Chitosan-graft-polyethylenimine (CHI-g-PEI) copolymer has been used for theimprovement of low transfection efficiency of chitosan. The present study aims to test thepulmonary toxicity and efficiency of CHI-g-PEI as an aerosol gene carrier. Mice were exposedto aerosol containing green-fluorescent protein (GFP)-polyethylenimine (PEI) or GFP-CHIg-PEI complexes for 30 min during the development of ...

Background: The presence of pesticides is very prevalent in surface waters of Iran. These toxic substances may accumulate in the food chain and cause serious ecological and health problems. The aim of this study was to determine the acute toxicity of glyphosate, deltamethrin and pretilachlor as potential dangerous organic pesticides to assess lethal effects of these chemicals agents to the Gu...

Background: The presence of pesticides is very prevalent in surface waters of Iran due to their huge consumption for agricultural purpose. These toxic substances may accumulate in the food chain and cause serious ecological and health problems. Chemical pesticides with persistent molecules (long half-life periods) pose a threat to aquatic life forms and the human population consuming the affe...

The ecological risk assessment and the development of water-quality criteria for Co are currently still hampered by insufficient knowledge about the toxicity of Co to freshwater organisms. A relevant group of organisms, for which no toxicity data with Co are available, is the class of the herbivorous pulmonate freshwater snails, which fulfil a pivotal role in the consumption and decomposition o...

A closed-system algal toxicity test with no headspace was applied to evaluate the toxicity of chlorophenols to Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata. The dissolved oxygen production and the growth rate based on cell density were the response endpoints. Phenol and seven chlorophenols were tested using the above test technique. Median effective concentrations (EC50) range from 0.004 to 25.93 mg/l (base...

Sperm cell and embryo toxicity tests using the Mediterranean sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus Lmk were performed to assess the toxicity of As3+, Cd2+, Cr3+, Ni2+, Pb2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, and Hg2+. The aim of this study was to improve information about the comparative sensitivity of sea urchin bioassays to the heavy metals, which are an important cause of contamination in the ecosystem of the Lagoon o...

Benthic amphipod, Grandidierella japonica widely inhabits the Korean coastal waters and is developed as a standard test species for sediment toxicity tests. We exposed G. japonica to various pollutants including 4 kinds of inorganic metals (Ag, Cd, Cu and Hg), tributyltin [TBT], ammonia and 7 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds (acenaphthene, chrysene, fluoranthene, fluorene, naphth...

background: the presence of pesticides is very prevalent in surface waters of iran. these toxic substances may accumulate in the food chain and cause serious ecological and health problems. the aim of this study was to determine the acute toxicity of glyphosate, deltamethrin and pretilachlor as potential dangerous organic pesticides to assess lethal effects of these chemicals agents to the gupp...