Acute Toxicity of Jinchuan Formula Plum Wine Extract and Its Protective Effect on Mice with Liver Injury

[Objectives]To investigate the acute toxicity and hepatoprotective effect of Jinchuan formula plum wine extract on mice,determine its safety range,and evaluate its hepatoprotective effect.[Methods]The median lethal dose(LD_(50))was determined by acute toxicity test with the toxic reaction and mortality of mice as indexes.Sixty Kunming mice were randomly divided into 6 groups:normal control group,model group(ConA-induced liver injury model),Jinchuan formula plum wine high,medium and low dose groups(1.0,0.5,0.25 g/kg)and silybin group(0.1 g/kg).The levels of ALT,AST,LDH in serum and TG,VLDL in liver were measured.After HE staining,the pathological changes of liver tissue in mice were observed,and the liver protective effect of Jinchuan formula plum wine extract was analyzed and evaluated.[Results]LD_(50)was 11.18 g/kg,and the 95%confidence limit of LD_(50)was 10.31-12.05 g/kg.The high-dose group of Jinchuan formula plum wine extract could significantly reduce the serum ALT and AST activities of ConA-induced liver injury mice(P<0.05).[Conclusions]Jinchuan formula plum wine extract is relatively safe,and also has a protective effect on liver injury.

Toxicity Effect of Hg^(2+) and Cr(VI) on Alga Growth in Eutrophic Water

[ Objective] The toxicity effect of Hg^2＋ and Cr（Ⅵ） on alga growth in eutrophic water was studied to provide reference for biomonitoring and bioremediation of eutrophic water. [ Method ] The mother liquid of alga, which was separated from the eutrophic water, were put into the solutions of Hg^2＋ and Cr（Ⅵ） with different concentrations and their mixture solution, respectively. And the toxicity effect of Hg^2＋ and Cr（Ⅵ） on the growth and propagation of alga in eutrophic water was observed. [ Result] The alga in eutrophic water performed rather sensitive to Cr（Ⅵ） and when its concentration was over 1 mg/L, threre was obvious effect on alga growth. The alga was not very sensitive to Hg^2＋ when its concentration was lower, but its toxicity became stronger and stronger when its concentration increased to some extent and the toxicity effect of Cr（Ⅵ） on alga growth was just on the contrary. When the ion concentration was lower than 10 mg/L, the toxicity of Hg^2＋ on alga was lower than that of Cr（Ⅵ）. When the concentration was over 10 mg/L, the toxicity of Hg^2＋ exceeded that of Cr（Ⅵ）. The toxicity of ion mixture solution of Hg^2＋ and Cr（Ⅵ） had synergism inhibition on alga, which could be performed only when the concentration was over 4 mg/L. [ Conclusion] The toxicity of heavy metal on alga not only related to the alga cell, but also related to the concentration of heavy metal ion.

Histological Assessment and Transcriptome Analysis Provide Insights into the Toxic Effects of Perfluorooctanoic Acid to Juvenile Half Smooth Tongue Sole Cynoglossus semilaevis

Perfluorooctanoic acid(PFOA)is a widespread synthetic persistent organic pollutant that may enrich along the food chain and affect the growth,development,reproduction,and lipid metabolism of aquatic organisms,particularly the benthic organisms.How-ever,the toxic effects of PFOA on the half-smooth tongue sole Cynoglossus semilaevis,a commercial benthic fish in China,have rarely been reported.Because juvenile fish are sensitive to environmental pollutants,in the present study,histological assessment and tran-scriptome sequencing were performed to determine the short-term impact of PFOA on juvenile half-smooth tongue soles.Histologi-cal analysis showed that PFOA exposure caused hepatocyte rupture,intestinal villi breakage,increased goblet cell count,and brain ab-normal.Transcriptome results showed that some interesting signaling pathways,such as glycolysis/gluconeogenesis,PPAR signaling pathway and GABAergic synapse signaling pathway,were enriched after PFOA exposure.In addition,some metabolic,immune and neural genes were differentially expressed,which including ependymin,hbb1-like and gad 1,and they were up-regulated after 14 days of exposure.Transcriptome results also indicated that half-smooth tongue sole might improve energy metabolism in response to PFOA toxicity after 7 days of exposure.These findings provide a basis for studying the ecological effects of PFOA on marine benthic fishes.

