Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of organic compounds with fused aromatic rings, primarily derived from combustion processes and environmental pollutants. This narrative review discusses the most relevant studies on PAHs, focusing on their sources, environmental and occupational exposure, and effects on human health, emphasizing their roles as carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic agents. The primary pathways for human exposure to PAHs are through the ingestion of contaminated food (mainly due to some food processing methods, such as smoking and high-temperature cooking techniques), the inhalation of ambient air, and the smoking of cigarettes. Coke oven workers are recognized as a high-risk occupational group for PAH exposure, highlighting the need for appropriate strategies to mitigate these risks and safeguard worker health. PAHs are metabolized into reactive intermediates in the body, which can lead to DNA damage and promote the development of various health conditions, particularly in environments with high exposure levels. Chronic PAH exposure has been linked to respiratory diseases, as well as cardiovascular problems and immune system suppression. Furthermore, this review underscores the significant impact of PAHs on reproductive health. The results of the reported studies suggest that both male and female fertility can be compromised due to oxidative stress, DNA damage, and endocrine disruption caused by PAH exposure. In males, PAHs impair sperm quality, while, in females, they disrupt ovarian function, potentially leading to infertility, miscarriage, and birth defects. Fetal exposure to PAHs is also associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Given the extensive and detrimental health risks posed by PAHs, this review stresses the importance of stringent environmental regulations, occupational safety measures, and public health initiatives to mitigate exposure and safeguard reproductive and overall health.

In this work, we assess the potential of waste products of Phlegrean mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco), namely seeds and peel, to be reutilized as a source of bioactive compounds beneficial for the human diet. Starting from the evidence that the by-products of this specific cultivar are the most powerful sources of antioxidants compared to pulp, we have investigated if and how the bioactive compounds in peel and seeds may be affected by fruit ripening. Three stages of fruit ripening have been considered in our study: unripe fruits = UF, semi-ripe fruits = SRF, ripe fruits = RF. The overall results indicated that RF showed the highest concentration of antioxidants. Among fruit components, peel was the richest in total antioxidant capacity, total polyphenol content, total flavonoids, total chlorophylls and carotenoids, while seeds exhibited the highest concentration of total condensed tannins and ascorbic acid. The liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay indicates the occurrence, in peel extracts, of 28 phenolic compounds, mainly flavonoids (FLs); in seeds, 34 derivatives were present in the first stage (UF), which diminish to 24 during the ripening process. Our data indicated that the content of phytochemicals in citrus strongly varies among the fruit components and depends on the ripening stage. The higher antioxidant activity of peel and seeds, especially in RF, encourage a potential use of by-products of this specific citrus cultivar for industrial or pharmacological applications. However, to maximize the occurrence of desired bioactive compounds, it is important also to consider the ripening stage at which fruits must be collected.

Marine waters are becoming contaminated by diverse pollutants at a fast rate, and detection of these water pollutants has become a major concern in recent years. Among these, mercury is considered the most toxic element for human health. At present, despite the commonly used methods for its detection are accurate, they often require sophisticated equipments, have relatively high costs, are demanding and time-consuming. Herein a novel solution to detect mercury (II) pollution in sea water is proposed, and an easy and portable detection method has been developed. Indeed, a hydrophobin based chimera able to both adhere to polystyrene multiwell plates and bind mercury (II) with a consequent fluorescent decrease was designed. The chimera was the recognition element in a fluorescence-based biosensor able to detect mercury (II) in the nM range. Indeed, this biosensor specifically measure Hg²⁺ concentration also in the presence of other metals, reaching a limit of detection of 0.4 nM in tap water and 0.3 nM in sea water. Moreover, the developed biosensor was coupled to machine learning methodologies with the big advantage of predicting mercury concentration levels without the use of classical reader devices, thus allowing in situ monitoring of sea pollution by non-skilled personnel.

Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge root is used as herbal medicine for its immunomodulating activities in Chinese medicine. Recently, beneficial properties of A. membranaceus on allergic diseases have been proposed. Here we investigated the role of a commercial extract of A. membranaceus, standardized to 16% polysaccharides, in regulating the immune-inflammatory response in vitro and in vivo and its therapeutic application in asthma. A. membranaceus extract inhibited prostaglandin E₂ and leukotriene C₄ production in stimulated J774 and peritoneal macrophages, respectively. The extract also reduced interlukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and nitrite production, affecting inducible nitric oxide synthase expression. In vivo experiments confirmed the anti-inflammatory properties of A. membranaceus, as evident by a reduction in zymosan-induced peritoneal cellular infiltration and pro-inflammatory mediator production. The efficacy of A. membranaceus extract in modulating the immune response was confirmed in a model of allergic airway inflammation. Extracts improve lung function by inhibiting airway hyperresponsiveness, airway remodeling, and fibrosis. Its anti-asthmatic effects were further sustained by inhibition of the sensitization process, as indicated by a reduction of ovalbumin-induced IgE levels and the mounting of a Th2 immune response. In conclusion, our data demonstrate the anti-inflammatory properties of the commercial extract of A. membranaceus and its beneficial effects on asthma feature development.

Phlegrean mandarin fruits are already known for health-promoting properties due to the high concentration of phytochemicals in peel, pulp, and seed. Biotic and abiotic factors, including light, may modulate their biosynthesis, metabolism, and accumulation. In this context, light-emitting diodes (LED) have recently been applied to control nutritional traits, ripening process, senescence, fruit shelf-life, and pathogenic microbial spoilage of fruits. This study investigated the effect of the seven-day exposure of Phlegrean mandarin fruits to two LED regimes, white (W) and red–blue (RB), to test the possibility that the storage under specific light wavelengths may be used as green preservation technology that enhances fruit phytochemical properties. To pursue this aim, the antioxidant activity and polyphenolic profile of the pulp and peel of mandarins under W and RB light regimes were evaluated and compared with Control fruits not exposed to LED treatment. Our results indicated that storage under W and RB treatments modulates the antioxidant content in pulp and peel differently. Compared to W, the RB regime increases the ascorbic acid, flavonoid, anthocyanin, and carotenoid concentrations, while the polyphenol profile analysis reveals that the number of important phytochemicals, i.e., quercetin rutinoside, chlorogenic acid, sinensetin, and rutin, are higher under W. The overall data demonstrated that postharvest LED irradiation is a valid tool for modifying fruit phytochemical properties, which also boosts specific bioactive compounds.

Chromium (VI) is the most dangerous oxidation state among the stable forms of chromium. In this work, we evaluated the effect of exposing Mytilus galloprovincialis for 24 h to 1, 10, and 100 nM chromium (VI) on the properties of Protamine-like (PLs) and their gene levels in the gonads. Specifically, we analyzed, by AU-PAGE and SDS-PAGE, PLs extracted from unexposed and exposed mussels. In addition, via EMSA, we evaluated the ability of PLs to bind DNA and also verified their potential to protect DNA from oxidative damage. Finally, we assessed possible alterations in gonadal expression of mt10, hsp70, and genes encoding for PLs-II/PL-IV and PL-III. We found that for all experimental approaches the most relevant alterations occurred after exposure to 1 nM Cr(VI). In particular, a comigration of PL-II with PL-III was observed by SDS-PAGE; and a reduced ability of PLs to bind and protect DNA from oxidative damage was recorded. This dose of chromium (VI) exposure was also the one that produced the greatest alterations in the expression of both mt10 and PL-II/PL-IV encoding genes. All of these changes suggest that this dose of chromium (VI) exposure could affect the reproductive health of Mytilus galloprovincialis.