Serbian Artemisia species - chemical composition, acute toxicity and larvicidal activity of the essential oils.

The chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oils obtained from Serbian Artemisia species (A. alba, A. absinthium, A. annua, A. vulgaris, and A. scoparia) were analysed. The essential oil was obtained by merging several samples (same plant species, different localities) and the chemical composition was compared with pre-merging results. In the merged A. scoparia sample four components were not found in any pre-merging sample and one of those is present in the highest percentage (capillin 35.7%). The least toxic essential oil in Artemia salina test was A. annua, followed by A. alba (both showing medium toxicity), while A. absinthium, A. vulgaris, and A. scoparia showed strong toxicity. All tested samples showed activity against Drosophila melanogaster larvae in descending order ΣAS > ΣAN > ΣAV > ΣAB > ΣAA. The essential oil of A. scoparia has exceptional larvicidal activity (in concentrations of 2% and 1% causes complete mortality).

Essential Oils of Three Balkan Abies Species: Chemical Profiles, Antimicrobial Activity and Toxicity toward Artemia salina and Drosophila melanogaster.

This study focused on the essential oils (EOs) isolated from needles with twigs of three indigenous Balkan Abies species (A. alba, A. × borisii-regis and A. cephalonica) regarding their chemical composition, antimicrobial activity and toxicity toward crustaceans and insects. Even though distinct phytochemical profiles of dominant volatiles were revealed for each species, ß-pinene and α-pinene represented the first two major volatiles in all three EOs. Antimicrobial activity of EOs has shown inhibitory effect against all 17 studied strains (ATCC and respiratory isolates) in the range of 0.62-20.00 mg/mL (MICs). Further, all three EOs exhibited strong toxicity (LC50 <100 µg/mL) in Artemia salina lethality bioassay, but with significant differences that depended on the EO type. Additionally, tested EOs have shown a certain level of toxicity against Drosophila melanogaster, mostly at the highest tested concentration (3 %) which caused significant prolongation of developmental time, larvicidal effect and pupal mortality. In the three biological assays performed, there was no observed inhibitory effect or weakest activity for A. alba EO. Further, A. cephalonica EO has shown the highest levels of antimicrobial activity and toxicity toward A. salina, while in relation to the insecticidal potential, A. cephalonica and A. × borisii-regis EOs exhibited similar level of toxicity against D. melanogaster.

Proapoptotic and Antimigratory Effects of Pseudevernia furfuracea and Platismatia glauca on Colon Cancer Cell Lines.

The aim of this study is to investigate cytotoxic, proapoptotic, antimigratory and pro-antioxidant effects of methanol, acetone and ethyl acetate extracts of lichens Pseudevernia furfuracea and Platismatia glauca on colorectal cancer (HCT-116 and SW-480) cell lines. We compared the cytotoxic effects on colorectal cancer cells with the effects obtained from normal human fibroblast (MRC-5) cell line. Tetrazolium (MTT) test evaluated the cytotoxic effects, Transwell assay evaluated cell migration, acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) fluorescent method followed the apoptosis, while prooxidant/antioxidant effects were determined spectrophotometrically through concentration of redox parameters. The tested extracts showed considerable cytotoxic effect on cancer cells with no observable cytotoxic effect on normal cells. Ethyl acetate and acetone extract of P. furfuracea induced the highest cytotoxicity (IC50=(21.2±1.3) µg/mL on HCT-116, and IC50=(51.3±0.8) µg/mL on SW-480 cells, respectively, after 72 h), with noteworthy apoptotic and prooxidant effects, and antimigratory potential of methanol extract. P. glauca extracts induced cytotoxic effects on HCT-116 cells after 72 h (IC50<40 µg/mL), while only methanol and acetone extracts had cytotoxic effects on SW-480 cells after 24 h, with proapoptotic/necrotic activity, as a consequence of induced oxidative stress. In conclusion, lichen extracts changed to a great extent cell viability and migratory potential of colorectal cancer cell lines. HCT-116 cells were more sensitive to treatments, P. furfuracea had better proapoptotic and antimigratory effects, and both investigated lichen species might be a source of substances with anticancer activity.

The effects of a human food additive, titanium dioxide nanoparticles E171, on Drosophila melanogaster - a 20 generation dietary exposure experiment.

In this study, fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) were exposed to an estimated daily human E171 consumption concentration for 20 generations. Exposure to E171 resulted in: a change in normal developmental and reproductive dynamics, reduced fecundity after repetitive breeding, increased genotoxicity, the appearance of aberrant phenotypes and morphologic changes to the adult fat body. Marks of adaptive evolution and directional selection were also exhibited. The larval stages were at a higher risk of sustaining damage from E171 as they had a slower elimination rate of TiO2 compared to the adults. This is particularly worrisome, since among the human population, children tend to consume higher daily concentrations of E171 than do adults. The genotoxic effect of E171 was statistically higher in each subsequent generation compared to the previous one. Aberrant phenotypes were likely caused by developmental defects induced by E171, and were not mutations, since the phenotypic features were not transferred to any progeny even after 5 generations of consecutive crossbreeding. Therefore, exposure to E171 during the early developmental period carries a higher risk of toxicity. The fact that the daily human consumption concentration of E171 interferes with and influences fruit fly physiological, ontogenetic, genotoxic, and adaptive processes certainly raises safety concerns.

Effects of human food grade titanium dioxide nanoparticle dietary exposure on Drosophila melanogaster survival, fecundity, pupation and expression of antioxidant genes.

The fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster was exposed to the human food grade of E171 titanium dioxide (TiO2). This is a special grade of TiO2 which is frequently omitted in nanotoxicology studies dealing with TiO2, yet it is the most relevant grade regarding oral exposure of humans. D. melanogaster larvae were exposed to 0.002 mg mL(-1), 0.02 mg mL(-1), 0.2 mg mL(-1), and 2 mg mL(-1) of TiO2 in feeding medium, and the survival, fecundity, pupation time, and expression of genes involved in oxidative stress response were monitored. TiO2 did not affect survival but significantly increased time to pupation (p < 0.001). Fecundity of D. melanogaster was unaffected by the treatment. Expression of the gene for catalase was markedly downregulated by the treatment, while the effect on the downregulation of superoxide dismutase 2 was less pronounced. After four days of dietary exposure TiO2 was present in a significant amount in larvae, but was not transferred to adults during metamorphosis. Two individuals with aberrant phenotype similar to previously described gold nanoparticles induced mutant phenotypes were detected in the group exposed to TiO2. In general, TiO2 showed little toxicity toward D. melanogaster at concentrations relevant to oral exposure of humans.