Toxic cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) water blooms have become a serious problem in several industrialized areas of the world. Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is a cyanobacterial heptapeptide that represents acute and chronic hazards to animal and human health. Identification of suitable chemprotectants against microcystin is essential considering human health hazards. In the present study, we have evaluated the protective efficacy of three flavanoids namely quercetin (200 mg/kg), silybin (400 mg/kg), and morin (400 mg/kg)] pretreatment against microcystin toxicity (0.75 LD(50), 57.5 microg/kg) in mice. Various biochemical variables were measured to study the recovery profile of protected animals at 1- and 3-days post-toxin treatment. The serum alanine amino transferase (ALT) shows 17-fold increase in MC-LR treated animals compared with control group at 1 day. The silybin and quercetin group showed a decrease in level of ALT compared with MC-LR group but still higher than control group. No significant protection was observed with aspartate aminotransaminase (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels in flavanoid-treated groups at 1-day post-treatment. But at 3 days, the serum levels of AST and ALT were normalized to control values, but the serum LDH levels were still significantly higher than the control group. No significant changes were observed in glutathione peroxidase and reduced glutathione levels at both 1- and 3-day postexposure. The catalase activity shows a significant decrease in quercetin-treated animals at 3-day postexposure. The protein phosphatase was significantly inhibited in MC-LR group compared to control. The silybin pretreated group showed recovery after 1 day. At 3 days, the PPAse activity was reversed to control values in all the flavanoid-treated groups. Immunoblotting analysis showed microcystin-PPAse adduct in liver tissues of toxin-treated as well as flavanoid-treated mice even after 3 days. The results of this study show that flavanoids, quercetin, silybin, and morin could reverse the hepatotoxic effects of MC-LR in vivo.

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Mushrooms are well known as important food items. The uses of mushrooms in the cuisine are manifolds and are being utilized for thousands of years in both Oriental and Occidental cultures. Medicinal properties of mushrooms show an immense potential as drugs for the treatment of various diseases as they are rich in a great variety of phytochemicals. In this review, we attempted to encompass the recent knowledge and scientific advancement about mushrooms and their utilization as food or curative properties, along with their natural ability to accumulate (heavy) metals/radionuclides, which leads to an important aspect of bioremediation. However, accumulation of heavy metals and radionuclides from natural or anthropogenic sources also involves potential nutritional hazards upon consumption. These hazards have been pointed out in this review incorporating a selection of the most recently published literature.

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Sulfur mustard (SM; 2,2'-dichloro diethyl sulfide), an alkylating chemical warfare agent, poses a major threat in both military conflict and chemical terrorism situations. 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES) is a monofunctional analogue of SM, frequently used in laboratory settings, therefore increasing chances of its exposure. S-2(ω-aminoalkylamino) alkylaryl sulfide (DRDE-07) is an analogue of amifostine reported to have protective effects against SM but its effect on CEES is largely unexplored. Therefore, this study was planned to explore the effects of DRDE-07 against CEES-induced toxicity. 0.75 LD50 (1068 mg/kg) of CEES was exposed percutaneously in the presence or absence of DRDE-07 (249 mg/kg p.o.) which is given prophylactically (before 30 minute) to male mice. Animals were sacrificed on 24 h, 7th day and 14th day of CEES exposure, and tissues were collected to study oxidative stress and inflammatory markers. CEES exposure depleted intracellular GSH level and activities of GSH-linked enzymes (GR, GPx and GST) which play a major role in GSH metabolism. CEES exposure augmented lipid peroxidation indicating severe oxidative stress. It also initiated inflammation causing an increase in proinflammatory (IL1-α, IL1-β, IL-6, TNF-α and IFN-ϒ) and corresponding decrease in anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10). This was also accompanied by neutrophils infiltration indicated by higher than normal myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels. DRDE-07 efficiently reduced the oxidative stress and also facilitated to resolve inflammatory alterations. This study thus evaluated the beneficial role of DRDE-07 in ameliorating the deleterious effects of CEES and can be potentially used against SM/CEES poisoning.

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