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Oliveira M, Azevedo L, Ballard D, Branicki W, Amorim A. Using plants in forensics: State-of-the-art and prospects. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 336:111860. [PMID: 37683985 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2023.111860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
The increasing use of plant evidence in forensic investigations gave rise to a powerful new discipline - Forensic Botany - that analyses micro- or macroscopic plant materials, such as the totality or fragments of an organ (i.e., leaves, stems, seeds, fruits, roots) and tissue (i.e., pollen grains, spores, fibers, cork) or its chemical composition (i. e., secondary metabolites, isotopes, DNA, starch grains). Forensic botanists frequently use microscopy, chemical analysis, and botanical expertise to identify and interpret evidence crucial to solving civil and criminal issues, collaborating in enforcing laws or regulations, and ensuring public health safeguards. The present work comprehensively examines the current state and future potential of Forensic Botany. The first section conveys the critical steps of plant evidence collection, documentation, and preservation, emphasizing the importance of these initial steps in maintaining the integrity of the items. It explores the different molecular analyses, covering the identification of plant species and varieties or cultivars, and discusses the limitations and challenges of these techniques in forensics. The subsequent section covers the diversity of Forensic Botany approaches, examining how plant evidence exposes food and pharmaceutical frauds, uncovers insufficient or erroneous labeling, traces illegal drug trafficking routes, and combats the illegal collection or trade of protected species and derivatives. National and global security issues, including the implications of biological warfare, bioterrorism, and biocrime are addressed, and a review of the contributions of plant evidence in crime scene investigations is provided, synthesizing a comprehensive overview of the diverse facets of Forensic Botany.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Oliveira
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Ipatimup - Instituto de Patologia e Imunologia Molecular da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Luísa Azevedo
- UMIB - Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine, ICBAS - School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; ITR - Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health, Porto, Portugal
| | - David Ballard
- King's Forensics, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Wojciech Branicki
- Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland; Institute of Forensic Research, Kraków, Poland
| | - Antonio Amorim
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Ipatimup - Instituto de Patologia e Imunologia Molecular da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; FCUP - Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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D'Elia RV, Goodchild SA, Winder CL, Southam AD, Weber RJM, Stahl FM, Docx C, Patel V, Green AC, Viant MR, Lukaszewski RA, Dunn WB. Multiple metabolic pathways are predictive of ricin intoxication in a rat model. Metabolomics 2019; 15:102. [PMID: 31270703 PMCID: PMC6610267 DOI: 10.1007/s11306-019-1547-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Exposure to ricin can be lethal and treatments that are under development have short windows of opportunity for administration after exposure. It is therefore essential to achieve early detection of ricin exposure to provide the best prognosis for exposed individuals. Ricin toxin can be detected in clinical samples via several antibody-based techniques, but the efficacy of these can be limited due to the rapid processing and cellular uptake of toxin in the body and subsequent low blood ricin concentrations. Other diagnostic tools that perform, in an orthogonal manner, are therefore desirable. OBJECTIVES To determine time-dependent metabolic changes in Sprague-Dawley rats following intravenous exposure to ricin. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats were intravenously exposed to ricin and multiple blood samples were collected from each animal for up to 48 h following exposure in two independent studies. Plasma samples were analysed applying HILIC and C18 reversed phase UHPLC-MS assays followed by univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS In Sprague-Dawley rats we have demonstrated that metabolic changes measured in blood can distinguish between rats exposed intravenously to ricin and controls prior to the onset of behavioral signs of intoxication after 24 h. A total of 37 metabolites were significantly altered following exposure to ricin when compared to controls. The arginine/proline, bile acid and triacylglyceride metabolic pathways were highlighted as being important with two triacylglycerides at 8 h post exposure giving an AUROC score of 0.94. At 16 h and 24 h the AUROC score increased to 0.98 and 1.0 with the number of metabolites in the panel increasing to 5 and 7, respectively. CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrate that metabolites may be a useful tool to diagnose and detect ricin exposure, thus increasing the effectiveness of supportive therapy and future ricin-specific medical treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Catherine L Winder
- Phenome Centre Birmingham and School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Andrew D Southam
- Phenome Centre Birmingham and School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Ralf J M Weber
- Phenome Centre Birmingham and School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | | | - Cerys Docx
