Testicular toxicity in mice exposed to terephthalic acid in utero and during lactation.

Terephthalic acid (TPA) is a worldwide aromatic compound widely used to manufacture resins and the raw material for the polymerization reaction with ethylene glycol to produce polyethylene terephthalate, known as PET. The use of TPA extends to the synthesis of phthalates, plasticizers used in various industrialized products such as toys and cosmetics. The present study aimed to evaluate the testicular toxicity of terephthalic acid on male mice exposed in utero and during lactation to TPA in different developmental windows.

Simple synthesis and characterization of l-Cystine functionalized δ-FeOOH for highly efficient Hg(II) removal from contamined water and mining waste.

l-Cystine functionalized δ-FeOOH nanoparticles (Cys-δ-FeOOH) were prepared by a cheap and straightforward method for using as an adsorbent of Hg(II) in aqueous solution. X-ray diffraction (XRD), attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR), and Raman spectroscopy confirmed that Cys-δ-FeOOH was successfully synthesized. Cys-δ-FeOOH with 14 nm crystal size, 34 m g surface area, and 9 nm pore size were produced.

Hyaluronidase behavior at the air/liquid and air/lipid interfaces and improved enzymatic activity by its immobilization in a biomembrane model.

Bovine testicular hyaluronidase (BT-HAase), a tetrameric enzyme responsible for randomly hyaluronic acid catalytic hydrolysis, was successfully immobilized on Langmuir-Blodgett films prepared with the sodium salt of dihexadecylphosphoric acid, (DHP-Zn(II)) ending with dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, DPPC. Data of protein adsorption at the air-liquid interface by means of pendant drop shape analysis and interaction of the protein with Langmuir monolayers of DPPC, using a Langmuir trough, have provided information about the conditions to be used in the protein immobilization. The dynamic surface pressure curves obtained from pendant drop experiments for the enzyme in buffer solutions indicate that, within the range of concentration investigated in this study, the enzyme exhibits the largest induction time at 5 μg L(-1) attributed to diffusion processes.