Free Amino Acid Pool Research Articles

Amino acid fund of blood serum of European migrating species of Chiroptera: <i>Vespertilio murinus</i> (Linnaeus, 1758) and <i>Pipistrellus nathusii</i> (Keyserling et blasius, 1839) of the Ural fauna

The amino acid pool of free amino acids in the blood serum of two European migratory bat species: V. murinus and P. nathusii living in the Urals was studied. Statistically significant differences were noted in the formation of the main metabolic groups of free amino acids in yearlings of migratory species: GGAA, NEAA, EAA, SAA (p 0.05). In yearlings of the P. nathusii: GGAA predominates – 79.7% and EAA – 49.4%, and in the yearlings of the V. murinus: GGAA predominates – 74.9% and NEAA – 58.4%. Comparative analysis showed no differences between V. murinus and P. nathusii in the percentage of AAA and BCAA (p 0.05). Statistically significant differences were noted in the formation of metabolic groups of amino acids in the blood of yearlings of migratory species of bats and the resident species of pond bat (p 0.05).

Free amino acid pool in the rat skin and the skin morphological structure in acute allergic contact dermatitis

The concentration of free amino acids in the skin of rats in experimental acute allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) was studied. Free AAs were determined by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Acute ACD was simulated using 2.4-dinitrochlorobenzene. The levels of asparagic and glutamic acids, valine, leucine, phenylalanine, lysine, and taurine increased and methionine, tyrosine, tryptophan, α-aminobutyric acid and anserine decreased in the rat skin during acute ACD development. An imbalance of amino acid metabolism was expressed in an increase in the ratio of aromatic amino acids/branched-chain amino acids by a decrease in the sum of aromatic amino acids. An increase in the Phe/Tyr ratio may indicate a decrease in the activity of the hydroxylase pathway of phenylalanine metabolism in the rat skin. Only in the skin of rats with acute ACD, the levels of valine, isoleucine and lysine were negatively correlated with the level of blood TNF-1α, which confirms their anti-inflammatory effect.Histological examination revealed an inflammatory reaction expressed by lymphocytic infiltration of various skin layers (ectoderm, subepidermal layer). Perivascular proliferation of fibroblasts and formation of subepidermal fibrosis were observed in subepithelial sections. The upper layer of the thorny layer was necrotic, the granular layer with necrosis and pronounced karyopiknosis of nuclei was observed. The epidermis thickness increased, infiltration of lymphocytes and segmented neutrophils into epidermis was noted up to the cells of the thorny layer (exocytosis).The data obtained indicate a significant metabolic imbalance of amino acids in the skin of rats in acute ACD, manifested by depletion of the amino acid pool of aromatic and sulfur-containing amino acids, impaired metabolism of phenylalanine, as well as increased levels of immunogenic amino acids that play a functional role in the regulation of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant system and proliferative activity of immune system cells on the background of a significant inflammatory process.

Species-specific metabolome changes during salinity downshift in sub-Arctic populations of Mytilus edulis and M. trossulus

The blue mussels Mytilus edulis and Mytilus trossulus are ecologically and economically important species distributed widely across the Northern Hemisphere. Understanding their behavioral and physiological disparities is crucial for assessing their ecological success and aquacultural value. The recent finding of non-native M. trossulus in the White Sea raises concerns regarding its potential competition with native M. edulis and its prospective spread in light of climate change and surface water freshening. We investigated the responses of M. edulis and M. trossulus to salinity variations by examining shell closure thresholds and tissue levels of 35 metabolic intermediates in mussels acclimated to different salinities (25, 16, and 10). The salinity threshold for valve closure was similar in both studied species, but M. trossulus consistently opened at lower salinities (by 0.2–0.7 practical salinity units) compared to M. edulis. Salinity-induced changes in metabolite levels were similar between the two species. Taurine emerged as the dominant osmolyte, comprising over 50% of the total free amino acid pool, with aspartate and glycine contributing 15–30%. Concentrations of taurine, glycine, and total free amino acids declined with decreasing salinity. Taurine to glycine ratios were higher in M. edulis and increased in both species with declining salinity. Acclimation salinity significantly influenced urea cycle intermediates and methionine sulfoxide content, a cellular biomarker of amino acid oxidation. Species-specific differences were observed in purine metabolism, with higher levels of GMP and AMP found in M. edulis. Likewise, aromatic amino acids and histidine levels were higher in M. edulis compared to M. trossulus. However, no evidence suggests superior adaptation of M. trossulus metabolism to hypoosmotic stress compared to M. edulis. Further research is necessary to elucidate the functional implications of subtle metabolic differences between these Mytilus congeners and their ecological consequences in changing marine environments.

