Browsing by Subject "Detoxification"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Publication
    Open Access
    Cyanobacteria and Macroinvertebrate Relationships in Freshwater Benthic Communities beyond Cytotoxicity
    (MDPI, 2024-04-15) Ubero Pascal, Nicolás; Aboal, Marina; Zoología y Antropología Física
    Cyanobacteria are harmful algae that are monitored worldwide to prevent the effects of the toxins that they can produce. Most research efforts have focused on direct or indirect effects on human populations, with a view to gain easy accurate detection and quantification methods, mainly in planktic communities, but with increasing interest shown in benthos. However, cyanobacteria have played a fundamental role from the very beginning in both the development of our planet’s biodiversity and the construction of new habitats. These organisms have colonized almost every possible planktic or benthic environment on earth, including the most extreme ones, and display a vast number of adaptations. All this explains why they are the most important or the only phototrophs in some habitats. The negative effects of cyanotoxins on macroinvertebrates have been demonstrated, but usually under conditions that are far from natural, and on forms of exposure, toxin concentration, or composition. The cohabitation of cyanobacteria with most invertebrate groups is long-standing and has probably contributed to the development of detoxification means, which would explain the survival of some species inside cyanobacteria colonies. This review focuses on benthic cyanobacteria, their capacity to produce several types of toxins, and their relationships with benthic macroinvertebrates beyond toxicity.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Publication
    Open Access
    The triple role of glutathione S-transferases in mammalian male fertility
    (2019-12-05) Llavanera, Marc; Mateo Otero, Yentel; Bonet, Sergi; Barranco Cascales, Isabel; Fernández Fuerstes, Beatriz; Yeste, Marc; Medicina y Cirugía Animal
    Male idiopathic infertility accounts for 15-25% of reproductive failure. One of the factors that has been linked to this condition is oxidative stress (OS), defined as the imbalance between antioxidants and reactive oxygen species. Amongst the different factors that protect the cell against OS, the members of the glutathione S-transferase (GST) superfamily play an important role. Interestingly, reduction or lack of some GSTs has been associated to infertility in men. Therefore, and to clarify the relationship between GSTs and male fertility, the aim of this work is to describe the role that GSTs play in the male reproductive tract and in sperm physiology. To that end, the present review provides a novel perspective on the triple role of GSTs (detoxification, regulation of cell signalling and fertilisation), and reports their localisation in sperm, seminal plasma and the male reproductive tract. Furthermore, we also tackle the existing correlation between some GST classes and male fertility. Due to the considerable impact of GSTs in human pathology and their tight relationship with fertility, future research should address the specific role of these proteins in male fertility, which could result in new approaches for the diagnosis and/or treatment of male infertility.