Eucalyptus bleached kraft pulp production, an important sector of the Brazilian national economy, is responsible for generating large volume, high pollutant load effluents, containing a considerable fraction of recalcitrant organic matter. The objectives of this study were to quantify the biological activity of the effluent from a eucalyptus bleached kraft pulp mill, characterize the nature of ...

Objective(s): Pioglitazone (Actos) is one of the most controversial recent oral antidiabetic drugs. It was originally authorized in the European Union in 2000, and approved as an oral monotherapy for overweight second type of diabetic patients in 2002. It belongs to the thiazolidinedione group which some of its members have been withdrawn from the market due to the hepatotoxicity or cardiotoxic...

Pesticides, such as parathion, are metabolized by cytochrome p-450 system to paraoxon, which is a potent cholinesterase inhibitor. Paraoxonase (PON) catalyzes the hydrolysis of these toxic metabolites and protects against pesticide toxicity. A glutamine/arginine (Gln/Arg) polymorphism at amino acid position 192 of PON has been described. The Arg/Arg genotype is associated with higher serum para...

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) has been considered as a medicinal plant since ancient times and also widely used as food additive for its color, taste and odor. The pharmacological properties of saffron and its main constituents, crocin and safranal have been evaluated using different in vivo and in vitro models. Additionally, other lines of studies have found toxicological effects of saffron.  Ho...

An entire cycle of preclinical studies 4-[(3-ethoxy-3-oxopropanoyl)amino]benzoic acid (etmaben) exhibiting cardiotropic action was carried out. Its potential mechanism and pharmacological effects, general toxic effects in acute chronic experiments, specific types toxicity (allergenicity, immunotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, mutagenicity), pharmacokinetics were studied. The drug found to have ...

Bisphenol A (BPA) occurs widely in natural waters with both traditional and reproductive toxicity to various aquatic species. The water quality criteria (WQC), however, have not been established in China, which hinders the ecological risk assessment for the pollutant. This study therefore aims to derive the water quality criteria for BPA based on both acute and chronic toxicity endpoints and to...

The majority of patients affected with nitrofurantoin pulmonary toxicity are elderly women [1]. The proposed mechanism of toxicity is either idiosyncratic oxydant-mediated tissue injury by nitrofurantoin metabolites causing depletion of cellular glutathione (chronic form) or by immunological response induced by nitrofurantoin metabolites acting as heptanes and resulting a hypersensitivity react...