Over-gene expression in the apoptotic, oxidative damage and liver injure in female rats exposed to butralin

Large-scale fate profiling of butralin between cultivated and processed garlics for multi-risk estimations

Elaborating on the fate profiling and risk magnitude of butralin during large-scale applications was conducive to agroecosystems sustainability and dietary rationality. Occurrence, dissipation and concentration variation of butralin were elucidated from garlic cultivation to household processing by tracing UHPLC-MS/MS within 2 min, with regard to original depositions, half-lives, and terminal magnitude in typical origins of garlic. The processing factors (Pfs) of butralin were further clarified among washing, stir-frying and pickling of garlic crops, and pickling was the most effective way for butralin removal with a Pf of 0.092. A probabilistic model with Pfs was further introduced for the comprehensive risk estimations, by reduction factors of 3.1-10.9 from raw garlic crops to processed products. The short-term risks of butralin from green garlic were greater than those between garlic shoot and garlic, with the %ARfDs of 0.030 %-6.323 % from 50^th to 99.9^th percentiles. The long-term risks were inversely correlated to the age of the population, whose location in rural (%ADIs, 0.256 %-0.768 %) suffered more serious exposures than in urban (%ADIs, 0.231 %-0.699 %). High potential risk amplification should be continuously emphasized given the increasing applications and persistent fate of butralin, especially for vulnerable rural children.

Maternal oxidized soybean oil exposure in rats during lactation damages offspring kidneys via Nrf2/HO-1 and NF-κB signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Cooking oil is an indispensable component of the human diet. However, oils usually undergo thermal oxidation. Oxidized soybean oil (OSO) has been shown to have detrimental effects on humans and has emerged as a root cause of many chronic diseases. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of puerpera exposure to OSO on kidney damage in the mother and offspring using lactating rats as an experimental model.

RESULTS

Pathological sections and ultrastructure showed that OSO exposure resulted in various levels of damage to lactating rats and their offspring. OSO induced oxidative stress in the kidneys of lactating rats, as evidenced by increased levels of hydrogen peroxide, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-8. OSO increased the activities of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase. OSO upregulated the expression of apoptosis-related genes, nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and nuclear factor κB-related inflammatory factor genes. In the offspring of the OSO-exposed mothers, hydrogen peroxide, malondialdehyde, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha contents were increased. Furthermore, OSO enhanced the levels of Nrf2, NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1, heme oxygenase 1, and p65 and decreased B-cell lymphoma 2.

CONCLUSION

These findings indicated that the kidneys of two generations of rats were compromised by oxidative damage when fed OSO during lactation. This study provides evidence for increasing the genes expression of the Nrf2/heme oxygenase 1 pathway to alleviate the kidney damage caused by OSO in the mother and offspring. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Gold-based strip sensor for the rapid and sensitive detection of butralin in tomatoes and peppers

Butralin is a widely used dinitroaniline herbicide. Butralin residues in vegetables or fruits represent a threat to human health. In this study, we developed a rapid and sensitive gold-based lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) for butralin detection in tomato and green pepper samples based on a screened monoclonal antibody (mAb) against butralin. The mAb possessed a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of 12.7 ng/mL, with no cross-reactivity toward other dinitroaniline herbicides. The established LFIA strip had a visible limit of detection (LOD) of 50 ng/g and a cut-off value of 2000 ng/g in tomato and green pepper samples. According to the calibration curves for quantitative analysis, the calculated LODs of the LFIA strip were 4.7 ng/g and 4.3 ng/g in tomato and green pepper, respectively. The results were obtained within 10 min. The average recoveries ranged between 95.4% and 109.6% with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 4.3% to 7.1% in tomato samples and between 94.8% and 109.1% with a CV of 3.9% to 6.1% in green pepper samples. These data suggested that our proposed LFIA is a sensitive, specific, and reliable method for the rapid detection of butralin in real samples.

