Mycotoxins in food and feed: toxicity, preventive challenges, and advanced detection techniques for associated diseases.

Mycotoxins are produced primarily as secondary fungal metabolites. Mycotoxins are toxic in nature and naturally produced by various species of fungi, which usually contaminate food and feed ingredients. The growth of these harmful fungi depends on several environmental factors, such as pH, humidity, and temperature; therefore, the mycotoxin distribution also varies among global geographical areas. Various rules and regulations regarding mycotoxins are imposed by the government bodies of each country, which are responsible for addressing global food and health security concerns. Despite this legislation, the incidence of mycotoxin contamination is continuously increasing. In this review, we discuss the geographical regulatory guidelines and recommendations that are implemented around the world to control mycotoxin contamination of food and feed products. Researchers and inventors from various parts of the world have reported several innovations for controlling mycotoxin-associated health consequences. Unfortunately, most of these techniques are restricted to laboratory scales and cannot reach users. Consequently, to date, no single device has been commercialized that can detect all mycotoxins that are naturally available in the environment. Therefore, in this study, we describe severe health hazards that are associated with mycotoxin exposure, their molecular signaling pathways and processes of toxicity, and their genotoxic and cytotoxic effects toward humans and animals. We also discuss recent developments in the construction of a sensitive and specific device that effectively implements mycotoxin identification and detection methods. In addition, our study comprehensively examines the recent advancements in the field for mitigating the health consequences and links them with the molecular and signaling pathways that are activated upon mycotoxin exposure.

Association between public health emergencies and sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence, and early marriage among adolescent girls: a rapid review.

BACKGROUND: As COVID-19 continues to impact lives and livelihoods around the world, women and girls are disproportionately affected. Crisis situations and related response measures, such as lockdowns, school closures, and travel restrictions, often exacerbate the adversities and human rights violations faced by adolescent girls. We conducted a rapid review to synthesise evidence on the impact of public health emergencies (PHEs) related to gender-based inequalities among adolescent girls. METHODS: We systematically searched five major databases. Records were imported into the online screening tool Rayyan, and 10% of the records were triple screened for eligibility. We included qualitative, mixed-methods, and quantitative studies that assessed the relationship between PHEs and any of the following outcomes: (1) gender-based violence, (2) early/forced marriage, and (3) sexual and reproductive health. Due to the heterogeneity of included study designs, no meta-analysis was performed, and studies were summarised narratively. FINDINGS: Out the initial 6004 articles, 11 studies met our eligibility criteria. Five of these assessed the impact of natural disasters and six were focused on consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Seven studies focused on the impact of PHEs on gender-based violence, three focused on sexual and reproductive health, and only one study looked at early marriage. The main impacts highlighted by the studies included (1) increases in physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, (2) increase in the occurrence of teenage pregnancy, (3) poor menstruation hygiene management, and (4) occurrence of early marriages. Mechanisms underlying these impacts were PHE-specific response strategies like home confinement, closure of schools, the worsening of families' financial situation such as the inability to pay for school fees or day-to-day living costs, and the disempowerment of and increased workloads for adolescent girls. CONCLUSION: Although evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health, and especially forced or early marriage of adolescent girls is limited, results from studies on other PHEs indicate that during crises, these detrimental outcomes are exacerbated. Findings from our review have important implications for policies and programs providing life skills training, financial literacy training, credit support, and safe spaces for adolescent girls.

Sugiol, a diterpenoid: Therapeutic actions and molecular pathways involved.

