Detection and exposure assessment of pesticide residues in leek in He’nan Province

ObjectiveTo evaluate the health risk of pesticide exposure from leek， the pesticide residue in leek from Henan market was investigated.MethodsThe residues of 16 pesticides in leek sold on Henan market in 2020 were detected and analyzed. According to health guidance values such as food consumption data of the World Health Organization， acute reference dose formulated by Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues and adaptable daily intake in “National food safety standard-Maximum residue limits for pesticides in food”， the acute and chronic exposure risks of pesticide residues in leek were evaluated by point assessment method， and the cumulative exposure was evaluated by hazard index method.ResultsThere were many types of pesticide residues in leek samples and 93.81% （424/452） of the samples were positive. 7 of the 14 pesticides exceeded their MRLs， and the violation rate of all samples was 16.15%. The detection of multiple pesticides was relatively serious， and 56.42% of the samples contained more than two pesticide residues. In the acute exposure assessment， the acute risks of carbofuran， procymidone and phorate exceeded the acceptable level. In the chronic exposure assessment， the chronic risk of omethoate exceeded the acceptable level. And insecticide pesticides had cumulative poisoning risk.ConclusionThe situation of pesticide residues in leek in Henan province was relatively prominent. To ensure the safety of agricultural products， it was recommended that the routine monitoring and use of pesticide， especially high-risk pesticides such as omethoate， carbofuran， procymidone and phorate should be strengthened

Optimization on biodistribution and antitumor activity of tripterine using polymeric nanoparticles through RES saturation

Systemic delivery of tripterine (TPR) is challenged by its insoluble property and unsuitable pharmacokinetics. This work aimed to develop polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) combined with the reticuloendothelial system (RES) saturation to improve the in vivo distribution and antitumor activity of TPR. TPR-loaded nanoparticles (TPR-NPs) were prepared by the low-energy emulsification/evaporation method and characterized with particle size, entrapment efficiency, and morphology. The resulting TPR-NPs were 75 nm around in particle size and displayed a sustained drug release in pH 7.4 medium. Pharmacokinetic studies revealed that TPR-NPs had the advantage in bettering the pharmacokinetic properties of TPR over the solution formulation. However, the ameliorative effect on pharmacokinetics was more significant in the case of RES saturation (i.e. preinjection of blank NPs). Preinjection of blank NPs followed by injection of TPR-NPs resulted in higher distribution of TPR into the tumor due to reduced sequestration of TPR-NPs by RES. In tumor-bearing mice (prostatic cancer model), TPR-NPs treatment with RES saturation exhibited a superior antitumor efficacy to free TPR and TPR-NPs alone. It can be concluded that formulating TPR into polymeric NPs in combination with RES saturation is an effective means to address the systemic delivery of TPR

Transcriptome Analysis of Caco-2 Cells upon the Exposure of Mycotoxin Deoxynivalenol and Its Acetylated Derivatives

Deoxynivalenol (DON), 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3-ADON) and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (15-ADON) are type B trichothecenes; one of the major pollutants in food and feed products. Although the toxicity of DON has been well documented, information on the toxicity of its acetylated derivative remains incomplete. To acquire more detailed insight into 3-ADON and 15-ADON, Caco-2 cells under 0.5 µM DON, 3-ADON and 15-ADON treatment for 24 h were subjected to RNA-seq analysis. In the present study, 2656, 3132 and 2425 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were selected, respectively, and were enriched utilizing the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and the Gene Ontology (GO) database. The upregulation of ataxia-telangiectasia mutated kinase (ATM), WEE1 homolog 2 (WEE2) and downregulation of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), minichromosome maintenance (MCMs), cyclin dependent kinase (CDKs), and E2Fs indicate that the three toxins induced DNA damage, inhibition of DNA replication and cell cycle arrest in Caco-2 cells. Additionally, the upregulation of sestrin (SENEs) and NEIL1 implied that the reason for DNA damage may be attributable to oxidative stress. Our study provides insight into the toxic mechanism of 3-ADON and 15-ADON

Fermented Soybean Meal Affects the Reproductive Performance and Oxidative Status of Sows, and the Growth of Piglets

