Influence of zeolite on heavy metal immobilization in municipal solid waste compost contaminated soil

The application of Municipal solid waste as compost (MSWC) in agricultural fields has become one of the most common practices. Besides its benefits, it poses some harmful effects on soil, as it increases the heavy metal content in MSWC of the soil. It is necessary to find a way to reduce the bioavailability of heavy metals in MSWC  before its application into the soil. This study aimed at exploring the efficiency of zeolite as an immobilizer to dwindle heavy metal bioavailability. An incubation experiment was conducted wherein the soil samples were artificially spiked with different rates of MSWC (0, 5, and 10 t ha-1). The zeolite was added to the spiked soil at 5 different levels, namely 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 %, and their effect on bioavailable heavy metal status was observed during different incubation intervals (0, 15. 30, 60, 90, and 120 days). Results unveiled that applying 10% zeolite significantly (P<0.05) reduced the bioavailability of lead (Pb) and nickel (Ni)  to Below the detectable limit (Bdl) in all soil samples. Furthermore, the organic carbon status of soil was also enriched by MSWC and 10% zeolite application. The soil pH slightly increased (7.39) with applying 10% zeolite resulting in the immobilization of heavy metals. Hence, 10% zeolite application was one of the most effective immobilizers in eliminating the bioavailability of heavy metals. Therefore, it can be concluded that mixing zeolite with MSWC before applying it to crop fields can reduce the heavy metal overload in soil. Hence, this study highlights the potential of zeolite as an effective choice in dwindling the soil's bioavailability of heavy metal content

FORMULATION AND PHARMACOKINETIC DETERMINATION OF GALLIC ACID IN EMBLICA OFFICINALIS

Objective: The present work was to formulate oral herbal tablets of Emblica officinalis extract and also with pure gallic acid, further to determine the dosage frequency through pharmacokinetic profiles obtained for the same.Methods: The Emblica officinalis fruits were suitably extracted and the concentration of gallic acid in Emblica officinalis extract was estimated by HPTLC (High-Performance Thin Layer Chromatography) with a comparison to pure form. Tablets were prepared with extract and synthetic form through direct compression technique by varying the process and formulation parameters. The formulated tablets were administered to rabbit models and their pharmacokinetic profile was studied after withdrawing blood samples through HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography).Results: The concentration of gallic acid in Emblica officinalis was found to be 8.21%. The pre and post compression parameters evaluated for the formulated batches found to be within the pharmacopoeial limits. The in vivo pharmacokinetic studies conducted in rabbit models showed that there were no significant differences with p-value between the pharmacokinetic data obtained for pure and extract gallic acid tablets. The Cmax was found to be 4.59±0.95 µg/ml in the extract form which was little low when compared to the pure form of 6.38±1.08 µg/ml. The t1/2 in the extract form was 6.0±0.33 h, whereas it was 4.92±0.36 h in the pure form of gallic acid.Conclusion: The Emblica officinalis extract tablet showed average t1/2 of 6 h, so about every 6 h one tablet compared to 4 h of t1/2 for pure gallic acid tablet can be the dosing frequency for the rabbit.Â

Influence of potassium iodate and chitosan iodate complex on growth, yield, quality and iodine uptake in ‘shivam’ hybrid of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

An iodine biofortification experiment was conducted by applying potassium iodate fertilizer in soil and foliar form and chitosan complex forms to investigate the growth, yield, quality and uptake of iodine in shivam hybrid of tomato in Palaviduthi soil series of Coimbatore region. Soil fertilization alone resulted in lower uptake of iodine in fruits because the iodine is susceptible to high volatilization and less phytoavailability and also resulted in less yield and poor quality of fruits. When the chitosan and potassium iodate were applied in combination through foliar form, the quality of the fruits was found to be superior (carotene-1.24 mg 100gm-1 ascorbic acid- 3.56 mg 100gm-1, titrable acidity-0.96%), with higher fruit yield (94.81 t ha-1) and uptake of iodine in fruits (0.99ppm). Potassium iodate alone, either in the form of soil or foliar application, increased the quality of fruits, but it did not prevent the loss of various pigments and acids during ripening and also the loss of iodine through volatilization. But chitosan conserved the losses by reducing the respiration rate and oxygen permeability. Further, chitosan formed an electrostatic interaction with potassium iodate, preventing volatilisation and gradually increasing the bioavailability of iodine from soil to fruits. Hence biofortifying iodine in the form of potassium iodate chitosan complex was preferred for enhancing yield, improving quality and increasing the iodine content in fruits

Sequence analysis of human T cell lymphotropic virus type I strains from southern India: gene amplification and direct sequencing from whole blood blotted onto filter paper

