Publications by authors named "Biljana Balen"

Ultrasound (US) and high voltage electric discharge (HVED) with water as a green solvent represent promising novel non-thermal techniques for protein extraction from sugar beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris var. altissima) leaves.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are of great interest due to their antimicrobial properties, but their reactivity and toxicity pose a significant risk to aquatic ecosystems. In biological systems, AgNPs tend to aggregate and dissolve, so they are often stabilized by agents that affect their physicochemical properties. In this study, microalga was used as a model organism to evaluate the effects of AgNPs in aquatic habitats.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Plastic contamination has become one of the most pressing environmental issues due to rapidly increasing production of disposable plastic products, their fragmentation into smaller pieces, and long persistence in the environment, which affects all living organisms, including plants. In this study, roots were exposed to 0.01, 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The harmful effects of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been confirmed in many organisms, but the mechanism of their toxicity is not yet fully understood. In biological systems, AgNPs tend to aggregate and dissolve, so they are often stabilized by coatings that influence their physico-chemical properties. In this study, the effects of AgNPs with different coatings [polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)] on oxidative stress appearance and proteome changes in tobacco () seedlings have been examined.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The antimicrobial properties of silver and enhanced reactivity when applied in a nanoparticle form (AgNPs) led to their growing utilization in industry and various consumer products, which raises concerns about their environmental impact. Since AgNPs are prone to transformation, surface coatings are added to enhance their stability. AgNP phytotoxicity has been mainly attributed to the excess generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to the induction of oxidative stress.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been implemented in a wide range of commercial products, resulting in their unregulated release into aquatic as well as terrestrial systems. This raises concerns over their impending environmental effects. Once released into the environment, they are prone to various transformation processes that modify their reactivity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are the most exploited nanomaterial in agriculture and food production, and their release into the environment raises concern about their impact on plants. Since AgNPs are prone to biotransformation, various surface coatings are used to enhance their stability, which may modulate AgNP-imposed toxic effects. In this study, the impact of AgNPs stabilized with different coatings (citrate, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)) and AgNO on photosynthesis of tobacco plants as well as AgNP stability in exposure medium have been investigated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are used in a wide range of consumer products because of their excellent antimicrobial properties. AgNPs released into the environment are prone to transformations such as aggregation, oxidation, or dissolution so they are often stabilised by coatings that affect their physico-chemical properties and change their effect on living organisms. In this study we investigated the stability of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) coated AgNPs in an exposure medium, as well as their effect on tobacco germination and early growth.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Widespread application of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), due to their antibacterial and antifungal properties, increases their release into the environment and potential detrimental impact on living organisms. Plants may serve as a potential pathway for AgNPs bioaccumulation and a route into the food chain, hence investigation of AgNP phytotoxic effects are of particular importance. Since proteins are directly involved in stress response, studies of their abundance changes can help elucidate the mechanism of the AgNP-mediated phytotoxicity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Separation of plant proteins by means of electrophoretic techniques is quite challenging since different compounds typical for plant cells can interfere and/or reduce the effectiveness of the protein isolation. This is particularly problematic for two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE). Therefore, it is important to optimize protein extraction and to establish a robust protocol for 2-DE and downstream processing, primarily mass spectrometry (MS) analysis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Since silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are a dominant nanomaterial in consumer products, there is growing concern about their impact on the environment. Although numerous studies on the effects of AgNPs on living organisms have been conducted, the interaction of AgNPs with plants has not been fully clarified. To reveal the plant mechanisms activated after exposure to AgNPs and to differentiate between effects specific to nanoparticles and ionic silver, we investigated the physiological, ultrastructural and proteomic changes in seedlings of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) exposed to commercial AgNPs and ionic silver (AgNO) from the seed stage.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The small size of nanoparticles (NPs), with dimensions between 1 and 100 nm, results in unique chemical and physical characteristics, which is why they are implemented in various consumer products. Therefore, an important concern is the potential detrimental impact of NPs on the environment. As plants are a vital part of ecosystem, investigation of the phytotoxic effects of NPs is particularly interesting.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are the dominating nanomaterial in consumer products due to their well-known antibacterial and antifungal properties. To enhance their properties, different surface coatings may be used, which affect physico-chemical properties of AgNPs. Due to their wide application, there has been concern about possible environmental and health consequences.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Plants endure a variety of abiotic and biotic stresses, all of which cause major limitations to production. Among abiotic stressors, heavy metal contamination represents a global environmental problem endangering humans, animals, and plants. Exposure to heavy metals has been documented to induce changes in the expression of plant proteins.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of cadmium-zinc (Cd-Zn) interactions on their uptake, oxidative damage of cell macromolecules (lipids, proteins, DNA) and activities of antioxidative enzymes in tobacco seedlings as well as roots and leaves of adult plants. Seedlings and plants were exposed to Cd (10 µM and 15 µM) and Zn (25 µM and 50 µM) as well as their combinations (10 µM or 15 µM Cd with either 25 µM or 50 µM Zn). Measurement of metal accumulation exhibited that Zn had mostly positive effect on Cd uptake in roots and seedlings, while Cd had antagonistic effect on Zn uptake in leaves and roots.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The effects of 10 μmol L-1 and 15 μmol L-1 cadmium (Cd), a nonessential toxic element and 25 μmol L-1 and 50 μmol L-1 zinc (Zn), an essential micronutrient, on proteins and glycoproteins of Nicotiana tabacum L. seedlings and plants were investigated after exposure to each metal alone or to their combinations. Changes in only few polypeptides related to heavy metal treatments were observed in tobacco seedlings and leaves of adult plants, while the greatest change in total soluble protein pattern was observed in plant roots.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The effects of 5 μM cadmium (Cd), a non-essential toxic element and 25 and 50 μM zinc (Zn), an essential micronutrient, were investigated in aquatic plant Lemna minor L. after 4 and 7 days of exposure to each metal alone or to their combinations. Both metals showed tendency to accumulate with time, but when present in combination, they reduced uptake of each other.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We investigated interactions between copper (in the concentrations of 2.5 μmol L-1 and 5 μmol L-1) and cadmium (5 μmol L-1) in common duckweed (Lemna minor L.) by exposing it to either metal or to their combinations for four or seven days.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Artificial environmental conditions in tissue culture, such as elevated relative humidity and rich nutrient medium, can influence and modify tissue growth and induce spontaneous changes from characteristic organization pattern to unorganized callus. As succulent plants with crassulacean acid metabolism, cacti are particularly susceptible to this altered growth environment. Glycosylated proteins of Mammillaria gracillis tissues cultivated in vitro, separated by SDS-PAGE, were detected with Con A after the transfer of proteins onto the nitrocellulose membrane.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The structure elucidation of protein-linked N-glycans in plants has raised interest in the past years due to remarkable physiological roles attributed to these modifications. However, little information about the glycoprotein patterns related to plant cell differentiation, dedifferentiation and transformation is available. In this work, the use of two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in conjunction with matrix assisted laser/desorption ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) for the characterization of carbohydrates released from plant glycoproteins is described.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In vitro propagated plants of the cactus Mammillaria gracillis Pfeiff. (Cactaceae) spontaneously produced callus. The habituated callus regenerated normal and hyperhydric shoots without the addition of grown regulators.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF