Cu(GlyGlyHis) effects on MCF7 cells: Copper uptake, reactive oxygen species generation and membrane topography changes

Elevated levels of copper have been detected in various types of human cancer cells, such as breast cancer cells, and a number of mechanisms have been proposed to explain the action and influence of copper on tumor progress. In this work, we found that stimulating the proliferation of mammary epithelial MCF7 cells with the high-redox-potential copper complex Cu (GlyGlyHis) is associated with the copper-induced intracellular generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that induces lipid peroxidation and causes increased roughness of external cell membranes, which leads to the formation of larger cell domes. The results presented herein provide new insights into the molecular link between copper and the proliferation of breast cancer cells and, consequently, into the mechanism by which changes in redox balance and ROS accumulation regulates cell membrane roughness. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The antioxidant response of the liver of male Swiss mice raised on a AIN 93 or commercial diet

Background: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are formed under natural physiological conditions and are thought to play an important role in many human diseases. A wide range of antioxidants are involved in cellular defense mechanisms against ROS, which can be generated in excess during stressful conditions, these include enzymes and non-enzymatic antioxidants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant responses of mice to two diets control, commercial and the purified AIN 93 diet, commonly used in experiments with rodents. Results: Malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentrations and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities determined in the liver were lower in the group of mice fed with the AIN 93 diet, while catalase (CAT) activity was higher in the same group, when compared to the group fed on the commercial diet. Liver glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity was similar in the groups fed on either AIN 93 or the commercial diets. Two SOD isoforms, Mn-SODII and a Cu/Zn-SODV, were specifically reduced in the liver of the AIN 93 diet fed animals. Conclusions: The clear differences in antioxidant responses observed in the livers of mice fed on the two diets suggest that the macro- and micro-nutrient components with antioxidant properties, including vitamin E, can promote changes in the activity of enzymes involved in the removal of the ROS generated by cell metabolism.

Winter Survival of Transgenic Alfalfa Overexpressing Superoxide Dismutase1

To test the hypothesis that enhanced tolerance of oxidative stress would improve winter survival, two clones of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) were transformed with a Mn-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) targeted to the mitochondria or to the chloroplast. Although Mn-SOD activity increased in most primary transgenic plants, both cytosolic and chloroplastic forms of Cu/Zn-SOD had lower activity in the chloroplast SOD transgenic plants than in the nontransgenic plants. In a field trial at Elora, Ontario, Canada, the survival and yield of 33 primary transgenic and control plants were compared. After one winter most transgenic plants had higher survival rates than control plants, with some at 100%. Similarly, some independent transgenic plants had twice the herbage yield of the control plants. Prescreening the transgenic plants for SOD activity, vigor, or freezing tolerance in the greenhouse was not effective in identifying individual transgenic plants with improved field performance. Freezing injury to leaf blades and fibrous roots, measured by electrolyte leakage from greenhouse-grown acclimated plants, indicated that the most tolerant were only 1°C more freezing-tolerant than alfalfa clone N4. There were no differences among transgenic and control plants for tetrazolium staining of field-grown plants at any freezing temperature. Therefore, although many of the transgenic plants had higher winter survival rates and herbage yield, there was no apparent difference in primary freezing injury, and therefore, the trait is not associated with a change in the primary site of freezing injury.

The effects of human induced disturbances on the sediment geochemistry of Baltic Sea embayments with a focus on eutrophication history