Toxicity Evaluation of in vitro Cultures of Freshwater Cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa:Ⅰ.Hepatotoxic and Histopathological Effects in Rats

Laboratory cultures of freshwater cyanobacterium (blue-green alga) Microcystis aeruginosa PCC 7806 was cvaluated for its hepatotoxic effects in rats. The lyophilized cell extract injected intraperitoneally at 1 and 2 LD50 (15.8 and 31.6 mg/kg, respectively) produced significant increase in liver-specific enzymes viz. plasma alkaline phosphatase,γ-glutamyl transferase, lactate dehydrogenase with a concomitant decrease in hepatic glutamic pyruvic transaminase. A corresponding increase in liver body weight index and histopathological changes in liver (degeneration of hepatocytes, congestion and hemorrhage etc.) are indicative of a dose and time dependent hepatotoxic nature of the algal extract

Testing Toxicity and Antidote Effect of Selenium Nanoparticles with <i>Paramecium caudatum</i>

A simple method for assessment of the toxicity and antidote effect of selenium nanoparticles with Paramecium caudatum is presented. Light microscopy in combination with computerized video tracking is employed for the determination of the survival time of P. caudatum. Up to 800 mg/L, selenium nanoparticles are not acutely toxic. With respect to a potential antidote effect, the lethality of silver nanoparticles, silver nitrate, sodium hydrogen selenite, and sodium selenite to P. caudatum was decreased and survival time was extended upon pre-treatment with selenium nanoparticles. Taken together, these findings suggest that administration of selenium nanoparticles attenuates exposure to toxicants. Selenium nanoparticles could be a good functional additive for food management in animals.

Protective Effects of Calcium Antagonists on Cadmium-induced Toxicity in Rats

Protective effects of calcium antagonists, chlorpromazine (CPZ) and nimodepine (NI-MO), on cadmium-induced toxicity were investigated. After giving CdCl2 (0. 44mg Cd/kg,ip), CPZ (5mg/kg, ip) or NIMO (8mg/kg, po) were administered every day to Sprague-Dawley (S. D. ) rats for a week. Then, urinary N- acetyl-β-D- glucosaminidase (NAG ), uri -nary cadmium and bloocl cadmium were measured. The accumulation of cadmium in the kid-ney cortex, content of renal calmodulin, hemoglobin and the ultrastructural damage of proxi-mal convoluted tubules of rats were examined three weeks after the last administration. Re-sults indicated that the calcium antagonists partly protected against toxic effects induced bycadmium in different manners. These data provide further evidence for the new hypothesisthat the cross effect of cadmium and calcium in calmodulin regulated systems may be responsi-ble for the mechanism of cadmium intoxication. 'The results suggested that the calcium antag-onists could be a new and promising approach in the therapy of heavy metaLinduced diseases

Exposure Level, Toxicity Effects and Health Risk Assessment of Organophosphorus Flame Retardants in Water Environment

Organophosphorus flame retardants(OPFRs) are gradually replacing brominated flame retardants(BFRs), which are widely used in the world. The increasing output of OPFRs and the increasing detection of OPFRs in environmental media have attracted wide attention of scholars at home and abroad. OPFRs are generally semi-volatile, easy to enter the environment and accumulate in organisms,causing potential hazards to the environment and human health. In this paper, the pollution status and toxic effects of OPFRs in aquatic environment were introduced,and the research progress of human health risk caused by them was summarized.The existing problems were pointed out, and the future research was prospected. In the future, the analytical methods of various environmental and biological media should be improved, and comprehensive and in-depth environmental investigation and ecological and health risk assessment should be carried out. Attention should be paid to the effects of combined pollution on organisms and the study of biological acceptability.

Evaluation of Acute Toxicity and Sedative Effects of Ethylic Extract of <i>Thymelaea lythroides</i>in Wistar Rats

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the acute toxicity and sedative effect of the ethylic extract of Thymelaea lythroides (Tl) on Wistar rats. The study was based on the gavage administration of the ethylic extract of Tl with different doses (i.e. 200, 400, 500 and 5000 mg/kg), where the toxicity and the sedative activity of the plant were observed and the obtained results were analyzed using the ANOVA test followed by the Bonferroni test. The main results of this study showed that the lethal dose of the ethylic extract of Tl was higher than the 5000 mg/kg dose. Moreover, when compared to the control rats, the animals treated with 5000 mg/kg of the extract exhibited significant reduction in appetite for food and water in the first week. Furthermore, results of the psychotropic test conducted during this study showed visible effects on the exploratory activity of the rats. The dose of 5000 mg/kg was also found to have a significant central nervous system effect;the locomotor activities of the animals decreased in a manner similar to those administered with Zepam as control.

