Patricia Mussali

• Ph.D
• Researcher at Centro de Investigacion en Biotecnología Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos

Widespread use of pesticides in agriculture causes adverse impacts on non-target organisms and environmental pollution. Efficient and sustainable pesticide removal alternatives must be developed to reduce pesticide environmental impacts. Recently, bioremediation based on immobilized microorganisms has been proposed as an environmentally friendly an...

Herbicides are the most employed pesticides in agriculture worldwide; among them, glyphosate is the most successful herbicide molecule in history. The extensive use of glyphosate has been related to environmental pollution and toxic effects on non-target organisms. Effective remediation and treatment alternatives must be developed to reduce the env...

Heavy metals are among the most toxic environmental pollutants. They are a group of chemical elements broadly distributed in different environments. Anthropogenic activities such as agriculture, livestock farming, and mining release large amounts of waste that contain toxic heavy metals into the environment. Bacteria are organisms that present a wi...

The hybridization phenomenon increases genetic diversity and modifies recombinant individuals’ secondary metabolite (SMs) content, affecting the canopy-dependent community. Hybridization events occur when Quercus rugosa and Q. glabrescens oaks converge in sympatry. Here, we analyzed the effect of the genetic diversity (He) and SMs of Q. rugosa, Q....

Water pollution by metals is a global environmental problem. In riparian ecosystems, metal pollution generates adverse effects on organisms and reduces water quality. The Cuautla River is of great ecological relevance and an important water supplier. However, it is polluted by multiple wastewater discharges from different origins, with toxic metals...

The waste generated during metal mining activities contains mixtures of heavy metals (HM) that are not biodegradable and can accumulate in the surrounding biota, increasing risk to human and environmental health. Plant species with the capacity to grow and develop on mine tailings can be used as a model system in phytoremediation studies. Dodonaea...

Medicines are pharmaceutical substances used to treat, prevent, or relieve symptoms of different diseases in animals and humans. However, their large-scale production and use worldwide cause their release to the environment. Pharmaceutical molecules are currently considered emerging pollutants that enter water bodies due to inadequate management, a...

En las últimas décadas, se ha incrementado considerablemente el deterioro del planeta por actividades antropogénicas a través de la liberación de sustancias tóxicas al ambiente. Uno de los contaminantes de interés ambiental son los desechos producidos por la actividad minera, principalmente porque produce el 65 % del total de los residuos industria...

The increasing demand for mineral resources has generated mine tailings with heavy metals (HM) that negatively impact human and ecosystem health. Therefore, it is necessary to implement strategies that promote the immobilization or elimination of HM, like phytoremediation. However, the toxic effect of metals may affect plant establishment, growth,...

The latex of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) is a source of a special kind of acylsugars called resin glycosides, which are highly appreciated because of their biological activities (i.e. laxative, antimicrobial, cytotoxic etc.). Most research has been conducted in perennials with tuberous roots, where resin glycosides are stored. However, their content a...

The steadily increasing presence of both natural and anthropogenic pollutants in our environment poses a considerable challenge, given the recalcitrance of many of these pollutants. Microbial bioremediation presents a promising and sustainable strategy that harnesses a diverse array of microorganisms, operating either concurrently or sequentially,...

The steadily increasing presence of both natural and anthropogenic pollutants in our environment poses a considerable challenge, given the recalcitrance of many of these pollutants. Microbial bioremediation presents a promising and sustainable strategy that harnesses a diverse array of microorganisms, operating either concurrently or sequentially,...

Phytoremediation is a useful, low-cost, and environmentally friendly alternative for the rehabilitation of heavy-metal-contaminated (HM) soils. This technology takes advantage of the ability of certain plant species to accumulate HMs in their tissues. Crotalaria pumila is a herbaceous plant with a wide geographical distribution that grows naturally...

Citation: Santoyo-Martínez, M.; Mussali-Galante, P.; Hernández-Plata, I.; Valencia-Cuevas, L.; Rodríguez, A.; Castrejón-Godínez, M.L.; Tovar-Sánchez, E. Phytoremediation Potential of Crotalaria pumila (Fabaceae) in Soils Polluted with Heavy Metals: Evidence from Field and Controlled Experiments. Plants 2024, 13, 1947. https://doi. Abstract: Phytore...

Mining is a major economic activity in many developing countries. However, it disturbs the environment, producing enormous quantities of waste, known as mine tailings, which can have deleterious environmental impact, due to their high heavy metals (HM) content. Often, foundation species that establish on mine tailings are good candidates to study t...