Blood Serum Amino Acid Pool of European Migratory Chiroptera Vespertilio murinus Linnaeus, 1758 and Pipistrellus nathusii Keyserling et Blasius, 1839 of the Ural Fauna.

The pool of free amino acids (AAs) in the blood serum was studied in two European migratory bat species, Vespertilio murinus and Pipistrellus nathusii, of the Urals. Bats from this year's bloods were examined, and significant differences were observed in main metabolic groups of free AAs, including glycogenic (GGAAs), nonessential (NEAAs), essential (EAAs), and sulfur-containing (SCAAs) AAs (p < 0.05). Based on the percent content of the metabolic groups in the total AA pool, GGAAs (79.7%) and EAAs (49.4%) were found to predominate in P. nathusii, and GGAAs (74.9%) and NEAAs (58.4%), in V. murinus. No difference in AAA and BCAA contents was observed between V. murinus and P. nathusii (p > 0.05). The migratory species were shown to significantly differ in the metabolic groups of serum AAs from the resident species Myotis dasycneme (p < 0.05).

Halophytes and heavy metals: A multi-omics approach to understand the role of gene and genome duplication in the abiotic stress tolerance of Cakile maritima.

The origin of diversity is a fundamental biological question. Gene duplications are one mechanism that provides raw material for the emergence of novel traits, but evolutionary outcomes depend on which genes are retained and how they become functionalized. Yet, following different duplication types (polyploidy and tandem duplication), the events driving gene retention and functionalization remain poorly understood. Here we used Cakile maritima, a species that is tolerant to salt and heavy metals and shares an ancient whole-genome triplication with closely related salt-sensitive mustard crops (Brassica), as a model to explore the evolution of abiotic stress tolerance following polyploidy. Using a combination of ionomics, free amino acid profiling, and comparative genomics, we characterize aspects of salt stress response in C. maritima and identify retained duplicate genes that have likely enabled adaptation to salt and mild levels of cadmium. Cakile maritima is tolerant to both cadmium and salt treatments through uptake of cadmium in the roots. Proline constitutes greater than 30% of the free amino acid pool in C. maritima and likely contributes to abiotic stress tolerance. We find duplicated gene families are enriched in metabolic and transport processes and identify key transport genes that may be involved in C. maritima abiotic stress tolerance. These findings identify pathways and genes that could be used to enhance plant resilience and provide a putative understanding of the roles of duplication types and retention on the evolution of abiotic stress response.

Characteristics of structural changes in the intestine, microbiocenosis and amino acid pool after administration of ertapenem

Аim of the study. To analyze the effect of Ertapenem on the pool of free amino acids, microbiota and intestinal structure. Materials and methods. The study was carried out on 5 animals from the control group and 6 animals from the experimental group. Animals in the control group were intraperitoneally injected with a 0.9% NaCl solution for 10 days; Animals in the experimental group were intraperitoneally administered Invanz (ertapenem) at a dose of 60 mg/kg for 10 days. Immediately after decapitation, the abdominal cavity of the rat was opened, a section of the small intestine was collected, and the samples were fixed in Carnoy's fluid. Determination of free amino acids in plasma and microbial-tissue complex of blood was carried out by reverse-phase HPLC with o-phthalaldehyde and 3-mercaptopropionic acid with isocratic elution and fluorescence detection. Results and discussions. Morphometric analysis of the intestines in the ertapenem group showed a slight decrease in mucosal thickness and crypt depth. In half of the animals, in the apical regions of some villi, a pronounced expansion of blood capillaries with stasis of erythrocytes was observed, in places accompanied by the marginal standing of lymphoid cells. The microbiocenosis was characterized by an increase in the number of aerobes and spore-forming anaerobes, and the absence of lactose-positive bacteria of the Escherichia coli group. The study of the amino acid fund and the spectrum of individual amino acids in the microbial-tissue complex of the small intestine showed a significantly significant increase in aspartate, glycine, as well as a decrease in hypotaurine. Conclusion. The effect of ertapenem led to local mild inflammatory changes in the villous stroma, a moderate decrease in the formation and extrusion of mucus by goblet cells of the villi and crypts. Amino acid changes that occur after the action of ertapenem may be due to both the intestines and changes in the microbiota.