Understanding how the natural products structural diversity interacts with cellular metabolism and infectious disease targets remains a challenge. Inflammation is an important process in the human healing response in which the tissues respond to injuries induced by many agents, including pathogens. In recent years, several drugs derived from plant products have been developed, and current drug research is actively investigating the pharmacotherapeutic role of natural products in advanced multimodal inflammatory disease targeting. Sugiol, a diterpenoid, can act as an antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinoma, antiviral, and cardiovascular agent. Until now, there have been no updates on the pharmacotherapeutic advancement of sugiol. Herein, we correlate the diverse molecular pathways in disease prevention involving sugiol. We also discuss the origins of its structural diversity and summarize new research directions toward exploring its novel effective future uses. Despite much evidence of its efficacy and safety, the sugiol has not yet been approved as a therapeutic agent due to its low bioavailability, and insolubility in an aqueous environment. The aim of this review is to renew and update noteworthy information on the pharmacotherapeutic characteristics of sugiol to approach different advanced strategies employed in the context of natural nurturing-based biomedicine.

Reproductive toxic potential of phthalate compounds - State of art review.

Phthalates are pervasive compounds, and due to the ubiquitous usage of phthalates, humans or even children are widely exposed to them. Since phthalates are not chemically bound to the plastic matrix, they can easily leach out to contaminate the peripheral environment. Various animal and human studies have raised vital health concern including developmental and reproductive toxicity of phthalate exposure. The present review is based upon the available literature on phthalates with respect to their reproductive toxic potential. Common reproductive effects such as declined fertility, reduced testis weight, variations in accessory sex organs and several female reproductive disorders appeared to be largely associated with the transitional phthalates. Among the higher molecular weight phthalates (≥ C7), di-isononyl phthalate (DINP) produces some minor effects on development of male reproductive tract and among low molecular weight phthalates (≤C3), di-methyl (DMP) and di-isobutyl (DIBP) phthalate produce some adverse effects on male reproductive system. Whereas transitional phthalates such as di-butyl phthalate, benzyl butyl phthalate, and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate have shown adverse effects on female reproductive system. Owing to these, non-toxic alternatives to phthalates may be developed and use of phthalates could be rationalized as an important issue where human reproduction system is involved. Though, more epidemiological studies are needed to substantiate the reported findings on phthalates.

Molecular characterization of a novel mutation in the E1 flowering gene induced by gamma irradiation in soybean.

Soybean is a typical short-day (SD) plant. It undergoes reproductive growth only when the day length becomes shorter than a critical length. Fourteen major genes/loci affecting soybean flowering and maturity period have been mapped to date. These are E1 and E7 on chr6, E1La, E1Lb, E6, E8, and J on chr4, E2 on chr10, E3 on chr19, E4 on chr20, E9 on chr6, E10 on chr8, Dt1 on chr19, and GmAGL1 on chr14. The functional allele of all these genes, except E6, E9, J, and GmAGL1, delay flowering, while the non-functional counterpart accelerates flowering and maturity. The contribution of the E1 gene in delaying flowering is highest. Four non-functional/dysfunctional allelic variants of the E1 gene are already known, which accelerates the flowering by 20-25 days and are being used in development of early maturing soybean varieties in many parts of the world. In this study, seeds of the late maturing Indian variety NRC 37 were irradiated with gamma rays to develop an early maturing variety. One early maturing variant was obtained. Molecular characterization of the gene responsible for early flowering proved it to be a non-functional variant of the E1 gene with major deletion.

Au@Zr-based metal-organic framework composite as an immunosensing platform for determination of hepatitis B virus surface antigen.

An ultrasensitive electrochemical immunosensor has been prepared using an immunofunctionalized zirconium (Zr)-based metal-organic framework (MOF) with gold (Au) decoration Au@UiO-66(NH2) composite-coated glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for the determination of infectious hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). We fabricated GCE with specific composite via immune-functionalization using anti-HBsAg with Au nanoparticles embedded in UiO-66(NH2). The electrochemical sensing performance of the immunofunctionalized Au@UiO-66(NH2)/GCE with HBsAg was characterized by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. Under optimized conditions, there was a linear dynamic relationship in the buffer system between the electrical signal and HBsAg levels over the range 1.13 fg mL-1-100 ng mL-1 (R2 = 0.999) with a detection limit of 1.13 fg mL-1. The total analysis time was 15 min per sample. Further validations were performed with HBsAg-spiked human serum samples, and similar detection limits as in the buffer system were observed with reduced signal intensities at lower concentrations of HBsAg (1, 10, and 100 fg mL-1) and minimal interference. The HBsAg electrochemical immunosensing assay had good selectivity and excellent reproducibility, thereby indicating its significant potential in the super-fast diagnosis of hepatitis B.