Glyphosate is a broad spectrum and non-selective herbicide employed to control different weeds in agricultural and urban zones and to facilitate the harvest of various crops. Currently, glyphosate-based formulations are the most employed herbicides in agriculture worldwide. Extensive use of glyphosate has been related to environmental pollution eve...

Background and Research Aims: Morphological and physiological effects of anthropogenic metals have been the focus of several studies in the Sierra de Huautla Biosphere Reserve (REBIOSH, Mexico) but little is known about how they affect anurans in the area. We evaluated metal bioaccumulation in anurans from streams in the REBIOSH and examined anuran...

The hybridization phenomenon is recognized as an important evolutionary force that influences the diversification and evolution of different vascular plant groups. Hence, it is important to identify hybrid individuals. In Mexico, the dry tropical forest (DTF) is considered as the main center of diversification and endemism of the Bursera genus, con...

Pesticides are chemical molecules employed to protect crops from pests in agriculture. The use of pesticides significantly enhances crop yields and helps to guarantee the quality of farm products; due to this, each year, millions of tons of pesticides are employed in crop fields worldwide. However, the extensive use of pesticides has been related t...

Heavy metal pollution is a worldwide environmental and human health problem. Prosopis laevigata is a hyperaccumulator legume that bioaccumulates Pb, Cu and Zn. With interest in designing phytoremediation strategies for sites contaminated with heavy metals, we isolated and characterized endophytic fungi from the roots of P. laevigata growing on mine...

The pollution generated by the heavy metals (HM) contained in mining wastes (tailings) is a worldwide recognized environmental concern. Due to the persistence, toxicity, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification capacity through the food chains, the release of HM into the environment causes negative effects on human health and the ecosystems. Wigandia...

As a result of mining activities, waste of different types is generated. One example is mine tailings that contain potentially toxic elements such as heavy metals that negatively impact the environment and human health. Hence, developing treatments to guarantee its efficient elimination from the environment is necessary. Among these treatments, phy...

Phytoremediation is a cost-effective technique to remediate heavy metal (HM) polluted sites. However, the toxic effects of HM can limit plant establishment and development, reducing phytoremediation effectiveness. Therefore, the addition of organic amendments to mine wastes, such as biochar, improves the establishment of plants and reduces the bioa...

The galls induced by cynipids in host oaks have been proposed as biodiversity hotspots. They constitute support for the development of arthropod communities of great diversity and functional complexity that find in them nutrition and protection from external abiotic and biotic elements which change according to environmental gradients. We character...

Dodonaea viscosa (L.) Jacq. is a plant with a wide distribution that expands throughout almost all Mexican territory and is used in traditional medicine to treat many ailments. This species has been found associated with polluted areas, including mine tailings. Huautla, Morelos, Mexico, was a metallurgic district where mining activities generated 7...

Methyl parathion is an organophosphorus pesticide widely employed worldwide to control pests in agricultural and domestic environments. However, due to its intensive use, high toxicity, and environmental persistence, methyl parathion is recognized as an important ecosystem and human health threat, causing severe environmental pollution events and n...

The use of pesticides in agriculture worldwide significantly offers crop protection from pests, enhances crop yields, and guarantees the quality of the agricultural products during storage, which generates economic benefits for farmers. Due to this, millions of tons of pesticides are released into crop fields each year. However, only a small propor...

The presence of different Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), such as organochlorine pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, polychlorinated aromatic compounds, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, among others, has been reported in agricultural and industrial areas across different regions worldwide. POPs are hig...

Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide extensively used worldwide to eliminate weeds in agricultural areas. Since its market introduction in the 70's, the levels of glyphosate agricultural use have increased, mainly due to the introduction of glyphosate-resistant transgenic crops in the 90's. Glyphosate presence in the environment causes pollutio...

Wild animals that inhabit inside mine tailings which contain heavy metals are an excellent study model to conduct ecotoxicological studies that analyze chronic metal exposures at low doses (realistic exposures). This study was conducted in Huautla, Morelos, Mexico, in a mining district where 780,000 tons of wastes were deposited in open air. Liomys...

Mining activities have more than 450 years of tradition in Mexico. This extractive activity has great relevance in the country’s economy and development. However, mining activity and the processes used for the extraction of metallic minerals of economic interest generate a large amount of wastes, called mine-tailings, which contain a complex mixtur...

Mining is one of the most important extractive activities worldwide. It has a significant impact on the economic development of different regions in many countries and supplies the growing demand for mineral resources, for various industries. However, this economic activity is well recognized as an environmental hazard due to the release of several...

