Perspectives on communicating risks of chemicals

Public Engagement with Biotechnology Inside and Outside the Classroom: Community-Focused Approaches

Biotechnology offers vast benefits to the environment, animals, and human health, and contributes to improving socioeconomic conditions for the public. However, biotechnology innovations continue to trigger public concern and opposition over their potential social, health, and ecological risks. There is an opportunity to increase knowledge and acceptance of biotechnology through engagement, education, and community participation. In this perspective, we highlight crucial factors that shape the public perception of biotechnology and present opportunities for scientists to effectively communicate their ideas while engaging with local and global communities. Initiatives that seek to involve communities in design, development, and adoption processes are crucial for the successful implementation of biotechnology-based solutions.

Renal protein reactivity and stability of antibiotic amphenicols: structure and affinity

In the present work, the molecular recognition of the oldest active amphenicols by the most popular renal carrier, lysozyme, was deciphered by using fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD) and molecular modeling at the molecular scale. Steady state fluorescence data showed that the recognition of amphenicol by lysozyme yields a static type of fluorescence quenching. This corroborates time-resolved fluorescence results that lysozyme-amphenicol adduct formation has a moderate affinity of 10(4) M(-1), and the driving forces were found to be chiefly hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic interactions and π stacking. Far-UV CD spectra confirmed that the spatial structure of lysozyme was slightly changed with a distinct reduction of α-helices in the presence of amphenicol, suggesting partial destabilization of the protein. Furthermore, via the extrinsic 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid fluorescence spectral properties and molecular modeling, one could see that the amphenicol binding site was situated at the deep crevice on the protein surface, and the ligand was also near to several crucial amino acid residues, such as Trp-62, Trp-63 and Arg-73. Simultaneously, contrastive studies of protein-amphenicols revealed clearly that some substituting groups, e.g. nitryl in the molecular structure of ligands, may be vitally important for the recognition activity of amphenicols with lysozyme. Due to the connection of amphenicols with fatal detrimental effects and because lysozyme has been applied as a drug carrier for proximal tubular targeting, the discussion herein is necessary for rational antibiotic use, development of safe antibiotics and particularly a better appraisal of the risks associated with human exposure to toxic agrochemicals.

Insecticide residues in bats along a land use-gradient dominated by cotton cultivation in northern Benin, West Africa

Many regions in Africa are currently being converted from subsistence to cash crop farming such as cotton. Agricultural intensification is usually accompanied by increased use of pesticides, which can have an impact on non-target organisms. Bats are particularly sensitive to insecticide loads while providing substantial ecosystem services as predators of herbivorous insects. In this study, pesticide residues in bats in a landscape in northern Benin were investigated, which spanned a land use gradient from an agricultural zone dominated by cotton farms, through a buffer zone, and into a national park. Insecticides used in cotton cultivation, such as endosulfan, chlorpyrifos, flubendiamide, and spirotetramat, as well as persistent insecticides such as bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane (DDT), lindane, and aldrine, were analysed. Insecticide residues detected in bats comprised DDT, endosulfan, and their corresponding transformation products. Maximum concentrations in the sampled bats were 11.2 mg/kg lipid of p,p'-DDE (median: 0.0136 mg/kg lipid) and 0.797 mg/kg lipid of β-endosulfan (median: below detection limit [DL]). While insecticide concentrations were below lethal concentrations our data suggest that DDT had probably been recently used in the study region, and larger scale use would pose an increased risk for bat populations due to the high biomagnification of DDT.

Evaluation of the biointeraction of colorant flavazin with human serum albumin: insights from multiple spectroscopic studies, in silico docking and molecular dynamics simulation

The biological activities of azo colorant may significantly be influenced by the biointeraction of ligand to protein in the human body.

Binding patterns and structure-affinity relationships of food azo dyes with lysozyme: a multitechnique approach

Food dyes serve to beguile consumers: they are often used to imitate the presence of healthful, colorful food produce such as fruits and vegetables. But considering the hurtful impact of these chemicals on the human body, it is time to thoroughly uncover the toxicity of these food dyes at the molecular level. In the present contribution, we have examined the molecular reactions of protein lysozyme with model food azo compound Color Index (C.I.) Acid Red 2 and its analogues C.I. Acid Orange 52, Solvent Yellow 2, and the core structure of azobenzene using a combination of biophysical methods at physiological conditions. Fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD), time-resolved fluorescence, UV-vis absorption as well as computer-aided molecular modeling were used to analyze food dye affinity, binding mode, energy transfer, and the effects of food dye complexation on lysozyme stability and conformation. Fluorescence emission spectra indicate complex formation at 10(-5) M dye concentration, and this corroborates time-resolved fluorescence results showing the diminution in the tryptophan (Trp) fluorescence mainly via a static type (KSV = 1.505 × 10(4) M(-1)) and Förster energy transfer. Structural analysis displayed the participation of several amino acid residues in food dye protein adducts, with hydrogen bonds, π-π and cation-π interactions, but the conformation of lysozyme was unchanged in the process, as derived from fluorescence emission, far-UV CD, and synchronous fluorescence spectra. The overall affinity of food dye is 10(4) M(-1) and there exists only one kind of binding domain in protein for food dye. These data are consistent with hydrophobic probe 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid (ANS) displacement, and molecular modeling manifesting the food dye binding patch was near to Trp-62 and Trp-63 residues of lysozyme. On the basis of the computational analyses, we determine that the type of substituent on the azobenzene structure has a powerful influence on the toxicity of food dyes. Results from this work testify that model protein, though an indirect method, provides a more comprehensive profile of the essence of toxicity evaluation of food dyes.