Historical sediment nutrient concentrations and heavy-metal distributions were studied in five embayments in the Gulf of Finland and an adjacent lake. The main objective of the study was to examine the response of these water bodies to temporal changes in human activities. Sediment cores were collected from the sites and dated using 210Pb and 137Cs. The cores were analyzed for total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), organic phosphorus (OP), inorganic phosphorus (IP), biogenic silica (BSi), loss on ignition (LOI), grain size, Cu, Zn, Al, Fe, Mn, K, Ca, Mg and Na. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to summarize the trends in the geochemical variables and to compare trends between the different sites. The links between the catchment land use and sediment geochemical data were studied using a multivariate technique of redundancy analysis (RDA). Human activities produce marked geochemical variations in coastal sediments. These variations and signals are often challenging to interpret due to various sedimentological and post-depositional factors affecting the sediment profiles. In general, the sites studied here show significant upcore increases in sedimentation rates, TP and TN concentrations. Also Cu, which is considered to be a good indicator of anthropogenic influence, showed clear increases from 1850 towards the top part of the cores. Based on the RDA-analysis, in the least disturbed embayments with high forest cover, the sediments are dominated by lithogenic indicators Fe, K, Al and Mg. In embayments close to urban settlement, the sediments have high Cu concentrations and a high sediment Fe/Mn ratio. This study suggests that sediment accumulation rates vary significantly from site to site and that the overall sedimentation can be linked to the geomorphology and basin bathymetry, which appear to be the major factors governing sedimentation rates; i.e. a high sediment accumulation rate is not characteristic either to urban or to rural sites. The geochemical trends are strongly site specific and depend on the local geochemical background, basin characteristics and anthropogenic metal and nutrient loading. Of the studied geochemical indicators, OP shows the least monotonic trends in all studied sites. When compared to other available data, OP seems to be the most reliable geochemical indicator describing the trophic development of the study sites, whereas Cu and Zn appear to be good indicators for anthropogenic influence. As sedimentation environments, estuarine and marine sites are more complex than lacustrine basins with multiple sources of sediment input and more energetic conditions in the former. The crucial differences between lacustrine and estuarine/coastal sedimentation environments are mostly related to Fe. P sedimentation is largely governed by Fe redox-reactions in estuarine environments. In freshwaters, presence of Fe is clearly linked to the sedimentation of other lithogenic metals, and therefore P sedimentation and preservation has a more direct linkage to organic matter sedimentation.

Detection,amplification and sequence homology of sodC in clinical isolates of Salmonella sp

Background & objectives: Periplasmic copper and zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn-SOD or SodC) is an important component of the antioxidant shield which protects bacteria from the phagocytic oxidative burst. Cu,Zn-SODs protect Gram-negative bacteria against oxygen damage which have also been shown to contribute to the pathogenicity of these bacterial species. We report the presence of SodC in drug resistant Salmonella sp. isolated from patients suffering from enteric fever. Further sodC was amplified, cloned into Escherichia coli and the nucleotide sequence and amino acid sequence homology were compared with the standard strain Salmonella Typhimurium 14028. Methods: Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) and Salmonellaenterica serovar Paratyphi (S. Paratyphi) were isolated and identified from blood samples of the patients. The isolates were screened for the presence of Cu, Zn-SOD by PAGE using KCN as inhibitor of Cu,Zn-SOD. The gene (sodC) was amplified by PCR, cloned and sequenced. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of sodC were compared using CLUSTAL X.Results: SodC was detected in 35 per cent of the Salmonella isolates. Amplification of the genomic DNA of S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi with sodC specific primers resulted in 519 and 515 bp amplicons respectively. Single mutational difference at position 489 was observed between thesodC of S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi while they differed at 6 positions with the sodC of S. Typhimurium 14028. The SodC amino acid sequences of the two isolates were homologous but 3 amino acid difference was observed with that of standard strain S. Typhimurium 14028.Interpretation & conclusions: The presence of SodC in pathogenic bacteria could be a novel candidate as phylogenetic marker.

Cerebroprotective activity of Wedelia calendulacea on global cerebral ischemia in rats

The present study was to investigate the effect of W. calendulacea on ischemia and reperfusion-induced cerebral injury. Cerebral ischemia was induced by occluding right and left common carotid arteries (global cerebral ischemia) for 30 min followed by reperfusion for 1 h and 4 h individually. Various biochemical alterations, produced subsequent to the application of bilateral carotid artery occlusion (BCAO) followed by reperfusion viz. increase in lipid peroxidation (LPO), hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), and decrease in reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), level in the brain tissue, Western blot analysis (Cu-Zn-SOD and CAT) and assessment of cerebral infarct size were measured. All those enzymes are markedly reversed and restored to near normal level in the groups pre-treated with W. calendulacea (250 and 500 mg/kg given orally in single and double dose/day for 10 days) in dose-dependent way. The effect of W. calendulacea had increased significantly the protein expression of copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu-Zn-SOD) and CAT in cerebral ischemia. W. claendulacea was markedly decrease cerebral infarct damages but results are not statistically significant. It can be concluded that W. calendulacea possesses a neuroprotective activity against cerebral ischemia in rat.

