Preparation and characterization of activated carbon from agricultural wastes and their ability to remove chlorpyrifos from water.

Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate insecticide linked to neurological dysfunctions, endocrine disturbance, cardiovascular illness, genotoxicity, histopathological abnormalities, immunotoxicity, and oxidative stress. Therefore, the aim of this study was to prepare activated carbon from agricultural waste to adsorb and remove chlorpyrifos from aqueous solutions, as well as to study the physicochemical characteristics of the prepared activated carbon.Activated carbon was prepared from agricultural waste (banana peels, orange peels, pomegranate peels and date stones). The activated carbon prepared showed an exterior surface that was irregular and full of cavities with Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET) surface areas of 94.26, 111.75, 183.89, and 289.86 m2/g for activated carbon prepared from orange peels, date stone, pomegranate peels, and banana peels respectively. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image revealed that the activated carbon's exterior surface was irregular and full of various shapes and sizes of cavities.The Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX) indicated the existence of carbon, oxygen, silicon and potassium in banana peels-derived activated carbon, whereas carbon, oxygen, silicon and potassium, in addition to aluminium, were detected in the pomegranate peels-derived activated carbon. The Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of prepared activated carbon revealed several functional groups, including carboxylic acid, carbon dioxide, and aromatic compounds. Results also showed that the activated carbon significantly removed chlorpyrifos from water, recording 97.6%, 90.6%, 71.48%, and 52.00 % for activated carbon prepared from pomegranate peels, banana peels, date stones and orange peels, respectively. The study concluded that agricultural waste-derived activated carbon could be employed as an alternative pesticide adsorbent.

Tracing the protective activity of Lactobacillus plantarum using technetium-99m-labeled zearalenone for organ toxicity.

PURPOSE: Zearalenone is a potent estrogenic metabolite produced by some Fusarium and Gibberella species. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the accumulation of Technetium-[99m]-labeled zearalenone in mice organs as well as to study the protective effect of Lactobacillus plantarum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two different groups of mice were used; the first group of mice received Technetium-[99m]-zearalenone only, and the second group received both Technetium-[99m] zearalenone and L. plantarum (as a protective agent). Technetium-[99m]-labeled zearalenone was administered to mice by tail vein injection and L. plantarum was administered orally. Accumulation of labeled zearalenone in mice was monitored for 120 min. RESULTS: Labeled zearalenone was distributed primarily in the intestine (44.5%) and liver (20.12%) after 120 min in the first group of mice. In the second group of mice which received both Technetium-[99m] zearalenone and L. plantarum, labeled zearalenone was accumulated primarily in the intestine (46.8%) and liver (18.9%). These results indicated the decrease in labeled zearalenone in the liver due to the effect of lactic acid bacteria. CONCLUSION: Technetium-[99m]-labeled zearalenone can be used as a new tracer for organ imaging and that L. plantarum can decrease the bioavailability of zearalenone in mice organs.

Some clinico and histopathological changes in female goats experimentally exposed to dioxin.

Female Baladi goats were used for investigating the toxicological effects of dioxin. Each animal in the treated group was given an oral dose of 4 mL of stock standard solution of dioxin (labelled and native congeners) diluted in 5 mL distilled water (1/3 of LD50) for three times with 2 days interval and slaughtered 16 days post treatment. Blood and tissue samples were taken and subjected for haemogram, biochemical and pathological studies as well as for determination of dioxin residues. Results revealed that exposure of female goats to dioxin induced anemia, leucocytopenia, neutropenia and eosinophilia with non significant increases in activities of serum ALT and AST as compared with untreated group. Meanwhile, activity of ALP and BUN concentration were significantly increased. Histopathological examination showed degenerative and necrotic changes associated with inflammatory reaction in liver and kidney, in addition to cystic glandular hyperplasia and adenomyosis in uterus. In ovarian tissue, marked decrease ofpreantral follicles together with cystic atretic follicle were noticed. The average percentage residues ofpg WHO-TEQ values for dioxins (PCDDs and PCDFs) in liver, kidney, mammary gland, uterus and milk after oral dose were 0.013, 0.0012, 0.0012, 0.009 and 0.0012%, respectively. It was concluded that oral exposure to dioxin in female goats induced adverse effects on liver and kidney. Dioxins had estrogenic like effect as indicated by uterine and ovarian histopathological changes.