Characterization of microplastic pollution in the Pasur river of the Sundarbans ecosystem (Bangladesh) with emphasis on water, sediments, and fish.

An emerging concern of today's world, due to their universal dispersion worldwide, is the environment's microplastic pollution. The Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove, have unique and dynamic environmental settings with numerous pollution risk exposures, including microplastics (MPs). Thus, the present study has focused on the MP pollution in water, sediment, and fish samples of the Sundarbans of Bangladesh for the first time. Water and sediment samples were collected (n = 30/each) from sampling locations along the Pasur river (Bangladesh). Furthermore, nine species of fish samples were collected from a local fish market situated at the Mongla port. Results show that 100 % of the analyzed samples have evidence of MPs. On average, 2.66 × 103 plastic particles/L and 1.57 × 105 particles/kg were found in water and sediment samples, respectively. Furthermore, results show a higher number of MPs in the animals' gastrointestinal tract (GIT) (10.41 particles/g), concerning the average concentration recorded in the muscles (4.68 particles/g). O. pama and H. nehereus were the species that showed the highest MPs accumulation in the GIT. In the muscles, the highest MP levels were observed in T. ilisha and L. calcarifer. Most of the particles were smaller than 1 mm; black-colored particles dominated the pool. FT-IR analysis revealed the presence of seven polymer types where polyamide was abundant in water and sediment samples. SEM analysis showed morphological structures and adsorbed particles on the surface of plastic samples, and the spatial distribution of MPs indicates that the location with high human intervention has elevated levels of MPs. Therefore, our study demonstrates that Sundarbans mangrove forests are highly contaminated with MPs and that its fisheries can be a potential source of human exposure to these pollutants.

Microplastics in different fish and shellfish species in the mangrove estuary of Bangladesh and evaluation of human exposure.

The water bodies in Bangladesh thrive from plastic pollution. Estuaries are pools of environmental contaminants, and the world's largest mangrove forest, Sundarbans' estuary, is no exception. Thus, for the first time, we investigate MPs abundance in the muscle and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of twenty estuarine species of fish and shellfish of the Sundarbans, as well as the human health risk. MPs abundance was evident in all the samples ranging from 5.37 ± 1.07 to 54.30 ± 16.53 MP items/g wet body weight (dw) in muscle samples and 7.33 ± 1.89 to 205.61 ± 136.88 MP items/g (dw) in GIT samples. The estimated health risk from MPs is substantial, where the average human intake will be 85,710.08 items of MPs per year per capita for the population of Bangladesh. The dominant polymer types observed using ATR-FTIR are PP and PE (17.5 %), PA (17.5 %) in the muscle tissues, and PP and PE (11.11 %), and EVA (11.11 %) in the GITs. Bottom-feeding species, such as demersal and benthic species, are more contaminated. However, the level of MPs in the species shows a negative correlation with the length and weight of the species. This study reveals that MP pollution is widespread and concerning in Bangladesh's Sundarban mangrove estuarine zone.

Gamma radiation application to rice: Reduced glycemic index in relation to modified carbohydrate observed in FTIR spectra.

This study was conducted with a popular, low price Bangladesh rice variety BRRI Dhan 29 with a view to possible carbohydrate modification targeting lower glycemic index using gamma radiation application. Irradiation process (5 and 10 â€‹kGy â€‹at a dose rate of 9.74kGy/h) altered amylose content, amylose/amylopectin ratio, swelling power, and solubility index. FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the changed molecular structures due to radiation application. Treatment with a dose of 5 and 10kGy caused increased amylose and amylose/amylopectin ratio significantly (p â€‹< â€‹0.02). The highest amylose content was found in 10 â€‹kGy irradiated rice (30.20%) compared to unirradiated one (17.27%). Gamma radiation caused decreased swelling and increased water solubility in rice powder. These features of carbohydrate amendment in irradiated rice lead to reduced glycemic index as investigated with the in vivo experiments. Therefore, this study suggests gamma-irradiated rice (10kGy) is beneficial for diabetic subjects keeping lower blood glucose levels.

Remedial role of exercise training to deep-fried oil-induced metabolic and histological changes in Wistar rats.

