No 2 (2023)

This paper provides an overview of the legislative and technical regulation of the production, promotion, circulation and consumption of nicotine-containing products (electronic nicotine delivery systems, vapes, electronic cigarettes, non-tobacco smoking mixtures), the relevance in studying the issue is caused by the observed increase in the distribution and consumption of these products among the population of the Russian Federation. The spread among children and young people is of particular concern. The potential danger and toxic risk is caused by exposure to nicotine, as well as glycols, glycerols, aldehydes (including formaldehyde), volatile organic substances, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dicarbonyls, hydroxycarbonyls (acetol), metals, silicate particles and other elements found in aerosol by inhalation. A comparative analysis of international experience and practice of establishing and applying safety requirements for nicotine-containing products, as well as an analysis of regulatory legal and regulatory and technical acts of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union in the field of regulation of nicotine-containing products is given.

As a result of the work, it was concluded that the development, approval and implementation of legislative technical regulation within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union — the technical regulation of the EAEU "Technical regulation for nicotine-containing products", interstate standards containing rules and methods of research (testing) and measurements, including the rules for sampling nicotine-containing products as a separate category of products that may carry a potential risk to the health of consumers.

Contribution. All authors made an equal contribution to the preparation of the article for publication.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding. The study was not sponsored.

Received: March 10, 2023 / Accepted: March 29, 2023 / Published: April 30, 2023

Introduction. Ubiquity of nanoparticles (NPs) necessitates the increase in the resistance and tolerance of the human body to their toxic effects. The exposure to nanoparticles can occur not only in the occupational setting but also because of environmental pollution and a purposeful use of nanomaterials (e.g., in medicine and cosmetology). Impossibility of elimination of nanoparticle exposure and its adverse health effects at the current stage of technological development makes the problem even more urgent. Our objective was to study the ability of bioactive agents (vitamins, macro- and microelements, flavonoids, etc.) to enhance the defense response to nanoparticle toxicity. 

Material and methods. The analysis and generalization of modern scientific research is carried out. To review and summarize data of recent scientific studies, we have done a literature search using PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar search engines, as well as Russian scientific electronic libraries eLibrary.ru and Cyberleninka.ru. The inclusion criteria were information about adverse health effects of nano-sized particles (1–100 nm) and attenuation of their toxicity using bioprotectors in experimental animals. After primary screening of more than 70 publications, we selected thirty-six articles for the review.

Results. The ability of bioactive agents to increase the resistance of a living organism, including warm-blooded mammals, to nanoparticle exposure has been demonstrated. We established a protective effect of vitamin E against nephrotoxicity of gold NPs and toxicity of silver NPs; vitamin C against the hepatotoxic effect of titanium (IV) oxide NPs and reproductive toxicity of nickel NPs, and B vitamins against toxic effects of zinc oxide NPs. We have also found evidence of a protective effect of selenium against silver NPs, including cardioprotective ones. Flavonoids (hesperidin and quercetin) demonstrated protective effects against nephro-, neuro- and hepatotoxicity of nanoparticles. In addition, we noted their positive role in repair of mitochondrial dysfunction. L-arginine also showed the ability to attenuate poisoning induced by Au NPs.

Limitations of the study. We reviewed open access Russian and English-language publications.

Conclusion. This literature review facilitates identification of the most effective ways to increase the resistance and tolerance of a living organism to adverse health effects of nanoparticles.

Compliance with ethical standards. This study does not require the conclusion of a biomedical ethics committee or other documents.

Author Contribution:
Ryabova Yu.V. — study conception and design, draft manuscript preparation;
Shabardina L.V. — data collection and processing. Both authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Conflict of interests. The authors declare no conflict of interest. 

Acknowledgements. the study was carried out at the expense of the budget of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Yekaterinburg Medical and Scientific Center for Prevention and Health Protection of Industrial Workers" of Rospotrebnadzor.

Received: January 16, 2023 / Accepted: February 9,2023 / Published: April 30, 2023

Introduction. Marine aquatic organisms, especially with nutritional value, accumulate pollutants from the environment and therefore must be constantly monitored for toxic elements content. Mercury, even in inorganic form and in sub-lethal amounts, is a risk factor for aquatic biota. 

The aim of the work is to measure mercury concentrations in the tissues of the Black Sea gobies; identification of species accumulating mercury to a greater or lesser extent, as well as intraspecific features of mercury accumulation.

