Aluminium and Its Complexes in Teas and Fruity Brew Samples,Speciation and Ions Determination by Ion Chromatography and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography–Fluorescence Analytical Methods

The paper presents results of aluminium determination in samples of black and fruit teas. Total aluminium concentration was determined along with the concentration of aluminium in a cup of tea in tea samples in two price groups (>1€ and <1€). Based on the conducted study, no differences were found in aluminium concentration in black and fruit teas depending on the price group. Developed ion chromatography method was applied to determine inorganic and organic ions in tea samples, especially those which may form complexes with aluminium: fluoride, sulphate, oxalate and citrate ions. Analysis by this method using ion chromatography allowed for the determination of 12 anions: F^?, HCOO^?, CH₃COO^?, NO₂ ^?, Br^?, NO₃ ^?; Cl^?, CH₂(COO)₂ ^2?, SO₄ ^2?, C₂O₄ ^2?, PO₄ ^3? and C₃H₅O(COO)₃ ^3? in the time of 40 min. Speciation analysis of aluminium was performed in optimised HPLC-fluorescence analytical system (with Lumogallion as a post-column reagent). It was observed that organic aluminium complexes are quickly degraded to form Al³⁺ which is the reason why speciation analysis in tea samples does not provide the full image of speciation distribution. Nevertheless, this developed method was successfully used in the determination of aluminium complexes with fluorides in tea samples.     

Foliar Application of Cerium Oxide-Salicylic Acid Nanoparticles (CeO2:SA Nanoparticles) Influences the Growth and Physiological Responses of Portulaca oleracea L. under Salinity

In the present study, the effects of foliar application of salicylic acid (100 μM), cerium oxide (50 mg L⁻¹), and cerium oxide:salicylic acid nanoparticles (CeO₂: SA-nanoparticles, 50 mg L⁻¹ + 100 μM) on the growth and physiological responses of purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) were examined in non-saline and saline conditions (50 and 100 mM NaCl salinity). Foliar applications mitigated salinity-induced adverse effects, and the highest plant height and N, P, Mg, and Mn content were recorded in the variant with non-saline × foliar use of CeO₂: SA-nanoparticles. The highest values of fresh and dry weight were noted in the treatment with no-salinity × foliar use of CeO₂:SA-nanoparticles. The highest number of sub-branches was observed in the foliar treatments with CeO₂-nanoparticles and CeO₂:SA-nanoparticles without salinity stress, while the lowest number was noted in the 100 mM NaCl treatment. Moreover, the foliar application of CeO₂:SA-nanoparticles and cerium-oxide nanoparticles improved the total soluble solid content, K, Fe, Zn, Ca, chlorophyll a, and oil yield in the plants. The salinity of 0 and 50 mM increased the K content, 1000-seed weight, total soluble solid content, and chlorophyll b content. The use of 100 mM NaCl with no-foliar spray increased the malondialdehyde, Na, and H₂O₂ content and the Na⁺/K⁺ ratio. No-salinity and 50 mM NaCl × CeO₂: SA-nanoparticle interactions improved the anthocyanin content in plants. The phenolic content was influenced by NaCl₁₀₀ and the foliar use of CeO₂:SA-nanoparticles. The study revealed that the foliar treatment with CeO₂:SA-nanoparticles alleviated the side effects of salinity by improving the physiological responses and growth-related traits of purslane plants.     

Direct T-2 Toxicity on Human Skin—Fibroblast Hs68 Cell Line—In Vitro Study

T-2 toxin is produced by different Fusarium species, and it can infect crops such as wheat, barley, and corn. It is known that the T-2 toxin induces various forms of toxicity such as hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and neurotoxicity. In addition, T-2 toxin possesses a strong dermal irritation effect and can be absorbed even through intact skin. As a dermal irritant agent, it is estimated to be 400 times more toxic than sulfur mustard. Toxic effects can include redness, blistering, and necrosis, but the molecular mechanism of these effects still remains unknown. This in vitro study focused on the direct toxicity of T-2 toxin on human skin—fibroblast Hs68 cell line. As a result, the level of toxicity of T-2 toxin and its cytotoxic mechanism of action was determined. In cytotoxicity assays, the dose and time-dependent cytotoxic effect of T-2 on a cell line was observed. Bioluminometry results showed that relative levels of ATP in treated cells were decreased. Further analysis of the toxin’s impact on the induction of apoptosis and necrosis processes showed the significant predominance of PI-stained cells, lack of caspase 3/7 activity, and increased concentration of released Human Cytokeratin 18 in treated cells, which indicates the necrosis process. In conclusion, the results of an in vitro human skin fibroblast model revealed for the first time that the T-2 toxin induces necrosis as a toxicity effect. These results provide new insight into the toxic T-2 mechanism on the skin.     

Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry assisted insight into ion-selective membranes

Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to evaluate ion depth profiles across ion-selective membranes. Advantageously, this approach does not require incorporation of additional components (e.g., chromoionophore) in the membrane composition, as compared to that used in typical potentiometric applications. Moreover, comparison of the distribution of ions in differently pretreated membranes is possible. Concentration profiles of primary and interfering agent (Na+) ions were recorded, for example, of Pb2+-selective poly(vinyl chloride)-based membranes. It was found that the contents and the distribution of Pb(2+) and Na+ ions across the membrane is strongly dependent on the composition of the solutions to which both sides of the membrane are exposed during preconditioning and on the plasticizer included in the membrane formulation. Typical plasticizers, bis(2-ethylhexyl sebacate) (DOS) and the more polar 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether (o-NPOE), were used. It was found that faster ion transport occurs for o-NPOE, and the membrane saturation with Pb2+ ions was achieved within less than 20 h for a 400-microm-thick membrane. In the case of the less polar plasticizer DOS, due to slower rate of ion transport, even after 20 h, the Pb2+ concentration gradients were still visible within the membrane. On the basis of concentration profiles, primary ion diffusion coefficients in both membranes were calculated, and the value obtained for o-NPOE containing membrane was found to be approximately 2 times higher than for its DOS-plasticized counterpart.     

New Metallophthalocyanines Bearing 2-Methylimidazole Moieties—Potential Photosensitizers against Staphylococcus aureus

Newly developed tetra- and octasubstituted methimazole-phthalocyanine conjugates as potential photosensitizers have been obtained. Synthesized intermediates and final products were characterized by the MALD-TOF technique and various NMR techniques, including 2D methods. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction was used to determine the crystal structures of dinitriles. The studied phthalocyanines revealed two typical absorption bands—the Soret band and the Q band. The most intense fluorescence was observed for octasubstituted magnesium(II) phthalocyanine in DMF (Φ_FL = 0.022). The best singlet oxygen generators were octasubstituted magnesium(II) and zinc(II) phthalocyanines (Φ_∆ 0.56 and 0.81, respectively). The studied compounds presented quantum yields of photodegradation at the level between 10⁻⁵ and 10⁻⁶. Due to their low solubility in a water environment, the liposomal formulations were prepared. Within the studied group, octasubstituted zinc(II) phthalocyanine at the concentration of 100 µM activated with red light showed the highest antibacterial activity against S. aureus equal to a 5.68 log reduction of bacterial growth.     

Searching for the Molecular Basis of Partial Deafness

Hearing is an important human sense for communicating and connecting with others. Partial deafness (PD) is a common hearing problem, in which there is a down-sloping audiogram. In this study, we apply a practical system for classifying PD patients, used for treatment purposes, to distinguish two groups of patients: one with almost normal hearing thresholds at low frequencies (PDT-EC, n = 20), and a second group with poorer thresholds at those same low frequencies (PDT-EAS, n = 20). After performing comprehensive genetic testing with a panel of 237 genes, we found that genetic factors can explain a significant proportion of both PDT-EC and PDT-EAS hearing losses, accounting, respectively, for approx. one-fifth and one-half of all the cases in our cohort. Most of the causative variants were located in dominant and recessive genes previously linked to PD, but more than half of the variants were novel. Among the contributors to PDT-EC we identified OSBPL2 and SYNE4, two relatively new hereditary hearing loss genes with a low publication profile. Our study revealed that, for all PD patients, a postlingual hearing loss more severe in the low-frequency range is associated with a higher detection rate of causative variants. Isolating a genetic cause of PD is important in terms of prognosis, therapeutic effectiveness, and risk of recurrence.     