Нарушения метаболизма аминокислот крови и мочи у детей с диспластическими деформациями позвоночника и грудной клетки

The purpose — to study the content of amino acids in the blood and urine of children with undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia, having spine and chest deformities. Material and methods. 81 children with undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia aged 7–17 years were examined. The main group consisted of 49 children with spinal and thoracic deformities; the comparison group consisted of 32 children without spinal and thoracic deformities. The state of the free amino acid pool was assessed by thin-layer chromatography. The blood content and daily urinary excretion of 22 free amino acids and their derivatives were determined. Results. We found that in children with undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia, changes in the content of proline in the blood were most common in 73 (90.1%) and hydroxyproline in 63 (77.8%) patients. In patients with spinal and thoracic deformities, the content of all 22 amino acids in the blood was changed; among children without spinal and thoracic deformities, the concentration of 11 amino acids was changed. Changes in the content of amino acids in the urine of children with undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia were detected more often than changes in their content in the blood. At the same time, there were changes in the content of all amino acids in urine among patients. Most often, in children with undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia, changes in the content of proline were recorded in urine in 73 (90.1%) and hydroxyproline in 65 (80.3%) patients. Less frequently, there was a change in the content of lysine — in 49 (49.4%), ornithine — in 32 (39.5%), phenylalanine — in 29 (35.8%). In children with deformities of the spine and chest, the altered content of amino acids in urine was more common than in patients without deformities. Conclusions. The revealed changes in the content of amino acids in the blood and urine of children with undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia reflected a violation of their metabolism in the structural components of connective tissue, which led to a violation of its structure and functions. The formation of deformities of the spine and chest can be considered as a clinical manifestation of deep biochemical disorders of connective tissue metabolism in children with undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia.

Analysis of the Free Amino Acid Profile of Barley Grain from Organic Fertilisation with Ash from Biomass Combustion.

Fertilisation with ash from biomass combustion has a positive effect on the quality of nutrients in agrifood raw materials, improving their chemical composition and bioavailability. In the experiments carried out, the protein content and the profile of free amino acids in barley flour were examined from cultivation fertilised with biomass ash at various doses. Barley flour from Haplic Luvisol soil was characterised by a significantly higher (by 13.8% on average) total protein content compared to flour obtained from grains from Gleyic Chernozem soil. The highest protein content but a low content of free amino acids were found in the grains of plants fertilised with the mineral NPK (D1). An increase in the total pool of free amino acids in flour was observed, especially in the case of Haplic Luvisol soil. On average, after fertilising, significantly more ASP, ASN, GLU, GLY, ALA, and CYS were obtained in variant D4 (1.5 t·ha-1), and there were also significantly more TAU and GABA than in the control, up by 30.2% and 23%, respectively. A beneficial effect of fertilisation on the essential amino acid content in barley flour was found, but only up to the dose of D4, when it was significantly higher than in the control and under mineral fertilising (D1), up by 23.7% and 9.2%, respectively. High ash doses reduced the content of free amino acids in the tested barley flour. This study confirmed that using an alternative method of fertilising with plant biomass ash has a beneficial effect on protein quality and nutritional value.

Effect of antibacterial drugs of the carbapenem group on the composition of the parietal microflora of the large intestine and the pool of free amino acids in the blood plasma of intact rats

Effect of antibacterial drugs of the carbapenem group on the composition of the parietal microflora of the large intestine and the pool of free amino acids in the blood plasma of intact rats

Characterizing the formation of process contaminants during coffee roasting by multivariate statistical analysis.

Coffee is a relevant source of dietary exposure for neoformed furan, alkyl furans and acrylamide. In this study, different statistical methods (hierarchical cluster analysis, correlation analysis, partial least squares regression analysis) were used for characterizing the formation of these process contaminants in green coffee beans roasted under the same standardized conditions. The results displayed a strong correlation between sucrose levels and furans in relation to the other sugars analyzed, while acrylamide formation was strongly related to the free asparagine. The data suggest that a sufficiently large amino acid pool in green coffee favors Maillard-induced acrylamide formation from asparagine, while reactions amongst the carbonyl-containing sugar fragmentation products leading to furan formation are suppressed. If the pool of free amino acids is small, it is depleted faster during roasting, thus favoring the formation of furans by caramelization, basically a sugar degradation process in which reactive carbonyl substances are generated and react together.

ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INDICATORS OF OXIDATIVE STRESS AND THE AMINO ACID PROFILE OF BLOOD PLASMA IN PSORIASIS

Introduction. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that affects the skin, has a number of systemic manifestations and is associated with the devel-opment of a number of somatic pathologies. Significant systemic metabolic features of psoriasis are changes in the pool of free amino acids and oxi-dative stress. The purpose of the study: analysis of markers of lipid peroxidation and oxidative modification of plasma proteins and peripheral mononuclear cells, the amino acid spectrum of blood plasma, in relation to each other and clinical signs of severity and duration of psoriasis, body mass index and blood pressure indicators. Material and methods. The study group included 45 patients with psoriasis vulgaris. The control group included 46 donors. Determination of the lev-els of products of lipid peroxidation and oxidative modification of proteins was carried out by spectrophotometric methods. Blood plasma amino acid levels were determined by capillary electrophoresis. Results. In patients with psoriasis, an increase in the concentrations of primary and secondary products of lipid peroxidation and the level of metal-catalyzed oxidative modification of proteins in blood plasma, a decrease in the concentrations of end products of lipid peroxidation in peripheral mono-nuclear cells were revealed. In the amino acid profile of the blood plasma of patients with psoriasis, an increase in the relative concentration of sulfur-containing amino acids, concentrations of phenylalanine, leucine, cysteine, and a decrease in the relative concentration of oxyaminoacids were re-vealed. Relationships between the levels of amino acids and markers of oxidative stress with the duration of the course of the disease or exacerbation, as well as the severity of psoriatic lesions of the skin, were not revealed. Cysteine levels in patients with psoriasis are positively correlated with body mass index and diastolic blood pressure; the relative content of oxyaminoacids in blood plasma negatively correlates with body mass index. Conclusions. Changes in the amino acid profile of blood plasma in psoriasis occur in parallel with oxidative stress and skin inflammation, but are as-sociated with excess body weight for cysteine and oxyaminoacids, which allows us to consider the levels of cysteine and oxyaminoacids as promising prognostic and diagnostic markers of comorbid pathology associated with psoriasis.

Whole Body Substrate Metabolism during Different Exercise Intensities with Special Emphasis on Blood Protein Changes in Trained Subjects-A Pilot Study.

Contrary to carbohydrate and fat metabolism, the influence of a single exercise dose on protein metabolism has not been adequately explored yet. We assessed the effects of different exercise intensities and durations on blood protein changes and their association with carbohydrate (CHO) and fat metabolism in six eligible trained subjects. Subjects performed maximal incremental (IE100: at 100%VO2max) and submaximal continuous exercise (CE) at 75%VO2max for 30 min (CE75) and at 50%VO2max for 90 min (CE50). Blood samples were collected at rest (R), end of exercise (EE), and 1 h after recovery to assess blood urea nitrogen (BUN), plasma amino acids (AA), glucose, lactate, FFA, and glycerol. In IE100 blood lactate, CHO-oxidation (g/min), energy expenditure (kcal/min), and RER were significantly increased during rest (p < 0.05). CE50 induced significantly higher BUN, FFA, glycerol, and fat oxidation (g/min) (p < 0.05). At recovery, the mean sum of the free AA pool (µmol/L) reduced by 8% (p < 0.03) during CE50. Values for CE75 were between IE100 and CE50. Beside lipolysis, also proteolysis (BUN) was an important source of fuel for low-to-moderate intensity CE50. An increased uptake of AA from the plasma bed during CE50 suggests the importance for oxidation and synthesis of other metabolic sources such as gluconeogenesis necessary for recovery. Therefore, one needs to be cautious of protein diet following prolonged cycle exercise training.

Asparagine Uptake: a Cellular Strategy of Methylocystis to Combat Severe Salt Stress.

