Heavy metals in drinking waters from Mount Amiata (Tuscany, Italy). Possible risks from arsenic for public health in the Province of Siena

Concentrations of As, Al and some heavy metals (V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb) were measured in drinking waters from Siena and Grosseto districts, South Tuscany, Italy. The analysis, performed mostly by electrothermal activated atomic absorption spectroscopy equipped with graphite furnace, and in some cases high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, indicated that concentrations of the elements were generally far below the maximum allowed concentration (MAC). However, the concentration of As in some of the waters at sources or at the terminals of the water webs was relatively high (largest value, 14.4(2) microg/l) when compared to the MAC(As) value (10 microg/l, December 25, 2003; Italian Law). Relatively high concentrations of some metals had been detected in a few samples from the ends of the distribution webs, when compared to values at sources. These effects are probably due to leaching from metal pipes. A general 'metal index' (MI) for drinking water, which takes into account possible additive effects of N heavy metals on the human health that helps to quickly evaluate the overall quality of drinking waters, is introduced in this paper as MI=?(i=1,N)[C(i)/(MAC)(i)]. Samples from Ermicciolo spring and Siena water web had MI values of 1.1 and 1.3, respectively, showing that the quality of drinking water in town is somewhat worse than that at one of the main sources, at least regarding the 12 elements taken into account.     

Formation of Simple Nitriles upon Glucosinolate Hydrolysis Affects Direct and Indirect Defense Against the Specialist Herbivore, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pieris rapae</Emphasis>

The glucosinolate-myrosinase system, found in plants of the order Brassicales, has long been considered an effective defense system against herbivores. The defensive potential of glucosinolates is mainly due to the products formed after myrosinase-catalyzed hydrolysis upon tissue damage. The most prominent hydrolysis products, the isothiocyanates, are toxic to a wide range of organisms, including herbivorous lepidopterans. In contrast, little is known about the biological activities of alternative hydrolysis products such as simple nitriles and epithionitriles that are formed at the expense of isothiocyanates in the presence of epithiospecifier proteins (ESPs). Here, we used transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana (Brassicaceae) plants overexpressing ESP (35S:ESP plants) to investigate the effects of simple nitriles on direct and indirect defense against the specialist cabbage white butterfly Pieris rapae L. (Lepidoptera, Pieridae). In the 35S:ESP plants, glucosinolates are hydrolyzed mainly to simple nitriles upon tissue disruption, while isothiocyanates are the predominant hydrolysis products in Columbia-0 (Col-0) wild-type plants. The parasitoid Cotesia rubecula (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), a specialist on P. rapae larvae, was significantly more attracted to P. rapae-infested 35S:ESP plants than to P. rapae-infested Col-0 wild-type plants in a wind tunnel setup. Furthermore, female P. rapae butterflies laid more eggs on Col-0 wild-type plants than on 35S:ESP plants when the plants had been damaged previously. However, when given a choice to feed on 35S:ESP or Col-0 plants, caterpillars did not discriminate between the two genotypes. Growth rate and developmental time were not significantly different between caterpillars that were reared on 35S:ESP or Col-0 plants. Thus, the production of simple nitriles instead of isothiocyanates, as catalyzed by ESP, can promote both direct and indirect defense against the specialist herbivore P. rapae.     

Chondrogenic differentiation of human adipose mesenchimal stem cells: Influence of a biomimetic gelatin genipin crosslinked porous scaffold

Human adipose derived stem cells have shown chondrogenic differentiation potential in cartilage tissue engineering in combination with biomimetic materials. In this study, the chondrogenic potential of a porous gelatin based scaffold genipin (GNP) crosslinked was investigated in human mesenchymal stem cells obtained from adipose tissue. Cells were cultured up to 4 weeks on the scaffold and on monolayer, MTT assay was performed to evaluate cell viability, light, and transmission electron microscopy were carried out to demonstrate cell proliferation, scaffold adhesion, and cell colonization inside the porous architecture of the biomaterial. The expression of chondrogenic markers such as SOX9, collagen type II, aggregan, and versican was investigated by Real Time PCR. Results showed an high cell viability, adhesion, and colonization of the scaffold. Real Time PCR data demonstrated an upregulation of all the chondrogenic markers analyzed. In conclusion, 3D gelatin GNP crosslinked porous scaffold provides an improved environment for chondrogenic differentiation of stem cells compared with cell monolayer culture system. Microsc. Res. Tech. 77:928–934, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

NMR-based metabolic profiling and in vitro antioxidant and hepatotoxic assessment of partially purified fractions from Golden germander (Teucrium polium L.) methanolic extract

Golden germander (Teucrium polium L.) is a Mediterranean shrub of the Labiatae family, used in traditional medicine for its diuretic, antipyretic, diaphoretic, antispasmodic, tonic, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, anorexic, analgesic, antibacterial and antidiabetic effects. Like other plants of the Teucrium genus, it was widely popular because of its hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic properties but various cases of T. polium-induced hepatitis have been reported. neo-Clerodane diterpenoids, considered chemotaxonomic markers for the Teucrium genus, are believed to be responsible for the observed hepatotoxicity. The plant also produces flavonoids and phenylethanoid glycosides to which the antioxidant and cytoprotective therapeutic properties of its preparations can be traced back. In order to establish a herbal formula that preserves the plant beneficial properties, T. polium leaf drug has been subjected to a bio-guided fractionation. The different phytocomplexes obtained were analyzed by means of an extensive antioxidant screening and hepatotoxicity evaluation against HepG2, a human hepatoblastoma cell line. The cytotoxicity of the fractions was also evaluated against HeLa and A549 cell lines. In order to identify the substances responsible for the bioactivities, NMR-based metabolic profiling techniques of all the phytocomplexes were performed. Data obtained highlighted the possibility of preparing strong antioxidant extracts, useful as food additives, such as MeOH-2, and MeOH-3, completely devoid of hepatotoxic components.     