钠原子激光增强电离光谱研究—以石墨杯为原子化器 原子吸收光谱法对发样中Zn、Cu、Mn、Ap的测定

、I钠原子激光增强电离光谱(LEIS)方法的研究-以石墨杯为原子化器在LEIS方法中，最常见的原子化器是火焰。但由于火焰背景噪声严重且难以克服，在火焰原子化过程中，雾化和热离解不充分，仅有10~(-2)%的分析溶液参与吸收以及火焰气体使测定元素受到高度稀释等不利因素的影响，火焰原子化限制了LEIS方法灵敏度的进一步提高。考虑到石墨炉原子化器较火焰具有取样量少，绝对灵敏度高；样品（包括固态、液态）可直接引入石墨炉内；不会发生如同火焰中所存在的干扰效应；蒸发效率和原子化效率较高，几乎全部样品都能参与吸收等优点，本工作在已建立火焰LEIS方法的实验基础上，将原子化器改换为石墨杯进行了钠原子LEIS方法的研究。到目前为止，国内外仅有的几篇有关石黑炉LEIS的研究报告中，都报导了该方法对钠原子的检出限估计可达到10~(-14)-10~(-15)克，由于此项研究尚处于探索性研究阶段，故有关方法性的系统研究几乎还未见报导。本工作在未使用任何放大器的情况下（实验条件限制）对影响钠原子LEIS信号强度的诸因互进行了实验观察。主要包括：钠原子化条件；激光束位置、阳极电压、激光输出能量、电极位置以及激光脉冲重复率对LEIS信号强度的影响等。并绘制了校准曲线，统计方法的相对标准偏差分别为11%（高浓度）18.2%（低浓度），在现有仪器条件下，还不能测出检出限，测定下限为3*10~(-9)克。对固体粉末直接进行了尝试，检测下限为5*10~(-8)克，进样是为5毫克。在进一步的研究工作中，如有条件使用低噪声的放大器及Bxear积分器，选择门检时间窗，或采用分步激发等手段，估计本方法定会达到预想的高灵敏度，检敏度至少提高了个数量级。对石墨炉原子化LEIS法来说，似比较详细的研究报告，截至实验停止时还未见报导。II原子吸收光谱法对发样中Zn、Cu、Mn、Al的测定发中微量元素ZN、Cu、Mn均属人体必需元素，与人体的生长发育和多种生理功能，临床医学等方面有着极为密切的关系，而Al则被认为是异致某种疾病的元素之一。本工作报告了用火焰法测定Zn、Cu；石墨炉法测定Al、Mn的结果，其中，对Al的测定，为摆脱基体干扰，加入改进剂Mg(NO_3)_2，并采用平台石墨炉进行试验，得到了线性较好的工作曲线，但在实际测定时，由于实验条件的限制，只能采用一般石墨管加基体改进剂对少娄样品中Al含量进行测定。Zn、Cu、Al三种元素由标准曲线法测定；而Mn由于Fe的干扰无法消除而采用标准加入法测定，并因此限制了测定样品数。Cu、ZN、Mn三种元素的回收率分别为102.8%, 99.7%, 102.5%，变异系数为9.6%, 11.3%, 9.7%，对本地居民发中（30个发样）Zn、Cu含量进行测定，Zn、Cu的含量范围为148-318ppm，7.2-15ppm，并计算了Zn/Cu比。本方法对发样中四种元素的测定结果与ICP法进行对照。两种方法测定结果吻合得较好。

Theoretical studies on the reaction mechanism of oxidation of primary alcohols by Zn/Cu(II)-phenoxyl radical catalyst

The catalytic mechanism for the oxidation of primary alcohols catalyzed by the two functional models of galactose oxidase (GOase), M-II L (M = Cu, Zn; L = N,N'-bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-hydroxyphenyl)1-2-diiminoquinone)), has been studied by use of the density functional method B3LYP The catalytic cycle of Cu- and Zn-catalysts consists of two parts, namely, substrate oxidation (primary alcohol oxidation) and O-2 reduction (catalyst regeneration). The catalytic mechanisms have been studied for the two reaction pathways (route 1 and route 2). The calculations indicate that the hydrogen atom transfer within the substrate oxidation part is the rate-determining step for both catalysts, in agreement with the experimental observation.

