Study on the Inhibitory Mechanism of Sophora japonica N-hexane Extract on Microcystis aeruginosa

[Objective] The research aimed to analyze the inhibitory mechanism of Sophora japonica n-hexane extract which significantly inhibited Microcystis aeruginosa in the prior research.[Method] S.japonica n-hexane extract was used to treat M.aeruginosa.By inspecting chlorophyll a content,protein content,cell membrane permeability and superoxide dismutase（SOD） activity,the inhibitory mechanism of S.japonica n-hexane extract on M.aeruginosa was analyzed initially.[Result] S.japonica n-hexane extract destroyed the cell membrane system of M.aeruginosa,and increased the cell membrane permeability.The contents of chlorophyll a and protein respectively declined to 10% and 50% of that in the control group after cultivated for 7 d,which indicated the photosynthetic reaction system of M.aeruginosa was destroyed.In addition,under the effect of S.japonica n-hexane extract,SOD activity of M.aeruginosa increased in the early period and decreased in the latter period.[Conclusion] The possible inhibitory mechanism of S.japonica n-hexane extract on M.aeruginosa was destroying the cell membrane to increase the membrane permeability;destroying the photosynthetic reaction system to decrease the contents of photosynthetic pigment and protein;making SOD activity showing the phased variation.

GC-MS Analysis of Essential oil and n-Hexane Extract from Moso Bamboo

[Objective] This study aimed to analyze the chemical composition and yield of essential oil and n-hexane extract from moso bamboo to find active compounds with potential value. [Method] Essential oil and n-hexane extract were respectively extracted from moso bamboo of four different ages by using hydrodistillation and ultrasonic-assisted extraction with n-hexane, and analyzed with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry （GC/MS）. [Result] The results show that cedrol （46.39%） is the first principal volatile component in essential oil of the middle stem of 7-year old moso bamboo; dibutyl phthalate （59.46%） is the first principal volatile component in n-hexane extract of the middle stem of 3-year old moso bamboo; yield of n-hexane extract is higher than that of essential oil from moso bamboo. [Conclusion] Cedrol is an active compound with potential value.

Measurement and Correlation of Liquid-liquid Equilibria for 1-Hexene-n-Hexane-3-Methysulfolane

Utilizing solvent extraction to separate alkanes and olefins from catalytic light gasoline is an effective method for maximizing the utility of gasoline fractions.This study presents the determination of liquid-liquid equilibrium data for the ternary system of 1-hexene-n-hexane-3-methylsulfolane at 30℃,40℃,and 50℃under atmospheric pressure.The obtained data facilitated the construction of a ternary phase diagram for the system.The results showed that the extraction selectivity of 1-hexene/n-hexane exceeded 1.5 when using 3-methylsulfolane as the extraction solvent.Furthermore,the thermodynamic consistency of the experimental data was examined using Hand’s equation and the Othmer-Tobias method.The correlation coefficient,R^(2)≥0.9578,indicated the acceptable reliability of the phase equilibrium data.Subsequently,the NRTL(non-random two liquid)model was used to correlate the liquid-liquid phase equilibrium data and derive the binary interaction parameter.Notably,the results demonstrated that the root mean square deviation of the NRTL model correlation values from the experimental values did not exceed 2.5%.

Effect of Steam Treatment on the Catalytic Performance of ZSM-5 in the Co-conversion of Methanol and n-Hexane to Aromatics

Steam pretreatment is a widely used method for modifying the acidity and structure of zeolites,thereby enhancing their catalytic properties.This study systematically investigated the effects of steam treatment on ZSM-5 zeolites at varying treatment temperatures and durations.The structural evolution of the catalysts was monitored using N2 adsorptiondesorption,X-ray diffraction,inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy,scanning electron microscopy,NH3 temperature-programmed desorption,in situ pyridine infrared spectroscopy,and thermogravimetric analysis.The characterization results revealed that mesopores were introduced into the ZSM-5 zeolite catalysts through dealumination induced using steam treatment at moderate temperatures(400 and 500℃).Moreover,compared with the parent catalyst,the steam-treated catalysts exhibited a lower amount of acid sites and relative crystallinity,while the n(Si)/n(Al)ratio increased.In the co-conversion of methanol and n-hexane in a fixed bed reactor at 400℃and 0.5 MPa(N2 atmosphere),with a weight hourly space velocity of 1 h−1 and a stoichiometric ratio of 1:1(CH3OH to n-hexane),the steam-treated catalysts displayed a prolonged catalyst lifetime.Particularly,the parent zeolite had a lifetime of 96 h,while the catalyst treated at 500℃for 12 h had a lifetime of up to 240 h.Additionally,the steam-treated catalysts maintained stable n-hexane conversion and improved aromatic selectivity.Notably,these treated catalysts exhibited a lower deactivation rate than the parent catalyst,and would be conducive to industrial scale-up production.

