Organic arsenicals were the first antimicrobial agents specifically synthesized for the treatment of infectious diseases such as syphilis and sleeping sickness. For the treatment of diseases caused by trypanosomatid parasites, organic derivatives of arsenic and the related metalloid antimony are still the drugs of choice. Arsenic trioxide, As203, has been used for a long time in traditional Chi...

In several biotechnological applications of living bacterial cells with inducible gene expression systems, the extent of overexpression and the specificity to the inducer are key elements. In the present study, we established the concentration ranges of Zn(2+), Ni(2+), Co(2+), AsO(2)(-), and Cd(2+) ions that caused significant activation of the respective promoters of Synechocystis sp. without ...

Phytochelatins (PCs) are metal-binding cysteine-rich peptides, enzymatically synthesized in plants and yeasts from glutathione in response to heavy metal stress by PC synthase (EC 2.3.2.15). In an attempt to increase the ability of bacterial cells to accumulate heavy metals, the Arabidopsis thaliana gene encoding PC synthase (AtPCS) was expressed in Escherichia coli. A marked accumulation of PC...

the six elements commonly known as metalloids are boron, silicon, germanium, arsenic, antimony, and tellurium. metalloid containing compounds have been used as antiprotozoal drugs. boron-based drugs, the benzoxaboroles have been exploited as potential treatments for neglected tropical diseases. arsenic has been used as a medicinal agent and arsphenamine was the main drug used to treat syphilis....

Forty-nine surface sediment samples from the Minho estuary sector between Tui and Caminha were analyzed for grain-size contents, Al, As, Cr, Cu, Hg, Li, Pb, Sn, and Zn concentrations. Selected heavy metal (Cu, Cr, Hg, and Zn) and metalloid (As and Sn) distributions were normalized against Al and Li with the main goal of compensating for natural grain-size variability and to separate natural fro...

Deep-ocean hydrothermal-vent environments are rich in heavy metals and metalloids and present excellent sites for the isolation of metal-resistant microorganisms. Both metalloid-oxide-resistant and metalloid-oxide-reducing bacteria were found. Tellurite- and selenite-reducing strains were isolated in high numbers from ocean water near hydrothermal vents, bacterial films, and sulfide-rich rocks....

Arsenic (As), a metalloid and unnecessary element, is highly toxic to living organisms. It can be accumulated in the environment and enter the food chains through uptake by plants. The present study was designed to assess the response of antioxidant defense system of alfalfa to As (As0, As3+ and As5+) induced oxidative stress at four rates (0, 100, 200, and 300 µM) as a completely randomized de...

The draft genome sequences of two copper-resistant Escherichia coli strains were determined. These had been isolated from copper-fed pigs and contained additional putative operons conferring copper and other metal and metalloid resistances.

The Leishmania major aquaglyceroporin, LmAQP1, is responsible for the transport of antimonite [Sb(III)], an activated form of Pentostam or Glucantime. Downregulation of LmAQP1 provides resistance to trivalent antimony compounds and increased expression of LmAQP1 in drug-resistant parasites can reverse the resistance. Besides metalloid transport, LmAQP1 is also permeable to water, glycerol, meth...

During climate change, various unparalleled perils to agricultural systems have been observed worldwide. The detrimental impacts of heavy metal toxicity (HMs) lead a considerable decrease in crop productivity and yield, thereby putting the system at risk exerting significant impact on food production. This has sparked worry regarding achievement sustainable development goals (SDGs) pertaining e...