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Giampaoli O, Messi M, Merlet T, Sciubba F, Canepari S, Spagnoli M, Astolfi ML. Landfill fire impact on bee health: beneficial effect of dietary supplementation with medicinal plants and probiotics in reducing oxidative stress and metal accumulation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023:10.1007/s11356-023-31561-x. [PMID: 38158534 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-31561-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
The honey bee is an important pollinator insect susceptible to environmental contaminants. We investigated the effects of a waste fire event on elemental content, oxidative stress, and metabolic response in bees fed different nutrients (probiotics, Quassia amara, and placebo). The level of the elements was also investigated in honey and beeswax. Our data show a general increase in elemental concentrations in all bee groups after the event; however, the administration of probiotics and Quassia amara help fight oxidative stress in bees. Significantly lower concentrations of Ni, S, and U for honey in the probiotic group and a general and significant decrease in elemental concentrations for beeswax in the probiotic group and Li in the Quassia amara group were observed after the fire waste event. The comparison of the metabolic profiles through pre- and post-event PCA analyses showed that bees treated with different feeds react differently to the environmental event. The greatest differences in metabolic profiles are observed between the placebo-fed bees compared to the others. This study can help to understand how some stress factors can affect the health of bees and to take measures to protect these precious insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ottavia Giampaoli
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
- NMR-Based Metabolomics Laboratory (NMLab), Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Marcello Messi
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Thomas Merlet
- Department of Chemistry, Toulouse INP - ENSIACET, 4 Allée Emile Monso, 31030, Toulouse, France
| | - Fabio Sciubba
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
- NMR-Based Metabolomics Laboratory (NMLab), Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Canepari
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
- C.N.R. Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, Via Salaria, Km 29,300, Monterotondo St, 00015, Rome, Italy
| | - Mariangela Spagnoli
- Department of Medicine, Epidemiology, Environmental and Occupational Hygiene, INAIL, via Fontana Candida 1, 00078, Monte Porzio Catone, Italy
| | - Maria Luisa Astolfi
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy.
- Research Center for Applied Sciences to the Safeguard of Environment and Cultural Heritage (CIABC), Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy.
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Girolametti F, Illuminati S, Annibaldi A, Ajdini B, Fanelli M, Truzzi C. Mercury in honey from the Marche region (central Italy). Risk assessment from human consumption and its use as bioindicator of environmental pollution. Heliyon 2023; 9:e20502. [PMID: 37790959 PMCID: PMC10543224 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Honey is a natural product made by honeybees (Apis mellifera) from nectar or honeydew. It is a very popular and appreciated product all over the world as it represents a rapidly available energy source and exerts several beneficial properties for humans. However, it has been demonstrated that honey can be contaminated by potentially toxic elements (PTEs) of natural or anthropogenic origin. Among them, mercury (Hg) represents one of the most dangerous for its toxicity and its capacity to biomagnify along the trophic web. In the present study, 100 honey samples from the Marche Region (Central Italy) produced in the year 2021, were analyzed by thermal decomposition amalgamation atomic absorption spectrometry to determine the Hg content. The overall mean concentration was 0.2 ± 0.2 μg kg-1. The results showed that no statistically significant differences were found in Hg content among honey from different pollen origin, but honeydew had a significantly higher Hg content with respect to all other honey samples (0.6 ± 0.3 μg kg-1). The Hg content in honey depends mainly on local pollution, while geographical origin did not play a key role. Furthermore, considering the regulatory limits and provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWIs) identified by FAO/WHO, the Hg Hazard Quotient (HQ) measurement revealed that this product is safe for human consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Girolametti
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Silvia Illuminati
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Anna Annibaldi
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Behixhe Ajdini
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Matteo Fanelli
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Cristina Truzzi
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
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Végh R, Csóka M, Mednyánszky Z, Sipos L. Potentially toxic trace elements in bee bread, propolis, beeswax and royal jelly - A review of the literature and dietary risk assessment. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 339:139571. [PMID: 37474035 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Scientific evidence suggests that apicultural products accumulate pollutants present in the hive environment, thus, they can be used as bioindicators. However, our understanding on the food safety implications of the presence of potentially toxic trace elements in these products remains incomplete. In our study, available data on the trace metal content of bee bread, propolis, beeswax and royal jelly, as well as their possible sources are reviewed. Furthermore, dietary risk assessments were conducted for elements that do not have any biological role in humans by comparing the estimated exposures with official reference values. In the case of elements with genotoxic carcinogen potential, the margin of exposure (MoE) approach was applied. The observed concentration ranges vary over a wide range for Fe (0.94-2125.20 mg/kg), Zn (
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Végh
- Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Department of Nutrition, 1118, Budapest, Somlói út 14-16., Hungary
| | - Mariann Csóka
- Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Department of Nutrition, 1118, Budapest, Somlói út 14-16., Hungary
| | - Zsuzsanna Mednyánszky
- Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Department of Nutrition, 1118, Budapest, Somlói út 14-16., Hungary
| | - László Sipos
- Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Department of Postharvest, Commercial and Sensory Science, 1118, Budapest, Villányi út 29-43., Hungary; Institute of Economics, Centre of Economic and Regional Studies, Loránd Eötvös Research Network, 1097, Budapest, Tóth Kálmán Utca 4., Hungary.
