Evaluation of phosphorus distribution and bioavailability in sediments of a subtropical wetland reserve in southeast China

The phosphorus (P) fractions and bioavailable P in the sediments from the Quanzhou Bay Estuarine Wetland Nature Reserve were investigated using chemical extraction methods for the first time to study the distribution and bioavailability of P in the reserve sediments. A hypothesis was presented suggesting that the bioavailable P in the sediments could be evaluated using the P fractions. The total phosphorus (TP), inorganic phosphorus (IP), organic phosphorus (OP), non-apatite phosphorus (NAIP), and apatite phosphorus (AP) contents in the sediments were in the ranges of 303.87–761.59 mg kg⁻¹, 201.22–577.66 mg kg⁻¹, 75.83–179.16 mg kg⁻¹, 28.86–277.90 mg kg⁻¹, and 127.36–289.94 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. The water soluble phosphorus (WSP), readily desorbable phosphorus (RDP), algal available phosphorus (AAP), and NaHCO₃ extractable phosphorus (Olsen-P) contents in the sediments were in the ranges of 0.58–357.17 mg kg⁻¹, 80.77–586.75 mg kg⁻¹, 1.09–24.12 mg kg⁻¹, and 54.96–676.82 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. The correlation analysis results showed that the NAIP was the major component of the bioavailable P and that the impact of the AP on the bioavailable phosphorus may be minimal. Due to the low TP content in the sediments of the Quanzhou Bay Estuarine Wetland Nature Reserve, the potential pollution risks of P in the sediments may not be very high. The results also show that the bioavailable P concentrations in the sediments of the Quanzhou Bay Estuarine Wetland Nature Reserve could not be evaluated by measuring the P fractions and that the hypothesis was untenable.     

Temporal and spatial trends in heavy metal concentrations in the marine mussel Mytilus edulis from the Western Scheldt estuary (The Netherlands)

Since the first North Sea Conference (1984, Bremen), all countries bordering the North Sea made commitments to reduce discharge of hazardous substances into the North Sea. From Belgium and The Netherlands, large reductions (upto 90) in heavy metal emissions from land-based sources have been reported between 1985 and 2000. Recently, some studies in the Western Scheldt estuary (WS) have shown that total metal concentration in the water, sediments and suspended particles have decreased compared to levels in the 70s. However, data on aquatic organisms is still very limited and it is therefore difficult to confirm whether the reductions in pollution input and generally improving water quality in the WS have a corresponding impact on the levels of heavy metals in aquatic organisms. The current study measured metal concentrations in the soft tissues of mussels, Mytilus edulis (known to be good indicators of environmental metal pollution) during the period 1996–2002. Spatial (salinity and pollution gradients), temporal and seasonal variations were also studied. Results showed a down-stream decreasing trend for the metals studied (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) during all sampling campaigns. There was also a significant seasonal effect on tissue metal concentrations, with a peak observed around spring in both WS and the nearby less polluted Eastern Scheldt (ES). On temporal trends, a clear drop of metals in mussels was observed in the early 80s coinciding with the start of the efforts to reduce chemical pollution input into the North Sea. Since those early reductions, metal concentrations in mussels generally remained unchanged upto mid 90s. However, in recent times metal concentration in mussels have increased significantly, for example Cd in 2002 was almost 10 times the values in 1983 and similar to levels seen during the peak in the 70s. Other metals also increased in the 90s also reaching levels seen in the 70s. As there is no indication of recent increase in metal input into the estuary, we suggest that increased metal concentrations observed in mussels in recent years especially in the upper estuary are most likely a result of changes in physical and chemical speciation and metal bioavailability. Such changes may be caused by changes in some water quality parameters in the estuary (i.e. increased dissolved oxygen, concentration of organic matter), resulting in conditions that favour releases of sediment-bound metals into the water column. The relationship between metal content and season showed very similar annual profiles in the polluted WS and less polluted ES. Thus, seasonal variations in metal concentrations appear to be largely controlled by biological processes, while total body burdens are dependent on environmental levels and bioavailability.     

