Flurochloridone induces responses of free radical reactions and energy metabolism disorders to BRL-3A cell

Efficient biodegradation of flurochloridone herbicide by Streptomyces parvus strain F-G-2 and its degradation mechanism

Flurochloridone (FLC) is a pyrrolidone herbicide with good weed control effects. However, it poses potential threats to the ecological environment and human health. To alleviate the impact of FLC residues, a bacterium capable of degrading FLC, Streptomyces sp. F-G-2, was isolated from FLC-contaminated soil. Within 42 days (d), the strain F-G-2 metabolizes 80.0 % of FLC, there is a significant selective degradation trend towards the enantiomers (-)-(3S, 4S)-FLC and (+)-(3R, 4R)-FLC in degradation. The strain's introduction into soil does not affect the structure and diversity of the indigenous microbial community. Two enzymes responsible for FLC degradation in the strain F-G-2 were identified: α/β hydrolase and 2-hydroxy acid dehydrogenase, with key residues ILE-14 and LYS-187 playing a role. LC-MS/MS analysis confirmed FLC hydrolysis through carbonyl bonds. These findings enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of FLC biodegradation and provide a theoretical basis for environmental remediation in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP).

Effects of Flurochloridone on the Developmental Toxicity in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Embryo

Flurochloridone (FLC) is a selective herbicide that can cause reproductive toxicity in male rats. However, limited information is available regarding the toxicity of FLC in the developmental stages of aquatic organisms. This study aimed to investigate the effects of FLC exposure during embryonic development and elucidate its potential mechanism of action. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to 6.25, 12.5, 25, and 50 μg/mL FLC for 4-144 hpf. The developmental status of embryos was recorded; the indicators of oxidative stress and embryonic apoptosis were determined. We found that FLC exposure caused severe embryonic malformations, such as pericardial edema, spinal curvature, and growth retardation, accompanied by a decreased hatching and survival rate. After exposure until 144 h postfertilization, the median lethal concentration (LC50) of FLC in zebrafish embryos was 36.9 μg/mL. Subsequently, FLC induced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde, enhanced the activity of superoxide dismutase, and activated the Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway. Further studies confirmed that FLC can induce apoptosis in zebrafish embryos through the activation of caspase. These results suggest that FLC induced developmental toxicity in zebrafish embryos, which provides new evidence regarding FLC toxicity in aquatic organisms and to assess human health risks.

A fast visual onsite method for detection and quantitation of food additives using an engineered metal nanohybrid-based catalyst

Unsafe food additives pose a significant threat to global health, especially in developing countries. Many existing methods rely on clean laboratories, complicated optics equipment, trained personnel and lengthy detection time, which are not suitable for onsite food safety inspections in emergency situations, peculiarly in impoverished areas. In this paper, a fast and visual onsite method is designed for the detection and quantification of additives in food safety by engineering a nanohybrid (MoS2/SDBS/Cu-CuFe2O4)-based catalysis. Interestingly, the nanohybrid presents peroxidase-like mimetic activity toward the substrate containing 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which are then integrated simply into a detection kit. The blue oxidated TMB in this kit can be converted completely to colorless by some bio-molecule additives in commercial food, such as glutathione (GSH), cysteine (Cys), and ascorbic acid (AA). Remarkably, this process takes just less than 2 min and the detection limits are 2.8 nM, 5.5 nM and 47 nM, respectively. These results show excellent repeatability with a statistical analysis with (*P < 0.05) over 30 tests. Next, the images of the color changes can be captured clearly using a smartphone by red-green-blue (RGB) channels, which provides an opportunity for the development of field-operation device. Additionally, our approach is applied to some targets-indicative foods, showing a recovery range between 95.8 % and 104.2 %, offering an attractive and promising pathway for future practical food safety inspection applications. More importantly, this method can easily be extended to the detection of reducing substances in other analytical fields.

J24335 exerts neuroprotective effects against 6-hydroxydopamine-induced lesions in PC12 cells and mice

