Eco-friendly engineering of micro composite-based hydroxyapatite bio crystal and polyaniline for high removal of OG dye from wastewater: Adsorption mechanism and RSM@BBD optimization.

The presence of harmful substances such as dyes in water systems poses a direct threat to the quality of people's lives and other organisms living in the ecosystem. Orange G (OG) is considered a hazardous dye. The existing paper attempts to evaluate a low-cost adsorbent for the effective removal of OG dye. The developed adsorbent Polyaniline@Hydroxyapatite extracted from Cilus Gilberti fish Scale (PANI@FHAP) was elaborated through the application of the in situ chemical polymerization method to incorporate PANI on the surface of naturally extracted hydroxyapatite FHAP. The good synthesis of PANI@FHAP was evaluated through multiple techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM/EDS), Fourier Transforms Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) coupled with thermal differential analysis (DTA) analysis. The results reveal a highly ordered disposition of PANI chains on FHAP, resulting in a well-coated FHAP in the PANI matrix. Furthermore, the presence of functional groups on the surface of PANI such as amine (-NH2) and imine (=NH) groups would facilitate the removal of OG dye from contaminated water. The adsorption of OG onto PANI@FHAP was conducted in batch mode and optimized through response surface methodology coupled with box-Behnken design (RSM/BBD) to investigate the effect of time, adsorbent dose, and initial concentration. The outcomes proved that OG adsorption follows a quadratic model (R2 = 0.989). The kinetic study revealed that the adsorption of OG fits the pseudo-second-order model. On the other hand, the isotherm study declared that the Freundlich model is best suited to the description of OG adsorption. For thermodynamic study, the adsorption of OG is spontaneous in nature and exothermic. Furthermore, the regeneration-reusability study indicates that PANI@FHAP could be regenerated and reused up to five successive cycles. Based on the FTIR spectrum of PANI@FHAP after OG adsorption, the mechanism governing OG adsorption is predominantly driven by π-π interaction, electrostatic interaction, and hydrogen bonding interactions. The obtained results suppose that PANI@FHAP adsorbent can be a competitive material in large-scale applications.

Structural alterations in scales of Capoeta capoeta (Güldenstädt, 1773) from heavy metal-contaminated river water.

Heavy metal pollution, especially in freshwater, is a serious problem for aquatic organisms and human health. In this study, the scales of Capoeta capoeta living in the Karasu River (Turkey), which is estimated to be contaminated with pollutants, especially heavy metals, were examined for structural anomalies. Two stations on the river were selected for this purpose. Fish and surface water samples were taken at the stations. The heavy metal analyses were carried out in the water and the fish tissue. Heavy metal pollution was detected in the surface water. It was also observed that some heavy metals (As, Cu, Cd, Cr, Mn, Pb, Ni, Zn) accumulate in the fish tissue. Significant structural differences were observed on the dorsal surface of the scales, such as interrupted primary radii, damaged circuli, damaged focus, damaged anterior scale margin, broken focus, deformed scale structure, scattered chromatophores, dilatation of primary radii, loss of focus, damaged annuli, symmetry shift in the lateral line canal, eroded circuli, damaged posterior scale margin, double focus, branching in the primary radii, asymmetric circuli, incomplete annuli and interrupted secondary radii in each of the fish collected from the contaminated site. Heavy metals are suspected to be responsible for the structural anomalies in the scales. Based on these observations, it can be said that fish scales can be used as an effective indicator of water quality.

Physicochemical and Antioxidant Properties of Gelatin and Gelatin Hydrolysates Obtained from Extrusion-Pretreated Fish (Oreochromis sp.) Scales.

