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Topic Review
Competitive Exclusion of Aspergillus flavus
The pre-harvest biocontrol approach currently used includes laboratory inoculations using non-aflatoxigenic strains of Aspergillus flavus. This strategy effectively suppresses the indigenous aflatoxigenic strains and reduces aflatoxin accumulation in sweetcorn.  The reduction in AFB1 with population expressions of AF+ strains by the AF− strains and supports the notion of competitive exclusion through vigorous development and propagation of the non-aflatoxigenic fungi. 
  • 1.2K
  • 18 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Wickerhamomyces Yeast Killer Toxins
Bacteriocins are ribosomally synthesized antimicrobial peptides produced from a wide variety of bacteria that inhibit the growth of similar or closely related bacterial strains. A similar phenomenon of competition is present in yeasts, based on the production of killer toxins (KTs, or mycocins) that are secreted proteins or glycoproteins capable of killing susceptible microorganisms with various mechanisms of action, through interaction with specific superficial receptors. Possible implications and applications of the yeast killer phenomenon in the fight against infectious diseases are reviewed in this work, with particular reference to some wide-spectrum killer toxins (KTs) produced by Wickerhamomyces anomalus and other related species. 
  • 1.2K
  • 15 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Venom Constituents of Rattlesnake Venoms
Venom components are invaluable in biomedical research owing to their specificity and potency. Many of these components exist in two genera of rattlesnakes, Crotalus and Sistrurus, with high toxicity and proteolytic activity variation. 
  • 1.2K
  • 18 Apr 2024
Topic Review
Pharmaceuticals and Pollution
Environmental pollution is a growing threat to natural ecosystems and one of the world’s most pressing concerns. The increasing worldwide use of pharmaceuticals has elevated their status as significant emerging contaminants. Pharmaceuticals enter aquatic environments through multiple pathways related to anthropogenic activity.
  • 1.2K
  • 15 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Ochratoxins in Wines
Ochratoxins (OTs) are mycotoxins frequently found in wines, and their contamination can occur during any stage of the winemaking process. Ochratoxin A (OTA) has been the most widely reported and the only one whose concentrations are legislated in this beverage. However, ochratoxin B, ochratoxin A methyl ester, ochratoxin B methyl ester, ochratoxin A ethyl ester, ochratoxin B ethyl ester, ochratoxin α, ochratoxin β, OTα methyl ester, OTA ethyl amide, and OTA glucose ester have also been reported in wines.
  • 1.2K
  • 13 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Commonalities in Amyloid Prefibrillar Oligomers
It has been proposed that a “common core” of pathologic pathways exists for the large family of amyloid-associated neurodegenerations, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, type II diabetes and Creutzfeldt–Jacob’s Disease. Aggregates of the involved proteins, independently from their primary sequence, induced neuron membrane permeabilization able to trigger an abnormal Ca2+ influx leading to synaptotoxicity, resulting in reduced expression of synaptic proteins and impaired synaptic transmission. Emerging evidence is now focusing on low-molecular-weight prefibrillar oligomers (PFOs), which mimic bacterial pore-forming toxins that form well-ordered oligomeric membrane-spanning pores. At the same time, the neuron membrane composition and its chemical microenvironment seem to play a pivotal role. However, up to now the existence of a specific “common structure” of the toxic aggregate, and a “common mechanism” by which it induces neuronal damage, synaptotoxicity and impaired synaptic transmission, is still an open hypothesis. In this review, we gathered information concerning this hypothesis, focusing on the proteins linked to several amyloid diseases. We noted commonalities in their structure and membrane activity, and their ability to induce Ca2+ influx, neurotoxicity, synaptotoxicity and impaired synaptic transmission.
  • 1.2K
  • 02 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Food-Borne Chemical Carcinogens
Food-borne carcinogens span a range of chemical classes and can arise from natural or anthropogenic sources, as well as form endogenously.
  • 1.2K
  • 11 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Detoxification of Fumonisins with Biological Antioxidants
Food safety is related to the national economy and people’s livelihood. Fumonisins are widely found in animal feed, feed raw materials, and human food. This can not only cause economic losses in animal husbandry but can also have carcinogenicity or teratogenicity and can be left in animal meat, eggs, and milk which may enter the human body and pose a serious threat to human health. Although there are many strategies to prevent fumonisins from entering the food chain, the traditional physical and chemical methods of mycotoxin removal have some disadvantages, such as an unstable effect, large nutrient loss, impact on the palatability of feed, and difficulty in mass production. As a safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly detoxification technology, biological detoxification attracts more and more attention from researchers and is gradually becoming an accepted technique. 
  • 1.2K
  • 22 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Origins of Recombinant Toxins
Toxins produced by various living organisms (bacteria, yeast, scorpions, snakes, spiders and other living organisms) are the main pathogenic factors causing severe diseases and poisoning of humans and animals. To date, recombinant forms of these toxins are widely used as antimicrobial agents, anticancer drugs, vaccines, etc. Various modifications, which in this case can be introduced into such recombinant proteins, can lead to a weakening of the toxic potency of the resulting toxins or, conversely, increase their toxicity. Thus, it is important to publicly discuss the situations and monitor the emergence of such developments.
  • 1.1K
  • 10 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Organotin (IV) Dithiocarbamate Compounds as Potential Anticancer Agents
Organotin (IV) dithiocarbamate has recently received attention as a therapeutic agent among organotin (IV) compounds. The individual properties of the organotin (IV) and dithiocarbamate moieties in the hybrid complex form a synergy of action that stimulates increased biological activity. Organotin (IV) components have been shown to play a crucial role in cytotoxicity. The biological effects of organotin compounds are believed to be influenced by the number of Sn-C bonds and the number and nature of alkyl or aryl substituents within the organotin structure. Ligands target and react with molecules while preventing unwanted changes in the biomolecules. Organotin (IV) dithiocarbamate compounds have also been shown to have a broad range of cellular, biochemical, and molecular effects, with their toxicity largely determined by their structure.
  • 1.1K
  • 08 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Toxicity of Ageratina adenophora on Animals
Ageratina adenophora is one of the major invasive weeds that causes instability of the ecosystem. Research has reported that A. adenophora produces allelochemicals that inhibit the growth and development of food crops, and also contain some toxic compounds that cause toxicity to animals that consume it.
  • 1.1K
  • 15 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Models of Lipid-Lowering Drug-Induced Myopathies
Drug-induced myopathies are classified as acquired myopathies caused by exogenous factors. These pathological conditions develop in patients without muscle disease and are triggered by a variety of medicaments, including lipid-lowering drugs (LLDs) such as statins, fibrates, and ezetimibe. 
  • 1.1K
  • 10 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Quantum Dots in Fungal Cells
Quantum dots are nanocrystals with bright and tunable fluorescence. Due to their unique property, quantum dots are sought after for their potential in several applications in biomedical sciences as well as industrial use.
  • 1.1K
  • 27 Sep 2022
Topic Review
SL-DT for Non-Genotoxic Carcinogen Testing
Dysregulation of gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) is recognized as one of the key hallmarks for identifying non-genotoxic carcinogens (NGTxC). Currently, there is a demand for in vitro assays addressing the gap junction hallmark, which would have the potential to eventually become an integral part of an integrated approach to the testing and assessment (IATA) of NGTxC. The scrape loading-dye transfer (SL-DT) technique is a simple assay for the functional evaluation of GJIC in various in vitro cultured mammalian cells and represents an interesting candidate assay. Out of the various techniques for evaluating GJIC, the SL-DT assay has been used frequently to assess the effects of various chemicals on GJIC in toxicological and tumor promotion research. 
  • 1.1K
  • 28 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Toxicities of AFB1 and FB1 In Vitro
Mycotoxins stand out as some of the most threatening natural contaminants in food. Among these, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and fumonisin B1 (FB1) are prominent fungal metabolites, representing significant food safety risks due to their widespread co-occurrence in various food commodities and their profound toxic effects on humans.
  • 1.0K
  • 23 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Categories and Characteristics of Extracellular Vesicles
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are heterogeneous small membrane structures that originate from plasma membranes. Although most EVs have a diameter of 50–200 nm, larger ones are also observed. Generally, particles up to a diameter of 1000 nm are regarded as EVs. They are typically isolated from the conditioned media of cultured cells. The contents of EVs include proteins, mRNA, microRNA (miRNA), and nucleic acids. Each vesicle performs a specific function in transferring biological material(s) to induce biological processes, such as replication, growth, apoptosis, and necrosis.
  • 1.0K
  • 27 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Doxorubicin-Induced Mitochondrial Dysfunction
Cardiotoxicity has emerged as a major side effect of doxorubicin (DOX) treatment, affecting nearly 30% of patients within 5 years after chemotherapy. Heart failure is the first non-cancer cause of death in DOX-treated patients. 
  • 1.0K
  • 08 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Three-Dimensional Liver Culture Systems
Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is the major reason for failures in drug development and withdrawal of approved drugs from the market. Two-dimensional cultures of hepatocytes often fail to reliably predict DILI: hepatoma cell lines such as HepG2 do not reflect important primary-like hepatic properties and primary human hepatocytes (pHHs) dedifferentiate quickly in vitro and are, therefore, not suitable for long-term toxicity studies. More predictive liver in vitro models are urgently required in drug development and compound safety evaluation. This review discusses available human hepatic cell types for in vitro toxicology analysis and their usage in established and emerging three-dimensional (3D) culture systems. Generally, 3D cultures maintain or improve primary hepatic functions (including expression of drug metabolizing enzymes) of different liver cells for several weeks of culture, thus allowing long-term and repeated-dose toxicity studies. Spheroid cultures of pHHs have been comprehensively tested, but also other cell types such as HepaRG benefit from 3D culture systems. Emerging 3D culture techniques include usage of induced pluripotent stem-cell-derived hepatocytes and primary-like upcyte cells, as well as advanced culture techniques such as microfluidic liver-on-a-chip models. In-depth characterization of existing and emerging 3D hepatocyte technologies is indispensable for successful implementation of such systems in toxicological analysis.
  • 1.0K
  • 10 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Functional Pertussis Toxin Antibody
Pertussis toxin (PT) is considered the main virulence factor causing whooping cough or pertussis. The protein is widely studied and its composition was revealed and sequenced already during the 1980s. The human immune system creates a good response against PT when measured in quantity. However, the serum anti-PT antibodies wane rapidly, and only a small amount of these antibodies are found a few years after vaccination/infection. Therefore, multiple approaches to study the functionality (quality) of these antibodies, e.g., avidity, neutralizing capacity, and epitope specificity, have been investigated. In addition, the long-term B cell memory (Bmem) to PT is crucial for good protection throughout life.
  • 1.0K
  • 29 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Pharmacokinetic Mechanisms of Transporter-Mediated Herb-Drug Interactions 
As the use of herbs has become more popular worldwide, there are increasing reports of herb-drug interactions (HDIs) following the combination of herbs and drugs. The active components of herbs are complex and have a variety of pharmacological activities, which inevitably affect changes in the pharmacokinetics of chemical drugs in vivo.
  • 1.0K
  • 20 Sep 2022
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