Role of autonomic nervous system in BDE-209 maternal exposure induced immunotoxicity in female offspring.

Decabrominated diphenyl ether (BDE-209) is a typical persistent organic pollutant that can cross the placental barrier, increasing the exposure risk for offspring. Norepinephrine (NE) from nerve terminals and acetylcholine (Ach) can bind to specific receptors on immune cells, inhibit the immune function of the body then cause immunotoxicity. However, whether maternal exposure to BDE-209 could lead to immunotoxicity in the offspring by acting on the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems remains unclear. In view of this, the pregnancy and lactation rat BDE-209 exposure model was established and the results demonstrated that pregnancy and lactation BDE-209 exposure could induce immunotoxicity to female offspring via affecting immunopathology (hematological and biochemical parameters, organ indices, and spleen histopathological), decreasing humoral immunity (serum hemolysin, immunoglobulins, and cytokine productions), damaging cellular immunity (splenic lymphocytes and spleen cytokine productions), and restraining nonspecific immunity. Moreover, a dramatically significant correlation was observed between spleen nerve indices and immunity indices. Additionally, the mechanism revealed that maternal BDE-209 exposure caused offspring immunotoxicity through (1) activating MHC/PKCθ/NF-κB pathway; (2) promoting sympathetic nervous pathway, by upregulating the expression of ß2AR protein, which in turn elevating cAMP, following activate PKA and phosphorylate CREB, ultimately leading to immunotoxicity;(3) activating parasympathetic nerve pathway by reducing the binding with Ach and α7nAchR, upregulating the expression of JAK2 and phosphorylating STAT3, induced immunotoxicity of female offspring.

Underexplored food safety hazards of beekeeping products: Key knowledge gaps and suggestions for future research.

These days, a growing consumer demand and scientific interest can be observed for nutraceuticals of natural origin, including apiculture products. Due to the growing emphasis on environmental protection, extensive research has been conducted on the pesticide and heavy metal contamination of bee products; however, less attention is devoted on other food safety aspects. In our review, scientific information on the less-researched food safety hazards of honey, bee bread, royal jelly, propolis, and beeswax are summarized. Bee products originating from certain plants may inherently contain phytotoxins, like pyrrolizidine alkaloids, tropane alkaloids, matrine alkaloids, grayanotoxins, gelsemium alkaloids, or tutin. Several case studies evidence that bee products can induce allergic responses to sensitive individuals, varying from mild to severe symptoms, including the potentially lethal anaphylaxis. Exposure to high temperature or long storage may lead to the formation of the potentially toxic 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. Persistent organic pollutants, radionuclides, and microplastics can potentially be transferred to bee products from contaminated environmental sources. And lastly, inappropriate beekeeping practices can lead to the contamination of beekeeping products with harmful microorganisms and mycotoxins. Our review demonstrates the necessity of applying good beekeeping practices in order to protect honeybees and consumers of their products. An important aim of our work is to identify key knowledge gaps regarding the food safety of apiculture products.

Fluorescence Detection of the Persistent Organic Pollutant Chlordecone in Water at Environmental Concentrations.

Chlordecone (CLD), a Persistent Organic Pollutant, is still present in water and food chain of the French West Indies (FWI), leading to dramatical public health problems. One of the major issues is the lack of an easy, non-expensive, sensitive and robust method for the detection of chlordecone to ensure chlordecone-free water and foods for the residents of the FWI. This study reports on the development of a fluorescent molecular cage that allows a simple and convenient detection of chlordecone in water at environmental concentration. The specific structural features of chlordecone prompted the choice of hemicryptophanes as receptor. First, the size, shape of the cavity, as well as the recognition units, were optimized to identify the most efficient non fluorescent host for CLD complexation. Then, this selected compound was equipped with fluorophores at different positions in order to find the most efficient system for CLD detection by fluorescence. Among the two most promising fluorescent cages, the newly synthesized hemicryptophane with biphenyl moieties allowed the development of a fast, easy, reproducible and cheap procedure to detect CLD in water. Based on its sensitivity and scalability, with modulation of hemicryptophane, concentration, CLD concentrations were estimated over five orders of magnitude (10-2 -103  µg/L) including the environmental levels of contamination and the permissible limit for drinking water in the FWI.

Persistent organic pollutants associate with liver disease in a Finnish general population sample.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have multiple adverse effects on human health. Recent studies show a possible association with liver disease, but population-based data are scarce. In this population-based study, we studied the associations between POPs and biomarkers of liver disease and incident liver disease. METHODS: This study consisted of 2789 adults that participated in the environmental toxin subset of the Finnish health-examination survey, FINRISK 2007. Toxins were measured from serum samples, and standard liver tests and dynamic aspartate aminotransferase-alanine aminotransferase ratio (dAAR) were measured as biomarkers of liver function. Associations between POPs and the biomarkers were then analysed using linear regression. Associations between POPs and incident liver disease (n = 36) were analysed by Cox regression. RESULTS: Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and several perfluorinated alkyl substances exhibited statistically significant positive associations with several biomarkers of liver injury (betacoefficient per SD 0.04-0.14, p < 0.05). These associations were stronger in subgroups of individuals with obesity or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. OCPs, PCBs and perfluoro-octanoic acid also had significant positive associations with dAAR, which can be used to predict risk of incident severe liver outcomes (beta coefficient per SD 0.05-0.08, p < 0.05). OCPs and PCBs were also significantly and positively associated with incident liver disease (hazard ratio per SD 1.82 95% CI 1.21-2.73, p < 0.01 and hazard ratio per SD 1.69, 95% CI 1.07-2.68, p < 0.05 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Several POPs show positive associations with markers of liver injury and incident liver disease, suggesting that environmental toxins are important risk factors for chronic liver disease.

Persistent Organic Pollutant Exposure and Thyroid Function among 12-Year-Old Children.

INTRODUCTION: Polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) having numerous toxicological properties, including thyroid endocrine disruption. Our aim was to assess the impact of POPs on thyroid hormones among 12-year-old children, while taking puberty into consideration. METHODS: Exposure to 7 PCBs, 4 OCPs, and 6 PFASs (in µg/L), and free tri-iodothyronine (fT3, pg/mL), free thyroxine (fT4, ng/dL), and thyroid-stimulating hormones (TSH, mIU/L) were assessed through blood-serum measurements at age 12 years in 249 boys and 227 girls of the PELAGIE mother-child cohort (France). Pubertal status was clinically rated using the Tanner stages. For each POP, associations were estimated using linear regression, adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS: Among boys, hexachlorobenzene and perfluorodecanoic acid were associated with decreased fT3 (log-scale; ß [95% confidence interval] = -0.07 [-0.12,-0.02] and ß = -0.03 [-0.06,-0.00], respectively). Intermediate levels of perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) and PCB180 were associated, respectively, with increased and decreased fT4. After stratification on pubertal status, PCBs and OCPs were associated with decreased TSH only in the more advanced Tanner stages (3-5) and with decreased fT3 among early Tanner stages (1-2). Among girls, PFHxS was associated with decreased TSH (log-scale; ß = -0.15 [-0.29,-0.00]), and perfluorooctanoic acid was associated with decreased fT3 (ß2nd_tercile = -0.06 [-0.10,-0.03] and ß3rd_tercile = -0.04 [-0.08,-0.00], versus. 1st tercile). DISCUSSION: This cross-sectional study highlights associations between some POPs and thyroid function disruption, which appears consistent with the literature. Considering that the associations were sex-specific and moderated by pubertal status in boys, complex endocrine interactions are likely involved.

Atmospheric Hydroxyl Radical Reaction Rate Coefficient and Total Environmental Lifetime of α-Endosulfan.

Endosulfan is a persistent organochlorine pesticide that was globally distributed before it was banned and continues to cycle in the Earth system. The chemical kinetics of the gas-phase reaction of α-endosulfan with the hydroxyl radical (OH) was studied by means of pulsed vacuum UV flash photolysis and time-resolved resonance fluorescence (FP-RF) as a function of temperature in the range of 348-395 K and led to a second-order rate coefficient kOH = 5.8 × 10-11 exp(-1960K/T) cm3 s-1 with an uncertainty range of 7 × 10-12 exp(-1210K/T) to 4 × 10-10 exp(-2710K/T) cm3 s-1. This corresponds to an estimated photochemical atmospheric half-life in the range of 3-12 months, which is much longer than previously assumed (days to weeks). Comparing the atmospheric concentrations observed after the global ban of endosulfan with environmental multimedia model predictions, we find that photochemical degradation in the atmosphere is slower than the model-estimated biodegradation in soil or water and that the latter limits the total environmental lifetime of endosulfan. We conclude that the lifetimes typically assumed for soil and aquatic systems are likely underestimated and should be revisited, in particular, for temperate and warm climates.