Physiological and immune responses of zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri to the acute viral necrobiotic virus infection

The Zhikong Scallop, Chlamys farreri, is one of the most Important bivalve mollusks cultured in northern China However, mass mortality of the cultured C farreri has posed a serious threat to the maricultural Industry in recent years. Acute Viral Necrobiotic Virus (AVNV) is believed as an important etiological agent causing the scallop mass mortalities To understand the mechanism behind the AVNV associated scallop disease and mortality, we assessed the physiological and immune responses of C farreri to the virus infection using oxygen consumption rate, ammonium-nitrogen excretion rate, hemocyte copper, zinc superoxide dismutase gene expression, and plasma superoxide dismutase activity and alkaline phosphatase activity as indicators Scallops challenged by AVNV at 25 C developed typical disease signs 2 days after virus injection Before the disease manifested, scallop oxygen consumption and NH4+-N excretion rates rose and then fell back. Real-time PCR revealed that the hemocyte cytosol Cu, Zn SOD gene expression was upregulated followed by recovery The plasma SOD activity, however, augmented consistently following virus injection Moreover, plasma AKP activity first lowered and then elevated gradually to the highest level at 24 h post virus injection Scallops challenged by AVNV at 17 degrees C neither developed notable disease nor showed obvious responses that could be associated with the virus infection. While the results suggested a correlation between the elevated seawater temperature and the AVNV infection associated C farreri mortalities, they also indicated that the viral infection provoked multiple physiological and immune responses in the host scallops (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved

栉孔扇贝抗氧化酶基因的克隆与表达分析

扇贝是我国海水养殖的重要品种，但自1994年以来，养殖扇贝陆续爆发的大规模死亡，不但造成了巨大的经济损失，而且直接威胁到现有产业的生存和发展。扇贝病害的不断爆发以及病因的多样性迫切要求制定新的疾病防治措施和开发新型的抗菌物质。因此，深入研究扇贝免疫防御机制，探讨提高机体抗病力的有效途径和方法，改良种质和培育抗病品系，无疑是解决目前困扰扇贝养殖业健康可持续发展的必经之路。 抗氧化酶可以清除活性氧，是维持机体内氧环境平衡，抵抗外界环境影响的重要免疫因子。本研究采用大规模 EST 测序方法和同源克隆的方法，结合 cDNA 末端快速扩增（RACE）技术，从栉孔扇贝中克隆到了超氧化物岐化酶(Superoxide dismutase，SOD)、过氧化氢酶(Catalase，CAT)、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（Glutathione peroxidase，GPX）等抗氧化酶基因的全长 cDNA序列，并对其基因结构进行了分析。同时，用实时定量PCR方法对这三个基因在健康扇贝血淋巴细胞、肾、鳃、肌肉、性腺等组织和在分别用鳗弧菌，溶壁微球菌和假丝酵母处理扇贝后不同时间段的表达差异情况进行了研究。 超氧化物歧化酶基因CfSOD的cDNA 全长为1022 bp，其中开放阅读框（Open Reading Frame, ORF）含有 459 bp，编码 153个氨基酸残基，无信号肽，为胞内蛋白。经BLASTP分析发现，CfSOD与其它动物具有较高的同源性。CfSOD中存在两个Cu/Zn-SOD的签名序列；另外Cu结合必须氨基酸(His-45，-47，-62 和-119)和Zn结合必须氨基酸(His-62，-70，-79和Asp-82)在CfSOD中保守。实时定量PCR 检测发现，CfSOD在鳃、血细胞和肾中有较高的表达。在鳗弧菌和溶壁微球菌刺激后，CfSOD的相对表达量逐渐下降，然后分别在32小时和16小时的时候恢复到刺激前的表达水平。在假丝酵母刺激后，CfSOD的mRNA表达没有显著差异。 栉孔扇贝过氧化氢酶基因CfCAT的cDNA全长为3146 bp，其中开放阅读框含有1521bp，编码507个氨基酸残基，无信号肽，为胞内蛋白。经BLASTP分析发现，CfCAT与其它动物具有较高的同源性。 CfCAT中存在过氧化氢酶近端活性位点和过氧化氢酶近端血红素配体签名序列，另外存在两个糖基化位点 NFS和 NFT，同时在CfCAT 的C末端存在过氧化物酶体定位信号AQL，为典型过氧化氢酶。实时定量PCR 检测发现，健康的扇贝中CfCAT在鳃和性腺中有较高的表达。CfCAT基因在鳗弧菌刺后表达升高，在4小时达到最高，约是刺激前表达量的6.8倍（P<0.05），后随着时间的变化而逐渐下降。在8小时表达量达到为刺激前表达量的1.3倍（P<0.05），在16和32小时略高于刺激前的水平。在溶壁微球菌刺激后CfCAT基因表达量也呈上升趋势，在刺激后4小时达到刺激前表达量的约2倍，然后有所下降，在16 小时又上升到刺激前表达量的2.9倍。CfCAT基因在假丝酵母刺激后的表达略有升高，4小时约是刺激前的1.2倍（P<0.05），在其他时间段变化不明显。 栉孔扇贝谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶基因CfGPX的cDNA 全长为1290 bp，其中开放阅读框含有705bp，编码235个氨基酸残基，有一个24核苷酸的信号肽序列。经BLASTP 分析发现，CfSOD与其它动物具有较高的同源性。CfGPX中发现谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶活性位点的签名序列， 另外发现硒半胱氨酸和硒半胱氨酸插入序列，为含硒型谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶。实时定量PCR 检测发现，未经处理的扇贝中CfGPX在性腺、肌肉、血和肾中有较高的表达。CfGPX基因在鳗弧菌刺后表达量快速上升，在6 小时的时候表达量达到最高，为刺激前的4.0倍（P>0.05），后随着时间的变化而逐渐下降。在溶壁微球菌刺激后CfGPX在前6小时表达略有降低，在6小时的时候表达量为刺激前的0.5倍（P<0.05），后随着时间的变化而逐渐升高。在16小时的时候表达量为刺激前的2.1倍（P<0.05）。在假丝酵母刺激后， CfGPX的表达量略有下降在8小时的时候表达量为刺激前的0.8倍（P<0.05）。 实验证明栉孔扇贝的超氧化物歧化酶基因CfSOD，过氧化氢酶基因CfCAT，谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶基因CfGPX基因在机体抵抗外界微生物刺激中起到了重要的作用。

