Deciphering physical and functional properties of chitosan-based particles for agriculture applications.

Traditional methods for controlling plant pathogens rely on toxic chemicals, posing environmental and health risks. Developing sustainable, eco-friendly alternatives is crucial. Chitosan (CS)-based materials offer promising solutions for sustainable agriculture.

Usefulness of oxidative stress biomarkers in native species for the biomonitoring of pesticide pollution in a shallow lake of the Austral Pampas, Argentina.

Pesticide contamination and its adverse effects on native freshwater species continue to be a worldwide major concern, mainly in developing countries. Passive biomonitoring of pesticide pollution in shallow lakes may be achieved by the simultaneous use of fish and wetland plants. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of current-use pesticides in the surface water of a shallow lake of the Austral Pampas region (Buenos Aires Province, Argentina) surrounded by intensive agricultural activities and its relationship with a battery of biomarkers, including oxidative stress and genotoxicity, in two native species, the fish Oligosarcus jenynsii and the macrophyte Bidens laevis.

Can the Herbicide Dicamba Produce Oxidative Stress in the Native South American fish Jenynsia lineata at Environmentally Relevant Concentrations?

Dicamba (DIC) is one of the most applied auxin herbicides worldwide. Sublethal effects in the South American native fish Jenynsia lineata exposed to DIC concentrations close to environmental concentrations (0.03-30 µg/L) during 48 h were analysed thorough the evaluation of catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) and HO levels for detecting potential oxidative stress.

Antifungal and antibacterial activities of Cannabis sativa L. resins.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabaceae) is a plant native to Eastern Asia spread throughout the world because of its medicinal properties. Despite being used for thousands of years as a palliative therapeutic agent for many pathologies, in many countries research on its effects and properties could only be carried out in recent years, after its legalization.

The Water-Soluble Chitosan Derivative, N-Methylene Phosphonic Chitosan, Is an Effective Fungicide against the Phytopathogen Fusarium eumartii.

Chitosan has been considered an environmental-friendly polymer. However, its use in agriculture has not been extended yet due to its relatively low solubility in water. N-Methylene phosphonic chitosan (NMPC) is a water-soluble derivative prepared by adding a phosphonic group to chitosan.

Wheat germin-like protein: Studies on chitin/chitosan matrix for tissue engineering applications.

Advances in tissue engineering require the development of new biomaterials with adequate properties of cell attachment and growth. The properties of biomaterials can be improved by incorporation of bioactive molecules to enhance in vitro and/or in vivo functions. In this work, we study the role of a wheat germin-like protease inhibitor (GLPI), free or immobilized in biocompatible matrices to improve cell-attachment ability on different mammalian cell lines.

Evaluation of hematological parameters, oxidative stress and DNA damage in the cichlid Australoheros facetus exposed to the fungicide azoxystrobin.

Azoxystrobin (AZX) is a broad-spectrum systemic fungicide massively used worldwide. Its mode of action consists in the inhibition of mitochondrial respiration decreasing the synthesis of ATP and leading to oxidative stress in the target fungus. However, whether this effect occurs in non target organisms has been scarcely studied.

Strategies for cadmium detoxification in the white shrimp Palaemon argentinus from clean and polluted field locations.

In this study, we investigated the metal handling capacity of non-tolerant and tolerant populations of Palaemon argentinus to cadmium (Cd), through evaluating of the main mechanisms of metal detoxification, metallothioneins (MT) and metal-rich granules (MRG), to probe that the presence of MRG in the second population is responsible of that condition. The tolerant population were exposed to 3.06 and 12.

Alternation between dietary protein depletion and normal feeding cause liver damage in mouse.

The effect of frequent protein malnutrition on liver function has not been intensively examined. Thus, the effects of alternating 5 days of a protein and amino acid-free diet followed by 5 days of a complete diet repeated three times (3 PFD-CD) on female mouse liver were examined. The expression of carbonic anhydrase III (CAIII), fatty acid synthase (FAS), glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) in liver were assessed by proteomics, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Northern blotting.

Oxidative stress in mouse liver caused by dietary amino acid deprivation: protective effect of methionine.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of a diet depleted of amino acids (protein-free diet, or PFD), as well as the supplementation with methionine (PFD+Met), on the antioxidant status of the female mouse liver. With this purpose, cytosolic protein spots from two-dimensional non-equilibrium pH gel electrophoresis were identified by several procedures, such as mass spectrometry, Western blot, gel matching and enzymatic activity. PFD decreased the contents of catalase (CAT), peroxiredoxin I (Prx-I), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) by 67%, 37% and 45%, respectively.

The swaposin-like domain of potato aspartic protease (StAsp-PSI) exerts antimicrobial activity on plant and human pathogens.

Plant-specific insert domain (PSI) is a region of approximately 100 amino acid residues present in most plant aspartic protease (AP) precursors. PSI is not a true saposin domain; it is the exchange of the N- and C-terminal portions of the saposin like domain. Hence, PSI is called a swaposin domain.

Cytotoxic effect of potato aspartic proteases (StAPs) on Jurkat T cells.

StAPs are potato aspartic proteases with cytotoxic activity against plant pathogens and spermatozoa. StAPs cytotoxic activity is selective, since these proteins do not exert toxic effect on plant cells and erythrocytes. In this work, we investigated the capacity of StAPs to exert cytotoxicity on human leukaemia cells.

Roles of glycosylation on the antifungal activity and apoplast accumulation of StAPs (Solanum tuberosum aspartic proteases).

Specific roles of glycosylation appear to be protein-dependent. Plant aspartic proteases (APs) contain two or more consensus N-glycosylation sites; however, the importance of them is not well understood. StAPs (Solanum tuberosum aspartic proteases) are bifunctional proteins with both proteolytic and antimicrobial activities.

Potato aspartic proteases (StAPs) exert cytotoxic activity on bovine and human spermatozoa.

Objective: To evaluate the in vitro spermicidal activity of Solanum tuberosum aspartic proteinases (StAPs) on bovine and human sperm.

Design: Controlled laboratory study.

Setting: Three research laboratories at a university of biologic science.

Antimicrobial activity of potato aspartic proteases (StAPs) involves membrane permeabilization.

Solanum tuberosum aspartic proteases (StAPs) with antimicrobial activity are induced after abiotic and biotic stress. In this study the ability of StAPs to produce a direct antimicrobial effect was investigated. Viability assays demonstrated that StAPs are able to kill spores of Fusarium solani and Phytophthora infestans in a dose-dependent manner.

Molecular cloning of a potato leaf cDNA encoding an aspartic protease (StAsp) and its expression after P. infestans infection.

Aspartic proteinases (EC 3.4.23) are widely distributed in the plant kingdom, and a number of cDNAs have been isolated from different plants.