Toxins最新文献

{"title":"Growth Response and Cell Permeability of the Fish-Killing Phytoflagellate <i>Heterosigma akashiwo</i> Under Projected Climate Conditions.","authors":"Malihe Mehdizadeh Allaf, Charles G Trick","doi":"10.3390/toxins17050259","DOIUrl":"10.3390/toxins17050259","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Climate change and anthropogenic alterations in biogeochemical cycles are intensifying the frequency, duration, and potential toxicity of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in marine ecosystems. However, these effects are highly variable and depend on species identity, strain-specific traits, and local environmental conditions. Key drivers include rising sea surface temperatures, changes in salinity resulting from altered precipitation patterns and runoff, and elevated CO₂ levels leading to ocean acidification. <i>Heterosigma akashiwo</i>, a euryhaline raphidophyte responsible for the widespread killing of fish, is particularly responsive to these changes. This study investigated the combined effects of temperature, salinity, and CO₂ concentration on the growth, yield, and cell membrane permeability of <i>H. akashiwo</i> using a Design of Experiment (DOE) approach. DOE facilitates a detailed and systematic analysis of multifactorial interactions, enabling a deeper understanding of complex relationships while maximizing efficiency and minimizing the use of experimental resources. The results revealed that growth and yield were maximized at higher temperatures and salinities, whereas cell permeability increased under cooler, less saline, and lower CO₂ conditions. These findings suggest that projected future ocean conditions may enhance biomass production while potentially reducing cellular permeability and, by extension, toxicity. This study highlights the value of the DOE framework in identifying key interactions among environmental drivers of HABs, offering a practical foundation for future predictive modeling under climate change scenarios.</p>","PeriodicalId":23119,"journal":{"name":"Toxins","volume":"17 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12115438/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144151884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Clinical Evidence of Bee Venom Acupuncture for Ankle Pain: A Review of Clinical Research.","authors":"Soo-Hyun Sung, Hyein Jeong, Jong-Hyun Park, Minjung Park, Gihyun Lee","doi":"10.3390/toxins17050257","DOIUrl":"10.3390/toxins17050257","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The prevalence of ankle pain in adults is 9-15%, with up to 45% of sports-related injuries attributed to ankle pain and injuries. If ankle pain is not controlled in a timely manner, it can lead to ankle instability, resulting in further damage, recurrence of pain, and secondary injuries. The present study aimed to assess the therapeutic potential and safety profile of bee venom acupuncture (BVA) in the management of ankle pain. Ten electronic databases were searched for articles published up to March 2025. We included clinical studies that utilized BVA for the treatment of ankle pain and studies that included pain- and function-related assessment tools. The safety of bee venom acupuncture (BVA) was assessed by extracting adverse events from the included studies and categorizing them according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE). A total of 14 clinical studies were selected, of which 9 were case reports, 2 were case-controlled clinical trials (CCTs), and 3 were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The conditions causing ankle pain were mostly traumatic (42.9%), followed by inflammatory (21.4%) and neuropathic disorders (14.3%). BVA was applied at concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 0.5 mg/mL, with a per-session volume ranging from 0.04 to 2.5 mL. In most studies, BVA was reported to improve both ankle pain and function simultaneously. Among the 14 studies, four participants reported adverse events following BVA treatment, all of which were classified as grade 1 or grade 2, indicating mild to moderate severity. This review suggests that BVA may be recommended for controlling ankle pain based on clinical evidence. However, the number of high-quality RCTs is limited, and half of the studies did not report side effects, indicating the need for further clinical research to verify its safety and efficacy.