Environmentally oriented control systems

Environmental safety is currently gaining popularity in all areas of human activity. The release of various inorganic and organic chemicals in various industries, textile, pharmaceutical, agricultural and tanneries, is highly toxic to the environment and human health. In order to manage these impacts, it is necessary to prioritize environmental aspects in order to focus on those that will be recognized as more significant and have a greater impact on the environment. The main factors of an environmentally friendly product are production from natural raw materials, in environmentally friendly areas, away from industrial centers. The greening of agricultural activities and the transition of producers to the production of an environmentally friendly product, organic products is relevant, since it is the safety of food raw materials and food products that is one of the main factors determining people's health

Morphology and Chemical Coding of Rat Duodenal Enteric Neurons following Prenatal Exposure to Fumonisins

Fumonisins (FBs), including fumonisin B1 and B2 produced by the fungus Fusarium verticillioides, are widespread mycotoxins contaminating crop plants as well as processed food. The aim of the experiment was to determine whether the exposure of 5-week-old pregnant rats to FBs at 60 mg/kg b.w. (group FB60) or 90 mg/kg b.w. (group FB90) results in morphological changes in the duodenum of weaned offspring, particularly the enteric nervous system (ENS). In addition, the levels of expression of galanin and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) in the ENS were analysed by immunofluorescence in the control and experimental groups of animals. No significant morphological changes in the thickness of the muscle layer or submucosa of the duodenum were noted in group FB60 or FB90. In group FB90 (but not FB60), there was a significant increase in the width of the villi and in the density of the intestinal crypts. Immunofluorescence analysis using neuronal marker Hu C/D showed no significant changes in group FB60 or FB90 in the morphology of the duodenal ENS, i.e., the myenteric plexus (MP) and submucosal plexus (SP), in terms of the density of enteric ganglia in the MP and SP, surface area of MP and SP ganglia, length and width of MP and SP ganglia, surface area of myenteric and submucosal neurons, diameter of myenteric and submucosal neurons, density of myenteric and submucosal neurons, and number of myenteric and submucosal neurons per ganglion. In both groups, there was an increase (relative to the control) in the percentage of Hu C/D-IR/VIP-IR (IR-immunoreactive) and Hu C/D-IR/galanin-IR myenteric and submucosal neurons in the ganglia of both the MP and SP of the duodenum. In addition, in groups FB60 and FB90, there was an increase in the number of nerve fibres showing expression of VIP and galanin in the mucosa, submucosa and circular muscle layer of the duodenum. The results indicate that prenatal exposure to FBs does not significantly alter the histological structure of the duodenum (including the ENS) in the weaned offspring. The changes observed in the chemical code of the myenteric and submucosal neurons in both experimental groups suggest harmful activity of FBs, which may translate into activation of repair mechanisms via overexpression of neuroprotective neuropeptides (VIP and galanin)

The Influence of Prenatal Fumonisin Exposure on Bone Properties, as well as OPG and RANKL Expression and Immunolocalization, in Newborn Offspring Is Sex and Dose Dependent

The current study examined the effects of exposure of pregnant dams to fumonisins (FBs; FB1 and FB2), from the seventh day of pregnancy to parturition, on offspring bone metabolism and properties. The rats were randomly divided into three groups intoxicated with FBs at either 0, 60, or 90 mg/kg b.w. Body weight and bone length were affected by fumonisin exposure, irrespective of sex or dose, while the negative and harmful effects of maternal FBs’ exposure on bone mechanical resistance were sex and dose dependent. The immunolocalization of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-Β ligand (RANKL), in bone and articular cartilage, indicated that the observed bone effects resulted from the FB-induced alterations in bone metabolism, which were confirmed by the changes observed in the Western blot expression of OPG and RANKL. It was concluded that the negative effects of prenatal FB exposure on the general growth and morphometry of the offspring bones, as a result of the altered expression of proteins responsible for bone metabolism, were dose and sex dependent

Effects of Bee Pollen on Growth Performance, Intestinal Microbiota and Histomorphometry in African Catfish

This study aimed to determine the dietary effects of honeybee pollen (BP) on growth parameters, intestinal microbiota, hepatic histoarchitecture, and intestinal histomorphometry of African catfish Clarias gariepinus juveniles. The feeding experiment was carried out in a recirculating aquaculture system under controlled conditions for 21 days to achieve more than a 10-fold increase in weight in fish from the control group. Fish were fed well-balanced commercial feed without any supplements and served as a reference group (group C) and other diets enriched with varying BP levels as 1% (BP1), 2% (BP2), and 3% (BP3). Results showed a significant (p < 0.05) effect of the dietary BP not only on the growth parameters (such as final body weight: 5.0 g to 6.6–7.5 g, weight gain: 0.23 g/d to 0.31–0.35 g/d, body length: 84.7 mm to 93.8–95.9 mm, and specific growth rate: 11.7%/d to 13.1–13.7%/d, group C vs. experimental groups, respectively) but also on the development of beneficially important gut microbiota, such as lactic acid-producing bacteria. In BP-enriched groups, an average of 45% higher body weight gain was observed compared to those reared in the control group. The histological analysis showed that dietary BP may have a positive effect on the development of the intestinal tract and may enhance the absorption of nutrients with the potential ability to maintain a normal hepatic histoarchitecture of the treated African catfish. The results obtained suggest the optimum level of BP additive to feed for African catfish should be 1%