Hair nicotine is a known biomarker for monitoring long-term environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure and smoking status. In general, hair nicotine assay involves alkaline digestion, extraction and instrumental analysis. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) assay currently developed has shown to be of high throughput with average approximately 100 hair samples being extracted and analyzed per day. This was achieved through simplified extraction procedure and shortened GC analysis time. The extraction was improved by using small volume (0.4 mL) of organic solvent that does not require further evaporation and salting steps prior to GC-MS analysis. Furthermore, the amount of hair utilized in the extraction was very little (5 mg) while the sensitivity and selectivity of the assay is equal, if not better than other established methods. The linearity of the assay (r(2)>0.995), limit of quantitation (0.04 ng/mg hair), within- and between-assays accuracies and precisions (<11.4%) and mean recovery (92.6%) were within the acceptable range.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a sustained blockage of the airways due to lung inflammation occurring with chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema. Progression of emphysema may be slowed by vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), which reduces apoptotic tissue depletion. Previously, authors of the present report demonstrated that cis-resveratrol (c-RSV)-induced heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70) promoter-regulated VEGFA expression promoted neovascularization of genetically modified mesenchymal stem cells (HSP-VEGFA-MSC) in a mouse model of ischemic disease. Here, this same stem cell line was evaluated for its protective capacity to alleviate elastase-induced pulmonary emphysema in mice. Results of this study showed that c-RSV-treatment of HSP-VEGFA-MSC exhibited synergy between HSP70 transcription activity and induced expression of anti-oxidant-related genes when challenged by cigarette smoke extracts. Eight weeks after jugular vein injection of HSP-VEGFA-MSC into mice with elastase-induced pulmonary emphysema followed by c-RSV treatment to induce transgene expression, significant improvement was observed in respiratory functions. Expression of VEGFA, endogenous nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf 2), and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) was significantly increased in the lung tissues of the c-RSV-treated mice. Histopathologic examination of treated mice revealed gradual but significant abatement of emphysema and restoration of airspace volume. In conclusion, the present investigation demonstrates that c-RSV-regulated VEGFA expression in HSP-VEGFA-MSC significantly improved the therapeutic effects on the treatment of COPD in the mouse, possibly avoiding side effects associated with constitutive VEGFA expression.
The development of novel mosquito control tools is a key prerequisite to build effective and reliable Integrated Vector Management strategies. Here, we proposed a novel method using cigarette butts for the synthesis of Ag nanostructures toxic to young instars of the malaria vector Anopheles stephensi, chloroquine (CQ)-resistant malaria parasites Plasmodium falciparum and microbial pathogens. The non-target impact of these nanomaterials in the aquatic environment was evaluated testing them at sub-lethal doses on the predatory copepod Mesocyclops aspericornis. Cigarette butt-synthesized Ag nanostructures were characterized by UV-vis and FTIR spectroscopy, as well as by EDX, SEM and XRD analyses. Low doses of cigarette butt extracts (with and without tobacco) showed larvicidal and pupicidal toxicity on An. stephensi. The LC50 of cigarette butt-synthesized Ag nanostructures ranged from 4.505 ppm (I instar larvae) to 8.070 ppm (pupae) using smoked cigarette butts with tobacco, and from 3.571 (I instar larvae) to 6.143 ppm (pupae) using unsmoked cigarette butts without tobacco. Smoke toxicity experiments conducted against adults showed that unsmoked cigarette butts-based coils led to mortality comparable to permethrin-based positive control (84.2 and 91.2%, respectively). A single treatment with cigarette butts extracts and Ag nanostructures significantly reduced egg hatchability of An. stephensi. Furthermore, the antiplasmodial activity of cigarette butt extracts (with and without tobacco) and synthesized Ag nanostructures was evaluated against CQ-resistant (CQ-r) and CQ-sensitive (CQ-s) strains of P. falciparum. The lowest IC50 values were achieved by cigarette butt extracts without tobacco, they were 54.63 μg/ml (CQ-s) and 63.26 μg/ml (CQ-r); while Ag nanostructure IC50 values were 72.13 μg/ml (CQ-s) and 77.33 μg/ml (CQ-r). In MIC assays, low doses of the Ag nanostructures inhibited the growth of Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella typhi. Finally, the predation efficiency of copepod M. aspericornis towards larvae of An. stephensi did not decrease in a nanoparticle-contaminated environment, if compared to control predation assays. Overall, the present research would suggest that an abundant hazardous waste, such as cigarette butts, can be turned to an important resource for nanosynthesis of highly effective antiplasmodials and insecticides.