Homologue Composition of Technical Chlorinated Paraffins Used in Several Countries over the Last 50 Years─SCCPs Are Still Out There.

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are widely produced chemicals, with certain CP subgroups facing global restrictions due to their environmental dispersion, persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. To evaluate the effectiveness of these international restrictions, we assessed the homologue group contribution and the mass fraction of short-chain CPs (SCCPs: C10-C13), medium-chain CPs (MCCPs: C14-C17), and long-chain CPs (LCCPs: ≥C18) in 36 technical CP mixtures used worldwide over the last 50 years. Using low-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS), we quantified 74 CP homologue groups (C10Cl4-C20Cl10). Additionally, high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS) screening was employed to identify unresolved CP contents, covering 375 CP homologue groups (C6Cl4-C30Cl30). Overall, 1 sample was mainly composed of

Assessing the health risk of hyperuricemia in participants with persistent organic pollutants exposure - a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Based on a systematic review and meta-analysis of articles published in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science, we identified nine articles that provide evidence of the relationship between persistent organic pollutants and hyperuricemia. Our researchers assess the quality of the included studies and their risk of bias using the recommended method and tool. This study uses meta-analyses of the random effects of each exposure and outcome to estimate combined odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We found that the risk of hyperuricemia was strongly associated with three perfluorinated compounds, PFNA, PFOA, and PFOS, with the OR(95%CI) of 1.26 (1.07-1.47), 1.44(1.15-1.79), and 1.23(1.01-1.50) respectively. We also found a weak association between two other perfluorinated compounds, PFDA and PFHxS. Other than that, the summary ORs (95% CIs) of incident hyperuricemia were 2.34 (1.79-3.08) for DDT, 3.25(2.40-4.39) for DDE, 2.57 (1.37-4.81) for PCBs and 3.05(2.22-4.19) in trans-nonanchlor. Therefore, DDT and its breakdown product, DDE, PCBs, and trans-nonanchlor have also been linked with an increased risk of hyperuricemia in humans. This study finds that persistent organic pollutant is a critical factor for hyperuricemia, and further studies in specific regions will be considered in the future.

Alterations of Systemic and Hepatic Metabolic Function Following Exposure to Trans-nonachlor in Low and High Fat Diet Fed Male Sprague Dawley Rats.

The overall prevalence of metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes (T2D) and associated co-morbidities have increased at an alarming rate in the United States and worldwide. There is a growing body of epidemiological evidence implicating exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including legacy organochlorine (OC) pesticides and their bioaccumulative metabolites, in the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to determine if exposure to trans-nonachlor, a bioaccumulative OC pesticide contaminant, in concert with high fat diet intake induced metabolic dysfunction. Briefly, male Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to trans-nonachlor (.5 or 5 ppm) in either a low fat (LFD) or high fat diet (HFD) for 16 weeks. At 8 weeks of intake, trans-nonachlor decreased serum triglyceride levels in LFD and HFD fed animals and at 16 weeks compared to LFD fed animals. Interestingly, serum glucose levels were decreased by trans-nonachlor (5 ppm) in LFD fed animals at 16 weeks. Serum free fatty acids were increased by trans-nonachlor exposure (5 ppm) in LFD fed animals at 16 weeks. HFD fed animals displayed signs of hepatic steatosis including elevated liver triglycerides, liver enzymes, and liver lipid peroxidation which were not significantly altered by trans-nonachlor exposure. However, there was a trans-nonachlor mediated increase in expression of fatty acid synthase in livers of LFD fed animals and not HFD fed animals. Thus, the present data indicate exposure to trans-nonachlor in conjunction with LFD or HFD intake produces both diet and exposure dependent effects on lipid and glucose metabolism.