Concentrations of Cadmium and Zinc in Seawater of Bohai Bay and Their Effects on Biomarker Responses in the Bivalve Chlamys farreri

Both in-field chemical investigation and in the laboratory toxic tests were carried out to systematically understand the pollution status of cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) in Bohai Bay. Samples collected from surface seawater were determined to describe the distributions of Cd and Zn in Bohai Bay. The average values in our study of Cd and Zn were 0.15 mu g/L and 19.68 mu g/L, respectively. Both of them were lower than the first class limit of seawater quality standard in China. In the laboratory, antioxidant enzymes [SOD (Cu/Zn-SOD, Mn-SOD), CAT], lipid peroxidation (MDA), phase I and phase II enzymes (CYP4501A and GST) were investigated in the bivalves Chlamys farreri exposed to Cd and Zn at the concentration levels of Bohai Bay seawater, which were obtained from our in-field investigation. The reduced SOD, CAT, and EROD (7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase) activities (with the inhibitory rate of 16.8%, 31.5%, and 51.6%, respectively) in Cd treatment were observed and resulted in obvious lipid peroxidation damage. However, treatment of Zn showed elevations in SOD and GST by 13.3% and 29.9%, respectively, and with no influence on lipid peroxidation. In summary, seawater quality in Bohai Bay seawater was ranked as good in general, but it seemed that Cd might possess a potential environmental risk by effecting pro-oxidant/antioxidant balance and phase I detoxification in C. farreri.

Two potential clinical applications of the alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis assay .1. Human bladder washings and transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder .2. Human sperm and male infertility