Fish gelatin and its hydrolysates exhibit a variety of biological characteristics, which include antihypertensive and antioxidant properties. In this study, fish gelatins were extracted from extrusion-pretreated tilapia scales, and then subjected to analyses to determine the physicochemical properties and antioxidant activity of the extracted gelatins. Our findings indicate that TSG2 (preconditioned with 1.26% citric acid) possessed the greatest extraction yield, as well as higher antioxidant activities compared with the other extracted gelatins. Hence, TSG2 was subjected to further hydrolyzation using different proteases and ultrafiltration conditions, which yielded four gelatin hydrolysates: TSGH1, TSGH2, TSGH3, and TSGH4. The results showed that TSGH4 (Pepsin + Pancreatin and ultrafiltration < 3000 Da) had a higher yield and greater antioxidant activity in comparison with the other gelatin hydrolysates. As such, TSGH4 was subjected to further fractionation using a Superdex peptide column and two-stage reverse-phase column HPLC chromatography, yielding a subfraction TSGH4-6-2-b, which possessed the highest 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity compared with the other fractions. Further LC-ESI/MS/MS analysis of TSGH4-6-2-b suggested two novel peptides (GYDEY and EPGKSGEQGAPGEAGAP), which could have potential as naturally-occurring peptides with antioxidant properties. These promising results suggest that these antioxidant peptides could have applications in food products, nutraceuticals, and cosmetics.

Influence of female cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profile on male courtship behavior in two hybridizing field crickets Gryllus firmus and Gryllus pennsylvanicus.

BACKGROUND: The hybridizing field crickets, Gryllus firmus and Gryllus pennsylvanicus have several barriers that prevent gene flow between species. The behavioral pre-zygotic mating barrier, where males court conspecifics more intensely than heterospecifics, is important because by acting earlier in the life cycle it has the potential to prevent a larger fraction of hybridization. The mechanism behind such male mate preference is unknown. Here we investigate if the female cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profile could be the signal behind male courtship. RESULTS: While males of the two species display nearly identical CHC profiles, females have different, albeit overlapping profiles and some females (between 15 and 45%) of both species display a male-like profile distinct from profiles of typical females. We classified CHC females profile into three categories: G. firmus-like (F; including mainly G. firmus females), G. pennsylvanicus-like (P; including mainly G. pennsylvanicus females), and male-like (ML; including females of both species). Gryllus firmus males courted ML and F females more often and faster than they courted P females (p < 0.05). Gryllus pennsylvanicus males were slower to court than G. firmus males, but courted ML females more often (p < 0.05) than their own conspecific P females (no difference between P and F). Both males courted heterospecific ML females more often than other heterospecific females (p < 0.05, significant only for G. firmus males). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that male mate preference is at least partially informed by female CHC profile and that ML females elicit high courtship behavior in both species. Since ML females exist in both species and are preferred over other heterospecific females, it is likely that this female type is responsible for most hybrid offspring production.

An approach to counter sediment toxicity by immobilization of heavy metals using waste fish scale derived biosorbent.

The utilization of fish scale-derived biosorbent for immobilization of cadmium and lead in polluted sediment was thoroughly investigated in this study. Fish scale (FS) biomass was chemically and physically treated. The FS biomass treated with acid (0.1 M HCl), alkali (0.1 M NaOH) and hydrothermally, showed minimum removal capacity. While, FS treated hydrothermally along with acid showed the maximum removal efficiency of metal ions. We used different dosages (0%, 2.5%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) of FS biosorbent in the sediment. Isotherm modelling showed that this biosorbent can hold 89.30 and 92.65 mg/g of Cd and Pb on its surface. This indicated that prepared FS biosorbent has enough potential to adsorb Cd and Pb ions on its surface from the sediment. Compared to the control, sediment treated with 20% FS showed the highest immobilization capacities for Pb (92.9%), and Cd (87.9%). The values of partition coefficient (Kd) increased by 83% for Pb and 78% for Cd, which specified that availability of free ions of Pb and Cd in the aquatic system was successfully decreased. The sediment treated with 20% FS biosorbent showed 70-80% immobilization of Cd and Pb from mobile and exchangeable fractions that ultimately decreased the bioavailability of metal ions to the biota. Inclusively, compared to control, sediment served with 20% FS biosorbent showed higher level of Pb and Cd ions in residual fraction near by 80%. The prepared FS biosorbent had shown its potential in immobilizing the Cd and Pb ions from sediment as a cheap and ecologically feasible method for amendment.

Detection of very long-chain hydrocarbons by laser mass spectrometry reveals novel species-, sex-, and age-dependent differences in the cuticular profiles of three Nasonia species.

