Levels and health risk assessment of pesticides and metals in Lycium barbarum L. from different sources in Ningxia, China.

The berries of Lycium barbarum L. (Goji) are widely used as a Chinese traditional herbal medicine and functional food because of their reported beneficial pharmacological effects. However, there are reports of Goji berries being contaminated by chemical residues that could pose a hazard to humans. In this study, samples of L. barbarum L. berries were collected from plantations in a genuine production area and supermarkets in Ningxia, China. The major hazardous chemicals, including pesticides (dichlorvos, omethoate, cypermethrin, fenvalerate, malathion, and deltamethrin) and metals (lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), and arsenic (As)), were quantified by gas chromatography and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. In addition, associated daily exposures and health risks were determined using deterministic and probabilistic assessments. The levels of five pesticides from the plantation samples were considerably lower than the maximum residue limits; only dichlorvos was detected in the supermarket samples, and deltamethrin was not detected in any samples. Cu, Zn, As, Pb, Ni and Cd were detected in samples from both sources. The hazard quotient values of individual hazardous chemicals and the hazard index of combined hazardous chemicals were considerably less than 1, indicating the absence of a non-carcinogenic effect of hazardous chemical exposures through Goji berry consumption. The R value of As was much less than 10-6, which shows that consumption of the Goji berries had no obvious carcinogenic risks. The potentially harmful effects of the L. barbarum L. are more likely from berries obtained from plantations than those from supermarkets, and metal exposure is more dangerous than pesticide exposure. However, on the basis of our analysis, no population would be exposed hazardous chemicals exceeding existing standards, and the factors most affecting the health risk were exposure frequency and As content.

Potentially toxic element (PTE) levels in maize, soil, and irrigation water and health risks through maize consumption in northern Ningxia, China.

BACKGROUND: Industrial and agricultural activities result in elevated levels of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in the local environment. PTEs can enter the human body through the food chain and pose severe health risks to inhabitants. In this study, PTE levels in maize, soil, and irrigation water were detected, and health risks through maize consumption were evaluated. METHODS: Maize, soil, and irrigation water samples were collected in northern Ningxia, China. Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry was applied to determine the contents of six PTEs. Bioaccumulation factor was used to reflect the transfer potential of a metal from soil to maize. Health risks associated with maize consumption were assessed by deterministic and probabilistic estimation. Sensitivity analysis was performed to determine variables that pose the greatest effect on health risk results. RESULTS: The levels of Pb and Cr in maize exceeded the standards, while the PTE levels in soil and irrigation water did not exceed the corresponding standards. The bioaccumulation factor values of the six PTEs in maize were all lower than 1 and followed the order of Cd > Zn = As > Cr > Cu > Pb. The hazard index (0.0986) was far less than 1 for all inhabitants implying no obvious non-carcinogenic risk. The carcinogenic risk value was 3.261 × 10- 5, which was lower than the maximum acceptable level of 1 × 10- 4 suggested by United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Females were at greater risk than males, and the age group of below 20 years had the greater risk among all the groups evaluated. Approximately 0.62% of inhabitants exceeded the level for non-carcinogenic risk, while 8.23% exceeded the level for carcinogenic risk. The As concentration and daily intake of maize contributed 35.8, and 29.4% for non-carcinogenic risk results as well as 61.0 and 18.5% for carcinogenic risk results. CONCLUSIONS: Maize was contaminated by Pb and Cr, whereas the associated soil and irrigation water were not contaminated by PTEs. Inhabitants would not suffer obvious harmful health risks through maize consumption. Arsenic level and daily intake of maize were the most sensitive factors that impact health risks.

Efficacy of heparinoid PSS in treating cardiovascular diseases and beyond-A review of 31 years clinical experiences in China.