Environmental,economic and exergy analysis of separation of ternary azeotrope by variable pressure extractive distillation based on multi-objective optimization

In this work,the ternary azeotrope of tert-butyl alcohol/ethyl acetate/water is separated by extractive distillation(ED)to recover the available constituents and protect the environment.Based on the conductor like shielding model and relative volatility method,ethylene glycol was selected as the extractant in the separation process.In addition,in view of the characteristic that the relative volatility between components changes with pressure,the multi-objective optimization method based on nondominated sorting genetic algorithm II optimizes the pressure and the amount of solvent cooperatively to avoid falling into the optimal local solution.Based on the optimal process parameters,the proposed heat-integrated process can reduce the gas emissions by 29.30%.The heat-integrated ED,further coupled with the pervaporation process,can reduce gas emission by 42.36%and has the highest exergy efficiency of 47.56%.In addition,based on the heat-integrated process,the proposed two heat pump assisted heat-integrated ED processes show good economic and environmental performance.The double heat pump assisted heat-integrated ED can reduce the total annual cost by 28.78%and the gas emissions by 55.83%compared with the basis process,which has a good application prospect.This work provides a feasible approach for the separation of ternary azeotropes.

Bimetallic CoNi single atoms supported on three-dimensionally ordered mesoporous chromia:highly active catalysts for n-hexane combustion

Developing the alternative supported noble metal catalysts with low cost,high catalytic efficiency,and good resistance toward carbon dioxide and water vapor is critically demanded for the oxidative removal of volatile organic compounds(VOCs).In this work,we prepared the mesoporous chromia-supported bimetallic Co and Ni single-atom(Co_(1)Ni_(1)/meso-Cr_(2)O_(3))and bimetallic Co and Ni nanoparticle(Co_(NP)Ni_(NP)/mesoCr_(2)O_(3))catalysts adopting the one-pot polyvinyl pyrrolidone(PVP)-and polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)-protecting approaches,respectively.The results indicate that the Co_(1)Ni_(1)/meso-Cr_(2)O_(3)catalyst exhibited the best catalytic activity for n-hexane(C_(6)H_(14))combustion(T_(50%)and T_(90%)were 239 and 263℃ at a space velocity of 40,000 mL g^(-1)h^(-1);apparent activation energy and specific reaction rate at 260℃ were 54.7 kJ mol^(-1)and 4.3×10^(-7)mol g^(-1)_(cat)s^(-1),respectively),which was associated with its higher(Cr^(5+)+Cr^(6+))amount,large n-hexane adsorption capacity,and good lattice oxygen mobility that could enhance the deep oxidation of n-hexane,in which Ni_(1) was beneficial for the enhancements in surface lattice oxygen mobility and low-temperature reducibility,while Co_(1) preferred to generate higher contents of the high-valence states of chromium and surface oxygen species as well as adsorption and activation of n-hexane.n-Hexane combustion takes place via the Mars van Krevelen(MvK)mechanism,and its reaction pathways are as follows:n-hexane→olefins or 3-hexyl hydroperoxide→3-hexanone,2-hexanone or 2,5-dimethyltetrahydrofuran→2-methyloxirane or 2-ethyl-oxetane→acrylic acid→CO_x→CO_(2)and H_(2)O.

The Oxyalkylation of Hydrophilic Black Alder Bark Extractives with Propylene Carbonate with a Focus on Green Polyols Synthesis

