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Plastic pollution and global warming are widespread issues that lead to several impacts on aquatic organisms. Despite harmful studies on both subjects, there are few studies on how temperature increases plastics’ adverse effects on aquatic animals, mainly freshwater species. So, this study aims to clarify the potential impact of temperature increases on the toxicological properties of polyvinyl chloride nano-plastics (PVC-NPs) in Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ) by measuring biochemical and oxidative biomarkers. The fish groups were subjected to three distinct temperatures (30, 32, and 34 °C) and subsequently separated into two groups: 0 and 10 mg/L of PVC-NPs, as it is expected that these temperatures may modify their chemical properties, which can influence their absorption and toxicity in fish. After 4 days, the biochemical response of fish exposed to PVC-NPs and elevated temperatures showed a significant increase in the levels of plasma total proteins, albumin, globulin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatinine, and uric acid. Additionally, the level of oxidative stress biomarkers in the liver, gills, and brain was found to have a significant increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and a decrease in glutathione reduced (GSH) concentration and catalase (CAT) activity in all studied groups. Finally, the current findings revealed a synergistic cytotoxic effect of PVC-NPs and temperatures on the metabolic and oxidative stress indices of O. niloticus .

Rodents are widely used for animal research in Egypt. Pentobarbital is the most common anesthetic agent; however overdoses may affect the experimental outcomes and limit the use of tissues. To investigate the effects of sodium pentobarbital overdoses during exsanguination, three groups (6 rats/group) of male and female rats were injected i.p. with 50, 100 and 150 mg/kg of sodium pentobarbital, then carotid exsanguination was performed immediately after loss of consciousness. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (Hif1a) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (Tnfa) mRNA expressions in liver and kidney organs were evaluated. As well as, serum aminotransferase activities (AST&ALT), glucose, urea, creatinine, malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT) levels were determined. The histological alterations in liver, kidney and spleen were studied. It was found that Hif1a and Tnfa were significantly overexpressed in the studied organs and serum AST, glucose, creatinine and urea levels were significantly increased after sodium pentobarbital overdoses (100 and 150 mg/kg) compared to 50 mg/kg dose. Similarly, significant increase in MDA and GSH levels of liver, kidney and spleen were noticed. Results showed gender difference where Hif1a and Tnfa levels were significantly overexpressed at high dose of sodium pentobarbital of liver and kidney organs in female more than male rats. Since euthanasia protocol may influence the physiological variables and affect genes’ expression, it is recommended to avoid sodium pentobarbital overdose during euthanasia as it may interfere with the biochemical, molecular and histological measurements.

Background Genetic factors might influence metabolic syndrome (MetS) or any of its components. It was postulated that low density lipoprotein receptor ( LDLR ) gene variants could play a role in cholesterol hemostasis and the development of MetS. However, the causal-effect relationship between such variants and the development of MetS is not clearly identified or even studied before in Saudi Arabian women. This study aims to identify the variants of LDLR exon-4 in Saudi Arabian women with MetS in comparison to healthy women and to assess the expected effect of amino acids alterations on the structure and functions of the LDLR proteins. A total of 208 female Saudi patients with MetS and 104 controls were included in the study. The exon 4 of LDLR gene was studied by DNA sequencing (Sanger) and structural analysis was performed using Project HOPE software. Results Four variants were identified; 2 were missense variants (2.4%; 5/208): (p.D172N and p.D178N) and 2 were nonsense variants (stop gained) (1.44%; 3/208): (p.E140* and p.L135*). Structural analysis of the expected effects of such variants revealed that they might disrupt their interactions with other proteins or biomolecules, additionally, the nonsense variants via expressing a stop codon, these will produce a truncated protein resulting in a defective function of LDL receptor. Conclusions Four variants in the LDLR gene, exon 4 (2 missense and 2 nonsense variants) have been identified and their expected structural effects were assessed in Saudi Arabian women with MetS in Makkah region.

Hemolytic anemia (HA) is a serious health condition resulting from reduced erythrocytes' average life span. Echinochrome (Ech) is a dark-red pigment found in shells and spines of sea urchins. Studying the potential therapeutic effect of Ech on phenylhydrazine (PHZ)-induced HA in rats. Eighteen rats were divided into three groups ( = 6): the control group, the phenylhydrazine-induced HA group and the Ech group, injected intraperitoneally with PHZ and supplemented with oral Ech daily for 6 days. Ech resulted in a considerable increase in RBCs, WBCs, and platelets counts, hemoglobin, reduced glutathione, catalase, and glutathione-S-transferase levels, and a significant decrease in aspartate & alanine aminotransferases, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, bilirubin, creatinine, urea, urate, malondialdehyde & nitric oxide levels in anemic rats. Histopathological examination of liver and kidney tissue samples showed marked improvement. Ech ameliorated phenylhydrazine-induced HA with a hepatorenal protective effect owing to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Aims The Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) is a filter for most medications and blocks their passage into the brain. More effective drug delivery strategies are urgently needed to transport medications into the brain. This study investigated the biodistribution of thymoquinone (TQ) and the effect on enzymatic and non-enzymatic oxidative stress indicators in different brain regions, either in free form or incorporated into nanocarriers as mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs). Lipid bilayer-coated MSNs. Materials and methods MSNs and LB-MSNs were synthesized and characterized using a transmission electron microscope and dynamic light scattering to determine the particle size and zeta potential. TQ encapsulation efficiency and TQ's release profile from LB-MSNs were also examined. The impact of loading LB-MSNs with TQ-on-TQ delivery to different brain areas was examined using chromatographic measurement. Furthermore, nitric oxide, malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione, and catalase were evaluated as oxidant and antioxidant stress biomarkers. Key findings The LB-MSNs formulation successfully transported TQ to several areas of the brain, liver, and kidney, revealing a considerable increase in TQ delivery in the thalamus (81.74%) compared with that in the free TQ group and a considerable reduction in the cortex (−44%). The LB-MSNs formulation had no significant effect on TQ delivery in the cerebellum, striatum, liver, and kidney. Significance TQ was redistributed in different brain areas after being encapsulated in LB-MSNs, indicating that LB-MSNs have the potential to be developed as a drug delivery system for selective clinical application of specific brain regions. Conclusions LB-MSNs are capable nanoplatforms that can be used to target medications precisely to specific brain regions

Global warming and contamination of freshwater environments with nanoparticles (NPs) pose a global threat to biodiversity. Numerous studies demonstrated the effects of increasing temperatures and NPs separately, but their combined impact on aquatic life remains poorly understood or unstudied, particularly under predicted rising temperatures resulting from global warming (+ 2 and + 4 °C). So, the present study aims to determine how the temperature rises affect the toxicological characteristics of ferric oxide nanoparticles (Fe 2 O 3 NPs) on the prevalent freshwater fish, Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ). Fish samples were randomly put into six glass aquaria groups: 0 mg/L Fe 2 O 3 NPs and 25 mg/L Fe 2 O 3 NPs groups at 30 °C, 32 °C, and 34 °C with duplicated aquaria per group for 4 days. Hydrodynamic size and zeta potential evaluations revealed that Fe 2 O 3 NPs' aggregation in water decreases with high temperature. Additionally, increasing the temperature and exposure to Fe 2 O 3 NPs led to a significant rise in total proteins, albumin, globulin, plasma aspartate aminotransferase (AST), plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT), plasma alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatinine, and uric acid. We also noticed alterations in the amounts of malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione reduced (GSH), and catalase (CAT) in the fish's liver and gills. Finally, our findings indicated that Fe 2 O 3 NPs' toxicity in fish escalated with increasing temperature, peaking at 34 °C due to particle property changes caused by temperature elevation. Therefore, it should not ignore the impact of the projected global increasing temperatures on NPs toxicity in freshwater habitats.

Depression, a devastating brain illness, necessitates the exploration of novel antidepressant treatments. We evaluated the antidepressant effects of free curcumin, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), and curcumin-conjugated zinc oxide nanoparticles (Zn(cur)O NPs). The nanoformulations were extensively characterized using advanced techniques. An acute toxicity study ensured the safety of Zn(cur)O NPs. Rats were assigned to one of five groups: control, reserpine-induced depression model, treatment with ZnO NPs, free curcumin, or Zn(cur)O NPs. Behavioral assessments (forced swimming test [FST] and open-field test [OFT]) and neurochemical analyses were conducted. Zn(cur)O NPs exhibited superior efficacy in ameliorating reserpine-induced behavioral and neurochemical effects compared to free curcumin and ZnO NPs. The reserpine-induced model displayed reduced motor activity, swimming time, and increased immobility time in the FST and OFT. Treatment with Zn(cur)O NPs 45 mg/kg significantly improved motor activity and reduced immobility time. Furthermore, Zn(cur)O NPs decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels while increasing reduced glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT) levels. Additionally, concentrations of serotonin (5-HT) and norepinephrine (NE) increased. In conclusion, curcumin-conjugated zinc oxide nanoparticles demonstrate potent antidepressant effects, alleviating depressive-like behavior in rats. These findings support Zn(cur)O NPs as a promising therapeutic strategy for depression management, warranting further investigation and clinical validation.

