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- ItemAssessing Lettuce Exposure to a Multi-Pharmaceutical Mixture in Soil: Insights from LC-ESI-TQ Analysis and the Impact of Biochar on Pharmaceutical Bioavailability(AMER CHEMICAL SOC, 2024-09-04) Fučík, Jan; Jašek, Vojtěch; Hamplová, Marie; Navrkalová, Jitka; Zlámalová Gargošová, Helena; Mravcová, LudmilaAgricultural practices introduce pharmaceutical (PhAC) residues into the terrestrial environment, potentially endangering agricultural crops and human health. This study aimed to evaluate various aspects related to the presence of pharmaceuticals in the lettuce-soil system, including bioconcentration factors (BCFs), translocation factors (TFs), ecotoxicological effects, the influence of biochar on the PhAC bioavailability, persistence in soil, and associated environmental and health risks. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) was exposed to a mixture of 25 PhACs in two scenarios: initially contaminated soil (ranging from 0 to 10,000 ng center dot g(-1)) and soil irrigated with contaminated water (ranging from 0 to 1000 mu g center dot L-1) over a 28-day period. The findings revealed a diverse range of BCFs (0.068-3.7) and TFs (0.032-0.58), indicating the uptake and translocation potential of pharmaceuticals by lettuce. Significant ecotoxicological effects on L. sativa, including weight change and increased mortality, were observed (p < 0.05). Interestingly, biochar did not significantly affect PhAC uptake by L. sativa (p > 0.05), while it significantly influenced the soil degradation kinetics of 12 PhACs (p < 0.05). Additionally, the estimated daily intake of PhACs through the consumption of L. sativa suggested negligible health risks, although concerns arose regarding the potential health risks if other vegetable sources were similarly contaminated with trace residues. Furthermore, this study evaluated the environmental risk associated with the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in soil, as medium to high. In conclusion, these findings highlight the multifaceted challenges posed by pharmaceutical contamination in agricultural environments and emphasize the importance of proactive measures to mitigate the associated risks to both environmental and human health.
- ItemA Comparison of the Effects of Continuous Illumination and Day/Night Regimes on PHB Accumulation in Synechocystis Cells(MDPI, 2024-07-20) Fleischhacker-Daffert, Christina; Zerobin, Antonia; Hummel, Ferdinand; Slaninová, Eva; Kroupová, Zuzana; Obruča, Stanislav; Mrázová, Kateřina; Hrubanová, Kamila; Krzyžánek, Vladislav; Nebesářová, Jana; Ludwig, Katharina; Fritz, InesPoly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is a biobased and biodegradable polymer with properties comparable to polypropylene and therefore has the potential to replace conventional plastics. PHB is intracellularly accumulated by prokaryotic organisms. For the cells PHB functions manly as carbon and energy source, but all possible functions of PHB are still not known. Synechocystis (cyanobacteria) accumulates PHB using light as energy and CO2 as carbon source. The main trigger for PHB accumulation in cyanobacteria is nitrogen and phosphorous depletion with simultaneous surplus of carbon and energy. For the above reasons, obtaining knowledge about external factors influencing PHB accumulation is of highest interest. This study compares the effect of continuous light exposure and day/night (16/8 h) cycles on selected physiology parameters of three Synechocystis strains. We show that continuous illumination at moderate light intensities leads to an increased PHB accumulation in Synechocystis salina CCALA 192 (max. 14.2% CDW - cell dry weight) compared to day/night cycles (3.7% CDW). In addition to PHB content, glycogen and cell size increased, while cell density and cell viability decreased. The results offer new approaches for further studies to gain deeper insights into the role of PHB in cyanobacteria to obtain bioplastics in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way.
- ItemThe Effect of Biochar Application on Soil Properties and Growth of the Model Plant Zea Mays(European Ecocycles Society, 2021-12-20) Bačovská, Šárka; Enev, Vojtěch; Smilek, Jiří; Kubíková, Leona; Trudičová, Monika; Hajzler, Jan; Kalina, MichalThe classic way of land cultivation means the use of inorganic fertilizers that are salts that dissolve rapidly in a short time and improve soil fertility. This process negatively affects soil salinity and the life of microorganisms. The use of biochar as a soil conditioner is a promising solution. The aim of the work is to enrich the properties of less fertile soils and to enhance the growth of the model plant Zea mays (corn) by biochar application. We used four different soil types commonly spread in the Czech Republic – regosol, chernozem, cambisol and fluvisol representing a broad range of organic matter content. Also, we applied two different EBC (The European Biochar Certificate) certified biochars for use in agriculture. Corn seeds were germinated and cultivated for 3 months in repeated plant life cycles. Soils and biochar samples were characterized before and after cultivation by TGA, EA, BET, SEM, extraction of organic matter. The effect of biochar application was observed continuously through the measurement of plant height, the number of leaves and cobs. After the finalization of cultivation experiments, the dry mass of individual plants was measured, and root image analysis of every plant was performed. Fluvisol and cambisol have much higher organic matter content than regosol and chernozem. The application of biochar had the most significant impact on regosol regardless of the application dose; these results are in good agreement with the root image analysis. Furthermore, plants in soils treated with biochar had more corn cobs. The analysis on biochar samples showed the continual leaching of both organic and inorganic molecules from biochar to surrounding soil, which is crucial for its possible use as a soil conditioner and confirms the long-timescale positive effect on soil properties.
- ItemVertical Distribution of Mercury in Forest Soils and Its Transfer to Edible Mushrooms in Relation to Tree Species(MDPI, 2021-04-26) Pecina, Václav; Valtera, Martin; Handlířová, Gabriela; Komendová, Renata; Novotný, Radek; Brtnický, Martin; Juřička, DavidSoil pollution by mercury (Hg) is a global problem that poses risks to natural ecosystems and to human health. Forests represent an important recipient of Hg deposition, however, so far, very little is known about the tree species identity effects on the distribution of Hg in forest soils and its accumulation in edible mushrooms. To clarify the effect on the two main Central-European commercial forest tree species, soil samples were collected from organic F+H horizons and from mineral soil depths of 0-2, 2-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm in mature Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) dominated stands. Mushroom samples of the Boletaceae family were also collected at each sampling site. The highest Hg contents were found in the F+H layer and were significantly higher in spruce- (mean 0.46 +/- 0.03 mg/kg) than in beech- (mean 0.29 +/- 0.10 mg/kg) dominated stands. The variation in Hg contents in F+H was best predicted by pH, the overall lower soil pH in strongly acidic spruce stands might induce Hg immobilization in the F+H layer to cause a decrease in the bioavailability of Hg for Xerocomellus chrysenteron (Bull.) Sutara. In mineral soil, the Hg contents did not differ significantly between the spruce- and beech-dominated stands. The Hg content strongly correlated with the S, N, and C contents only in mineral soil; at the depths of 2-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm, significantly also with the silt vs. sand, Al-o, and Fe-o contents. Studied mushroom species were not Hg-contaminated and, therefore, their consumption does not pose serious health risks regardless of the forest type. The results suggest that species-related soil chemistry and mineral associations, rather than different atmospheric Hg interception by spruce vs. beech, drive the vertical distribution and accumulation of Hg in forest soils.
- ItemStudy of cholesterol’s effect on the properties of catanionic vesicular systems: comparison of light-scattering results with ultrasonic and fluorescence spectroscopy(Elsevier B.V., 2020-12-20) Havlíková, Martina; Szabová, Jana; Jugl, Adam; Mravcová, Ludmila; Chang, Chien-Hsiang; Huang, Po-Sung; Pekař, Miloslav; Mravec, FilipThis work is focused on the study of properties associated with the effect of cholesterol levels on the stability of vesicular systems based on the ion pair amphiphile hexadecyltrimethylammonium-dodecylsulphate (HTMA-DS) at laboratory temperature. The HTMA-DS catanionic system was doped with dioctadecyldimethylammonium chloride in a 9:1 molar ratio and cholesterol in the amount of 0, 3, 13, 23, 33, 43, 53, 63, and 73mol.% was added. In this system, the size distributions were studied using the dynamic light-scattering technique and the zeta potential was determined. These standard techniques were supplemented by ultrasonic and fluorescence spectroscopy techniques. Due to low stability and high opalescence of samples, spectral techniques were used only for the samples with cholesterol content above 23mol.%. The results from High-Resolution Ultrasonic Spectroscopy and from Fluorescence Spectroscopy are in agreement. They equally point to a change in the amount of hydration water in the membrane, the largest amount of which is present in the samples with 43 and 53mol.% cholesterol. Using the light-scattering technique, the short-term stability of prepared vesicular systems was also observed over the first 36 days. Obtained results confirmed that the most stable systems are those containing 43 or 53mol.% of cholesterol.