Long-chain cuticular hydrocarbons (CHC) are key components of chemical communication in many insects. The parasitoid jewel wasps from the genus Nasonia use their CHC profile as sex pheromone and for species recognition. The standard analytical tool to analyze CHC is gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometric detection (GC/MS). This method reliably identifies short- to long-chain alkanes and alkenes, but CHC with more than 40 carbon atoms are usually not detected. Here, we applied two laser mass spectrometry (MS) techniques, namely direct laser desorption/ionization (d)LDI and silver-assisted (Ag-)LDI MS, respectively, to analyze CHC profiles of N. vitripennis, N. giraulti, and N. longicornis directly from the cuticle or extracts. Furthermore, we applied direct analysis in real-time (DART) MS as another orthogonal technique for extracts. The three methods corroborated previous results based on GC/MS, i.e., the production of CHC with carbon numbers between C25 and C40. However, we discovered a novel series of long-chain CHC ranging from C41 to C51/C52. Additionally, several previously unreported singly and doubly unsaturated alkenes in the C31-C39 range were found. Use of principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the composition of the newly discovered CHC varies significantly between species, sex, and age of the animals. Our study adds to the growing literature on the presence of very long-chain CHC in insects and hints at putative roles in insect communication. Graphical abstract.

Influence of Mutualistic Lifestyle, Mutualistic Partner, and Climate on Cuticular Hydrocarbon Profiles in Parabiotic Ants.

A vital trait in insects is their cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profile, which protects the insect against desiccation and serves in chemical communication. Due to these functions, CHC profiles are shaped by both climatic conditions and biotic interactions. Here, we investigated CHC differentiation in the neotropical parabiotic ant species Crematogaster levior and Camponotus femoratus, which mutualistically share a nest. Both consist of two cryptic species each (Cr. levior A and B and Ca. femoratus PAT and PS) that differ genetically and possess strongly different CHC profiles. We characterized and compared CHC profiles of the four cryptic species in detail. Our results suggest that Cr. levior A, Ca. femoratus PAT and Ca. femoratus PS adapted their CHC profiles to the parabiotic lifestyle by producing longer-chain CHCs. At the same time, they changed their major CHC classes, and produce more alkadienes and methyl-branched alkenes compared to Cr. levior B or non-parabiotic species. The CHC profiles of Cr. levior B were more similar to related, non-parabiotic species of the Orthocrema clade than Cr. levior A, and the chain lengths of B were similar to the reconstructed ancestral state. Signals of both the parabiotic partner (biotic conditions) and climate (abiotic conditions) were found in the CHC profiles of all four cryptic species. Our data suggest that mutualisms shaped the CHC profiles of the studied species, in particular chain length and CHC class composition. Beside this, signals of the parabiotic partners indicate potential impacts of biotic interactions, via chemical mimicry or chemical camouflage.

Variation in scale cortisol concentrations of a wild freshwater fish: Habitat quality or seasonal influences?

A significant body of literature suggests that aquatic pollutants can interfere with the physiological function of the fish hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis, and eventually impair the ability to cope with subsequent stressors. For this reason, development of accurate techniques to assess fish stress responses have become of growing interest. Fish scales have been recently recognized as a biomaterial that accumulates cortisol, hence it can be potentially used to assess chronic stress in laboratory conditions. We, therefore, aimed to evaluate the applicability of this novel method for cortisol assessment in fish within their natural environment. Catalan chub (Squalius laietanus) were sampled from two sites; a highly polluted and a less polluted (reference) site, in order to examine if habitat quality could potentially influence the cortisol deposition in scales. We also evaluated the seasonal variation in scale cortisol levels by sampling fish at three different time points during spring-summer 2014. In each sampling, blood was collected to complement the information provided by the scales. Our results demonstrated that blood and scale cortisol levels from individuals inhabiting the reference site were significantly correlated, therefore increasing the applicability of the method as a sensitive-individual measure of fish HPI axis activity, at least in non-polluted habitats. Since different environmental conditions could potentially alter the usefulness of the technique, results highlight that further validation is required to better interpret hormone fluctuations in fish scales. Scale cortisol concentrations were unaffected by habitat quality although fish from the polluted environment presented lower circulating cortisol levels. We detected a seasonal increase in scale cortisol values concurring with an energetically costly period for the species, supporting the idea that the analysis of cortisol in scales reveals changes in the HPI axis activity. Taken together, the present study suggests that cortisol levels in scales are more likely to be influenced by mid-term, intense energetically demanding periods rather than by long-term stressors. Measurement of cortisol in fish scales can open the possibility to study novel spatio-temporal contexts of interest, yet further research is required to better understand its biological relevance.

