Emerging Nanotechnology in Toxins Research

A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2019) | Viewed by 11675

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
UNAM–FESC, Campus 4, Multidisciplinary Research Unit L14-Annex 1 (Materials Science and Technology), Cuautitlan Izcalli 54714, Mexico
Interests: synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials; potential applications of nanomaterials in the agro-food sector

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Guest Editor
UNAM–FESC, Campus 4, Multidisciplinary Research Unit L14 (Food, Mycotoxins and Mycotoxicosis), Cuautitlan Izcalli 54714, Mexico
Interests: fungal toxins; detoxification; theoretical studies

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Toxins are antigenic or non-antigenic substances from organic or inorganic origins causing disease in humans and animals, even when present in very low concentrations. Toxins affect the host cell’s physiological processes and plasma membrane integrity, causing cytotoxicity. Nanotechnology is the engineering and art of manipulating matter at a nanoscale level (1–100 nm), and many novel materials have been developed for potential applications in chemistry, biology, medicine, biotechnology, molecular engineering, and physics.

Toxins are stable molecules that are difficult to eliminate from foods and crops once they have been produced. Therefore, nanotechnology can be an important platform for the next wave of the development and transformation of the agro-food system for controlling microbial and toxin contamination.

This Special Issue of Toxins welcomes original research and review manuscripts focusing on both the scientific and technological aspect of nanotechnology in microbial (fungal and bacterial) toxins. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Novel antimicrobial/antitoxin nanomaterials
  • Nanostructures for toxin detoxification
  • Nanostructure materials for toxin adsorption
  • Nanomaterials for toxin sensing/detection

Dr. Guillermo Tellez-Isaias
Dr. Alma Vázquez-Durán
Dr. Abraham Méndez-Albores
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 10288 KiB  
Article
Label-Free Direct Detection of Saxitoxin Based on a Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Aptasensor
by Su-Ji Ha, Jin-Ho Park, Bobin Lee and Min-Gon Kim
Toxins 2019, 11(5), 274; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins11050274 - 15 May 2019
Cited by 42 | Viewed by 5512
Abstract
Seafood is an emerging health food, and interest in improving the quality of seafood is increasing. Saxitoxin (STX) is a neurotoxin produced by marine dinoflagellates that is accumulated in seafood. It can block the neuronal transmission between nerves and muscle cell membranes, resulting [...] Read more.
Seafood is an emerging health food, and interest in improving the quality of seafood is increasing. Saxitoxin (STX) is a neurotoxin produced by marine dinoflagellates that is accumulated in seafood. It can block the neuronal transmission between nerves and muscle cell membranes, resulting in the disturbance of neuromuscular transmission and subsequent voluntary muscle paralysis. Here, we developed a new aptamer for the detection of STX using graphene oxide–systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (GO-SELEX). Furthermore, we confirmed sensitivity and selectivity of the developed aptamer specific to STX using a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensor. The sensing chip was fabricated by fixing the new STX aptamer immobilized on the gold nanorod (GNR) substrate. The STX LSPR aptasensor showed a broad, linear detection range from 5 to 10,000 μg/L, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 2.46 μg/L (3σ). Moreover, it was suitable for the detection of STX (10, 100, and 2000 μg/L) in spiked mussel samples and showed a good recovery rate (96.13–116.05%). The results demonstrated that the new STX aptamer-modified GNR chip was sufficiently sensitive and selective to detect STX and can be applied to real samples as well. This LSPR aptasensor is a simple, label-free, cost-effective sensing system with a wide detectable range. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Nanotechnology in Toxins Research)
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20 pages, 1391 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Cellulosic Polymers and Curcumin to Reduce Aflatoxin B1 Toxic Effects on Performance, Biochemical, and Immunological Parameters of Broiler Chickens
by Bruno Solis-Cruz, Daniel Hernandez-Patlan, Victor M. Petrone, Karine P. Pontin, Juan D. Latorre, Eric Beyssac, Xochitl Hernandez-Velasco, Ruben Merino-Guzman, Casey Owens, Billy M. Hargis, Raquel Lopez-Arellano and Guillermo Tellez-Isaias
Toxins 2019, 11(2), 121; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins11020121 - 16 Feb 2019
Cited by 37 | Viewed by 5348
Abstract
To evaluate the effect of cellulosic polymers (CEL) and curcumin (CUR) on aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) toxic effects on performance, and the biochemical and immunological parameters in broiler chickens, 150 one-day-old male broiler chicks were randomly allocated into five groups with three replicates of [...] Read more.
To evaluate the effect of cellulosic polymers (CEL) and curcumin (CUR) on aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) toxic effects on performance, and the biochemical and immunological parameters in broiler chickens, 150 one-day-old male broiler chicks were randomly allocated into five groups with three replicates of 10 chickens per pen: Negative Control (feed); AFB1 (feed + 2 ppm AFB1); CUR (feed + 2 ppm AFB1 + Curcumin 0.2%); CEL (feed + 2 ppm AFB1 + 0.3% Cellulosic polymers); and, CEL + CUR (feed + 2 ppm AFB1 + 0.3% Cellulose polymers + 0.2% Curcumin). Every week, body weight, body weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio were calculated. On day 21, liver, spleen, bursa of Fabricius, and intestine from five broilers per replicate per group were removed to obtain relative organ weight. Histopathological changes in liver, several biochemical biomarkers, antibody titers, and muscle and skin pigmentation were also recorded. Dietary addition of 0.3% CEL and 0.2% CUR separately significantly diminished some of the toxic effects resulting from AFB1 on performance parameters, relative organs weight, histopathology, immune response, and serum biochemical variables (P < 0.05); however, the combination of CUR and CEL showed a better-integrated approach for the management of poultry health problems that are related with the consumption of AFB1, since they have different mechanisms of action with different positive effects on the responses of broiler chickens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Nanotechnology in Toxins Research)
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