Bioavailability of two organic forms of zinc in comparison to zinc sulphate for weaning pigs fed a diet composed mainly of wheat,barley and soybean meal

This study was performed to compare the bioavailability of two organic zinc compounds, a zinc glycinate complex and a zinc amino acid chelate with that of zinc sulphate in growing pigs fed a basal diet composed mainly of wheat, barley and soybean meal. The experiment included 96 pigs with an average body weight of 8 kg, allotted to ten groups of nine to ten pigs each. The first group received the basal diet, containing 42 mg of native zinc per kg, without zinc supplementation over a period of five weeks. The other nine groups received the basal diet supplemented with 15, 30 or 50 mg of zinc/kg as zinc sulphate, zinc glycinate or the zinc amino acid chelate. Pigs fed the unsupplemented diet had a lower growth performance (body weight gain, feed conversion ratio) than the other nine groups. Supplementation of 15 mg zinc/kg diet (irrespective of zinc form) was sufficient to yield optimum growth performance. Plasma zinc concentration and activity of alkaline phosphatase were rising with increasing zinc supplementation levels up toa maximum reached at a supplementary level of 30 or 50 mg/kg diet for activity of alkaline phosphatase and plasma zinc concentration, respectively. The response of those parameters to zinc supplementation did, however, not differ between thethree zinc compounds considered. The apparent digestibility of zinc from the diet was also not different for the three zinc compounds. In conclusion, these findings show that the bioavailability of the two organic zinc compounds did not differ from that of zinc sulphate in growing pigs fed a diet with wheat, barley and soybean meal as major components.     

Peptides as Active Ingredients: A Challenge for Cosmeceutical Industry

Cosmeceutical field, which merges cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, is nowadays a highly investigated research area, because a scientific demonstration of the claimed bioactivity of new cosmeceutical ingredients is increasingly requested. In fact, an aspect differentiating traditional cosmetics from cosmeceuticals is the identification and characterization of the active ingredients and demonstrating its efficacy in the claimed activity. An interesting group of bioactive cosmeceutical ingredients are peptides, which due to their particular properties, meets most of the requirements presented by the cosmeceutical industry when composing new formulas. In this context, beside bioactivity, two additional aspects have been recently considered, when dealing with peptides as cosmeceutical ingredients: bioavailability and stability. We describe herein novel methods applied in order to enhance peptides skin-penetration and stability, reviewing both scientific articles and patents, issued in the cosmeceutical arena.     

Bioavailability of arsenic in soil and mine wastes of the Tamar valley,SW England

ABSTRACT

The southern part of the Tamar valley area in SW England is highly mineralised and mines in the region were the world's principal producers of tin, copper and arsenic during the mid nineteenth century. The Devon Great Consols Mine, covering 67.6 ha (167 acres) is situated in this area. Residues from the mining activity resulted in unvegetated spoil tips and local soils highly contaminated with As (range 120–52600 μg/g As). Sequential chemical extraction procedures were conducted on eight surface samples (0–15 cm) taken from a 2.0 km long transect from within the mine site to agricultural grassland. The proportion of water extractable As in agricultural top soils was lower (0.05–0.3%) than the values obtained for mine wastes (0.02–1.2%). Arsenic was found to be concentrated in the Fe-organic and residual fractions, which accounted for up 93 % of the total As in mine spoil and nearby soils.     

多孔淀粉负载青蒿素微球的溶出、生物利用度和组织分布研究

探讨多孔淀粉负载青蒿素微球(ART-PS)在体外溶出实验中,相比于青蒿素原药的溶出效果以及在大鼠体内的生物利用度和组织分布规律。在体外溶出实验中,分别在水、人工胃液和人工肠液三种溶出介质中,与青蒿素原药的溶出效果进行比较分析。在体内生物利用度实验中,通过对18只大鼠分别灌胃青蒿素原药与多孔淀粉负载青蒿素微球后,检测不同时间点的血药浓度,考察药物在大鼠体内的吸收和代谢差异。在组织分布规律的研究中,对98只大鼠分别灌胃多孔淀粉负载青蒿素微球和青蒿素原药,在不同时间点检测大鼠心、肝、脾、肺、肾、脑,共6个组织器官中的药物浓度。多孔淀粉负载青蒿素微球的体外溶出率在水、人工胃液、人工肠液中分别是青蒿素原药的4.04、3.59和3.82倍。多孔淀粉负载青蒿素微球在大鼠体内的血药浓度明显高于青蒿素原药,生物利用度提高为青蒿素原药的2.90倍。在组织分布的结果中,多孔淀粉负载青蒿素微球和青蒿素原药都主要分布在心脏和肝脏中,其中多孔淀粉负载青蒿素微球在不同时间各个组织中的相应含量都比原药高。多孔淀粉负载青蒿素微球相比于青蒿素原药,在体外的溶出效果更好,在体内的吸收释放效果更佳,在各组织器官中的药物含量明显高于原药,为解决青蒿素因难溶于水而在实际应用中受限提供了重要的理论依据。     

Arsenic in Agricultural Soils of a Historically Mined and Industrial Region of Southern Serbia and Northern Kosovo: Bioavailability and Uptake by Plants Species Zea mays L. and Solanum tuberosum L.