</p>","PeriodicalId":23119,"journal":{"name":"Toxins","volume":"17 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12115534/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144151910","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Botulinum Toxin in Pain-Related Post-Stroke Limb Spasticity: A Meta-Analysis of Early and Late Injections.","authors":"Frances Marie Tamayo, Raymond Rosales, Jörg Wissel, Bo Biering-Sørensen, Joshua Nathaniel Ellano, David Simpson","doi":"10.3390/toxins17050258","DOIUrl":"10.3390/toxins17050258","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Spasticity is a common complication associated with stroke, and around 72% of stroke patients will develop pain during the disease. Botulinum toxin (BoNT) is a safe and efficacious treatment for spasticity and can improve associated complications, including pain. Hence, this meta-analysis aims to establish whether BoNT can reduce pain-related post-stroke spasticity (pPSS) in the early treatment period (<12 weeks post-stroke) or in the late period (>12 weeks post-stroke) based on the available evidence. This study also aims to establish the dose-response relationship of BoNT-A in pPSS. Based on pooled data from multiple studies, there is no significant difference in the scores measuring pPSS between patients who received early BoNT-A injections and those who received a placebo. This finding suggests that within the early treatment period, BoNT-A may not be more effective than a placebo in reducing pPSS. However, it is important to note that the data for early BoNT-A injections are limited, indicating that research is needed to draw definitive conclusions [<i>z</i> = 3.90 (<i>p</i> < 0.0001)]. While BoNT-A appears somewhat more effective than a placebo in the late phase, as indicated by the small to moderate positive z value, there is not enough evidence to confidently claim superiority over a placebo [z = 1.48 (<i>p</i> = 0.14)].</p>","PeriodicalId":23119,"journal":{"name":"Toxins","volume":"17 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12116153/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144151907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Systematic Review on CyanoHABs in Central Asia and Post-Soviet Countries (2010-2024).","authors":"Kakima Kastuganova, Galina Nugumanova, Natasha S Barteneva","doi":"10.3390/toxins17050255","DOIUrl":"10.3390/toxins17050255","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cyanobacterial harmful blooms (CyanoHABs) in lakes, estuaries, and freshwater reser-voirs represent a significant risk to water authorities worldwide due to their cyanotoxins and economic impacts. The duration, spread, and severity of CyanoHABs have markedly increased over the past decades. The article addresses CyanoHABs, cyanotoxins, and monitoring methodologies in post-Soviet and Central Asian countries. This particular region was selected for the systematic review due to its relative lack of representation in global CyanoHABs reporting, particularly in Central Asia. The main aim of this systematic review was to analyze the primary literature available from 2010-2024 to examine the current situation of CyanoHAB detection, monitoring, and management in Central Asia and post-Soviet countries. Following a detailed database search in several selected data-bases (Google Scholar, Pubmed, Web of Science (WOS), Scopus, Elibrary, ENU, and KazNU) along with additional hand searching and citation searching, 121 primary articles reporting 214 local cyanobacterial bloom cases were selected for this review. Aquatic cyanotoxins were reported in water bodies of eight countries, including high concentrations of microcystins that often exceeded reference values established by the World Health Organization (WHO). Advancing monitoring efforts in Baltic countries, Belarus, and the Russian Federation differed from only a few Central Asian reports. However, Central Asian aquatic ecosystems are especially threatened by rising anthropogenic pressures (i.e., water use, intensive agriculture, and pollution), climate change, and the lack of adequate ecological surveillance. We hypothesize that recent Caspian seal mass mortality events have been caused by a combination of infection (viral or bacterial) and exposure to algal neurotoxins resulting from harmful algal blooms of Pseudo-nitzschia. We conclude that there is an urgent need to improve the assessment of cyanobacterial blooms in Central Asia and post-Soviet countries.</p>","PeriodicalId":23119,"journal":{"name":"Toxins","volume":"17 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12115851/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144151664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Insecticidal Activities of Diterpene Alkaloids in Plants of the Genera <i>Aconitum</i> and <i>Delphinium</i>.","authors":"Jinqiu Wang, Luchuan Zheng, Wenxi Huang, Linxuan Li, Jialian Yuan, Lin Chen","doi":"10.3390/toxins17050254","DOIUrl":"10.3390/toxins17050254","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As the global population grows, food security and agricultural productivity face challenges, and insect pests cause significant losses to crops. The effectiveness of traditional chemical pesticides is declining, and eco-friendly pesticides need to be developed. Diterpenoid alkaloids (DAs), natural products of plant origin, have attracted attention due to their low environmental risks. Here we review the classification, structure, insecticidal and anti-feeding activities of diterpenoid alkaloids, as well as the current state of research on these chemicals. Studies have shown that C₁₉- and C₂₀-diterpenoid alkaloids show significant activity against a variety of insects, but there are still limited studies on C₁₈-diterpenoid alkaloids. Therefore, through in-depth research on diterpenoid alkaloids, we have discovered that there are various compounds with high efficiency and specificity in insecticidal and antifeedant activities