Parkinson's disease is the second most prevalent age-related neurodegenerative disease and disrupts the lives of people aged >60 years. Meanwhile, single-target drugs becoming inapplicable as PD pathogenesis diversifies. Mitochondrial dysfunction and neurotoxicity have been shown to be relevant to the pathogenesis of PD. The novel synthetic compound J24335 (11-Hydroxy-1-(8-methoxy-5-(trifluoromethyl)quinolin-2-yl)undecan-1-one oxime), which has been researched similarly to J2326, has the potential to be a multi-targeted drug and alleviate these lesions. Therefore, we investigated the mechanism of action and potential neuroprotective function of J24335 against 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity in mice, and in PC12 cell models. The key target of action of J24335 was also screened. MTT assay, LDH assay, flow cytometry, RT-PCR, LC-MS, OCR and ECAR detection, and Western Blot analysis were performed to characterize the neuroprotective effects of J24335 on PC12 cells and its potential mechanism. Behavioral tests and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate behavioral changes and brain lesions in mice. Moreover, bioinformatics was employed to assess the drug-likeness of J24335 and screen its potential targets. J24335 attenuated the degradation of mitochondrial membrane potential and enhanced glucose metabolism and mitochondrial biosynthesis to ameliorate 6-OHDA-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Animal behavioral tests demonstrated that J24335 markedly improved motor function and loss of TH-positive neurons and dopaminergic nerve fibers, and contributed to an increase in the levels of dopamine and its metabolites in brain tissue. The activation of both the CREB/PGC-1α/NRF-1/TFAM and PKA/Akt/GSK-3β pathways was a major contributor to the neuroprotective effects of J24335. Furthermore, bioinformatics predictions revealed that J24335 is a low toxicity and highly BBB permeable compound targeting 8 key genes (SRC, EGFR, ERBB2, SYK, MAPK14, LYN, NTRK1 and PTPN1). Molecular docking suggested a strong and stable binding between J24335 and the 8 core targets. Taken together, our results indicated that J24335, as a multi-targeted neuroprotective agent with promising therapeutic potential for PD, could protect against 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity via two potential pathways in mice and PC12 cells.

Fluorochloridone induces mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis in primary goat Sertoli cells

Fluorochloridone (FLC), a pyrrolidone herbicide, has been recognized as a hazardous chemical. The in vitro adverse effects of FLC on the reproduction of livestock have not been assessed. This study was conducted to explore the cytotoxicity and toxicological mechanisms of FLC on cultured goat Sertoli cells. The results showed that FLC exposure significantly decreased goat Sertoli cell viability (p < 0.05) and induced oxidative stress. And FLC treatment promoted apoptosis and initiation of autophagy. Interestingly, FLC inhibited lysosomal biogenesis and blocked autophagic flux in goat Sertoli cells. The expression levels of autophagy-related proteins Atg5, LC3II, and p62 were significantly increased (p < 0.05) in FLC-treated goat Sertoli cells compared with the control. Importantly, FLC-induced ROS accumulation further causes mitochondrial dysfunction and disturbs mitophagy. FLC significantly decreased (p < 0.05) the expression levels of OPA1, MFN2, p-Drp1, FIS1, PINK1, and Parkin in goat Sertoli cells. Moreover, pretreatment with N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC, an antioxidant) significantly reduced (p < 0.01) FLC-induced ROS accumulation and reversed the disorder of autophagy levels. Our results indicated that FLC-induced toxicity in primary goat Sertoli cells was characterized by ROS accumulation, inducing oxidative stress, inhibiting lysosomal biogenesis, blocking autophagic flux, and promoting mitochondrial dysfunction, resulting in apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway.

Mitochondrial dysfunction in metabolic disorders induced by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance mixtures in zebrafish larvae

Several per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been linked to metabolic disorders in organisms. However, few studies have considered their combined effects, which would be more representative of PFAS occurring in the environment. In this study, zebrafish embryos were exposed to a mixture of 18 PFAS at three environmentally relevant concentrations for 5 days to assess their bioconcentration and metabolic consequences. The burdens of ∑PFAS in zebrafish larvae were 0.12, 1.58, and 9.63 mg/kg in the 0.5, 5, and 50 μg/L treatment groups, respectively. Exposure to the PFAS mixture accelerated hatching and larval heart rates, increased energy expenditure, and reduced ATP levels and glucose contents due to decreased feed intake and glucose uptake. Metabolomic analysis revealed that exposure to the PFAS mixture enhanced glycolysis but inhibited phospholipid synthesis, and significantly increased the expression of lipid metabolism related genes (srebf1, acox, and pparα), which indicated enhanced β-oxidation. The significant changes in mitochondrial membrane potential, mitochondrial content, and the transcription of genes involved in the mitochondrial respiratory chain (mfn2, ndufs1, atp5fa1, and mt-nd1) and mitochondrial DNA replication and transcription (18rs-rrn, and polg1) suggested that exposure to the PFAS mixture could cause mitochondrial dysfunction and further disrupt glucose and lipid metabolic pathways, ultimately causing metabolic disorders in zebrafish larvae. These findings demonstrate the importance of assessing the metabolic effects of PFAS mixtures on early development in wildlife and humans.