Toxicological effects of acute prothioconazole and prothioconazole-desthio administration on liver in male Chinese lizards (Eremias argus)

Prothioconazole (PTC) is a high effective systemic fungicide, and one of its major metabolites is prothioconazole-desthio (PTC-d). Because of its wildly use in the farmland of China, the local eco-toxicological effects of PTC as well as PTC-d are needed to be concerned. This study investigated hepatoxicity of Chinese lizards (Eremias argus), a local non-target organism, after single dose oral treated (100 mg kg^-1 BW) through pathological, enzyme activity and gene expression analysis. PTC treatment caused ballooning and PTC-d treatment led to macrovesicular steatosis of hepatocyte. The elevation of serum indexes, including the activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), further confirmed the hepatic injury. PTC and PTC-d treatments altered oxidative status reflected by the inhibition of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity , meanwhile, the stimulation of catalase (CAT) activity, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. The mRNA expression changes of apoptosis-related factors and cytokines genes, including Bax, Bcl-2, TNF-α, NF-κB, Caspase-3 and Nrf2, deeply uncovered the potential mechanism of hepatotoxicity caused by PTC and PTC-d. In brief, the results indicated that both of these two compounds altered oxidative status, then were likely to trigger caspase-3 by affecting the ratio of pro- and anti-apoptotic factors which belong to intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Specifically, more serious impacts were induced by PTC-d than its parent compound. This study is the first to provide specific insight into potential hepatotoxicity resulted from PTC and PTC-d in male Chinese lizards.

N-Acetylcysteine Reverses Monocrotophos Exposure-Induced Hepatic Oxidative Damage via Mitigating Apoptosis, Inflammation and Structural Changes in Rats

Oxidative stress-mediated tissue damage is primarily involved in hepatic injuries and dysfunctioning. Natural antioxidants have been shown to exert hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic properties. The present study evaluated the effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) against monocrotophos (MCP) exposure-induced toxicity in the rat liver. Albino Wistar rats were divided into four groups: (1) control, (2) NAC-treated, (3) MCP-exposure, (4) NAC and MCP-coexposure group. The dose of MCP (0.9 mg/kg b.wt) and NAC (200 mg/kg b.wt) were administered orally for 28 days. Exposure to MCP caused a significant increase in lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation and decreased glutathione content along with the depletion of antioxidant enzyme activities. Further MCP exposure increased pro-inflammatory cytokines levels and upregulated Bax and Caspase-3 expressions. MCP exposure also caused an array of structural alternations in liver tissue, as depicted by the histological and electron microscopic analysis. Thepretreatment of NAC improved glutathione content, restored antioxidant enzyme activities, prevented oxidation of lipids and proteins, decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines levels and normalized apoptotic protein expression. Treatment of NAC also prevented histological and ultrastructural alternations. Thus, the study represents the therapeutic efficacy and antioxidant potential of NAC against MCP exposure in the rat liver.

Benchmark dose and the adverse effects of exposure to pendimethalin at low dose in female rats

Pendimethalin (PND) is a dinitroaniline herbicide widely used to control broadleaf and annual grasses. Although the acute oral toxicity of PND is >5 g/kg b.wt. in humans (LD₅₀ for rats >5000 g/kg b.wt.), it has been classified as a possible human carcinogen. It is still used in agriculture so, agricultural workers and their families, as well as consumers, can be exposed to this herbicide. The present study is the first report investigating the dose-response effect using the benchmark dose (BMD) and the adverse effects of exposure to PND at low dose via apoptosis responses linked to the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), FAS, and BAX proteins; oxidative stress; and DNA and liver damage in female rats. The rats were exposed to PND via drinking water at doses equivalent to no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL = 100 mg/kg b.wt.), 200, and 400 mg/kg b.wt. for 28 days. PND caused the overexpression of Tnf-α, Fas, and Bax; increased the levels of serum liver biomarkers; and increased oxidative stress in the liver and erythrocytes. Furthermore, it induced DNA and liver damage in a dose-dependent manner. The BMD showed that serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and total antioxidant capacity (78.4 and 30.1 mg/kg b.wt./day, respectively), lipid peroxidation in liver tissue (30.9 mg/kg b.wt./day), catalase in erythrocytes (14.0 mg/kg b.wt./day), and FAS expression in liver tissue (6.89 mg/kg b.wt./day) were highly sensitive biomarkers of PND toxicity. Our findings suggest the generation of reactive oxygen species as a possible mechanism of PND-induced gene overexpression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), FAS, and BAX proteins, oxidative stress, and DNA and liver damage in female rats.

