Plasma-activated water (PAW) is considered one of the emerging strategies that has been highlighted recently in the food industry for microbial decontamination and mycotoxin detoxification, due to ...its unique provisional characteristics.
The effectiveness of PAW for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA), and fumonisin B1 (FB1) detoxification in naturally contaminated poultry feeds with its impacts on the feed quality were inspected.
PAW-30 and PAW-60 were utilized for feed treatment for six time durations (5, 10, 15, 20, 40, and 60 minutes) each. The alterations in the physicochemical properties of PAW after different time durations of plasma inducement and treatment with and without feed samples were monitored. Competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was employed for estimation of mycotoxin levels and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was utilized for results confirmation. Feed composition analyses with peroxide values (PVs) estimation were implemented according to standard analytical methods.
The physicochemical properties of PAW showed a significant decrease (
< 0.05) in pH value from 6.72 to 2.68 and a significant increase (
< 0.05) in oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), electrical conductivity (EC), and temperature from 235 mV, 5.1 μS/cm, and 20.5°C to 499.2 mV, 727.6 μS/cm, and 26.8°C, respectively, after 60 minutes of plasma inducement in a time-dependent manner. The mycotoxins decay kinetics after PAW application were illustrated. Mycotoxins degradation efficiency significantly increased (
< 0.05) with increasing water activation time. A significant increase (
< 0.05) in AFB1, OTA, and FB1 degradation levels was reported mainly during the first 10 minutes of treatment for AFB1 and the first 15 minutes for OTA and FB1 to record values of 28.33%, 32.14%, and 34.62% and 33.80%, 40.70%, and 43.38% after 60 minutes of feed exposure to PAW-30 and PAW-60, respectively. Significant differences (
< 0.05) between examined mycotoxins in their degradation levels were recorded, where FB1 exhibited the highest degradation levels. Generally, feed compositions were slightly affected by PAW and fats were still having good quality.
The possibility of PAW for degrading more than a quarter to a third of the original quantity of targeted mycotoxins in poultry feeds after 10 minutes of treatment with a slight effect on feed quality.
As one of the most toxic chemical carcinogens, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) has attracted extensive attention due to its severe impairment to human health. There exists urgent demand to develop facile and ...sensitive method for rapid screening of AFB1. Here magnetic beads modified with mouse monoclonal antibody (McAb) were adopted for capture and enrichment of the mycotoxin in sample matrix. Then UV radiation at 365 nm was utilized to induce the enhancement of fluorescent (FL) emission of the captured AFB1 with an addition reaction. The FL signal of the derivative at 435 nm was collected to quantify AFB1. The immunoassay method for AFB1 showed a wide detection range of 1.0–1000 ng mL−1, with a low detection limit of 0.21 ng mL−1 (3σ). It was applied to detect AFB1 in herbal medicines including Astragalus membranaceus and Salvia Miltiorrhiza, with acceptable recovery values of 95.4–107.7%. It shows many merits including facile manipulation, low cost, high sensitivity and ideal selectivity. Due to its simple detection mechanism, the UV-induced FL derivatization-based label-free immunoassay can be furtherly extended to detection of other mycotoxins with similar chemical structures.
A label-free immunoassay protocol was developed for detection of AFB1 based on a UV-induced fluorescence enhancement strategy. Display omitted
•A label-free fluorescent immunoassay was developed for detection of aflatoxin B1.•UV-induced derivatization greatly enhanced the fluorescent emission of aflatoxin B1.•It avoided probe labelling and artificial antigen/structural analog synthesis required for immunoassay of small molecules.
