187 research outputs found
Exploring the potential antimutagenic activity of foods from Mediterranean diet using the Ames test
No full textIl progetto PIANO B – Proteggersi dall’inquinamento Atmosferico Nutrendosi Bene. Alimenti della dieta mediterranea come strumento di protezione del DNA contro gli effetti mutageno/genotossici del particolato atmosferico ultrafine (PM0,5)
No full textThe Allium cepa comet assay for environmental sample assessment: a scoping review
No full textThe purposes of this review were to investigate the application of the comet assay in Allium cepa root cells to assess the genotoxicity of environmental samples and to analyse the experimental procedures employed. A literature search was performed selecting articles published between January 2000 and October 2023 from online databases using the combined search terms "comet assay" and "Allium cepa". Only 18 papers met the inclusion criteria. None of these were published in the first eight years (2000-2007), highlighting the increasing interest in using the comet assay on Allium cepa to analyse environmental samples over the last decade. The majority of the selected studies (15/18, 83%) were performed on samples belonging to the water compartment on onion bulbs. Half of the selected studies (9/18) were conducted to demonstrate the DNA damaging effect of the sample, while the other half of the studies not only recognized the presence of genotoxic agents but also addressed possible remediation measures. Detailed analysis of the experimental procedures revealed heterogeneity in many key steps, such as exposure time, test controls, nuclei isolation solutions, duration of electrophoresis, number of nuclei scored. This literature review has shown that the comet assay on Allium cepa, although recognized as an appropriate tool, is underutilized in environmental toxicology. Greater standardization could lead to its more widespread use, providing valuable information on the genotoxicity of environmental samples and the ability of different processes to mitigate their negative effects on plants
Uso dei vegetali per la valutazione della qualità dell’aria urbana: tossicità e genotossicità di estratti acquosi di particolato ultrafine
No full textScopo dello studio è la valutazione della capacità di modelli vegetali di rilevare la tossicità e la genotossicità del particolato atmosferico ultrafine, ovvero con granulometria inferiore a 0.5 μm (PM0,5). Campioni di PM0,5 sono stati estratti sia in fase organica che acquosa e testati per valutarne la mutagenicità in Salmonella typhi- murium con i ceppi TA98 e TA100 (± attivazione metabolica, S9), la tossicità in semi di Allium cepa, Cucumis sativus, Lepidium sativum e in bulbi di Allium cepa, e la genotossicità in radici di Allium cepa (comet e micro- nuclei test). L’estratto organico del PM0,5 è risultato mutageno con il ceppo TA98±S9 e alla dose più alta col ceppo TA100+S9. L’estratto acquoso non diluito ha causato una significativa riduzione dell’allungamento ra- dicale solo in Cucumis sativus, mentre sembra aver favorito l’allungamento radicale nei bulbi di Allium cepa alle dosi più alte. Infine, l’estratto acquoso non diluito ha causato un aumento significativo del danno primario al DNA e della frequenza di micronuclei in bulbi di Allium cepa. I risultati mostrano come gli inquinanti aerei estraibili in matrice acquosa possano indurre effetti tossici e genotossici nei vegetali. Questo lavoro evidenzia come tali modelli possano essere un utile strumento nella valutazione della qualità dell’aria urbana
Ecotoxicological assessment of waste foundry sands and the application of different classification systems
No full textThe application of a battery of bioassays is widely recognized as a useful tool for assessing environmental hazard samples. However, the integration of different toxicity data is a key aspect of this assessment and remains a challenge. The evaluation of industrial waste leachates did not initially undergo any of the proposed integration procedures. This research addressed this knowledge gap. Twenty-five samples of waste foundry sands were subjected to a leaching test (UNI EN 12457-2) to evaluate waste recovery and landfill disposal. The leachates were evaluated using a battery of standardized toxicity bioassays composed of Aliivibrio fischeri (EN ISO 11348-3), Daphnia magna (UNI EN ISO 6341), and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata (UNI EN ISO 8692), both undiluted and diluted. Daphnia magna and P. subcapitata were the most affected organisms, with significant effects caused by 68% and 64% of undiluted samples, respectively. The dilution of samples facilitates the calculation of EC50 values, which ranged from greater than the highest concentration tested to 2.5 g/L for P. subcapitata. The data on single-organism toxicity were integrated using three methods: the Toxicity Classification System, the toxicity test battery integrated index, and the EcoScore system. The three classifications were strongly similar. According to all applied systems, three samples were clearly nontoxic (from iron casting plants) and two were highly toxic (from steel casting plants). Moreover, the similar ranking between undiluted and diluted leachates suggests the possibility of using only undiluted leachates for a more cost-effective and time-efficient screening of waste materials. The findings of this study highlight the usefulness of integrating ecotoxicological waste assessment
VALUTAZIONE TOSSICOLOGICA E GENOTOSSICOLOGICA DI ESTRATTI ACQUOSI DI PARTICOLATO ATMOSFERICO URBANO (PM0.5) MEDIANTE TEST SU VEGETALI
No full textL’aria urbana è una miscela di inquinanti mutageno/cancerogeni differente a seconda della stagione e delle fonti antropiche.
Scopo di questa ricerca è stato lo studio del particolato atmosferico (PM0.5) di una città del nord Italia, mediante test di tossicità e genotossicità in cellule vegetali.
