Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies

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Publications

Biological activity of 6,7-Dehydroxyroyleanone and derivatives obtained from Plectranthus aliciae (Codd) A.J.Paton

Publication . Filipe, Márcia Santos; Domínguez-Martín, Eva M.; Pires, Tânia C.S.P.; Finimundy, Tiane C.; Melgar Castañeda, Bruno; Mandim, Filipa; Isca, Vera M. S.; Pereira, Raquel; Teixidó-Trujillo, Silvia; Capote, Natalia A.; Nikolić, Milan; Filipović, Nenad; Díaz-Lanza, Ana M.; Figueiredo, Ana Cristina; Barros, Lillian; Rijo, Patrícia

The Plectranthus genus (Lamiaceae) is known to be rich in abietane diterpenes. The bioactive 6,7-dehydroxyroyleanone (DHR, 1) was previously isolated from Plectranthus madagascariensis var. madagascariensis and var. aliciae. This study aimed to explore the occurrence of DHR, 1, in P. aliciae and the potential bioactivities of new semisynthetic derivatives from DHR, 1. Several extraction methods were evaluated, and the hydrodistillation, using a Clevenger apparatus, afforded the highest yield (77.8 mg/g of 1 in the essential oil). Three new acyl derivatives (2-4) were successfully prepared from 1 (yields of 86-95%). Compounds 1-4 showed antioxidant activity, antibacterial effects, potent cytotoxic activity against several cell lines, and enhanced anti-inflammatory activity that surpassed dexamethasone (positive control). These findings encourage further exploration of derivatives 2-4 for potential mechanisms of antitumoral, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory capabilities, studying both safety and efficacy.

2024Journal article

Open access

Comprehensive analysis of particulate matter, gaseous pollutants, and microbiological contamination in an international chain supermarket

Publication . Furst, Leonardo; Cipoli, Yago Alonso; Galindo, Nuria; Yubero, Eduardo; Viegas, Carla; Pena, Pedro; Nunes, Teresa; Feliciano, Manuel; Alves, Célia

Indoor environmental quality is of utmost importance since urban populations spend a large proportion of their life in confined spaces. Supermarkets offer a wide range of products and services that are prone to emitting several air pollutants. This study aimed to perform a comprehensive characterisation of the indoor and outdoor air quality in a multinational supermarket, encompassing not only criteria parameters but also unregulated pollutants of concern. Monitoring included measurements of comfort parameters, CO2, multiple gaseous pollutants, particulate matter (PM10) and bioburden. PM10, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbonyls were subject to chemical speciation. Globally, the supermarket presented CO2, VOCs, and PM10 values below the limits imposed by international regulations. The PM10 concentration in the supermarket was 33.5 ± 23.2 μg/m3, and the indoor-to-outdoor PM10 ratio was 1.76. Carbonaceous constituents represented PM10 mass fractions of 21.6% indoors and 15.3% outdoors. Due to the use of stainless-steel utensils, flour and fermentation processes, the bakery proved to be a pollution hotspot, presenting the highest concentrations of PM10 (73.1 ± 9.16 μg/m3), PM10-bound elements (S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, and Cr) and acetaldehyde (42.7 μg/m3). The maximum tetrachloroethylene level (130 μg/m3) was obtained in the cleaning products section. The highest values of colony-forming units of bacteria and fungi were recorded in the bakery, and fruit and vegetable section. The most prevalent fungal species was Penicillium sp., corresponding to 56.9% of the total colonies. In addition, other fungal species/ sections with toxicological or pathogenic potential were detected (Aspergillus sections Aspergilli, Circumdati, Flavi, Mucor and Fusarium sp.).

2024Journal article

Restricted access

Health impact pathways related to air quality changes: testing two health risk methodologies over a local traffic case study

Publication . Silveira, Carlos; Ferreira, Joana; Miranda, Ana I.

Air pollution causes damage and imposes risks on human health, especially in cities, where the pollutant load is a major concern, although the extent of these effects is still largely unknown. Thus, taking the busiest road traffic area in Portugal as a local case study (600 m × 600 m domain, 4 m2 spatial resolution), the objective of this work was to investigate two health risk methodologies (linear and nonlinear), which were applied for estimating short-term health impacts related to daily variations of high-resolution ambient nitrogen dioxide ( NO2) concentrations modelled for winter and summer periods. Both approaches are based on the same general equation and health input metrics, differing only in the relative risk calculation. Health outcomes, translated into the total number of cases and subsequent damage costs, were compared, and their associated uncertainties and challenges for health impact modelling were addressed. Overall, for the winter and summer periods, health outcomes considering the whole simulation domain were lower using the nonlinear methodology (less 27% and 28%, respectively). Spatially, these differences are more noticeable in locations with higher NO2 and population values, where the highest health estimates were obtained. When the daily NO2 exposure was less than 6 μg.m−3, a fact that occurred in 95% of the domain cells and in both periods, relatively small differences between approaches were found. Analysing the seasonality effect, total health impacts derived from the linear and nonlinear applications were greater in summer (around 18% in both approaches). This happens due to the magnitude and spatial variability of NO2, as the other health input metrics remained constant. This exploratory research in local scale health impact assessment (HIA) demonstrated that the use of refined input data could contribute to more accurate health estimates and that the nonlinear approach is probably the most suitable for characterising air pollution episodes, thus providing important support in HIA.

2024Journal article

Open access

Seasonal variation in exposure to particulate matter among children attending different levels of education: comparison of two dosimetry models

Publication . Charres, Isabella; Cipoli, Yago Alonso; Furst, Leonardo; Vicente, Estela D.; Casotti Rienda, Ismael; Lazaridis, Mihalis; Feliciano, Manuel; Alves, Célia

Exposure to particulate matter (PM) has been associated with several adverse health outcomes. Studies indicate that children may be exposed to much higher concentrations of PM at school than in other environments. There exists very little data on the deposited dose of PM while children attend classes. This study was carried out in a school located near an industrial complex in Portugal and attended by children aged 3–12 years. Indoor PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 were measured over two seasons in classrooms representing different school year groups. Particle deposition fractions in the respiratory tract, as well as the deposited doses, were calculated using the Multiple-Path Particle Dosimetry (MPPD) and the Exposure Dose Model (ExDoM2). Both models were implemented assuming an 8-hour exposure scenario to represent the school day. In general, differences in PM concentrations were observed depending on room occupancy periods and season. The highest mean PM2.5 concentration was recorded in winter when the classroom was vacant (23.7 ± 20.5 μg m-3), while the highest mean PM10 level was observed in spring during school hours (61.7 ± 24.2 μg m-3). Regardless of the dosimetry model, the highest deposition of PM10 and PM2.5 was in the upper region, while the lowest was in the tracheobronchial (TB) region. The results indicate that deposited dose and deposition fraction in spring may be more harmful to pupils’ health than in winter. PM10 presented the highest doses, ranging from 54.2 to 128 μg and from 83.9 to 185 μg, according to MPPD and ExDoM2 estimates, respectively.

2024Journal article

Open access

First exploratory study of gaseous pollutants (NO2, SO2, O3, VOCs and carbonyls) in the Luanda metropolitan area by passive monitoring

Publication . Alves, Célia; Feliciano, Manuel; Gama, Carla; Vicente, Estela D.; Furst, Leonardo; Leitão, Anabela

An air quality monitoring campaign for gaseous pollutants using passive sampling techniques was carried out, for the first time, at 25 locations in the metropolitan area of Luanda, Angola, in June 2023. Concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, trimethylbenzenes, SO2 and NO2 were generally higher in locations more impacted by traffic. Benzene, SO2 and NO2 levels did not exceed the World Health Organisation guidelines. Ozone concentrations surpassed those documented for other African regions. Higher O3 formation potential values were recorded at heavy-trafficked roads. The top 5 species with potential for ozone formation were m,pxylene, toluene, formaldehyde, propionaldehyde and butyraldehyde. The Mulenvos landfill presented a distinctive behaviour with a very low toluene/benzene ratio (0.47), while values close to 5 were obtained at traffic sites. The maximum levels of α-pinene, D-limonene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone, acrolein, propionaldehyde, butyraldehyde, benzaldehyde, valeraldehyde, hexaldehyde and crotonaldehyde were recorded at the landfill. The formaldehyde/acetaldehyde ratio ranged from 0.40 at the Mulenvos landfill to 3.0, averaging 1.8, which is a typical value for urban atmospheres. Acetaldehyde/propionaldehyde ratios around 0.4–0.6 were found in locations heavily impacted by traffic, whereas values between 0.7 and 1.2 were observed in green residential areas and in places with more rural characteristics. All hazard quotient (HQ) values were in the range from 1 to 10, indicating moderate risk of developing non-cancer diseases. The exception was the Mulenvos landfill for which a HQ of 11 was obtained (high risk). The cancer risks exceeded the tolerable level of 1 × 10-4, with special concern for the landfill and sites most impacted by traffic. A mean lifetime cancer risk of 9 × 10-4 was obtained. The cancer risk was mainly due to naphthalene, which accounted, on average, for 94.6% of the total.

2024Journal article

Open access