Antimicrobial potential of the food-grade additive carvacrol against uropathogenic E. coli based on membrane depolarization, reactive oxygen species generation, and molecular docking analysis.

The antibiotic resistance of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli has increased drastically in recent years. In our study, we determined the principle mechanisms of action for the food-grade additive carvacrol against ESBL E. coli isolated from the blood of patients with a urinary tract infection. Carvacrol, which has a minimum inhibitory concentration of 150 µg/ml and a minimum bactericidal concentration of 300 µg/ml, reduced E. coli cell counts in a time-dependent manner. After treatment with carvacrol, the E. coli killing time was found to be 120 min. Fluorescent staining confirmed an increase in bacterial cell death, greater membrane depolarization, and an elevated oxidative burst in carvacrol-treated E. coli. Carvacrol also induced the release of cellular DNA, proteins, and potassium ions from bacterial cells and reduced both the number of E. coli in invasion assays against macrophages and the levels of the inflammatory proteins TNF-α and COX-2. In addition, carvacrol was found to inhibit ß-lactamase enzyme activity (in vitro), which was supported by in silico results. Moreover, carvacrol inhibited motility, and protected against bacterial invasion. Overall, the findings suggest that carvacrol has significant antimicrobial potential against ESBL E. coli.

Revisiting the plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria: lessons from the past and objectives for the future.

Plant beneficial rhizobacteria (PBR) is a group of naturally occurring rhizospheric microbes that enhance nutrient availability and induce biotic and abiotic stress tolerance through a wide array of mechanisms to enhance agricultural sustainability. Application of PBR has the potential to reduce worldwide requirement of agricultural chemicals and improve agro-ecological sustainability. The PBR exert their beneficial effects in three major ways; (1) fix atmospheric nitrogen and synthesize specific compounds to promote plant growth, (2) solubilize essential mineral nutrients in soils for plant uptake, and (3) produce antimicrobial substances and induce systemic resistance in host plants to protect them from biotic and abiotic stresses. Application of PBR as suitable inoculants appears to be a viable alternative technology to synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Furthermore, PBR enhance nutrient and water use efficiency, influence dynamics of mineral recycling, and tolerance of plants to other environmental stresses by improving health of soils. This report provides comprehensive reviews and discusses beneficial effects of PBR on plant and soil health. Considering their multitude of functions to improve plant and soil health, we propose to call the plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPR) as PBR.

Prevalence and evaluation strategies for viral contamination in food products: Risk to human health-a review.

Nowadays, viruses of foodborne origin such as norovirus and hepatitis A are considered major causes of foodborne gastrointestinal illness with widespread distribution worldwide. A number of foodborne outbreaks associated with food products of animal and non-animal origins, which often involve multiple cases of variety of food streams, have been reported. Although several viruses, including rotavirus, adenovirus, astrovirus, parvovirus, and other enteroviruses, significantly contribute to incidence of gastrointestinal diseases, systematic information on the role of food in transmitting such viruses is limited. Most of the outbreak cases caused by infected food handlers were the source of 53% of total outbreaks. Therefore, prevention and hygiene measures to reduce the frequency of foodborne virus outbreaks should focus on food workers and production site of food products. Pivotal strategies, such as proper investigation, surveillance, and reports on foodborne viral illnesses, are needed in order to develop more accurate measures to detect the presence and pathogenesis of viral infection with detailed descriptions. Moreover, molecular epidemiology and surveillance of food samples may help analysis of public health hazards associated with exposure to foodborne viruses. In this present review, we discuss different aspects of foodborne viral contamination and its impact on human health. This review also aims to improve understanding of foodborne viral infections as major causes of human illness as well as provide descriptions of their control and prevention strategies and rapid detection by advanced molecular techniques. Further, a brief description of methods available for the detection of viruses in food and related matrices is provided.

