Herbal plants in the treatment of skin diseases – security and application

The skin works as protector of the human body. Protects against mechanical, physical, chemical and biological injuries. It has a secretory capacity. It can also absorb various compounds soluble in water and fats. There are factors that have a negative effect on the skin, causing it to change and damage. Therefore, there is a need for various types of cosmetics that affect the treatment, regeneration, nutrition and protection. In recent years, more and more often we reach for the products of natural origin in the form of plant materials and their preparations isolated from plants that are part of the cosmetics and skin care preparations. Natural products are beginning to dominate the cosmetics market, as are considered to be more environmentally friendly and safe. However, it appears that the safety assessment of the natural product is much more complex than traditional products (conventional). In the light of existing rules, we can say that certainly need a more pragmatic and conservative approach of the safety evaluation of plant origin ingredients.Agnieszka Gryszczyńsk

Improved procedures of Sc(OH)3 precipitation and UTEVA extraction for 44Sc separation

BACKGROUND: 44Sc is becoming attractive as a PET radionuclide due to its decay characteristics. It can be produced from 44Ca present in natural calcium with 2.08% abundance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The targets were mostly prepared from natural CaCO3 or metallic calcium in the form of pellets. After irradiation they were dissolved in 3 M hydrochloric acid and 44Sc was separated from excess of calcium by precipitation of scandium hydroxide using ammonia. Alternatively, targets were dissolved in 11 M hydrochloric acid and 44Sc was separated by extraction chromatography on UTEVA resin. As the next step, in both processes 44Sc was further purified on a cation exchange resin. Initially, the separation procedures were developed with 46Sc as a tracer. Gamma spectrometry with a high purity germanium detector was used to determine the separation efficiency. Finally, the CaCO3 pellet with 99.2% enrichment in 44Ca was activated with protons via 44Ca(p,n)44Sc nuclear reaction. RESULTS: Altogether twenty two irradiations and separations were performed. The working procedures were developed and the quality of separated 44Sc solution was confirmed by radiolabeling of DOTATATE. The chemical purity of the product was sufficient for preclinical experiments. At the end of around 1 hour proton beam irradiation of CaCO3 pellet with 99.2% enrichment in 44Ca the obtained radioactivity of 44Sc was more than 4.8 GBq. CONCLUSION: 44Sc can be produced inexpensively with adequate yields and radionuclidic purity via 44Ca(p,n)44Sc nuclear reaction in small cyclotrons. The recovery yield in both investigated separation methods was comparable and amounted above 90%. The obtained 44Sc was pure in terms of radionuclide and chemical purity, as shown by the results of peptide radiolabeling

Sorption of ionic liquids in soil enriched with polystyrene microplastic

The purpose of our study was to investigate the effect of micropolystyrene (MNP) on the sorption processes of ILs exhibiting herbicidal activity in an OECD model soil. A popular herbicide known as 2,4-D was used for the study.This anion was individually combined with two cations of different hydrophobicity, namely choline [Chol] and a hydrophobic choline derivative, which was modified by introducing a C12 chain [C12Chol].Analyzing the behavior of the cations and anions that make up ILs in soil environments contaminated with micropolystyrene (MNP) is really crucial. In addition, this information will help determine the integrity of the cation-anion pair, which forms the selected IL, in the soil. Such studies will help to better understand whether ILs are potentially a new emerging contaminant</p

Selectivity of rhamnolipids used for (phyto)extraction of heavy metals ions

The aim was to evaluate the feasibility of rhamnolipid-mediated phytoextraction of several heavy metal ions from soil located in the vicinity of a copper smelter. The following aspects were investigated: i) selectivity of rhamnolipids towards Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd and Fe during soil washing; ii) phytoextraction efficiency of each ion with respect to the effective concentration of rhamnolipids used for treatment; iii) possible phytotoxic effects.The experiments involved the use of flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) to evaluate soil washing efficiency, sequential BCR extraction to determine the impact of rhamnolipids on the mobility of metal ions, phytoextraction trials with maize and finally evaluation of phytotoxic effects on the plant based on analysis of dry matter as well as chlorophyll fluorescence and content.</p

