Biomonitoring of Human Exposure to Triazine Herbicides

Triazine herbicides are very common and only 0.1 % reach the target pests, while the rest moves into other environmental compartments. Their fate in the environment depends on their movement through the air, water, and soil and on the rate of their degradation or transformation. Triazine compounds may be transformed by water, microorganisms, and sunlight. Widespread use and persistence of triazine herbicides in soil has resulted in contamination of surface, drinking, and even rain water with parent compounds and degradation products, posing a risk to the general population. The metabolism and effects of triazine herbicides have been studied in experimental animals and in experiments in vitro. There are only a few studies of their metabolism and excretion in humans. Agricultural and manufacturing workers are exposed to triazines during application and production. Human exposure is monitored by determining parent compounds and their metabolites in urine. Due to the low concentrations of urinary metabolites in occupationally exposed persons, very sensitive analytical methods are required. This paper describes the structure and properties of symmetric triazine herbicides, their metabolism, and effects in humans and animals and the levels of these compounds in the urine of occupationally exposed persons.Triazine herbicides are very common and only 0.1 % reach the target pests, while the rest moves into other environmental compartments. Their fate in the environment depends on their movement through the air, water, and soil and on the rate of their degradation or transformation. Triazine compounds may be transformed by water, microorganisms, and sunlight. Widespread use and persistence of triazine herbicides in soil has resulted in contamination of surface, drinking, and even rain water with parent compounds and degradation products, posing a risk to the general population. The metabolism and effects of triazine herbicides have been studied in experimental animals and in experiments in vitro. There are only a few studies of their metabolism and excretion in humans. Agricultural and manufacturing workers are exposed to triazines during application and production. Human exposure is monitored by determining parent compounds and their metabolites in urine. Due to the low concentrations of urinary metabolites in occupationally exposed persons, very sensitive analytical methods are required. This paper describes the structure and properties of symmetric triazine herbicides, their metabolism, and effects in humans and animals and the levels of these compounds in the urine of occupationally exposed persons

Fitokemijski sastav mljevene začinske paprike iz istočne Dunavske regije

This study aimed to evaluate the phytochemical composition of sweet and hot ground paprika originating from different production sites in the Eastern Danube Region, i.e. in Croatia, Serbia and Hungary. Obtained results showed that composition and level of metabolites as well as antioxidant activity in paprika samples varied greatly among different locations. For the first time, clear differences in the chemical composition of sweet and hot paprika obtained from two Hungarian wax pepper cultivars produced in three different states of the Eastern Danube region were determined. Averagely, paprika samples from Croatia had the highest carotenoid content but the lowest levels of phenols and flavonoids. The hot paprika samples from Croatia had the highest content of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin. Thus, the results of this investigation indicate that bioactive compounds in paprika can vary greatly depending on their geographical origin. However, this variation can also occur due to different production technology and processing methods. Further investigations and methods need to be employed to determine the factors responsible for variation of content of bioactive compounds in paprika.Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi fitokemijski sastav slatke i ljute začinske paprike podrijetlom iz različitih uzgojnih područja u Istočnoj dunavskoj regiji, tj. u Hrvatskoj, Srbiji i Mađarskoj. Dobiveni rezultati pokazali su kako se sastav i razina metabolita, kao i antioksidacijska aktivnost, u uzorcima začinske paprike značajno razlikuju između različitih uzgojnih područja. Prvi su put istaknute jasne razlike u kemijskome sastavu slatkih i ljutih sorata mađarske paprike proizvedene u tri različite države Istočne dunavske regije. Općenito, uzorci paprike iz Hrvatske imali su najveći sadržaj karotenoida, ali najniže vrijednosti fenola i flavonoida. Uzorci ljute paprike iz Hrvatske imali su najveći sadržaj kapsaicina i dihidrokapsaicina, kao i najviše Scovilleovih jedinica ljutine. Stoga, ovo istraživanje ukazuje na prikladnost određenih uzgojnih područja za dobivanje paprike željenoga kemijskoga sastava. Podatci su vrlo zanimljivi i važni za prehrambeno prerađivačku i farmaceutsku industriju, kao i za usmjeravanje regionalnih proizvođača prema dobivanju kvalitetne mljevene paprike

