Photosensitizing activity of water- and lipid-soluble phthalocyanines on Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli, as most Gram-negative bacteria, is insensitive to the photosensitizing action of both lipid-soluble Zinc-phthalocyanine (Zn-Pc) and water-soluble Zinc-mono/disulfonated phthalocyanine (Zn-PcS). Photosensitivity can be induced by alteration of the outer membrane, as obtained by either induction of competence or treatment with Tris-EDTA. Both phthalocyanines largely bind at the level of the cytoplasmic membrane; however, Zn-PcS shows a superior photosensitizing activity as compared with Zn-Pc. Biochemical analyses performed on irradiated cells suggest that the cytoplasmic membrane is an important target of the photoprocess, while DNA is not involved.     

Photosensitizing activity of water- and lipid-soluble phthalocyanines on prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial cells.

The photosensitizing activity of lipophilic zinc-phthalocyanine (Zn-Pc) and its water-soluble sulphonated derivative (Zn-PcS) towards Streptococcus faecium and Candida albicans was studied and correlated with the amount of cell-bound photosensitizer. With both micro-organisms Zn-PcS was more tightly bound in larger amounts than Zn-Pc in the protoplasts of the cytoplasmic membrane. As a consequence, the photoinduced damage in S. faecium initially involved membrane proteins, while DNA was modified only upon prolonged irradiation. For C. albicans only Zn-PcS showed a preferential affinity for the spheroplasts and the decrease in cell survival was not accompanied by detectable modifications of the electrophoretic pattern of membrane proteins. The photoinduced ultrastructural alteration of both micro-organisms suggests damage at membrane level. This would indicate the involvement of different targets in bacteria and yeast for phthalocyanine photosensitization.     

Synthesis and properties of cell-targeted Zn(II)-phthalocyanine-peptide conjugates

Two Zn-Pc-peptide conjugates bearing either a short linker or a long PEG-linker between the macrocycle and a bifunctional peptide containing the nucleoplasmin and HIV-1 Tat 48-60 sequences have been synthesized in order to increase the Pc cell-targeting ability and to evaluate the effect of the linker. The presence of the peptide chain increased the water solubility of the Pc macrocycle and, consequently, its fluorescence in aqueous solutions. The highest fluorescence quantum yields were observed at low pH (5.0) for both conjugates and were always higher for the conjugate bearing the short linker. Both conjugates were found to have low dark cytotoxicity toward human HEp2 cells (IC50 > 77 microM) but were highly phototoxic (IC50 < 2 microM at 1 J cm-2). The conjugate bearing the long PEG-linker accumulated the most within cells (26 times more than the unconjugated Zn-Pc), followed by the short linker conjugate (17 times more than the unconjugated Zn-Pc). Both conjugates were found to localized preferentially within the cell lysosomes.     

微生物培养基质量控制技术和标准

微生物培养基的酸碱度、凝胶强度和选择性等直接影响到培养基的质量,在理化试验方法中采用连接可渗透陶器型液体接头的电极和平头电极或者连接微型探头的电极可分别测定液体和固体培养基的pH值,而采用Gelometer和the LFRA Texture Analyser可测定固体培养基的凝胶强度。在微生物学方法中固体培养基采用倾注平板法、涂布法、划线法（半定量法）、改良的Miles-Misra法等测定生长情况,液体培养基采用稀释法测定生长率,用目标菌和杂菌的混合菌株评价选择性增菌培养基的选择性,利用OD值评价液体培养基生长率等。ICFMH（国际食品微生物学和卫生学委员会培养基工作组）、ISO、FDA以及我国卫生部等相继制定了培养基质量控制的标准,但目前还没有一个系统的适合我国国情的培养基质量控制国家标准,以致各相关单位采用的标准不一致,所以制定培养基质量控制国家标准非常关键。     

In Vitro Development of Trichogramma spp. (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) in Long-term Stored, Freeze-dried Artificial Media

