Polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) are emerging environmental contaminants increasingly linked to male reproductive toxicity; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying testicular damage remain unclear. This study evaluated PS-NP-associated testicular damage in rats after 55 days of exposure and assessed the modulatory effects of Nelumbo nucifera leaf, flower, and rhizome extracts, with quercetin as a reference. PS-NP exposure reduced spermatogenic cell populations, testicular, epididymal weights, and sperm motility. These changes were accompanied by increased NOX4 and NF-κB expression, upregulation of intrinsic apoptosis-related genes (Tp53, Bax, Caspase-9, and Caspase-3), elevated caspase-3 and caspase-9 protein levels, and enhanced cleaved caspase-3 immunoreactivity. In contrast, Fas and Caspase-8 were downregulated, confirming intrinsic mitochondrial apoptosis. PS-NP exposure also altered reproductive hormone receptor expression (LHr, FSHr, and AR) and dysregulated chromatin-regulatory genes, with increased Dnmt1, Dnmt3a, and Ehmt2 (G9a) and decreased Hdac1 and Ep300. Co-administration of N. nucifera attenuated most of these alterations, with the rhizome extract exhibiting the most pronounced protective effect. GO and PPI network analyses suggested functional connectivity among stress-responsive, apoptotic, and chromatin-modifying proteins. Docking simulations indicated phytochemical-apoptosis-related protein interactions. PS-NPs may impair testicular homeostasis through coordinated stress, apoptosis, endocrine disturbance, and epigenetic dysregulation, with possible relevance to male reproductive health, while N. nucifera shows promise as a protective modulator.

Chilling has been recognized as a stress factor adversely impacting plant growth and productivity. Even a slight decrease in temperature may significantly reduce crop yield. Recently, biostimulants have emerged as a new tool for enhancing the chilling tolerance of cold-sensitive plants. The early stages of cucumber growth often occur under suboptimal temperatures, which motivated the aim of the current study to assess the effect of a protein hydrolysate (PH) on the physiological performance of young cucumber plants subjected to chilling stress. The results showed that low temperatures caused severe chilling stress by inducing changes in growth, photosynthesis, and nitrogen assimilation. These adverse effects were mitigated when the PH was supplied. The ameliorating effect could be due to a remedial influence on photosynthetic pigment content, facilitating light harvesting and energy utilization. The potential impact of the PH treatment on the redox balance was demonstrated by the activation of the G6PD gene. The possible effect of the biostimulant on nitrate assimilation was tested by measuring nitrate reductase activity, which improved after application of the biostimulant. Moreover, the activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) in PH-supplied plants was also increased, further confirming the enhanced protective capacity of the plants. All obtained results indicate the beneficial effect of PH application on cucumber plants and their chilling resilience.

Accumulating evidence suggests that exposure to pollution from environmental cadmium (Cd) contributes to diabetic kidney disease as indicated by albuminuria and a progressive decrease in the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). This study examined the effects of Cd exposure on eGFR and the excretion rates of albumin (Ealb) and β2-microglobulin (Eβ2M) in 65 diabetics and 72 controls. Excretion of Cd (ECd) was a measure of exposure, while excretion of N-acetylglucosaminidase (ENAG) reflected the extent of kidney tubular cell injury. In participants with an elevated excretion of Eβ2M, the prevalence odds ratios (POR) for a reduced eGFR rose 6.4-fold, whereas the POR for albuminuria rose 4.3-fold, 4.1-fold, and 2.8-fold in those with a reduced eGFR, diabetes, and hypertension, respectively. Using covariance analysis, which adjusted for the interactions, 43% of the variation in Ealb among diabetics could be explained by female gender (η2 = 0.176), ENAG (η2 = 0.162), hypertension (η2 = 0.146), smoking (η2 = 0.107), and body mass index (η2 = 0.097), while the direct contribution of ECd to Ealb variability was minimal (η2 = 0.005). Results from a mediating-effect analysis imply that Cd could contribute to albuminuria and a falling eGFR through inducing tubular cell injury, leading to reduced reabsorption of albumin and β2M.

Drought events intensified by climate change severely compromise the physiological stability and productivity of Coffea arabica, particularly in rainfed systems, underscoring the need to identify cultivars with greater functional resilience. This study evaluated the physiological, nutritional and biochemical responses of seedlings from ten cultivars subjected to adequate irrigation (AW), severe water deficit (SWD) and rehydration (RI). Water potential, gas exchange, oxidative stress markers, stomatal traits and foliar macro- and micronutrients were quantified. Most cultivars exhibited pronounced reductions in the pre-dawn leaf water potential (Ψpd), photosynthesis (A), stomatal conductance (gs) and transpiration (E), together with increases in oxidative stress indicators under SWD. In contrast, Obatá amarillo, Castillo, and Arará maintained greater hydraulic stability, more efficient stomatal regulation, higher water-use efficiency, and lower oxidative stress, accompanied by a more effective post-stress recovery after RI. Regarding nutrient dynamics, Geisha, Castillo, and Arará showed higher K+ accumulation, while Catimor bolo presented elevated Ca2+, P, and Fe2+ contents, elements associated with metabolic reactivation and structural recovery after stress. Geisha and Marsellesa displayed an adaptive, recovery-driven resilience strategy following drought stress. Overall, the findings identify Obatá amarillo, Castillo, and Arará as the most drought-tolerant cultivars, highlighting their potential relevance for breeding programs aimed at improving drought resilience in coffee.

