Biology subjects

Zain, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Zain, M..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Micro and Nanoplastics Interactions with Plant Species Trends, Meta-Analysis, and Perspectives

The ubiquitous presence of nano plastics (NPx) and micro plastics (MPx) in the environment has been demonstrated, and as such, the exposure scenarios, mechanisms of plant response, and ultimate risk must be determined. However, the current literature reports ambiguous outcomes and provides limited mechanistic insight into critical governing processes. Here, we performed a meta-analysis of the most recent literature investigating the effect of MPx/NPx on plant species under laboratory and field conditions so as to evaluate the current state of knowledge. Toxic effects of MPx/NPx exposure in plants varies as a function of plant species and interestingly, generally non-significant responses are reported in staple crops. NPx (<100 nm) more negatively affected plant development parameters (n=341) (n is total number of observations), photosynthetic pigments (n=80), and biochemical indicators (n=91) than did MPx (>100 nm). Surprisingly, NPx exposure yielded negligible effects on germination rate (n=17), although root morphology (n=45) was negatively affected. Alternatively, MPx negatively affected on germination (n= 27) and generally non-significant affect with regard to root morphology (n=64). The effect of MPx/NPx on plant health decreases with increasing exposure time. No specific trends were evident for the production of biochemical enzymes as related to MPx/NPx concentration or size. Future work should include crop full life cycle studies to highlight the accumulation of MPx/NPx in edible tissues and also to investigate potential trophic transfer of MPx/NPx. Furthermore, we provide a framework for additional investigative work to address these and other knowledge gaps and to enable accurate assessment of the fate and risk of these materials to environmental and human health. Environmental significanceAccumulation of plastic (MPx and NPx) particles is increasing in environmental compartments, and this might be threatened to agricultural plants. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=198 HEIGHT=200 SRC="FIGDIR/small/480069v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (57K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@c71fd2org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@fa1facorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1358c12org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@7f1851_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Spinal reconsolidation engages non-ionotropic NMDA receptor signaling to reverse pain hypersensitivity

Reconsolidation enables the activity-dependent modification of memory traces and has been used to reverse addiction, fear memory, and pain hypersensitivity in animal models. We demonstrate that non-ionotropic NMDA receptor signalling in the spinal dorsal horn is sufficient to reverse pain hypersensitivity and necessary for pain modulation by spinal reconsolidation. These findings reveal a key process by which reconsolidation disrupts memory traces that may be exploited in the treatment of pain and other disorders.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Differential modulation of thermal preference after sensitization by optogenetic or pharmacological activation of heat-sensitive nociceptors

Common approaches to studying chronic pain in pre-clinical animal models paradoxically involve measuring reflexive withdrawal responses that are more indicative of acute nociceptive pain. These methods typically do not capture the ongoing nature of chronic pain nor report on behavioral changes associated with pain. In addition, data collection and analysis protocols are often labour-intensive and require direct investigator interactions, potentially introducing bias. In this study, we develop and characterize a low-cost, easily assembled behavioral assay that yields self-reported temperature preference from mice which is sensitive to peripheral sensitization protocols. This system uses a partially automated and freely available analysis pipeline to streamline the data collection process and enable objective analysis. We found that after intraplantar administration of the TrpV1 agonist, capsaicin, mice preferred to stay in cooler temperatures than control injected mice. We further observed that gabapentin, a non-opioid analgesic commonly prescribed to treat chronic pain, reversed this aversion to higher temperatures. We further observed that optogenetic activation of the central terminals of TrpV1+ primary afferents via in vivo spinal light delivery did not induce a similar change in thermal preference, indicating a role for peripheral nociceptor activity in the modulation of temperature preference. We conclude that this easily produced and robust sensory assay provides an alternative approach to investigate the contribution of central and peripheral mechanisms to pathological sensory processing that does not rely on reflexive responses evoked by noxious stimuli.

neuroscience↗