In this study, the changes in oncogenic and tumor suppressor signaling pathways in liver and their association with serum and urinary biomarkers of aflatoxin exposure were evaluated in Wistar rats ...fed diets containing aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) for 90 days. Rats were divided into four groups (n = 15 per group) and assigned to dietary treatments containing 0 (control), 50 (AFB50), 100 (AFB100) and 200 μg AFB1 kg−1 diet (AFB200). Multiple preneoplastic foci of hepatocytes marked with glutathione-S-transferase-placental form (GST-P) were identified in AFB100 and AFB200 groups. Hepatocellular damage induced by AFB1 resulted in overexpression of cyclin D1 and β-catenin. The liver expression of retinoblastoma (Rb) and p27Kip1 decreased in AFB100 and AFB200 groups, confirming the favorable conditions for neoplastic progression to hepatocellular carcinoma. All samples from rats fed AFB1-contaminated diets had quantifiable AFB1-lysine in serum or urinary AFM1 and AFB1-N7-guanine, with mean levels of 20.42–50.34 ng mL−1, 5.31–37.68 and 39.15–126.37 ng mg−1 creatinine, respectively. Positive correlations were found between AFB1-lysine, AFM1 or AFB1-N7-guanine and GST-P+, β-catenin+ and cyclin D1+ hepatocytes, while Rb + cells negatively correlated with those AFB1 exposure biomarkers. The pathways evaluated are critical molecular mechanisms of AFB1-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in rats.
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•Oncogenic and tumor suppressor pathways in liver of rats fed AFB1 were investigated.•AFB1-induced hepatocyte damage resulted in overexpression of cyclin D1 and β-catenin.•Rats fed 200 μg kg−1 AFB1 had reduced liver expression of retinoblastoma and p27Kip1.•Oncogenic markers correlated with serum AFB1-lysine and urinary AFM1 and AFB1-N7-guanine.•The pathways evaluated are mechanisms of AFB1-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in rats.
Background: Variation in facial shape may arise from the combinatorial or overlapping actions of paralogous genes. Given its many members, and overlapping expression and functions, the EPH receptor ...family is a compelling candidate source of craniofacial morphological variation. We performed a detailed morphometric analysis of an allelic series of E14.5 Ephb1‐3 receptor mutants to determine the effect of each paralogous receptor gene on craniofacial morphology.
Results: We found that Ephb1, Ephb2, and Ephb3 genotypes significantly influenced facial shape, but Ephb1 effects were weaker than Ephb2 and Ephb3 effects. Ephb2−/− and Ephb3−/− mutations affected similar aspects of facial morphology, but Ephb3−/− mutants had additional facial shape effects. Craniofacial differences across the allelic series were largely consistent with predicted additive genetic effects. However, we identified a potentially important nonadditive effect where Ephb1 mutants displayed different morphologies depending on the combination of other Ephb paralogs present, where Ephb1+/−, Ephb1−/−, and Ephb1−/−; Ephb3−/− mutants exhibited a consistent deviation from their predicted facial shapes.
Conclusions: This study provides a detailed assessment of the effects of Ephb receptor gene paralogs on E14.5 mouse facial morphology and demonstrates how the loss of specific receptors contributes to facial dysmorphology.
Key Findings
Ephb1, Ephb2, and Ephb3 genotypes significantly influenced facial shape, but Ephb1 effects were weaker than Ephb2 and Ephb3 effects. Craniofacial differences across the allelic series were largely consistent with predicted additive genetic effects. Ephb1+/‐, Ephb1‐/‐, and Ephb1‐/‐; Ephb3‐/‐ mutants exhibited a consistent deviation from their predicted facial shapes. This study provides a detailed assessment of the effects of Ephb receptor gene paralogs on E14.5 mouse facial morphology and demonstrates how the combinatorial or overlapping actions of paralogous genes may influence facial shape variation.
We developed a novel, sensitive, and selective platform for the specific determination of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). Single-walled carbon nanohorns decorated by a cobalt oxide composite and gold ...nanoparticles were created to provide facile electron transfer and improve the sensor's sensitivity. In addition, we attributed the selectivity of the proposed sensor to the specific binding property of the anti-aflatoxin B1 antibody. We clarified the specific interaction of the proposed immunosensor to AFB1 using homology modeling combined with molecular docking. In the presence of AFB1, the current signal of the modified electrode reduced; this involved specific antibody-antigen binding, including hydrophobic hydrogen bonding and pi-pi stack interactions. The new AFB1 sensor platform showed two linearity ranges of 0.01–1 ng mL−1 and 1–100 ng mL−1, with the limit of detection at 0.0019 ng mL−1. We investigated the proposed immunosensor in real samples, including peanuts, certified reference material of a peanut sample (labeled 206 μg kg−1 AFB1), corn, and chicken feed. The sensor's accuracy was 86.1–104.4% recovery, which agrees with the reference HPLC technique using paired t-test analysis. The present work shows excellent performance for AFB1 detection and could be applied for food quality control or modified to detect other mycotoxins.