A Hypothesis Concerning the Effect of Schedule on the Pattern of 5-Fluorouracil Toxicity

The significant effect that scheduling has upon the severity and types of drug toxicity has been known for many years. Evidence is available demonstrating that the schedule chosen will substantially effect the relative distribution of drug to various target organs. It has been shown that a likely cause for this with doxorubicin is that the efficiency of the various enzyme complexes responsible for disposing of the drug can be affected by scheduling. We believe a similar process can explain the marked effect that scheduling has on the pattern of 5-fluorouracil toxicity and present both clinical and computer data to illustrate this.

Effect of TCDD on Maternal Toxicity and Chorionic Gonadotropin──Bioactivity in the Immediate Post-implantation Period of Macaque

The purpose of this experiment was to observe the alterations in bioactivity of chorionic gonadotropin (CG) associated with early fetal loss (EFL), induced by the environmental toxin TCDD (2,3,7,8\|tetrachlorodibenzo\| p \|dioxin) in the cynomolgus macaque. Ten of twelve females administered single doses of 1, 2 or 4 μg/kg TCDD on gestational day (GD) 12 had EFL from ten to twenty days later. Seven control animals treated only with the vehicle had normal pregnancies. Blood samples were repeatedly collected for hormone evaluation, from two days before treatment to thirty\|one days following treatment. Immunoreactive monkey chorionic gonadotropin (mCG) was measured in serum using ELISA, and bioactive mCG was measured using a luminescence LH/CG bioassay. No change in immunoreactive mCG levels was detected as a result of TCDD, treatment, but bioactive mCG levels were significantly lower in TCDD\|treated animals compared to controls. This change in bioactivity of mCG was also reflected in the ratio of mCG bioactivity to mCG immunoreactivity (B/I ratio) which began to rise in normal pregnancies by GD 20, but did not rise in TCDD treated animals. These results demonstrate that normal pregnancy in the monkey, as in humans, is characterized by a post\|implantation change in the B/I ratio of CG. These findings therefore suggest that changes in the production of bioactive CG may be used as a biomarker of environmental toxicant exposures which lead to EFL.

Protective Effects of Certain Natural and Synthetic Complexans on the Toxicity of Chromium and Tin to a N_2-Fixing Cyanobacterium, Anabaena doliolum

The effects of chromium and tin on survival, growth, carbon fixation, nitrate reduction, ammonia assimilation, and nitrogenase activity of a N_2-fixing cyanobacterium, Anabaena doliolum, and their amelioration by synthetic and natural complexans, viz., EDTA, nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), pyridine dicarboxylic acid (PDA), and citrate, have been studied. Chromium proved to be much more toxic than tin, as it inhibited growth yield (49%), carbon fixation (53%), and nitrate reductase (79%), glutamine synthetase (30%), and nitrogenase activities (77%) at its sublethal concentration, whereas tin induced less inhibition of growth yield (42%), carbon fixation (50%). and nitrate reductase (66%), glutamine synthetase (32.4%), and nitrogenase activities (70%). Despite its inhibitory effects at 10μml^(-1), EDTA supplementation in metal-spiked medium counteracted the toxicity of chromium and tin more significantly than NTA, PDA, and citrate. When supplemented with LD_(50) of Cr, EDTA protected growth, carbon fixation, NR, GS. and Noase, respectively, by 32.6, 50.0, 33.3. 17.7. and 65.4%. However, EDTA-induced restoration of the above parameters at a sublethal concentration of tin was only 30.2, 50.0,28.1, 27.7, and 61.5%, respectively. Although NTA and citrate at 10/μgml^(-1) each were stimulatory to various processes of test cyanobacterium, they were comparatively less effective than EDTA in the amelioration of metal toxicity. On the basis of these observations, a generalized hierarchical sequence of protective efficiency of synthetic and natural cornplexing ligands may be given as EDTA > NTA > citrate > PDA. It seems plausible that the toxicity of various heavy metals may be regulated by a large array of organic complexing agents of the aquatic environment because they possess various metal binding sites. (c) 1989 Academic Press,lnc.

Clinical Observation on the Efficacy Enhancing and Toxicity Attenuating Effect of Nuzhen Yangyin Granule to the Anti-Parkinsonism Therapy Mainly with Medopa

Objective: To observe and assess the efficacy enhancing and toxicity attenuating effect of Nuzhen Yangyin Granule (NYG) to the anti-parkinsonism (paralysis agitans) therapy with medopa and ar-tane. Methods: Adopting the randomized double-blinded method, the effect of adding NYG to 30 patients with Parkinsonism in the treated group,

Bioaccumulation and Toxicity of Neodymium in the Planarian Dugesia japonica

In this study, the bioaccumulation and toxicity of neodymium （Nd） in pla-narian Dugesia japonica were investigated. The results showed that with the in-creasing dietary Nd supplementation, the concentration of Nd in the planarian showed a significant linear increase and the balance of mineral elements was bro-ken with the decrease of Ca, Fe and Mo, and the increase of K and Mg. The content of soluble proteins and the activities of superoxide dismutase （SOD） and catalase （CAT） decreased with the increase of Nd concentration, while the content of H2O2 rose gradual y. The mortality was directly proportional to the Nd concentra-tion. The results indicated that planarian is a very sensitive aquatic animal to Nd contamination and can be an indicator organism for Nd pol ution.