Material and methods. Muscles, liver and gills of Black Sea goby fish (round goby Neogobius melanostomus, niger-goby Gobius niger, knout goby Mesogobius batrachocephalus, caught in 2019–2020) were used as material for the study of mercury concentration. The population parameters of the fish caught in the bays of the Sevastopol were analyzed, and then the organs were prepared for the study of the mercury content in them using the atomic absorption method. Food objects were also examined using a binocular microscope.

Results and discussion. Mercury was detected in all analyzed samples, but the concentrations observed in fish tissues are below the legal level of sanitary and hygienic standards for marine fish (0.5 mg/kg). The average concentrations of mercury in the liver of different species of gobies exceeded the concentration of mercury in the gills, with the exception of the round goby. On average, the knout goby accumulates more mercury than the round goby and the black goby. In M. batrachocephalus, unlike other species of Gobiidae, a correlation was found between age and mercury concentration in fish organs: high correlation in muscles (0.7 < r = 0.75), significant r — in gills and liver. The connection between the standard length of species analyzed and the concentration of mercury is characterized as: middle — in the gills, high — in the liver. The revealed differences in the cumulative capacity of the objects studied are associated with different nutritional preferences. Almost all the intestines of the toad (knout) goby at the time of capture were empty, which indicates a faster digestion of food objects, as well as the coincidence of the time of capture with a long starvation associated with spawning and protection of eggs laying. Consequently, in this species, the main “load” falls on the gills, which indicates the route of toxicant entry into the body mainly through respiration, and not through food chains. In round goby, the toxicant studied, on the contrary, enters through food objects — bivalve mollusks. The black goby has the widest food spectrum; values of mercury content, comparable with other species of Gobiidae, are associated with the natural accumulation of the toxicant (with age), partial ingress of mercury through food chains. 

Conclusion. Mercury concentrations in different tissues of gobies did not exceed the legal standard for marine fish. The average values of mercury concentration in the liver of different gobies exceeded those in the gills, with the exception of N. melanostomus. On average, the toad goby accumulates more mercury than other species of Gobiidae. A relationship was found between the standard length of the goby and the concentration of mercury: in the gills — moderate, in the liver — significant. The studied fish species can be considered as suitable indicators of mercury pollution in the Sevastopol bays.

Limitations. When studying the level of mercury accumulation in the tissues of the Black Sea gobies from the coastal zone of the Sevastopol, 137 samples, and at ichthyological analyze — 190 round goby, 50 knout goby, 20 niger goby were done, which is a sufficient sample volume to describe the degree of toxicity of different fish tissues, as well as the mechanisms of mercury accumulation.

Compliance with ethical standards. The study does not require the presentation of the opinion of the biomedical ethics committee or other documents, since the fish fell asleep naturally during the material transportation by the fishermen, after which the fresh fish was quickly delivered to the laboratory of the Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas of RAS for bioanalysis and sample preparation for chemical analysis.

Author contribution:
Stetsiuk A.P. — the concept and design of the study, material processing, statistical analysis, chemical analysis of mercury;
Kuzminova N.S. — collection and processing of ichthyological material, statistical analysis;
Viter T.V. — processing of fish intestine contents, statistical analysis, trophology of gobies.
All co-authors — writing text, editing, approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article.

Acknowledgements. The authors are grateful to the fishermen of the Fishing Collective Farm «Put` Ilyicha» (Sevastopol) collective farm and the Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas of the Russian Academy of Sciences for the fish provided as research material.

Conflict of interests. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding. The study was carried out on the state theme “Molismological and biogeochemical foundations of the homeostasis of marine ecosystems” (No. 121031500515-8). 

Received: December 21, 2022 / Accepted: February 15, 2023 / Published: April 30, 2023

Introduction. Rotenone is a neurotoxin that causes damage of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and is used as a model for experimental parkinsonian syndrome. The development of a technique for the quantitative determination of rotenone in the brain will allow testing new strategies for the pharmacotherapy of parkinsonism by reducing the penetration of toxic substances into the brain.

The aim of the study was to develop and validate an HPLC method for the quantitative determination of rotenone in the cerebral cortex of rats.

Material and methods. Quantitative determination of rotenone was carried out using a Stayer chromatographic system (Аквилон, Russia) with a UV spectrophotometric detector UVV 104 at a wavelength of 296 nm in isocratic mode. A reverse-phase chromatographic column Luna C18 100Å (250*4.6) with a grain size of 5 μm at a temperature of 37°C was used. The composition of the mobile phase was deionized water, acetonitrile in a ratio of 70:30. Determination of rotenone concentration was carried out by the method of absolute calibration by the area of the peaks.