- Dstl Porton Down, Salisbury, SP4 0JQ, UK
| | | | | | - Mark R Viant
- Phenome Centre Birmingham and School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | | | - Warwick B Dunn
- Phenome Centre Birmingham and School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
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Abstract
Abstract
Examples of existing and emerging wearable sensors for chemical and biological threat agents are reviewed and essential enabling developments identified. Wearables are described as inward looking sensors (self-monitoring) and outward looking sensors (environmental sensors). The future potential for wearable sensors, expected capabilities, and key challenges are summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Ozanich
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory , National Security Directorate , PO Box 999, Battelle Blvd. MSIN P7-50 , Richland, WA 99352 , USA , Tel.: 509-375-4586
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Respaud R, Marchand D, Pelat T, Tchou-Wong KM, Roy CJ, Parent C, Cabrera M, Guillemain J, Mac Loughlin R, Levacher E, Fontayne A, Douziech-Eyrolles L, Junqua-Moullet A, Guilleminault L, Thullier P, Guillot-Combe E, Vecellio L, Heuzé-Vourc'h N. Development of a drug delivery system for efficient alveolar delivery of a neutralizing monoclonal antibody to treat pulmonary intoxication to ricin. J Control Release 2016; 234:21-32. [PMID: 27173943 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2016.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2016] [Revised: 05/06/2016] [Accepted: 05/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The high toxicity of ricin and its ease of production have made it a major bioterrorism threat worldwide. There is however no efficient and approved treatment for poisoning by ricin inhalation, although there have been major improvements in diagnosis and therapeutic strategies. We describe the development of an anti-ricin neutralizing monoclonal antibody (IgG 43RCA-G1) and a device for its rapid and effective delivery into the lungs for an application in humans. The antibody is a full-length IgG and binds to the ricin A-chain subunit with a high affinity (KD=53pM). Local administration of the antibody into the respiratory tract of mice 6h after pulmonary ricin intoxication allowed the rescue of 100% of intoxicated animals. Specific operational constraints and aerosolization stresses, resulting in protein aggregation and loss of activity, were overcome by formulating the drug as a dry-powder that is solubilized extemporaneously in a stabilizing solution to be nebulized. Inhalation studies in mice showed that this formulation of IgG 43RCA-G1 did not induce pulmonary inflammation. A mesh nebulizer was customized to improve IgG 43RCA-G1 deposition into the alveolar region of human lungs, where ricin aerosol particles mostly accumulate. The drug delivery system also comprises a semi-automatic reconstitution system to facilitate its use and a specific holding chamber to maximize aerosol delivery deep into the lung. In vivo studies in monkeys showed that drug delivery with the device resulted in a high concentration of IgG 43RCA-G1 in the airways for at least 6h after local deposition, which is consistent with the therapeutic window and limited passage into the bloodstream.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renaud Respaud
- Université François-Rabelais de Tours, UMR 1100, CHRU de Tours, Service de Pharmacie, F-37032 Tours, France; INSERM, Centre d'Etude des Pathologies Respiratoires, UMR 1100, F-37032 Tours, France
| | - Denis Marchand
- Université François Rabelais, UMR 1100, F-37032 Tours, France; INSERM, Centre d'Etude des Pathologies Respiratoires, UMR 1100, F-37032 Tours, France; Aerodrug, F-37032 Tours, France
| | - Thibaut Pelat
- Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées (IRBA-CRSSA); Département de Microbiologie; Unité de biotechnologie des anticorps et des toxines; Brétigny sur Orge, France; BIOTEM, Parc d'activité Bièvre Dauphine, Apprieu, France
| | - Kam-Meng Tchou-Wong
- NYU School of Medicine, Department of Environmental Medicine, 57 Old Forge Road, Tuxedo, New York 10987, USA
| | - Chad J Roy
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Division of Microbiology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, Louisiana, USA
| | - Christelle Parent
- Université François Rabelais, UMR 1100, F-37032 Tours, France; INSERM, Centre d'Etude des Pathologies Respiratoires, UMR 1100, F-37032 Tours, France
| | - Maria Cabrera
- Université François Rabelais, UMR 1100, F-37032 Tours, France; INSERM, Centre d'Etude des Pathologies Respiratoires, UMR 1100, F-37032 Tours, France
| | - Joël Guillemain
- SESAME, Expertise en toxicologie, Chambray-les-tours, France
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Laurent Guilleminault
- Université François Rabelais, UMR 1100, F-37032 Tours, France; INSERM, Centre d'Etude des Pathologies Respiratoires, UMR 1100, F-37032 Tours, France
| | - Philippe Thullier
- Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées (IRBA-CRSSA); Département de Microbiologie; Unité de biotechnologie des anticorps et des toxines; Brétigny sur Orge, France
| | - Emmanuelle Guillot-Combe
- DGA, Direction de la Stratégie (DS), Mission pour la recherche et l'Innovation scientifique (MRIS), France
| | - Laurent Vecellio
- Université François Rabelais, UMR 1100, F-37032 Tours, France; INSERM, Centre d'Etude des Pathologies Respiratoires, UMR 1100, F-37032 Tours, France; Aerodrug, F-37032 Tours, France
| | - Nathalie Heuzé-Vourc'h
- Université François Rabelais, UMR 1100, F-37032 Tours, France; INSERM, Centre d'Etude des Pathologies Respiratoires, UMR 1100, F-37032 Tours, France.
