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Biomedical subjects

J Schubert

Publications and source records attributed to J Schubert.

At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources

Mutagenicity and cytotoxicity of irradiated foods and food components.

The preservation of foods by treatment with ionizing radiation can significantly increase the world's food resources by reducing spoilage and waste. However, irradiation can bring about chemical transformations in food and food components resulting in the formation of potential mutagens, particularly hydrogen peroxide and various organic peroxides. In order to evaluate the safety of irradiated foods for general consumption by the public, and, indeed, the safety of all foods subjected to environmental factors such as food additives, pesticides, drugs, air and water pollutants, etc., it is necessary to supplement the usual feeding tests with procedures designed to detect all classes of genetic damage. This article includes a comprehensive critical review of (1) the experimental evidence relating to the presence of mutagenic and cytotoxic agents in irradiated media, as detected by their effects on mammalian and non-mammalian cells; (2) the chemical changes produced in irradiated media, especially those which produce known mutagenic substances; and (3) new and convenient in vivo methods for the detection and evaluation of genetic damage in mammals.

Amino Acids↗

Radiation of hemocyanin: inactivation and reactivation of oxygen-carrying capacity.

Oxygen-carrying capacity of hemocyanin from Limulus and Busycotypus (Busycon) decreases with increasing radiation, giving initial yield values for G(-O(2),) of 1.1 and 1.0, respectively. High radiation doses regenerate this capacity of Busycotypus hemocyanin. These effects are attributed largely to the dual nature of hydrogen peroxide, which, at low concentrations, oxidizes protein-bound copper and at high concentrations, that is, at high doses, reduces oxidized copper. The ability of hemocyanin to decompose hydrogen peroxide is relatively unaffected by irradiation, which suggests that copper atoms at the active sites are not all equivalent. The catalase-like activity of Busycotypus hemocyanin can be simulated by amino acid chelates of copper, including arginine, histidine, and glycine.

Animals↗