Human T cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) infection in India has been found to be associated with adult T cell leukaemia/lymphoma (ATLL) and HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) among life-long residents of southern India. To examine the heterogeneity of HTLV-I strains from southern India and to determine their relationship with the sequence variants of HTLV-I from Melanesia, 1149 nucleotides spanning selected regions of the HTLV-I gag, pol, env and pX genes were amplified and directly sequenced from DNA extracted from whole blood blotted onto filter paper and from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, obtained from one patient with HAM/TSP, two with ATLL and eight asymptomatic carriers from Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Sequence alignments and comparisons indicated that the 11 HTLV-I strains from southern India were 99.2% to 100% identical among themselves and 98.7% to 100% identical to the Japanese prototype HTLV-I ATK. The majority of base substitutions were transitions and silent. No frameshifts, insertions, deletions or possibly disease-specific base changes were found in the regions sequenced. The observed clustering of the Indian HTLV-I strains with those from Japan, as determined by the maximum parsimony method, suggested a common source of HTLV-I infection with subsequent parallel evolution. Amplification of DNA from blood specimens collected on filter paper may be useful for the study of other blood-borne pathogens

Impact of Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-1α Deficiency on Atherosclerotic Lesion Formation, Hepatic Steatosis, and Adipose Tissue Expansion

Macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (CCL3) plays a well-known role in infectious and viral diseases; however, its contribution to atherosclerotic lesion formation and lipid metabolism has not been determined. Low density lipoprotein receptor deficient (LDLR−/−) mice were transplanted with bone marrow from CCL3−/− or C57BL/6 wild type donors. After 6 and 12 weeks on western diet (WD), recipients of CCL3−/− marrow demonstrated lower plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations compared to recipients of C57BL/6 marrow. Atherosclerotic lesion area was significantly lower in female CCL3−/− recipients after 6 weeks and in male CCL3−/− recipients after 12 weeks of WD feeding (P<0.05). Surprisingly, male CCL3−/− recipients had a 50% decrease in adipose tissue mass after WD-feeding, and plasma insulin, and leptin levels were also significantly lower. These results were specific to CCL3, as LDLR−/− recipients of monocyte chemoattractant protein−/− (CCL2) marrow were not protected from the metabolic consequences of high fat feeding. Despite these improvements in LDLR−/− recipients of CCL3−/− marrow in the bone marrow transplantation (BMT) model, double knockout mice, globally deficient in both proteins, did not have decreased body weight, plasma lipids, or atherosclerosis compared with LDLR−/− controls. Finally, there were no differences in myeloid progenitors or leukocyte populations, indicating that changes in body weight and plasma lipids in CCL3−/− recipients was not due to differences in hematopoiesis. Taken together, these data implicate a role for CCL3 in lipid metabolism in hyperlipidemic mice following hematopoietic reconstitution

Metabolomic Profiling Reveals Mitochondrial-Derived Lipid Biomarkers That Drive Obesity-Associated Inflammation

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. Several animal models of obesity exist, but studies are lacking that compare traditional lard-based high fat diets (HFD) to “Cafeteria diets" (CAF) consisting of nutrient poor human junk food. Our previous work demonstrated the rapid and severe obesogenic and inflammatory consequences of CAF compared to HFD including rapid weight gain, markers of Metabolic Syndrome, multi-tissue lipid accumulation, and dramatic inflammation. To identify potential mediators of CAF-induced obesity and Metabolic Syndrome, we used metabolomic analysis to profile serum, muscle, and white adipose from rats fed CAF, HFD, or standard control diets. Principle component analysis identified elevations in clusters of fatty acids and acylcarnitines. These increases in metabolites were associated with systemic mitochondrial dysfunction that paralleled weight gain, physiologic measures of Metabolic Syndrome, and tissue inflammation in CAF-fed rats. Spearman pairwise correlations between metabolites, physiologic, and histologic findings revealed strong correlations between elevated markers of inflammation in CAF-fed animals, measured as crown like structures in adipose, and specifically the pro-inflammatory saturated fatty acids and oxidation intermediates laurate and lauroyl carnitine. Treatment of bone marrow-derived macrophages with lauroyl carnitine polarized macrophages towards the M1 pro-inflammatory phenotype through downregulation of AMPK and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Results presented herein demonstrate that compared to a traditional HFD model, the CAF diet provides a robust model for diet-induced human obesity, which models Metabolic Syndrome-related mitochondrial dysfunction in serum, muscle, and adipose, along with pro-inflammatory metabolite alterations. These data also suggest that modifying the availability or metabolism of saturated fatty acids may limit the inflammation associated with obesity leading to Metabolic Syndrome