Exercise training is a well-known lifestyle to maintain good health. The present study was conducted to explore the effect of regular exercise training (for 15 min) on biochemical, physiological, and histological changes in fried oil intake (5 g/kg body weight, for 5 weeks) with or without raw oil supplementation. Liver disease and heart muscle injury were accounted for by significant (p < .05) increase in liver and heart biomarker enzymes in serum. Creatinine and urea level were also significantly increased in the fried oil-fed group as a sign of kidney injury. But all the biological markers including triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was decreased significantly (p < .05) in the exercise-trained rat group. These metabolic changes were substantiated by the histological study of respective organs. Therefore, people should avoid repeatedly deep-fried oil consumption rather than fresh ones though regular exercise training has been found to resolve these metabolic abnormalities. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Exercise training is a common practice to reduce the onset of some metabolic abnormalities for example cardiovascular disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic kidney disease, and also prevents various cell and tissue damages. Repeated frying of vegetable oil not only reduces its nutritional value but also produce free fatty acids and other toxic compounds. The present study revealed that repeatedly heated vegetable oil consumption causes injuries in the heart, liver, kidney, and small intestine by the oxidative products. As a result, the level of biomarkers of these responsive organs was found to be elevated. But regular exercise training ameliorated these detrimental effects. So, in terms of public health concern, regular exercise is one of the best ways to keep the body fit especially those who are consuming deep-fried oil.

Obesity preventive function of novel edible mushroom, Basidiomycetes-X (Echigoshirayukidake): Manipulations of insulin resistance and lipid metabolism.

Echigoshirayukidake is an edible mushroom found in Uonuma, Japan in 1994. It was assigned to a new species of Basidiomycetes (BDM-X) but is uniquely defect of forming bashidium. The high antioxidant activity and ß-glucan content of BDM-X suggest possible functions preventing type 2 diabetes. In the present study, anti-obesity and insulin resistance preventive functions of BDM-X were examined using genetically defined obese model rat, OLETF (Otsuka Long Evans Tokushima Fatty) by feeding regular diet with and without supplementation of 5% dried BDM-X powder (BDMP) for 15 weeks. BDMP supplementation to the diet significantly (p < 0.01) suppressed the body weight gain and also visceral fat accumulation during the feeding period compared to control diet. Simultaneously, the insulin resistance and the plasma levels of adiponectin and triglycerides were significantly (p = 0.003) ameliorated in the BDMP supplemented diet group. A statistical multivariate analysis showed the weight of three types of adipose tissue (epididymal, retroperirenal, and mesenteric fat) positively correlated with HOMA-IR (Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance), and negatively correlated with plasma adiponectin. These results indicate BDM-X is a new resource applicable to the functional foods or the complementary biomedicines to prevent metabolic syndromes leading to type 2 diabetes.

Effect of raw and repeatedly fried mustard oil intake on metabolic and organ histological changes in Wistar rat.

Fried dietary oils often cause adverse health effects due to altered chemical and nutritional properties. In the present study with mustard oil, the effect of repeated frying (180°C for 10 min, three times) on chemical characteristics and oral intake of raw and fried mustard oil (5 g/kg for 5 weeks) in Wistar rats were investigated. Repeated frying caused oxidation reactions and free fatty acid content in mustard oil. This fried oil feeding to rats increased serum LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and decreased HDL leading to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease accounted by significant increment of liver enzymes (ALT, AST, ALP) compared with raw oil-fed group. Higher level of serum CK-MB and creatinine in fried oil-fed rats indicate disrupted kidney function. Histological findings of the respective organs ascertained metabolic abnormalities due to fried oil intake. Thus, the study suggests avoidance of using repeatedly fried oils in food products for better consumer health. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Vegetable oil is a common ingredient of food products. Mustard oil is used in many countries both as raw and fried forms for various food preparations. When it is being fried at elevated temperatures in the presence of air, both thermal and oxidative decomposition take place which alter the nutritional and functional bioactive properties of the oil. The findings of the current study revealed the repeatedly fried mustard oil-induced detrimental effects on various organs of Wistar rats. Human beings consuming repeatedly fried mustard oil regularly might also face these acute problems. Thus in context to the public health issue, it is a message to avoid in taking repeated fried oils at household cooking or food industry to maintain better health.

Enhancement of Antioxidant Quality of Green Leafy Vegetables upon Different Cooking Method.

Antioxidant rich green leafy vegetables including garden spinach leaf, water spinach leaf, Indian spinach leaf, and green leaved amaranth were selected to evaluate the effects of water boiling and oil frying on their total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), reducing power (RP), and antioxidant capacity. The results revealed that there was a significant increase in TPC, TFC, and RP in all the selected vegetables indicating the effectiveness of the cooking process on the antioxidant potential of leafy vegetables. Both cooking processes enhanced significantly (P<0.05) the radical scavenging ability, especially the oil fried samples showed the highest values. There is a significant reduction in the vitamin C content in all the vegetables due to boiling and frying except in the Indian spinach leaf. However, the present findings suggest that boiling and frying can be used to enhance the antioxidant ability, by increasing the bioaccessibility of health-promoting constituents from the four vegetables investigated in this study.