Thiabendazole Research Articles

Combined effects of maternal exposure to fungicides on behavioral development in F1 -generation mice: 2. Fixed-dose study of thiabendazole.

Few published studies are reported for the neurobehavioral toxicity of combined exposure to fungicides in mammals. This study was aimed to re-evaluate the reproductive and neurobehavioral effects of maternal exposure to combined imazalil (IMZ) and thiabendazole (TBZ) with fixed-dose of TBZ in mice. IMZ/TBZ were given in the diet to provide levels of 0%/0% (control), 0.0015%/0.018% (IMZ/TBZ), 0.006%/0.018% and 0.024%/0.018% during the gestation and lactation periods. Selected reproductive and neurobehavioral parameters were measured in the F1 generation. No adverse effect of IMZ/TBZ was observed in litter size, litter weight, or sex ratio at birth. Concerning behavioral developmental parameters, the cliff avoidance on PND 7 of male offspring was restrained significantly in the treatment groups in a dose-related manner. Exploratory behavior examination indicated that the average time of rearing significantly lengthened in the high-dose group of male offspring. After weaning, the average time of rearing in exploratory behavior lengthened in a significant dose-related trend in adult females of the F1 generation. Spontaneous behavior examination indicated that the average speed decreased significantly through 120 min in the high-dose group of the F1 -generation males. In females, the average time of rearing lengthened significantly through 120 min in the high-dose group. In the longitudinal patterns, the parallel lines of the control and treatment groups indicated a significant distance in the average time of rearing in the F1 -generation females. The results from two combined exposure studies of IMZ/TBZ suggest that TBZ concentrations have caused major effects on exploratory and spontaneous behavior.

Au@Ag-TGANPs based SERS for facile screening of thiabendazole and ferbam in liquid milk.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy based on thioglycolic acid (TGA) functionalized silver-coated gold nanoparticles (Au@Ag-TGANPs) was developed for the facile screening of thiabendazole (TBZ) and ferbam (0.025-10ppm) in liquid milk for the first time. Results showed that silver-coated gold nanoparticles (Au@AgNPs) with a core size of 32nm and a shell thickness of 5nm was successfully modified with 3nm TGA. The sensitive Au@Ag-TGANPs could enhance TBZ and ferbam signals by factors of 6.4×104 and 9.8×104, respectively, and achieved the detection of TBZ and ferbam with limits of detection of 0.12 and 0.003ppm, R2 of 0.988 and 0.9821, percent recoveries of 88-103% and of 87.2-103.5%, and relative standard deviations of 4.1-9.2% and 3.5-8.3%, respectively. The current simple and green method could thus be used to detect other unsafe chemicals in future studies.

Investigation of nonlinear relationship of surface enhanced Raman scattering signal for robust prediction of thiabendazole in apple

Thiabendazole (TBZ) is extensively used in agriculture to control molds; residue of TBZ may pose a threat to humans. Herein, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) coupled variable selected regression methods have been proposed as simple and rapid TBZ quantification technique. The nonlinear correlation between the TBZ and SERS data was first diagnosed by augmented partial residual plots method and calculated by runs test. Au@Ag NPs with strong enhancement factor (EF = 4.07 × 106) of Raman signal was used as SERS active material to collect spectra from TBZ. Subsequently, three nonlinear regression models were comparatively investigated and the competitive adaptive reweighted sampling-extreme learning machine (CARS-ELM) achieved a higher correlation coefficient (Rp2 = 0.9406) and the lower root-mean-square-error of prediction (RMSEP = 0.5233 mg/L). Finally, recoveries of TBZ in apple samples were 83.02–93.54% with relative standard deviation (RSD) value < 10%. Therefore, SERS coupled CARS-ELM could be employed as a rapid and sensitive approach for TBZ detection in Fuji apples.

Micropollutant degradation by the heterogeneous solar photo-Fenton process at circumneutral PH using copper slag

This work evaluates the catalytic capacity of a metallurgical copper slag (CS) for the removal of the pesticide Thiabendazole (TBZ) in real wastewater by the heterogeneous photo-Fenton process at circumneutral pH under natural solar irradiation (NSI). The material consists mainly of magnetite and fayalite. The best experimental condition was: 17 mg of CS/cm2, settled at the bottom of the reactor, and 0.44 mM H2O2 illuminated with solar radiation. Under this condition, 80% TBZ degradation (100 μg/L initial spiked concentration) was reached in real WWTP secondary effluent, after 120 min with 50% of H2O2 consumption. The CS-H2O2-NSI system produced 2-fold more hydroxyl radicals (HO•) with respect to the CS-H2O2. The CS-NSI system did not produce HO• radicals, probably due to the fast electron-hole combination reported for one of the iron oxides present in CS, even though it showed a bandgap value of 2.42 eV, which indicates that the material can absorb solar irradiation. Thus, TBZ was oxidized mainly through the heterogeneous photo-Fenton-like reaction, with similar degradation efficiencies after five utilization cycles. This study demonstrates that CS is a chemically stable and efficient Fenton type catalyst for microcontaminant degradation in wastewater.

Thiabendazole and Thiabendazole-Formic Acid Solvate: A Computational, Crystallographic, Spectroscopic and Thermal Study.

Thiabendazole (TBZ) is a substance which has been receiving multiple important applications in several domains, from medicine and pharmaceutical sciences, to agriculture and food industry. Here, a comprehensive multi-technique investigation on the molecular and crystal properties of TBZ is reported. In addition, a new solvate of the compound is described and characterized structurally, vibrationally and thermochemically for the first time. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to investigate the conformational space of thiabendazole (TBZ), revealing the existence of two conformers, the most stable planar trans form and a double-degenerated-by-symmetry gauche form, which is ~30 kJ mol−1 higher in energy than the trans conformer. The intramolecular interactions playing the major roles in determining the structure of the TBZ molecule and its conformational preferences were characterized. The UV-visible and infrared spectra of the isolated molecule (most stable trans conformer) were also calculated, and their assignment undertaken. The information obtained for the isolated molecule provided a strong basis for the understanding of the intermolecular interactions and properties of the crystalline compound. In particular, the infrared spectrum for the isolated molecule was compared with that of crystalline TBZ and the differences between the two spectra were interpreted in terms of the major intermolecular interactions existing in the solid state. The analysis of the infrared spectral data was complemented with vibrational results of up-to-date fully-periodic DFT calculations and Raman spectroscopic studies. The thermal behavior of TBZ was also investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry. Furthermore, a new TBZ–formic acid solvate [2-(1,3-thiazol-4-yl)benzimidazolium formate formic acid solvate] was synthesized and its crystal structure determined by X-ray diffraction. The Hirshfeld method was used to explore the intermolecular interactions in the crystal of the new TBZ solvate, comparing them with those present in the neat TBZ crystal. Raman spectroscopy and DSC studies were also carried out on the solvate to further characterize this species and investigate its temperature-induced desolvation.

Encapsulation of thiabendazole in hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin nanofibers via polymer-free electrospinning and its characterization.

Thiabendazole (TBZ) is a poorly water-soluble benzimidazole fungicide. However, the water solubility of TBZ can be significantly enhanced by inclusion complexation with cyclodextrins. In this study, a thiabendazole/hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (TBZ/HPβCD) complex was synthesized and electrospinning was performed to produce a TBZ/HPβCD nanofibrous (TBZ/HPβCD-NF) complex that improved water solubility and antifungal activity. The formation of TBZ/HPβCD-NF was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and nuclear magnetic resonance. The morphology of TBZ/HPβCD-NF was studied by scanning electron microscopy. A phase solubility experiment showed that HPβCD exerted a great solubilization effect on TBZ, and TBZ/HPβCD-NF had better antifungal activity compared to that of TBZ alone. In summary, the solid fungicidal nanodispersion prepared in the present study is a new type of formulation that can enhance the water solubility of TBZ. This formulation, which demonstrated potential as a new fast dissolving formulation type with increased efficacy, is expected to be conducive to the sustainable development of agriculture. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Electrochemical sensing of thiabendazole in complex samples using boron-doped diamond electrode

The study describes the electroanalytical approach for benzimidazole pesticide/drug thiabendazole (TBZ) determination using cathodically pretreated boron-diamond doped electrode (BDDE). TBZ exhibited an irreversible oxidation process with peak current and potential values proton-dependent. The TBZH+ that provided the most intense peak current for TBZ oxidation. The reaction mechanism is diffusion-controlled, involving the participation of one electron. The voltammetric and experimental optimized conditions were pH 3.0, potential pulse frequency (f) of 20 s−1, amplitude of the pulse (a) of 20 and the height of the potential step (ΔEs) of 3 mV. The analytical curves were linear from 4.98 × 10−7 to 1.12 × 10−5 mol L−1 with a limit of detection of 1.27 × 10−7 mol L−1. The BDDE was successfully applied to TBZ determination in the several real samples (mango, sugar cane, natural waters and pharmaceutical formulation) with recovery ranged from 71.0 to 103.3% and RSD from 0.91 to 5.3%. The results indicated that the electrochemical methodology based on BDDE presented suitable characteristics in terms of sensitivity, linearity, accuracy and precision.

Rapid nondestructive detection of mixed pesticides residues on fruit surface using SERS combined with self-modeling mixture analysis method

Mixed pesticides are usually applied to agricultural products to enhance agricultural production. However, their presence in the environment and food poses serious health risks to humans. Therefore, rapid and reliable detection methods for mixed pesticides residues are in need to minimize potential health hazards. Herein, a nondestructive and sensitive strategy was developed to determine thiram and thiabendazole (TBZ) mixture on fruit surface using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) technology coupled with interfacial self-assembly gold nanorods (Au NRs) array substrates together with self-modelling mixture analysis (SMA) method. Firstly, a large area high-density Au NRs array was fabricated by organic-aqueous interfacial self-assembly to serve as a sensitive SERS substrate for simultaneously screening of thiram and TBZ on the fruit surface. Then, an SMA method was employed to identify and separate the Raman spectrum for each pesticide from the Raman spectra of the pesticides mixture on the contaminated fruit surface. Results showed that using SERS technique with the SMA method, qualitative and quantitative analyses of a single component from the spectra of the mixture were simultaneously realized, and the resolved pure spectrum of each pesticide was presented. The limits of detection (LOD) of pesticides on the surface of apple, tomato and pear were 0.041, 0.029 and 0.047 ng/cm2 for thiram, and 0.79, 0.76 and 0.80 ng/cm2 for TBZ, respectively. It was anticipated that the proposed SERS detection approach combined with SMA methods should pave the way for detecting multi-analytes in practical applications for agriculture and food safety inspection.

Detection of thiabendazole fungicide/parasiticide by SERS: Quantitative analysis and adsorption mechanism

The application of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) as analytical tool remains a challenge due signal intensity fluctuations, which depends on experimental parameters such as size, shape, and aggregation of the metallic nanoparticles responsible for enhancing the Raman signal. Colloidal nanoparticles can overtake this difficulty by optimizing some experimental conditions for each analyte. Here, we applied SERS as analytical technique to detect thiabendazole (TBZ) at low concentrations using Ag colloid. TBZ stock solutions were added into Ag colloids and SERS spectra were recorded in triplicate. Within the TBZ concentration from 1.6 × 10−7 to 8.0 × 10−8 mol/L a linear regimen for SERS intensity was achieved, leading to a TBZ limit of detection of 13.8 ppb. Besides, the main enhanced bands of the TBZ SERS spectrum suggest the TBZ adsorption mechanism on Ag surface takes place by the thiazole moiety. Theoretical calculations support the experimental data and indicate the interaction is stablished by S atom. Complementary to analytical application and adsorption mechanism, the dependence of SERS intensity on TBZ concentration follows a sigmoidal adsorption isotherm, which has a direct relation with the extinction spectra of Ag colloid containing TBZ at different concentrations, revealing intermolecular TBZ interactions and formation of Ag nanoparticle aggregates with distinct morphologies.

Evaluation of sulfonic acid functionalized covalent triazine framework as a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance/cation-exchange mixed-mode sorbent for extraction of benzimidazole fungicides in vegetables, fruits and juices

The functionalization of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) enhances chemical properties and expands future applications. Herein, a facile strategy for sulfoacid-functionalized COF is presented through post-modification of covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) platform. The magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) material is obtained by anchoring in situ Ni particles on CTF support (Ni/CTF-SO3H) possessing a dual retention mechanism combining hydrophilic-lipophilic-balance (HLB) and cation-exchange interaction. We established the (Ni/CTF-SO3H)-MSPE method for selectively enriching carbendazim (CBZ) and thiabendazole (TBZ) from food samples and reducing matrix effect simultaneously. The method detection limit is 1.23–7.05 µg kg−1 for CBZ and TBZ in vegetable, fruit and juice samples, determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detector. The recoveries of spiked CBZ and TBZ in the samples are 80.2–115.1% and RSDs 6.0–11.4%, depending on both analytes and samples. Our work provides a unique perspective in the development of functionalized COFs as a versatile HLB/cation-exchange mixed-mode SPE sorbent for extraction of basic analytes in complex matrix.

Highly Sensitive Detection of Thiabendazole Residues in Food Samples Based on Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes Decorated Two-Dimensional Layered Molybdenum Disulfide

Thiabendazole (TBZ), a widely used agricultural antifungal, has been evidenced to pose serious threat to human health. However, highly sensitive detection of it in food samples is difficult owing to the complexity of food matrix. Herein, an electrochemical sensor, based on multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) decorated two-dimensional layered molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), was firstly developed for rapid detection of TBZ using square wave voltammetry method. It is demonstrated that the modification of MoS2 with MWCNTs enhances the catalytic performance to TBZ oxidation. Under optimized conditions, the electrochemical sensor shows admirable linearity range, high selectivity and low detection limit. In pear, water spinach and tap water sample analyses, satisfactory recoveries from 92.83 to 101.92% with coefficients of variation less than 5% were obtained, showing high consistence with the HPLC results. This work puts forward a rapid and reliable method for the highly sensitive screening of the residues of TBZ in food resource.

Toxicological effects of some antiparasitic drugs on equine liver glutathione S-Transferase enzyme activity

Benzimidazoles are antiparasitic drugs having an extensive application field like agriculture, medicine, and especially in veterinary medicine. In this study, we report the effect of some benzimidazole drugs such as ricobendazole (RBZ), thiabendazole (TBZ), albendazole (ALBA) and oxfendazole (OFZ) on glutathione s-transferase (GST) enzyme activity. The kinetics studies, IC50 and Ki values of the tested drugs on GSTs enzyme activity were investigated. The obtained ranking of IC50 values were found to be approximately RBZ (53.31 μM, r2: 0.9778) < OFZ (57.75 μM, r2: 0.9630) < ALBA (63.00 μM, r2: 0.9443) < TBZ (69.30 μM, r2: 0.9491). And the obtained ranking of Ki values of the tested drugs (RBZ, TBZ, ALBA, and OFZ) for GSTs enzyme activity was found to be approximately 26.37 ± 2.96, 44.01 ± 5.74, 39.82 ± 3.98 and 30.14 ± 3.03 μM, respectively. Experimental results showed that tested the benzimidazoles drugs have some significant inhibitory effect on GSTs enzyme activity. And also, it was determined that RBZ, ALBA, OFZ are competitive inhibition, but TBZ is non-competitive inhibitors on GSTs enzyme activity. RBZ drug showed the best inhibitory effect with the lowest Ki value.

Paper-based SERS substrate and one-class classifier to monitor thiabendazole residual levels in extracts of mango peels.

The assessment of pesticide residue levels demands fast, low cost and easy-to-use procedures which are not found in conventional methods. In this work, SERS substrates based on the deposition of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) on common office paper were prepared using a wax printer. These substrates combined with Data Driven Soft Independent Modelling of Class Analogies (DD-SIMCA), a one-class classifier algorithm, were used for detection of pesticide residues in water extracts of mango peels. Paper-based substrates made sample collection easier compared with conventional SERS methods, since few microliters of the pesticide aqueous extract from fruit peels needed to be deposited onto the substrate. Moreover, one-class classifiers dismiss the need for quantification or calibration curves. Classification of a fruit with residue levels in accordance to regulatory bodies' limits is based on a mathematical threshold. Just as in an authentication problem, all the possibilities for a given analysed fruit are now restricted to agreeing or not agreeing with current regulations. The performance of the one-class model was demonstrated by detecting thiabendazole (TBZ) residues at various mango samples, with all results being confirmed by HPLC-DAD analysis. The final model could distinguish samples with TBZ levels above the ones allowed by the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency with 94% of selectivity and 92% of sensitivity, even in the presence of other pesticides.

In Vivo and In Vitro Pharmacodynamics of Anthelmintic Medication Used in Sheep

Our research aimed to evaluate the efficacy of anthelmintic treatments in sheep, as well as the resistance occurrence risk for the most commonly used substances. Anthelmintic medication efficacy was evaluated on 30 animals from a private farm, located in Sânmihaiu Almaşului, Sălaj County. In vivo studies were performed by using Fecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT) and testing an albendazole-based (ABZ) product. In vitro, we used Egg Hatch Assay (EHA) and Larval Development Assay (LDA) for albendazole (ABZ), mebendazole (MBZ), fenbendazole (FBZ), thiabendazole (TBZ) and ivermectin (IVM) (only for LDA). FECRT showed that intestinal nematodes developed resistance phenomena against the ABZ-based product, with an extensivity of 80% at seven days post therapy, an egg reduction percentage of 41.89% at seven days post-therapy and 43.9% at 14 days post-therapy. The in vitro EHA highlighted a superior efficacy of TBZ (egg hatch percentage at reference concentration being 51.21) compared to ABZ (71.89%), MBZ (84.46%) and FBZ (79.22%), with a minimum risk of anthelmintic resistance. The LDA test revealed the superior efficacy of FBZ (MIC 0.59 mcg/ml) and IVM (MIC 0.078 mcg/ml), with a minimal risk of inducing parasitic resistance. All in vivo and in vitro tests revealed a limited ABZ efficacy, recommending avoiding the therapy with this substance.

Green synthesized carbon dots embedded in silica molecularly imprinted polymers, characterization and application as a rapid and selective fluorimetric sensor for determination of thiabendazole in juices

An eco-friendly method was used to synthesize carbon dots (CDs) from Rosemary leaves, as a carbon source. The as-synthesized CDs was applied as a fluorophore in an optical sensor after modification with molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for determination of thiabendazole (TBZ). For this purpose, a silica shell using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), as a Si source, was stabilized on the surface of CDs via reverse microemulsion technique. Following, MIPs were synthesized in the presence of TBZ as a template, using 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane and TEOS as a functional monomer and a crosslinker, respectively. After optimization of the experimental parameters, a linear dynamic range of 0.03–1.73 μg/mL TBZ with a detection limit as 8 ng/mL were obtained for the suggested method. Finally, the proposed sensor was successfully applied for the determination of TBZ in apple, orange, and tomato juices. This sensor is a simple, rapid, selective, and non-expensive method for TBZ measurement.

Montmorillonite- hydrothermal carbon nanocomposites: Synthesis, characterization and evaluation of pesticides retention for potential treatment of agricultural wastewater

Montmorillonite (M) was modified by addition of hydrothermal carbon (HC) in order to obtain pesticide adsorbent materials. Carbohydrates were used as carbon source, and in some cases, also phosphoric acid was applied as activation agent. The M-HC hybrids maintain the negative electrical surface charge of their precursors (between −35 mV and −15 mV), while lower specific surface areas (around 6 m2 g−1) than that of M sample (66 m2 g−1) were found. The loss of specific surface could be assigned to the carbon location on both the external and the interlayer surface of the M sheets, as was confirmed by FTIR, zeta potential measurements and XRD analysis. For M-HC products obtained by acid treatment, despite their structure alteration, the specific surface values remained similar to that of M sample (around 70 m2 g−1).The M-HC products with or without acid treatment retain almost 100% adsorption of chlorpyrifos (CPF) and thiabendazole (TBZ) as that obtained for M sample, under the tested conditions. Coagulation studies revealed that M-HC products evaluated showed better precipitation property than that of M sample, which would preclude the typical montmorillonite gel formation that usually block filters and reactors.

Combined effects of maternal exposure to fungicides on behavioral development in F1 -generation mice: 1. Several dose study of both imazalil and thiabendazole.

Few published studies are reported for neurobehavioral toxicity of combined exposure to fungicides in mammals. This study was aimed to evaluate reproductive and neurobehavioral effects of maternal exposure to combined fungicides in mice. Imazalil (IMZ) and thiabendazole (TBZ) were given in the diet to provide levels of 0/0% (control), 0.0015/0.006% (IMZ/TBZ), 0.006/0.018%, and 0.024/0.054% during the gestation and lactation periods. Selected reproductive and neurobehavioral parameters were measured in the F1 generation. No adverse effect of IMZ/TBZ was observed in litter size, litter weight, or sex ratio at birth. The average body weight of male and female offspring was increased significantly in treatment groups during the lactation period. With respect to behavioral developmental parameters, the swimming head angle on PND 7 of male offspring was significantly accelerated in the treatment groups. After weaning, the movement time of exploratory behavior shortened in a significant dose-related manner in adult males of the F1 generation. In adult females, the rearing time of exploratory behavior lengthened in a significant dose-related manner in the F1 generation. Spontaneous behavior examination indicated that longitudinal patterns of each of the total distance and number of rearing were different during the control and treatment groups in the F1 -generation females. Parallel width of the control and treatment groups was significantly different in the average time of movement and rearing in the F1 -generation females. The high-dose level of IMZ/TBZ in the present study produced several adverse effects in neurobehavioral parameters after weaning without concurrent chemical administration in mice.

THE IMPACT OF NANO CHITOSAN AND NANO SILICON COATINGS ON THE QUALITY OF CANINO APRICOT FRUITS DURING COLD STORAGE

This work was carried out during 2016 and 2017 seasons in post-harvest Lab. Pomology Dept. Cairo University, Egypt. The quality and internal (physical and chemical) changes in apricot fruits (Prunus armeniaca L.) coated with different treatments of Nano chitosan and Nano silicon were studied after different storage periods of cold storage at 1°C and 90-95% (RH). Nano chitosan was prepared with 0.5% concentration and Nano silicon was prepared with 2% concentration, each of them was tested individuallyor in combination with Thiabendazole (TBZ). The changes in fruit firmness, weight loss, discarded fruit percentage, fruit panel, total acidity (TA), total soluble solids (TSS), and ascorbic content (Vitamin C) at intervals were estimated during 7 weeks. The results of the two successive seasons indicated that the application of Nano chitosan and silicon coatings maintained fruit firmness compared with the control (dipped in TBZ) without significant differences. The application with 0.5% Nano chitosan + TBZ treatment maintained higher firmness values. On the other hand, Nano-chitosan coating + TBZ treatment maintained fruit acidity, fruit panel test and Vitamin C content more than the uncoated control and other treatments without significant differences. While, all coating treatments increased TSS values and discarded fruit percentage compared with the control without significant differences. The lowest value for each of TSS and fresh weight loss percentage was achieved by Nano chitosan 0.5% + TBZ treatment. Similarly, that treatment significantly decreased fresh weight loss percentage compared with the other treatments.

Similarities and differences in the biotransformation and transcriptomic responses of Caenorhabditis elegans and Haemonchus contortus to five different benzimidazole drugs

We have undertaken a detailed analysis of the biotransformation of five of the most therapeutically important benzimidazole anthelmintics - albendazole (ABZ), mebendazole (MBZ), thiabendazole (TBZ), oxfendazole (OxBZ) and fenbendazole (FBZ) - in Caenorhabditis elegans and the ruminant parasite Haemonchus contortus. Drug metabolites were detected by LC-MS/MS analysis in supernatants of C. elegans cultures with a hexose conjugate, most likely glucose, dominating for all five drugs. This work adds to a growing body of evidence that glucose conjugation is a major pathway of xenobiotic metabolism in nematodes and may be a target for enhancement of anthelmintic potency. Consistent with this, we found that biotransformation of albendazole by C. elegans reduced drug potency. Glucose metabolite production by C. elegans was reduced in the presence of the pharmacological inhibitor chrysin suggesting that UDP-glucuronosyl/glucosyl transferase (UGT) enzymes may catalyze benzimidazole glucosidation. Similar glucoside metabolites were detected following ex vivo culture of adult Haemonchus contortus. As a step towards identifying nematode enzymes potentially responsible for benzimidazole biotransformation, we characterised the transcriptomic response to each of the benzimidazole drugs using the C. elegans resistant strain CB3474 ben-1(e1880)III. In the case of albendazole, mebendazole, thiabendazole, and oxfendazole the shared transcriptomic response was dominated by the up-regulation of classical xenobiotic response genes including a shared group of UGT enzymes (ugt-14/25/33/34/37/41/8/9). In the case of fenbendazole, a much greater number of genes were up-regulated, as well as developmental and brood size effects suggesting the presence of secondary drug targets in addition to BEN-1. The transcriptional xenobiotic response of a multiply resistant H. contortus strain UGA/2004 was essentially undetectable in the adult stage but present in the L3 infective stage, albeit more muted than C. elegans. This suggests that xenobiotic responses may be less efficient in stages of parasitic nematodes that reside in the host compared with the free-living stages.

Highly efficient corrosion inhibitor for C1020 carbon steel during acid cleaning in multistage flash (MSF) desalination plant

A new environmentally friendly and cost effective molecule, thiabendazole (TBZ), was evaluated as a potential acid corrosion inhibitor for a typical carbon steel (C1020 grade) used as construction material in MSF desalination plant using electrochemical and (weight loss) immersion techniques. Electrochemical measurements after 1, 4 and 8h immersion in 1.0M HCl at 25°C showed that TBZ is an excellent corrosion inhibitor for C1020 grade steel and its inhibition efficiency reaches ≈90% at 4mM concentration with no substantial increase at 10mM. In the presence of iodide ions, TBZ showed improved corrosion inhibition attaining inhibition efficiency of 94.3% with 4mM concentration after 4h of testing with no increase in inhibition efficiency after 8h. However, weight loss measurements indicate that the corrosion inhibition performance of TBZ, and TBZ in combination with KI decreased with immersion time up to 24h and temperature up to 60°C. SEM-EDX and ATR-IR spectroscopy confirm that the inhibition process was due to the formation of an adsorbed film that protects the steel surface against corrosive medium. DFT and Monte Carlo simulation results gave further molecular and atomic level insight on mechanism of interaction between the inhibitor and the steel surface.