Methylocystis spp. are known to have a low salt tolerance (≤1.0% NaCl). Therefore, we tested various amino acids and other well-known osmolytes for their potential to act as an osmoprotectant under otherwise growth-inhibiting NaCl conditions. Adjustment of the medium to 10 mM asparagine had the greatest osmoprotective effect under severe salinity (1.50% NaCl), leading to partial growth recovery of strain SC2. The intracellular concentration of asparagine increased to 264 ± 57 mM, with a certain portion hydrolyzed to aspartate (4.20 ± 1.41 mM). In addition to general and oxidative stress responses, the uptake of asparagine specifically induced major proteome rearrangements related to the KEGG level 3 categories of "methane metabolism," "pyruvate metabolism," "amino acid turnover," and "cell division." In particular, various proteins involved in cell division (e.g., ChpT, CtrA, PleC, FtsA, FtsH1) and peptidoglycan synthesis showed a positive expression response. Asparagine-derived 13C-carbon was incorporated into nearly all amino acids. Both the exometabolome and the 13C-labeling pattern suggest that in addition to aspartate, the amino acids glutamate, glycine, serine, and alanine, but also pyruvate and malate, were most crucially involved in the osmoprotective effect of asparagine, with glutamate being a major hub between the central carbon and amino acid pathways. In summary, asparagine induced significant proteome rearrangements, leading to major changes in central metabolic pathway activity and the sizes of free amino acid pools. In consequence, asparagine acted, in part, as a carbon source for the growth recovery of strain SC2 under severe salinity. IMPORTANCE Methylocystis spp. play a major role in reducing methane emissions into the atmosphere from methanogenic wetlands. In addition, they contribute to atmospheric methane oxidation in upland soils. Although these bacteria are typical soil inhabitants, Methylocystis spp. are thought to have limited capacity to acclimate to salt stress. This called for a thorough study into potential osmoprotectants, which revealed asparagine as the most promising candidate. Intriguingly, asparagine was taken up quantitatively and acted, at least in part, as an intracellular carbon source under severe salt stress. The effect of asparagine as an osmoprotectant for Methylocystis spp. is an unexpected finding. It may provide Methylocystis spp. with an ecological advantage in wetlands, where these methanotrophs colonize the roots of submerged vascular plants. Collectively, our study offers a new avenue into research on compounds that may increase the resilience of Methylocystis spp. to environmental change.

Variations in the concentration of free amino acids during the early development of the Pacific red snapper Lutjanus peru

The free amino acids (FAAs) profile and its variations during the embryonic development and yolk-sac larvae of Pacific red snapper Lutjanus peru are described. The concentration of 15 FAAs (nine essentials and six non-essentials) was evaluated by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The fertilized eggs of L. peru contain a small concentration of FAAs (4.77 ± 0.89 nmol ind-1). However, the variations in the FAAs pool during the early development are similar to the changes reported in other species with small pelagic eggs. The essential free amino acids are more abundant than the non-essential free amino acids throughout the studied period. During the egg stage, an increase in the FAAs was observed, and after hatching, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, and alanine were the FAAs that decreased the most during the yolk-sac larvae stage. The hatching rate was correlated with the total FAAs, the fraction of essential free amino acids, and the concentrations of glutamic acid, threonine, and valine in the egg stage, suggesting a possible role as a determinant in egg quality. Further studies are required to assess the role of FAAs in other aspects of egg development, like fertilization rate and egg buoyancy.

Possibilities of Plant Preparations Use for Collagen Structure and Metabolism Disturbances Correction: Modern State of Problem

The review summarizes information on possibilities of plant preparations use for collagen structure and metabolism disturbances correction. Biologically active compounds of plant origin can both stimulate and inhibit the biosynthesis of various types collagens, accelerate or slower down their catabolism, regulate the activity of enzymes involved in the collagen's metabolism. Most of the studied compounds realize their effects simultaneously by several mechanisms. Among them, the most common are the direct influence of the substance on the processes of collagen genes expression and indirect influence via TGF-beta1- pathway. In addition, a fairly common are effects on collagen synthesis by changing organism's pools of free amino acids (as the starting compounds for this protein synthesis) and by regulation of hydroxylases (performing collagen post-translational modifications and crosslinking). Besides TGF-beta1 others cytokines can also be involved in the processes of collagen metabolism regulation by compounds of plant origin. In particular, this is characteristic of triterpenes and phytoestrogens. Such a variety of methods for collagens metabolism regulation creates a wide range of possibilities for developing new preparations based on extracts or pure plant compounds able to correct connective tissue collagen structure and metabolic disorders with minimal adverse effects. Fundamentally different possibilities for the influence of plant organisms on collagens are opened with the use of genetically modified plants. Recombinant collagens allow to obtain proteins with new programmed features, making it possible to synthesize proteins with predetermined properties for medical use.

