• Applied Microscopy
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.347-355
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• 2000

Zinc is one of the most abundant oligoelements in the living cell. It appears tightly bound to some metalloproteins and nucleic acids, loosely bound to some metallothioneins or even as free ion. Small amounts of zinc ions (in the nanomolar range) regulate a plentitude of enzymatic proteins, receptors and transcription factors, thus rolls need accurate homeostasis of zinc ions. Zinc is an essential catalytic or structural element of many proteins, and a signaling messenger that is released by neural activity at many central excitatory synapses. Growing evidences suggest that zinc may also be a key mediator and modulator of the neuronal death associated with transient global ischemia and sustained seizures, as well as perhaps other neurological disease stoles. Some neurons have developed mechanisms to accumulate zinc in specific membrane compartment ('vesicular zinc') which can be evidenced using histochemical techniques. Substances giving a bright colour or emitting fluorescence when in contact with divalent metal ions are currently used to detect them inside cells; their use leads to the so called 'direct' methods. The fixation and precipitation of metal ions as insoluble salt precipitates, their maintenance along the histological process and, finally, their demonstration after autometallographic development are essential steps for other methods, the so called 'indirect methods'. This study is a short report on the autometallograhical approaches for zinc detection in the central nervous system (CNS) by means of a modified selenium method.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.211-220
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• 1996

New thin-and diselena-crown ethers containing two suffer and selenium donor atoms have been prepared. And then, mercury ($Hg^{2+}$) ion-selective electrodes with PVC-plasticizer (STPB) based on some macrocycles as neutral carriers were also made. The electrochemical selectivities for various ions, and the effects for macrocycles, matrix of membranes, ratio of plasticizer to macrowcles, concentration and pH of test solution were investigated on the $Hg^{2+}$ ion-selective electrodes. The 1, 10-diselena-18-crown-6-PVC-STPB (sodium tetraphenylborate) exhibited good linear responses of ${28.2}\pm{0.6}$ decade-1 for $Hg^{2+}$ ion in the conientration ranges of $10^{-2}~10^{-6}$ M $Hg^{2+}$ ion. This electrode exhibited comparatively good selectivities for $Hg^{2+}$ ion in comparison with alkali and alkaline earth metal ions, some heavy metal ions and rare earth metal ion in the range of pH 2.5~6.0. In addition, this electrode was applied as a sensor in the titration of $Hg^{2+}$ ion with $1^-$ ion in water.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.156-163
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• 2001

Vanadium has been known as environmental polluants resulted from the burning of fossil fuels in nature. It led to toxic responses by prooxidant activity, inducing free radicals and the accumulation in the tissues. Recently, there has been growing interest in an essential nutritional requirement of vandium and especially the treatment of diabetes. But because of its strong toxicity, thease chemicals have narrow safety margin. In order to reduce metal toxicity, and increase absorption and biological activities, metal ions such as selenium and chromium were uptaken in yeast cells. In this study, Vanadium yeast was prepared by uptaking vanadate in yeast cells. Vanadate induced hematological and biochemical changes in the experimental rat blood were inhibited by the treatments of vanadium yeast. Lipid peroxidation and catalase activity were significantly increased in kidney and liver after a single intraperitoneal injection of vanadate to rats. However, these observations were apparently reduced in the vanadium yeast treated group. Vanadium amount in blood, kidney and liver after a single intraperitoneal injection of vanadium yeast was significantly reduced than that of vanadate treated group. In conclusion, vanadium yeast uptaken vanadate in yeast cells could reduce toxic effects of vanadate.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.251-258
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• 2020

Single crystal of fully dehydrated and partially Ca²⁺-exchanged zeolites A (|Ca₄Na₄|[Si₁₂Al₁₂O₄₈]-LTA) was brought into contact with Se in fine pyrex capillary at 523 K for 5 days. Crystal structure of Se-sorbed |Ca₄Na₄|[Si₁₂Al₁₂O₄₈]-LTA has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques at 294 K in the cubic space group $Pm{\bar{3}}m$ (a = 12.2787(13) Å). The crystal structure of yellow |Ca₄Na₄Se₄|[Si₁₂Al₁₂O₄₈]-LTA has been refined to the final error indices of R₁/wR₂ = 0.0960/0.3483 with 327 reflections for which F_o > 4s(F_o). In this structure, 4 Na⁺ and 4 Ca²⁺ ions fill every 6-ring site: These ions are all found at three crystallographic positions, on 3-fold axes equipoints of opposite 6-rings. Selenium atoms are found at three crystallographically distinct positions: 2 Se atoms per unit cell at Se(1) are located opposite 6-rings in the sodalite cavity (Se(1)-Na(1) = 2.53(5) Å) and 1 at Se(2) opposite 4-rings (Se(2)-O(1) = 2.76(10) Å) and 1 at Se(3) opposite 6-rings in the large cavity (Se(3)-Na(1) = 2.48(5) Å). Two molecular of Se₂ (Se(1)-Se(1) = 2.37(7) or 2.90(8) Å and Se(2)-Se(3) = 2.91(5) ) Å) are found in all sodalite cavity and large cavity. Other clusters such as Se₄ and Se₈ could be existed in large cavity. The inter-selenium distances turned out to be longer that of gases Se₂ molecule.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2008

Small amounts of zinc ions regulate a plentitude of enzymatic proteins, receptors and transcription factors, thus cells need accurate homeostasis of zinc ions. Some neurons have developed mechanisms to accumulate zinc in specific membrane compartment ("vesicular zinc"), which can be evidenced using histochemical techniques. These neurons are the socalled zinc enriched (ZEN) neurons, which accumulate glutamate and zinc inside their synaptic vesicles and release it during synaptic transmission. In the present paper we have studied the distribution of the ZEN terminals in the rat hippo-campus using ZnSe autometallography, Neo-Timm staining, ZnT3 immunohistochemistry and TSQ fluorescence staining.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.315-320
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• 2006

manganese oxides have been prepared by Chimie Douce redox reaction between permanganate and chalcogen element fine powder under acidic condition (pH = 1). According to powder X-ray diffraction analyses, the S- and Se-doped manganese oxides are crystallized with layered birnessite and tunnel-type -MnO2 structures, respectively. On the contrary, Te-doped compound was found to be X-ray amorphous. According to EDS analyses, these compounds contain chalcogen dopants with the ratio of chalcogen/manganese = 4-7%. We have investigated the chemical bonding character of these materials with X-ray absorption spectroscopic (XAS) analysis. Mn K-edge XAS results clearly demonstrated that the manganese ions are stabilized in octahedral symmetry with the mixed oxidation states of +3/+4. On the other hand, according to Se K- and Te L1-edge XAS results, selenium and tellurium elements have the high oxidation states of +6, which is surely due to the oxidation of neutral chalcogen element by the strong oxidant permanganate ion. Taking into account their crystal structures and Mn oxidation states, the obtained manganese oxides are expected to be applicable as electrode materials for lithium secondary batteries.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.357-365
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• 2000

Paneth cells have been suggested to contribute to the elimination of excess metals into the intestinal lumen. The purpose of this study wat to investigate the changes of the zinc pools in rats subjected to functional loading with zinc salt by mean of both light and electron microscopical autometallography (AMG). Wistar rats 4 were administrated with zinc chloride (20 mg/kg body weight) intraperitoneally dissolved in 1 ml distilled water. The control group received 1 ml saline IP. After further one hour the animals were transcardially perfused with 0.4% sodium sulphide dissolved in 0.1 M PB fellowed by 3% glutaraldehyde solution for 10 minutes. Pieces of ileum were frozen with solid $CO_2$ and sectioned on a cryostat. The sections $(20{\mu}m)$ were autometallographically developed. Sections selected for EM were reembedded on top of a blank Epon block, from which ultrathin sections (100 nm) were cut. The ultrathin sections were double stained with uranyl acetate (30 min) and lead citrate (5 min), then examined under electron microscope. Studies of comparable sections from control and zinc loaded animals with the AMG selenium method gave quite different results. The control animals demonstrated a weakly positive staining in the cytoplasm of the Paneth cells. In the electron microscope the AMG silver grains were found to be located in the cytoplasm, while the electron dense secretary granules and other cell organelles were void of staining. Few AMG grains were located at the apical surface of the Paneth cells. In sections from zinc loaded rats, the AMG grains were seen in abundance in the lumen of the Lieberkuhn crypts at light microscopic levels. At EM levels the zinc revealing silver grains were located in the cytoplasm as in the controls, but much more AMG grains were shifted into the secretary granules. Furthermore, profound AMG grains were found in the lumen of the crypts and surrounding vessels. And a few grains were seen in the endothelium. The AMG technique demonstrated a pattern of AMG grains in the Paneth cells that strongly suggests a transport of zinc ions through these cells.