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•A sensitive and selective immunosensor for the determination of AFB1 on a novel SWCNHs-Co3O4 platform was developed.•Molecular calculation was used to confirm the proof-of concept on the structural stability of SWCNHs-Co3O4.•The study of the protein-ligand interaction docking leading to understand the selectivity of the sensor.•The immunosensor expressed a high performance for AFB1 detection in real samples with high accuracy and precision.
Aflatoxins which are highly toxic, immunosuppressive and carcinogenic secondary metabolites produced naturally by Aspergillus flavus fungal species have a harm effect on human and animal health. ...Label free and rapid sensing of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) has drawn the increased interest of highly sensitive and selective research. A highly sensitive and selective plasmonic sensing method was developed for the detection of AFB1 based on enhance-surface plasmon resonance nanosensor. Firstly, AFB1 and N-methacryloyl-l-phenylalanine were pre-complexed as a template molecule and functional monomer. Molecularly imprinted polymers with gold nanoparticles were coated onto surface plasmon resonance (SPR) gold chip surface. The AFB1 imprinted nanosensor shown a wide linear range, between 0.0001 ng mL−1 and 10.0 ng mL−1, and the limit of detection is 1.04 pg mL−1. Compared to the non-imprinted nanosensor, the imprinting factor was found to be 5.91. Also, detection studies of AFB1 were performed using various food samples. Finally, SPR nanosensors were performed selectivity, reusability and storage stability analysis.
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•SPR chip coated with nanofilm was sensitive to target elements.•Nanosensor is highly selective and sensitive to AFB1 in the presence of different mycotoxins.•Nanosensor is stable and repeatable with the rapid response time at room temperature.•The SPR nanosensor was applied successfully for AFB1 detection in corn and peanut.
•InGaN:Ge layer with 8 % of In and 1020 cm−3 free carriers concentration was grown.•Decrease in GeH4 flow resulted in a higher In content of InGaN layers.•Ge incorporation into intentionally undoped ...InGaN layers was found.•GeH4 diluted in H2 is not harmful for InGaN growth with In content around 8 %.
The impact of Ge doping on InGaN layers grown with the Metal Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxy technique is investigated, with the main focus on the influence of GeH4 flow and Ga/III ratio on the luminescence, electrical and structural properties of InGaN:Ge layers. It is shown that at doping levels above 1019 cm-3 an increase in GeH4 flow results in a decrease in the In content and lower concentration of free carrier density in InGaN layers. On the contrary, the change of Ga/III ratio has no influence on the luminescence and structural properties. An unintentional Ge doping of InGaN layers due to the Ge memory effect or back diffusion is discussed.
•MnAl films were grown on various underlayers by molecular beam epitaxy.•L10-MnAl films were formed on the Mn4N buffer layer.•A perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of 6.0 ± 0.2 Merg/cm3 was obtained on ...Mn4N/SrTiO3.•Full remanence and a large coercivity of 7 kOe was obtained on Mn4N/SrTiO3.
We grow MnAl films on different underlayers by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), and investigate their structural and magnetic properties. L10-ordered MnAl films were successfully grown both on an MgO(0 0 1) single-crystalline substrate and on an Mn4N(0 0 1) buffer layer formed on MgO(0 0 1) and SrTiO3(0 0 1) substrates. For the MgO substrate, post rapid thermal annealing (RTA) drastically improved the crystalline quality and the degree of L10-ordering, whereas no improvement in the crystallinity was achieved by altering the substrate temperature (TS) during MBE growth. However, high-quality L10-MnAl films were formed on the Mn4N buffer layer by simply varying TS. Structural analysis using X-ray diffraction showed MnAl on an MgO substrate had a cubic structure whereas MnAl on the Mn4N buffer had a tetragonal structure. This difference in crystal structure affected the magnetic properties of the MnAl films. The uniaxial magnetic anisotropy constant (Ku) was drastically improved by inserting an Mn4N buffer layer. We achieved a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of Ku = 5.0 ± 0.7 Merg/cm3 for MnAl/Mn4N film on MgO and 6.0 ± 0.2 Merg/cm3 on STO. These results suggest that Mn4N has potential as an underlayer for L10-MnAl.