Infrared spectroscopy and biochemical parameters of rat tissues under heavy metal poisoning conditions

The increasing level of anthropogenic environmental pollution and effective means to reduce the negative impact of xenobiotics on animal and human health is an urgent problem today. Considering this, the purpose of the study is to examine the effect of heavy metals on accumulation processes under poisoning conditions, and biochemical parameters in the body of rats. Analogue groups were formed of rats of the same age, gender, and body weight to conduct the study. Rats were poisoned with solutions of copper sulfate, zinc sulfate, cadmium sulfate, and lead nitrate for 14 days. Using the method of infrared spectroscopy, substantial differences in the spatial structure of protein components in intact and poisoned animals were established. The difference between the spectral characteristics of the examined tissues is clearly demonstrated by the statistical indicators of skewness and kurtosis. It was determined that poisoning of rats with copper, zinc, cadmium, and lead ions affects the course of glycolysis reactions and the tricarboxylic acid cycle, which leads to a likely increase in serum concentrations of lactate and pyruvate, oxaloacetate and α-ketoglutarate and a decrease in Malate content compared to intact rats. It was established that under the conditions of poisoning, there is also a substantial increase (P &lt; 0.05) in the content of the examined heavy metals in the blood, liver, and kidneys. In animals poisoned with heavy metals, a decrease in the pool of free amino acids in the kidneys is observed. In particular, the content of aspartic acid, valine, glycine, tyrosine, and cystine (more than 1.5 times) in the kidneys of such rats decreases; alanine, leucine, serine, taurine, threonine, phenylalanine (more than 2.0 times), lysine – 3.4-4.9 times. Therewith, an increase in the level of isoleucine and methionine by 1.3-1.5 times, ornithine – by 1.8-2.1 times, and glutamic acid – by 4.4-5.3 times in rats of the experimental group compared to intact ones was identified. The results of the study can be helpful in the professional activities of doctors of veterinary medicine, toxicologists, biologists, and environmentalists and used to control the quality of livestock products, conduct toxicological studies, and analyse environmental objects

Can hyper/hypo-osmoregulating fiddler crabs from the Atlantic coast of South America mobilize intracellular free amino acids as osmotic effectors during salinity challenge?

Weakly osmoregulating crustaceans use intracellular free amino acids (FAA) to attenuate cell volume changes consequent to alterations in hemolymph osmolality. Whether semiterrestrial, strong hyper/hypo-osmoregulators exhibit this ability is unknown. We investigate FAA mobilization in muscle tissue of 10 fiddler crabs from the genera Minuca, Leptuca, and Uca distributed along the Atlantic coast of South America. Crabs were subjected to severe hypo- or hyper-osmotic challenge at their lower or upper critical salinity limits for 5 days; reference crabs were held in isosmotic media. Hemolymph osmolality was measured, chela muscle FAA were identified and quantified, and percent contribution to intracellular osmolality (%FAA) was calculated. At isosmoticity, total FAA were nominally twofold higher in Minuca species (≈116 mmol/kg wet mass) compared to Uca (≈60 mmol/kg wet mass). Glycine, alanine, arginine, and taurine constituted >80% of the total FAA pool. On hyperosmotic challenge, hemolymph osmolalities ranged from 843 to 1282 mOsm/kg H2 O. FAA increased, although %FAA remained unaltered. Hypo-osmoregulating crabs thus can mobilize FAA, likely owing to a lesser ability to secrete salt near their upper critical limits. On hypo-osmotic challenge, osmolalities were regulated more tightly, between 475 and 736 mOsm/kg H2 O. Total FAA and %FAA showed little change, probably due to the crabs' strong hyper-osmotic extracellular regulatory ability, FAA consequently playing a diminished role in isosmotic intracellular regulation (IIR). Total FAA responses to hyper/hypo-osmotic challenge are thus asymmetrical. The lack of phylogenetic signal in FAA mobilization suggests that closely related fiddler crabs do not share similar strategies of IIR.

