Publications by authors named "Loredana-Florina Leopold"

Nanoplastics (NPs) as environmental contaminants have received increased attention in recent years. Numerous studies have suggested possible negative effects of plants exposure to NPs, but more data are needed with various plants under different exposure conditions to clarify the underlying phytotoxicity mechanisms. In this study, we investigated the effect of polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs; 28.

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Citrus essential oils possess many health-promoting benefits and properties of high interest in the food and agri-food sector. However, their large-scale application is limited by their sensitivity to environmental factors. Nanostructures containing citrus essential oils have been developed to overcome the high volatility and instability of essential oils with respect to temperature, pH, UV light, etc.

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Gadolinium-based contrast agents are molecular complexes which are extensively used for diagnostic purposes. Apart from their tremendous contribution to disease diagnostics, there are several issues related to their use. They are extremely stable complexes and potential contaminants of surface and ground waters, an issue which is documented worldwide.

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In the present work, was investigated the separation and purification procedure of the biogenic 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD), which is a well-known valuable compound in terms of bio-based plastic materials development. The biogenic 1,3-PD was obtained as a major metabolite through the glycerol fermentation by DSMZ 2026 and was subjected to separation and purification processes. A strong acidic ion exchange resin in H form was used for 1,3-PD purification from the aqueous solution previously obtained by broth flocculation.

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Currently, research studies on nanoparticle cytotoxicity, uptake or internalization into the body's cells are of great interest for the improvement of diagnostic and therapeutic applications. We report here the synthesis and characterization of very stable novel warfarin-capped gold nanoparticles with an average diameter of 54 ± 10 nm which were prepared using sodium warfarin as a reducing agent. The nanoparticles were tested in terms of cytotoxicity and cellular internalization in vitro on two cell lines: normal lung fibroblast HFL-1 and human retinal pigment epithelial D407 cells.

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With a continuous increase in the production and use in everyday life applications of engineered nanomaterials, concerns have appeared in the past decades related to their possible environmental toxicity and impact on edible plants (and therefore, upon human health). Soybean is one of the most commercially-important crop plants, and a perfect model for nanomaterials accumulation studies, due to its high biomass production and ease of cultivation. In this review, we aim to summarize the most recent research data concerning the impact of engineered nanomaterials on the soya bean, covering both inorganic (metal and metal-oxide nanoparticles) and organic (carbon-based) nanomaterials.

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The goal of this research is the investigation of a way to maximize the production of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and β-carotene by optimizing the culture conditions of their sources, microalgae Schizochytrium limacinum and fungus Blakeslea trispora respectively, in a fermentation medium. The influencing factors in the fermentation process for producing DHA and β-carotene have proven to be: the concentration of carbon source (different glycerol crude and pure concentrations) for both of them, and in particular temperature for DHA and pH for β-carotene. Testing the effect of these parameters was determined: biomass, DHA and β-carotene concentration.

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