Methyl parathion (MP) is a highly toxic organophosphorus pesticide associated with water, soil, and air pollution events. The identification and characterization of microorganisms capable of biodegrading pollutants are an important environmental task for bioremediation of pesticide impacted sites. The strain Burkholderia cenocepacia CEIB S5-2 is a...

Mining industry generates large volumes of waste known as mine tailings, which contain heavy metals (HMs) that generate a risk to environmental health. Thus, remediation of HM pollution requires attention. In this study, HM bioaccumulation, genotoxic damage, and morphological and physiological changes in the tree species Prosopis laevigata were eva...

Durante la última década, el análisis de los efectos de los metales sobre la estructura y diversidad genética en poblaciones naturales se ha convertido en un tema prioritario en estudios de ecotoxicología . En términos generales, se ha documentado el efecto significativo que la exposición a contaminantes ambientales tiene sobre los cambios en la es...

Ecotoxicological studies are necessary in order to evaluate the effects of environmental exposure of chemicals on wild animals and their ecological consequences. Particularly, neurobehavioral effects of heavy metal elements on wild rodents have been scarcely investigated. In the present study, we analyzed the effect of metal bioaccumulation (Pb, As...

Elevational gradients can serve as natural experiments to study how species are restricted spatially according to environmental conditions. The variation in resources and conditions that habitats experience in relation to the seasons can be useful for understanding why the abundance and distribution of the species change temporarily. In this study,...

The exploitation and utilization of metallurgical resources promote the production of dangerous residues, known as mine tailings. These residues contain potentially toxic elements (PTE) that produce alterations and adverse effects in the environment affecting the surrounding biota. Heavy metals (HM) may induce different alterations in organisms (e....

In this work, Opuntia fuliginosa and Agave angustifolia fibers were used as an alternative for the removal of heavy metals from water, through a biosorption process. Both species of plant are widely available in Mexico, particularly A. angustifolia as waste material from the production of tequila. First, both fibers were characterized by scanning e...

The objective of this study is to understand the functional and metabolic potential of the microbial communities along the Apatlaco River and highlight activities related to bioremediation and its relationship with the Apatlaco’s pollutants, to enhance future design of more accurate bioremediation processes. Water samples were collected at four sam...

Vachellia campechiana (Mill Seigler & Ebinger) is widely distributed in Mexico and is a dominant species of tailings in Huautla, in the state of Morelos, Mexico. Mining activities carried out in this region generated about 780 thousand tons of bioavailable heavy metal waste (HMs) that were deposited in the environment without any treatment. This st...

Pesticides are xenobiotic molecules necessary to control pests in agriculture, home, and industry. However, water and soil can become contaminated as a consequence of their extensive use. Therefore, because of its eco-friendly characteristics and efficiency, bioremediation of contaminated sites is a powerful tool with advantages over other kinds of...

Heavy metal pollution has become an environmental and health problem worldwide. With the aim of finding novel strategies for metal bioremediation, endophytic fungi from the heavy metal hyperaccumulator plant Vachellia farnesiana were isolated and characterized. The plants were growing in mine tailings, rich in Zn, Pb, and Cu. Morphological and phyl...

The objective of this study is to understand the functional potential of the microbial community related to bioremediation activity and its relationship with the pollution of each site to enhance the future design of more accurate bioremediation processes. Water samples were collected at four sampling sites along the Apatlaco River (S1-S4), and a w...

Burkholderia zhejiangensis CEIB S4-3 has the ability to degrade methyl parathion (MP) and its main hydrolysis byproduct p-nitrophenol (PNP). According to genomic data, several genes related with metabolism of MP and PNP were identified in this strain. However, the metabolic state of the strain during the MP degradation has not been evaluated. In th...

The impacts of the historical geologic and climatic events on the diversity and genetic structure of Neotropical taxa have recently become a subject of study. However, annual plants associated to tropical dry forests remain understudied. The exploration of additional taxa in contrasting environments will improve the current understanding of respons...

Background The analysis of the negative effects of environmental metal pollution is complex and difficult to assess, because the great number of variables and levels of biological organization involved. Therefore, an integral interpretation of the structure of ecological interactions from the multifactorial toxicological vision can be achieved by t...

Heavy metals present in mine tailings pollute agroecosystems, put the integrity of the environment at risk and become a major route of exposure to humans. The present study was carried out in Taxco, Guerrero, Mexico, where millions of tons of mine tailings have been deposited. Soils from this region are used for agricultural activities. Maize (Zea...

Plant-insect interaction has maintained stable for more than 300 million years, a fact that has been related with these groups capacity to escape or associate with their counterparts for reproduction, protection and feeding, among others. Arthropod communities are influenced by various factors; however, some studies suggest that genetic, chemical...