This study aimed to investigate the effect of the fermented soybean meal on the reproductive performance, oxidative stress and colostrum composition of sows, and the growth performance of their progeny. A total of 44 sows were allotted to four dietary groups (n = 11/group). The dietary groups included the basal diet group (control) and the treatment groups in which soybean meal in the basal diet was replaced with 2%, 4%, and 6% fermented soybean meal, respectively. The experimental diets were fed to the sows from the 78th day of gestation to the 21st day of lactation. Replacing soybean meal in the basal maternal diet with the fermented soybean meal decreased the levels of malondialdehyde, cortisol, and 8-iso-prostaglandinF2α in the serum of sows and increased the average weight of piglets on the 14th day and the 21st day after birth. The activity of superoxide dismutase in the serum of sows was increased in the group with 4% fermented soybean meal on the 17th day of lactation. The levels of estrogen and growth factors in the serum of sows were enhanced in the group with 6% fermented soybean meal. In the colostrum, the levels of the protein and the immunoglobulin G were enhanced in the group with 4% fermented soybean meal. In conclusion, replacing the soybean meal in the basal maternal diet with the fermented soybean meal attenuates the oxidative stress status of the gestational and lactational sows, and enhances the average weight of their offspring

Development of a highly sensitive icELISA to detect semicarbazide based on a monoclonal antibody

<div><p>A highly sensitive and specific monoclonal antibody was prepared to detect semicarbazide (SEM). Hapten 4-{[(aminocarbonyl)hydrazono]methyl}benzoic acid (4-CPSEM) was synthesised through the condensation reactions of SEM and 4-carboxybenzaldehyde (4-CBA). The active ester method was employed to couple the hapten to bovine serum albumin, keyhole limpet hemocyanin and ovalbumin (OVA) to obtain conjugates of immunogens and coating antigens. A novel hapten 2-[(aminocarbonyl)hydrazono]acetic acid (SEM-A) was also synthesised from SEM and oxoacetic acid to prepare a heterologous coating antigen (SEM-A-OVA). The linear ranges of inhibition curves in the optimised indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA) method were in the range of 0.0071–0.056 ng mL⁻¹ and 0.018–0.209 ng mL⁻¹ for coating antigens SEM-A-OVA and 4-CPSEM-OVA, respectively. The IC₅₀ was 0.019 ng mL⁻¹ for SEM (SEM in the form of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde semicarbazone) and 0.13 ng mL⁻¹ for 2-nitrobenzaldehyde semicarbazone, both of which were well below the minimum required performance limit of 1 µg·kg⁻¹ set by the European Commission.</p></div

Cinnamaldehyde Resist Salmonella Typhimurium Adhesion by Inhibiting Type I Fimbriae

Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium), a common foodborne pathogen, severely harms the public and food security. Type I fimbriae (T1F) of S. Typhimurium, plays a crucial role in the pathogenic processes; it mediates the adhesion of bacteria to the mannose receptor on the host cell, assists the bacteria to invade the host cell, and triggers an inflammatory response. Cinnamaldehyde is the main ingredient in cinnamon essential oil. In this study, cinnamaldehyde was demonstrated to inhibit the expression of T1F by hemagglutination inhibition test, transmission electron microscopy, and biofilms. The mechanism of cinnamaldehyde action was studied by proteomics technology, PCR and Western blotting. The results showed that cinnamaldehyde can inhibit T1F in S. typhimurium without the growth of bacteria, by regulating the level of expression and transcription of fimA, fimZ, fimY, fimH and fimW. Proteomics results showed that cinnamaldehyde downregulated the subunits and regulators of T1F. In addition, the invasion assays proved that cinnamaldehyde can indeed reduce the ability of S. typhimurium to adhere to cells. The results of animal experiments showed that the colonization in the intestinal tract and the expression levels of inflammatory cytokine were significantly decreased, and the intestinal mucosal immune factors MUC1 and MUC2 were increased under cinnamaldehyde treatment. Therefore, cinnamaldehyde may be a potential drug to target T1F to treat Salmonella infections