The isolated hydrophilic black alder(Alnus glutinosa)bark extractives were characterized in terms of component and functional composition and converted at 150℃-170℃ into liquid green polyols using solvent-free and lowtoxic base-catalyzed modification with propylene carbonate(PC).FTIR spectroscopy,HP-LC,GC,GPC,and wet chemistry methods were used to characterize the starting constituents,intermediate and final products of the reaction and to monitor the different pathways of PC conversion.The reaction of extractives as well as the model compounds,including catechol,xylose,PEG 400,and benzoic acid,with PC indicated the ability of OH groups of different origins present in the extractives to condense with equivalent amounts of PC.The polyols obtained consist of a copolymer fraction with one oxypropyl unit grafted per OH functionality of extractive components on average and oligo oxypropyl diols with a small number of carbonate linkages in the chain,obtained as a result of remaining PC homopolymerization.The domination of the oxypropylation mechanism vs.transcarbonation for PC ring opening was observed for both copolymerization and homopolymerization processes,making the process of oxypropylation with PC similar to that of conventional oxypropylation.At optimal reaction conditions,including a PC/OH ratio of 3.0 and a 24-h duration at 150°C,uniform polyols with low viscosity of~900 mPa·s^(-1),a biomass content of~27%,and an OHV of~500 mg KOH·g^(-1) were obtained.Increasing the temperature of modification allows shortening the process but drastically increases the polyol viscosity.At fixed temperature values,increasing the PC/OH ratio not only decreases the biomass content but also strongly prolongs the processing.The significantly increased duration of the process using PC as an alternative oxyalkylation agent compared to that of oxyalkylation with propylene oxide is a reasonable trade-off for using a safer and more environmentally friendly technology.

Design of dual-functional protic porous ionic liquids for boosting selective extractive desulfurization

Porous ionic liquids have demonstrated excellent performance in the field of separation,attributed to their high specific surface area and efficient mass transfer.Herein,task-specific protic porous ionic liquids(PPILs)were prepared by employing a novel one-step coupling neutralization reaction strategy for extractive desulfurization.The single-extraction efficiency of PPILs reached 75.0%for dibenzothiophene.Moreover,adding aromatic hydrocarbon interferents resulted in a slight decrease in the extraction efficiency of PPILs(from 45.2%to 37.3%,37.9%,and 33.5%),indicating the excellent extraction selectivity of PPILs.The experimental measurements and density functional theory calculations reveal that the surface channels of porous structures can selectively capture dibenzothiophene by the stronger electrophilicity(Eint(HS surface channel/DBT)=-39.8 kcal mol^(-1)),and the multiple extraction sites of ion pairs can effectively enrich and transport dibenzothiophene from the oil phase into PPILs throughπ...π,C-H...πand hydrogen bonds interactions.Furthermore,this straightforward synthetic strategy can be employed in preparing porous liquids,offering new possibilities for synthesizing PPILs with tailored functionalities.

GC/MS analyses of fractionated extraction of Shenfu coal with CS2,n-hexane,benzene

Shenfu coal was extracted with 0S2, n-hexane, benzene sequentially. The extracts were analyzed with GC/MS. It is presented that group seperation of soluble organic compounds in the coal can be achieved by fractionated extraction using different solvents. Main components in CS2 soluble fraction from Shenfu coal are alkyl-substituted arenes. Aliphatic hydrocarbons are overwhelmingly predominant in n-hexane-soluble fraction. Dito tricyclic aramatic hydrocarbons are identified in benzene-soluble fraction. The molecular structures detection of 2, 4, 6-trichlorobenzenamine and 3, 3＇, 4, 4＇, 5, 5＇-hexachloro-1, 1＇- biphenyl and 2-chlorocyclohexanol firstly provide information for existence form of chlorine in coal.

Drug and Vaccine Extractive Text Summarization Insights Using Fine-Tuned Transformers

Text representation is a key aspect in determining the success of various text summarizing techniques.Summarization using pretrained transformer models has produced encouraging results.Yet the scope of applying these models in medical and drug discovery is not examined to a proper extent.To address this issue,this article aims to perform extractive summarization based on fine-tuned transformers pertaining to drug and medical domain.This research also aims to enhance sentence representation.Exploring the extractive text summarization aspects of medical and drug discovery is a challenging task as the datasets are limited.Hence,this research concentrates on the collection of abstracts collected from PubMed for various domains of medical and drug discovery such as drug and COVID,with a total capacity of 1,370 abstracts.A detailed experimentation using BART(Bidirectional Autoregressive Transformer),T5(Text-to-Text Transfer Transformer),LexRank,and TexRank for the analysis of the dataset is carried out in this research to perform extractive text summarization.

Immunomodulation and Nigerian mistletoe immunomodulatory activities of n-hexane and methanol extracts of Loranthus micranthus Linn,parasitic on Parkia biglobosa.