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Duriez E, Armengaud J, Fenaille F, Ezan E. Mass spectrometry for the detection of bioterrorism agents: from environmental to clinical applications. JOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY : JMS 2016; 51:183-199. [PMID: 26956386 DOI: 10.1002/jms.3747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2015] [Revised: 12/14/2015] [Accepted: 01/13/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
In the current context of international conflicts and localized terrorist actions, there is unfortunately a permanent threat of attacks with unconventional warfare agents. Among these, biological agents such as toxins, microorganisms, and viruses deserve particular attention owing to their ease of production and dissemination. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based techniques for the detection and quantification of biological agents have a decisive role to play for countermeasures in a scenario of biological attacks. The application of MS to every field of both organic and macromolecular species has in recent years been revolutionized by the development of soft ionization techniques (MALDI and ESI), and by the continuous development of MS technologies (high resolution, accurate mass HR/AM instruments, novel analyzers, hybrid configurations). New possibilities have emerged for exquisite specific and sensitive detection of biological warfare agents. MS-based strategies for clinical application can now address a wide range of analytical questions mainly including issues related to the complexity of biological samples and their available volume. Multiplexed toxin detection, discovery of new markers through omics approaches, and identification of untargeted microbiological or of novel molecular targets are examples of applications. In this paper, we will present these technological advances along with the novel perspectives offered by omics approaches to clinical detection and follow-up.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jean Armengaud
- CEA, iBiTec-S, Service de Pharmacologie et d'Immunologie, 30207, Bagnols sur-Cèze, France
| | - François Fenaille
- CEA, iBiTec-S, Service de Pharmacologie et d'Immunoanalyse, Laboratoire d'Etude du Métabolisme des Médicaments, MetaboHUB-Paris, CEA Saclay, Building 136, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France
| | - Eric Ezan
- CEA, Programme Transversal Technologies pour la Santé, 91191, Gif sur Yvette, France
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Berthier J, Gosselin D, Pham A, Delapierre G, Belgacem N, Chaussy D. Capillary Flow Resistors: Local and Global Resistors. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2016; 32:915-21. [PMID: 26704147 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b02090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
The use of capillary systems in space and biotechnology applications requires the regulation of the capillary flow velocity. It has been observed that constricted sections act as flow resistors. In this work, we also show that enlarged sections temporarily reduce the velocity of the flow. In this work, the theory of the dynamics of capillary flows passing through a constricted or an enlarged channel section is presented. It is demonstrated that the physics of a capillary flow in a channel with a constriction or an enlargement is different and that a constriction acts as a global flow resistor and an enlargement as a local flow resistor. The theoretical results are checked against experimental approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Berthier
- University Grenoble Alpes , F-38000 Grenoble, France
- Department of Biotechnology, CEA, LETI, MINATEC Campus , F-38054 Grenoble, France
| | - David Gosselin
- University Grenoble Alpes , F-38000 Grenoble, France
- Department of Biotechnology, CEA, LETI, MINATEC Campus , F-38054 Grenoble, France
| | - Andrew Pham
- Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University , South Stadium Road, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - Guillaume Delapierre
- University Grenoble Alpes , F-38000 Grenoble, France
- Department of Biotechnology, CEA, LETI, MINATEC Campus , F-38054 Grenoble, France
| | - Naceur Belgacem
- LGP2, Grenoble-INP Pagora, University of Grenoble , 38402 Saint-Martin d'Hères, France
| | - Didier Chaussy
- LGP2, Grenoble-INP Pagora, University of Grenoble , 38402 Saint-Martin d'Hères, France
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Integrated Microfluidic Nucleic Acid Isolation, Isothermal Amplification, and Amplicon Quantification. MICROARRAYS 2015; 4:474-89. [PMID: 27600235 PMCID: PMC4996405 DOI: 10.3390/microarrays4040474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2015] [Revised: 10/02/2015] [Accepted: 10/10/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidic components and systems for rapid (<60 min), low-cost, convenient, field-deployable sequence-specific nucleic acid-based amplification tests (NAATs) are described. A microfluidic point-of-care (POC) diagnostics test to quantify HIV viral load from blood samples serves as a representative and instructive example to discuss the technical issues and capabilities of “lab on a chip” NAAT devices. A portable, miniaturized POC NAAT with performance comparable to conventional PCR (polymerase-chain reaction)-based tests in clinical laboratories can be realized with a disposable, palm-sized, plastic microfluidic chip in which: (1) nucleic acids (NAs) are extracted from relatively large (~mL) volume sample lysates using an embedded porous silica glass fiber or cellulose binding phase (“membrane”) to capture sample NAs in a flow-through, filtration mode; (2) NAs captured on the membrane are isothermally (~65 °C) amplified; (3) amplicon production is monitored by real-time fluorescence detection, such as with a smartphone CCD camera serving as a low-cost detector; and (4) paraffin-encapsulated, lyophilized reagents for temperature-activated release are pre-stored in the chip. Limits of Detection (LOD) better than 103 virons/sample can be achieved. A modified chip with conduits hosting a diffusion-mode amplification process provides a simple visual indicator to readily quantify sample NA template. In addition, a companion microfluidic device for extracting plasma from whole blood without a centrifuge, generating cell-free plasma for chip-based molecular diagnostics, is described. Extensions to a myriad of related applications including, for example, food testing, cancer screening, and insect genotyping are briefly surveyed.
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