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The study investigates the pollution characteristics of 16 priority PAHs, accumulated in copepods from a major fishing harbour and its adjacent coastal waters of Veraval, west coast of India. The total PAH accumulation is in the range of 922.16-27,807.49 ng g -1 dw, with the mean concentration of 5776.59 ng g -1 dw. High concentrations of PAHs were present in the copepod samples from inside the harbour. Notably, there was no significant correlation between the lipid content of copepods and the accumulation of PAHs. The molecular diagnostic ratio method (MDR) indicates that the PAH sources are petrogenic in origin, while principal component analysis (PCA) points to petroleum, coal combustion and vehicular emission sources. Total cancerous PAHs (C-PAHs) in the study area dominate by 40% of the total PAHs identified; moreover, the bioaccumulation factor (BAF) is very high in the offshore area, which is also a fishing ground. The global relevance and magnitude of the present study in the Veraval, one of the prime seafood exporting hubs in India, should be dealt with utmost avidity as the accumulation status of PAHs in the zooplankton has never been explored in the Indian coastal waters. Moreover, the current study gives the foremost data on the bioaccumulation status of PAHs in copepods from the tropical waters of India., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Mem-CC (pGlu-Leu-Asn-Tyr-Ser-Pro-Asp-Trp-NH2), Tem-HrTH (pGlu-Leu-Asn-Phe-Ser-Pro-Asn-Trp-NH2) and Del-CC (pGlu-Leu-Asn-Phe-Ser-Pro-Asn-Trp-Gly-Asn-NH2) are adipokinetic hormones, isolated from the corpora cardiaca of different insect species. These hormones regulate energy metabolism during flight and so are intimately involved in an insect's mobility. Secondary structural elements of these peptides and the N7 analogue, [N7]-Mem-CC (pGlu-Leu-Asn-Tyr-Ser-Pro-Asn-Trp-NH2), have been determined in dimethylsulfoxide solution using NMR restrained molecular mechanic simulations. The neuropeptides were all found to have an extended structure for the first 4 residues and a beta-turn between residues 4-8. For Tem-HrTH and Del-CC, asparagine (N7) which is postulated to be involved in receptor binding and/or activation, projects outward form the beta-turn. Mem-CC does not have an asparagine at position 7 while, for [N7]-Mem-CC, the N7 sidechain folds inside the beta-turn preventing its interaction with the receptor.