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Di Fiore C, De Cristofaro A, Nuzzo A, Notardonato I, Ganassi S, Iafigliola L, Sardella G, Ciccone M, Nugnes D, Passarella S, Torino V, Petrarca S, Di Criscio D, Ievoli R, Avino P. Biomonitoring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and plasticizers residues: role of bees and honey as bioindicators of environmental contamination. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:44234-44250. [PMID: 36683105 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-25339-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals, and plasticizer residues are continuously released into the environment. The use of living organisms, such as Apis mellifera L. and honey, is advantageous as bioindicator of the environmental health status, instead of traditional monitoring methods, showing the ability to record spatial and temporal pollutant variations. The PAHs and heavy metal presence were determined in two sampling years (2017 and 2018) in five different locations in the Molise region (Italy), characterized by different pollution levels. During 2017, most PAHs in all samples were lower than limit of detection (LOD), while in 2018, their mean concentration in bee and honey samples was of 3 μg kg-1 and 35 μg kg-1, respectively. For heavy metals, lower values were detected in 2017 (Be, Cd, and V below LOD), while in 2018, the mean concentrations were higher, 138 μg kg-1 and 69 μg kg-1, in bees and honey, respectively. Honey has been used as indicator of the presence of phthalate esters and bisphenol A in the environment. The satisfactory results confirmed that both bees and honey are an important tool for environmental monitoring. The chemometric analysis highlighted the differences in terms of pollutant concentration and variability in the different areas, validating the suitability of these matrices as bioindicators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Di Fiore
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Via De Sanctis, 86100, Campobasso, Italy
| | - Antonio De Cristofaro
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Via De Sanctis, 86100, Campobasso, Italy
| | - Angelo Nuzzo
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Via De Sanctis, 86100, Campobasso, Italy
| | - Ivan Notardonato
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Via De Sanctis, 86100, Campobasso, Italy
| | - Sonia Ganassi
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Via De Sanctis, 86100, Campobasso, Italy
| | - Luigi Iafigliola
- Istituto Comprensivo "Dante Alighieri", Via Marconi 19,-I-86025, Ripalimosani, Italy
| | | | | | - Davide Nugnes
- Arpa Molise, Via Petrella 1, 86100, Campobasso, Italy
| | - Sergio Passarella
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Via De Sanctis, 86100, Campobasso, Italy
| | - Valentina Torino
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Via De Sanctis, 86100, Campobasso, Italy
| | - Sonia Petrarca
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Via De Sanctis, 86100, Campobasso, Italy
| | - Dalila Di Criscio
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Via De Sanctis, 86100, Campobasso, Italy
| | - Riccardo Ievoli
- Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, Università Degli Studi Di Ferrara, Via Voltapaletto 11, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Pasquale Avino
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Via De Sanctis, 86100, Campobasso, Italy.