TDP-43 and Inflammation: Implications for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia

The abnormal mislocalisation and ubiquitinated protein aggregation of the TAR DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43) within the cytoplasm of neurons and glia in the central nervous system (CNS) is a pathological hallmark of early-onset neurodegenerative disorders amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The pathomechanisms underlying abnormal mislocalisation and aggregation of TDP-43 remain unknown. However, there is a growing body of evidence implicating neuroinflammation and immune-mediated mechanisms in the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration. Importantly, most of the evidence for an active role of immunity and inflammation in the pathogenesis of ALS and FTD relates specifically to TDP-43, posing the question as to whether immune-mediated mechanisms could hold the key to understanding TDP-43’s underlying role in neurodegeneration in both diseases. Therefore, this review aims to piece together key lines of evidence for the specific association of TDP-43 with key immune and inflammatory pathways to explore the nature of this relationship and the implications for potential pathomechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in ALS and FTD.     

Extraction and mass spectrometry identification of a major peach allergen Pru p 1

BACKGROUND: Peach allergy can be caused by the allergen Pru p 1. This occurs by cross‐reactivity with the homologous birch pollen allergen Bet v 1. However, the direct identification of Pru p 1 as an immunoglobulin E (IgE)‐binding protein extracted from peach fruit has never been reported. RESULTS: Phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS) and phenol extractions were applied to solubilise the proteins from peach peel and pulp, and IgE immunoblotting with sera of individual peach‐allergic patients was used to detect the potential allergens. Most of the patients showed binding to an 18 kDa band in IgE immunoblotting performed with the phenolic extracts of peach peel and pulp, but not when the PBS extracts were used. Mass spectrometry of the 18 kDa spot excised from a two‐dimensional electrophoretic gel showed this protein to correspond to the peach allergen Pru p 1. CONCLUSION: Phenol extraction was necessary to detect by IgE immunoblotting a major peach allergen, which showed very low extractability with PBS, indicating the appropriateness of adopting different extraction procedures to identify plant allergens. The 18 kDa peach protein was definitively identified as the Bet v 1‐homologous peach allergen Pru p 1. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Halogen Bonding versus Hydrogen Bonding in Driving Self‐Assembly and Performance of Light‐Responsive Supramolecular Polymers

Halogen bonding is arguably the least exploited among the many non‐covalent interactions used in dictating molecular self‐assembly. However, its directionality renders it unique compared to ubiquitous hydrogen bonding. Here, the role of this directionality in controlling the performance of light‐responsive supramolecular polymers is highlighted. In particular, it is shown that light‐induced surface patterning, a unique phenomenon occurring in azobenzene‐containing polymers, is more efficient in halogen‐bonded polymer–azobenzene complexes than in the analogous hydrogen‐bonded complexes. A systematic study is performed on a series of azo dyes containing different halogen or hydrogen bonding donor moieties, complexed to poly(4‐vinylpyridine) backbone. Through single‐atom substitution of the bond‐donor, control of both the strength and the nature of the noncovalent interaction between the azobenzene units and the polymer backbone is achieved. Importantly, such substitution does not significantly alter the electronic properties of the azobenzene units, hence providing us with unique tools in studying the structure–performance relationships in the light‐induced surface deformation process. The results represent the first demonstration of light‐responsive halogen‐bonded polymer systems and also highlight the remarkable potential of halogen bonding in fundamental studies of photoresponsive azobenzene‐containing polymers.     

Supramolecular Chiral Structures: Smart Polymer Organization Guided by 2D Polarization Light Patterns

Chiral periodic structures and photonic crystals have attracted a great deal of interest due to their applications in advanced photonics. As a consequence, the design and the fabrication of periodic microstructures in photosensitive materials have been widely investigated. Many achievements in the fabrication of such devices have been made over the last decade, but most of the established methods are still restricted to light intensity distribution with different structural shapes and minor attention has been devoted to exploit the vectorial nature of the light coupled with the response of polarization sensitive materials. Here, supramolecular chiral structuring in an amorphous azo‐polymer is demonstrated, coupling the strong and diversified photoresponse of the material with the holographic recording of 2D polarization patterns. The smart polymer organization guided by the complex light field induces periodic chiral microstructures, with spiral‐ or ribbon‐like shape and identical or opposite helicity, characterized by high stability and complete reconfigurability. The holographic structures are theoretically described by means of the Jones matrix method and experimentally investigated, confirming the simultaneous presence of both linear and circular photoinduced anisotropies. These results prove an alternative approach to design a new class of materials with periodic chiral arrangement.     

Chemical Constituents of the Aquatic Plant Schoenoplectus lacustris: Evaluation of Phytotoxic Effects on the Green Alga Selenastrum capricornutum

Forty-nine secondary metabolites were isolated from aqueous and alcoholic extracts of the aquatic plant Shoenoplectus lacustris. All compounds were characterized based on spectroscopic data. Eleven free and glycosylated low-molecular polyphenols, 17 cinnamic acid and dihydrocinnamic acid derivatives, 11 flavonoids, and 10 C₁₃ nor-isoprenoids were identified. The structure of the new compound, 1-benzoyl-glycerol-2-α-l-arabinopyranoside, was elucidated by 2D NMR experiments (COSY, HSQC, HMBC, NOESY). To evaluate potential phytotoxic effects, all compounds were tested on the green alga Selenastrum capricornutum, a unicellular organism commonly used in tests of toxicity as a bioindicator of eutrophic sites. The most active compound was (−)-catechin, showing an inhibition similar to that of the algaecide CuSO₄.