Dr Luchun Duan

In 2006, species of Cochlodinium geminatum were first recorded as new, harmful algal bloom (HAB)-forming dinoflagellate, in the Pearl River Estuary, China. Previous studies indicated that allelopathy (the release of chemical compounds) is an important competitive strategy for C. geminatum in inhibiting the growth of phytoplankton competitors, however, little is known about the allelochemicals produced by this species. In this study, allelopathic compounds were characterized using a series of chromatographic techniques. Methanol extracts from cultures showed significant inhibitory effects towards the co-occurring phytoplankton, Akashiwo sanguinea, and potent hemolytic activity against rabbit erythrocytes. Solid phase extraction (SPE) fractions from a reverse phase SPE column, exhibited inhibitory and synergistic effects on A. sanguinea growth, of which fractions eluted in 80% and 100% methanol showed the strongest allelopathic activity. These fractions were further purified using reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and six fractions were collected. Three fractions displayed strong inhibitory effects towards A. sanguinea, with 14%¿25% inhibitory rates, but a higher 35% inhibitory rate was observed when fractions were combined, suggesting allelochemicals had synergistic allelopathic effects. Allelopathic activity also exhibited time dependent reduction when stored at -20°C. Furthermore, trypsin digestion and dialysis assays indicated C. geminatum produced multiple allelopathic compounds. Our study demonstrated that species of C. geminatum produced and released multiple allelopathic compounds of low polarity and sufficient hydrophilicity, which elicit important competitive advantages by inhibiting co-occurring phytoplankton, and promoting population growth.

Background: There are many uncertainties concerning variations in benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) soil guidelines protecting human health based on carcinogenic data obtained in animal studies. Although swine is recognised as being much more representative of the human child in terms of body size, gut physiology and genetic profile the rat/mice model is commonly used in practice. Objectives: We compare B[a]P bioavailability using a rat model to that estimated in a swine model, to investigate the correlation between these two animal models. This may help reduce uncertainty in applying bioavailability to human health risk assessment. Methods: Twelve spiked soil samples and a spiked silica sand (reference material) were dosed to rats in parallel with a swine study. B[a]P bioavailability was estimated by the area under the plasma B[a]P concentration-time curve (AUC) and faecal excretion as well in the rats. Direct comparison between the two animal models was made for: firstly, relative bioavailability (RB) using AUC assay; and secondly, the two assays in the rat model. Results: Both AUC and faecal excretion assays showed linear dose-response for the reference material. However, absolute bioavailability was significantly higher when using faecal excretion assay (p < 0.001). In aged soils faecal excretion estimated based on solvent extraction was not accurate due to the form of non-extractable fraction through ageing. A significant correlation existed between the two models using RB for soil samples (RBrat = 0.26RBswine + 17.3, R2 = 0.70, p < 0.001), despite the regression slope coefficient revealing that the rat model would underestimate RB by about one quarter compared to using swine. Conclusions: In the comparison employed in this study, an interspecies difference of four in RB using AUC assay was identified between the rat and swine models regarding pharmacokinetic differences, which supported the body weight scaling method recommended by US EPA. Future research should focus on the carcinogenic competency (pharmacodynamics) used in experiment animals and humans.

Addressing uncertainties in human health risk assessment is a critical issue when evaluating the effects of contaminants on public health. A range of uncertainties exist through the source-to-outcome continuum, including exposure assessment, hazard and risk characterisation. While various strategies have been applied to characterising uncertainty, classical approaches largely rely on how to maximise the available resources. Expert judgement, defaults and tools for characterising quantitative uncertainty attempt to fill the gap between data and regulation requirements. The experiences of researching 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) illustrated uncertainty sources and how to maximise available information to determine uncertainties, and thereby provide an 'adequate' protection to contaminant exposure. As regulatory requirements and recurring issues increase, the assessment of complex scenarios involving a large number of chemicals requires more sophisticated tools. Recent advances in exposure and toxicology science provide a large data set for environmental contaminants and public health. In particular, biomonitoring information, in vitro data streams and computational toxicology are the crucial factors in the NexGen risk assessment, as well as uncertainties minimisation. Although in this review we cannot yet predict how the exposure science and modern toxicology will develop in the long-term, current techniques from emerging science can be integrated to improve decision-making.

Sorption characteristics of phenanthrene were studied in batch equilibrium experiments with 32 Australian soils that varied widely in physicochemical properties. Sorption of phenanthrene varied widely among the soils and was generally nonlinear, with the nonlinearity index (n) of the Freundlich isotherm varying from 0.62 to 1.01. Simple regression analyses revealed that total organic carbon (TOC) accounts for about 68 % of the variation in the partition coefficient (K' f ) for sorption among the soils at an equilibrium concentration (C e ) of 0.05 mg/L. The organic carbon normalized distribution coefficient (K OC ), varied considerably between soils with >70 % of the variance of logK OC being accounted for by logTOC, clay and log dissolved organic carbon (DOC). These results show that the phenanthrene C e is influenced by both TOC as well as the DOC in soil suspensions. The effects of ionic strength (IS) and index cation were investigated using four contrasting soils. Results show that with an increase in IS from 0.03 to 0.15 M sorption of phenanthrene generally increased in CaCl2 background solutions, whereas the effect was less significant and variable in NaCl background solutions. Sorption of phenanthrene was slightly higher at low IS (0.03 M) with Na+ as index cation compared with that of Ca2+, whereas an opposite trend was observed at higher IS (0.15 M). For two soils high in TOC, the flocculation of endogenous DOC in the presence of Ca2+ reduced the influence of background electrolyte and resulted in a more linear sorption isotherm as well as higher sorption capacity. This trend was more significant with Ca2+ relative to Na+. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.