P and AHR-CYP1A1 Signaling Crosstalk in an Injury-Induced Zebrafish Inflammation Model.

Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR) signaling is crucial for regulating the biotransformation of xenobiotics and physiological processes like inflammation and immunity. Meanwhile, Peptide (P), a promising anti-inflammatory candidate from toadfish venom, demonstrates therapeutic effects through immunomodulation. However, its influence on AHR signaling remains unexplored.

Pesticide-Induced Inflammation at a Glance.

The increasing number of studies reporting the risks of the exposure to pesticides aligned with the intensified use of such hazardous chemicals has emerged as a pressing contemporary issue, notably due to the potential effects to both the environment and human health. Pesticides, while broadly applied in modern agriculture for pest control and crop protection, have raised concerns due to their unintended effects on non-target organisms. The immune system exerts a key role in the protection against the exposome, which could result in cellular imbalances and tissue damage through the inflammatory response.

Revisiting Retinal Degeneration Hallmarks: Insights from Molecular Markers and Therapy Perspectives.

Visual impairment and blindness are a growing public health problem as they reduce the life quality of millions of people. The management and treatment of these diseases represent scientific and therapeutic challenges because different cellular and molecular actors involved in the pathophysiology are still being identified. Visual system components, particularly retinal cells, are extremely sensitive to genetic or metabolic alterations, and immune responses activated by local insults contribute to biological events, culminating in vision loss and irreversible blindness.

Pesticides and Their Impairing Effects on Epithelial Barrier Integrity, Dysbiosis, Disruption of the AhR Signaling Pathway and Development of Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases.

The environmental and occupational risk we confront from agricultural chemicals increases as their presence in natural habitats rises to hazardous levels, building a major part of the exposome. This is of particular concern in low- and middle-income countries, such as Brazil, known as a leading producer of agricultural commodities and consumer of pesticides. As long as public policies continue to encourage the indiscriminate use of pesticides and governments continue to support this strategy instead of endorsing sustainable agricultural alternatives, the environmental burden that damages epithelial barriers will continue to grow.

High Melanin Content in Melanoma Cells Contributes to Enhanced DNA Damage after Rose Bengal Photosensitization.

Melanoma is a type of tumor that originates from melanocytes. Irradiation of melanin with UVA and visible light can produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as singlet molecular oxygen ( O ). The objective of this study was to examine DNA damage in melanoma cells (B16-F10) with different melanin contents, subjected to O generation.

Accumulation of nylon microplastics and polybrominated diphenyl ethers and effects on gut microbial community of Chironomus sancticaroli.

Microplastics (MP) are emerging contaminants with the capacity to bind and transport hydrophobic organic compounds of environmental concern, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The aim of this study was to investigate the ingestion of nylon (polyamide) MP alone and when associated with PBDEs and their effects on Chironomus sancticaroli larvae survival and microbiome structure. Survival, PBDE uptake and microbial community composition were measured in fourth instar larvae exposed for 96 h to BDEs- 47, 99, 100 and 153 in the presence and absence of 1% w/w MP in sediment.

Natterin-like depletion by CRISPR/Cas9 impairs zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryonic development.

Background: The Natterin protein family was first discovered in the venom of the medically significant fish Thalassophryne nattereri, and over the last decade natterin-like genes have been identified in various organisms, notably performing immune-related functions. Previous findings support natterin-like genes as effector defense molecules able to activate multiprotein complexes driving the host innate immune response, notably due to the pore-forming function of the aerolysin superfamily members. Herein, employing a combination of the CRISPR/Cas9 depletion system, phenotype-based screening, and morphometric methods, we evaluated the role of one family member, LOC795232, in the embryonic development of zebrafish since it might be implicated in multiple roles and characterization of the null mutant is central for analysis of gene activity.

Molecular Characterization and Functional Analysis of the Nattectin-like Toxin from the Venomous Fish .

TmC4-47.2 is a toxin with myotoxic activity found in the venom of , a venomous fish commonly found in Latin America whose envenomation produces an injury characterized by delayed neutrophil migration, production of major pro-inflammatory cytokines, and necrosis at the wound site, as well as a specific systemic immune response. However, there are few studies on the protein structure and functions associated with it.