Grape pomace (pulp and skins) was investigated as a new biosorbent for removing mycotoxins from liquid media. In vitro adsorption experiments showed that the pomace obtained from Primitivo grapes is ...able to sequester rapidly and simultaneously different mycotoxins. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was the most adsorbed mycotoxin followed by zearalenone (ZEA), ochratoxin A (OTA), and fumonisin B1 (FB(1)), whereas the adsorption of deoxynivalenol (DON) was negligible. AFB(1) and ZEA adsorptions were not affected by changing pH values in the pH 3-8 range, whereas OTA and FB1 adsorptions were significantly affected by pH. Equilibrium adsorption isotherms obtained at different temperatures (5-70 °C) and pH values (3 and 7) were modeled and evaluated using the Freundlich, Langmuir, Sips, and Hill models. The goodness of the fits and the parameters involved in the adsorption mechanism were calculated by the nonlinear regression analysis method. The best-fitting models to describe AFB1, ZEA, and OTA adsorption by grape pomace were the Sips, Langmuir, and Freundlich models, respectively. The Langmuir and Sips models were the best models for FB1 adsorption at pH 7 and 3, respectively. The theoretical maximum adsorption capacities (mmol/kg dried pomace) calculated at pH 7 and 3 decreased in the following order: AFB1 (15.0 and 15.1) > ZEA (8.6 and 8.3) > OTA (6.3-6.9) > FB1 (2.2 and 0.4). Single- and multi-mycotoxin adsorption isotherms showed that toxin adsorption is not affected by the simultaneous presence of different mycotoxins in the liquid medium. The profiles of adsorption isotherms obtained at different temperatures and pH and the thermodynamic parameters (ΔG°, ΔH°, ΔS°) suggest that mycotoxin adsorption is an exothermic and spontaneous process, which involves physisorption weak associations. Hydrophobic interactions may be associated with AFB1 and ZEA adsorption, whereas polar noncovalent interactions may be associated with OTA and FB1 adsorption. In conclusion, this study suggests that biosorption of mycotoxins onto grape pomace may be a reasonably low-cost decontamination method.
An electrochemical aptasensor for trace detection of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was developed by using an aptamer as the recognition unit while adopting the telomerase and EXO III based two-round signal ...amplification strategy as the signal enhancement units. The telomerase amplification was used to elongate the ssDNA probes on the surface of gold nanoparticles, by which the signal response range of the signal-off model electrochemical aptasensor could be correspondingly enlarged. Then, the EXO III amplification was used to hydrolyze the 3′-end of the dsDNA after the recognition of target AFB1, which caused the release of bounded AFB1 into the sensing system, where it participated in the next recognition-sensing cycle. With this two-round signal amplified electrochemical aptasensor, target AFB1 was successfully measured at trace concentrations with excellent detection limit of 0.6*10−4ppt and satisfied specificity due to the excellent affinity of the aptamer against AFB1. Based on this designed two-round signal amplification strategy, both the sensing range and detection limit were greatly improved. This proposed ultrasensitive electrochemical aptasensor method was also validated by comparison with the classic instrumental methods. Importantly, this hetero-enzyme based two-round signal amplified electrochemical aptasensor offers a great promising protocol for ultrasensitive detection of AFB1 and other mycotoxins by replacing the core recognition sequence of the aptamer.
•Electrochemical biosensor for AFB1 was developed using aptamer as recognition probe.•Hetero-enzyme-based two-round signal amplification was adopted for sensing improvement.•Sensing range was improved 3 orders and LOD improved 1000-fold for AFB1 detection.
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