silicon and magnesium-trisilicate

Limestone and sepiolite combined amendment (LS) and silicon (Si) fertilizers are commonly applied for the remediation of Cd-polluted paddy soil. However, it is difficult to further decrease cadmium (Cd) accumulation in rice grains by the individual application of LS or Si fertilizer to heavily Cd-polluted paddy fields. Two seasons of continuous field experiments were conducted in heavily Cd-polluted soil to study how the co-application of LS and Si fertilizer (namely soil-applied Si and foliar-sprayed Si) influences Cd and Si bioavailability in soil and Cd uptake and transport in rice. The results indicated that LS co-applied with soil-applied Si fertilizer treatments can enhance pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and available Si content in soil by 0.56-1.26 units, 19.3%-57.2%, and 14.7%-58.9% (p < 0.05), respectively, and reduce the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) extractable Cd content in soil by 26.5%-49.8% (p < 0.05) relative to the control. Furthermore, the co-application of LS and soil and foliar-sprayed Si fertilizer treatments reduced the Cd content in brown rice by 18.8%-70.6% (p < 0.05) compared with the control. Particularly, the brown rice Cd content under the co-application treatment (4500 kg/ha of soil applied LS, 90 kg/ha of Si fertilizer, and 0.4 g/L of foliar-sprayed Si fertilizer) was below 0.20 mg/kg in both seasons. Meanwhile, the Si content in rice was considerably enhanced by LS co-applied with Si fertilizer and negatively (p < 0.05) correlated with the rice Cd content. Therefore, the reduction of Cd bioavailability in soil and the antagonistic effect between Cd and Si in rice might be the key factors regulating Cd accumulation in rice via the co-application of LS and Si fertilizer.

Topics: Cadmium; Calcium Carbonate; Fertilizers; Oryza; Silicon; Soil; Soil Pollutants

Three trials were conducted with recently weaned pigs (n = 198) to determine the effects of feeding different types of clay in conjunction with aflatoxin-contaminated diets. In Trial 1, pigs (n = 54; trial length 4 wk) were assigned to either an uncontaminated treatment (NC), 800 ppb of aflatoxin from contaminated corn (AC), or AC with one of four clays. In Trial 2 (n = 81; trial length 5 wk), pigs were assigned to NC, AC (500 ppb of aflatoxin from rice starch), or AC with one of seven types of clay. In both trials, pigs fed AC had decreased ADG and gain:feed ratios (P < .05) compared with controls. The clays differed in their ability to produce gains similar to those of controls. The clays did reduce changes in the serum measurements normally affected by aflatoxin, including albumin, total protein, gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels, in a manner similar to their effect on ADG. In Trial 3, pigs (n = 63) were assigned to one of seven diets for 4 wk: NC, AC (800 ppb of aflatoxin) with no clay, AC with one of four levels of a treated Ca bentonite (.25, .5, 1, and 2%), or AC and .5% hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate. The addition of treated Ca bentonite to AC improved ADG (P < .05) and ADFI (P < .01) linearly. Gain:feed ratios were not affected by treatments. The inclusion of treated Ca bentonite to the AC diet linearly decreased aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels and quadratically decreased ALP and GGT levels (P < .05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Aflatoxins; Alkaline Phosphatase; Aluminum Silicates; Animal Feed; Animals; Aspartate Aminotransferases; Bentonite; Blood Proteins; Eating; Female; Food Contamination; gamma-Glutamyltransferase; Magnesium; Magnesium Compounds; Magnesium Silicates; Male; Random Allocation; Serum Albumin; Silicic Acid; Silicon; Silicon Compounds; Swine; Weight Gain; Zeolites

Topics: Adult; Antacids; Female; Humans; Magnesium; Magnesium Silicates; Silicic Acid; Silicon; Urinary Calculi

Topics: Acebutolol; Adsorption; Antihypertensive Agents; Charcoal; Kaolin; Magnesium; Magnesium Compounds; Magnesium Silicates; Metoprolol; Nadolol; Oxprenolol; Silicic Acid; Silicon; Silicon Compounds; Timolol

Attapulgite (palygorskite) and sepiolite are fibrous clay minerals used commercially as components in a wide variety of products including oil and grease adsorbents, carriers for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and pesticides. They are also components of drilling muds and animal litter and they are used as paint thickeners. The current annual worldwide production of these minerals exceeds one million tons. Although fibrous in nature, the fibre length may vary greatly depending on the location of the geological deposits. American attapulgite is short (0.1-2.5 micron in length, median of 0.4 micron) but palygorskite from other parts of the world is much longer (30% longer than 5 micron). Several samples of these materials have been submitted to scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). This paper reports the results of microscopic evaluations and makes a comparison with the data from experimental carcinogenicity studies and it is concluded that fibre length is a most important carcinogenic property.

