Squalene-Rich Amaranth Oil Pickering Emulsions Stabilized by Native α-Lactalbumin Nanoparticles.

The stabilization of Pickering emulsions by nanoparticles has drawn great interest in the field of food science and technology. In this study, α-Lactalbumin nanoparticles prepared by the desolvation and cross-linking method from protein solutions with initial pH values of 9 and 11 were used to stabilize squalene-rich amaranth oil Pickering o/w emulsions. The effect of different concentrations of nanoparticles on the size, size distribution, ζ potential, and emulsion stability was evaluated using dynamic light scattering, electron microscopy, and light backscattering. Dependence of the emulsions' droplet size on the nanoparticle concentration was observed, and the critical coverage ratio was reached when 5-10% nanoparticles concentration was used. Our findings suggest that α-LA nanoparticles at a 10% concentration can be used as novel stabilizers for Pickering emulsions to provide protection for beneficial lipophilic bioactive compounds. This is the first time that native α-LA nanoparticles have been used as stabilizers of Pickering emulsions.

The acute toxicity, tissue distribution, and histopathology of inhaled ricin in Sprague Dawley rats and BALB/c mice.

Ricin is a highly toxic ribosome-inactivating protein derived from the castor bean (Ricinus communis). Due to the relative ease of producing ricin, it is characterized as a category B priority pathogen by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The purpose of this study was to compare the acute toxicity, associated histopathology, as well as the regional respiratory tract deposition and clearance kinetics of inhaled ricin in rats and mice using a single pure preparation. Acute toxicity was evaluated in five groups of six animals per species exposed nose-only to ricin aerosols and followed up to 7 days post-exposure. Tissues were collected for histopathology. The calculated median lethal doses (LD50s) were 0.24 µg/kg (rats) and 0.58 µg/kg (mice). Histological changes were noted in nose, larynges, trachea, lung, thymus, and spleen of both species. Pulmonary deposition in rats inhaling 94-99 ng/L ricin for 20 min (low dose) or 40 min (high dose) were 45.9 and 96 ng/g lung, respectively. Clearance was best described by a single-component negative exponential function. Estimated lung doses were 0.38 and 1.43 µg/g·h among the low and high dose rats, respectively. In mice inhaling 94 ng/L ricin for 20 min, pulmonary deposition was 91.1 ng/g lung and the estimated tissue dose was 1.72 µg/g·h. No ricin was detected in extra-respiratory tract tissue or in excreta. Results of this study demonstrate differences exist in pulmonary deposition, clearance rates, and tissue dose and histopathological changes between rats and mice inhaling ricin.

Placental transport of brevetoxin-3 in CD-1 mice.

The purpose of this study was to examine the distribution of brevetoxin-3 administered to pregnant dams and to determine the extent of placental transport to fetuses. Twenty-nine pregnant CD-1 mice were administered (3)H-brevetoxin-3 ( approximately 1.3 microCi/animal; approximately 2.8 microg compound/kg) by intratracheal instillation on one of gestational days 15-18. Groups of four or five dams were killed at selected times through 48 h post-dosing. Four pregnant dams were administered (3)H-brevetoxin-3 on gestational day 15 or 16 via osmotic minipump to provide continuous delivery of compound ( approximately 0.13 microCi, 7.5 ng compound/day) over a 72-h period. Then the dams and fetuses were killed. Brevetoxin-associated radioactivity was detected in placentas and fetuses within 0.5h of intratracheal administration. Concentrations of brevetoxin equivalents in fetuses were approximately 0.3 ng/g throughout the 48-h post-dosing, resulting in a calculated dose to fetuses of 19 ng/gh. Following brevetoxin infusion, concentration of brevetoxin equivalents in fetuses was 0.1 ng/g, lower than that present in most maternal tissues. Results demonstrated placental transport of brevetoxin or its metabolites following maternal acute exposure and repeated low-dose exposure. The consequences of these findings for pregnant women exposed to brevetoxins by inhalation or ingestion remain to be determined.

Brevetoxin-induced neural insult in the retrosplenial cortex of mouse brain.

Brevetoxins (polyether breve toxins; PbTx) are polyether neurotoxins produced by the marine dinoflagellate Karenia brevis, an organism associated with red tide blooms in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast from Florida to North Carolina. Brevetoxin-3 (PbTx-3) is a major component of the array of brevetoxins found in marine aerosols measured along red tide affected beaches. Humans exposed to aerosolized brevetoxins for short periods of time often suffer a variety of adverse health effects. It was consequently of interest to assess the potential for aerosolized brevetoxin to produce a neurotoxic response. Female BALB/c mice were exposed nose-only for 2 consecutive days to PbTx-3 aerosol, with a 2-h exposure on the first day and a 4-h exposure on the second day. The average PbTx-3 exposure concentrations on days 1 and 2 were 312 +/- 113 mug brevetoxin 3/m3 and 278 +/- 24 mug brevetoxin 3/m3, respectively. The brevetoxin-containing aerosol had a mass median aerodynamic diameter of 0.92 mum with a geometric standard deviation of 1.38. Coronal sections of mouse brains were evaluated for neuronal damage using both silver and Fluoro-Jade B staining to identify degenerating neuronal elements. PbTx-3 inhalation exposure produced neuronal degeneration in the posterior cingulate/retrosplenial cortex of mice as evidenced by silver-positive degenerating neurons in this region. No staining was found in other regions of the PBTx-3-exposed mouse brains or in brains of control, sham-exposed mice. The existence of a neurotoxic insult in PbTx-3-exposed mice was confirmed using Fluoro-Jade B to label degenerating neurons. Fluro-Jade-positive neurons were observed in the retrosplenial cortex of PBTx-3 exposed, but not control, mice. These results suggest that subacute exposure to PbTx-3 for 2 days is sufficient to induce neuronal degeneration in a discrete region of the mouse cerebral cortex.

Inhalation toxicity of brevetoxin 3 in rats exposed for twenty-two days.

Brevetoxins are potent neurotoxins produced by the marine dinoflagellate Karenia brevis. Exposure to brevetoxins may occur during a K. brevis red tide when the compounds become aerosolized by wind and surf. This study assessed possible adverse health effects associated with inhalation exposure to brevetoxin 3, one of the major brevetoxins produced by K. brevis and present in aerosols collected along beaches affected by red tide. Male F344 rats were exposed to brevetoxin 3 at 0, 37, and 237 microg/m3 by nose-only inhalation 2 hr/day, 5 days/week for up to 22 exposure days. Estimated deposited brevetoxin 3 doses were 0.9 and 5.8 microg/kg/day for the low- and high-dose groups, respectively. Body weights of the high-dose group were significantly below control values. There were no clinical signs of toxicity. Terminal body weights of both low- and high-dose-group rats were significantly below control values. Minimal alveolar macrophage hyperplasia was observed in three of six and six of six of the low- and high-dose groups, respectively. No histopathologic lesions were observed in the nose, brain, liver, or bone marrow of any group. Reticulocyte numbers in whole blood were significantly increased in the high-dose group, and mean corpuscular volume showed a significant decreasing trend with increasing exposure concentration. Humoral-mediated immunity was suppressed in brevetoxin-exposed rats as indicated by significant reduction in splenic plaque-forming cells in both low- and high-dose-group rats compared with controls. Results indicate that the immune system is the primary target for toxicity in rats after repeated inhalation exposure to relatively high concentrations of brevetoxins.