Jacek Zebrowski

• Head of Department at Rzeszów University

Most studies on the effects of organisms on microplastic characteristics have focused on microorganisms, while the impact of animal feeding behavior, particularly in aquatic species like fish and decapod crustaceans, has been less explored. This study examines how polyethylene spherical microplastics (275 µm in diameter) passing through the digesti...

Aging is a multifactorial process that significantly impairs organismal function. Yeast is one of the model organisms used in aging research. Our understanding of the impact of the cell wall on aging remains elusive. Yeast cell wall is a complex and dynamic structure that plays a crucial role in the growth, survival, and aging of Saccharomyces cere...

The design of biomaterials has been mostly limited to their diverse individual features and is used in specific sectors, including biomedical or food. In terms of fabrication and characterisation of multifunctional engineered materials, increasing interest has arisen on the combination of several features in recent years. Composites, a combination...

Background Microspore embryogenesis is a process that produces doubled haploids in tissue culture environments and is widely used in cereal plants. The efficient production of green regenerants requires stresses that could be sensed at the level of glycolysis, followed by the Krebs cycle and electron transfer chain. The latter can be affected by Cu...

Background The development of the plant in vitro techniques has brought about the variation identified in regenerants known as somaclonal or tissue culture-induced variation (TCIV). S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM), glutathione (GSH), low methylated pectins (LMP), and Cu(II) ions may be implicated in green plant regeneration efficiency (GPRE) and TCIV...

Biomaterial engineering approaches involve using a combination of miscellaneous bioactive molecules which may promote cell proliferation and, thus, form a scaffold with the environment that favors the regeneration process. Chitosan, a naturally occurring biodegradable polymer, possess some essential features, i.e., biodegradability, biocompatibilit...

Bone tissue engineering is an ongoing field of research due to the existing of burning needs in restoration and reconstruction of damaged bone. Numerous studies have shown the development of the biomaterials based on the hydroxyapatite, major component of bones. Biomaterials engineering approaches involve using a combination of miscellaneous bioact...

Green plant regeneration efficiency (GPRE) via in vitro anther culture results from biochemical pathways and cycle dysfunctions that may affect DNA and histone methylation, with gene expression influencing whole cell functioning. The reprogramming from gametophytic to sporophytic fate is part of the phenomenon. While DNA methylation and sequence ch...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.926305.].

Microplastic pollution is currently one of the most intensely studied ecological issues. Numerous studies have estimated the distribution and concentration of microplastics in various environments and determine how they affect their inhabitants. Much less effort has been place on assessing the possible effects of microplastics on interactions betwe...

The biological improvement of triticale, a cereal of increasing importance in agriculture, may be accelerated via the production of doubled haploid lines using in vitro culture. Among the relevant factors affecting the culture efficiency are Cu(II) or Ag(I) acting, e.g., as cofactors of enzymes. The copper ions are known to positively affect green...

Plant tissue culture techniques are handy tools for obtaining unique plant materials that are difficult to propagate or important for agriculture. Homozygous materials derived through in vitro cultures are invaluable and significantly accelerate the evaluation of new varieties, e.g., cereals. The induction of somatic embryogenesis/androgenesis and...

The cell wall plays a crucial role in plant growth and development, including in response to environmental factors, mainly through significant biochemical and biomechanical plasticity. The involvement of the cell wall in C4 plants’ response to cold is, however, still poorly understood. Miscanthus × giganteus, a perennial grass, is generally conside...

The process of anther culture involves numerous abiotic stresses required for cellular reprogramming, microspore developmental switch, and plant regeneration. These stresses affect DNA methylation patterns, sequence variation, and the number of green plants regenerated. Recently, in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), mediation analysis linked DNA methyla...

The aim of this study was to examine novel putative markers of the response to the competitive soccer match in adolescent players, such as changes in global levels of γH2AX and H4K16ac in the chromatin of peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PMBCs) and a Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)-based biochemical fingerprint of serum. These cha...

Tissue culture is an essential tool for the regeneration of uniform plant material. However, tissue culture conditions can be a source of abiotic stress for plants, leading to changes in the DNA sequence and methylation patterns. Despite the growing evidence on biochemical processes affected by abiotic stresses, how these altered biochemical proces...

Despite many studies of the aging process, questions about key factors ensuring longevity have not yet found clear answers. Temperature seems to be one of the most important factors regulating lifespan. However, the genetic background may also play a key role in determining longevity. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship betwee...

