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Environment International Jan 2013Millions of natural and synthetic organic chemical substances are present in both soil and aquatic environments. Toxicity and/or persistence determine the polluting... (Review)
Review
Millions of natural and synthetic organic chemical substances are present in both soil and aquatic environments. Toxicity and/or persistence determine the polluting principle of these substances. The biological responses to these pollutants include accumulation and degradation. The responses of environments with organic pollutants are perceptible from the dwindling degradative abilities of microorganisms. Among different biological members, cyanobacteria and microalgae are highly adaptive through many eons, and can grow autotrophically, heterotrophically or mixotrophically. Mixotrophy in cyanobacteria and microalgae can provide many competitive advantages over bacteria and fungi in degrading organic pollutants. Laboratory culturing of strict phototrophic algae has limited the realization of their potential as bioremediation agents. In the natural assemblages, mixotrophic algae can contribute to sequestration of carbon, which is otherwise emitted as carbon dioxide to the atmosphere under heterotrophic conditions by other organisms. Molecular methods and metabolic and genomic information will help not only in identification and selection of mixotrophic species of cyanobacteria and microalgae with capabilities to degrade organic pollutants but also in monitoring the efficiency of remediation efforts under the field conditions. These organisms are relatively easier for genetic engineering with desirable traits. This review presents a new premise from the literature that mixotrophic algae and cyanobacteria are distinctive bioremediation agents with capabilities to sequester carbon in the environment.
Topics: Biodegradation, Environmental; Cyanobacteria; Environmental Pollutants; Environmental Pollution; Microalgae; Organic Chemicals
PubMed: 23201778
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2012.10.007 -
Chimia 2011Organic small molecules are of particular interest for medicinal chemistry since they comprise many biologically active compounds which are potential drugs. To... (Review)
Review
Organic small molecules are of particular interest for medicinal chemistry since they comprise many biologically active compounds which are potential drugs. To understand this vast chemical space, we are enumerating all possible organic molecules to create the chemical universe database GDB, which currently comprises 977 million molecules up to 13 atoms of C, N, O, Cl and S. Furthermore, we have established a simple classification method for organic molecules in form of the MQN (molecular quantum numbers) system, which is an equivalent of the periodic system of the elements. Despite its simplicity the 42 dimensional MQN system is surprisingly relevant with respect to bioactivity, as evidenced by the fact that groups of biosimilar compounds form close groups in MQN space. The MQN space of the known organic molecules in PubChem and of the unknown molecules in the Chemical Universe Database GDB-13 can be searched interactively using browser tools freely accessible at www.gdb.unibe.ch.
Topics: Databases, Factual; Internet; Organic Chemicals
PubMed: 22289373
DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2011.863 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2024An increasing body of research has demonstrated a correlation between pollutants from the environment and the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, the...
INTRODUCTION
An increasing body of research has demonstrated a correlation between pollutants from the environment and the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, the impact of volatile organic chemicals (VOC) on CVD remains unknown and needs further investigation.
OBJECTIVES
This study assessed whether exposure to VOC was associated with CVD in the general population.
METHODS
A cross-sectional analysis was conducted utilizing data from five survey cycles (2005-2006, 2011-2012, 2013-2014, 2015-2016, and 2017-2018) of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) program. We analyzed the association between urinary VOC metabolites (VOCs) and participants by multiple logistic regression models, further Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) models and Weighted Quantile Sum (WQS) regression were performed for mixture exposure analysis.
RESULTS
Total VOCs were found to be positively linked with CVD in multivariable-adjusted models (p for trend = 0.025), independent of established CVD risk variables, such as hypertension, diabetes, drinking and smoking, and total cholesterol levels. Compared with the reference quartile of total VOCs levels, the multivariable-adjusted odds ratios in increasing quartiles were 1.01 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.78-1.31], 1.26 (95% CI: 1.05-1.21) and 1.75 (95% CI: 1.36-1.64) for total CVD. Similar positive associations were found when considering individual VOCs, including AAMA, CEMA, CYMA, 2HPMA, 3HPMA, IPM3 and MHBMA3 (acrolein, acrylamide, acrylonitrile, propylene oxide, isoprene, and 1,3-butadiene). In BKMR analysis, the overall effect of a mixture is significantly related to VOCs when all chemicals reach or exceed the 75th percentile. Moreover, in the WQS models, the most influential VOCs were found to be CEMA (40.30%), DHBMA (21.00%), and AMCC (19.70%).
CONCLUSION
The results of our study indicated that VOC was all found to have a significant association with CVD when comparing results from different models. These findings hold significant potential for public health implications and offer valuable insights for future research directions.