Detection of Cronobacter species in powdered infant formula using immunoliposome-based immunomagnetic concentration and separation assay.

Cronobacter species are foodborne pathogens that can affect the human central nervous system. Survivors of Cronobacter infections often suffer from severe neurological impairments, including hydrocephalus, quadriplegia, and developmental delays in all ages, especially in infants and the immunocompromised. Moreover, Cronobacter species pose a high risk in powdered infant formula (PIF) because PIF is a major source of nutrition for infants worldwide. To develop a rapid and sensitive detection method for Cronobacter species in PIF, immunoliposomes and immunomagnetic nanoparticles were synthesized, after which an immunoliposome-based immunomagnetic concentration and separation assay was developed and applied to PIF for the detection of Cronobacter species. The detection limits of the developed assay were 5.9 × 103 ± 0.7-4.8 × 104 ± 0.2 CFU/mL for Cronobacter species in pure culture with no cross-reactivity with 13 other tested non-Cronobacter strains. Additionally, the developed assay could provide results in 3 h when the contaminated level was higher than 104 CFU/25 g PIF and in 9 h when the contaminated level was 10 CFU/25 g PIF. The developed immunoliposome-based immunomagnetic concentration and separation assay is rapid, sensitive, and simple and thus has great potential for use in the detection of Cronobacter species in PIF.

Developments of Cyanobacteria for Nano-Marine Drugs: Relevance of Nanoformulations in Cancer Therapies.

Current trends in the application of nanomaterials are emerging in the nano-biotechnological sector for development of medicines. Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are photosynthetic prokaryotes that have applications to human health and numerous biological activities as dietary supplements. Cyanobacteria produce biologically active and chemically diverse compounds such as cyclic peptides, lipopeptides, fatty acid amides, alkaloids, and saccharides. More than 50% of marine cyanobacteria are potentially exploitable for the extraction of bioactive substances, which are effective in killing cancer cells by inducing apoptotic death. The current review emphasizes that not even 10% of microalgal bioactive components have reached commercialized platforms due to difficulties related to solubility. Considering these factors, they should be considered as a potential source of natural products for drug discovery and drug delivery approaches. Nanoformulations employing a wide variety of nanoparticles and their polymerized forms could be an emerging approach to the development of new cancer drugs. This review highlights recent research on microalgae-based medicines or compounds as well as their biomedical applications. This review further discusses the facts, limitations, and commercial market trends related to the use of microalgae for industrial and medicinal purposes.

Development of lotus root fermented sugar syrup as a functional food supplement/condiment and evaluation of its physicochemical, nutritional and microbiological properties.

Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) root has been used as an edible vegetable in East Asia for thousands of years. The present research was aimed to explore the physicochemical, nutritional and microbiological safety of lotus root fermented sugar syrup as a fermented food supplement or condiment for human health benefits. In this study, the physicochemical, nutritional and microbiological safety properties of lotus root syrup fermented with 57° Brix brown sugar at different time periods until 6 months (180 days) was investigated. There was a significant improvement as compared to 57° Brix brown sugar broth (as a control) in the total acceptability and physicochemical properties of lotus root sugar syrup samples such as pH and color improvement. The red color values of 180 days lotus root fermented sugar syrup samples were significantly enhanced (6.85 ± 0.58) when compared with the control (0.20 ± 0.15). In addition, the total protein content was increased from 8.27 ± 0.86 to 392.33 ± 7.19 µg/mL, along with the increase in fermentation time reaching to the level of consumption acceptability. All the lotus root fermented sugar syrup samples were subjected to microbiological analysis. It was found that the coliform, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus counts were not detected in majority of the samples, confirming the high degree of hygiene processing of lotus root fermented sugar syrup samples for its use as a food supplement or condiment.