Heavy metals exert their toxic effects through different mechanisms. Lately, increasing attention has been focused on understanding the long-term ecological effects of chronically exposed populations and communities and their consequences to the ecosystem. The long-term exposure to heavy metals in the environment represents a threat to wild populat...

After agriculture, mining is traditionally regarded as the oldest and the most important activity of the world. Throughout history, mining has had important contributions to the people and has become one of the most important economic primary activities in several countries. It is oriented to the search, exploitation, and use of the various mineral...

p> Background: Hybridization leads to individuals with atypical phenotypes, leading to taxonomic confusion when hybridizing populations are studied. Micromorphological characters may enable taxonomists to discriminate between parental and hybrid categories due to their simple genetic inheritance. Species study: Three oak taxa distributed in the mo...

Various studies have demonstrated that the foundation species genetic diversity can have direct effects that extend beyond the individual or population level, affecting the dependent communities. Additionally, these effects may be indirectly extended to higher trophic levels throughout the entire community. Quercus castanea is an oak species with c...

Arsenic (As) contaminated drinking water is a well-known problem that still affects millions of people worldwide. Therefore, biomonitoring studies of human populations exposed to arsenic via drinking water along with the search for new biomarkers become important. Huautla, Morelos, Mexico, is a mining district where 780 000 tons of toxic wastes hav...

Quercus crassifolia is an oak species with characteristics of foundation species, which is a canopy dominant element of different forest types that supports a wide diversity of associated species. Therefore, it is an excellent system to address important ecological questions. We analyzed the effect of individual genetic relatedness of the host plan...

Recently it has been proposed that the genetic diversity of foundation species influences the structure and function of the community by creating locally stable conditions for other species and modulating ecosystem dynamics. Oak species are an ideal system to test this hypothesis because many of them have a wide geographical distribution, and they...

Background: Morphological variability can lead to serious taxonomic problems in species with wide distribution ranges. Although morphological variability is partly due to ontogenetic programming, abiotic variables can also exert a significant effect on micro- and macromorphological characters. In this paper, we studied the morphological variability...

Endosulfan is an organochloride and persistent pesticide that has caused concern because of its impact in the environment and its toxicity to and bioaccumulation in living organisms. In this study, we isolated an endosulfan-degrading fungus from the activated sludge from an industrial wastewater treatment plant. Through repetitive enrichment and su...

Abstract Incipient reproductive barriers are a common characteristic of oak species. Disruption of these barriers promotes changes in diversity and genetic structure of the species involved. Quercus castanea is a red oak with wide geographic distribution in Mexico, which presents atypically high morphological variability when it occurs in sympatry...

The introduction of toxic substances into the environment by anthropogenic or natural activities is widespread and causes significant perturbation. Therefore, increasing attention has been focused on better understanding the long-term ecological effects of chronically exposed populations, communities, and ecosystems. The increased understanding of...

The phenotype of plants is the result of the selective pressure by the conditions and resources in their habitat. Currently, the morphological study of plants is a useful tool for taxonomic classification. The Mexican sunflowers (Cosmos bipinnatus) are annual herbs, with wide geographic distribution along the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt; they are a...

Natural hybridization frequently promotes gene introgression among closely related species in sympatric populations, producing complex patterns of morphological variation. Therefore, a detailed understanding of the dynamics of interspecific gene flow and its morphological patterns is of widespread interest. We tested if introgressive hybridization...

Numerous oak species have wide geographical distribution and canopy dominance and they may influence the structure and functioning of the community. Therefore, they can be considered as foundation species. In the present study, we tested the potential association between individual genetic diversity of the host plant (microsatellites), host tree sp...

Effects of environmental chemical pollution can be observed at all levels of biological organization. At the population level, genetic structure and diversity may be affected by exposure to metal contamination. This study was conducted in Huautla, Morelos, Mexico in a mining district where the main contaminants are lead and arsenic. Peromyscus mela...

Metals are among the most prevalent substances released into the environment that have a profound effect on living organisms. Chronic environmental exposures usually exert a continuum of biological responses across levels of biological organization, ranging from alterations in molecules, compromising individual health and putting ecosystem integrit...

Metals are among the most prevalent substances released into the environment that have a profound effect on living organisms. Chronic environmental exposures usually exert a continuum of biological responses across levels of biological organization, ranging from alterations in molecules, compromising individual health and putting ecosystem integrit...

