Nitrogen starvation promotes production of the β-N-methylamino-L-alanine-containing proteins in marine diatoms.

The neurotoxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) produced by marine diatoms has been implicated in some neurological disorders, and there is a need to elucidate the biological processes involved in the production of BMAA-containing proteins. In this study, growth of seven diatoms was suppressed under nitrogen limitation, however the production of BMAA-containing proteins was significantly increased in six of them, up to 5.22-fold increase in Thalassiosira andamanica.

Spatiotemporal distribution of neurotoxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine and 2,4-diaminobutyric acid in offshore aquaculture area of Shandong province, China.

The neurotoxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) has been widely detected in aquatic environments and got the public's attention due to its potential risk to human neurodegenerative diseases. Three cruises in spring, summer and autumn seasons were carried out in Laizhou Bay (LZB), Sishili Bay (SSLB), Sanggou Bay (SGB), Jiaozhou Bay (JZB) and Haizhou Bay (HZB) in 2023. Results showed that the temporal distribution pattern of BMAA in plankton varied in the survey bays.

β-N-methylamino-L-alanine production, photosynthesis and transcriptional expression in a possible mutation strain and a wild strain of Thalassiosira minima.

The neurotoxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) produced by marine diatoms has been implicated as an important environmental trigger of neurodegenerative diseases in humans. However, the biosynthesis mechanism of BMAA in marine diatoms is still unknown. In the present study, the strain of diatom Thalassiosira minima almost lost the biosynthesis ability for BMAA after a long-term subculture in our laboratory.

How does the neurotoxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine exist in biological matrices and cause toxicity?

The neurotoxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) has been deemed as a risk factor for some neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/parkinsonism dementia complex (ALS/PDC). This possible link has been proved in some primate models and cell cultures with the appearance that BMAA exposure can cause excitotoxicity, formation of protein aggregates, and/or oxidative stress. The neurotoxin BMAA extensively exists in the environment and can be transferred through the food web to human beings.

Cell cycle of microalga Isochrysis galbana arrested by neurotoxin β-N-methylamino-l-alanine and corresponding molecular mechanisms.

The phycotoxin β-N-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA) has attracted attention due to its risks to marine organisms and human health. In this study, approximately 85 % of synchronized cells of the marine microalga Isochrysis galbana were arrested at the cell cycle G1 phase by BMAA at 6.5 μM for a 24-h exposure.

Low concentrations of 17β-estradiol exacerbate tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer treatment through membrane estrogen receptor-mediated signaling pathways.

The present study aims to discover the influences of tamoxifen and 17β-estradiol (E2) on tamoxifen-resistant (TamR) patients in vitro. Herein, we established a stabilized TamR MCF-7 cell line at 1 μM via gradient concentrations of tamoxifen cultivation. The expression changes of four ER subtypes (ERα66, ERβ, ERα36 and GPR30) were found to bring about tamoxifen resistance.

Double-dose responses of Scenedesmus capricornus microalgae exposed to humic acid.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) has been found to attenuate the ecotoxicity of various environmental pollutants, but research on its own toxic effects in aquatic ecosystems has been very limited. Herein, the toxic effects of humic acid (HA), a represent DOM typically found in natural waters, on the freshwater alga Scenedesmus capricornus were investigated. As result, HA exerted a double-dose effect on the growth of Scenedesmus capricornus.

Modified humic acids mediate efficient mineralization in a photo-bio-electro-Fenton process.

Humic acids (HA) are common mediators in redox reactions in the aquatic environment. The structures and properties of HA are greatly influenced by environmental factors such as external electrons. In this study, qualitative changes in electron-modified HA and the underlying mechanisms were reported, which not only contribute to understanding the fate of HA and their impact on organic pollutants, but could facilitate their potential use for water purification.

Quercetin exerts bidirectional regulation effects on the efficacy of tamoxifen in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer therapy: An in vitro study.

Tamoxifen was widely applied in the therapy of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer. With the purpose of determining the potential impacts of quercetin on its effectiveness, MCF-7 cells were selected as the in vitro model and several cellular biological behaviors (ie, cell proliferation, migration, invasion, cycle, apoptosis, and oxidative stress) were investigated. As results, quercetin showed contrasting dose-response to cellular behaviors dependent on the ROS-regulated p53 signaling pathways.

A critical review on the applications and potential risks of emerging MoS nanomaterials.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS) nanomaterials have been widely used in various fields such as energy store and transformation, environment protection, and biomedicine due to their unique physicochemical properties. Unfortunately, such large-scale production and use of MoS nanomaterials would inevitably release into the environmental system and then potentially increase the risks of wildlife/ecosystem and human beings as well. In this review, we first introduce the physicochemichemical properties, synthetic methods and environmental behaviors of MoS nanomaterials and their typical functionalized materials, then summarize their environmental and biomedical applications, next assess their potential health risks, covering in vivo and in vitro studies, along with the underlying toxicological mechanisms, and last point out some special phenomena about the balance between applications and potential risks.

The estrogenic proliferative effects of two alkylphenols and a preliminary mechanism exploration in MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

Bisphenol A (BPA) and 4-cumylphenol (4-CP), as estrogen-like chemicals, are ubiquitous in the environment media and associated with the occurrence and development of hormone-dependent tumors. However, the combinatorial effects of these two structurally similar alkylphenols are not well informed. In the present study, the classic breast cancer cell line MCF-7 was used as in vitro model to estimate the estrogenic proliferative effects of BPA and 4-CP.

17β-estradiol at low concentrations attenuates the efficacy of tamoxifen in breast cancer therapy.

Tamoxifen has been applied widely in the treatment of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer. The impact of low concentrations of 17β-estradiol (E2) (a pervasive environmental pollutant) on its effectiveness was studied in vitro using an MCF-7 cell line. Cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis were studied along with cell cycle progression, reactive oxygen species generation and mitochondrial membrane potentials repression.

Combinatorial anti-proliferative effects of tamoxifen and naringenin: The role of four estrogen receptor subtypes.

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed diseases and the second-leading cause of death in females, among which the estrogen receptor positive (ER+) patients are more common of all cases. In present study, we selected MCF-7 as an in vitro model and investigated the combinatorial anti-proliferative effects of tamoxifen and naringenin on ER+ breast cancer, and then explored the potential mechanisms involved in mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress mediated by several estrogen receptor subtypes. Six assessment endpoints including cell viability, cell migration, cell cycle, cell apoptosis, mRNA, and protein expression were estimated.