Cytotoxicity and Oxidative Stress Induced by Technology-Critical Elements Traditional Metal Contaminants: An Bioassay Study.

Technology-critical elements (TCEs), essential in emerging technologies, are increasingly finding their way into our environment, raising concerns about their sparsely studied behavior and toxicity. To contribute insights into the toxicological aspects, we employed bioassays to investigate the possible cytotoxic effects in four representative cell lines (AR-EcoScreen GR-KO-M1, DR-EcoScreen, MCF7AREc32, VM7Luc4E2) and the potential to induce oxidative stress via the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway for a number of these elements. Nine TCEs, three rare-earth elements (REEs: Gd, Nd, Yb) and six less-studied TCEs (LSTCEs: Ga, Ge, In, Ta, Te, Tl), were selected for this study, along with three well-studied traditional metal contaminants (TMCs: As, Cd, Pb) for comparison.

New Insight into Mercury Removal from Fish Meat Using a Single-Component Solution Containing cysteine.

A novel approach for reducing mercury content in fish meat during post-packaging storage is developed to extend the margin of their safe consumption. It involves employing a single-component aqueous medium containing cysteine, as the active agent responsible for displacing mercury from fish proteins and its stabilization in the medium without the need for pH adjustments. The mercury removal efficiency depends on the cysteine concentration and its ratio to fish muscle.

Impact of sample acidification and extract storage on hormone receptor-mediated and oxidative stress activities in wastewater.

An underemphasized aspect of sampling strategies in effect-based in vitro testing is to determine suitable collection and preparation techniques. In the current study, the impact of sample acidification on bioactivities was assessed using in vitro bioassays for hormone receptor-mediated effects (estrogen receptor [ER] and androgen receptor [AR]) and the oxidative stress response (Nrf2 activity). Sampling was conducted at a recently upgraded Swedish wastewater treatment plant.

Evaluation of in vitro bioassays as a screening tool to monitor chemical hazards in cow's milk.

Studies on cow's milk have mainly focused on analyzing specific chemical groups and natural components. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated if effect-based in vitro methods could be used as a screening tool to monitor chemical hazards in milk. In total, 32 milk samples were collected from a Swedish dairy company throughout one year.

An in vitro-based hazard assessment of liquid smoke food flavourings.

Liquid smoke products are widely used as a food additive to create a desired smoke flavour. These products may contain hazardous chemicals generated during the wood-burning process. However, the toxic effects of these types of hazardous chemicals constituting in the commercially available products are largely unknown.

Assessment of source and treated water quality in seven drinking water treatment plants by in vitro bioassays - Oxidative stress and antiandrogenic effects after artificial infiltration.

Drinking water quality and treatment efficacy was investigated in seven drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs), using water from the river Göta Älv, which also is a recipient of treated sewage water. A panel of cell-based bioassays was used, including measurements of receptor activity of aryl hydrocarbon (AhR), estrogen (ER), androgen (AR), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) as well as induction of oxidative stress (Nrf2) and micronuclei formation. Grab water samples were concentrated by solid phase extraction (SPE) and water samples were analyzed at a relative enrichment factor of 50.

In vitro bioanalytical evaluation of removal efficiency for bioactive chemicals in Swedish wastewater treatment plants.

Chemical contamination of wastewater is a problem of great environmental concern, as it poses a hazard to both the ecosystem and to human health. In this study, we have performed a bioanalytical evaluation of the presence and removal efficiency for bioactive chemicals in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), using in vitro assays for toxicity endpoints of high relevance for human health. Water samples were collected at the inlet and outlet of five Swedish WWTPs, all adopting a treatment technology including pretreatment, primary treatment (sedimenation), seconday treatment (biological processes), post-sedimentation, and sludge handling.

Innovative drinking water treatment techniques reduce the disinfection-induced oxidative stress and genotoxic activity.

Disinfection of drinking water using chlorine can lead to the formation of genotoxic by-products when chlorine reacts with natural organic matter (NOM). A vast number of such disinfection by-products (DBPs) have been identified, making it almost impossible to routinely monitor all DBPs with chemical analysis. In this study, a bioanalytical approach was used, measuring oxidative stress (Nrf2 activity), genotoxicity (micronucleus test), and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activation to evaluate an innovative water treatment process, including suspended ion exchange, ozonation, in-line coagulation, ceramic microfiltration, and granular activated carbon.

Effect-based assessment of recipient waters impacted by on-site, small scale, and large scale waste water treatment facilities - combining passive sampling with in vitro bioassays and chemical analysis.

Waste water treatment facilities are a major sources of organic micropollutants (MPs) in surface water. In this study, surface water samples were collected from seven sites along a river system in Uppsala, Sweden, during four seasons and evaluated based on the occurrence of MPs in the samples and bioactivity using in vitro bioassays. The sampling sites were differentially impacted by on-site sewage treatment facilities (OSSFs), small scale, and large scale waste water treatment plants (WWTPs).

Toxicity bioassays with concentrated cell culture media-a methodology to overcome the chemical loss by conventional preparation of water samples.

The use of in vitro bioassays for studies of toxic activity in environmental water samples is a rapidly expanding field of research. Cell-based bioassays can assess the total toxicity exerted by a water sample, regardless whether the toxicity is caused by a known or unknown agent or by a complex mixture of different agents. When using bioassays for environmental water samples, it is often necessary to concentrate the water samples before applying the sample.

Impact of natural organic matter in water on in vitro bioactivity assays.

Surface water can be contaminated with pollutants from multiple sources and contain a vast number of various chemicals. In vitro bioassays are valuable tools to assess the total bioactivity of micropollutants in water samples. Besides anthropogenic chemicals, natural organic matter (NOM) is ubiquitous in water, which also may have an impact on the bioactivity in water samples.

Signatures of post-zygotic structural genetic aberrations in the cells of histologically normal breast tissue that can predispose to sporadic breast cancer.

Sporadic breast cancer (SBC) is a common disease without robust means of early risk prediction in the population. We studied 282 females with SBC, focusing on copy number aberrations in cancer-free breast tissue (uninvolved margin, UM) outside the primary tumor (PT). In total, 1162 UMs (1-14 per breast) were studied.