Influence of the urban environment on four mushroom species in the light of their elemental composition.

The mushrooms are living organisms with excellent capability to adapt to the multiple challenges of their environment. Several species are well represented in urban green areas (parks, green spots, and recreation grounds). We investigated the influence of the urban environment over two saprotrophic (Bovista plumbea, Lycoperdon perlatum) and two mycorrhizal (Amanita rubescens, Suillus granulatus) species commonly present in urban parks of Cluj-Napoca, a major city of Romania. Three control sites close to the city were chosen. We determined 19 elements (Ag, Al, Ba, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, S, Si, Sr, Ti, and Zn) in the fruiting bodies of mushrooms and in soils by ICP OES technique. S. granulatus was the most sensible species to the urban pollution; this species accumulated 130 and 4.40 mg kg-1 (dry weight) median concentrations of Al and Ni, respectively. The highest concentration of Ag, Cu and Fe was determined in B. plumbea (3.18, 83.7 and 141 mg kg-1, respectively) and L. perlatum (4.68, 91.0 and 125 kg-1, respectively) collected from the city. The saprotrophic species contained appreciably higher concentrations of Ag, Cu, Fe, Mg, P, and S than the mycorrhizal ones. Common feature of all four species was the higher Ag and Sr concentrations in the fruiting bodies of urban origin. Our results suggest that the unique defence mechanisms of the species might have higher impact over the elemental profile of the mushrooms than the soil properties. We propose L. perlatum and S. granulatus as suitable indicator species of the urban pollution with regard to inorganic pollutants.

Halochromic Behavior and Anticancer Effect of New Synthetic Anthocyanidins Complexed with ß-Cyclodextrin Derivatives.

Anthocyanidins, the aglycons of anthocyanins, are known, beyond their function in plants, also as compounds with a wide range of biological and pharmacological activities, including cytostatic effect against various cancer cells. The nature and position of the substituents in the flavylium cation is essential for such biological properties, as well as the equilibrium between the multistate of the different chemical species that are generated by the flavylium cation, including quinoidal base, hemiketal, and cis- and trans-chalcones. In this work, eight new flavylium derivatives were synthesized, characterized for confirmation of the structure by FT-IR and 2D-NMR, and investigated in vitro as possible cytostatic compounds against HCT116 and HepG2 cancer cells. The most active two compounds were explored for their halochromic properties that can influence the biological activity and subjected to molecular encapsulation in ß-cyclodextrin derivatives in order to increase their solubility in water and bioavailability. The anticancer effect was influenced by the position (6-, 7-, or 8-) of the methoxy group in the ß-ring of the methoxy-4'-hydroxy-3'-methoxyflavylium cation, while the study of the halochromic properties revealed the important role played by the chalcone species of the pH-dependent multistate in both the uncomplexed and inclusion complex forms of these anthocyanidins.

Synthesis and Characterization of Calcium Phosphate Materials Derived from Eggshells from Different Poultry with and without the Eggshell Membrane.

Calcium phosphate materials such as hydroxyapatite (HA) or tricalcium phosphate (ß-TCP) are highly attractive due to their multitude of applications in bone replacement as well as their environmental and ecological credentials. In this research, quail, hen, duck, and pigeon eggshells were used as a calcium source to obtain calcium phosphate materials via the environmentally friendly wet synthesis. Using the eggshells with the organic membrane, the biphasic calcium phosphate materials composed mainly of HA were obtained. The second mineral phase was ß-TCP in the case of using quail, hen, and pigeon eggshells and octacalcium phosphate (OCP) in the case of duck eggshells. The HA content in the obtained materials depended on the amount of membrane in the eggshells and decreased in the order of pigeon, duck, hen, and quail eggshells. The eggshell membrane removal from the eggshells caused the reduced content of HA and the presence of the more soluble ß-TCP or OCP phase in the obtained materials. The calcium ions release profile in the PBS buffer indicates the potential biomedical application of these materials.

Co-Entrapment of Sorafenib and Cisplatin Drugs and iRGD Tumour Homing Peptide by Poly[ε-caprolactone-co-(12-hydroxystearate)] Copolymer.

The drug-loaded nanocarriers have overcome various challenges compared with the pure chemotherapeutic drug, such as limited bioavailability, multiple drug resistance, poor patient compliance, and adverse drug reactions, offering advantages such as protection from degradation in the blood stream, better drug solubility, and improved drug stability. One promising group of controlled and targeted drug delivery systems is polymer-based nanoparticles that can sustain the release of the active agent by diffusion and their degradation. Sorafenib is the only drug that can prolong the life of patients suffering from hepatocellular carcinoma. Cisplatin remains one of the most widely used broad-spectrum anticancer drugs for the treatment of a variety of solid tumours. Nanoformulations can exert a synergistic effect by entrapping two drugs with different modes of action, such as sorafenib and cisplatin. In our study, polymeric nanoparticles were prepared with a good production yield by an improved double emulsion solvent evaporation method using the copolymer of 12-hydroxystearic acid with ε-caprolactone (12CL), a biocatalytically synthesised biocompatible and biodegradable carrier, for the co-entrapment of sorafenib and cisplatin in nanotherapeutics. A bovine serum albumin (BSA) model compound was used to increase the cisplatin incorporation; then, it was successfully substituted by a iRGD tumour penetrating peptide that might provide a targeting function of the nanoparticles.

Elemental composition of Russula cyanoxantha along an urbanization gradient in Cluj-Napoca (Romania).

How far-reaching is the influence of the urban area over the mineral composition of the Russula cyanoxantha mushroom? We studied the metal uptake behavior of this fungus relying on the soil properties. We sampled mushroom and soil from six forests according to an urbanization gradient, and two city parks in Cluj-Napoca (Romania). The elements were quantified using inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The concentrations of some elements differed significantly (p < 0.05) in the samples from the city (0.39 ±â€¯0.35 mg kg-1 for cadmium (Cd), 0.40 ±â€¯0.19 mg kg-1 for chromium (Cr), 69.1 ±â€¯29.9 mg kg-1 for iron (Fe), 10.9 ±â€¯1.3 mg kg-1 for manganese (Mn), 0.76 ±â€¯0.45 mg kg-1 for titanium (Ti) compared with the samples from the forests (3.15-14.1 mg kg-1 Cd, < 0.18 mg kg-1 for Cr, 22.6-34.5 mg kg-1 for Fe, 15.9-19.1 mg kg-1 for Mn, 0.19-0.36 mg kg-1 for Ti). We observed a definite negative trend in the mineral accumulation potential of this fungus along the urbanization gradient. The fungus turned from a cadmium-accumulator to a cadmium-excluder. This highlights a positive environmental influence of the urbanization over the toxic metal uptake of R. cyanoxantha. The hypothesis, that the urban soil pollution would increase the metal content of the mushroom was disproved. The possible explanation might be the elevated carbonate content of the urban soil, which is known to immobilize the metals in the soil.

Data on elemental composition of Russula cyanoxantha along an urbanization gradient in Cluj-Napoca (Romania).

How far-reaching is the influence of the urban area over the mineral composition of the Russula cyanoxantha mushroom? To answer this question, we monitored the metal uptake behavior of this fungus relying on the soil properties. We sampled mushroom and soil from six forests according to an urbanization gradient, and two city parks in Cluj-Napoca (Romania). The elements were quantified using inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The concentrations of some elements differed significantly (p < 0.05) in the samples from the city (0.39 ± 0.35 mg kg-1 for cadmium (Cd), 0.40 ± 0.19 mg kg-1 for chromium (Cr), 69.1 ± 29.9 mg kg-1 for iron (Fe), 10.9 ± 1.3 mg kg-1 for manganese (Mn), 0.76 ± 0.45 mg kg-1 for titanium (Ti)) compared with the samples from the forests (3.15-14.1 mg kg-1 Cd, < 0.18 mg kg-1 for Cr, 22.6-34.5 mg kg-1 for Fe, 15.9-19.1 mg kg-1 for Mn, 0.19-0.36 mg kg-1 for Ti). We observed a definite negative trend in the mineral accumulation potential of this fungus along the urbanization gradient. The fungus turned from a cadmium-accumulator to a cadmium-excluder. This highlights a positive environmental influence of the urbanization over the toxic metal uptake of R. cyanoxantha. The hypothesis, that the urban soil pollution would increase the metal content of the mushroom was disproved. The possible explanation might be the elevated carbonate content of the urban soil, which is known to immobilize the metals in the soil.