Protective effect of Agaricus bisporus mushroom against maternal and fetal damage induced by lead administration during pregnancy in rats

INTRODUCTION

Lead (Pb) is a toxic pollutant, which can affect different tissues of the human body. The use of natural elements, as medicinal mushroom can reduce the toxic effects of Pb.

OBJECTIVE

We evaluated, through preclinical tests, the oral co exposures to mushroom Agaricus bisporus (Ab) by gavage and Pb in drinking water, and the capability of Ab be a protective agent for both pregnant rats and their fetuses.

METHODS

Female Wistar rats were divided into four groups (n = 5/group): Group I-Control; Group II-Ab 100 mg/kg; Group III-Pb 100 mg/L; Group IV-Ab +Pb -100 mg/kg +100 mg/L. Exposure was performed until the 19th day of gestation. On the 20th day, pregnant rats were euthanized, and the outcomes evaluated were weight gain; hematological profile; biochemical markers; oxidative stress markers; reproductive capacity; and embryo fetal development.

RESULTS

The characterization of mushrooms reveals them to be a valuable source of nutrients. However, Pb ingestion resulted in reduced weight gain and negative impacts on hematological and biochemical parameters. Fortunately, co administration of mushrooms helped to mitigate these negative effects and promote recovery. The mushroom also showed antioxidant activity, improving parameters of oxidative stress. In addition, Ab partially recovered the damage in fetal morphology and bone parameters.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicated that the co administration of Ab improved the toxicity caused by Pb, and the mushroom could be used as a natural alternative as a protective/chelator agent.

Pollutants harmful to health in herbal products detected by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy

The goal of this research was to evaluate the chemical composition of some herbal products consumed in Brazil through the Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF). The methodology used encompassed the selection of 14 plants’ dried extracts and six ground plants. The qualitative and quantitative analyses of samples indicating the presence of As, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Zn, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Mn, Co, Rb, Zr, Cd, Sn, Ba, Hg, Pb, Bi, Mo, and Pt in different concentrations. It is feasible that part of the contamination found in the herbal products come from the adjuvants/excipients used in the production process. Also, it was found that the extract production process seems to have a low efficiency for the extraction of the main chemical elements present in the ground plants. In the other hand, it has the benefit of reducing the contamination by harmful elements to health, such as heavy metals. EDXRF can replace atomic absorption spectrometry as low-cost and high precision technique to quantify all elements of interest in the pharmaceutical and food industries, within the limits established by regulatory agencies

Avaliação físico-química de cimentos Portland produzidos no Brasil, via Fluorescência por raios-X e resistência mecânica

O cimento Portland é o componente básico do concreto. A espectroscopia de fluorescência de raios X é uma técnica analítica estabelecida usada em fábricas de cimento em todo o mundo. Um estudo comparativo dos constituintes elementares presentes em cimentos Portland produzidos no Brasil foi realizado através da análise via EDXRF. Os principais elementos identificados e quantificados nas amostras de cimento foram Al, Ca, Fe, K, Si, S, Ti, Mn, Zn e Sr. Os principais componentes do cimento são cal (CaO), sílica (SiO2), alumina (Al2O3), óxido de ferro (Fe2O3), magnésia (MgO), álcalis (Na2O e K2O) e sulfatos (SO3). Os componentes C3S, C2S, C3A e C4AF foram calculados pela fórmula de Bogue. Foram feitas argamassa com água, cimento e areia para cada marca de cimento e foram realizadas análises para avaliar a resistência à compressão mecânica. Os corpos foram quebrados após a cura nos seguintes prazos: 1, 3, 7, 28 e 91 dias. Os resultados dos ensaios mecânicos foram correlacionados com os componentes encontrados nas diferentes marcas de cimento. Nossos resultados indicam que a resistência à compressão inicial pode variar muito de uma marca para outra e os valores para os potenciais do Bogue mostram grandes diferenças para C3S e C2S. Foi demonstrado por testes de resistência como é possível prever o comportamento das argamassas feitas com esses cimentos. Os cimentos provaram ser bons para a fabricação de argamassas e atendem às especificações Brasileiras.