Acrylamide (ACR), a neurotoxin typically present in thermally processed foods, is a substantial risk to people. The objective of this research is to develop synbiotic capsules with natural substances such as chitosan, alginate, and L. fermentum. Encapsulation is a significant tool in medicine, helping to improve targeted medication delivery and bioavailability. The chitosan/alginate-encapsulated probiotic (CAP) beads increase the bioavailability of probiotics in the gut, allowing for a more effective response to ACR-induced toxicity. The combination of prebiotic and probiotic activity improves stability, viability, and gastrointestinal delivery. We developed CAP beads and assessed their survivability under simulated gastrointestinal conditions, encapsulating efficiency, and release profile. The efficacy of these beads in reducing the harmful effects of ACR was subsequently investigated using a Drosophila melanogaster model. Under co-exposure and pre-treatment settings, in vivo studies revealed restoration of locomotor activities, redox balance, and ovarian mitochondrial membrane potential in flies treated with CAP beads. Furthermore, implying the indirect impact of CAP beads on gut microbiota and xenobiotic metabolism, pre-treatment with CAP more successfully restored the expression of important antioxidant and stress-related genes, including sod, cat, InR, rpr, and p53.

Acrylamide (ACR), a toxic by-product of high-temperature food processing, poses significant health risks due to its oxidative, neurotoxic, and genotoxic properties. Regulatory measures focus on limiting ACR in commercial food products, yet daily cooking practices often result in unnoticed exposure, threatening vulnerable populations such as children. This study evaluates the protective role of low and medium molecular-weight (MW) chitosan against ACR-induced toxicity using Drosophila melanogaster. Chitosan, a natural polysaccharide with antioxidant and prebiotic properties, was supplemented alongside ACR exposure in larvae and adult flies. Developmental metrics such as pupation rates, fecundity, and adult emergence were assessed, alongside oxidative stress markers and neurobehavioral outcomes. ACR exposure impaired development, increased oxidative stress, and reduced locomotor activity. Supplementation with low and medium MW chitosan alleviated these effects, with low MW chitosan demonstrating greater efficacy. These findings reveal the potential of low MW chitosan as a dietary intervention to counteract the toxic effects of contaminants like ACR. By reducing oxidative stress, preserving mitochondrial function, and supporting developmental processes, chitosan offers a promising avenue for mitigating the overall toxicity of heat-processed toxins. These findings further highlight chitosan's molecular weight-dependent protective potential against ACR toxicity, offering insights into its application as a dietary mitigator of heat-processed toxins.

The escalating presence of microplastic pollution poses a significant environmental threat, with far-reaching implications for both ecosystems and human health. This study investigated the toxicological impact of polyethylene microplastics (PE MPs) using Drosophila melanogaster, fruit flies, as a model organism. Drosophila were exposed to PE MPs orally at concentrations of 1 mg ml-1 and 10 mg ml-1 agar food. The study assessed behavioural parameters and biochemical markers including reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity. The expression levels of key genes (Hsp70Bc, rpr, and p53) were also analysed using the RT-qPCR technique. Results indicated a significant decline in climbing activity among adult flies and crawling behaviour in larvae, indicating potential disruption of motor function. Biochemical analysis revealed elevated ROS levels, indicative of oxidative stress, in both larval and fly stages. Moreover, the antioxidant defence system exhibited decreased SOD activity and a concentration-dependent increase in GST activity indicating the functioning of a quick xenobiotic clearance mechanism. Gene expression analysis demonstrated upregulation of rpr, p53, and Hsp70Bc genes, suggesting activation of cell death pathways and stress response mechanisms. Overall, these findings underline the adverse effects of PE MPs on Drosophila, including behavioural impairment, oxidative stress, and activation of stress response pathways.

Acrylamide (ACR) with its extensive industrial applications is a classified occupational hazard toxin and carcinogenic compound. Its formation in fried potatoes, red meat and coffee during high-temperature cooking is a cause for consideration. The fabrication of chitosan-coated probiotic nanoparticles (CSP NPs) aims to enhance the bioavailability of probiotics in the gut, thereby improving their efficacy against ACR-induced toxicity in Drosophila melanogaster. Nanoencapsulation, a vital domain of the medical nanotechnology field plays a key role in targeted drug delivery, bioavailability, multi-drug load delivery systems and synergistic treatment options. Our study exploited the nanoencapsulation technology to coat Lactobacillus fermentum (probiotic) with chitosan (prebiotic), both with substantial immunomodulatory effects, to ensure the stability and sustained release of microbial load and its secondary metabolites in the gut. The combination of pre-and probiotic components, called synbiotic formulations establishes the correlation between the gut microbiota and the overall well-being of an organism. Our study aimed to develop a potent synbiotic to alleviate the impacts of heat-processed dietary toxins that significantly influence behaviour, development, and survival. Our synbiotic co-treatment with ACR in fruit flies normalised neuro-behavioural, survival, redox status, and restored ovarian mitochondrial activity, contrasting with several physiological deficits observed in the ACR-treated model.

Hermetia illuciens, commonly known as black soldier fly (BSF) can convert organic biomass into manure and insect biomass into protein and fat. Currently, in the waste management industry, BSF larvae are predominantly used to convert valorized organic substrates into fertilizer and to produce biogas. They are also alternatively used as viable protein substitutes for animal feed as well as human consumer products. The treatment of organic wastes before BSFL consumption indicated a positive stimulation in the biomass conversion rate, larval growth rate and overall larval performance parameters. The current study was designed to analyze the effect of the bio-stimulation-based pre-treatment strategy of the feed on performance parameters, such as larval weight, larval survival rate, substrate reduction by pre-treatment of biowaste for better growth, efficient performance, and good biomass composition in BSFL. In our study, we noticed significant up- and downregulation of several larval parameters by assessing substrate composition, larval growth parameters and substrate reduction rate. The bio-stimulated waste showed larval weight gain when compared to larvae grown in control feed. The heat pretreated waste was not suitable for larval growth as the parameters assessed were observed to be declined. Further investigations are needed to comprehend how BSFL reared on pretreated substrates enhances the nutritional composition of larvae.

Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticle (HAp NPs) is similar to the crystal structure of human bone. It has excellent properties such as biocompatibility, osteoconductivity, and biodegradable. Owing to these properties, it has been used in the field of drug delivery, dental applications, and bone tissue engineering. PEG (Polyethylene glycol) is a synthetic biodegradable polymer. It prevents the agglomeration of the nanoparticles, surface oxidation of the particles and thereby making it more biocompatible. Rose Bengal (RB) is a photo sensitiser which has the ability to generate singlet oxygen. In the present study, PEG/HAp nanocomposite has been synthesised and characterised using DLS and Zeta potential, TEM, and FTIR. The safety efficacy of the PEG/HAp nanocomposite was studied in wild type Drosophila larvae and adult flies after oral administration. Larval crawling assay, negative geotaxis assay, survival assay, biochemical assays—SOD activity, DPPH activity and GSH activity were performed. This study showed that the nanocomposite did not affect the development of the larva rather it enhanced the behavioural and antioxidant activity. In the adult flies, the climbing activity and the survivability patterns were greatly improved. Earlier studies with HAp NPs on the Drosophila model did not enhance behavioural and antioxidant activities whilst in the present study, PEG might help in improving these activities due to its non-immunogenic and non-antigenic properties.

The current global scenario has instigated a steady upsurge of synthetic chemicals usage thereby creating a toxic environment unsuitable for animals and humans. Acrylamide and bisphenol A are some of the most common toxins found in the atmosphere due to their extensive involvement in numerous industrial processes. Acrylamide, an occupational hazard toxin has been known to cause severe nerve damage and peripheral neuronal damage in both animals and humans. General sources of acrylamide exposure are effluents from textile and paper industries, cosmetics, and thermally processed foods rich in starch. Bisphenol A (BPA) is generally found in food packaging materials, dental sealants, and plastic bottles. It is highly temperature-sensitive that can easily leach into the food products or humans on contact. The genotoxic and neurotoxic effects of acrylamide and bisphenol A have been widely researched; however, more attention should be dedicated to understanding the developmental toxicity of these chemicals. The developmental impacts of toxin exposure can be easily understood using Drosophila melanogaster as a model given considering its short life span and genetic homology to humans. In this review, we have discussed the toxic effects of acrylamide and BPA on the developmental process of Drosophila melanogaster.

Acrylamide is an organic water-soluble compound and a vinyl-substituted primary amide. It is well known for its toxic effects on humans. This chemical may lead to neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. It is exposed to humans through diet, occupation, lifestyle and many environmental factors. Acrylamide is used in molecular laboratories and even in various manufacturing and processing industries. Acrylamide is formed in food cooked at high temperatures, and exposure to this chemical may cause damage to the nervous system. In this chapter the toxicity of acrylamide and its role as a hazardous waste are highlighted. The main topics of this study are occurrence, effects and toxicity caused by acrylamide and analysis of acrylamide induced neurotoxicity in rats. Furthermore, mitigation strategies involving acrylamide have been discussed.

Diet and Functional Foods in Treatment and Maintenance Therapy of Colon DisordersDinesh Kumar, Gurmeet Singh, Mankaran Singh, Deepak Sharma, Mahendra Singh Rathore

Acrylamide, a water-soluble vinyl polymer, is a common environmental toxin present in several industrial effluents and most importantly in high-temperature cooked foods like potato chips, meat, cookies, etc. Studies conducted over a decade have revealed acrylamide’s potency in eliciting detrimental effects in different physiological systems. Researchers have also noticed its presence in the biological samples collected from employees working in mining and ore industries and deemed it to be classified as an occupational hazardous chemical. In this case, we have reviewed acrylamide induced neurotoxicity in D. melanogaster model and prospective phytochemicals for its treatment. This study highlights acrylamide’s role in modulating cellular redox chains and divulges the probable mechanism for induced toxicity. The effect of acrylamide on its major target sites like the neuronal synapse and kinesin proteins are explored as the basis for acrylamide induced toxicity. We also focused our study at the cellular level and other model organisms to better understand acrylamide-induced neuronal apoptosis and mitochondrial depolarisation events. Furthermore, the neuroprotective effects of common phytoconstituents like curcumin and thymoquinone against acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity are discussed.

Acrylamide, an environmental pollutant, is known to occur in food substances cooked at high temperatures. Studies on various models indicate acrylamide to cause several physiological conditions such as neuro- and reproductive toxicity, and carcinogenesis. In our study, exposure of Drosophila melanogaster (Oregon K strain) to acrylamide via their diet resulted in a concentration and time-dependent mortality, while the surviving flies exhibited significant locomotor deficits, most likely due to oxidative stress-induced neuronal damage. Also, Drosophila embryos exhibited signs of developmental toxicity as evidenced by the alteration in the migration of border cells and cluster cells during the developmental stages, concomitant to modulation in expression of gurken and oskar genes. Curcumin, a known antioxidant has been widely studied for its neuroprotective effects against acrylamide; however; very few studies focus on thymoquinone for its role against food toxicant. Our research focuses on the toxicity elicited by acrylamide and the ability of the antioxidants: thymoquinone, curcumin and combination of thereof, in reversing the same.