RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Ash and slag disposal areas of Ukrainian thermal power plants accumulate large amounts of waste annually. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to analyze the composition of ash and slag wastes generated during combustion of coal at Ukrainian thermal power plants and the potential affects of disposal areas on the environment. METHODS: A literature search was conducted using the Google search engine to access online academic publications indexed in Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Clarivate Analytics (Web of Science), ScienceDirect, ResearchGate and Springer Link from 2011 in English and Ukrainian. RESULTS: After analyzing the 25 academic articles included in the present review, the results indicated that hazardous constituents (oxides of silicon, aluminium, iron, calcium and magnesium) of ash can migrate from the ash dump surface by air and water to contaminate the atmosphere, soil, groundwater and surface water in areas located within a few kilometers from the waste site. CONCLUSIONS: By-products of the fuel and energy complex of Ukraine are potentially dangerous sources of environmental pollution. They create risks to the health of the population living in the surrounding territories. Further studies should focus on the features of pollutant transfer from ash dumps, and development of appropriate mathematical models of the pollutant migration to assess pollution levels in soil, groundwater and air. COMPETING INTERESTS: The authors declare no competing financial interests.
RESUMO
The prospect of creating a new medicine with psychotropic activity is shown as a result of studying the chemical composition and pharmacological activity of modified dry extracts of motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca L.) tincture. The most promising substances were the dry extracts, modified by adding small amounts of arginine, valine, phenylalanine, glycine, lysine, and alanine. A total of 15 main phenolic substances were found in the extracts, and eight of them were identified. There were also 10 hydroxycinnamic acids in these extracts, three of which were identified (chlorogenic, caffeic, and rosmarinic acids). The dominant hydroxycinnamic acids were chlorogenic and caffeic acids. Among flavonoids, catechin, hyperoside, and rutin were identified. It should be noted that the extracts had a significant content of ellagic acid. On the basis of the results of the phytochemical analysis of the extracts, it can be concluded that the composition of phenolic compounds does not differ significantly, and the main differences are related to amino acids, which obviously have an impact on the overall pharmacological effect. The results obtained indicate the presence of anxiolytic activity in the motherwort extracts studied in complex with amino acids. The extracts with glycine, valine, and arginine were more effective in reducing anxiety in animals.