The pokeweed (Phytolacca americana L.) plant is native to North America and contains bioactive compounds with medicinal potential, particularly phenolics and saponins. This study enhanced the production of secondary metabolites in pokeweed callus cultures using sodium chloride (NaCl) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) as elicitors under aseptic conditions. Pokeweed seeds were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium for 8 weeks. Fully expanded leaves from the second to third position from the shoot were excised and induced to form calli on MS medium supplemented with 2 mg/L 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) for 5 weeks. Fully developed calli were elicited with PEG6000 at concentrations of 0, 1.25, 2.5, and 5% (w/v) in combination with NaCl at concentrations of 0, 100, 200, and 300 mM for 15 days. Callus growth was recorded, followed by drying and extraction using methanol (MeOH) for biochemical analysis. Calli elicited with 2.5% PEG and 300 mM NaCl exhibited the highest total phenolic content (TPC) (21.063 µg GAE/mg DW) and total flavonoid content (TFC) (1.927 µg QUE/mg DW). The highest antioxidant activities determined by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), and ferric ion reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) assays were 0.998, 1.574, and 0.998 µg TE/mg DW, respectively. The elicitation of pokeweed calli with 300 mM NaCl yielded the highest amount of Esculentoside A (EsA) (15.753 µg/mg DW). All the elicitor treatments significantly enhanced metabolite accumulation compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The findings indicated that elicitation with PEG and NaCl effectively enhanced the production of secondary metabolites in P. americana callus cultures. This study offers a promising alternative approach for utilizing P. americana in pharmaceutical and medicinal applications.

Soil acidity severely constrains coffee production by reducing nutrient availability and promoting aluminum toxicity and oxidative stress. Foliar zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have been proposed as redox modulators that can improve nutrient homeostasis under abiotic stress. However, the safe and effective range of Coffea arabica L. remains unclear. In this study, seedlings were grown in acidic soil and sprayed twice with ZnO NPs at 10, 25, 50, and 100 mg L−1. Morphophysiological, biochemical, and ionomic parameters were evaluated fifty days after treatment. Moderate ZnO NPs doses led to intermediate stomatal conductance values, whereas net photosynthesis showed intermediate but non-significant responses only at 10–25 mg L−1, with higher doses (50–100 mg L−1) causing a marked decline. These doses did not significantly modify hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in leaves or roots. In contrast, the highest dose (100 mg L−1) induced a marked increase in H2O2 without affecting MDA, indicating a partial oxidative response rather than clear lipid peroxidation. Foliar analysis showed that 50 mg L−1 ZnO NPs significantly increased P compared with the optimal soil, while Ca and K remained statistically similar across treatments. Na in the optimal soil was comparable to the 10–25 mg L−1 ZnO NPs treatments, whereas Na at 50–100 mg L−1 ZnO NPs was significantly reduced and foliar Zn increased markedly with increasing nanoparticle dose. Proline accumulation reflected a dose-dependent osmotic adjustment, and chlorophyll ratios indicated adaptive photoprotection. Overall, foliar ZnO NPs mitigated acidity-induced stress through physiological and ionomic adjustment, with 10–25 mg L−1 identified as the physiologically safe range for C. arabica seedlings grown under acidic conditions.

Cancer remains a major global health burden driven by genetic, metabolic, and microenvironmental alterations. Although reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress have long been implicated in cancer biology, current understanding remains fragmented and, in several areas, conceptually disputed considering how ROS and oxidative stress thresholds determine the switch between tumor-promoting signaling and cytotoxic outcomes, and whether redox-based therapies can be safely and selectively applied across different cancer types. Moreover, existing studies often examine isolated pathways or single ROS, leaving unanswered the question of how spatial and temporal ROS dynamics and oxidative stress responses shape carcinogenesis, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. This review moves beyond descriptive summarization by critically examining unresolved mechanistic gaps, including (i) how ROS and oxidative stress interact with epigenetic and metabolic reprogramming, (ii) the context-dependent role of ROS-driven oxidative stress within the tumor microenvironment and immune evasion, and (iii) why ROS-targeting and oxidative stress-modulating therapies have shown inconsistent clinical translation despite promising preclinical data. We highlight areas of consensus as well as conflicting evidence, synthesizing recent advances across multiple cancer types to clarify where ROS and oxidative stress function as drivers, modulators, or vulnerabilities. Finally, we outline emerging research priorities, such as real-time redox profiling, subtype-specific targeting strategies, and combination approaches, to guide the development of more precise and effective ROS- and oxidative-stress-based interventions.

