letnik:
14, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
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Vegetarian diets are rich in vegetables. Green leafy vegetables are foods that contain considerable amounts of nitrate, which can have both positive and negative effects on the human body. Their ...potential carcinogenicity and toxicity have been proven, particularly after the reduction of nitrate to nitrite itself or just serving as a reactant with amines and/or amides in the formation of N-nitroso compounds -N-nitrosamines and other nitrogen compounds which may have high levels of nitrate. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a significant difference, considering the location and seasonal sampling period, in the level of nitrate in certain types of green vegetables, all in order to be able to assess their intake, and possible impact on human health, especially knowing that exposure to nitrate can be potentially higher for vegetarian population group.
For this purpose, the sampling of 200 different leafy green vegetables was conducted, all of which could be found in free sale in the Republic of Croatia. The sampling was conducted during two seasonal periods - the spring and autumn period. In the springtime, lettuce (sem), spinach (pinacho), kale (kale), chard (mangel) and cabbage (brassica) were sampled, and in autumn lettuce, spinach, kale, chard and arugula. Samples were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection.
The results from the spring sampling phase were in the range of 603 mg/kg for cabbage - 972 mg/kg for chard, and for autumn phase of 1.024 mg/kg for chard to 4.354 mg/kg for the arugula. The results showed that there were significant differences (p <0.05) for most of the samples analyzed, considering the sampling locations and time period.
The results indicate that the analyzed vegetables contain significant amounts of nitrate in their composition, which represents relatively significant, but still acceptable intake into the human body.
Pesticides are chemicals used in agriculture to protect crops from pests. In addition to protection during cultivation, they are also used after harvesting to extend the shelf life of products. ...Postharvest control stands out, especially when it comes to products imported from distant countries, resulting in increased concentration of pesticides and risk to human health consuming such products. In this study, analyses of pesticide residues were performed on 200 samples of fruits and vegetables. Pesticide residues were identified and quantified in 30 out of 200 samples. Study results revealed imazalil to be the most frequently detected pesticide. Risk assessment was performed on the obtained results, and it was carried out separately for adults and for children under 6 years of age. Imazalil showed the highest ARfD percentage for adults (max% ARfD 251%), and these values were especially high on risk assessment for children, where they amounted up to max% ARfD 1087%. The study of imazalil impact was performed on 16 Swiss albino mice divided into two groups and 4 subgroups. Experimental group animals were treated with the corresponding NOAEL dose of imazalil (10 mg/kg) for 28 days. Body weight was measured before each pesticide application on a digital electronic Sartorius scale. Peripheral blood analysis was performed after 28-day animal exposure to pesticides. Animals were anesthetized, blood samples were obtained by cardiac puncture, and red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, and white blood cell (WBC) count were determined by standard hematological methods. The organs for determination of imazalil concentration were extracted immediately upon animal sacrifice and stored in a freezer at -80°C until analysis. Results show difference in gain weight, and an increase in WBC count was recorded in the experimental group as compared with a control group of animals. The highest imazalil levels were recorded in adipose tissue (45.2‰) which proves tendency to accumulate.
Children's toys are made of artificial material often softened by phthalates. These are synthetic compounds added to PVC as plasticizers for the purpose of improving its elasticity and flexibility. ...Phthalates can endanger the health of children exposed to their effect by inducing reproductive, hormonal and developmental disorders. The goal of the present study was to determine phthalate presence in children's toys and childcare articles from different sources sold in different areas in Croatia in 2012 and 2013. Diisononyl phthalate, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate, diisodecyl phthalate, di-n-octyl phthalate and butylbenzyl phthalate were included in the analysis. About 60% of the toys analysed contained plastic; up to 20% had detectible levels of phthalates, 94–96% containing toxic DEHP. Over 60% contained DEHP at concentrations more than 10 times than that permitted, mostly dolls and toy animals. The percentage of toys containing phthalates was higher in 2013 in comparison to 2012. We discuss the availability and similarities in composition of phthalates by comparing our results with reports from other countries.
: Imazalil, cypermethrin and carbendazim are detected in plants for human nutrition. To explore whether their combinations, applied orally in low doses, would induce changes in metabolic patterns ...and hepatotoxicity, a subchronic in vivo experiment was conducted. Doses of 10 mg/kg of imazalil (im) and cypermethrin (cy) and 20 mg/kg of carbendazim (car) and their combinations (im, 10 mg/kg + cy, 10 mg/kg; im, 10 mg/kg + car, 20 mg/kg; car, 20 mg/kg + im, 10 mg/kg) were given to Swiss mice daily over 28 days. After 24 hr from the last dose, the relationships of cytotoxicity biomarkers were analysed: serum lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate transaminase, alanine transferase, amylase, alkaline phosphatase, creatine kinase, creatinine and total proteins. Individual pesticides showed different toxic potential (cy > im > car) generally characterized by increase in enzyme activities. Histological analysis showed that cypermethrin, but not imazalil or carbendazim, alone can cause mild necrosis. Combinations generally caused decrease in the activity of enzymes, indicating liver damage. Low doses of carbendazim in combination with low doses of imazalil or cypermethrin caused very pronounced hepatic necrosis, more than any of the three individually applied pesticides or combination of imazalil and cypermethrin. In fruits and vegetables for human consumption, residues of these three pesticides and prolonged combined intake of low doses, which by themselves acutely would not cause any effect, may have similar hepatotoxic effects.
