Both altered trace element metabolism and cigarette smoking have been proposed to be risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Thus, it is important to identify the mechanisms by which cigarette smoke alters trace element metabolism. In the present study, serum trace element concentrations were measured in 19 smokers and 13 nonsmokers. In parallel studies, data from rats treated with 50 mg of nicotine over a 21-d period tested the hypothesis that nicotine induced altered trace element metabolism observed in smokers. Serum Cu and Zn concentrations were significantly higher in smokers than in nonsmokers. Serum nicotine concentrations in rats were comparable to those observed in heavy smokers, but serum trace element concentrations were not significantly altered by nicotine treatment. Tissue trace element concentrations were also not markedly affected by nicotine; however, trace element ratios in liver, kidney, lung, and brain were significantly altered by nicotine treatment. In addition, nicotine-treatment resulted in significantly lower liver glutathione concentrations and higher Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase activity than in controls. These data show that a 50-mg infusion of nicotine over 21 d does not produce in rats the serum trace element abnormalities observed in cigarette smokers. However, nicotine did affect the trace element relationships between tissues as well as components of the free radical defense system.
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PLoS One
January 2025
Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont, United States of America.
Molybdenum blue colorimetry (MBC) is the dominant, well-established method used for determining total P in environmental media, including in organismal tissues. However, other elemental methods for P determination are available, including inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Given the extensive literature using MBC to determine P in organismal samples, it is important to assess P analyses by ICP-MS and MBC to ensure that the two methods produce comparable data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnnu Rev Entomol
January 2025
Department of Biology and Molecular Sciences Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Novel traits in the order Lepidoptera include prolegs in the abdomen of larvae, scales, and eyespot and band color patterns in the wings of adults. We review recent work that investigates the developmental origin and diversification of these four traits from a gene-regulatory network (GRN) perspective. While prolegs and eyespots appear to derive from distinct ancestral GRNs co-opted to novel body regions, scales derive from in situ modifications of a sensory bristle GRN.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiol Trace Elem Res
January 2025
College of Arts & Sciences, American University of Kuwait, P.O. Box 3323, 13034, Safat, Kuwait.
Infants are particularly vulnerable to exposure to toxic trace elements due to their developmental stage and behaviors such as mouthing and chewing on toys. Chemical exposure to heavy metals in infants' toys is a significant concern as it poses a threat to their health and well-being. Therefore, quality control measures are essential to prevent infants' exposure to potentially harmful metals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Microbiol Biotechnol
January 2025
Engineering Biology Research Center, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan.
The fermentative production of valuable chemicals from lignocellulosic feedstocks has attracted considerable attention. Although Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a promising microbial host, it lacks the ability to efficiently metabolize xylose, a major component of lignocellulosic feedstocks. The xylose oxidative pathway offers advantages such as simplified metabolic regulation and fewer enzymatic steps.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPeerJ
January 2025
Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America.
The mechanisms that regulate minor and trace element biomineralization in the echinoid skeleton can be primarily controlled biologically (, by the organism and its vital effects) or by extrinsic environmental factors. Assessing the relative role of those controls is essential for understanding echinoid biomineralization, taphonomy, diagenesis, and their potential as geochemical archives. In this study, we (1) contrast geochemical signatures of specimens collected across multiple taxa and environmental settings to assess the effects of environmental and physiological factors on skeletal biomineralogy; and (2) analyze the nanomechanical properties of the echinoid skeleton to assess potential linkages between magnesium/calcium (Mg/Ca) ratios and skeletal nanohardness.
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