BACKGROUND: Use of slow-release fertilizers derived from biological sources is important in sustainable agricultural development. Struvite-K (KMgPO 4 •6H 2 O) is magnesium potassium phosphate mineral that has high potential for use as fertilizer in agriculture. Struvite-K is particularly suitable for slow-release fertilizer systems since struvite-K crystals are sparingly soluble in water. Seeds of pumpkin Cucurbita pepo L. are recovered and consumed as food, but the remaining pulp has no economic value.RESULTS: The present study evaluated the feasibility of struvite-K crystals recovery from pyrolysis products of pumpkin wastes. In the study C. pepo pulp was decomposed at high temperatures and potassium was extracted from the residue and then crystalized from the solution by addition of NaH 2 PO 4 •2H 2 O and MgCl 2 •6H 2 O salts. Struvite-K was characterized by Fouriertransform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. CONCLUSIONS:The study revealed pumpkin wastes can be evaluated as source of potassium and 80% of potassium could be recovered as struvite-K crystals, which have a potential use as a slow-release mineral fertilizer for sustainable agriculture operations.

This study was conducted to determine whether the plasma and brain concentrations of AFB1 are affected by the modulation of P-gp and BCRP using zosuquidar (ZQR) and prazosin (PRZ), respectively. In this study, a total of 40 healthy adult male BALB/c mice (32±3.7 g) were used. The animals were randomly divided into 5 groups, with 8 animals per group. Group 1 was used for method validation. Group 2 (AF) received intraperitoneal AFB1 at a dose of 20 mg/kg of body weight. Groups 3 (AF+PRZ), 4 (AF+ZQR), and 5 (AF+PRZ+ZQR) received 20 mg/kg of AFB1 intraperitoneally 30 min after the intraperitoneal administration of prazosin (0.3 mg/kg), zosuquidar (25 mg/kg), and prazosin+zosuquidar (0.3 mg/kg prazosin + 25 mg/kg zosuquidar), respectively. Six hours after the administration of AFB1, blood and brain samples were collected from the animals in Groups 2 to 5. AFB1 concentrations were determined using an HPLC system with fluorescence detection. Individual and simultaneous administration of prazosin and zosuquidar significantly reduced the brain concentrations of AFB1 in comparison to a single administration of AFB1 (P<0.05). The brain/plasma ratio of the AF group was higher than that of the other groups (AF+PRZ, AF+ZQR, and AF+PRZ+ZQR) (P<0.05). Inducers of transmembrane proteins, especially BCRP, can be life saving during acute AFB1 poisoning. Keywords: Aflatoxin B1, Brain, Drug transporter proteins, Modulation, Mice Aflatoksin B 1 'in Fare Beynine Geçişi Üzerine BCRP ve P-gp Modülatörlerinin EtkisiÖzet Çalışma, zosuquidar ve prazosin tarafından sırasıyla P-gp ve BCRP modülasyonunun AFB1'in plazma ve beyin konsantrasyonlarının etkileyip etkilemediğini belirlemek için gerçekleştirildi. Bu çalışmada, 40 adet sağlıklı, erkek BALB/c ırkı fare (32±3.7 g) kullanıldı. Hayvanlar her grupta 8 fare olacak şekilde rastgele 5 gruba ayrıldı. Grup 1, metod validasyon çalışmalarında kullanıldı. Grup 2 (AF)'ye AFB1 20 mg/kg dozda intraperitoneal yolla verildi. Grup 3 (AF+PRZ), 4 (AF+ZQR) ve 5 (AF+PRZ+ZQR)'e ise sırasıyla intraperitoneal yolla prazosin (0.3 mg/kg), zosuquidar (25 mg/kg) ve prazosin+zosuquidar (0.3 mg/kg prazosin + 25 mg/kg zosuquidar) uygulamalarından 30 dk. sonra AFB1 20 mg/kg dozda intraperitoneal yolla uygulandı. Grup 2-5'de bulunan hayvanlardan AFB1 uygulamasından sonraki 6. saatte kan ve beyin örnekleri alındı. AFB1 düzeyleri fluoresans dedektör içeren HPLC sisteminde tayin edildi. Prazosin ve zosuquidarın tek ve eşzamanlı uygulanması AFB1'in beyin konsantrasyonlarında sadece AFB1 uygulamasına göre önemli oranda azalmaya neden oldu (P<0.05). AFB1 grubunda AFB1'in beyin/plazma oranı diğer gruplardan (AF+PRZ, AF+ZQR, and AF+PRZ+ZQR) önemli oranda daha yüksekti (P<0.05). Akut AFB1 zehirlenmelerinde özellikle BCRP gibi transmembran proteinlerin indüklenmesi hayatta kalma oranını artırabilir.

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