Fabrication and preliminary in vitro evaluation of ultraviolet-crosslinked electrospun fish scale gelatin nanofibrous scaffolds.

This study aimed to explore a potential use of fish scale-derived gelatin nanofibrous scaffolds (GNS) in tissue engineering due to their biological and economical merits. Extraction of gelatin was achieved via decalcification, sonication and lyophilization of mixed fish scales. To fabricate nano-scale architecture of scaffolds analogous to natural extracellular matrix, gelatin was rendered into nanofibrous matrices through 6-h electrospinning, resulting in the average diameter of 48 ± 12 nm. In order to improve the water-resistant ability while retaining their biocompatibility, GNS were physically crosslinked with ultraviolet (UV) irradiation for 5 min (UGN5), 10 min (UGN10) and 20 min (UGN20). On average, the diameter of nanofibers increased by 3 folds after crosslinking, however, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis confirmed that no major alterations occurred in the functional groups of gelatin. A degradation assay showed that UGN5 and UGN10 scaffolds remained in minimum essential medium for 14 days, while UGN20 scaffolds degraded completely after 10 days. All UGN scaffolds promoted adhesion and proliferation of human keratinocytes, HaCaT, without causing an apparent cytotoxicity. UGN5 scaffolds were shown to stimulate a better growth of HaCaT cells compared to other scaffolds upon 1 day of incubation, whereas UGN20 had a long-term effect on cells exhibiting 25% higher cell proliferation than positive control after 7 days. In the wound scratch assay, UGN5 scaffolds induced a rapid cell migration closing up to 79% of an artificial wound within 24 h. The current findings provide a new insight of UGN scaffolds to serve as wound dressings in the future. In the wound scratch assay, UGN5 induced a rapid cell migration closing up to 79% of an artificial wound within 24 h.

Non-lethal sampling for stable isotope analysis of pike Esox lucius: how mucus, scale and fin tissue compare to muscle.

Stable isotope analysis (SIA) was used to examine the isotopic relationships between dorsal muscle and fin, scale and epidermal mucus in pike Esox lucius. δ13 C and δ15 N varied predictably within each tissue pairing, with conversion factors calculated for the surrogate tissues, enabling their application to the non-lethal sampling of E. lucius for SIA.

Effect of Potassium Sorbate and Ultrasonic Treatment on the Properties of Fish Scale Collagen/Polyvinyl Alcohol Composite Film.

Composite films containing different amounts of potassium sorbate (KS) were prepared by using fish scale collagen (Col) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), light transmittance, mechanical, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), and the antibacterial properties of the composite films were analyzed. The results showed that the addition of Col significantly reduced the light transmittance of the composite film, but KS had no significant effect on the light transmission. The tensile strength decreased first and then increased with the addition of KS, while the WVTR increased first and then decreased. The composite film exhibited a certain degree of antibacterial properties against E. coli and S. aureus. In addition, we found that ultrasonic treatment reduced the WVTR, and also improved tensile strength and elongation at break of the composite films, but had no significant effect on other properties. The KS/Col/PVA films have the potential to be used as antimicrobial food packaging.

Using modified fish scale waste from Sardinella brasiliensis as a low-cost adsorbent to remove dyes from textile effluents.

Textile industry wastewater has become a cause of concern to environmentalists due to its toxic composition and the difficulty of breaking down certain dyes. In this study, modified fish scales of Sardinella brasiliensis (SSb) were used as an alternative for a low-cost adsorbent to remove dyes from textile wastewaters. Adsorption efficiency was assessed by measuring the general, kinetic, and thermodynamic physico-chemical parameters of adsorption isotherms, using Reactive Turquoise Blue 15 (RTB15) and Reactive Red 120 (RR120) dyes as adsorbate models, as local textile industries commonly use these dyes. The isothermal data from the batch experiments were inserted in the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Langmuir-Freundlich (SIPS) equations; the Langmuir isotherm equation showed the most appropriate. The thermodynamic parameters showed that adsorption of dyes by the modified SSb adsorbent was an endothermic yet spontaneous process in the case of RR120. Sorbent-based on SSb material was concluded as adsorbing both of the tested dyes. Because of its abundant availability, and the small amount of activation needed to turn it into an adsorbent, this biowaste can be employed as a low-cost alternative for removal of dyes in the treatment of textile wastewater.

Physicochemical and Antioxidant Properties of Acid- and Pepsin-Soluble Collagens from the Scales of Miiuy Croaker (Miichthys Miiuy).

In this report, acid-soluble collagen (ASC-MC) and pepsin-soluble collagen (PSC-MC) were extracted from the scales of miiuy croaker (Miichthys miiuy) with yields of 0.64 ± 0.07% and 3.87 ± 0.15% of dry weight basis, respectively. ASC-MC and PSC-MC had glycine as the major amino acid with the contents of 341.8 ± 4.2 and 344.5 ± 3.2 residues/1000 residues, respectively. ASC-MC and PSC-MC had lower denaturation temperatures (32.2 °C and 29.0 °C for ASC-MC and PSC-MC, respectively) compared to mammalian collagen due to their low imino acid content (197.6 and 195.2 residues/1000 residues for ASC-MC and PSC-MC, respectively). ASC-MC and PSC-MC were mainly composed of type I collagen on the literatures and results of amino acid composition, SDS-PAGE pattern, ultraviolet (UV) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra. The maximum solubility of ASC-MC and PSC-MC was appeared at pH 1⁻3 and a sharp decrease in solubility was observed when the NaCl concentration was above 2%. Zeta potential studies indicated that ASC-MC and PSC-MC exhibited a net zero charge at pH 6.66 and 6.81, respectively. Furthermore, the scavenging capabilities on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, hydroxyl radical, superoxide anion radical and 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical of ASC-MC and PSC-MC were positively correlated with their tested concentration ranged from 0 to 5 mg/mL and PSC-MC showed significantly higher activity than that of ASC-MC at most tested concentrations (p < 0.05). In addition, the scavenging capability of PSC-MC on hydroxyl radical and superoxide anion radical was higher than those of DPPH radical and ABTS radical, which suggested that ASC-SC and PSC-SC might be served as hydroxyl radical and superoxide anion radical scavenger in cosmeceutical products for protecting skins from photoaging and ultraviolet damage.

Characterization and Antioxidant and Angiotensin I-Converting Enzyme (ACE)-Inhibitory Activities of Gelatin Hydrolysates Prepared from Extrusion-Pretreated Milkfish (Chanos chanos) Scale.

Fish gelatin hydrolysates have been shown to possess various biological activities due to their unique Gly-Pro-Y and Gly-X-Hyp sequences. In the current study, fish gelatin was extracted from non-extruded milkfish scale (FSG1) or extrusion-pretreated milkfish scale (FSG2); extracted gelatins were hydrolyzed with different combinations of Flavourzyme and Alcalase to give four different hydrolysates, namely: FSGH1 (FSG1 hydrolyzed with Flavourzyme), FSGH2 (FSG1 hydrolyzed with Alcalase + Flavourzyme), FSGH3 (FSG2 hydrolyzed with Flavourzyme), and FSGH4 (FSG2 hydrolyzed with Alcalase + Flavourzyme). The extrusion-pretreatment process enhanced the extraction yield of gelatin from fish scale. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyses showed the extracts FSG1 and FSG2 possessed characteristics of gelatin. Moreover, the physicochemical characteristics of FSGH1⁻FSGH4 were examined by analyses of their degree of hydrolysis, amino acid composition, UV spectrum, FTIR spectrum, molecular weight, and RP-HPLC profile. Additional biological functional analyses showed that all of the studied gelatin hydrolysates FSGH1⁻FSGH4 possessed antioxidant activity dose-dependently as revealed by DPPH scavenging, ABTS scavenging, and reducing power analyses. In addition, FSGH2 and FSGH4 showed higher angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory activity as compared to FSGH1 and FSGH3. Taken together, FSGH2 and FSGH4 showed high antioxidant activity and potent anti-ACE activity. Due to the potential antioxidant and antihypertensive properties of FSGH2 and FSGH4, further research is needed to explore their possible use as natural supplementary raw materials in food and nutraceutical products.

Gelation kinetics and characterization of enzymatically enhanced fish scale gelatin-pectin coacervate.

BACKGROUND: Protein-polysaccharide complex coacervations have been considered extensively for the development of functional foods. The main problem of the complex coacervates is that they are highly unstable under different conditions and that cross-linking is necessary to stabilize them. In this study, the effects of pectin at different concentrations on the gel and structural properties of fish scale gelatin (FSG)-high methoxyl citrus pectin (HMP) coacervate enhanced by microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) were studied. RESULTS: The gelation rates and gel strength of the MTGase-enhanced FSG-HMP coacervate gels decreased with increasing HMP concentration. However, the enhanced coacervate gels exhibited better thermal behavior and mechanical properties compared with the original gels. Also, TG-P8 exhibited the highest melting point (27.15 ± 0.12 °C), gelation point (15.65 ± 0.01 °C) and stress (15.36 ± 0.48 kPa) as HMP was 8 g kg-1 . Particle size distribution, fluorescence emission and UV absorbance spectra indicated that MTGase and HMP could make FSG form large aggregates. Moreover, confocal laser scanning microscopy of treated coacervate gels showed a continuous protein phase at low HMP concentrations. CONCLUSION: FSG and HMP could form soluble coacervate, and MTGase could improve the thermal and mechanical properties of coacervate gels. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Cuticular Hydrocarbon Profiles Differentiate Tropical Fire Ant Populations (Solenopsis geminata, Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

The cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) from hexane rinses of workers from two Florida populations (dark and red forms) of the tropical fire ant, Solenopsis geminata, were separated by silica gel chromatography and identified by GC/MS analysis. Both the dark form and the red form produce similar CHCs with carbon chain lengths ranging from 17 to 35. However, the relative percentages of these CHCs were consistently different between the two color forms. The largest CHC component in the dark form is tricosane, and (Z)-9-tricosene for the red form. There were several significant differences in percent composition. For example, the dark form was characterized by a low tricosene:tricosane ratio (ca. 0.25), whereas this ratio was > 2.5 for the red form. The ratio of tricosene:tricosane can be used as a diagnostic biomarker to delimit the dark and red forms. Cluster analysis showed that the CHCs patterns of dark form colonies are completely separated from the CHC pattern of red form colonies. Differences in social behaviors like nestmate recognition and polygyny between workers from this dark form and the red form await further investigation.

Consistency of elemental and isotope-ratio patterns across multiple scales from individual fish.

Assays of elemental and stable-isotope ratios across growth increments of scales have the potential to provide a non-lethal alternative to otolith chemistry for identifying migration and ontogenetic trophic shifts. A central assumption when employing scales as otolith analogues is that any scale from an individual will provide equivalent information about the chemical history of that fish. This assumption was investigated with multiple scales from wild and captive euryhaline Atlantic tarpon Megalops atlanticus from the north-west Gulf of Mexico. Elemental (Sr:Ca) and isotope-ratio (δ13 C and δ15 N) life-history profiles were compared among multiple scales from each fish. All three chemical proxies showed highly consistent patterns among non-regenerated scales, while patterns in regenerated scales diverged, indicating rapid regrowth of interior scale material at the onset of regeneration. Patterns of Sr:Ca and δ13 C covaried, supporting their use as salinity proxies, while δ15 N patterns were consistent with ontogenetic diet shifts. Water samples taken from aquaria holding captive fish were used to calculate partition coefficients for a suite of elements in M. atlanticus scales for future quantification of migratory movements in the region. Together, these results support the assumption that non-regenerated scales from individual M. atlanticus provide equivalent chemical histories, further validating their use as a viable non-lethal alternative to otoliths.

Vertebrate mineralized tissues: A modular structural analysis.

Vertebrate mineralized tissues, present in bones, teeth and scales, have complex 3D hierarchical structures. As more of these tissues are characterized in 3D using mainly FIB SEM at a resolution that reveals the mineralized collagen fibrils and their organization into collagen fibril bundles, highly complex and diverse structures are being revealed. In this perspective we propose an approach to analyzing these tissues based on the presence of modular structures: material textures, pore shapes and sizes, as well as extents of mineralization. This modular approach is complimentary to the widely used hierarchical approach for describing these mineralized tissues. We present a series of case studies that show how some of the same structural modules can be found in different mineralized tissues, including in bone, dentin and scales. The organizations in 3D of the various structural modules in different tissues may differ. This approach facilitates the framing of basic questions such as: are the spatial relations between modular structures the same or similar in different mineralized tissues? Do tissues with similar sets of modules carry out similar functions or can similar functions be carried out using a different set of modular structures? Do mineralized tissues with similar sets of modules have a common developmental or evolutionary pathway? STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: 3D organization studies of diverse vertebrate mineralized tissues are revealing detailed, but often confusing details about the material textures, the arrangements of pores and differences in the extent of mineralization within a tissue. The widely used hierarchical scheme for describing such organizations does not adequately provide a basis for comparing these tissues, or addressing issues such as structural components thought to be characteristic of bone, being present in dermal tissues and so on. The classification scheme we present is based on identifying structural components within a tissue that can then be systematically compared to other vertebrate mineralized tissues. We anticipate that this classification approach will provide insights into structure-function relations, as well as the evolution of these tissues.

Mechanical, optical, chemical, and biological evaluations of fish scale-derived scaffold for corneal replacements: A systematic review.

Corneal blindness is commonly treated through corneal replacement with allogeneic corneal donors, which may face shortage. Regarding this issue, xenogeneic alternatives are explored. Fish scale-derived scaffolds (FSSs) are among the alternatives due to the lower risk of infection and abundant sources of raw materials. Unfortunately, the information about mechanical, optical, chemical, and biological performances of FSSs for corneal replacements is still scattered, as well as about the fabrication techniques. This study aims to gather scattered pieces of information about the mentioned performances and fabrication techniques of FSSs for corneal replacements. Sorted from four scientific databases and using the PRISMA checklist, eleven relevant articles are collected. FSSs are commonly fabricated using decellularization and decalcification processes, generating FSSs with parallel multilayers or crossed fibers with topographic microchannels. In the collected studies, similar mechanical properties of FSSs to native tissues are discovered, as well as good transparency, light remittance, but poorer refractive indexes than native tissues. Biological evaluations mostly discuss histology, cell proliferations, and immune responses on FSSs, while only a few studies examine the vascularization. No studies completed comprehensive evaluations on the four properties. The current progress of FSS developments demonstrates the potential of FSS use for corneal replacements.

Effects of the extraction temperatures on the protein contents, gelatin purities, physicochemical properties, and functional properties of tilapia scale gelatins.

Herein, the effects of the extraction temperatures (45, 55, 65, 75, and 85 °C) on the protein contents, gelatin purities, physicochemical properties, and functional properties of tilapia scale gelatins were studied. Among these temperatures, 65 °C was the best extraction temperature to obtain good production yield (16.0 % ± 0.3 %), good protein contents (excellent total amino acid composition of 94.20 ± 0.76 g/100 g of gelatin, the highest hydrophobic amino acids percentage of 32.68 ± 0.24 g/100 g of gelatin), appropriate ATR-FTIR spectra peaks (Amides A, B, I, II, and III), high ß-sheet percentage (38.2 % ± 1.3 %), the highest purity of the gelatin structures (280, 140, and 125 kDa), the lowest nanoparticle sizes in atomic force microscopy results, the highest water-holding capacity (25.3 % ± 0.9 %), the highest fat-binding capacity (16.9 % ± 0.1 %), high foaming properties (foaming capacity of 151.7 % ± 7.6 % and foaming stability of 145.8 % ± 6.3 %), the lowest interfacial tension (2.1 ± 0.2 mN/m), the lowest emulsifying activity index (16.5 % ± 0.9 %), the highest emulsifying stability index (88.9 % ± 5.1 %), highest emulsion viscosity (1462 ± 17 mPa·s at the rotary speed of 6 rpm), the lowest initial droplet sizes, and lowest emulsion creaming index (6.9 % ± 0.7 %). This work provided a useful guide to choosing extraction temperature for gelatin extraction and a useful theory on the relationship between compositions and properties of a protein sample.