DNA Damage and Expression Profile of Genes Associated with Nephrotoxicity Induced by Butralin and Ameliorating Effect of Arabic Gum in Female Rats

Nephrotoxicity induced by exposure to environmental pollution, including herbicides, is becoming a global problem. Natural products are the prime alternative scientific research as they express better medicinal activity and minor side effects compared with a variety of synthetic drugs. This study was performed to evaluate the nephroprotective proficiency of Arabic gum against butralin-induced nephrotoxicity. Adult female rats were supplemented with Arabic gum (4.3 g/kg b.wt) and/or butralin (312 mg/L) in drinking water for 30 days. The results found that markers of serum kidney function, oxidative stress biomarkers, DNA damage, and expression of kidney specific genes (Acsm2, Ace, and Ace2) as well as histopathological examination in treated rats were conducted. Butralin-treated rats showed a rise in serum creatinine (41%), BUN (47.3%), and MDA (140.9%) as well as decrease in activity of the antioxidant markers (CAT (-21%); GPx (-70.7%); and TAC (43.2%)) in comparison with the control group. In addition, butralin treatment increased the DNA damage (221%); altered the expression levels of Acsm2, Ace, and Ace2 (-51.6%, 141.6%, and 143% respectively); and elevated histopathological lesions in the kidney tissues. Pretreatment of Arabic gum prevented butralin-prompted degenerative changes of kidney tissues. The results suggested that the protective effect provided by Arabic gum on renal tissues exposed to the herbicide butralin could be attributed to enhancement of antioxidants and increase the free radical scavenging activity in vivo.

Protective mechanism of Astragalus Polysaccharides against Cantharidin-induced liver injury determined in vivo by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry metabolomics

Cantharidin (CTD) is a promising anticancer drug; however, its dosage is limited by hepatotoxicity. We previously showed that Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) effectively improved chemical liver injury. In this study, we established a CTD-induced subacute liver injury mouse model and examined the effects of APS on weight, liver indexes, histopathology, serum biochemical indexes and liver metabolism. Compared with the control group, mice in the CTD model group had obvious liver damage, which was partially prevented by APS. Metabolomics demonstrated that CTD caused liver damage mainly by regulating glycerophospholipid metabolism, ABC transporter pathways and choline metabolism in cancer in vivo. APS regulated primary bile acid biosynthesis and glycerophospholipid metabolism, thus decreasing the liver damage caused by CTD. This study revealed the protective mechanism of APS against CTD-induced liver injury from the perspective of metabolomics. The results provide an important basis for analysing the mechanism of CTD-induced liver toxicity and for assessing clinical treatment options to reduce CTD liver toxicity.

A high-fat diet and high-fat and high-cholesterol diet may affect glucose and lipid metabolism differentially through gut microbiota in mice

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of a high-fat diet (HFD) and high-fat and high-cholesterol diet (HFHCD) on glucose and lipid metabolism and on the intestinal microbiota of the host animal. A total of 30 four-week-old female C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into three groups (n=10) and fed with a normal diet (ND), HFD, or HFHCD for 12 weeks, respectively. The HFD significantly increased body weight and visceral adipose accumulation and partly lowered oral glucose tolerance compared with the ND and HFHCD. The HFHCD increased liver weight, liver fat infiltration, liver triglycerides, and liver total cholesterol compared with the ND and HFD. Moreover, it increased serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and total cholesterol compared with the ND and HFD and upregulated alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase significantly. The HFHCD also significantly decreased the α-diversity of the fecal bacteria of the mice, to a greater extent than the HFD. The composition of fecal bacteria among the three groups was apparently different. Compared with the HFHCD-fed mice, the HFD-fed mice had more Oscillospira, Odoribacter, Bacteroides, and [Prevotella], but less [Ruminococcus] and Akkermansia. Cecal short-chain fatty acids were significantly decreased after the mice were fed the HFD or HFHCD for 12 weeks. Our findings indicate that an HFD and HFHCD can alter the glucose and lipid metabolism of the host animal differentially; modifications of intestinal microbiota and their metabolites may be an important underlying mechanism.

A non-mercury electrode for the voltammetric determination of butralin in foods

A modified electrode was developed with Co-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles stabilized in poly(vinylpyrrolidone) for butralin monitoring. This is the first non-mercury electrode proposed for the quantification of butralin. The bimetallic nanoparticles were characterized by spectroscopic and microscopic techniques, which showed that they are composed of a cobalt core partially covered with silver. The modified electrode was characterized by field emission gun scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The experimental parameters (pH, supporting electrolyte, accumulation step, pulse technique) were optimized. The calibration plot for butralin obtained by square wave voltammetry was linear in the range of 0.1-1.0 μmol L^-1 with limits of detection and quantification of 32 and 106 nmol L^-1, respectively. Lastly, the modified electrode was effectively implemented in the quantification of butralin in honey and apple jam samples. The results were in agreement with those furnished by UV-vis spectrometry and endorsed by statistical tests.