Heparin is a life-saving drug with multiple molecular targets and mostly well known for its anticoagulant and antithrombotic pharmacological effects in treating cardiovascular diseases. All the heparin-like polysaccharides that mimic the biological activities of heparin are called heparinoids. However, heparin has no pharmacological effect if taken orally and has to be used by injection in hospital settings. Thus, heparinoids that can be taken orally are critically needed. Propylene glycol alginate sodium sulfate (PSS) is the world's first oral heparinoid used in treating cardiovascular diseases approved by Chinese Food and Drug Administration in 1987. PSS is produced by modifying partially hydrolyzed alginate, one of the most abundant marine polysaccharides isolated from brown algae, by epoxypropane esterification and by chemical sulfation. It is used for treating and preventing cardiovascular-related diseases. The low cost (US$1.29/100 tablets, ~4 tablets/day), remarkable clinical effects, and convenient oral administration make PSS an ideal long-term cardiovascular disease-prevention drug. PSS is also clinically trialed for treating diabetes and diabetes-associated complications, hepatitis, kidney, skin, and many other diseases in China. PSS is available in most drug stores in China, and millions of patients take PSS routinely during the past 31 years. The 24,089 reported clinical cases as well as the structure, preparation, clinical efficacy, adverse reactions, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and future perspectives of PSS based on the results of peer-reviewed publications will be discussed. This review should bring the knowledge of PSS gained in China to the world to stimulate in depth academic and clinical studies of PSS and other heparinoids.

Genistein Enhances or Reduces Glycosaminoglycan Quantity in a Cell Type-Specific Manner.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Genistein is a natural isoflavone enriched in soybeans. It has beneficial effects for patients with mucopolysaccharidose type III through inhibiting glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis. However, other studies indicate that genistein does not always inhibit glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis. METHODS: To understand the underlying molecular mechanisms, CHOK1, CHO3.1, CHO3.3, and HCT116 cells were treated with genistein and the monosaccharide compositions and quantity of all glycans from the cell lysate were measured after thorough acid hydrolysis followed by HPLC analysis. In addition, the glycosaminoglycan disaccharide compositions were obtained by stable isotope labeling coupled with LC/MS analysis. RESULTS: Genistein treatment reduced the amount of glycans but increased the amount of glycosaminoglycans in HCT116 cells. In contrast, genistein treatment reduced both glycan and glycosaminoglycan quantities in CHOK1, CHO3.1, and CHO3.3 cells in addition to differential changes in glycosaminoglycan disaccharide compositions. CONCLUSION: Genistein treatment reduced overall glycan quantity but glycosaminoglycan quantities were either increased or decreased in a cell type-dependent manner.

Optimizing microwave-assisted hydrolysis conditions for monosaccharide composition analyses of different polysaccharides.

Releasing all monosaccharides during acid hydrolysis for composition analysis of polysaccharides has been a time consuming process. In current study, an efficient (10 µL sample + 10 µL acid), sensitive, and quick monosaccharide composition analysis of polysaccharides was accomplished by using microwave-assisted HCl hydrolysis (10 min) of the polysaccharides followed by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC) combined with pulsed amperometric detection (PAD) analysis. Compared to the conventional hydrolysis procedure, this method is an efficient approach for monosaccharide composition analysis of acidic, basic, and neutral polysaccharides and particularly suited to polysaccharides that are difficult to hydrolyse fully such as chitosan, heparin and chondroitin sulfates.

Lead adsorption, anticoagulation and in vivo toxicity studies on the new magnetic nanomaterial Fe3O4@SiO2@DMSA as a hemoperfusion adsorbent.

This project aimed to develop and characterize a new nanoadsorbent for hemoperfusion. Fe3O4 nanoparticles synthesized by a facile solvothermal method were coated with SiO2 and further modified by DMSA. TEM, XRD, FTIR, XPS and SEM were performed before and after lead adsorption to reveal the general performance and adsorption mechanism. Rabbit lead poisoning models were established to study the adsorption rate; then, a pig hemoperfusion experiment was used for further validation. In addition, coagulation, liver, kidney and heart function, blood lipids, electrolytes and the immune inflammatory system were studied before and after hemoperfusion. The results indicated that the materials had a high adsorption rate and chemisorbed lead mainly in the plasma. No obvious coagulation-fibrinolysis, organ toxicity, electrolyte disturbances, inflammatory reactions or immunosuppression was observed. The excellent blood compatibility and high biosafety of this material demonstrate its potential as a new type of hemoperfusion adsorbent.

Study of Pb²âº, Cd²âº and Ni²âº adsorption onto activated carbons prepared from glycyrrhiza residue by KOH or H3PO4activation.

The activated carbons (ACs) were prepared from glycyrrhiza residue by KOH or H3PO4activation and were used for removing Pb²âº, Cd²âº and Ni²âº from simulated wastewater. The changes of the physical structure and chemical properties of the glycyrrhiza residue before and after activation were characterized by using a variety of analytical instruments and methods. Kinetics and equilibrium isotherms were obtained and the effects of solution pH value and adsorbent dosage were studied in batch experiments. The results indicated that after activation, the surface structure of glycyrrhiza residue changes and surface area, micropore volume also increase accordingly. Kinetic studies showed that the adsorption followed a pseudo-second-order reaction. The Freundlich model fitted the equilibrium data better than the Langmuir isotherm. According to the Langmuir equation, the maximum adsorption capacities of ACs prepared from glycyrrhiza residue by KOH and H3PO4activation for Pb²âº, Cd²âº and Ni²âº are 2.170 mmol/g, 2.617 mmol/g, 3.741 mmol/g and 2.654 mmol/g, 3.095 mmol/g, 3.076 mmol/g, respectively, which are much higher than ACs prepared from other raw materials.

Biosorption of heavy metals from aqueous solutions by chemically modified orange peel.

Equilibrium, thermodynamic and kinetic studies were carried out for the biosorption of Pb(2+), Cd(2+) and Ni(2+) ions from aqueous solution using the grafted copolymerization-modified orange peel (OPAA). Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied to describe the biosorption of the metal ions onto OPAA. The influences of pH and contact time of solution on the biosorption were studied. Langmuir model fitted the equilibrium data better than the Freundlich isotherm. According to the Langmuir equation, the maximum uptake capacities for Pb(2+), Cd(2+) and Ni(2+) ions were 476.1, 293.3 and 162.6 mg g(-1), respectively. Compared with the unmodified orange peel, the biosorption capacity of the modified biomass increased 4.2-, 4.6- and 16.5-fold for Pb(2+), Cd(2+) and Ni(2+), respectively. The kinetics for Pb(2+), Cd(2+) and Ni(2+) ions biosorption followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics. The free energy changes (ΔG°) for Pb(2+), Cd(2+) and Ni(2+) ions biosorption process were found to be -3.77, -4.99 and -4.22 kJ mol(-1), respectively, which indicates the spontaneous nature of biosorption process. FTIR demonstrated that carboxyl and hydroxyl groups were involved in the biosorption of the metal ions. Desorption of Pb(2+), Cd(2+) and Ni(2+) ions from the biosorbent was effectively achieved in a 0.05 mol L(-1) HCl solution.

Isotherms, kinetics and thermodynamic studies of adsorption of Cu2+ from aqueous solutions by Mg2+/K+ type orange peel adsorbents.

Orange peel (OP) was used as raw material to prepare two novel adsorbents: MgOP (Mg(2+) type orange peel adsorbent) and KOP (K(+) type orange peel adsorbent). FTIR and SEM were used to characterize the adsorbents. Effects of pH, solid/liquid ratio, time and metal ion concentration on the Cu(2+) adsorption by these two adsorbents were investigated. The isotherms data were analyzed using the Langmuir, Freudlich, Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich models. Langmuir model provides the best correlation for the adsorption of Cu(2+) by both MgOP and KOP, and the mono-layer adsorption capacity for Cu(2+) removal by MgOP and KOP are 40.37 and 59.77 mg/g, respectively. The adsorbed amounts of Cu(2+) increased with the increase in contact time and reached equilibrium within 20 min. The kinetics data were analyzed using four adsorption kinetic models: the pseudo-first and second-order equations, the Elovich equation and intraparticle diffusion equation. Results show that the pseudo-second-order equation fits the experimental data very well. Thermodynamic studies showed the spontaneous and exothermic nature of the adsorption of Cu(2+) by MgOP and KOP.