Loranthus micranthus is the species of mistletoe peculiar to the eastern province of Nigeria.It has been shown to possess anti-diabetic,anumotility,antimicrobial and antihypertensive activities which are host-tree dependent. The antimicrobial activity was found to vary with the season during which the plant was harvested.We are of the opinion that this species should possess immunomodulating potentials as have been reported for the European species,Viscum album.In our efforts to establish the bio-activities and active principles in our local mistletoe, the immunomodulatory activity of n-hexane and methanol extracts from Loranthus micranthus parasitic on Persea americana was assessed at three dose levels ranging from 100 to 400 mg/kg body weight using delayed type hypersensitivity reaction(DTHR) and cyclophosphamide-induced myelosuppression models in mice.This was compared with responses from a standard immunostimulatory drug,levamisole.Preliminary phytochemical analysis of the plant showed the presence of tannins,flavonoids,alkaloids,terpenoids,carbohydrates and saponins.Regression analysis indicated a dose-dependent response relationship in the parameters measured with over 170%increase for both extracts at the highest dose level.The one way ANOVA test showed significant variation in the parameters between the controls and the different dose levels.However,at 95%confidence level,(P【0.05),there was no statistically significant difference between the two extracts, an indication that the active immunomodulant(s) could be both in the polar and non-polar crude extract.In conclusion,the present results have established some immune stimulating actions of the Eastern Nigeria mistletoe, Loranthus micranthus thus indicating that this variant of the semi parasitic plant holds a strong promise as an immunostimulatory candidate.There is therefore,a basis for further detailed investigation on the fractions and specific constituents.Thus,these extracts from Loranthus micranthus possess pronounced immune stimulating action comparable to Levamisole in mouse-based models.

Chemical Characterization of N-Hexane Extract Obtained from Lignocellulose Residual Contained in Agroindustrial Wastes

The chemical composition of n-hexane extractives from lignocellulose residual contained in different agroindustrial wastes was studied. The n-hexane extract, which accounted for 1.6% of total lignocellulose residual weight, was analysed by 1H-NMR and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The most predominant compounds identified were aliphatic hydrocarbons (lineal alkanes, branched alkanes, alkenes). Additionally, terpenes, ketones, fatty alcohols, fatty acids and steroids were also found together in minor amounts. The lipophilic compounds in n-hexane extracts in three lignocellulosic wastes, which is highly valuable information for a more complete industrial utilization of these lignocellulosic materials.

Effects of ultrasonic-assisted extraction on bioactive compounds,volatile flavors and antioxidant activities of vine tea water extracts

Background:Ampelopsis grossedentata,vine tea,which is the tea alternative beverages in China.In vine tea processing,a large amount of broken tea is produced,which has low commercial value.Methods:This study investigates the influence of different extraction methods(room temperature water extraction,boiling water extraction,ultrasonic-assisted room temperature water extraction,and ultrasonic-assisted boiling water extraction,referred to as room temperature water extraction(RE),boiling water extraction(BE),ultrasonic assistance at room temperature water extraction(URE),and ultrasonic assistance in boiling water extraction(UBE))on the yield,dihydromyricetin(DMY)content,free amino acid composition,volatile aroma components,and antioxidant properties of vine tea extracts.Results:A notable influence of extraction temperature on the yield of vine tea extracts(P<0.05),with BE yielding the highest at 43.13±0.26%,higher than that of RE(34.29±0.81%).Ultrasound-assisted extraction significantly increased the DMY content of the extracts(P<0.05),whereas DMY content in the RE extracts was 59.94±1.70%,that of URE reached 66.14±2.78%.Analysis revealed 17 amino acids,with L-serine and aspartic acid being the most abundant in the extracts,nevertheless ultrasound-assisted extraction reduced total free amino acid content.Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis demonstrated an increase in the diversity and quantity of compounds in the vine tea water extracts obtained through ultrasonic-assisted extraction.Specifically,69 and 68 volatile compounds were found in URE and UBE extracts,which were higher than the number found in RE and BE extracts.In vitro,antioxidant activity assessments revealed varying antioxidant capacities among different extraction methods,with RE exhibiting the highest DPPH scavenging rate,URE leading in ABTS•+free radical scavenging,and BE demonstrating superior ferric ion reducing antioxidant activity.Conclusion:The findings suggest that extraction methods significantly influence the chemical composition and antioxidant properties of vine tea extracts.Ultrasonic-assisted extraction proved instrumental in elevating the DMY content in vine tea extracts,thereby enriching its flavor profile while maintaining its antioxidant properties.