Linkage mapping of Mungbean yellow mosaic India virus (MYMIV) resistance gene in soybean.

Mungbean Yellow Mosaic India Virus (MYMIV) is one of the most prevalent pathogen that limits soybean production in India. In this study RILs derived from JS335, dominant but MYMIV susceptible variety and PI171443, donor of MYMIV resistance gene in most of the MYMIV resistant varieties released in India and F2 population derived from SL525, a resistant variety released for northern India and NRC101, a susceptible genotype were used to study the inheritance of MYMIV resistance and map the gene responsible for MYMIV resistance. F1s were found to be completely susceptible. F2:3 and RILs population segregated to fit a ratio of 1:2:1 and 1:1 indicating that a single recessive gene controlled resistance to MYMIV. BSA was performed using 144 polymorphic SSR markers. MYMIV resistance gene was mapped on chr 6 (LG C2) within a 3.5-cM genome region between two SSR markers GMAC7L and Satt322 whose size was estimated to be 77.115 kb (position of 12,259,594-12,336,709 bp). This is the first report on linkage mapping of MYMIV resistance gene in soybean. This will be helpful in breeding soybean varieties for resistance against MYMIV responsible for wide spread damage to soybean crop in India using Marker Assisted Selection.

Evaluation of antiproliferative and hepatoprotective effects of wheat grass (Triticum aestivum).

This study was aimed to evaluate the pharmacological potential of various extracts (hexane, chloroform, methanol and aqueous) of dried shoots of Triticum aestivum (wheat grass) in terms of antiproliferative and hepatoprotective potential of T. aestivum. The total chlorophyll content in dried shoots of T. aestivum was 0.54 ± 0.016 g/L (chlorophyll-a: 0.288 ± 0.05 g/L; and chlorophyll-b; 0.305 ± 0.05 g/L), while total carotene content was 0.42 ± 0.066 g/L. In addition, the chloroform extract of dried shoots of T. aestivum (250 µg/mL) exhibited 87.23% inhibitory effect with potent cytotoxicity against human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cancer cell line. Moreover, chloroform and methanol extracts significantly reduced the levels of SGOT, and SGPT enzymes, as well as total bilirubin content, while raised the level of total protein in a concentration-gradient manner, confirming the potent hepatoprotective effect of T. aestivum. A possible mechanism of apoptosis of the chloroform extract of dried shoots of T. aestivum in terms of its potent antiproliferative activity against HepG2 cancer cell line can also be proposed in this study. Our findings clearly demonstrate that T. aestivum has a significant pharmacological potential that night be used for antiproliferative and hepatoprotective purposes.

Anti-hyperglycemic potential of Lactobacillus spp. in alloxan-induced Wistar rats.

This research was aimed to investigate anti-hyperglycemic effects of two Lactobacillus spp. on alloxan induced diabetic rats. Alloxan was administered intraperitoneally to induce the diabetic conditions in experimental rats. Animals were treated with oral administration of Lactobacillus spp., such as L. plantarum and L. acidophilus at the dose of 108 CFU/ml. As a result, administration of Lactobacillus spp. significantly (P<0.05) lowered blood glucose levels in diabetic rats by (201-220mg/dl) as compared to diabetic control (265mg/dl). Also, both the Lactobacillus spp. were able to reduce body weight of experimental animals as compared to control group, suggesting potent anti-hyperglycemic effect of Lactobacillus spp. in terms of their anti-diabetic potential.

Short Communication - Determination of amino acid and free sugar contents in Korean traditional fermented soybean products of Doenjang and evaluation of their sensory attributes.