among C₁₉- and C₂₀-diterpenoid alkaloids, which exhibit high selectivity and efficiency towards target pests. This paper emphasizes the potential of diterpenoid alkaloids as novel biopesticides and highlights the need to combine new technologies to conduct further systematic evaluation and screening of these compounds. This work provides new ideas for the development of environmentally friendly pesticides and contributes to sustainable agricultural practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":23119,"journal":{"name":"Toxins","volume":"17 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12115663/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144151945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of Ochratoxin A (OTA) on the Immune System: A Systematic Review.","authors":"Yusif Mubarik, Shadrach Tetteh Boyetey, Anastasia Rosebud Aikins, Mohamed Mutocheluh","doi":"10.3390/toxins17050256","DOIUrl":"10.3390/toxins17050256","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin with different adverse health effects. The authors conducted a systematic review to evaluate the effects of OTA on the immune system, with more emphasis on its effects on immune system organs, innate and adaptive immunity and related signaling pathways. Studies have demonstrated that exposure to OTA disrupts the functions of immune system organs, resulting in weight loss, histological lesions and a decrease in antibody-secreting cells. There is evidence that OTA impairs epithelial barrier integrity and macrophage function and induces elevated secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In adaptive immunity, OTA regulates T-cell differentiation, particularly Th1 and Th17 subsets, and adversely impacts humoral immunity, ultimately leading to immune suppression.</p>","PeriodicalId":23119,"journal":{"name":"Toxins","volume":"17 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12115609/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144151930","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Heterologous Overexpression of Cytochrome P450BM3 from <i>Bacillus megaterium</i> and Its Role in Gossypol Reduction.","authors":"Wenpeng Fan, Jingjing Cui, Tongxiang Xu, Shiheng Xu, Zulibina Ainiwaer, Qiyu Luo, Caidie Wang","doi":"10.3390/toxins17050253","DOIUrl":"10.3390/toxins17050253","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gossypol is a polyphenolic toxic compound present in cotton plants. To determine whether the candidate cytochrome P450BM3 enzymes could reduce gossypol in vitro, functional recombinant cytochrome P450BM3 enzymes were successfully expressed in <i>E. coli</i>. Site-directed mutagenesis generated mutants (R162H, R162K, Q129H, Q129N) to explore structural determinants of catalytic efficiency. Both wild-type P450BM3 and mutants exhibited significant ability to reduce gossypol levels, with R162H and R162K showing 33.4% and 24.2% reduced catalytic efficiency compared with the wild-type enzyme, respectively. Q129H and Q129N mutants maintained comparable catalytic efficiency to the wild type. Metabolomic profiling revealed two distinct reducing pathways catalyzed by wild-type P450BM3 and its mutants (R162H/Q129H), involving decarboxylation, hydroxylation, and C-C bond cleavage. This study demonstrated the feasibility of P450BM3 as a highly efficient biocatalyst for reducing gossypol levels, speculated that Arg162 might be a critical active residue, and hypothesized the potential pathways by which P450BM3 catalyzes the reduction of gossypol content, thereby providing a theoretical foundation for the enzymatic reduction of gossypol.</p>","PeriodicalId":23119,"journal":{"name":"Toxins","volume":"17 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12115826/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144151886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Comprehensive Probabilistic Risk Assessment Strategy of Aflatoxin B1 Exposure from Medical Areca Nuts Consumption.","authors":"Tian-Tian Zuo, Ya-Zhong Zhang, Hong-Yan Zhai, Rong-Yao Chen, Jing-Zhe Pu, Hong-Yu Jin, Jing Liu, Xian-Long Cheng, Feng Wei","doi":"10.3390/toxins17050252","DOIUrl":"10.3390/toxins17050252","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) is widely found and substantially impends public health. The current work aimed to assess AFB₁ in medical areca nuts in China. The average content of AFB₁ was 13.0 μg/kg, and the maximum content was 146.0 μg/kg. Furthermore, a comprehensive probabilistic risk assessment approach considering combined utilization of a Monte Carlo simulation with the margin of exposure (MOE) and quantitative liver cancer risk (HCC) strategies was developed for assessing the human health risk of AFB₁ from consuming medical areca nuts for the first time. The MOE values of AFB₁ in samples for no more than the 75th percentile were less than the threshold of 10,000 for both men and women. The estimated 90th percentile to the maximum of the HCC values for males and the estimated 75th percentile to the maximum of the HCC values for females were higher than one in a million upon exposure to medical areca nuts, indicating an unacceptable liver cancer risk. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that for both MOE and HCC approaches, AFB₁ content was the parameter with the greatest effects on the results, followed by the exposure frequency (EF) and daily intake rate (IR). This study is the first of this kind, demonstrating the applicability of stochastic exposure evaluation techniques for the precise and scientific assessment of the health risk of AFB₁ in medical areca nuts, with the main purpose of minimizing human cancer risk.</p>","PeriodicalId":23119,"journal":{"name":"Toxins","volume":"17 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12115991/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144151899","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of Low-Level Ergot Alkaloids and Endophyte Presence in Tall Fescue Grass on the Metabolome and Microbiome of Fall-Grazing Steers.","authors":"Ignacio M Llada, Jeferson M Lourenco, Madison M Dycus, Jessica M Carpenter, Zachery R Jarrell, Dean P Jones, Garret Suen, Nicholas S Hill, Nikolay M Filipov","doi":"10.3390/toxins17050251","DOIUrl":"10.3390/toxins17050251","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fescue toxicosis (FT) is a mycotoxin-related disease caused by the ingestion of tall fescue, naturally infected with the ergot alkaloid (EA)-producing endophyte <i>Epichloë coenophiala</i>. Some grazing on endophyte-free (E-) or non-toxic (NT), commercial endophyte-infected pastures takes place in the US as well. Earlier, we found that grazing on toxic fescue with low levels of EAs during fall affects thermoregulation, behavior, and weight gain. Building on these findings, the current study aimed to investigate how the presence of low EA-producing E+ or NT endophytes can influence animal metabolome, microbiome, and, ultimately, overall animal health. Eighteen Angus steers were placed on NT, E+, and E- fescue pastures for 28 days. Urine, rumen fluid (RF), rumen solid (RS), and feces were collected pre-exposure, and on days 2, 7, 14, 21, and 28. An untargeted high-resolution metabolomics approach was used to analyze urine and RF, while 16S rRNA-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) was used to examine RF, RS, feces, and fescue plant microbiomes. While alpha- or beta-microbiota diversity across all analyzed matrices were unaffected, there were specific effects of E+ on the relative abundance of some taxa (i.e., <i>Prevotellaceae</i>). Additionally, E+ grazing impacted aromatic amino acid metabolism in the urine and the metabolism of lipids in both the RF and urine. In both matrices, trace amine-related metabolic features differed markedly between E+ and the other groups. Compared to the endophyte-free group, endophyte presence, whether novel or toxic, influenced amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism, as well as unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis. These findings suggest that low-EA-producing and non-toxic endophytes in fescue have more prominent effects on the metabolome than the microbiome, and this metabolome perturbation might be associated with decreased performance and reported physiological signs of FT.</p>","PeriodicalId":23119,"journal":{"name":"Toxins","volume":"17 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12115782/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144151943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ustilaginoidin D Induces Acute Toxicity and Hepatotoxicity in Mice.","authors":"Bo Wang, Xiaolong Bai, Min Zhang, Xiangxiang Liu, Muhammad Zulqar Nain Dara, Lingjing Liu, Mingming Ou, Dayong Li, Jiyang Wang, Ling Liu, Wenxian Sun","doi":"10.3390/toxins17050250","DOIUrl":"10.3390/toxins17050250","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ustilaginoidin D is a type of bis-naphtho-γ-pyrone mycotoxin produced by Ustilaginoidea virens, the causal agent of rice false smut. Although previous studies have demonstrated the inhibitory effect of ustilaginoidin D on ATP synthesis and cancer cell growth in mice, its specific health risks remain unclear. Here, we reveal that ustilaginoidin D is highly toxic to mice with an LD₅₀ value of 213 mg /kg·bw. Dose-dependent weight loss and liver damage were observed, accompanied by altered markers of liver cell damage, including the enzyme activities of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase and the content of glutathione in mouse liver. RNA-seq analysis of liver tissues from mice treated with 150 mg of ustilaginoidin D/kg·bw identified significant changes in gene expression profiles, with differentially expressed genes enriched in cancer-related pathways, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and metabolic pathways. RT-qPCR data are highly consistent with transcriptome analysis in expression profiles of 22 chemical-carcinogenesis-associated genes. These findings indicate that ustilaginoidin D induces acute toxicity and liver dysfunction in mice, raising serious concerns about its threat to human health.</p>","PeriodicalId":23119,"journal":{"name":"Toxins","volume":"17 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12115440/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144151823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}