Antibacterial Activity of Moringa ovalifolia and Moringa oleifera Methanol, N-Hexane and Water Seeds and Bark Extracts against Pathogens That Are Implicated in Water Borne Diseases

Antibacterial activity of methanol, n-hexane and water extracts of seeds and bark of Moringa oleifera and Moringa ovalifolia was conducted. The causative agents of common bacterial infections that are thought to cause water-borne diseases, namely, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, and Bacillus cereus were chosen for the study. The paper-disc diffusion method was used with treatments arranged in a completely randomized design and replicated four times. The M. oleifera extracts showed more inhibitory effect than those of M. ovolifolia. The conventional antibiotic Ampicilin generally showed higher inhibitory effect than the extracts of both M. oleifera and M. ovalifolia. The inhibitory effect varied depending on the solvent used. The n-hexane extracts of both seeds and bark of M. ovalifolia and M. oleifera had almost the same inhibition activities (6 ± 1 mm mean inhibition zones) on B. cereus, E. coli and E. faecalis. The n-hexane extract generally gave lower antibacterial activities than those of the other solvents for seeds and back. The results of the study showed that M. oleifera and M. ovalifolia had a degree of antibacterial properties against the selected test organisms that cause water borne diseases.

Effect of secondary pore distribution on adsorption diffusion performance of n-hexane on 5A zeolite pellets

Adsorption rates of n-hexane on the 5A zeolite at 100 to 300 ℃ and 0.01 to 10 kPa are determined by an intelligent gravimetric analyzer （IGA-100）, and the adsorption diffusion performance of n-hexane on 5A zeolite pellets with different secondary pore distributions is analyzed. The results indicate that 5A-1 and 5A-6 zeolites have similar micropore and mesopore size distribution, while the 5A-6 zeolite has a larger secondary pore volume when the pore diameter is between 0.1 and 1 μm and more secondary pores when the pore diameter is less than 0.01 μm. The effective diffusion coefficient of nhexane on the 5A-6 zeolite pellet is 10 ^-6 to 10 4 cm^2/s, about 2 to 5 times higher than that on the 5A-1 zeolite. The effective diffusion coefficient of n-hexane on the 5A-1 zeolite pellet improves from 5 × 10^-7 to 2 × 10 6cm^2/s when the temperature increases from 100 to 300 ~C. However, the effective diffusion coefficient of n-hexane on the 5A-6 zeolite remains almost unchanged at different temperatures. The molecular average free path of n-hexane decreases from 627.15-963.28 to 0.63-0, 96 Ixm with the adsorption pressure increasing from 0.01 to 10 kPa. Such a flee path is close to the secondary pore diameter, resulting in significant Knudsen diffusion in the secondary pores. Thus, the effective diffusion coefficient of n-hexane on the 5A zeolite pellets increases before 1 kPa and decreases after 1 kPa.

Analysis of Active Components of Hexane Extractives of Morus alba Leaves

[Objective]The aim was to explore the active compound of Morus alba leaves with the analysis of active components of hexane extractives of M.alba leaves.[Method]Antibacterial assays of hexane extractives of M.alba leaves were done and the volatile components of hexane extractives of M.alba leaves with the strongest antibacterial activity were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（GC-MS）.[Result]The results of inhibitory effect of hexane extractives of M.alba leaves on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli showed that hexane extractives of M.alba leaves collected in June,July and August had antibacterial activity against S.aureus and had no antibacterial effect against E.coli.Furthermore,hexane extractives of M.alba leaves collected in June had the strongest antibacterial activity against S.aureus（inhibition diameter 10.95 mm）.The hexane extractives of M.alba leaves collected in June was analyzed by GC-MS,the main volatile components were tetradecane（16.76%）,dodecane（13.20%）,diisobutyl phthalate（10.26%）,decane（9.10%）,hexadecane（8.71%）,linolenyl alcohol（7.25%）,octadecane（5.88%）,eicosane（3.26%）,dibutyl phthalate（2.59%）.[Conclusion]Linolenyl alcohol was the potential antibacterial compound.

基于UPLC-Q-Extractive Orbitrap MS鉴定姜黄提取物在大鼠体内的代谢产物

本研究基于超高效液相色谱-四极杆-静电场轨道阱高分辨质谱(UPLC-Q-Extractive Orbitrap MS),鉴定了姜黄提取物中姜黄素、去甲氧基姜黄素、双去甲氧基姜黄素3种姜黄素类化合物在大鼠体内的代谢产物。对健康雄性大鼠单剂量灌胃给予1703 mg/kg姜黄提取物(相当于480 mg/kg总姜黄素),收集粪便、尿液、胆汁、血浆生物样品,采用UPLC-Q-Extrative Orbitrap MS在负离子模式下鉴定代谢产物。在大鼠体内共鉴定出59个代谢物(B1~W12),其中B7、B8、B11~B13、C3、D3、D5、D8、D10、W1、W2、W4、W5、W7、W10为新发现的代谢产物,W3/W6、W11/W12、W12分别为血浆、粪便、尿液中首次发现的代谢产物。3种姜黄素类化合物在大鼠体内的代谢途径主要为葡萄糖醛酸化、硫酸酯化、还原氢化、氧化、还原、羟基化、去羟基化和多种反应类型的复合反应等。