Part 1: The alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay was used to analyse the integrity and DNA content of exfoliated cells extracted from bladder washing specimens from 9 transitional cell carcinoma patients and 15 control patients. DNA damage, as expressed by % tail DNA and tail moment values, was observed to occur in cells from both control and bladder cancer samples. The extent of the damage was, however, found to be significantly greater in the cancer group than in the control group. Comet optical density values were also recorded for each cell analysed in the comet assay and although differences observed between tumour grades were not found to be statistically significant, the mean comet optical density value was observed to be greater in the cancer group than in the control population studied, These preliminary results suggest that the comet assay may have potential as a diagnostic tool and as a prognostic indicator in transitional cell carcinoma, Part 2: Baseline DNA damage in sperm cells from 13 normozoospermic fertile males, 17 normozoospermic infertile males and 11 asthenozoospermic infertile males were compared using a modified alkaline comet assay technique. No significant difference in the level of baseline DNA damage was observed between the 3 categories of sperm studied; however the untreated sperm cells were observed to display approximately 20% tail DNA. This is notably higher than the background DNA damage observed in somatic cells where the % tail DNA is normally less than 5%. Sperm from the 3 groups of men studied were also compared for sensitivity to DNA breakage, using the modified alkaline comet assay, following X-ray irradiations (5, 10 and 30 Gy) and hydrogen peroxide treatments (40, 100 and 200 mu M). Significant levels of X-ray-induced damage were found relative to untreated control sperm in the two infertile groups following 30 Gy irradiation. Significant damage in hydrogen peroxide-treated sperm was observed in sperm from fertile samples, at 200 mu M and in infertile samples at 100- and 200-mu M doses relative to controls. These results therefore indicate that fertile sperm samples are more resistant to X-ray- and hydrogen peroxide-induced DNA breakage than infertile samples. Further studies involving greater numbers of individuals are currently in progress to confirm these findings.

Integration of geochemical and biological modifications in mining areas: waters, sediments and diatoms

The development of mining activities over thousands of years in the region of Aljustrel is nowadays visible as a vast area of ore tailings, slag and host rocks of sulphides mineralization. The generation of acidic waters by the alteration of pyritic minerals - Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) - causes a significant impact on the river system both in the south of the village (Rib ª. Água Forte) and in the north of it (Rib ª. Água Azeda and Barranco do Farrobo), which is reflected in extremely low pH values (< 3) and high concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn and sulphates. This study aimed to assess the environmental impacts extent, integrating geochemical (surface waters and stream sediments) and biological (diatoms) parameters. Three groups of sites were defined, based on sediments and water analysis, which integration with diatom data showed the same association of groups: Group 1- impacted, with acidic pH (1.9-5.1), high metal contents (0.4-1975 mg L-1) and Fe-Mg-sulphate waters, being metals more bioavailable in waters in cationic form (Me2+); mineralogically the sediments were characterized by phyllosilicates and sulphates/oxy-hydroxysulphate phases, easily solubilized, retaining a high amount of metals when precipitated; dominant taxon was Pinnularia aljustrelica (a new species); Group 2- slightly impacted, weak acid to neutral pH (5.0-6.8), metal contents not so high (0.2-25 mg L-1) and Fe-Mg-sulphate to Mg-chloride waters; dominant taxa were Brachysira neglectissima and Achnanthidium minutissimum; Group 3- unimpacted, alkaline pH (7.0-8.4), low metal contents (0-7 mg L-1) with Mg-chloride waters. In this group, metals were associated to the primary phases (e.g. sulphides), not so easily available; the existence of high chloride contents explained the presence of typical taxa of brackish/marine (e.g. Entomoneis paludosa) waters. Taxonomical aspects of the diatoms were studied (discovery of a new species: Pinnularia aljustrelica Luis, Almeida et Ector sp. nov.), as well as morphometric (size decrease of diatoms valves, as well as the appearance of deformed valves of Eunotia exigua in Group 1 and A. minutissimum in Group 2) and physiological (effective to assess the effects of metals/acidity in the photosynthetic efficiency through PAM Fluorometry) aspects. A study was carried out in an artificial river system (microcosm) that aimed to mimic Aljustrel’s extreme conditions in controlled laboratory conditions. The chronic effects of Fe, SO42- and acidity in field biofilms, inoculated in the artificial rivers, were evaluated as well as their contribution to the communities’ tolerance to metal toxicity, through acute tests with two metals (Cu and Zn). In general, the effects caused by low pH values and high concentrations of Fe and SO42- were reflected at the community level by the decrease in diversity, the predominance of acidophilic species, the decrease in photosynthetic efficiency and the increase of enzymatic (e.g. catalase, superoxide dismutase) and non-enzymatic activities (e.g. total glutathione and total phytochelatins). However, it was possible to verify that acidity performed a protective effect in the communities, upon Cu and Zn addition. A comparative study between Aljustrel mining area and New Brunswick mining area was carried out, both with similar mining and geological conditions, reflected in similar diatom communities in both mines, but in very different geographic and climatic areas.