Contamination with heavy metals is among the most hazardous environmental concerns caused by mining activity. A valuable tool for monitoring these effects is the use of sentinel organisms. Particularly, small mammals living inside mine tailings are an excellent study system because their analysis represents a realistic approach of mixtures and conc...

Rural communities commonly manage native species promoting changes in the diversity of natural biota. In Mexico, the palm Brahea dulcis is a resource traditionally managed by the rural community Nahuas of Huitziltepec, Eduardo Neri, Guerrero. This palm is used for traditional crafts. The continuous cutting of leaves promotes a physiognomic change i...

The evolutionary genetics of invasive species has been relatively unexplored. Hybridization of invasive populations can generate novel genotypes, stimulating the colonization of new environments. A sunflower complex occurring in Mexico formed by two native invasive species, Tithonia tubaeformis and T. rotundifolia was analyzed with molecular marker...

Within the Fagaceae family, the genus Quercus (oaks) presents the greatest geographical distribution, containing approximately 531 species worldwide. In Mexico, the genus Quercus comprises 161 species, including 109 considered endemic; as a result, Mexico is considered the main center of diversification of this genus. Oak tree canopies represent a...

Etoposide is currently one of the most commonly used antitumor drugs. The mechanisms of action proposed for its antitumor activity are based mainly on its interaction with topoisomerase II. Etoposide effects in transformed cells have been described previously. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the genotoxic effects of this drug in non-tr...

An increased incidence in ischemic and thromboembolic events in the population of cities with rising air suspended particle pollution has suggested the interaction of some of the components of these particles in the coagulation system. A previous report from our laboratory identified thrombocytosis as a consequence of the subacute and chronic inhal...

Vanadium (V) derivatives are well-known environmental pollutants and its toxicity has been related with oxidative stress. Toxicity after vanadium inhalation on the substantia nigra, corpus striatum, hippocampus and ependymal epithelium was reported previously. The purpose of this study was to analyse the role of matrix metalloproteinases 2 (MMP-2)...

Vanadium, an important air pollutant derived from fuel product combustion, aggravates respiratory diseases and impairs cardiovascular function. In contrast, its effects on immune response are conflicting. The aim of our work was to determine if spleens of vanadium-exposed CD1 mice showed histological lesions that might result in immune response mal...

La contaminación del agua es un problema importante de salud pública en México y el mundo. Huautla, Morelos es una región minera por tradición, se estima que existen 780 mil toneladas de desechos tóxicos, donde el plomo es el principal contaminante, aunado a esto, Morelos presenta suelos ricos en minerales con arsénico (As), lo que podría estar 110...

In Mexico, metal-contaminated water is a very important matter of human health, an example of this problem is the region of Huautla, Morelos where mine industry has been generating for many years thousands of tons of toxic wastes containing metals that are released to the environment which implicates human health hazard. Water pollution in this reg...

Quercus crassifolia H. & B. and Quercuscrassipes H. & B. are two common temperate forest species in Mexico that form hybrids when they occur in mixed (sympatric) areas. In this study, we used chloroplast microsatellite haplotypes to infer phylogeographic patterns onto the genetic structure of populations of both parental species, thus defining prob...

Huautla, Morelos has a rich history in mine industry and is a good example of this problem. Arsenic is known to be genotoxic agent in exposed populations. The comet assay is a well known early biomarker of effect, extensively used for assessing genotoxicity in human biomonitoring studies. Therefore, the current study examines the genotoxic effects...

Vanadium (V) is a transition metal emitted to the atmosphere during the combustion of fossil fuels. Its current status as an atmospheric pollutant increases the need for information about the effects that this element might have on the reproductive health of exposed populations. The present study investigated changes in testicular ultrastructure fo...

Spatial memory may be severely impaired as a consequence of ageing and neurodegenerative diseases, conditions that include neuronal damage. Vanadium (V) is a metalloid widely distributed in the environment and exerts severe toxic effects on a wide variety of biological systems. Reports about V inhalation toxicity on the CNS are limited, thus the pu...

Reports about vanadium (V) inhalation toxicity on the hematopoietic system, specifically about coagulation are limited. Therefore, we decided to evaluate the effects of V with a complete blood count and morphologic analysis of platelets on blood smears. CD-1 male mice inhaled V2O5 0.02 M 1 h twice weekly over 12 weeks. Blood samples were obtained b...

Vanadium is an important environmental and industrial pollutant whose concentrations have increased in the last decades. Due to its status as reproductive toxicant and a microtubule damaging agent, the present study investigated by immunohistochemistry the effect of the inhalation of vanadium pentoxide on gamma-tubulin within somatic and testicular...