Extractive distillation: Advances in conceptual design, solvent selection,and separation strategies

Extractive distillation(ED) is one of the most promising approaches for the separation of the azeotropic or closeboiling mixtures in the chemical industry. The purpose of this paper is to provide a broad overview of the recent development of key aspects in the ED process involving conceptual design, solvent selection, and separation strategies. To obtain the minimum entrainer feed flow rate and reflux ratio for the ED process, the conceptual design of azeotropic mixture separation based on a topological analysis via thermodynamic feasibility insights involving residue curve maps, univolatility lines, and unidistribution curves is presented. The method is applicable to arbitrary multicomponent mixtures and allows direct screening of design alternatives. The determination of a suitable solvent is one of the key steps to ensure an effective and economical ED process. Candidate entrainers can be obtained from heuristics or literature studies while computer aided molecular design(CAMD) has superiority in efficiency and reliability. To achieve optimized extractive distillation systems, a brief review of evaluation method for both entrainer design and selection through CAMD is presented. Extractive distillation can be operated either in continuous extractive distillation(CED) or batch extractive distillation(BED), and both modes have been well-studied depending on the advantages in flexibility and low capital costs. To improve the energy efficiency, several configurations and technological alternatives can be used for both CED and BED depending on strategies and main azeotropic feeds. The challenge and chance of the further ED development involving screening the best potential solvents and exploring the energy-intensive separation strategies are discussed aiming at promoting the industrial application of this environmentally friendly separation technique.

Computer-aided ionic liquid design for alkane/cycloalkane extractive distillation process

A computer-aided ionic liquid design(CAILD) study is presented for the frequently encountered alkane/cycloalkane separations in petrochemical industry. Exhaustive experimental data are first collected to extend the UNIFAC-IL model for this system, where the proximity effect in alkanes and cycloalkanes is considered specifically by defining distinct groups. The thermodynamic performances of a large number of ILs for 4 different alkane/cycloalkane systems are then compared to select a representative example of such separations. By applying n-heptane/methylcyclohexane extractive distillation as a case study, the CAILD task is cast as a mixed-integer nonlinear programming(MINLP) problem based on the obtained task-specific UNIFAC-IL model and two semi-empirical models for IL physical properties. The top 5 IL candidates determined by solving the MINLP problem are subsequently introduced into Aspen Plus for process simulation and economic analysis, which finally identify 1-hexadecyl-methylpiperidinium tricyanomethane([C_(16)MPip][C(CN)_3]) as the best entrainer for this separation.

The Effect of n-Hexane on the Gonad Toxicity of Female Mice

Objective To investigate the toxic effects of n-hexane on the Ganod of female mice.Methods n-Hexane was administered to four groups of mice by inhalation at doses of 0,3.0,15.1,and 75.8 mL/m3 respectivelyfor five weeks.Each group consisted of 10 mice,of which half were injected in first with 10 IU of pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin（PMSG） on the 33rd days,and then with 10 IU of human chorionic gonadotrophin（HCG） 48 hrs later.After the treatment,mouse sera were sampled and ovulating hormone（LH）,follicle-stimulating hormone（FSH）,estradiol（E2）,and progesterone（P4） levels were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassays（ECLIA）.In each group,the right ovaries of the non-super-ovulated mice were stained with hematoxylin and eosin while ovaries on the left side were prepared with the TUNEL method in order to detect apoptotic cells.Results The duration of the diestrus stage decreased significantly（P0.05） in the 75.8 mL/m3 group.All super-ovulated mice in each treatment group produced fewer eggs than those in the control group（P0.05）.The number of follicles in ovaries in the 75.8 mL/m3 group was smaller compared with the control group（P0.05）.The serum P4 levels in each treatment group were lower than those in the control group（F=6.196,P0.01）.The cell apoptotic rate in the 75.8 mL/m3 group was higher（P0.05）.Conclusion n-Hexane may have directly mediated via alterations hormone secretion and promoted granulosal cell apoptotic,which may be one of the important mechanisms for n-hexane induced mouse ovary impairment.