Estimated exposure to microplastics through national and local brands of bottled water in Central India.

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous pollutants that affect various environmental matrices, including air, water, soil, food, and beverages. In India, there is limited research on microplastics in bottled drinking water, which is a significant route of MP exposure to the human body. To date, the data on the occurrence of MPs in national and local bottled water brands have not been studied and compared.

Potential of Antarctic lipase from Acinetobacter johnsonii Ant12 for treatment of lipid-rich wastewater: screening, production, properties and applications.

The present study aimed to screen and optimize lipase production by the Antarctic strain Acinetobacter johnsonii Ant12 for lipid-rich wastewater treatment. Lipase production was successfully enhanced threefold through optimization of culture conditions. The optimum crude lipase activity was observed at 50 °C with high stability in a wide temperature range.

Characterization and removal of microplastics in a sewage treatment plant from urban Nagpur, India.

Sewage treatment plant (STP) acts as a potential source of microplastic contamination in the environment. The presence of microplastics in the sewage treatment plant is reported over the globe in varying concentrations. Hence, the current study is intended to evaluate the presence and abundance of microplastics occurring in sewage treatment plants in India.

Mitochondrial dysfunctions elicited by solid waste leachates provide insights into mechanisms of leachates induced cell death and pathophysiological disorders.

Emissions (mainly leachates and landfill gases) from solid waste facilities are laden with mixtures of dangerous xenobiotics implicated with significant increase in various pathophysiological disorders including cancer, and eventual mortality of exposed wildlife and humans. However, the molecular mechanisms of solid waste leachates induce pathophysiological disorders and cell death are still largely unknown. Although, evolving evidence implicated generation of reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress as the possible mechanism.

Can the Indian national ambient air quality standard protect against the hazardous constituents of PM?

Globally, exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM) pollution claims ∼9 million lives, yearly, and a quarter of this deaths occurs in India. Regulation of PM pollution in India is based on compliance with its National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) of 40 μg/m, which is eight times the revised global air quality guideline (AQG) of 5 μg/m. But, whether the NAAQS provides adequate protection against the hazardous components in PM is still not clear.

Landfill soil leachates from Nigeria and India induced DNA damage and alterations in genes associated with apoptosis in Jurkat cell.

Landfill soil leachates, containing myriad of xenobiotics, increase genotoxic and cytotoxic stress-induced cell death. However, the underlying mechanism involved in the elimination of the damaged cells is yet to be fully elucidated. This study investigated the apoptotic processes induced in lymphoma (Jurkat) cells by landfill soil leachates from Olusosun (OSL, Nigeria) and Nagpur (NPL, India).

Environmental prevalence, fate, impacts, and mitigation of microplastics-a critical review on present understanding and future research scope.

Microplastics are considered to be ubiquitous and widespread emerging contaminants. They are persistent in the nature and pose considerable harm to the environment. Their omnipresence is documented in almost all aquatic habitats, several atmospheric and terrestrial environments, and also in human consumables.

Burn to kill: Wood ash a silent killer in Africa.

Aside the emissions, burning of wood in traditional cookstoves (TCs) also generates substantial amount of ash containing hazardous pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and toxic metals. But, their concentrations in the ash, particularly in Africa where over 70% of the population utilize TCs, remain unknown. Here, we determined concentrations of sixteen PAHs and eleven heavy metals in ashes from twelve different African TCs, comprising six three-stone fires (TSFs) and six built-in-place cookstoves (BIPCs), burning common African wood species under real world situation.

Induction of apoptosis in leukemic cells by the alkaloid extract of garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.).

Objective: Garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.) is an important herb in traditional medicine used to improve production of breast milk in women and semen in men. In the present research the authors evaluated its ability to destroy leukemic cancer (Jurkat E6-1) cells, using the alkaloid extract of this plant.

Simultaneous quantitative monitoring of four indicator contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) in different water sources of Central India using SPE/LC-(ESI)MS-MS.