Effects of active pharmaceutical ingredients in mussel mytilus galloprovincialis

More than 3000 types of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are applied in Human and veterinary medicine practice. These compounds are considered an emergent class of environmental contaminants with the ability to cause damage and unexpected effects to aquatic organisms, namely in species of high commercial value. APIs are ubiquitous in the environment being frequently detected in influents and effluents of waste water treatment plants (WWTPs), surface waters and more distressingly in the public tap water in concentrations ranging from ng to μg.L-1. Considering these premises, the present thesis focused on APIs detection in the Arade river water, the impact of summer period in APIs’ concentration alterations applying the passive sampler device, POCIS (polar organic compound integrative sampler), as well as, the assessment of the effects caused by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) ibuprofen (IBU) and diclofenac (DCF) and antidepressant selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine as single and mixture exposures along with a classical contaminant copper (Cu) on a non-target species, mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. For this purpose, a multibiomarker approach was applied namely including biomarkers of oxidative stress (antioxidant enzymes activities of superoxide dismutase – SOD, catalase – CAT, glutathione reductase – GR and Phase II glutathione-S-transferase), damage - lipid peroxidation (LPO), neurotoxic effects (through the activity of acetylcholinesterase enzyme - AChE) and endocrine disruption (through vitellogenin-like proteins measurement applying the indirect method of alkali-labile phosphate - ALP) after exposure of mussel species’ to selected APIs at environmental relevant concentrations. The main results highlighted the occurrence of 19 APIs in the river Arade from several distinct therapeutic classes. Stimulant caffeine, antiasthmatic theophylline, NSAID ibuprofen and analgesic paracetamol presented the highest concentrations. Summer impact was inconclusive due to each API transient concentration in each month. The multibiomarker results revealed distinct responses towards each selected API (as single exposure or as mixtures) that were tissue and time dependent. Several multistressor interactions were proposed for each biomarker. The results also revealed APIs potential to induce oxidative stress, LPO, neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption even at extremely low concentrations on a species extremely vulnerable to APIs presence highlighting the urgency on the development of methodologies able to prevent its entrance in the aquatic environment.

Free radicals, metals and antioxidants in oxidative stress-induced cancer

Oxygen-free radicals, more generally known as reactive oxygen species (ROS) along with reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are well recognised for playing a dual role as both deleterious and beneficial species. The "two-faced" character of ROS is substantiated by growing body of evidence that ROS within cells act as secondary messengers in intracellular signalling cascades, which induce and maintain the oncogenic phenotype of cancer cells, however, ROS can also induce cellular senescence and apoptosis and can therefore function as anti-tumourigenic species. The cumulative production of ROS/RNS through either endogenous or exogenous insults is termed oxidative stress and is common for many types of cancer cell that are linked with altered redox regulation of cellular signalling pathways. Oxidative stress induces a cellular redox imbalance which has been found to be present in various cancer cells compared with normal cells; the redox imbalance thus may be related to oncogenic stimulation. DNA mutation is a critical step in carcinogenesis and elevated levels of oxidative DNA lesions (8-OH-G) have been noted in various tumours, strongly implicating such damage in the etiology of cancer. It appears that the DNA damage is predominantly linked with the initiation process. This review examines the evidence for involvement of the oxidative stress in the carcinogenesis process. Attention is focused on structural, chemical and biochemical aspects of free radicals, the endogenous and exogenous sources of their generation, the metal (iron, copper, chromium, cobalt, vanadium, cadmium, arsenic, nickel)-mediated formation of free radicals (e.g. Fenton chemistry), the DNA damage (both mitochondrial and nuclear), the damage to lipids and proteins by free radicals, the phenomenon of oxidative stress, cancer and the redox environment of a cell, the mechanisms of carcinogenesis and the role of signalling cascades by ROS; in particular. ROS activation of AP-1 (activator protein) and NF-kappa B (nuclear factor kappa B) signal transduction pathways, which, in turn lead to the transcription of genes involved in cell growth regulatory pathways. The role of enzymatic (superoxide dismutase (Cu. Zn-SOD. Mn-SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase) and non-enzymatic antioxidants (Vitamin C, Vitamin E, carotenoids, thiol antioxidants (glutathione, thioredoxin and lipoic acid), flavonoids, selenium and others) in the process of careinogenesis as well as the antioxidant interactions with various regulatory factors, including Ref-1, NF-kappa B, AP-1 are also reviewed. 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.