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Elemental and chemometric analysis of baseline gradient contamination in Usnea barbata lichens from Tierra del Fuego (South Patagonia). Microchem J 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2022.108283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Astolfi ML, Conti ME, Messi M, Marconi E. Probiotics as a promising prophylactic tool to reduce levels of toxic or potentially toxic elements in bees. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 308:136261. [PMID: 36057357 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Bees are precious living beings for our planet. Thanks to their essential service of pollination, these insects allow the maintenance of biodiversity and the variety and amount of food available. Unfortunately, we are observing an increasingly devastating reduction of bee families and other pollinating insects for factors related to human activities, environmental pollution, diseases and parasites, compromise of natural habitats, and climate change. We show that probiotics can protect bees from element pollution. We collected bees, beeswax, honey, pollen, and propolis directly from hives in a rural area of central Italy to investigate the content of 41 elements in control (not supplemented with probiotics) and experimental (supplemented with probiotics) groups. Our data show a significantly lower concentration of some elements (Ba, Be, Cd, Ce, Co, Cu, Pb, Sn, Tl, and U) in experimental bees than in control groups, indicating a possible beneficial effect of probiotics in reducing the absorption of chemicals. This study presents the first data on element levels after probiotics have been fed to bees and provides the basis for future research in several activities relating to the environment, agriculture, economy, territory, and medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Luisa Astolfi
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy; CIABC, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
| | - Marcelo Enrique Conti
- Department of Management, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Del Castro Laurenziano 9, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Marcello Messi
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Marconi
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
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A Simple and Rapid “Signal On” Fluorescent Sensor for Detecting Mercury (II) Based on the Molecular Beacon Aptamer. Foods 2022; 11:foods11131847. [PMID: 35804661 PMCID: PMC9266287 DOI: 10.3390/foods11131847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Biosensors for mercury (II) (Hg2+) with high sensitivity are urgently required for food safety, ecosystem protection and disease prevention. In this study, a simple and fast detection method of Hg2+ based on the molecular beacon aptamer was established, according to the principle that Hg2+ could change the structure of the molecular beacon aptamer, resulting in the changed fluorescence intensity. All of the detection conditions were optimized. It was found that an optimal molecular beacon aptamer MB3 showed the optimal response signal in the optimized reaction environment, which was 0.08 μmol/L MB3, 50 mmol/L tris buffer (40 mmol/L NaCl, 10 mmol/L MgCl2, pH 8.1), and a 10 min reaction. Under the optimal detection conditions, the molecular beacon aptamer sensor showed a linear response to Hg2+ concentration within a range from 0.4 to 10 μmol/L and with a detection limit of 0.2254 μmol/L and a precision of 4.9%. The recovery rates of Hg2+ in water samples ranged from 95.00% to 99.25%. The method was convenient and rapid, which could realize the rapid detection of mercury ions in water samples.
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Conti ME, Astolfi ML, Finoia MG, Massimi L, Canepari S. Biomonitoring of element contamination in bees and beehive products in the Rome province (Italy). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:36057-36074. [PMID: 35060025 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-18072-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED In this study, we determined the levels of elements (i.e. As, Be, Cd, Cr, Hg, Ni, Pb, U, and Zn) in bees and edible beehive products (honey, wax, pollen, and propolis) sampled from five selected sites in the Rome province (Italy). RATIONALE to increase the information variety endowment, the monitoring breakdown structure (MBS) conceptual model was used (nine elements, 429 samples, and approximately thirteen thousand determinations over a 1-year survey). Thus, we employed Johnson's probabilistic method to build the control charts. Then, we measured the element concentration overlap ranges and the overlap bioaccumulation index (OBI). Subsequently, we evaluated the estimated daily intake (EDI) of the analysed elements and matched them with acceptable reference doses. The human health risk caused by the intake of individual elements found in edible beehive products and their risk summation were evaluated through the target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) methods. FINDINGS excluding honey, this study confirms the capacity of wax, pollen, propolis, and bees to accumulate high levels of toxic and potentially toxic elements from the surrounding environment (with high OBI-U, i.e. OBI-Upper values, i.e. the common upper concentration limit of the overlap concentration range). Bees and pollen showed a high bioaccumulation Cd surplus (OBI-U = 44.0 and 22.3, respectively). On the contrary, honey had high OBI-L values (i.e. honey concentrates metals several times less than the common lower concentration limit of the overlap concentration range). This finding implies that honey is useless as an environmental indicator compared with the other biomonitor/indicators. The EDI values for the edible beehive products were lower than the health and safety reference doses for all the considered elements. Our data show that honey, wax, propolis, and pollen are safe for consumption by both adults and children (THQ < 1; HI < 1), even considering the sporadic possibility of consuming them simultaneously. ORIGINALITY This study has been conducted for the first time in the Rome province and demonstrates that edible indicators are safe for consumption for the considered elements in bees and edible beehive products. Depending on the ecosystem/pollutants studied, the OBI consents to make a correct choice for environmental biomonitoring studies and to focus the attention on the most sensitive biomonitors/indicators when required at the project level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Enrique Conti
- Department of Management, University of Rome, Via del Castro Laurenziano 9, 00161, Sapienza, Italy.
| | - Maria Luisa Astolfi
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P. Le Aldo Moro, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Finoia
- Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Viale V. Brancati 60, 00166, Rome, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Massimi
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P. Le Aldo Moro, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Canepari
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P. Le Aldo Moro, 00185, Rome, Italy
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