Environmental occurrence of CECs poses a great threat to both aquatic life and human health. The aim of this study was to optimize and validate SPE/LC-(ESI)MS-MS method for simultaneous quantitative monitoring of two sub-classes of CECs (pharmaceuticals and hormones) and to estimate the concentrations of select CECs in environmental water samples. For all the tested analytes, recoveries in laboratory reagent water were greater than 81%.

Molecular mechanism of apoptosis induction in Jurkat E6-1 cells by alkaloids extract.

The present study demonstrates apoptosis-inducing potential and mechanism of action of alkaloid extract in Jurkat E6-1 cancer cell line. Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and High Resolution-Mass Spectrometry analysis identified the presence of four -feruloyltyramine derivatives, namely trans--feruloyl-3-hydroxytyramine (), trans--coumaroyltyramine (), trans--feruloyltyramine () and trans--feruloyl-3-ethoxytyramine () in the alkaloid extract. Compounds and have not been yet reported in the alkaloid extract of .

The burden of disease attributable to ambient PM2.5-bound PAHs exposure in Nagpur, India.

Exposure to PM-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can elicit several types of cancer and non-cancer effects. Previous studies reported substantial burdens of PAH-induced lung cancer, but the burdens of other cancer types and non-cancer effects remain unknown. Thus, we estimate the cancer and non-cancer burden of disease, in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), attributable to ambient PM-bound PAHs exposure in Nagpur district, India, using risk-based approach.

The gains in life expectancy by ambient PM pollution reductions in localities in Nigeria.

Global burden of disease estimates reveal that people in Nigeria are living shorter lifespan than the regional or global average life expectancy. Ambient air pollution is a top risk factor responsible for the reduced longevity. But, the magnitude of the loss or the gains in longevity accruing from the pollution reductions, which are capable of driving mitigation interventions in Nigeria, remain unknown.

Manganese exposure: Linking down-regulation of miRNA-7 and miRNA-433 with α-synuclein overexpression and risk of idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

Manganese is an essential trace element however elevated environmental and occupational exposure to this element has been correlated with neurotoxicity symptoms clinically identical to idiopathic Parkinson's disease. In the present study we chronically exposed human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells to manganese (100μM) and carried out expression profiling of miRNAs known to modulate neuronal differentiation and neurodegeneration. The miRNA PCR array results reveal alterations in expression levels of miRNAs, which have previously been associated with the regulation of synaptic transmission and apoptosis.

Application of cell-based assays for toxicity characterization of complex wastewater matrices: Possible applications in wastewater recycle and reuse.

Exposure to pre-concentrated inlet or outlet STP wastewater extracts at different concentrations (0.001% to 1%) induced dose-dependent toxicity in MCF-7 cells, whereas drinking water extracts did not induce cytotoxicity in cells treated. GC-MS analysis revealed the occurrence of xenobiotic compounds (Benzene, Phthalate, etc.

The health burden and economic costs averted by ambient PM pollution reductions in Nagpur, India.

National estimates of the health and economic burdens of exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM) in India reveal substantial impacts. This information, often lacking at the local level, can justify and drive mitigation interventions. Here, we assess the health and economic gains resulting from attainment of WHO guidelines for PM concentrations - including interim target 2 (IT-2), interim target 3 (IT-3), and the WHO air quality guideline (AQG) - in Nagpur district to inform policy decision making for mitigation.

Screening the partial coding region of metallothionein isoform-2 gene in Zebu cattle.

Metallothionein (MT) is important because it binds tightly to heavy metals to decrease their toxicity. DNA was isolated from 30 toxic metal exposed and 30 toxic metal unexposed Zebu cows. The amplified metallothionein isoform-2 (MT-2) PCR product (489 bp) was further used for PCR-RFLP and DNA sequencing.

Chemical characterization of simulated landfill soil leachates from Nigeria and India and their cytotoxicity and DNA damage inductions on three human cell lines.