Il PM0.5, raccolto mediante un campionatore d’aria ad alto volume, in giornate estive e invernali, è stato estratto in sonicatore con acqua distillata. Sono stati condotti test di tossicità in semi di Allium cepa, Cucumis sativus, Lepidium sativum e in bulbi di A. cepa, e test di genotossicità sulle radici di A. cepa (micronuclei test e comet test), e di L. sativum (comet test).
Nessuno dei campioni ha causato effetti tossici, né in bulbi, né in semi. Al contrario in semi e bulbi di A. cepa entrambi i campioni hanno indotto un aumento significativo di micronuclei (p<0.05).
Nessuno dei campioni ha evidenziato col comet test danni al DNA in semi di L. sativum, pur mo-strando un andamento dose-risposta. Invece in bulbi e semi di A. cepa si è osservato un aumento significativo del danno (p<0.05).
I risultati mostrano come gli inquinanti aerei estraibili in matrice acquosa, pur non presentando tos-sicità, possano indurre effetti genotossici.
Questo lavoro sottolinea come i vegetali possano essere un utile strumento anche nella valutazione della tossicità e genotossicità dell’aria urbana
Carlotta Marchionni in effige
No full textIn this article, through the figure of Carlotta Marchionni, the author recon-structs the incidents that created a particular mentality and way of considering theatre; the relations between life and the stage, the theatrical narration of dramatists.Long ignored, the incidents that marked Marchionni's youth were overshadowed by the legend of the actress's virginity which contrasts with the passion of the characters she represented on stage.
The analysis of this legend, which finds echo beyond the artistic life of the actress, brings to light certain relations between the apprenti ceship of young women born in families of actors and the creation of «romantic» characters
MMPs and angiogenesis affect the metastatic potential of a human vulvar leiomyosarcoma cell line
No full textGynaecological leiomyosarcoma (gLMS) represent a heterogeneous group of soft tissue sarcoma, characterized by rare incidence, high aggressiveness and propensity to infiltrate secondary organs, poor prognosis and lethality, because of the lack of biological mechanisms that underlying their progression and effective pharmaceutical treatments. This study was focused on some of the aspects of progression and dissemination of a subtype of gLMS namely vulvar LMS (vLMS). We therefore used a vulvar LMS-derived cell line namely SK-LMS-1, coupled with in vitro and in vivo assays. We observed that SK-LMS-1 cells have a strong invasive capacity in vitro, through the activity of matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9, while in vivo these cells induce a strong angiogenic response and disseminate to the chick embryo liver. Therefore, we postulate that metalloproteinases are involved in the spreading behaviour of SK-LMS-1. Further investigations are necessary to better understand the molecular and cellular machinery involved in the progression of this malignancy
The release of contaminants from steel slags and natural aggregates: Evaluation of toxicity and genotoxicity
No full textSteel slags (SS) are the major waste produced by iron and steel industry. Slags may be reused as recycled materials, instead of natural aggregates (NA), to reduce the final
disposal in a landfill and the exploitation of raw materials. However, the reuse of SS may generate a potential release of toxic compounds for the environment and humans. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the toxicity and genotoxicity of SS, in comparison with NA, by using an integrated chemical-biological approach to enable their safe reuse in engineering applications. Leaching solutions from samples were obtained by using short-term leaching tests (CEN EN 12457-2, 2004) usually adopted for the evaluation of waste recovery and final disposal. Chemical analyses of leachates were performed according to the Italian legislation on waste recovery (Ministerial Decree 186/2006). The leaching solutions were assayed by using toxicity test on Daphnia magna. Moreover, mutagenicity/genotoxicity tests on Salmonella typhimurium, Allium cepa, and human leucocytes and fibroblasts were carried out. The releases of pollutants from all samples were within the limits of the Italian legislation for waste recovery. Despite the effects that SS and NA could have on different cells, in terms of toxicity and genotoxicity, globally, SS do not seem to be any more hazardous than NA. This ecotoxicological assessment, never studied before, is important for promoting further studies that may support the decision-making process regarding the use of such types of materials
Allium cepa tests: A plant-based tool for the early evaluation of toxicity and genotoxicity of newly synthetized antifungal molecules
No full textMany fungal genera such as Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium and Alternaria are able to produce, among many other metabolites, the aflatoxins, a group of toxic and carcinogenic compounds. To reduce their formation, synthetic fungicides are used as an effective way of intervention. However, the extensive use of such molecules generates long-term residues into the food and the environment. The need of new antifungal molecules, with high specificity and low off-target toxicity is worth. The aim of this study was to evaluate: i) the toxicity and genotoxicity of newly synthesized molecules with a good anti-mycotoxic activity, and ii) the suitability of the Allium cepa multi-endpoint assay as an early screening method for chemicals. Eight compounds were tested for toxicity by using the A. cepa bulb root elongation test and for genotoxicity using the A. cepa bulb mitotic index, micronuclei and chromosome aberrations tests. Three molecules showed no toxicity, while two induced mild toxic effects in roots exposed to the highest dose (100 & mu;M). A more pronounced toxic effect was caused by the other three compounds for which the EC50 was approximately 50 & mu;M. Furthermore, all molecules showed a clear genotoxic activity, both in terms of chromosomal aberrations and micronuclei. Albeit the known good antifungal activity, the different molecules caused strong toxic and genotoxic effects. The results indicate the suitability of experiments with A. cepa as a research model for the evaluation of the toxic and genotoxic activities of new molecules in plants before they are released into the environment
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