Main conclusion: The changes in the expression of key sugar metabolism enzymes (SPS and SUS), sucrose content and arrangement of chloroplast starch may play a significant role in the cold response in M. giganteus and maize plants. To understand the mechanism of the chilling-response of two closely-related C4 plants, we investigated the changes in...

The recent studies on fluorapatite and hydroxyapatite, in the context of their medical applications, have shown that the former has relatively higher thermal stability and better mechanical properties than the latter. Moreover, the presence of fluoride ions is relevant for protection of teeth from dental caries since they stimulate processes of min...

The high demand for new biomaterials makes synthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) in plants an interesting and desirable achievement. Production of polymers in plants is an example of application of biotechnology for improving the properties of plants, e.g. industrial properties, but it can also provide knowledge about plant physiology and metabo...

Miscanthus × giganteus and Zea mays, closely-related C4 grasses, originated from warm climates react differently to low temperature. To investigate the response to cold (12-14 °C) in these species, the photosynthetic and anatomical parameters as well as biochemical properties of the cell wall were studied. The research was performed using M. gigant...

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast is one of the most widely used model in studies of cellular and organismal biology, including as aging and proliferation. Although several constraints of aging and budding lifespan have been identified, these processes have not yet been fully understood. Previous studies of aging in yeast have focused mostly on th...

The assessment of the impact of the bacteria Pseudomonas denitrificans, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Bacillus subtilis and yeast Yarrowia lipolytica on commercial poly(ether urethanes) Tecoflex® and Tecothane® is presented. The polyurethane samples were incubated with pure cultures of the microorganisms at 30 °C for five months. The changes in the chem...

Here we focused on Polish oat landraces developed in the moderate temperature zone attempting to understand their genetic and phenotypic variability in context of the pressure of environmental constrains at the locations where they had evolved. Besides molecular markers and diverse phenotypic traits the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscop...

Plants mainly utilize inorganic forms of nitrogen (N), such as nitrate (NO3–) and ammonium (NH4⁺). However, the composition of the N source is important, because excess of NH4⁺ promotes morphological disorders. Plants cultured on NH4⁺ as the sole N source exhibit serious growth inhibition, commonly referred to as “ammonium toxicity syndrome.” NH4⁺-...

Accessory respiratory organs in fish exhibit great diversity but share the presence of numerous capillaries covered by a simple squamous epithelium. The adoption of the intestine for respiratory function needs certain special modifications. In this study, we explored immunohistochemical and metabolic fingerprint features that could underlay this ad...

Yeast aging has been gaining much attention in gerontology research, yet the process itself is still not entirely clear. One of the constraints related to the use of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast in studies is the ambiguity of the results concerning aging determinants for different genetic backgrounds. In this paper, we compare reproductive po...

It is widely accepted that silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are toxic to biological systems. However, little is known about their actions at molecular level and the cytophysiological effects after AgNP removal. As nanoparticles are suggested a promising tool to transport drugs to the brain for use in neurological conditions, we used HT22 mouse hippocam...

Tango® Super is a two-compound fungicide formulation widely employed in grain protection. However, details of Tango® Super effects on cell cultures have not been fully investigated. In this study, bovine lymphocytes were exposed to a concentration range 0.5; 1.5; 3; 6; and 15 μg mL−1 for 4 h to assess the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of the fungic...

Although chitosan nanoparticles (CNs) became a promising tool for several biological and medical applications owing to their inherent biocompatibility and biodegradability features, studies regarding their effects on cytotoxic and cytostatic properties still remain insufficient. Therefore, in the present study, we decided to perform comprehensive a...

It has been postulated that fatty acids found in edible oils may exert beneficial health effects by the modulation of signaling pathways regulating cell differentiation and proliferation, especially in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. In the present study, the biological effects of selected edible oils-linseed (LO) and rapeseed (RO) oils-w...

Nanogold-based materials are promising candidate tools for nanobased medicine. Nevertheless, no conclusive information on their cytotoxicity is available. In the present study, we investigated the effects of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on human astrocytes in vitro. Nanogold treatment in a wide range of concentrations did not result in cytotoxicity....

(i) to assess the expression profiles of stem cell-associated markers including Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, Nanog, C-myc, Stat3 and Cd9, (ii) analyse the nanotopography of the MIC-1 stem cells and (iii) evaluate the efficiency of live stem cell implants and stem cell culture derivatives on the regeneration of bone deficiencies in rabbit mandibles. The expres...

