Biomedical subjects

Emanuele Argese

Publications and source records attributed to Emanuele Argese.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Distribution of arsenic compounds in Mytilus galloprovincialis of the Venice lagoon (Italy).

Samples of Mytilus galloprovincialis collected in different sites of the Venice lagoon (Italy) were investigated for total arsenic concentrations by ICP-AES and for single arsenic species by HPLC-ICP-MS. For this purpose, an analytical procedure for the sensitive and efficient speciation of the arsenic species As(III), As(V), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), arsenobetaine (AB), arsenocholine (AC), and four arsenosugars was optimised. The total arsenic and the single arsenic species were determined in both the hepatopancreas (digestive gland) and the remaining soft tissues in order to verify the different arsenic accumulation in the body parts of mussels. Arsenic compounds were extracted from the mussels with a methanol/water mixture; the extracts were evaporated to dryness, redissolved in water, and chromatographed in an anion-exchange column, a Hamilton PRP-X100. Only small quantities or traces of inorganic arsenic were detected in the mussels. The majority of arsenic compounds detected in the extracts were organic species, with a predominance of arsenobetaine and of an arsenosugar. In addition, a greater arsenic accumulation in the digestive glands of mussels was observed.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Effects of copper on Sambucus nigra L. seedlings studied by electron paramagnetic resonance and atomic absorption spectroscopies.

We present in this work preliminary results on the translocation of copper, manganese and iron from soil to leaves of Sambucus nigra L. seedlings in the presence of increasing copper concentrations in the growth medium. The use of electron spin resonance spectroscopy and the comparison with atomic absorption spectroscopy is not presently common in the study of metal absorption in plants. This approach gave promising results both on the detection of some metal ions, as well as of radical species related to the presence of Cu2+ in plant tissues. Copper was found to act synergistically in manganese uptake.

Absorption↗

PubMed2003

Speciation of heavy metals in sediments of the lagoon of Venice collected in the industrial area.

In this study a procedure of sequential extraction of metals from sediments was applied to samples from the lagoon of Venice. Compared to the measurement of total concentrations, the knowledge of metal partitioning among sediment phases can help in estimating the risk posed by metal polluted sediments and give information on contamination sources and on the factors that influence metal enrichment in sediments. The results permitted to estimate for each metal the percentage of the total content that could be potentially remobilized from sediments, owing to changes in environmental conditions. The immediately available fraction represented in general a low proportion of the total content. An important proportion of most metals (except for Zn, Cd and Cu) was associated to residual phases and therefore was not expected to be released under the normal environmental conditions. The large amounts of metals bound to Fe-Mn oxides/hydroxides confirmed the strong scavenging efficiency of this phase. The carbonate phase was the preferential associative form for Pb, Cd and Zn, whereas Cu was bound in prevalence to the organic matter/sulphide phase.

Environmental Monitoring↗

PubMed2002

Substituted aniline interaction with submitochondrial particles and quantitative structure-activity relationships.

The toxic effects of eighteen substituted anilines were determined by means of a short-term in vitro assay, using submitochondrial particles (SMP) as biosensors. The assay allows for the quantification of the effects of toxicants that act specifically on mitochondrial respiratory functions, like uncouplers and inhibitors, or non-specifically, by disturbing the structure and functioning of the inner mitochondrial membrane. The obtained EC(50) values range from 72.5 to 1910 micromol/l. The type and position of the substituents are of fundamental importance in determining the toxic potency. In general, the presence of electron-withdrawing substituents produces higher toxic effects, whereas electron-donating groups seem to reduce the toxicity. Quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) showed that toxicity values were correlated with the Hammett sigma constant and with hydrogen bonding capacity descriptors, such as E(LUMO), E(HOMO) and Q(+). The results indicate that toxicity increases with increasing the hydrogen bonding donor capacity of the NH(2) group and support the hypothesis of a mechanism of action based on hydrogen bonding formation between the amino group of anilines and polar groups at the membrane/water interface. Such an interaction would cause a derangement of the membrane structure and, as a consequence, a disturbance of its functioning.

Aniline Compounds↗

PubMed2002

Toxicity of tributyltin and triphenyltin to early life-stages of Paracentrotus lividus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea).

Sperm cell and embryo toxicity tests using the Mediterranean sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus were performed to assess the toxicity of tributyltin chloride, bis(tributyltin)oxide, triphenyltin acetate, and triphenyltin hydroxide. Toxicity values (mean effective concentration [EC50]) ranged from 2.97 to 18.5 microg/L for sperm cells and from 1.11 to 2.62 microg/L for embryos. For sperm cells, the toxicity of the two tributyl compounds was significantly greater than that of two triphenyl compounds; for embryos, the triphenyl compounds appeared to be more toxic. Study of embryotoxic effects highlighted closely concentration-dependent damages, the most sensitive stages corresponding to the crucial phases of differentiation (gastrula and prisma). Both EC50 and no-observed-effect concentration values for the four organotin compounds are similar to those reported in the literature for early life stages of other marine organisms.

Animals↗