Exposure of Larval Zebrafish to the Insecticide Propoxur Induced Developmental Delays that Correlate with Behavioral Abnormalities and Altered Expression of hspb9 and hspb11

Colorimetric Detection of Organophosphate Pesticides Based on Acetylcholinesterase and Cysteamine Capped Gold Nanoparticles as Nanozyme

Organophosphates (OPs) are neurotoxic agents also used as pesticides that can permanently block the active site of the acetylcholinesterase (AChE). A robust and sensitive detection system of OPs utilising the enzyme mimic potential of the cysteamine capped gold nanoparticles (C-AuNPs) was developed. The detection assay was performed by stepwise addition of AChE, parathion ethyl (PE)-a candidate OP, acetylcholine chloride (ACh), C-AuNPs, and 3, 3′, 5, 5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the buffer solution. The whole sensing protocol completes in 30–40 min, including both incubations. The Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) results indicated that the NPs are spherical and have an average size of 13.24 nm. The monomers of C-AuNPs exhibited intense catalytic activity (nanozyme) for the oxidization of TMB, revealed by the production of instant blue colour and confirmed by a sharp peak at 652 nm. The proposed biosensor’s detection limit and linear ranges were 5.8 ng·mL⁻¹ and 11.6–92.8 ng·mL⁻¹, respectively, for PE. The results strongly advocate that the suggested facile colorimetric biosensor may provide an excellent platform for on-site monitoring of OPs.

Bee Pollen: Current Status and Therapeutic Potential

Bee pollen is a combination of plant pollen and honeybee secretions and nectar. The Bible and ancient Egyptian texts are documented proof of its use in public health. It is considered a gold mine of nutrition due to its active components that have significant health and medicinal properties. Bee pollen contains bioactive compounds including proteins, amino acids, lipids, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and polyphenols. The vital components of bee pollen enhance different bodily functions and offer protection against many diseases. It is generally marketed as a functional food with affordable and inexpensive prices with promising future industrial potentials. This review highlights the dietary properties of bee pollen and its influence on human health, and its applications in the food industry.

Studying the effects of profenofos, an endocrine disruptor, on organogenesis of zebrafish

Profenofos is an endocrine-disrupting chemical that can enter into the aquatic ecosystem either through surface runoff or through percolation of a toxicant from the soil. In order to clarify the effect of profenofos on the developmental stages of zebrafish, the embryos were treated with serial dilutions of profenofos (0%, 10%, 25%, and 50% of LC₅₀). Embryos were treated with profenofos for 7 days or until hatching. The toxic endpoints assessed include hatching time, survival, malformation, and heartbeats of the embryos. In a 96-h test on zebrafish embryos, the LC₅₀ of profenofos was 0.057 mg/L. Profenofos considerably lowered survival, increased abnormalities at different ontogenetic stages, and developed malformations of different organs in a concentration-dependent fashion. The identified developmental malformations were fluid accumulation, impaired jaw, short tail, ruptured pectoral and caudal fin, curved body, thin yolk sac tube, and deformed heart. The way of looping arrangement of the heart at the early stage of embryos was significantly influenced by the higher concentration of profenofos. Heartbeat is also reduced significantly in a concentration-dependent fashion. The results show that the zebrafish are susceptible to profenofos even at lower concentrations in the initial stage. Therefore, when used in agricultural areas adjacent to the aquatic environment, endocrine-disrupting chemicals should be used in an appropriate manner.

The cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of single and combined fenthion and terbufos treatments in human liver cells and zebrafish embryos

The mechanism of genotoxicity of the individual and combined pesticides of terbufos and fenthion were evaluated using HepG2 cells and zebrafish embryos. We determined genotoxicity by neutral comet assay and phosphorylation of H₂AX (γH₂AX), which indicated that cells treated with terbufos and/or fenthion caused DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). The combination of these pesticides at the equimolar concentration (40 μM) exhibited less toxicity, genotoxicity, and did not impact DNA homologous recombination (HR) repair activity compare to terbufos or fenthion alone treatment. In HepG2 cells, terbufos, fenthion and their combination decreased only Xrcc2 expression (one of DNA HR repair genes). Moreover, the combined pesticides decreased Xrcc6 expression (one of DNA non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) repair genes). In addition, only terbufos or fenthion decreased XRCC2 protein expression, while Ku70 was impacted in all of the treated cells irrespective of up or down regulation. In zebrafish embryos, only fenthion impaired HR genes (Rad51 and Rad18) expression at 24 h. After 48 h exposure to pesticides, the combined pesticides elevated HR genes (Rad51 and Xrcc2) expression while terbufos or fenthion inhibited the expression of these four genes (Rad51, Rad18, Xrcc2, Xrcc6). In addition, the hatching rate of zebrafish embryos with fenthion or the combined pesticide at 72 hpf was significantly impaired. Collectively, terbufos and/or fenthion in combining caused DSBs in HepG2 cells and zebrafish embryos. Moreover, the specific mechanism of combined pesticide both HepG2 and zebrafish embryos revealed antagonism interaction.