Dinamika disipacije terbutilazina u tlu tijekom vegetacije kukuruza

Ever since terbuthylazine (TBA) replaced atrazine in herbicide crop treatment, its much greater persistence has raised considerable environmental concern. The aim of our field experiment was to establish the dissipation dynamics of TBA and its degradation product desethylterbuthylazine (DET) in soil over five months of maize growth. We applied TBA as part of pre-emergent treatment in the regular and double-the-regular amounts. Soil samples were collected periodically at the following depths: 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, 20-30 cm, and 30-50 cm. For TBA and DET soil residue analysis we used microwave-assisted extraction with methanol, followed by HPLC-UV/DAD. Regardless of the application rate, more than 80 % of the applied TBA dissipated from the first 50 cm of soil in the two months after herbicide application and 120 mm of rainfall. Three months later (at maize harvest), less than 4 % of total TBA remained in the soil, mostly in the top 20 cm rich with organic carbon on which TBA is likelier to adsorb. The loss of TBA from soil coincided with the rise in DET, especially the top soil layers, during the periods of low rainfall and highest soil temperatures. This points to biodegradation as the main route of TBA dissipation in humic soils. The applied amount had no significant effect on TBA dissipation in the top (humic) layers, but in the layers with less than 1 % of organic carbon, it was higher when the double-the-regular dose was applied.Terensko istraživanje dinamike disipacije herbicida terbutilazina (TBA) i njegova razgradnog produkta deetilterbutilazina (DET) u tlu provodilo se tijekom pet mjeseci proizvodnje kukuruza. Terbutilazin je primijenjen kao zemljišni herbicid u propisanoj dozi i u dvostruko višoj dozi od propisane. Uzorci tla periodično su skupljani pri dubinama 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, 20-30 cm i 30-50 cm. Ostaci herbicida u tlu ekstrahirani su metanolom uz primjenu mikrovalova te analizirani HPLC-UV/DAD sustavom. Bez obzira na dozu, više od 80 % TBA rasipalo se iz prvih 50 centimetara tla dva mjeseca nakon primjene herbicida (nakon 120 mm oborina). Tri mjeseca poslije (nakon žetve kukuruza) u tlu je ostalo manje od 4 % primijenjenog TBA, uglavnom u površinskim humusnim slojevima gdje se može očekivati adsorpcija TBA na organski ugljik. Gubitak TBA iz tla praćen je porastom masenih udjela DET-a, osobito u razdoblju rijetkih oborina i najviših prosječnih temperatura tla. Najviše razine DET-a određene su u humusnim slojevima tla. Postojanost TBA u tlu značajno negativno korelira sa sadržajem humusa, što upućuje na biorazgradnju kao glavni put disipacije TBA u humusnom tlu. Doza herbicida ne utječe značajnije na brzinu disipacije u humusnom sloju tla, ali u tlu s manje od 1 % organskog ugljika može se očekivati brža disipacija TBA pri dvostrukoj nego pri propisanoj dozi

Dinamika disipacije terbutilazina u tlu tijekom vegetacije kukuruza

Ever since terbuthylazine (TBA) replaced atrazine in herbicide crop treatment, its much greater persistence has raised considerable environmental concern. The aim of our field experiment was to establish the dissipation dynamics of TBA and its degradation product desethylterbuthylazine (DET) in soil over five months of maize growth. We applied TBA as part of pre-emergent treatment in the regular and double-the-regular amounts. Soil samples were collected periodically at the following depths: 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, 20-30 cm, and 30-50 cm. For TBA and DET soil residue analysis we used microwave-assisted extraction with methanol, followed by HPLC-UV/DAD. Regardless of the application rate, more than 80 % of the applied TBA dissipated from the first 50 cm of soil in the two months after herbicide application and 120 mm of rainfall. Three months later (at maize harvest), less than 4 % of total TBA remained in the soil, mostly in the top 20 cm rich with organic carbon on which TBA is likelier to adsorb. The loss of TBA from soil coincided with the rise in DET, especially the top soil layers, during the periods of low rainfall and highest soil temperatures. This points to biodegradation as the main route of TBA dissipation in humic soils. The applied amount had no significant effect on TBA dissipation in the top (humic) layers, but in the layers with less than 1 % of organic carbon, it was higher when the double-the-regular dose was applied.Terensko istraživanje dinamike disipacije herbicida terbutilazina (TBA) i njegova razgradnog produkta deetilterbutilazina (DET) u tlu provodilo se tijekom pet mjeseci proizvodnje kukuruza. Terbutilazin je primijenjen kao zemljišni herbicid u propisanoj dozi i u dvostruko višoj dozi od propisane. Uzorci tla periodično su skupljani pri dubinama 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, 20-30 cm i 30-50 cm. Ostaci herbicida u tlu ekstrahirani su metanolom uz primjenu mikrovalova te analizirani HPLC-UV/DAD sustavom. Bez obzira na dozu, više od 80 % TBA rasipalo se iz prvih 50 centimetara tla dva mjeseca nakon primjene herbicida (nakon 120 mm oborina). Tri mjeseca poslije (nakon žetve kukuruza) u tlu je ostalo manje od 4 % primijenjenog TBA, uglavnom u površinskim humusnim slojevima gdje se može očekivati adsorpcija TBA na organski ugljik. Gubitak TBA iz tla praćen je porastom masenih udjela DET-a, osobito u razdoblju rijetkih oborina i najviših prosječnih temperatura tla. Najviše razine DET-a određene su u humusnim slojevima tla. Postojanost TBA u tlu značajno negativno korelira sa sadržajem humusa, što upućuje na biorazgradnju kao glavni put disipacije TBA u humusnom tlu. Doza herbicida ne utječe značajnije na brzinu disipacije u humusnom sloju tla, ali u tlu s manje od 1 % organskog ugljika može se očekivati brža disipacija TBA pri dvostrukoj nego pri propisanoj dozi