Topics: Environmental Exposure; Humans; Magnesium; Magnesium Compounds; Magnesium Silicates; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Minerals; Neoplasms; Risk; Silicon; Silicon Compounds

As the preliminary results of experimental studies on dust from the palygorskite group have led to some confusion a detailed description of the completed investigation is given for clarification. As in other experiments the biological effects have been shown to be associated with the physical characteristics of the fibres in these specimens. Samples of sepiolite and attapulgite from Spain and a single sample of palygorskite from the United Kingdom have been studied. Serious abnormalities were produced only by the palygorskite and one of the attapulgite dusts. The palygorskite is of no commercial interest and the attapulgite was from one small deposit and was used only in the preparation of drilling mud in the exploration of oil deposits.

Topics: Administration, Inhalation; Animals; Dust; Female; Magnesium; Magnesium Compounds; Magnesium Silicates; Male; Mesothelioma; Microscopy, Electron; Minerals; Pleural Neoplasms; Pulmonary Fibrosis; Rats; Rats, Inbred F344; Rats, Inbred Strains; Silicon; Silicon Compounds

Topics: Absorption; Antihypertensive Agents; Charcoal; Kaolin; Magnesium; Magnesium Compounds; Magnesium Silicates; Propranolol; Silicic Acid; Silicon; Silicon Compounds; Thermodynamics

The biological activity of natural and synthetic mineral fibers has been examined. Natural attapulgite [(Mg, Al)2Si4O10(OH).4H2O], synthetic xonotlite [Ca3Si3O8(OH)2] and natural sepiolite [Mg2Si3O8.2H2O] were selected. Genotoxic effects were investigated by means of a well established cellular model based upon the measurement of unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) in rat hepatocytes in primary culture. The intrinsic capacity of the fibers (1 and 10 micrograms/ml) to induce UDS was first tested. None of the fiber types showed detectable UDS-eliciting activity. Also, the possible modulation of the cellular response to genotoxic agents by the materials was examined by exposing the cells to mixtures of 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF) (0.05 and 0.25 micrograms/ml) and fibers (1 and 10 micrograms/ml). In these experiments, the UDS response was significantly diminished in the presence of xonotlite. This phenomenon may reflect changes in the uptake and/or metabolism of AAF or may result from an inhibition of DNA repair processes, the latter suggesting a possible cocarcinogenic potential for this synthetic silicate. These results point to the immediate necessity of studying more extensively the biological effects of fibrous materials that can be used as substitutes for asbestos.

Topics: Animals; Calcium Compounds; Liver; Magnesium; Magnesium Compounds; Magnesium Silicates; Male; Minerals; Mutagens; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Silicates; Silicic Acid; Silicon; Silicon Compounds; Silicon Dioxide

Cellular interactions of a series of fibrous materials were examined by the use of a well established in vitro system. Primary cultures of hepatocytes were exposed to natural attapulgite, synthetic xonotlite and natural sepiolite. Ultrastructural analyses revealed that hepatocytes can engage in the phagocytosis of all 3 types of fibers over an exposure period of 20 h. Attapulgite fibers were found in plasma membrane invaginations, and deeper in the cytoplasm, in vesicles exhibiting various shapes. Xonotlite was also incorporated in plasma membrane invaginations; furthermore, these fibers were present in large vacuoles where they were circumscribed by membranes and appeared somewhat isolated from the cytoplasm. Sepiolite fibers were also taken up by the cells and could likewise be identified in the previously described structures. These observations point to the relevance of the hepatocyte model for investigating the effects of fibrous materials at the cellular level.

Topics: Animals; Calcium Compounds; In Vitro Techniques; Liver; Magnesium; Magnesium Compounds; Magnesium Silicates; Microscopy, Electron; Minerals; Phagocytosis; Rats; Silicates; Silicic Acid; Silicon; Silicon Compounds; Subcellular Fractions

Topics: Aged; Antacids; Humans; Magnesium; Magnesium Silicates; Male; Silicic Acid; Silicon; Silicon Dioxide; Urinary Bladder Calculi

The urinary excretion of silicon in the rat was found to be enhanced beyond normal levels by the administration of various chemical forms of silicon. The excretion was enhanced to a much greater degree by the administration of ethyl silicate than by magnesium trisilicate, sodium metasilicate, or water glass. The tolerance level of rats to sustained daily doses of ethyl silicate fed via stomach tube was approximately 15 to 30 mg. of silicon per rat per day. Urinary silicon excretion was found to be a straight line function of the concentration of ethyl silicate administered, via stomach tube, with approximately 18 per cent of the administered silicon appearing in the urine at all levels tested. Using sustained dietary additions of ethyl silicate as a means of enhancing urine silicon levels, artificial siliceous urinary calculi were consistently produced on zinc pellets implanted in the bladders of rats.

Topics: Animals; Calculi; Magnesium Silicates; Rats; Silicates; Silicon; Water; Zinc