This study quantitatively determined contents of amino acids and free sugars in soybean fermented samples (Doenjang) using amino acid autoanalyzer and HPLC, respectively. As a result, hreonine, serine, glycine, alanine and lysine categorized as total sweet amino acids and free sugars (sucrose, maltose, glucose, galactose and fructose) were found in the range of 32.7 to 117.1 and 5.85 to 23.66mg/100 g, respectively. However, average of total sugar content was noted to be 71.63mg%. Three samples possessing the best sensory characteristics were selected for further study. The mean values of four sensory attributes such as sweet, sour, savory and bitter tastes of Doenjang samples were found to be 709.53, 210.25, 241.90 and 276.05. These findings confirm nutritive properties of fermented food products of Doenjang with improved quality and utilization.

Development of fluorescence-based liposome immunoassay for detection of Cronobacter muytjensii in pure culture.

Cronobacter spp. are important foodborne pathogens that carry a very high risk of infection to neonates as well as immunocompromised individuals. In the present study, fluorescence-based liposome immunoassay was developed as a new sensitive and rapid diagnostic system for detection of Cronobacter muytjensii (C. muytjensii). Liposomes (size, 206 nm) used in this study were made from cholesterol, 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine, 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-[phospho-rac-(1-glycerol)], and sulforhodamine B (SRB). The outer surface of liposome was conjugated with rabbit anti-C. muytjensii IgG in order to develop immunoliposome. The immunoliposome was incubated with C. muytjensii, which was coated on a 96-well plate. Immunoliposomes bound to C. muytjensii were lysed with 30 mM octyl ß-D-glucopyranoside, after which the SRB fluorescence signal was measured at an excitation wavelength of 550 nm and emission wavelength of 585 nm. The signal was directly proportional to the amount of bacterial cells in the test sample. The developed fluorescence-based liposome immunoassay was confirmed to be highly specific to C. muytjensii with a detection limit of 6.3 × 10(4) CFU ml(-1) in pure culture as well as sensitive, efficient, and rapid when compared to culture-based methods. Based on its rapid efficiency and low cost, this fluorescence-based liposome immunoassay may be used to develop diagnostic kits for C. muytjensii detection.

In vivo anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities of a medicinal plant, Caesalpinia bonducella F.

This research examined antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic activities of ethanolic extract of C. bonducella whole seeds in experimental albino rats. Three doses, 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg of the whole seed ethanolic extract prepared as a suspension in 2 ml of 2% gum acacia were used. Acute inflammatory and antipyretic activities were evaluated in experimental animals by carrageenan induced paw edema and brewer's yeast-induced pyrexia models, respectively. A significant (p<0.05) reduction in paw volumes, and pyrexia was noted in experimental animals when compared with control animals. The ethanol see extract (400 mg/kg) displayed in vivo anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic in terms of reduction in paw edema, % writhes inhibition and rectal temperature by (0.24±0.03), (31.38%) and (36.2±0.1), respectively. Overall the whole ethanolic seed extract at all tested concentrations produced significant (p<0.05) anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic activities. The results obtained in this study clearly indicated the ethno-medicinal potential of C. bonducella in curing pain and inflammation related disorders, supporting its efficacy as a natural analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory agent.

Phytochemical analysis and estimation of major bioactive compounds from Triticum aestivum L. grass with antimicrobial potential.

The aim of the present study was to investigate phytochemical analysis, and qualitative and quantitative determination of major bioactive compound present in various organic extracts of T. aestivum L. grass. Soxhlet apparatus was used for the extraction purpose using hexane, chloroform, methanol and distilled water as a solvent system. All the extracts derived from T. aestivum showed qualitative presence of major phytochemicals including alkaloids, steroids and cardiac glycosides tannins, flavonoids carbohydrates. Further, HPLC analysis revealed the presence of major bioactive compounds such as rutin, chlorogenic acid, tocopherol, chlorogenic acid, and gallic acid in various organic extracts responsible for the reported maximum antimicrobial activity of T. aestivum grass against pathogenic bacteria including Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio cholerae. These findings confirm that T. aestivum grass containing medicinally important bioactive compounds may have significant potential to be used in traditional medicine system for the treatment of various diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms.