In vitro genotoxicity of wastewaters from the town of Settat, Morocco

In recent years, the town of Settat has seen a considerable industrial growth, which has resulted in increased environmental pollution. This includes pollution by household and industrial wastewaters, which are released into the Boumoussa River without any preliminary treatment. The river valley crosses the community of Mzamza 8 km to the north of the town. Years of drought forced members of the community to use this polluted ground water for irrigation and put themselves and the environment at risk. The aim of this study was to determine the physicochemical and metal profile of Settat wastewaters and to assess their impact on the water table. The second objective was to investigate the genotoxic potential of wastewater on human peripheral blood lymphocytes in vitro, using the micronucleus test and cellular proliferation index. This study demonstrated significant pollution of Boumoussa valley groundwater and of the local wells. Sampled water induced a clear increase in the frequency of micronucleated cells and a lower cell proliferation in human peripheral blood lymphocytes in vitro.Nagli industrijski razvoj u gradu Settatu posljednjih je godina rezultirao povećanim onečišćenjem okoliša, osobito putem otpadnih voda iz kućanstava i industrije. Te se otpadne vode bez ikakve prethodne obrade odlažu u dolinu rijeke Boumoussa na području zajednice Mzamza, 8 km sjeverno od grada. Uzastopne sušne sezone lokalnoj su zajednici nametnule potrebu za uporabom tih voda za navodnjavanje, čime su i zajednica i okoliš postali izloženi povećanim rizicima od onečišćenja tla i izvora podzemnih voda. Svrha ovog istraživanja bila je provesti fi zikalno-kemijsku karakterizaciju i utvrđivanje sadržaja metala u otpadnim vodama grada Settata te procijeniti njihove učinke na gornji sloj podzemnih voda. Ujedno je istraživan genotoksični potencijal otpadnih voda u uvjetima in vitro na limfocitima periferne krvi čovjeka primjenom mikronukleusnog testa i proliferacijskog indeksa. Istraživanje je potvrdilo visok stupanj onečišćenja vodâ u dolini Boumoussa, kao i vodâ iz bunara smještenih u neposrednoj blizini. Štetni su učinci onečišćenja potvrđeni i na osnovi povišene učestalosti stanica s mikronukleusima te snižene vrijednosti proliferacijskog indeksa u limfocitima periferne krvi u uvjetima in vitro

Changes on metabolic parameters induced by acute cannabinoid administration (CBD, THC) in a rat experimental model of nutritional vitamin A deficiency

Introduction: Vitamin A deficiency can result from malnutrition, malabsorption of vitamin A, impaired vitamin metabolism associated with liver disease, or chronic debilitating diseases like HIV infection or cancer. Background & aims: Cannabis administration has been described as a palliative symptom management therapy in such pathological stages. Therefore, this research aimed to study the effects of acute administration of cannabidiol (CBD) or thetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on the levels of retinol in plasma and in the liver, and biochemical parameters related to lipid and glucose metabolism (cholesterolaemia, triglyceridemia and glycemia) in a rat experimental model of vitamin A deficiency. Methods: The experimental animal model of Vitamin A deficiency was developed during a 50-day experimental period in which rats consumed a vitamin A-free diet. Cannabidiol (10 mg/kg body weight) or thetrahydrocannabinol (5 mg/kg body weight) were administered intraperitoneally 2 hours prior to sacrifice of the animals. Results: The nutritional deficiency caused a significant decrease in plasmatic and liver contents of retinol and biochemical parameters of glycemic, lipidic, and mineral metabolism. Acute intraperitoneal administration of Cannabidiol and thetrahydrocannabinol did not improve the indices of vitamin A status in either control or vitamin A-deficient rats. However, it had a significant effect on specific biochemical parameters such as glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol. Conclusion: Under our experimental conditions, the reported effects of cannabinoid administration on certain signs of nutritional vitamin A deficiency appeared to be mediated through mechanisms other than changes in retinol metabolism or its mobilization after the acute administration of such compounds

Protective Role of Native Rhizospheric Soil Microbiota Against the Exposure to Microcystins Introduced into Soil-Plant System via Contaminated Irrigation Water and Health Risk Assessment

Microcystins (MCs) produced in eutrophic waters may decrease crop yield, enter food chains and threaten human and animal health. The main objective of this research was to highlight the role of rhizospheric soil microbiota to protect faba bean plants from MCs toxicity after chronic exposure. Faba bean seedlings were grown in pots containing agricultural soil, during 1 month under natural environmental conditions of Marrakech city in Morocco (March–April 2018) and exposed to cyanobacterial extracts containing up to 2.5 mg·L−1 of total MCs. Three independent exposure experiments were performed (a) agricultural soil was maintained intact “exposure experiment 1”; (b) agricultural soil was sterilized “exposure experiment 2”; (c) agricultural soil was sterilized and inoculated with the rhizobia strain Rhizobium leguminosarum RhOF34 “exposure experiment 3”. Overall, data showed evidence of an increased sensitivity of faba bean plants, grown in sterilized soil, to MCs in comparison to those grown in intact and inoculated soils. The study revealed the growth inhibition of plant shoots in both exposure experiments 2 and 3 when treated with 2.5 mg·L−1 of MCs. The results also showed that the estimated daily intake (EDI) of MCs, in sterilized soil, exceeded 2.18 and 1.16 times the reference concentrations (0.04 and 0.45 µg of microcysin-leucine arginine (MC-LR). Kg−1 DW) established for humans and cattle respectively, which raises concerns about human food chain contamination