Seasonal variations and associated health risks of polychlorinated naphthalenes in Markman Canal, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

This study focused on evaluation of the levels, seasonal variations and human health risks associated with polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) in water and sediment samples of Markman Canal using solid phase and soxhlet extraction methods respectively, followed by clean-up and quantification with gas chromatograph coupled with microelectron capture detector. The sum of eight PCNs congener's (∑8PCNs) in water and sediments varied from 0.035 to 0.699 µg/L and 0.260 to 6744.16 µg/kg dw, respectively. Highest PCNs concentrations were recorded in water during winter, while sediment samples collected during spring contained maximum levels. The estimated toxic equivalency (TEQ) for water and sediments was 1.19 × 10-7-1.47 × 10-4 µg/L and 4.43 × 10-5-4.19 × 10-1 µg/kg consecutively. The PCN levels and TEQ values revealed that this waterbody is polluted but constitutes no excess health risk. Efforts should be made to control all the activities contributing to pollution of this canal.

Chlorinated persistent organic pollutants in human breast milk in the Miyagi Prefecture disaster-affected area 1 year after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011.

BACKGROUND: In the Great East Japan Earthquake of 11 March 2011, an earthquake and accompanying tsunami struck the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan. Buildings collapsed and the tsunami spread waste, including hazardous materials. This study aimed to determine the concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the breast milk of mothers living in the disaster-affected area of Sendai 1 year after the earthquake. Temporal trends in the POPs concentrations were evaluated by comparison with previous studies. METHODS: One hundred breast milk samples were obtained from lactating mothers at a hospital in Sendai in 2012. The results were compared with those from other years to examine whether there were changes in the POPs concentrations after the earthquake. We measured polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides, such as chlordanes, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) with negative chemical ionization, and dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites using GC-MS with electron impact ionization. RESULTS: The mean total PCBs (11 congeners), total chlordane, and total DDT concentrations were 76.2 ng/g lipid, 39.8 ng/g lipid, and 73.5 ng/g lipid, respectively. For the samples collected in 2012, the concentrations of POPs in breast milk showed minimal changes compared with results from previous years for samples collected at the same hospital in Sendai. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that 1 year after the earthquake and tsunami, the concentrations of chlorinated POPs in breast milk had not changed substantially.

Comprehensive Evaluation of Dietary Exposure and Health Risk of Polychlorinated Naphthalenes.

Intake from food is considered an important route of human exposure to polychlorinated naphthalenes. To our knowledge, several studies have quantified dietary exposure but only in European countries and measuring only a few of the 75 congeners. In addition, the influence of source diversity on human exposure has seldom been assessed. We analyzed 192 composite food samples composed of 17,280 subsamples from 24 provinces in China to measure the concentrations of polychlorinated naphthalenes and estimate their daily intake and potential health risks on a national scale. The estimated cancer risk was in the range of 6.8 × 10-8 to 4.6 × 10-7. We compared our findings for 75 congeners with reports in the literature that quantified only 12 congeners. We estimate that these 12 congeners contribute only approximately 4% to the total mass daily intake of polychlorinated naphthalenes and 70% to the total toxic equivalent quantity, indicating underestimation of dietary exposure. The contributions of combustion-associated congeners to the total concentrations of polychlorinated naphthalenes were in the range of 31-52%, suggesting that the ongoing unintentional release of these compounds from industrial thermal processes is an important factor in polychlorinated naphthalene contamination and human exposure in China.

Integrated soil washing and bioreactor systems for the treatment of hexachlorocyclohexane contaminated soil: A review on enhanced degradation mechanisms, and factors affecting soil washing and bioreactor performances.

Investigations about the remediation of Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), a persistent organic pollutant of global concern, have been extensively reported to treat the HCH contaminated soil. The difficulty arising due to desorption and long ageing procedures of this hydrophobic organic compound in the soil, make it necessary to exploit techniques like soil washing or addition of surfactants, for enhancing the mass transfer rate of hydrophobic compounds. However, this technique gives rise to the generation of a large quantity of waste solution containing the pollutant and various other toxic substances. Moreover, it is challenging to deal with the complex soil washing solution, and thus a follow-up treatment of such washing solution is essentially required before its discharge. This follow-up treatment could be the bioreactor system to efficiently treat the pollutant in the wash solution, thereby reducing the amount of contaminated soil that has to be treated. Among many suggested remediation methods and treatment technologies, integrated soil washing and post-treatment with the bioreactor system could be an environmentally viable method for the remediation of HCH contaminated sites. This review focuses on the soil washing procedures applied so far for the HCH contaminated soil and various factors affecting the efficiency of separation of the target pollutant. Furthermore, the environmental and reactor design-related factors are also discussed for degradation of HCH in the reactor system. Finally, advantages and environmental feasibility of this proposed combined technology and the challenges that need to be encountered are envisaged.

Nano-remediation technologies for the sustainable mitigation of persistent organic pollutants.

The absence of novel and efficient methods for the elimination of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from the environment is a serious concern in the society. The pollutants release into the atmosphere by means of industrialization and urbanization is a massive global hazard. Although, the eco-toxicity associated with nanotechnology is still being debated, nano-remediation is a potentially developing tool for dealing with contamination of the environment, particularly POPs. Nano-remediation is a novel strategy to the safe and long-term removal of POPs. This detailed review article presents an important perspective on latest innovations and future views of nano-remediation methods used for environmental decontamination, like nano-photocatalysis and nanosensing. Different kinds of nanomaterials including nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), magnetic and metallic nanoparticles, silica (SiO2) nanoparticles, graphene oxide, covalent organic frameworks (COFs), and metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have been summarized for the mitigation of POPs. Furthermore, the long-term viability of nano-remediation strategies for dealing with legacy contamination was considered, with a particular emphasis on environmental and health implications. The assessment goes on to discuss the environmental consequences of nanotechnology and offers consensual recommendations on how to employ nanotechnology for a greater present and a more prosperous future.

A high-performance electrochemical sensor based on a mesoporous silica/titania material and cobalt(II) phthalocyanine for sensitive pentachlorophenol determination.

The synthesis and characterization of a novel titania/silica hybrid xerogel subsequently modified with 4-methylpyridine (4-Pic), named TiSi4Pic+Cl- is reported. The physicochemical, structural and thermal properties of TiSi4Pic+Cl- were characterized using several techniques. Anchoring cobalt(II) phthalocyanine (CoTsPc) in TiSi4Pic+Cl- showed greater electroanalytical sensitivity over other sensors built with these materials. A novel electroanalytical method was developed to quantify the noxious biocide pentachlorophenol (PCP) for environmental monitoring. The peak current intensity increased linearly with the analyte concentration in the range between 0.99 and 4.21 µmol L-1, based on the oxidation process (at + 0.81 V, vs. Ag/AgCl) of differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The estimated limit of detection (LOD) was 29 nmol L-1. Recovery tests in environmental samples showed a PCP concentration of 2.05 ± 0.03 µmol L-1 (n = 3). The method was statistically validated by comparing the PCP concentrations with those obtained by molecular absorption spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). At a 95% confidence level, no difference between the results was found, therefore confirming the excellent accuracy of the proposed method.

Studying the Impact of Persistent Organic Pollutants Exposure on Human Health by Proteomic Analysis: A Systematic Review.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic chemical substances that are widely distributed in environments around the globe. POPs accumulate in living organisms and are found at high concentrations in the food chain. Humans are thus continuously exposed to these chemical substances, in which they exert hepatic, reproductive, developmental, behavioral, neurologic, endocrine, cardiovascular, and immunologic adverse health effects. However, considerable information is unknown regarding the mechanism by which POPs exert their adverse effects in humans, as well as the molecular and cellular responses involved. Data are notably lacking concerning the consequences of acute and chronic POP exposure on changes in gene expression, protein profile, and metabolic pathways. We conducted a systematic review to provide a synthesis of knowledge of POPs arising from proteomics-based research. The data source used for this review was PubMed. This study was carried out following the PRISMA guidelines. Of the 742 items originally identified, 89 were considered in the review. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the most recent research and available solutions to explore proteomics datasets to identify new features relevant to human health. Future perspectives in proteomics studies are discussed.

Contamination, spatial distribution, and source contribution of persistent organic pollutants in the soil of Guiyang city, China: a case study.

The contamination of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), is the most studied environmental issue. In 2020, a total of sixty soil samples collected from ten locations in Guiyang were analyzed to assess the presence of four DDTs and HCHs and sixteen PAHs. The concentrations of total DDTs, total HCHs and Σ16PAHs in the soil were between 0.26 and 12.76, 0.23 and 51.80 µg/kg, and 10.02 and 1708.86 µg/kg, respectively. The mean and median concentrations of total DDTs, total HCHs and Σ16PAHs in the soil were 1.04 and 0.26 µg/kg, 4.32 and 0.23 µg/kg, 139.14 and 98.98 µg/kg, respectively. p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDD and γ-HCH the dominant organochloride pollutants in the soil, while 4-ring PAHs were the dominant PAHs, occupying 41.1-53.6% of the total PAHs in the soil. The highest levels of PAHs in the soil were observed in areas of Guiyang with relatively larger population densities and more developed heave industries. Various diagnostic tools were used to identify the potential sources of the POPs in the soil. The data indicated that DDTs and HCHs were from past and recent common inputs and that mixtures of several combustion activities (biomass, coal and petroleum combustion, diesel, gasoline, and vehicular emissions) were the major sources of PAHs in the Guiyang soil. The results provide information for the assessment of the extent of POP pollution in the Guiyang soil and can help authorities establish environmental protection regulations and soil remediation techniques.

Software-Assisted Pattern Recognition of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Contaminated Human and Animal Food.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are a serious food safety concern due to their persistence and toxic effects. To promote food safety and protect human health, it is important to understand the sources of POPs and how to minimize human exposure to these contaminants. The POPs Program within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), manually evaluates congener patterns of POPs-contaminated samples and sometimes compares the finding to other previously analyzed samples with similar patterns. This manual comparison is time consuming and solely depends on human expertise. To improve the efficiency of this evaluation, we developed software to assist in identifying potential sources of POPs contamination by detecting similarities between the congener patterns of a contaminated sample and potential environmental source samples. Similarity scores were computed and used to rank potential source samples. The software has been tested on a diverse set of incurred samples by comparing results from the software with those from human experts. We demonstrated that the software provides results consistent with human expert observation. This software also provided the advantage of reliably evaluating an increased sample lot which increased overall efficiency.

The action of low doses of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on mitochondrial function in zebrafish eyes and comparison with hyperglycemia to identify a link between POPs and diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is characterized by defects in insulin action to target tissues, resulting in hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and mitochondrial dysfunction. The eye is one of the organs susceptible to T2D, but knowledge regarding mitochondrial dysfunction in the eyes after hyperglycemia and T2D is based mainly on epidemiological evidence, with little experimental data. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are known as endocrine-disrupting chemicals and are associated with uncontrolled glucose and lipid metabolism, leading to the onset of diabetes. To determine the relationship between POPs and T2D, two model systems were developed: glucose-immersed zebrafish to induce hyperglycemia, and zebrafish exposed to low-dose POPs in a water circulating system for three months. To examine the role of mitochondrial function, the activity of mitochondrial complexes I, II, III, and IV from the eyes of the two zebrafish models was measured spectrophotometrically. Enhanced enzymatic activities of mitochondrial complexes III and IV were observed in the eyes of both hyperglycemia and low-dose POPs exposed models, especially in male zebrafish. These results demonstrate that POPs alleviate mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in a sex-dependent manner through a compensatory mechanism, which is also observed in acute hyperglycemia.

Potential Human Health Risks of Organochlorine Pesticides (OCPs) and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Associated with Fish Consumption in Anhui Province, China.

In this study, the concentrations of 14 types of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and 7 types of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in four freshwater fish species (Ctenopharyngodon idella, Cyprinus carpio, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) collected from nine lakes in Anhui Province were determined. Among these contaminants, only hexachlorobenzene (HCB), heptachlor, hexachlorocyclohexane (ß- and γ-HCH), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE) and PCB 101 were detected, and HCB had the highest measured concentrations while the heptachlor showed the lowest concentrations. In the four fish species, C. carpio preferred to accumulate more OCPs and PCBs than C. idellus. Moreover, the health risk assessments demonstrated that consumption of these fish species may pose both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks, especially for children at high exposure level (95th). As the concentrations of contaminants in ventral muscle were higher than that in dorsal muscle, the consumption of ventral muscle should be limited to avoid the potential risk of OCPs and PCBs.