Protektivni učinak mladog in vitro češnjaka kod citotoksičnosti inducirane vodikovim peroksidom u stanicama hepatocelularnog karcinoma

Garlic is a valuable source material for medicines due to its known antitumor, hypolipidaemic, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory effects. This study compares the protective effects of conventionally grown (CG) and in vitro propagated garlic (PG) against hydrogen peroxide-induced cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells and their antioxidant activity. Garlic used in this study was obtained by planting garlic cloves or by planting the transplants of PG directly in the field. At the end of the vegetation period, CG and PG were sampled and extracts prepared for the experiment. Compared to conventionally grown garlic bulbs, PG leafy part yielded significantly higher content of polyphenols, flavonoids and alliin, and also showed equal or higher antioxidant activity, measured by the cell viability test, GSH and ROS level. Moreover, PG can be produced in less time (shorter vegetation period) and with significantly less material (cloves). Significantly higher content of alliin, polyphenols, and flavonoids and significantly higher yield of plant biomass in PG has a great potential to become a new production model with improved garlic properties as a medicine material.Češnjak je vrijedan izvor ljekovitih sastojaka te je i dalje vrlo raširen, posebice zbog svojih antitumorskih, hipolipidemičkih, antioksidacijskih i imunomodulatornih svojstava. Ovo istraživanje pokazuje protektivni učinak te antioksidacijsko djelovanje konvencionalno uzgojenog i češnjaka uzgojenog iz in vitro presadnica. Češnjak korišten u ovom istraživanju dobiven je sadnjom češnjeva (CG) ili in vitro presadnica (PG) izravno u tlo. Nakon završetka vegetacije, CG i PG češnjak su uzorkovani te su pripremljeni ekstrakti kako bi se usporedilo njihovo protektivno djelovanje te antioksidacijska aktivnost. Utvrđeno je kako metoda uzgoja koja je rezultirala krajnjim prinosom lukovice kod CG ili nadzemnog dijela kod PG češnjaka značajno utječe na povećanje sadržaja polifenola, flavonoida, antioksidacijski učinak i na sadržaj alina. Također, ispitano je protektivno djelovanje ekstrakata češnjaka na prethodno induciranu citotoksičnost vodikovim peroksidom kod HepG2 stanica. Na temelju testa stanične vijabilnosti, sadržaja GSH i ROS-a utvrđeno je kako PG češnjak može biti jednako ili više učinkovit u svom ljekovitom i antioksidacijskom djelovanju u odnosu na CG češnjak. Nadalje, PG u usporedbi s CG češnjakom može se proizvesti u kraćem vegetacijskom razdoblju, u kojem se ostvaruje veći prinos korištenjem manje originalnog reprodukcijskog materijala (češnjeva). Na kraju, potrebno je istaknuti kako značajno veći sadržaj alina, polifenola i flavonoida, uz istovremeni značajno veći prinos biomase, utvrđen kod PG češnjaka, eventualno donosi novi uzgojni model češnjaka s povećanim sadržajem bioaktivnih komponenti, što poboljšava funkcionalnost češnjaka kao izvora ljekovitih sastojaka

Environmental Monitoring and Analysis of Persistent Organic Pollutants

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are a group of 28 toxic compounds of different chemical classes listed in the Stockholm Convention on POPs, which aims to protect the environment and human health [...