Landfill soils are sources of emerging carcinogens, teratogens and mutagens in the environment. There is inadequate information on its possible health risk and cytogenotoxicity. This study evaluated chemical characterization of four simulated landfill leachates with their cytotoxicity and DNA damage in human cells.

Potential Role of Epigenetic Mechanism in Manganese Induced Neurotoxicity.

Manganese is a vital nutrient and is maintained at an optimal level (2.5-5 mg/day) in human body. Chronic exposure to manganese is associated with neurotoxicity and correlated with the development of various neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

Carvacrol induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in HL-60 promyelocytic and Jurkat T lymphoma cells.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of carvacrol, a phenolic monoterpenoid on the induction of apoptosis in HL-60 (Human acute promyelocytic leukemia cells) and Jurkat (human T lymphocyte cells) cells. Carvacrol showed a potent cytotoxic effect on both cells with dose-dependent increase in the level of free radical formation as measured by an oxidation sensitive fluorescent dye, 2,7-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (H2DCFDA) levels. The reduction in the level of antioxidants such as catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) (P<0.

Biomass and lipid enhancement in Chlorella sp. with emphasis on biodiesel quality assessment through detailed FAME signature.

In this study, the concentrations of MgSO4, salinity and light intensity were optimised for maximum biomass productivity and lipid content in Chlorella sp. Lipid synthesized at varied experimental conditions was also assessed in detail for biodiesel properties through FAME analysis. FAMEs mainly composed of C16:0, C16:1(9), C16:3(7, 10, 13), C18:0, C18:1(11), C18:2(9, 12), C18:3(9, 12, 15).

An integrated genomic and proteomic approach to identify signatures of endosulfan exposure in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Present study reports the identification of genomic and proteomic signatures of endosulfan exposure in hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2). HepG2 cells were exposed to sublethal concentration (15μM) of endosulfan for 24h. DNA microarray and MALDI-TOF-MS analyses revealed that endosulfan induced significant alterations in the expression level of genes and proteins involved in multiple cellular pathways (apoptosis, transcription, immune/inflammatory response, carbohydrate metabolism, etc.

Polymorphisms in DNA repair and multidrug resistance genes among Sindhis of Central India.

Polymorphisms in DNA repair and multidrug resistance genes might contribute to interindividual and interethnic differences in DNA repair capacity and drug disposition respectively. In the present study, we determined the allele and genotype frequencies of four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in the DNA repair genes, XRCC1, XRCC3, XPD, OGG1, namely XRCC1 Arg399Gln, XRCC3 Thr241Met, XPD Lys751Gln, and OGG1 Ser326Cys, respectively and two SNPs located in the multidrug resistance gene, ABCB1, namely ABCB1 C3435T and ABCB1 C1236T, in 33-35 healthy and unrelated Sindhi individuals, residing in the Vidarbha region of Central India and compared them with the Maharashtrian population from the same geographical region and some other HapMap populations from the HapMap database. The study findings reveal that the Indian Sindhis are closely related to the Maharashtrians as well as Utah residents with Northern and Western European ancestry and Gujarati Indians in Houston, Texas in the HapMap database.

Correlation of melanophore index with a battery of functional genomic stress indicators for measurement of environmental stress in aquatic ecosystem.

The correlation of primary stress indicator; melanophore index (MI) with set of genomic stress indicators is important for a better understanding of the cellular stress pathway induced by xenobiotics in aquatic species. This study presents a correlation between melanophore index (MI) and genomic stress indicators in Oreochromis mossambicus treated with lead nitrate, phenol and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH). O.

Defatted algal biomass as a non-conventional low-cost adsorbent: surface characterization and methylene blue adsorption characteristics.

The present study investigates the use of defatted algal biomass (DAB) as a non-conventional low cost adsorbent. The maximum adsorption capacity of biomass (raw, defatted and sulfuric acid pretreated DAB) was determined by liquid phase adsorption studies in batch mode for the removal of methylene blue present at various concentrations (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 mg L(-1)) from aqueous solutions. The data was well fitted with Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms.