Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can disrupt fetal development and increases the risk of having a child with neurological and cognitive impairments. In this regard, finding ways to correct disorders caused by prenatal exposure to ethanol is relevant. In this study, we assessed the acute and delayed effects of repeated inhalations of an argon-containing mixture (74% Ar, 21% O₂, 5% N₂) in comparison with artificial air (79% N₂, 21% O₂) on the behavior of white rats in a model of prenatal alcohol intoxication. Inhalations were carried out in the early postnatal period from 6 to 15 postnatal days. In offspring exposed to prenatal alcohol intoxication, there was a decrease in the quality of development of vestibulo-motor reflexes (6^th postnatal day), as well as suppression of orienting-exploratory behavior, which was shown both at early postnatal age (in 4^th and 5^th postnatal days), and at later stages (21^st, 25^th postnatal days). In prenatally alcoholized animals, an increase in the rigidity and repetitiveness of behavior in the form of grooming was noted. Prenatal exposure to alcohol led to cognitive impairment, which was reflected in a deterioration in the quality of formation of food acquisition skills in the “complex food maze.” In turn, argon inhalation made it possible to correct learning disabilities in this test. The effect of inhalation of an argon-containing mixture on other parameters of the studied behavior was not found.

Binding of Fe(II) iron cation to high-affinity Mn-binding site (HAS) of photosystem II without oxygen-evolving complex (PSII(-Mn)) consists of several steps – a highly specific association of the Fe(II) cation with the HAS, oxidation of the bound cation with the tyrosine radical Y_Z^●, generated as a result of light absorption by the primary donor P680 and charge separation in the reaction center, strong binding of the Fe(III) cation with HAS, which leads to HAS blocking (photochemical) with an iron cation. In the present work, we have shown that blocking HAS with an iron cation can be achieved not only by a photochemical process, but also by a chemical one: the Fe(II) cation weakly bound to HAS can be oxidized by hydrogen peroxide, which leads to the formation of Fe(III) and blocking of HAS by oxidized Fe cation as a result of strong binding. However, the effectiveness of chemical blocking is less than photochemical. This fact indicates that photochemical blocking is not a single quantum, but at least a two-quantum process. The data obtained indicate the two-quantum mechanism of a physiologically very important reaction - photoactivation (reconstruction of the manganese cluster in PSII(-Mn) particles during their incubation with Mn(II) cations).

The pool of compatible solutes of the strain Glutamicibacter sp. SMB32, phylogenetically closely related to the species Glutamicibacter halophytocola, was studied under high salinity conditions depending on the growth phase and temperature. In cells at the exponential growth phase, the intracellular amount of glutamate increased with an increase in the salinity of the medium to 5% NaCl, but at 8 and 10% NaCl it had an inverse relationship with the osmolarity of the cultivation medium. The pool of trehalose in the cells of the strain SMB32 increased with an increase in the salinity of the medium to 5% NaCl, but in the presence of 8 and 10% NaCl its intracellular amount did not change significantly. A positive correlation between the intracellular amount and the salinity of the medium in Glutamicibacter sp. SMB32 cells was found only for proline. In the cells grown to the stationary growth phase in a medium containing 5 and 10% NaCl, proline was not detected. At the same time, the content of trehalose in the cells increased. In this work, the effect of the combined action of abiotic factors on the synthesis of secondary metabolites by cells of bacteria of the genus Glutamicibacter was studied for the first time. It was shown that the simultaneous action of high osmotic pressure (5% NaCl) and elevated temperature (32°C) leads to an additive effect with respect to the compound, the synthesis of which they affect separately. Thus, in the cells of the SMB32 strain, a multiple increase in the synthesis of trehalose was noted, which is involved in the adaptation of cells both to the increased osmotic pressure of the medium and to the effect of high temperature. While the simultaneous action of abiotic factors did not affect the amount of proline in the cells. Our observations revealed that trehalose is critical for growth at high temperatures, and in the adaptation of the strain Glutamicibacter sp. SMB32 to high salt concentrations the leading role belongs to proline. The data obtained can be used for the development of methods for controlling the metabolic state of autochthonous bacteria of the genus Glutamicibacter by introducing solutions of compatible solutes with their ratio, selected taking into account the current abiotic factors.

The treatment of quarry wastewater, as well as the reclamation of depleted coal mines, are serious environmental problems. One of the ways to solve them is phytoremediation using stress-resilient plants such as the common pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). To mitigate the risk of epiphytotics during mass cultivation, treatments with chemical pesticides are necessary. It is important to make sure that the pesticides do not harm plants when using quarry wastewater containing heavy metals for irrigation. In this regard, mass monitoring of plants by non-invasive methods is highly relevant. In this work, we used direct measurement methods and a non-invasive approach based on hyperspectral imaging to comprehensively monitor the condition of pine seedlings treated with the “Aktara” and “Previcur Energy” pesticides in different concentrations (single, double, and quadruple compared to the concentration recommended by the manufacturer) and irrigated with the solutions of mineral salts simulating the wastewater from coal mines. It is shown that, despite some methodological difficulties, it is possible to use hyperspectral images for non-invasive remote monitoring of the condition of coniferous seedlings in vegetation experiments, including in the field. It was found that the pesticide treatments exerted neither acute toxicity nor a pronounced negative effect on the growth rate and pigment composition of the pine seedlings during the two-month observation. At the same time, irrigation of these plants with model quarry wastewater also did not produce synergistic toxic effects. Thus, there are no obvious obstacles to the use of the above-mentioned pesticides for treatment of Scots pine seedlings irrigated with quarry wastewater containing Fe, Zn and Mn. The results obtained also support the use of wastewater rich in mineral nutrition elements but lacking highly toxic heavy metals (such as Pb and Cd), when growing plants for phytoremediation of soils from depleted coal mines. However, long-term, preferably multi-year studies are needed to assess long-term risks.

The effect of chitosan in vitro on the blood plasma of healthy rats and rats with acquired bleeding caused by the use of the antiplatelet agent clopidogrel, which irreversibly inhibits P2Y12 platelet receptors, was studied. It has been shown that the degree of procoagulant activity of chitosan does not depend on the incubation time (5 and 30 minutes at 37_°C) when it is added to the blood plasma pool from healthy animals. However, there was a significant decrease (by 27%) in the fibrin-depolymerization activity of blood plasma, which is even more suppressed (by 42%) with an increase in incubation time. When chitosan was added to hypocoagulation plasma obtained after oral administration of the antiplatelet agent clopidogrel to rats (once, orally at a dose of 5 mg/kg) and incubation for 5 minutes, a pronounced activation of blood clotting was established. This was evidenced by increased values of fibrinogen concentration (by 38%), fibrin polymerization (by 51%) and platelet aggregation (by 32%), while significantly reducing fibrin depolymerization activity of the blood (by 47%). With an extension of the incubation time of hypocoagulation plasma with chitosan, more pronounced effects of this drug were observed, which manifested itself in a significant increase in the concentration of fibrinogen, platelet aggregation, the degree of polymerization of fibrin and a decrease in thrombin time, characterizing the general pathway of blood coagulation. So, the hemostatic drug chitosan leads to a blockade of bleeding phenomena caused by clopidogrel used in the clinic, which was studied for the first time in this work.