53 research outputs found
Processing of leather using deep eutectic solvents
Processing of leather has an historical reputation as a chemically and energetically intensive process that produces large volumes of aqueous waste. Saline pollution combined with heavy-metal, dyes and acid and base streams make leather production an ecologically sensitive industry. The current study shows that a variety of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) may be used for the tanning, fatliquoring and dyeing of animal hides, being particularly useful for mineral (chromium) and vegetable tanning processes. The tanning agents are able to penetrate rapidly into the hide, driven by lyotropic swelling due to their high ionic strength. The samples are shown to have similar tanning agent content to the currently used aqueous chromium(III) sulfate solution; however, the waste metal content is shown to be significantly reduced. Incorporation of the DES Ethaline into the leather significantly alters the swelling properties of the leather increasing the flexibility and ductility of the material, therefore acting in the same manner as a fatliquor that lubricates or plasticizes the fibrous structure of the collagen. Ethaline was also used to transport a lysochromic dye throughout the cross section of the leather, and the hydrophobicity of the dye prevents leaching into the aqueous wash solution. Physical measurements show that leather processed using DESs have similar mechanical properties to that processed using conventional aqueous systems
Melatonin protects against heart ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening
Melatonin, a well-known antioxidant, has been shown to protect against
ischemia-reperfusion myocardial damage. Mitochondrial permeability transition
pore (MPTP) opening is an important event in cardiomyocyte cell death occurring
during ischemia-reperfusion and therefore a possible target for cardioprotection.
In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that melatonin could protect heart
against ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting MPTP opening. Isolated perfused
rat hearts were subjected to global ischemia and reperfusion in the presence or
absence of melatonin in a Langerdoff apparatus. Melatonin treatment significantly
improves the functional recovery of Langerdoff hearts on reperfusion, reduces the
infarct size, and decreases necrotic damage as shown by the reduced release of
lactate dehydrogenase. Mitochondria isolated from melatonin-treated hearts are
less sensitive than mitochondria from reperfused hearts to MPTP opening as
demonstrated by their higher resistance to Ca(2+). Similar results were obtained
following treatment of ischemic-reperfused rat heart with cyclosporine A, a known
inhibitor of MPTP opening. In addition, melatonin prevents mitochondrial NAD(+)
release and mitochondrial cytochrome c release and, as previously shown,
cardiolipin oxidation associated with ischemia-reperfusion. Together, these
results demonstrate that melatonin protects heart from reperfusion injury by
inhibiting MPTP opening, probably via prevention of cardiolipin peroxidation
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