Tracking the Molecular Scenarios for Tumorigenic Remodeling of Extracellular Matrix Based on Gene Expression Profiling in Equine Skin Neoplasia Models

An important component of tissues is the extracellular matrix (ECM), which not only forms a tissue scaffold, but also provides the environment for numerous biochemical reactions. Its composition is strictly regulated, and any irregularities can result in the development of many diseases, including cancer. Sarcoid is the most common skin cancer in equids. Its formation results from the presence of the genetic material of the bovine papillomavirus (BPV). In addition, it is assumed that sarcoid-dependent oncogenic transformation arises from a disturbed wound healing process, which may be due to the incorrect functioning of the ECM. Moreover, sarcoid is characterized by a failure to metastasize. Therefore, in this study we decided to investigate the differences in the expression profiles of genes related not only to ECM remodeling, but also to the cell adhesion pathway, in order to estimate the influence of disturbances within the ECM on the sarcoid formation process. Furthermore, we conducted comparative research not only between equine sarcoid tissue bioptates and healthy skin-derived explants, but also between dermal fibroblast cell lines transfected and non-transfected with a construct encoding the E4 protein of the BP virus, in order to determine its effect on ECM disorders. The obtained results strongly support the hypothesis that ECM-related genes are correlated with sarcoid formation. The deregulated expression of selected genes was shown in both equine sarcoid tissue bioptates and adult cutaneous fibroblast cell (ACFC) lines neoplastically transformed by nucleofection with gene constructs encoding BPV1-E1^E4 protein. The identified genes (CD99, ITGB1, JAM3 and CADM1) were up- or down-regulated, which pinpointed the phenotypic differences from the backgrounds noticed for adequate expression profiles in other cancerous or noncancerous tumors as reported in the available literature data. Unravelling the molecular pathways of ECM remodeling and cell adhesion in the in vivo and ex vivo models of epidermal/dermal sarcoid-related cancerogenesis might provide powerful tools for further investigations of genetic and epigenetic biomarkers for both silencing and re-initiating the processes of sarcoid-dependent neoplasia. Recognizing those biomarkers might insightfully explain the relatively high capacity of sarcoid-descended cancerous cell derivatives to epigenomically reprogram their nonmalignant neoplastic status in domestic horse cloned embryos produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT).     

Zinc Coordination Compounds with Benzimidazole Derivatives: Synthesis,Structure, Antimicrobial Activity and Potential Anticancer Application

Developing new, smart drugs with the anticancer activity is crucial, especially for cancers, which cause the highest mortality in humans. In this paper we describe a series of coordination compounds with the element of health, zinc, and bioactive ligands, benzimidazole derivatives. By way of synthesis we have obtained four compounds named C1, C2, C4 and C4. Analytical analyses (elemental analysis (EA), flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS)), spectroscopic (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), mass spectrometry (MS)) and thermogravimetric (TG) methods and the definition of crystal structures were used to explore the nature of bonding and to elucidate the chemical structures. The collected analytical data allowed the determination of the stoichiometry in coordination compounds, thermal stability, crystal structure and way of bonding. The cytotoxicity effect of the new compounds as a potential antitumor agent on the glioblastoma (T98G), neuroblastoma (SK-N-AS) and lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cell lines and human normal skin fibroblasts (CCD-1059Sk) was also determined. Cell viability was determined by the MTT assay. The results obtained confirmed that conversion of ligands into the respective metal complexes significantly improved their anticancer properties. The complexes were screened for antibacterial and antifungal activities. The ADME technique was used to determine the physicochemical and biological properties.     

Biomedical Polyurethanes for Anti-Cancer Drug Delivery Systems: A Brief,Comprehensive Review

With the intensive development of polymeric biomaterials in recent years, research using drug delivery systems (DDSs) has become an essential strategy for cancer therapy. Various DDSs are expected to have more advantages in anti-neoplastic effects, including easy preparation, high pharmacology efficiency, low toxicity, tumor-targeting ability, and high drug-controlled release. Polyurethanes (PUs) are a very important kind of polymers widely used in medicine, pharmacy, and biomaterial engineering. Biodegradable and non-biodegradable PUs are a significant group of these biomaterials. PUs can be synthesized by adequately selecting building blocks (a polyol, a di- or multi-isocyanate, and a chain extender) with suitable physicochemical and biological properties for applications in anti-cancer DDSs technology. Currently, there are few comprehensive reports on a summary of polyurethane DDSs (PU-DDSs) applied for tumor therapy. This study reviewed state-of-the-art PUs designed for anti-cancer PU-DDSs. We studied successful applications and prospects for further development of effective methods for obtaining PUs as biomaterials for oncology.