Herbicide treatment for agricultural crops may cause dramatic damage to production amount and quality. The aim of the present investigation was to compare different silicon formulations to assess their efficiency in maintaining faba bean plant growth with the herbicide spray Dicameron. Soil pollution due to Dicameron caused an intensive oxidant stress, decreasing bean pods, seed number and weight, antioxidant activity (AOA) and polyphenol content (TP), leaf chlorophyll, and carotene, sharply increasing proline level, and creating pod and leaf anomalies. All the Si formulations, i.e., ionic Si forms in the presence of microelements (Siliplant) or terpenes (BioSi), Si nanoparticles, and organic silicon adjuvant siloxane polyalkylene oxide (Atomic), significantly restored bean antioxidant status and leaf photosynthetic pigment accumulation, enhancing plant defense, as indicated by the proline level decrease. Only the ionic form of Si in the Siliplant formulation, containing essential microelements, facilitated the recovery of pod form and seed weight, while nano-Si was the most effective treatment for bean AOA restoration, and Atomic was the best in rebalancing chlorophyll and the worst in decreasing proline content. A strong beneficial effect of ionic Si in the presence of terpenes (BioSi) was recorded only on the yield of the control plants which did not undergo herbicide spraying. The results indicate a moderate beneficial effect of siloxane adjuvant on plant performance and antioxidant defense level and the highest positive impact on broad bean protection in response to the ionic Si (Siliplant formulation) supply also containing Cu, Zn, Mo, Mn, Fe, and B.

White leaf spot disease [Neopseudocercosporella capsellae (Ellis & Everhart) S.I.R.Videira & P.W.Crous] poses a significant threat to rapeseed production globally. The herbicides atrazine and glyphosate are widely applied to herbicide-tolerant major crops, including rapeseed. Herbicides can affect disease levels directly and indirectly by stressing host plants, influencing pathogens, and altering abiotic and biotic stress levels in the environment. The specific effects of herbicides on the dimorphic pathogen N. capsellae regarding hyphal growth, conidial germination rate, and the morphological transformation from multi-celled hyphae or conidia into numerous single-celled blastospores remain unknown. Hence, studies were performed on two agar media [malt extract agar (MEA) and water agar (WA)] to determine how atrazine and glyphosate, each applied at 1 g a.i. L−1 or the commercial recommended concentrations of 10 and 7.8 g a.i. L−1, respectively, affect these characteristics in four highly pathogenic isolates of N. capsellae. Across a 32-day assessment period, the hyphal growth of all four isolates subcultured individually on MEA or WA was significantly restricted by both concentrations of atrazine and glyphosate. For both atrazine and glyphosate, restriction of hyphal growth was much greater at the higher commercial recommended concentration. Glyphosate restricted hyphal growth more than atrazine for each comparative concentration. Using a mixture of all four isolates, a similar trend of suppression by atrazine or glyphosate occurred in relation to conidial germination and the morphological transformation from multi-celled hyphae or conidia into numerous single-celled blastospores. These new insights into how herbicides constrain hyphal growth, conidial germination, and morphological transformation suggest their potential as a control measure in herbicide-tolerant crops to limit the epidemic spread and development of not only N. capsellae in rapeseed but other dimorphic fungal pathogens as well.

Urban ecosystems are increasingly shaped by multiple environmental stressors, which may threaten both biodiversity and human well-being. We summarised the current knowledge on the ecological and social consequences of seven major urban pressures: air pollution, freshwater degradation, biological invasions, noise pollution, habitat fragmentation, soil pollution and climate crisis. Air and soil pollution, largely driven by traffic and industrial activities, compromises vegetation functions, reduces ecosystem services, and affects human health. Urban freshwater systems face contamination from stormwater runoff, wastewater, and microplastics, leading to biodiversity loss, altered ecosystem processes, and reduced water availability. Biological invasions, facilitated by human activities and habitat disturbances, reshape ecological communities, outcompete native species, and impose socio-economic costs, while management requires integrated monitoring and citizen engagement. Noise pollution disrupts animal communication, alters species distributions, and poses significant risks to human physical and mental health. Simultaneously, habitat fragmentation and loss reduce ecological connectivity, impair pollination and dispersal processes, and heighten extinction risks for both plants and animals. Collectively, these stressors interact synergistically, amplifying ecological degradation and exacerbating health and social inequalities in urban populations. The cumulative impacts highlight the need for systemic and adaptive approaches to urban planning that integrate biodiversity conservation, public health, and social equity. Nature-based solutions, ecological restoration, technological innovation, and participatory governance emerge as promising strategies to enhance urban resilience. Furthermore, fostering citizen science initiatives can strengthen monitoring capacity and create community ownership of sustainable urban environments. Addressing the combined pressures of urban environmental stressors is thus pivotal for building cities that are ecologically robust, socially inclusive, and capable of coping with the challenges of the climate crisis and global urbanization.