Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are immunotoxicants in fish. In mammals, phase I metabolites are believed to be critically involved in the immunotoxicity of PAHs. This mechanism has been suggested for fish as well. The present study investigates the capacity of immune organs (head kidney, spleen) of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, to metabolize the prototypic PAH, benzo[a]pyrene (Ba...

Several compounds originating from cruciferous vegetables and citrus fruits bind to and activate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). This receptor plays an important role in the toxicity of the known tumour promoter and potent AhR-agonist 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). However, vegetables and fruits are generally considered as healthy. Therefore, besides the AhR activation, the na...

7,8-Dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene (7,8-H2BaP) was metabolized by rat liver microsomes to form 7,8,9,10-tetrahydro-BaP trans-9,10-diol, 7,8,9,10-tetrahydro-BaP cis-9,10-diol, 7-hydroxy-7,8-H2BaP, 8-hydroxy-7,8-H2BaP, two phenolic products of 7,8-H2BaP [abbreviated as 7,8-H2BaP phenol 1 and phenol 2 according to their elution order on reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)], 4,5,7,8...

The activation of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) to DNA-binding metabolites in early-passage embryo cell cultures prepared from various species of rodents was investigated by exposing cells from mice (BALB/c and Sencar), rats (Wistar and Fischer 344), and Syrian hamsters to [3H]BaP for various lengths of time. The BaP:DNA adducts containing cis-vicinal hydroxyl groups such as those formed from 7 beta,8 a...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the reproductive risk associated with exposure of adult male Fisher-344 rats to inhaled benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), a ubiquitous environmental toxicant present in cigarette smoke, automobile exhaust fumes and industrial emissions. Rats were assigned randomly to a treatment or control group. Treatment consisted of sub-chronic exposure of rats via inhalation ...

Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) is a carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon for human tissues. Still today it is not fully investigated if BaP can affect negatively the male fertility through the BaP‑DNA adducts production. In the present study, BaP Tetrol I‑1 (TI‑1) and BaP Tetrol II‑2 (TII‑2) BaP‑DNA adducts were investigated in spermatozoa of a Sicilian male population. Semen samples from 86 volu...

Human lung cells (ChaGo) derived from a bronchogenic carcinoma synthesize and secrete in the culture medium the alpha subunit of the glycoprotein hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin (alpha-hCG). The synthesis of alpha-hCG by ChaGo cells could be further stimulated by treatment with sublethal concentrations of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), or dimethylbenzan...

Plasma total versus bone alkaline phosphatase as markers of bone turnover in hemodialysis patients. Plasma bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (bAP) has been demonstrated to be more reliable than total alkaline phosphatases (tAP) in providing information about bone turnover in patients with metabolic bone diseases. This study surveyed 42 hemodialysis patients who underwent a systematic transilia...

Bap (biofilm-associated protein) is a 254-kDa staphylococcal surface protein implicated in formation of biofilms by staphylococci isolated from chronic mastitis infections. The presence of potential EF-hand motifs in the amino acid sequence of Bap prompted us to investigate the effect of calcium on the multicellular behavior of Bap-expressing staphylococci. We found that addition of millimolar ...

The cellular mechanisms that mediate spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) are largely unknown. We studied in vitro in CA1 pyramidal neurons the contribution of AMPA and N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) components of Schaffer collateral (SC) excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs; EPSP(AMPA) and EPSP(NMDA)) and of the back-propagating action potential (BAP) to the long-term potentiation (LTP) ...