Freeze-dried media were successfully used to facilitate the rearing of oophagous parasitoids of the Trichogramma genus under artificial conditions. These media can be prepared when biological material, such as insect haemolymph, is available, and then stored for later use for several months. The development of two Trichogramma dendrolimi strains from China (TdC) and Italy (TdI) and Trichogramma brassicae (Tb) in rehydrated freeze-dried media was tested with artificial host egg cards. About 5560 artificial host eggs were used in the experiments. The percentages of parasitism, pupation and emergence were similar in rehydrated freeze-dried media stored for 8 months and in fresh media. For TdI, the freeze-dried media centrifuged after rehydration induced a higher percentage parasitism, and media that were not centrifuged induced a higher percentage pupation. This could be due to minor modifications in the balance between free and total amino acids. The development parameters observed varied slightly according to the species or strain of Trichogramma tested (TdC, TdI or Tb). Polyvinyl alcohol smeared on the artificial eggs strongly improved egg laying and reduced the variability of the development parameters. Freeze-drying, which does not alter the performance of the media, is a process suited for the long-term storage of artificial media for parasitoids.     

Selective media for the specific isolation and enumeration of Botrytis cinerea conidia

AIMS: To develop selective media for the enumeration of Botrytis cinerea. METHODS AND RESULTS: Two new media, Botrytis Selective Medium (BSM) and Botrytis Spore Trap Medium (BSTM), were developed and compared with currently available media for the enumeration of B. cinerea conidia from the environment. The new Botrytis media proved advantageous over previous media because they were easier to prepare, had greater selectivity and allowed enumeration when a greater number of colony-forming units were present on individual plates. CONCLUSION: BSM and BSTM were shown to be suitable selective media for the enumeration of B. cinerea conidia from the environment. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The media developed can be used to monitor the population of the pathogen B. cinerea and will allow detailed studies within the crop environments.     

Towards robust cell culture processes — Unraveling the impact of media preparation by spectroscopic online monitoring

Biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes can be affected by variability in cell culture media, e.g. caused by raw material impurities. Although efforts have been made in industry and academia to characterize cell culture media and raw materials with advanced analytics, the process of industrial cell culture media preparation itself has not been reported so far. Within this publication, we first compare mid‐infrared and two‐dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy with respect to their suitability as online monitoring tools during cell culture media preparation, followed by a thorough assessment of the impact of preparation parameters on media quality. Through the application of spectroscopic methods, we can show that media variability and its corresponding root cause can be detected online during the preparation process. This methodology is a powerful tool to avoid batch failure and is a valuable technology for media troubleshooting activities. Moreover, in a design of experiments approach, including additional liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analytics, it is shown that variable preparation parameters such as temperature, power input and preparation time can have a strong impact on the physico‐chemical composition of the media. The effect on cell culture process performance and product quality in subsequent fed‐batch processes was also investigated. The presented results reveal the need for online spectroscopic methods during the preparation process and show that media variability can already be introduced by variation in media preparation parameters, with a potential impact on scale‐up to a commercial manufacturing process.     

液体悬浮培养促进蔓茎堇菜高效再生的研究

液体悬浮培养具有促进蔓茎堇菜芽分化的作用。以叶片为外植体在培养基MS 2,4-D1.5 ZT1.0中诱导出生长良好的愈伤组织。愈伤组织在液体培养基MS 6-BA1.0 NAA0.25中振荡培养12d后（转速为90r/min）,转入固体培养基MS 6-BA2.0 NAA0.5中继续培养14d,芽分化率可达97.5%,转接至生根培养基MS NAA2.0 6-BA0.25中培养1个月后可移栽,成活率在90%以上。     

Choice of nutrient media for the laboratory diagnosis of Streptococcus group B

The comparative study of a large assortment of liquid and solid culture media used for the cultivation of streptococci in laboratory practice in the USSR and abroad was carried out with the aim of selecting the optimal media for the laboratory diagnosis of group B. streptococci. Liquid media were tested with the use of 7 streptococcal reference strains, and some of these media, found to yield the best results, were selected for tests on clinical material. The use of liquid accumulation media was shown to permit the isolation of group B. streptococcal strains which could not be detected by the direct inoculation of clinical material into dishes with blood agar. The character of hemolysis induced by group B. streptococci in solid media with 5% of blood added was found to depend on the composition of the medium and the conditions of cultivation.     