Topics: Humans; Volatile Organic Compounds; Nutrition Surveys; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cross-Sectional Studies; Male; Female; Middle Aged; Adult; Environmental Exposure; Risk Factors; Air Pollutants; United States; Aged
PubMed: 38846604
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1378444 -
Scientific Reports Jan 2017Human bone is a complex hierarchical material. Understanding bone structure and its corresponding composition at the nanometer scale is critical for elucidating...
Human bone is a complex hierarchical material. Understanding bone structure and its corresponding composition at the nanometer scale is critical for elucidating mechanisms of biomineralization under healthy and pathological states. However, the three-dimensional structure and chemical nature of bone remains largely unexplored at the nanometer scale due to the challenges associated with characterizing both the structural and chemical integrity of bone simultaneously. Here, we use correlative transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography for the first time, to our knowledge, to reveal structures in human bone at the atomic level. This approach provides an overlaying chemical map of the organic and inorganic constituents of bone on its structure. This first use of atom probe tomography on human bone reveals local gradients, trace element detection of Mg, and the co-localization of Na with the inorganic-organic interface of bone mineral and collagen fibrils, suggesting the important role of Na-rich organics in the structural connection between mineral and collagen. Our findings provide the first insights into the hierarchical organization and chemical heterogeneity in human bone in three-dimensions at its smallest length scale - the atomic level. We demonstrate that atom probe tomography shows potential for new insights in biomineralization research on bone.
Topics: Bone and Bones; Humans; Inorganic Chemicals; Magnesium; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Organic Chemicals; Sodium; Tomography
PubMed: 28054636
DOI: 10.1038/srep39958 -
The Journal of Toxicological Sciences 2016A wide variety of drugs and chemicals have been shown to produce induction and inhibition of heme-metabolizing enzymes, and of drug-metabolizing enzymes, including... (Review)
Review
A wide variety of drugs and chemicals have been shown to produce induction and inhibition of heme-metabolizing enzymes, and of drug-metabolizing enzymes, including cytochrome P450s (P450s, CYPs), which consist of many molecular species with lower substrate specificity. Such chemically induced enzyme alterations are coordinately or reciprocally regulated through the same and/or different signal transductions. From the toxicological point of view, these enzymatic changes sometimes exacerbate inherited diseases, such as precipitation of porphyrogenic attacks, although the induction of these enzymes is dependent on the animal species in response to the differences in the stimuli of the liver, where they are also metabolized by P450s. Since P450s are hemoproteins, their induction and/or inhibition by chemical compounds could be coordinately accompanied by heme synthesis and/or inhibition. This review will take a retrospective view of research works carried out in our department and current findings on chemical-induced changes in hepatic heme metabolism in many places, together with current knowledge. Specifically, current beneficial aspects of induction of heme oxygenase-1, a rate-limiting heme degradation enzyme, and its relation to reciprocal and coordinated changes in P450s, with special reference to CYP2A5, in the liver are discussed. Mechanistic studies are also summarized in relation to current understanding on these aspects. Emphasis is also paid to an example of a single chemical compound that could cause various changes by mediating multiple signal transduction systems. Current toxicological studies have been developing by utilizing a sophisticated "omics" technology and survey integrated changes in the tissues produced by the administration of a chemical, even in time- and dose-dependent manners. Toxicological studies are generally carried out step by step to determine and elucidate mechanisms produced by drugs and chemicals. Such approaches are correct; however, current "omics" technology can clarify overall changes occurring in the cells and tissues after treating animals with drugs and chemicals, integrate them and discuss the results. In the present review, we will discuss chemical-induced similar changes of heme synthesis and degradation, and of P450s and finally convergence to similar or different directions.
Topics: Aminolevulinic Acid; Animals; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; Enzyme Induction; Heme; Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing); Heme Oxygenase-1; Humans; Liver; Organic Chemicals; Rodentia; Toxicology; Transcription Factors
PubMed: 28320986
DOI: 10.2131/jts.41.SP89 -
Microbial Biotechnology Sep 2016Advances in biological engineering and systems biology have provided new approaches and tools for the industrialization of biology. In the next decade, advanced... (Review)
Review
Advances in biological engineering and systems biology have provided new approaches and tools for the industrialization of biology. In the next decade, advanced biocatalytic systems will increasingly be used for the production of chemicals that cannot be made by current processes and/or where the use of enzyme catalysts is more resource efficient with a much reduced environmental impact. We expect that in the future, manufacture of chemicals and materials will utilize both biocatalytic and chemical synthesis synergistically. The realization of such advanced biomanufacturing processes currently faces a number of major challenges. Ready-to-deploy portfolios of biocatalysts for design to production must be created from biological diverse sources and through protein engineering. Robust and efficient multi-step enzymatic reaction cascades must be developed that can operate simultaneously in one-pot. For this to happen, bio-orthogonal strategies for spatial and temporal control of biocatalyst activities must be developed. Promising approaches and technologies are emerging that will eventually lead to the design of in vitro biocatalytic systems that mimic the metabolic pathways and networks of cellular systems which will be discussed in this roadmap.