In general, nanoparticle-based materials are promising candidates for use in biological systems for diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. However, these materials' actions at the molecular level remain poorly understood. Nanoparticle (silica, silver and diamond)-induced oxidative stress and activation of the NF-κB pathway lead to the depletion of...

Nanodiamonds (NDs) are considered non-toxic and nanodiamond-based materials are widely used in nanotechnology and nanomedicine. However, little is known about their biological effects at low concentrations not causing cytotoxicity, especially that nanodiamonds may affect not only primary organs directly exposed but also secondary organs, such as th...

Free Radical Biology and Medicine Volume 76, Supplement 1, Pages S1-S176 (November 2014)

In recent decades cultivation of flax and its application have dramatically decreased. One of the reasons for this is unpredictable quality and properties of flax fibre, because they depend on environmental factors, retting duration and growing conditions. These factors have contribution to the fibre composition, which consists of cellulose, hemice...

In order to improve the properties of flax fibers so that they interact better with the matrix material in composites, several lines of transgenic flax were produced over-expressing the bacterial polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) synthesis genes. Infra-red spectrophotometry revealed that the cellulose in fibers from the transgenic plants was more highly st...

The hypothesis was tested that pectin content and methylation degree participate in regulation of cell wall mechanical properties and in this way may affect tissue growth and freezing resistance over the course of plant cold acclimation and de-acclimation. Experiments were carried on the leaves of two double-haploid lines of winter oil-seed rape (B...

Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is a very important source of natural fibres used by the textile industry. Flax fibres are called lignocellulosic, because they contain mainly cellulose (about 70%), with hemicellulose, pectin and lignin. Lignin is a three-dimensional polymer with a high molecular weight, and it gives rigidity and mechanical resistance...

Flax stem is a source of fiber used by the textile industry. Flax fibers are separated from other parts of stems in the process called retting and are probably the first plant fibers used by man for textile purposes (1). Nowadays flax cultivation is often limited because of its lower elastic property compared to cotton fibers. Thus the goal of this...

A laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) technique was used to monitor ripening behaviour and a reciprocal model was developed to simulate the ripening process of pear fruit stored for various periods at low temperature. Over a period of separate growing seasons ‘La France’ pears were harvested at the stage considered most favorable for the development of...

Asparagine synthetase (EC 6.3.5.4) activity was increased 4- and 8-fold when maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings were kept in darkness for 24 h and 7 days, respectively; this increase was abolished by cycloheximide. Irradiation of the dark adapted seedlings with a pulse of red light resulted in a 4-fold decrease of the enzyme activity within 48 h, which...

Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is an annual plant species widely cultivated in temperate climates for bast fibres and linseed oil. Apart from traditional textile use, the fibres are fast becoming an integral part of new composite materials utilized in automobile and constructive industry. Especially attractive for environmental safety demands are bi...

The frequency of free oscillations of plant stems with apical loads, as found in some cereals, is different depending on whether the stems are oriented vertically or horizontally. Neglecting the stem's own weight the differential equations describing the oscillation can be solved for both cases, although in the vertical orientation only for a limit...

The mechanical response of cereal plant shoots to load caused by wind and gravity in the field is swaying in flexure around the vertical or near vertical transient equilibrium position determined by the stationary component of the wind pressure. The aim of this work was to characterise the kinematic and dynamic attributes and their interrelations i...

Light quantity and quality within canopy of a narrow-leaf mutant and wide-leaf plants of spring barley (cv. Damazy) were compared. The mutant induced in the result of Co-60 gamma irradiation displayed horizontally oriented leaves of reduced blade width by about 50 per cent and the blade length decreased by about 30 per cent, in comparison to the or...

There are conflicting results on the effect of incubation of embryos in the dark compared with light on wheat callus induction. Lazar et al. (1983) and Maddock et al. (1983) found no significant differences in regeneration frequencies among dark- and lightgrown calli, although Maddock et al. observed that development of shoots was better from light...

The variation in the stiffness of stem and leaf sheaths along the shoot axis of Triticale (Triticosecale W., cv. Jago) was examined, using an ultrasonic method, at two stages of development, (i) at the stage of high stem mechanical instability when upper internodes are forming (heading), and (ii) at milk maturity when development of strengthening t...

The possibility of using the period of free vibrations to determine elastic modulus and flexural rigidity of plant material with contrasting elasticity to viscosity ratios was tested. A simple, easy-to-operate method is described. Both the mature sections of Triticale peduncle as well as those sampled from the meristematic zone were found to behave...