The Natterin Proteins Diversity: A Review on Phylogeny, Structure, and Immune Function.

Since the first record of the five founder members of the group of Natterin proteins in the venom of the medically significant fish , new sequences have been identified in other species. In this work, we performed a detailed screening using available genome databases across a wide range of species to identify sequence members of the Natterin group, sequence similarities, conserved domains, and evolutionary relationships. The high-throughput tools have enabled us to dramatically expand the number of members within this group of proteins, which has a remote origin (around 400 million years ago) and is spread across Eukarya organisms, even in plants and primitive Agnathans jawless fish.

Knockdown of miR-26a in zebrafish leads to impairment of the anti-inflammatory function of TnP in the control of neutrophilia.

Our recent data show the valuable potential of TnP for the development of a new and safe anti-inflammatory drug due to its ability to control the traffic and activation of leukocytes in response to inflammation. Although there is considerable knowledge surrounding the cellular mechanisms of TnP, less is known about the mechanistic molecular role of TnP underlying its immunomodulatory functions. Here, we conducted investigations to identify whether miRNAs could be one of the molecular bases of the therapeutic effect of TnP.

Early preclinical screening using zebrafish () reveals the safety of the candidate anti-inflammatory therapeutic agent P.

The patented anti-inflammatory peptide P had its effectiveness recently confirmed in a murine model of multiple sclerosis and asthma. In this work, the safety of the P was evaluated in investigative toxicology tests using zebrafish () as a model. We conducted the OECD #236 test to investigate effects of the P on the survival, hatching performance, and morphological formation of zebrafish embryos.

Tissue-specific genotoxicity and antioxidant imbalance of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (NPTiO) and inorganic lead (PbII) in a neotropical fish species.

The aquatic environment is the major recipient of wastes containing nanoparticles and other contaminants. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (NPTiO) are one of the most produced and used nanoparticle worldwide. This study investigated the toxicity of NPTiO, as well as the toxicity interaction between NPTiO and lead (Pb), in response to genetic and biochemical biomarkers using freshwater fish Rhamdia quelen, as an animal model.

The Toxic Effects of Glyphosate, Chlorpyrifos, Abamectin, and 2,4-D on Animal Models: A Systematic Review of Brazilian Studies.

Brazil is a global agricultural commodity producer and the largest consumer of pesticides. Pesticide use in Brazil comprised 549 280 tons in 2018. In the country, soybean, corn, and sugar cane are extensively produced, which are the most pesticides demanding crops.

A test battery for assessing the ecotoxic effects of textile dyes.

The textile dyeing industry is one of the main sectors contributing to environmental pollution, due to the generation of large amounts of wastewater loaded with dyes (ca. 2-50% of the initial amount of dyes used in the dye baths is lost), causing severe impacts on human health and the environment. In this context, an ecotoxicity testing battery was used to assess the acute toxicity and genotoxicity of the textile dyes Direct Black 38 (DB38; azo dye) and Reactive Blue 15 (RB15; copper phthalocyanine dye) on different trophic levels.

Effects of low concentrations of ibuprofen on freshwater fish Rhamdia quelen.

Ibuprofen is a pharmaceutical drug widely used by the global population and it has been found in aquatic ecosystems in several countries. This study evaluated the effects of ibuprofen in environmental concentrations (0, 0.1, 1 and 10 μg/L) on the freshwaterspecies Rhamdia quelen exposed for 14 days.

Antibody levels to hantavirus in inhabitants of western Santa Catarina State, Brazil.

Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) is an infectious disease caused by hantaviruses of the family Bunyaviridae, and is transmitted by aerosols of excreta of infected rodents. The aim of the present study was to determine antibody levels to hantavirus in the population that lives at frontier of Brazil and Argentina. Participated of the study 405 individuals living in the municipalities of Bandeirante, Santa Helena, Princesa and Tunapolis, state of Santa Catarina, Brazil.