Toxic Effects of Lanthanum, Cerium, Chromium and Zinc on Potamogeton Malaianus

The toxic effects of rare earth elements such as lanthanum, cerium and heavy metal elements such as chromium, zinc on Potamogeton malaianus Miq. were studied. The results show that the contents of chlorophyll and soluble protein increase to a certain degree and then decrease under La3+ Ce3+ Zn2+ stress, while there is a constantly dropping tendency under Cr6+ stress. The four ions have different effects on protective enzyme systems of Potamogeton malaianus. They can induce rises of the activities of catalase (CAT) and peroxides (POD) at lower concentration, however, with the increase of ions concentration, the activities decline. The change of SOD activity is exactly opposite to that of CAT and POD activity. It falls at first and rises later. An increasing tendency of MDA content appears with the increasing concentration. The toxicities of La3+, Zn2+, Ce3+ and Cr6+ become more serious in the order. The lethal concentration of Cr6+ to Potamogeton malaianus ranges from 0.5 to I mg(-1) that of Ce3+ and Zn2+ ranges from 3 to 5 mg(-1) and that of La3+ ranges from 7 to 10 mg(.)L(-1). The toxic mechanism of La3 + and Ce3+ is similar to that of Cr6+ and Zn2+.

Toxic effects of acetochlor, methamidophos and their combination on nifH gene in soil

Toxic effects of two agrochemicals on nifH gene in agricultural black soil were investigated using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis （DGGE） and sequencing approaches in a microcosm experiment. Changes of soil nifH gene diversity and composition were examined following the application of acetochlor, methamidophos and their combination. Acetochlor reduced the nifH gene diversity （both in gene richness and diversity index values） and caused changes in the nifH gene composition. The effects of acetochlor on nifH gene were strengthened as the concentration of acetochlor increased. Cluster analysis of DGGE banding patterns showed that nifH gene composition which had been affected by low concentration of acetochlor （50 mg/kg） recovered firstly. Methamidophos reduced nifH gene richness that except at 4 weeks. The medium concentration of methamidophos （150 mg/kg） caused the most apparent changes in nifH gene diversity at the first week while the high concentration of methamidophos （250 mg/kg） produced prominent effects on nifH gene diversity in the following weeks. Cluster analysis showed that minimal changes of nifH gene composition were found at 1 week and maximal changes at 4 weeks. Toxic effects of acetochlor and methamidophos combination on nifH gene were also apparent. Different nifH genes （bands） responded differently to the impact of agrochemicals： four individual bands were eliminated by the application of the agrochemicals, five bands became predominant by the stimulation of the agrochemicals, and four bands showed strong resistance to the influence of the agrochemicals. Fifteen prominent bands were partially sequenced, yielding 15 different nifH sequences, which were used for phylogenetic reconstructions. All sequences were affiliated with the alpha- and beta-proteobacteria, showing higher similarity to eight different diazotrophic genera.

ZnO,TiO_2,SiO_2,and Al_2O_3 Nanoparticles-induced Toxic Effects on Human Fetal Lung Fibroblasts

Objective This study aims to investigate and compare the toxic effects of four types of metal oxide （ZnO, TiO2, SiO2, and Al2O3） nanoparticles with similar primary size （-20 nm） on human fetal lung fibroblasts （HFL1） in vitro.Methods The HFL1 cells were exposed to the nanoparticles, and toxic effects were analyzed by using MTT assay, cellular morphology observation and Hoechst 33 258 staining.Results The results show that the four types of metal oxide nanoparticles lead to cellular mitochondrial dysfunction, morphological modifications and apoptosis at the concentration range of 0.25-1.50 mg/mL and the toxic effects are obviously displayed in dose-dependent manner. ZnO is the most toxic nanomaterials followed by TiO2, SiO2, and Al2O3 nanoparticles in a descending order.Conclusion The results highlight the differential cytotoxicity associated with exposure to ZnO, TiO2, SiO2, and Al2O3 nanoparticles, and suggest an extreme attention to safety utilization of these nanomaterials.