Application of orange peel xanthate for the adsorption of Pb2+ from aqueous solutions.

Pristine orange peel was chemically modified by introducing sulfur groups with the carbon disulfide treatment in alkaline medium. The presence of sulfur groups on orange peel xanthate were identified by FTIR spectroscopic study. Equilibrium isotherms and kinetics were obtained and the effect of various parameters including equilibrium pH, contact time, temperature and initial ion concentration on adsorption of Pb(2+) were studied by batch experiments. The maximum adsorption capacity of orange peel xanthate was 204.50 mg g(-1), which was found to increase by about 150% compared to that of pristine orange peel. The adsorption process can attain equilibrium within 20 min, and kinetics was found to be best-fit pseudo-second-order equation. Temperature has little effect on the adsorption capacity of orange peel xanthate. In addition, the adsorption mechanism was suggested to be complexation.

Adsorption of Cu2+ and Cd2+ from aqueous solution by mercapto-acetic acid modified orange peel.

The present article describes the adsorption behaviors of Cu2+ and Cd2+ on mercapto-acetic acid modified orange peel. The prepared adsorbents were characterized using Malvern Zetasizer, infrared spectrophotometer and infrared C-S analyzer. The effect of various parameters like solution pH, contact time, and initial metal ion concentration on adsorption efficiencies of these two metals were studied systematically by batch experiments. Adsorption isotherms of Cu2+ and Cd2+ on orange peel and mercapto-acetic acid modified orange peel were obtained and analyzed with Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The rates of adsorption of Cu2+ and Cd2+ on both adsorbents were found to follow a pseudo-second order equation, indicating their chemical adsorption. Maximum adsorption capacities of Cu2+ and Cd2+ on the mercapto-acetic acid modified orange peel were found to be 70.67 and 136.05 mg/g, respectively. Adsorption-desorption studies showed that the mercapto-acetic acid modified orange peel could be used more than five cycles. This study demonstrated that, the waste orange peel after simple chemical treatment could be used as a potential adsorbent for toxic metals such as Cu2+ and Cd2+.

Adsorption study of copper (II) by chemically modified orange peel.

An adsorbent, the chemically modified orange peel, was prepared from hydrolysis of the grafted copolymer, which was synthesized by interaction of methyl acrylate with cross-linking orange peel. The presence of poly (acrylic acid) on the biomass surface was verified by infrared spectroscopy (IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetry (TG). Total negative charge in the biomass surface and the zeta potentials were determined. The modified biomass was found to present high adsorption capacity and fast adsorption rate for Cu (II). From Langmuir isotherm, the adsorption capacity for Cu (II) was 289.0 mg g(-1), which is about 6.5 times higher than that of the unmodified biomass. The kinetics for Cu (II) adsorption followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics. The adsorbent was used to remove Cu (II) from electroplating wastewater and was suitable for repeated use for more than four cycles.

[Resonance light scattering study on interaction of solochrome cyanine R with protein and light scattering determination of trace protein].

The resonance light scattering (RLS) of Solochrome Cyanine R(SCR) is greatly enhanced by proteins. Based on this phenomenon, a novel method for the determination of protein by using SCR as a labeling agent was developed. In the pH 4.0 solution the enhanced intensity of RLS at 400 nm is proportional to the concentration of protein. The linear range for bovine serum albumin (BSA) is 0-5.0 mg x L(-1) and the limit of detection is 44.4 microg x L(-1). The method is simple, rapid, sensitive, stable, and tolerant of many foreign substances. It has been used to determine proteins in human urine samples with satisfactory results.