Research data for: "Basic principles for biosurfactant-assisted (bio)remediation of soils contaminated by heavy metals and petroleum hydrocarbons – A critical evaluation of the performance of rhamnolipids"

Files include the data presented in the manuscript entitled: &#34;Basic principles for biosurfactant-assisted (bio)remediation of soilscontaminated by heavy metals and petroleum hydrocarbons – A criticalevaluation of the performance of rhamnolipids&#34; by Parus et al. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130171).The purpose of this review is to highlight and indicate which issues should be considered in order to achieve effective biodegradation or phytoextraction of soils contaminated with heavy metals and petroleum hydrocarbons without harmful side effects. Four main topics are explained the effective concentration of rhamnolipids in soil, their potential phytotoxicity, biodegradability and interactions with soil. Biodegradation and interactions with soil microorganisms. </p

Effect of microplastics on the change in SMX bioavailability in soil

The studies concerned the assessment of the effect of the presence of microplastics on the change in bioavailability of one of the most commonly used and detected antibiotics in the environment, namely sulfamethoxazole (SMX). The study included determining the EC25 and EC50 values, i.e. the effective concentration causing 25% and 50% inhibition of the germination and initial development of the sorghum. In the second stage of the study, the effect of the presence of microplastics (PE, PS and ABS) on the development of sorghum was determined. Primary (p) and aged (a) microplastics were used in the study.The final study evaluated the impact of the interaction between xenobiotics (SMX and microplastics) on the change in bioavailability and the change in toxicity in relation to sorghum.</p

The effect of microplastic on sorption, toxicity and mineralization of 2,4-D based Ionic Liquids in aquatic environment

The presence of microplastics in the environment is an important topic in particular in terms of their role in the sorption and desorption processes of emerging contaminants in ecosystems. This assessment makes it possible to determine their impact on the migration of contaminants between aquatic and terrestrial environments. New-generation herbicide formulations such as ionic liquids (ILs), which integrate the structure of the classical herbicide anion with surface-active cations acting as adjuvants, are interesting compounds in terms of a new type of environmental contaminant. In our study, we analysed synthesised herbicide ILs combining the 2,4-D anion with cetyltrimethylammonium [CTA] and didecyldimethylammonium [DDA] cations. Furthermore, in our study, we verified the hypothesis that, in the presence of polyethylene (PE) microplastic, there is no difference in sorption between ILs and the cation-anion mixture used for their preparation in terms of their properties. In addition, we analysed the effect of sorption of ILs and the ion mixture on PE particles on their toxicity to the model bacterium Pseudomonas putida KT2440 using the trans/cis ratio of membrane unsaturated fatty acids as a stress biomarker and assessed their biodegradability using the standard OECD 301F test. </p

The effects of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) microplastic ageing on the sorption and toxicity of ionic liquids with 2,4-D and glyphosate herbicides

Microplastics represent a new category of environmental contaminants, and understanding their interaction with typical xenobiotics is crucial. In this study, we investigated the effects of ionic liquids (ILs) containing herbicide anions such as glyphosate [Glyph] and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetate [2,4-D] and the surfactant cation dodecyltrimethylammonium [C12TMA] on acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) microplastics. The aim of the study was to evaluate the sorption capacity of microplastics, which were present in both untreated and aged forms, using standard and modified Fenton methods. In addition, the effects on toxicity and stress adaptation of the model soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida KT2440 were measured. </p

Marine Algae as Natural Indicator of Environmental Cleanliness

AbstractAlgae are widely distributed in the aquatic environment. In the analyzed algae from the Black Sea, metals like cadmium, iron, zinc, copper, lead, and thallium were present. From all of the analyzed elements in the algae, iron was present at the highest concentrations. The presented study confirmed that thallium is accumulated in relatively large quantities (1.60–2.12 μg g−1) by all the studied algae. Cadmium and copper were accumulated at the same level (1.98 μg g−1), which was lower in comparison to the average concentrations determined in the analyzed plant material. The average amounts of zinc were at 0.21 μg g−1 for Ulva. High possibility of accumulation of metals by Ulva and Cystoseira allows to use them as a natural indicator of environmental cleanliness.</jats:p