In this study, microbiological quality of drinking water deriving from the private wells from Koprivnica-Križevci County was investigated. A total of 287 samples from different locations were ...collected during 2018 and analysed for the following microbiological parameters: total coliforms, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp., Clostridium perfringens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and the number of aerobic heterotrophic bacteria at 36 °C and 22 °C. The results showed that 24 % of the analysed water samples were of unsatisfactory microbiological quality, with high incidence of faecal contamination. Well water is still the main source of drinking water for many residents of this County, especially in its rural parts, so continuous monitoring and disinfection of drinking water deriving from private wells is of exceptional importance for the public health.
Oksidacijski i antimikrobni učinci alicina Bartulović, Rafaela; Feher Turković, Lana; Mojsović Ćuić, Ana
Journal of Applied Health Sciences = Časopis za primijenjene zdravstvene znanosti,
02/2022, Letnik:
8, Številka:
1
Paper, Journal Article
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Alicin (dialil-tiosulfinat ili dialil-disulfid-oksid, C6H10OS2) je obrambeni organosumporni spoj koji pronalazimo u bijelome luku (Allium sativum L.) te u drugim vrstama roda Allium poput crvenoga ...luka (Allium cepa L.). Alicin se proizvodi pri oštećenju tkiva češnjaka iz aminokiseline aliina (S-alil cistein-sulfoksid) u reakciji koja je katalizirana enzimom aliinazom. Smatra se glavnom komponentom bijeloga luka koji se proučava i upotrebljava u medicinske svrhe još od davnina. Karakterističan i lako prepoznatljiv miris bijeloga luka potječe upravo od alicina. Alicin je molekula sa širokim spektrom bioloških aktivnosti. Kao tiosulfinat, pripada reaktivnim sumpornim spojevima (RSS) te ulazi u redoks-reakciju s tiolnim skupinama u glutationu i proteinima, što se smatra esencijalnim za njegovu biološku aktivnost. Pokazao je nedvojbene korisne učinke na ljudsko zdravlje, među kojima su najvažniji antimikrobni i antiparazitni učinci. Posebna pozornost u istraživanjima posvećuje se i njegovim antikancerogenim, antidijabetičkim, imunomodulatornim, antioksidacijskim i kardioprotektivnim učincima. Alicin pokazuje potencijal za prevenciju i tretiranje nekoliko bolesti, uključujući diabetes melitus, kardiovaskularne bolesti i rak. Vjeruje se da takav biološki učinak ima upravo zbog svojih antioksidacijskih i imunomodulatornih svojstava. Jasno je da alicin ima široku i zanimljivu primjenu u medicini, odakle i detaljna rasprava o njegovu ogromnom potencijalu u ovom pregledu. Buduće primjene trebale bi se usmjeriti na farmaceutsku formulaciju alicina, njegovu isporuku te kompatibilnost s hranom i lijekovima zbog njegove biosinteze, nestabilnosti, hlapljivosti i reaktivnosti.
Gangliosides are major cell-surface determinants in the central nervous system (CNS) of vertebrates, found both in neuronal and glial cell membranes. Together with cholesterol and ...glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) - anchored proteins, gangliosides are involved in organization of plasma membrane microdomains. Based on biochemical studies, frog brain was previously described as having low quantities of gangliosides and their distribution pattern in specific brain regions was unknown. Using highly specific monoclonal antibodies generated against four major brain gangliosides (GM1, GD1a, GD1b and GT1b), we examined the distribution of these molecules in CNS of four different species of frogs (Rana esculenta, Rana temporaria, Bufo bufo and Bufo viridis). We also studied the distribution of myelin- associated glycoprotein (MAG), an inhibitor of axonal regeneration, which is a ligand for gangliosides GD1a and GT1b. Our results show that ganglioside GDla is expressed in neurons of olfactory bulb in all studied animals. In the brain of Rana sp., GD1a is expressed in the entire olfactory pathway, from olfactory bulbs to amygdala, while in Bufo sp. GD1a is restricted to the main olfactory bulb. Furthermore, we found that most of myelinated pathways in frogs express MAG, but do not express GD1a, which could be one of the reasons for better axon regeneration of neural pathways after CNS injury in amphibians in comparison to mammals.
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