Vitamin C epigenetically controls osteogenesis and bone mineralization.

Vitamin C deficiency disrupts the integrity of connective tissues including bone. For decades this function has been primarily attributed to Vitamin C as a cofactor for collagen maturation. Here, we demonstrate that Vitamin C epigenetically orchestrates osteogenic differentiation and function by modulating chromatin accessibility and priming transcriptional activity. Vitamin C regulates histone demethylation (H3K9me3 and H3K27me3) and promotes TET-mediated 5hmC DNA hydroxymethylation at promoters, enhancers and super-enhancers near bone-specific genes. This epigenetic circuit licenses osteoblastogenesis by permitting the expression of all major pro-osteogenic genes. Osteogenic cell differentiation is strictly and continuously dependent on Vitamin C, whereas Vitamin C is dispensable for adipogenesis. Importantly, deletion of 5hmC-writers, Tet1 and Tet2, in Vitamin C-sufficient murine bone causes severe skeletal defects which mimic bone phenotypes of Vitamin C-insufficient Gulo knockout mice, a model of Vitamin C deficiency and scurvy. Thus, Vitamin C's epigenetic functions are central to osteoblastogenesis and bone formation and may be leveraged to prevent common bone-degenerating conditions.

Modeling phytoremediation of aged soil Ni from anthropogenic deposition using Alyssum murale.

Several field-scale phytoextraction scenarios were created in a greenhouse study to investigate the feasibility of using Alyssum murale, to remediate three types of industrially Ni-contaminated soil (heavy clay, sand, organic muck) from Port Colborne, Ontario. The observed distribution of Ni mass between soil and aboveground vegetation was used in STELLA modeling software to predict timelines for the target soil Ni concentration, namely 1200 mg Ni/kg. Alyssum murale grown in sand would have a relatively constant pool of Ni available for plant uptake, which would not be the case for plants grown in organic muck and heavy clay. The maximum Ni extraction (%, plant Ni mass/soil Ni mass) was achieved in A. murale grown in unfertilized clay soil at the higher irrigation rate. Using these data, the STELLA model predicted that 246 years would be required to reduce soil Ni concentration in the most efficient combination of treatments to the remediation target. In addition, hypothetical A. murale Ni extraction in plant-soil systems optimized by manipulating soil chemistry and physical attributes, were modeled. The most optimized A. murale plant-soil systems for Ni extraction would require 9 years to achieve the same reduction, and it is not clear that this optimization can be achieved in the field. This study showed that phytoremediation using A. murale is not likely a time-sensitive approach for these soils.

The influence of physicochemical parameters on bioaccessibility-adjusted hazard quotients for copper, lead and zinc in different grain size fractions of urban street dusts and soils.

When the hazard quotient for ingestion (HQI) of a trace element in soil and dust particles is adjusted for the element's bioaccessibility, the HQI is typically reduced as compared to its calculation using pseudo-total element concentration. However, those studies have mostly used bulk particles (<2 mm or <250 µm), and the reduction in HQI when expressed as bioaccessible metal may not be similar among particle size fractions, the possibility probed by the present study of street dusts and soils collected in Tehran. The highest Cu, Pb and Zn near-total concentrations occurred in the finest particles of dusts and soils. Bioaccessible concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn in the particles (mg kg-1) were obtained using simple bioaccessibility extraction test (SBET). The bioaccessibility (%) did not vary much among near-total concentrations. In the bulk (<250 µm) sample, the bioaccessible concentration of Cu and Pb increased as the pH of sample increased, while Zn bioaccessibility (%) in the bulk particles was influenced by organic matter and cation exchange capacity. X-ray diffraction identified sulfide and sulfate minerals in all of the size-fractionated particles, which are insoluble to slightly soluble in acidic conditions and included most of the Cu and Pb in the samples. The only Zn-bearing mineral identified was hemimorphite, which would be highly soluble in the SBET conditions. The calculated HQI suggested potential non-carcinogenic health risk to children and adults from ingestions of soils and dusts regardless of particle size consideration, in the order of Zn > Pb ≥ Cu. The HQI calculated from near-total metal was not much different for particle size classes relative to bulk particles; however, the bioaccessibility percent-adjusted HQI for Pb was higher for the smaller particles than the bulk. This work is novel in its approach to compare HQI for a bulk sample of particles with its composite particle size fractions.

Microplastic pollution in deposited urban dust, Tehran metropolis, Iran.

Environmental pollutants such as microplastics have become a major concern over the last few decades. We investigated the presence, characteristics, and potential health risks of microplastic dust ingestion. The plastic load of 88 to 605 microplastics per 30 g dry dust with a dominance of black and yellow granule microplastics ranging in size from 250 to 500 µm was determined in 10 street dust samples using a binocular microscope. Fluorescence microscopy was found to be ineffective for detecting and counting plastic debris. Scanning electron microscopy, however, was useful for accurate detection of microplastic particles of different sizes, colors, and shapes (e.g., fiber, spherule, hexagonal, irregular polyhedron). Trace amounts of Al, Na, Ca, Mg, and Si, detected using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, revealed additives of plastic polymers or adsorbed debris on microplastic surfaces. As a first step to estimate the adverse health effects of microplastics in street dust, the frequency of microplastic ingestion per day/year via ingestion of street dust was calculated. Considering exposure during outdoor activities and workspaces with high abundant microplastics as acute exposure, a mean of 3223 and 1063 microplastic particles per year is ingested by children and adults, respectively. Consequently, street dust is a potentially important source of microplastic contamination in the urban environment and control measures are required.

Health risk implications of potentially toxic metals in street dust and surface soil of Tehran, Iran.

In this study a total of 30 street dusts and 10 surface soils were collected in the central district of Tehran and analyzed for major potentially toxic metals. Street dust was found to be greatly enriched in Sb, Pb, Cu and Zn and moderately enriched in Cr, Mn, Mo and Ni. Contamination of Cu, Sb, Pb and Zn was clearly related to anthropogenic sources such as brake wear, tire dust, road abrasion and fossil fuel combustion. Spatial distribution of pollution load index in street dust suggested that industries located south-west of the city intensify street dust pollution. Microscopic studies revealed six dominant group of morphological structures in calculation of the exposurethe street dusts and surface soils, with respect to different geogenic and anthropogenic sources. The BCR (the European Community Bureau of Reference) sequential extraction results showed that Sb, Ni, Mo, As and Cr bonded to silicates and sulfide minerals were highly resistant to dissolution. In contrast, Zn, Cd, and Mn were mostly associated with the exchangeable phase and thus would be easily mobilized in the environment. Cu was the most abundant metal in the reducible fraction, indicating its adsorption to iron and manganese oxy-hydroxides. Pb was equally extracted from exchangeable and reducible fractions. Anthropogenic sources related to traffic apparently play a small role in Cr, Ni and Mo contamination and dispersed them as bioavailable forms but with reduced mobility and bioavailablity due to high potential of complexation and adsorption to organic matter and iron and manganese oxy-hydroxides. Calculated Hazard Index (HI) suggests ingestion as the most important pathway for the majority of PTMs in children and dermal contact as the main exposure route for Cr, Cd and Sb for adults. The HIs and fractionation pattern of elements revealed Pb as the sole element that bears potential health risk in street dust and surface soil.