Sample preparation consisted in homogenization of 500 mg of crushed frontal lobe of the rat cerebral cortex in 500 μl of purified water, followed by centrifugation (1750 g), collection of the supernatant and sedimentation of the proteins by acetonitrile. The liquid layer was evaporated on a rotary vacuum. 250 µl of the mobile phase was added to the dry residue, and 100 µl was injected into the chromatograph.

Results. The method was validated for the following parameters: selectivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, limits of detection and determination, sample transfer, sample stability. The analytical range was 62.5−1000.0 ng/g brain with a correlation coefficient of more than 0.99. The limits of detection and quantification of rotenone were 25.0 and 62.5 ng/g, respectively. The calculation of intra- and inter-cycle accuracy and precision showed that these parameters do not exceed 20% for the concentration corresponding to the lower limit of quantitative determination, and 15% for higher concentrations. The stability of the technique was demonstrated during short-term storage at room temperature, three freeze-thaw cycles at –80°C, and storage at –80°C for 60 days. There was no sample transfer.

Limitations. The chromatographic technique makes it possible to analyze the content of rotenone in the cerebral cortex of rats in the concentration range of 62.5–1000.0 ng/g.

Conclusion. A method for the quantitative determination of rotenone in the homogenate of the cerebral cortex of rats has been developed and validated.

Compliance with ethical standards. The experimental study was approved by the commission for control over the maintenance and use of laboratory animals of the Ryazan State Medical University.

Author contribution:
Gradinar M.M. — performance of chromatographic studies, sample preparation;
Shchulkin A.V. — statistical processing of the obtained results, writing an article;
Chernykh I.V. — performance of chromatographic studies, calculation of validation parameters;
Yakusheva E.N. — writing an article, general management of the work.
All co-authors — approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article.

Conflict of interests. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding. The study was not sponsored.

Received: January 1, 2023 / Accepted: February 2,2023 / Published: April 30, 2023

Introduction. The agriculture as a priority sector has an important role in the economy of Armenia. Increased use of agrochemicals strengthen health and environmental issues. To insure the safe use of new preparations, acute and sub-acute studies must to be done. 

In this study, the estimation of the toxic effects of “Complex Plus” formulation synthesized on the basis of imidacloprid and proposed as growth stimulator, insecticide and microelements complex simultaneously has been achieved. 

Material and methods. The oral and dermal LD₅₀ have been established, sensitivity by sex, skin-irritating and allergic effects, effect on the mucous membranes (rats, rabbits) were studied. The results were processed by the method of variation statistics; standard errors, etc. were calculated by the method of probabilistic analysis of Litchfield–Wilcoxon in the modification of Prozorovsky. The values difference was estimated by two-tailed Student’s test (t-test) with significance level at p<0.05.

Results. The acute intoxication was manifested in some disorders of the central nervous system. Oral LD₅₀ was 805±27 mg/kg bodyweight (II Class, WHO; IV class GOST 32419); dermal LD₅₀>2000 mg/kg bodyweight (III class, WHO; IV class GOST 32419). Sex sensitivity and skin-irritating effects were not revealed. The formulation had a moderate irritant effect on the mucous membranes of eyes (rabbits) and no sensitizing effect. Immunological tests in vitro were negative. 

Limitation. Acute toxicity and sensitizing effect of formulation was studied.

Conclusion. Strict complying with the established agrotechnical requirements, hygienic regulations when using the proposed agrochemical will undoubtedly reduce the adverse effects of this formulation on the population and the environment, and will also contribute to development of agriculture in Armenia in the cost-effective way.

Compliance with ethical standards. The study was approved by the Ethical Committee of YSMU.

Author contribution:
Poghosyan S.B. — the concept and design of the study, the collection and processing of the materials, writing text;
Muradyan S.A. — the concept and design of the study, the collection and processing of the material, writing text;
Ter-Zaqaryan S.H., Keshishyan A.A., Dzhandzhapanyan A.N. — the collection and processing of the materials;
Mikaelyan A.R. — the concept and design of the laboratory plot tests;
Tadevosyan N.S. — processing of the materials, statistical analysis, writing and editing text.
All co-authors — approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article.

Conflict of interests. The authors declare no conflict of interest. 

Acknowledgements. The study was conducted on a contractual basis by order of the Armenian National Polytechnics University.

Received: June 6, 2022 / Accepted: March 1, 2023 / Published: April 30, 2023

Эндокринные разрушители — химические вещества, которые при попадании в организм воздействуют на него подобно гормонам, могут изменять функции гормональной системы, разрушают систему внутренней регуляции организма.