Enrichment and Characterization of Atrazine Degrading Bacterial Communities

The objective of this study was to enrich and evaluate biotransformation activity of atrazine degrading bacterial communities originating from wastewater and soil of the herbicide factory, especially to assess their effectiveness for treatment of effluents from the production of atrazine. The enrichment of atrazine degrading bacteria was carried out in continuous-flow units under the inflow of mineral salts medium containing 25 mg/L of atrazine and 50 mg/L of yeast extract (AMS). After a 2-month cultivation at a dilution rate of 0.1 h–1, the enriched communities showed similar structure (determined by plating on selective agar plates) and similar degradation activity (complete disappearance of atrazine in AMS medium, monitored by HPLC analyses) as well as substantial mineralizing activity (50–60 % of atrazine released as carbon dioxide, determined by TIC analyses). The potential of the enriched communities for atrazine degradation in industrial wastewater was further studied in laboratory batch and continuous experiments with cells, immobilized or free in solution. Atrazine was completely degraded only in wastewater containing 25 % of mineral salts medium with cells free in the solution, while slower and incomplete degradation with accumulation of hydroxyatrazine was achieved with immobilized cells. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the kinetics of atrazine degradation using different carrier materials for inoculum immobilization. Other s-triazine wastewater constituents, deethylatrazine (DEA) and deisopropylatrazine (DIA) were poorly degradable. Batch culture experiments in AMS medium amended with isopropylamine (IPA) and NaCl suggested that high salinity and high content of IPA in the industrial wastewater may be the major factors influencing the growth rate of atrazine degrading community and consequently the kinetics of atrazine degradation

Moss Biomonitoring of Organic Pollutants: Up-to-date Achievments, Needs and Potentials

Air pollution represents a key environmental hazard to human health and disease burden worldwide. Emissions of air contaminants by human activities refer to different classes of organic compounds including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), which are widely known for numerous adverse effects. Characterized as hydrophobic, the pollutants bind to particles in soil and sediment, which can act as a secondary source of pollution for environmental media (water, air and living organisms). Although monitoring of organic pollutants (OPs) is a mandatory and on-going process across Europe and the United States, investigating the behavior of OPs is still challenging, as the available databases lack extensive geographical coverage and appropriate temporal periodicity. Biomonitoring using mosses has been highlighted as an emerging method for the assessment of air pollution, but extensive research has been devoted to the moss biomonitoring of trace elements, whereas less attention has been paid to OPs. In this chapter, we present our research, which aimed to: i) investigate how exposure time affects the moss bag uptake of PAHs; ii) compare different chromatographic techniques for the determination of PAHs in moss samples and iii) provide an overview of the applicable advantages of moss bags over other (bio)monitors and the methodology aspects concerning moss biomonitoring of PAHs. We also present our experience regarding biomonitoring of organochlorines by another frequently used plant species – pine needles. The presented findings could serve as a valuable base for further research supporting moss biomonitoring as a suitable method for the spatio-temporal screening of OP presence in air as well as air quality management in general

Organochlorines burden in moss H. cupressiforme and topsoil across Serbia

Following up-to-date initiatives of the Stockholm Convention, its global monitoring plan, and the International Cooperative Programme on Natural Vegetation and Crops (ICP Vegetation 2015) under the convention on long-range transboundary air pollution, this study examined 17 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and seven organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the moss Hypnum cupressiforme Hedw. and topsoil sampled across Serbia. In the topsoil, OCPs ranged from 0.0158 to 9.6804 ng g−1 while concentrations of individual PCB congeners were in the range between 0.0185 and 0.3107 ng g−1. The levels of OCPs and PCBs in the moss H. cupressiforme ranged from 2.7785 to 23.9501 ng g−1, and from 0.4325 to 15.8013 ng g−1, respectively. POP relationships between topsoil and moss investigated by fugacity model equations indicated that the moss POP enrichment was a result of atmospheric long-range transport rather than secondary reemissions from soil.Supplementary material: [https://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/4796