Currently, the costs of building materials, especially cement, are increasing. Waste marble powder (WMP) could be used as a cement replacement material to produce environmentally friendly concrete to help preserve resources and reduce environmental pollution. The study’s goals are (1) to evaluate the effects of using marble powder in place of cement in high-strength concrete (HSC) on the material’s mechanical properties and durability characteristics. (2) The study is expanded to assess the effect of using partial WMP on the shear behavior of HSC beams under static loads. Eight half-scale simply supported reinforced beams with and without WMP have been tested. Each beam’s cross-section was 120 × 200 mm, and each beam had a total length of 1000 mm. The ratios of the used WMP were 0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5% by weight, and two different stirrup ratios, 0% and 0.47%, were used. When applied to HSC beams with and without WMP, the shear strength provisions of two of the most used codes, such as the locally used Egyptian Code (ECP 207) and the internationally used American Concrete Institute’s (ACI-2019), were examined. Using the ABAQUS software, the experimental results were compared to the findings of the nonlinear finite element analysis. The results established that partial replacement of cement by WMP led to increases in the concrete’s compressive and tensile strengths of about 15% and 16%, respectively. When tested specimens were exposed to acid attack, there were slight losses in weight and compressive strength (1.25% to 2.47%) for both with and without the addition of WMP. Both the concrete with and without WMP showed the same level of water absorption. Additionally, WMP led to an enhancement in the shear capacities for all beams. Increasing the WMP ratio from 0% to 2.5%, 5%, and 7.5% increased the shear capacity by about 13%, 20%, and 28%, respectively, for beams without stirrups, while for beams with stirrups, the shear capacity improved by 12%, 19%, and 25%, respectively. The enhancement in the beams’ shear capacities could be attributed to the advanced concrete matrix produced by WMP’s extremely small particle size.

Oxidative stress is a common mechanism contributing to the initiation and progression of hepatic damage. Hence there is a great demand for the development of agents with potent antioxidant effect. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy of Holothuria atra extract (HaE) as an antioxidant against 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene- (DMBA-) induced hepatorenal dysfunction. Experimental animals were divided into two main groups: protective and curative. Each group was then divided into five subgroups pre- or posttreated either with distilled water (DMBA subgroups) or with HaE (200 mg/kg body weight) for seven and fourteen days. Single oral administration of DMBA (15 mg/kg body weight) to Wistar rats resulted in a significant increase in the serum liver enzymes and kidney function’s parameters. DMBA increased level of liver malondialdehyde (MDA), decreased levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) in the liver tissue, and induced liver histopathological alterations. Pre- or posttreatment with HaE orally for 14 days significantly reversed the hepatorenal alterations induced following DMBA administration. In conclusion, HaE exhibits good hepatoprotective, curative, and antioxidant potential against DMBA-induced hepatorenal dysfunction in rats that might be due to decreased free radical generation.

Despite the progress in using silver nano products in many fields, including medicine, food, and industry, their effects on the environment need more attention. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the effect of silver/saponin nanocomposites (Ag/S NCs) for the first time on the aquatic environment by using freshwater clam, Caelatura aegyptiaca, as a fundamental bioindicator in the freshwater system. Following the preparation and characterization of Ag/S NCs by using atomic absorption spectrophotometer, UV–Vis spectrophotometer, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and acute toxicity study, we exposed the clam to three different doses of Ag/S NCs (12.5, 25 and 50 mg L−1) for consecutive 6 days. All Ag/S NCs concentrations caused a significant increase in malondialdehyde and nitric oxide while induced a notable decrease in glutathione and catalase levels in all studied organs. Moreover, the histological alternations were observed in gills, labial palp, and foot tissues, particularly at dose 50 mg L−1. From the results of our work, we concluded that toxicity of Ag/S NCs on freshwater clam leads to an oxidative stress response as well as histopathological changes. Besides, we assumed that Coelatura aegyptiaca could be used as a sensitive bioindicator for monitoring water pollution caused by different nanoparticles. Therefore, we do recommend performing further studies by using fresh clam to provide a better assessment for our aquatic environment to prevent water pollution locally and globally.