Developmental Toxicity in Mice Following Paternal Exposure to Di-N-Butyl-Phthalate (DBP)

Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of paternal Di‐N‐butyl‐phthalate （DBP） exposure pre‐ and postnatally on F1 generation offspring,and prenatally on F2 generation offspring.Methods Male mice were exposed to either 500 mg/kg or 2 000 mg/kg of DBP for 8 weeks,and mated with non‐exposed females.Three‐quarters of the females were sacrificed a day prior to parturition,and examined for the number of living and dead implantations,and incidence of gross malformations.Pups from the remaining females were assessed for developmental markers,growth parameters,as well as sperm quantity and quality.Results There were no changes in the fertility of parents and in intrauterine development of the offspring.Pups of DBP‐exposed males demonstrated growth‐retardation.Following paternal exposure to 500 mg/kg bw of DBP,there were almost twice the number of males than females born in the F1 generation.F1 generation females had a 2.5‐day delay in vaginal opening.Paternal exposure to 2 000 mg/kg bw of DBP increased the incidence of sperm head malformations in F1 generation males;however,there were no changes in the fertility and viability of foetuses in the F2 generation.Conclusion Paternal DBP exposure may disturb the sex ratio of the offspring,delay female sexual maturation,and deteriorate the sperm quality of F1 generation males.

TOXIC EFFECTS OF Zn^(2+), Cu^(2+), Cd^(2+)and NH_3 ON CfflNESE PRAWN

This study deals with the toxic effects of Zn2+, Cu2+, Cd2+ and NH3 on Chinese prawn (Penaeus orientalis). The median lethal concentrations of the toxic matters on Chinese prawn were determined. Cd2+】Cu2+】Zn2+】NH3-Nm is the toxic order of these chemicals to Chinese prawn. The toxic order of concentrated Zn2+ and Cd2+ in tissues and organs of Chinese prawn is in the order gill 】 shell + appendage】viscera 】 muscle..

Study of the Toxicity of 1-Bromo-3-Chloro-5,5-Dimethylhydantoin to Zebrafish

Objective 1-Bromo-3-chloro-5,5-dimethylhydantoin （BCDMH） is a solid oxidizing biocide for water disinfection.The objective of this study was to investigate the toxic effect of BCDMH on zebrafish.Methods The developmental toxicity of BCDMH on zebrafish embryos and the dose-effect relationship was determined.The effect of BCDMH exposure on histopathology and tissue antioxidant activity of adult zebrafish were observed over time.Results Exposure to 4 mg/L BCDMH post-fertilization was sufficient to induce a number of developmental malformations,such as edema,axial malformations,and reductions in heart rate and hatching rate.The no observable effects concentration of BCDMH on zebrafish embryo was 0.5 mg/L.After 96 h exposure,the 50% lethal concentration （95% confidence interval （CI）） of BCDMH on zebrafish embryo was 8.10 mg/L （6.15-11.16 mg/L）.The 50% inhibitory concentration （95% CI） of BCDMH on hatching rate was 7.37 mg/L （6.33-8.35 mg/L）.Histopathology showed two types of responses induced by BCDMH,defensive and compensatory.The extreme responses were marked hyperplasia of the gill epithelium with lamellar fusion and epidermal peeling.The histopathologic changes in the gills after 10 days exposure were accompanied by significantly higher catalase activity and lipid peroxidation.Conclusion These results have important implications for studies on the toxicity and use of BCDMH and its analogs.

Monitoring bioaccumulation and toxic effects of hexachlorobenzene using the polyurethane foam unit method in the microbial communities of the Fuhe River,Wuhan

Hexachlorobenzene （HCB） is a chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbon that was widely used for seed dressing in prevention of fungal growth on crops, and also as a component of fireworks, ammunition, and synthetic rubbers. Because of its resistance to degradation and mobility, HCB is widely distributed throughout the environment and is accumulated through food chains in different ecosystems. In this study, a preliminary investigation was carried out on the bioaccumulation and the toxic effects of HCB in the microbial （protozoan in particular） communities in the Fuhe River, Wuhan, a water body receiving industrial wastewaters containing HCB and other pollutants, using the standardized polyurethane foam units （PFU） method. Field samples were taken from eight stations established along the Fuhe River in January and August 2006. The concentration ratios of HCB in microbial communities and in water were 9.66-18.64, and the microbial communities accumulated 13.29-56.88 μg/L of HCB in January and 0.82-10.25 μg/L HCB in August. Correlation analysis showed a negative correlation between the HCB contents in the microbial assemblage, and the number of species and the diversity index of the protozoan communities. This study demonstrated the applicability of the PFU method in monitoring the effects of HCB on the level of microbial communities.