This article reports the results of a study focused on the presence and bioavailability of arsenic in agricultural soil in the mining and industrial regions of northern Kosovo and southern Serbia, as well as uptake and bioaccumulation of arsenic in two commonly cultivated plant species (Zea mays L. and Solanum tuberosum L.). This area was one of the most important mining districts in Europe. The collected soil samples were subjected to a modified BCR three-step sequential extraction procedure in order to investigate the chemical partitioning of arsenic in the soils. The general distribution of arsenic in various fractions was: exchangeable < reducible < oxidizable fractions. Highest concentrations of total arsenic in soil were found close to industrial facilities and tailing ponds. In addition, fluvisols were significantly more enriched with arsenic than soils at a distance from the river flows. The edible parts of the plant specimen showed different As contents, suggesting that these plant species have different propensities for the uptake and bioaccumulation of arsenic from soil.     

不同有机肥对土壤镉锌生物有效性的影响

在南方典型稻田设置连续4年施用猪粪、鸡粪、稻草的定位试验,监测施用不同有机肥条件下土壤及水稻植株镉(Cd)、锌(Zn)含量的变化,研究有机肥对土壤Cd、Zn活性及其交互作用的影响.结果表明: 施用有机肥(猪粪、鸡粪、稻草)对土壤全Cd、有效态Cd含量及Cd活性皆无显著影响,但有增加土壤Cd全量的趋势,且显著增加土壤全Zn、有效态Zn含量及Zn活性.施用猪粪、鸡粪、稻草皆可降低稻米Cd含量,降Cd效果为猪粪>鸡粪>稻草,猪粪处理水稻稻米、茎、叶Cd含量分别比对照下降37.5%、44.0%、36.4%;鸡粪处理水稻米、茎、叶Cd含量分别比对照下降22.5%、33.8%、22.7%;而稻草处理水稻米Cd含量比对照下降7.5%,但茎、叶Cd含量比对照分别增加8.2%、22.7%;施用猪粪、鸡粪降低稻米Cd含量主要是降低了水稻植株对土壤Cd的富集,而施用稻草则主要是降低了水稻茎Cd向稻米的转运.施用有机肥还增加了水稻茎Zn含量,施用猪粪、鸡粪、稻草的水稻茎Zn含量比单施化肥分别增加53.4%、41.2%、13.9%,但对水稻稻米、叶Zn含量无显著影响.Zn、Cd在土壤、植株茎中皆表现出显著的拮抗作用,土壤及水稻茎Zn含量的增加显著抑制了水稻米、茎、叶对Cd的吸收积累,且随土壤有效态Zn/Cd含量比值的增加,Zn、Cd竞争土壤吸附不是抑制水稻吸收积累Cd的主控因子,而Zn、Cd竞争吸收才是影响水稻吸收积累Cd的主控因子.     

Speciation and Bioavailability Measurements of Environmental Plutonium Using Diffusion in Thin Films

The biological uptake of plutonium (Pu) in aquatic ecosystems is of particular concern since it is an alpha-particle emitter with long half-life which can potentially contribute to the exposure of biota and humans. The diffusive gradients in thin films technique is introduced here for in-situ measurements of Pu bioavailability and speciation. A diffusion cell constructed for laboratory experiments with Pu and the newly developed protocol make it possible to simulate the environmental behavior of Pu in model solutions of various chemical compositions. Adjustment of the oxidation states to Pu(IV) and Pu(V) described in this protocol is essential in order to investigate the complex redox chemistry of plutonium in the environment. The calibration of this technique and the results obtained in the laboratory experiments enable to develop a specific DGT device for in-situ Pu measurements in freshwaters. Accelerator-based mass-spectrometry measurements of Pu accumulated by DGTs in a karst spring allowed determining the bioavailability of Pu in a mineral freshwater environment. Application of this protocol for Pu measurements using DGT devices has a large potential to improve our understanding of the speciation and the biological transfer of Pu in aquatic ecosystems.