Topics: Biocatalysis; Biotechnology; Enzymes; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Organic Chemicals
PubMed: 27418373
DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.12386 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2014Propolis is a honeybee product with broad clinical applications. Current literature describes that propolis is collected from plant resins. From a systematic database... (Review)
Review
Propolis is a honeybee product with broad clinical applications. Current literature describes that propolis is collected from plant resins. From a systematic database search, 241 compounds were identified in propolis for the first time between 2000 and 2012; and they belong to such diverse chemical classes as flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, terpenenes, stilbenes, lignans, coumarins, and their prenylated derivatives, showing a pattern consistent with around 300 previously reported compounds. The chemical characteristics of propolis are linked to the diversity of geographical location, plant sources and bee species.
Topics: Animals; Bees; Elements; Geography; Organic Chemicals; Plants; Propolis
PubMed: 25432012
DOI: 10.3390/molecules191219610 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Apr 2004
Topics: Catalysis; Chemistry, Organic; Molecular Conformation; Organic Chemicals; Stereoisomerism
PubMed: 15082833
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0401811101 -
Environmental Health Perspectives Dec 2021Large numbers of chemicals require evaluation to determine if their production and use pose potential risks to ecological and human health. For most chemicals, the...
BACKGROUND
Large numbers of chemicals require evaluation to determine if their production and use pose potential risks to ecological and human health. For most chemicals, the inadequacy and uncertainty of chemical-specific data severely limit the application of exposure- and risk-based methods for screening-level assessments, priority setting, and effective management.
OBJECTIVE
We developed and evaluated a holistic, mechanistic modeling framework for ecological and human health assessments to support the safe and sustainable production, use, and disposal of organic chemicals.
METHODS
We consolidated various models for simulating the PROduction-To-EXposure (PROTEX) continuum with empirical data sets and models for predicting chemical property and use function information to enable high-throughput (HT) exposure and risk estimation. The new PROTEX-HT framework calculates exposure and risk by integrating mechanistic computational modules describing chemical behavior and fate in the socioeconomic system (i.e., life cycle emissions), natural and indoor environments, various ecological receptors, and humans. PROTEX-HT requires only molecular structure and chemical tonnage (i.e., annual production or consumption volume) as input information. We evaluated the PROTEX-HT framework using 95 organic chemicals commercialized in the United States and demonstrated its application in various exposure and risk assessment contexts.
RESULTS
Seventy-nine percent and 97% of the PROTEX-HT human exposure predictions were within one and two orders of magnitude, respectively, of independent human exposure estimates inferred from biomonitoring data. PROTEX-HT supported screening and ranking chemicals based on various exposure and risk metrics, setting chemical-specific maximum allowable tonnage based on user-defined toxicological thresholds, and identifying the most relevant emission sources, environmental media, and exposure routes of concern in the PROTEX continuum. The case study shows that high chemical tonnage did not necessarily result in high exposure or health risks.
CONCLUSION
Requiring only two chemical-specific pieces of information, PROTEX-HT enables efficient screening-level evaluations of existing and premanufacture chemicals in various exposure- and risk-based contexts. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP9372.
Topics: Environmental Exposure; Humans; Organic Chemicals; Risk Assessment; Uncertainty; United States
PubMed: 34882502
DOI: 10.1289/EHP9372 -
International Journal of Molecular... May 2022Several metals belong to a group of non-biodegradable inorganic constituents that, at low concentrations, play fundamental roles as essential micronutrients for the... (Review)
Review
Several metals belong to a group of non-biodegradable inorganic constituents that, at low concentrations, play fundamental roles as essential micronutrients for the growth and development of plants. However, in high concentrations they can have toxic and/or mutagenic effects, which can be counteracted by natural chemical compounds called chelators. Chelators have a diversity of chemical structures; many are organic acids, including carboxylic acids and cyclic phenolic acids. The exogenous application of such compounds is a non-genetic approach, which is proving to be a successful strategy to reduce damage caused by heavy metal toxicity. In this review, we will present the latest literature on the exogenous addition of both carboxylic acids, including the Kreb's Cycle intermediates citric and malic acid, as well as oxalic acid, lipoic acid, and phenolic acids (gallic and caffeic acid). The use of two non-traditional organic acids, the phytohormones jasmonic and salicylic acids, is also discussed. We place particular emphasis on physiological and molecular responses, and their impact in increasing heavy metal tolerance, especially in crop species.
Topics: Carboxylic Acids; Chelating Agents; Metals, Heavy; Organic Chemicals; Plant Physiological Phenomena
PubMed: 35628249
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23105438