Treatment of textile wastewater by submerged membrane bioreactor: In vitro bioassays for the assessment of stress response elicited by raw and reclaimed wastewater
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Authors: Friha, Ines; Bradai, Mohamed; Johnson, Daniel; Hilal, Nidal; Loukil, Slim; Ben Amor, Fatma; Feki, Firas; Han, Junkuy; Isoda, Hiroko; Sayadi, Sami
Abstract
The performance of a pilot-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) system for the treatment of textile wastewater was investigated. The MBR was continuously operated for 7 months. Very high treatment efficiencies were achieved (color, 100%; chemical oxygen demand (COD), 98%; biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), 96%; suspended solids (SS), 100%). Furthermore, the MBR treatment efficiency was analyzed from a toxicological-risk assessment point of view, via different In vitro bioassays using Caco-2 cells, a widely used cell model in toxicological studies. Results showed that MBR treatment significantly reduced the raw textile wastewater (RTWW) cytotoxicity on Caco-2 cells by 53% for a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 2 days. Additionally, the RTWW-induced disruption in the barrier function (BF) of the Caco-2 cell monolayer was also significantly reduced after MBR treatment under a HRT of 2 days (no disruption of BF was observed). Moreover, the effect of RTWW and treated wastewater on stress response was investigated using different stress genes: AHSA1, HSPD1, HSPA1A, HSPA5 and HSPA8. The cell exposure to RTWW significantly increased the expression of all used stress genes; interestingly, the treated wastewater (HRT 2 days) did not show any significant modulation of the stress genes. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonism reverses diabetes-related coronary vasodilator dysfunction: A unique vascular transcriptomic signature
PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Authors: Brown, Scott M.; Meuth, Alex I.; Davis, J. Wade; Rector, R. Scott; Bender, Shawn B.
Abstract
Coronary microvascular dysfunction predicts and may be a proximate cause of cardiac dysfunction and mortality in diabetes; however, few effective treatments exist for these conditions. We recently demonstrated that mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonism reversed cardiovascular dysfunction in early-stage obesity/insulin resistance. The mechanisms underlying this benefit of MR antagonism and its relevance in the setting of longterm obesity complications like diabetes; however, remain unclear. Thus, the present study evaluated the impact of MR antagonism on diabetes-related coronary dysfunction and defines the MR-dependent vascular transcriptome in the Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rat recapitulating later stages of human diabetes. OLETF rats were treated with spironolactone (Sp) and compared to untreated OLETF and lean Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka rats. Sp treatment attenuated diabetes-associated adipose and cardiac inflammation/fibrosis and improved coronary endothelium-dependent vasodilation but did not alter enhanced coronary vasoconstriction, blood pressure, or metabolic parameters in OLETF rats. Further mechanistic studies using RNA deep sequencing of OLETF rat aortas revealed 157 differentially expressed genes following Sp including upregulation of genes involved in the molecular regulation of nitric oxide bioavailability (Hsp90ab1, Ahsa1, Ahsa2) as well as novel changes in am adrenergic receptors (Adrald), cyclooxygenase-2 (Ptgs2), and modulatory factors of these pathways (Ackr3, Acsl4). Further, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis predicted inhibition of upstream inflammatory regulators by Sp and inhibition of 'migration of endothelial cells', 'differentiation of smooth muscle', and 'angiogenesis' biological functions by Sp in diabetes. Thus, this study is the first to define the MR-dependent vascular transcriptome underlying treatment of diabetes-related coronary microvascular dysfunction by Sp.