Peculiarities of the distribution of assimilates in the organs of Schisandra chinensis plants under different soil and climatic conditions

Peculiarities of accumulation of nutrients in the leaves of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. and rhizosphere soil under the conditions of its continuous monoculture have been studied. Comparative analysis of the distribution of nutrients in the leaves of plants under different soil and climatic conditions revealed significant differences. It was found that plants grown on podzolic chernozem of Kolomyia State Forest Fund (Otyniia, Ukraine) were characterized by more intensive absorption of such nutrients as Ca, Si, P, Cu, Zn and Mg. The content of P, K, S, Mn was much higher in the foliar tissues of S. chinensis plants cultivated on the territory of the M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden (Kyiv, Ukraine) in the conditions of dark grey forest soil. The high ability of plants to accumulate and release Mg into the rhizosphere soil was revealed, which is fully consistent with the selective ability of plants to release mineral elements into the soil environment in accordance with their ecomorphotypes. At the same time, the amount of Ca in the rhizosphere soil decreased significantly at the end of the vegetative period, which could be explained, on the one hand, by the intensive influx of Ca into plant tissues and, on the other hand, by participation in chemical balancing processes to reduce manganese and nitrogen mobility in the soil. Barrier-free accumulation of Fe, Ca, Mg, Al elements in S. chinensis leaves was revealed, which should be taken into account when developing plant cultivation technology. The studies of allelopathy activity of vegetative and generative organs of plants and rhizosphere soil have shown that phenolic substances accumulate in small amounts in the soil under S. chinensis, which is a prerequisite for successful cultivation of this fruit vine in the Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine under conditions of continuous long-term cultivation. The largest amount of phenolic substances was in the upper soil horizons, which gradually decreased with depth, which is consistent with the course of redox processes for the studied soil profiles. The pool of free amino acids of S. chinensis plants growing in different soil and climatic conditions was analyzed, the concentration of amino acids in the leaves was the most indicative. Evaluation of the quantitative and qualitative distribution of free amino acids in plant tissues serves as a diagnostic sign of plant sensitivity to soil and climatic conditions.

Metabolomics-based assessment of nanoparticles (nZnO) toxicity in an infaunal marine annelid, the lugworm Arenicola marina (Annelida: Sedentaria)

Nanopollutants such as nZnO gain importance as contaminants of emerging concern due to their high production volume and potential toxicity. Coastal sediments serve as sinks for nanoparticles but the impacts and the toxicity mechanisms of nZnO in sediment-dwelling organisms are not well understood. We used metabolomics to assess the effects of nZnO-contaminated sediments on a benthic ecosystem engineer, an infaunal polychaete Arenicola marina. The worms were exposed to unpolluted (control) sediment or to the sediment spiked with 100 or 1000 μg Zn kg−1 of nZnO. Oxidative lesions (lipid peroxidation and protein carbonyls) were measured in the body wall as traditional biomarkers of nanopollutant toxicity. Metabolite profiles (including amino acids, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and urea cycle intermediates) were determined in the body wall and the coelomic fluid. Exposure to nZnO altered metabolism of the lugworms via suppression of the metabolism of gluconeogenic and aromatic amino acids, and altered the TCA cycle likely via suppression of fumarase activity. These metabolic changes may negatively affect carbohydrate metabolism and energy storage, and impair hormonal signaling in the worms. The total pool of free amino acids was depleted in nZnO exposures with potentially negative consequences for osmoregulation and protein synthesis. Exposure to nZnO led to accumulation of the lipid peroxidation products demonstrating high susceptibility of the cellular membranes to nZnO-induced oxidative stress. The nZnO-induced shifts in the metabolite profiles were more pronounced in the coelomic fluid than the body wall. This finding emphasizes the important metabolic role of the coelomic fluid as well as its suitability for assessing the toxic impacts of nZnO and other metabolic disruptors. The metabolic disruptions caused by environmentally relevant concentrations of nZnO can have negative effects on the organisms' fitness impairing growth and reproduction of the populations of marine bioturbators like the lugworms in nanoparticle-polluted sediments.

Real-Time Infrared Spectroscopic Measurement of Natural Moisturizing Factor

Real-Time Infrared Spectroscopic Measurement of Natural Moisturizing Factor