Algorithm-based design of synthetic growth media stimulating virulence properties of Metarhizium anisopliae conidia

Aims: Synthetic media should be designed for the production of Metarhizium anisopliae conidia with improved virulence properties. Methods and Results: A genetic algorithm (GA), demonstrated to be suitable for the design of media for spore mass production ( Hutwimmer et al. 2008 ), was utilized for a multi‐objective medium design to improve conidia yield and three proposed virulence properties of conidia: C : N ratio, germination speed and amount of spore‐bound Pr1 protease. After five iterative optimizations, 52 media were improved over Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA). Four media exhibited medium performances (a factor derived from the four single optimization variables) of around 0·7; cf. SDA = 0·532; media with enhanced properties were reached for each single optimization variable; Bioassays against Tenebrio larvae indicated also a slight improvement in virulence of conidia from designed media. A degenerated phenotype of the same strain did not exhibit differences in colony appearance, spore characteristics and virulence if grown on designed media. Conclusions: The application of a problem‐oriented GA is a practical and rapid method to design media for multi‐objective purposes. Significance and Impact of the Study: The applicability of a GA for multi‐objective medium design was demonstrated for the cultivation of anamorphic fungi on solid media.     

Media for the Enhancement of Fluorescent Pigment Production by Pseudomonas Species

By a simple modification, common commercial dehydrated laboratory media can be used for the evaluation of fluorescent pigment excretion by Pseudomonas species. The addition of sufficient sterile egg white or of the iron-binding egg white protein, conalbumin, to bind all the iron in these media converted them to efficient diagnostic media. The amount of egg white found to be satisfactory was 10% of the final medium volume. Its conalbumin equivalent was 1.7 mg of conalbumin per ml of final medium. Such modified media are at least the equivalent of the medium recommended for the evaluation of this important characteristic.     

Value of the K+ salt of carageenan as an agar substitute in routine bacteriological media.

The K+ salt of carageenan has no distinct advantages as a gelling agent, but it compared favorably with agar in most of the media tested. The difficulty involved in the preparation of blood plates and the results obtained with this medium prohibit its complete acceptance as a substitute for agar in routine solid media. However, it could be a suitable substitute for agar in all other routine bacteriological media.     

Heterogeneic modulation of malignant behavior in human glioma cells in defined and serum-containing media

Summary Malignant features in three glioma cell lines were studied in four defined media of various complexity. The cell lines D37MG, D54MG, and GaMG were able to grow in monolayer culture in all media examined, and as multicellular tumor spheroids in the two most nutrient-rich media. In the defined media, none of the cell lines were able to migrate in a migration assay on poly-D-lysine-coated plastic surfaces. Flow cytometric analysis of the GaMG cell line demonstrated no medium-dependent selection of subclones of glioma cells in spheroids cultured for 30 d. Morphological diversity of spheroids varied according to the supplementation of the media. The capacity of glioma cells to invade cellular rat brain aggregates was intact in the media examined. However, glioma migration was severely inhibited by the lack of specific serum components. This study demonstrates that glioma growth and invasion was heterogenously preserved in the defined media used. Depending on the assay to be used in the study of glioma cell behavior, the degree of medium supplementation has to be considered.     

Increased degradation rate of nitrososureas in media containing carbonate

The stability of two nitrosoureas, tauromustine and lomustine, has been investigated in different media and buffers. All media tested, except Leibovitz's L-15 medium, significantly increased the degradation rate of the investigated nitrosoureas at pH 7.4. Sodium bicarbonate seems to be the cause of the observed increase of the degradation rate, since it provides the main buffering capacity of all the media except for Leibovitz's L-15 medium, which is based on phosphate buffer. Other ingredients in the media, such as amino acids, vitamins, and inorganic salts, or the ionic strength of a buffer, did not have any major effect on the degradation rate of the nitrosoureas. These results suggest that media containing carbonated buffer should be avoided when the anti-tumor effect of nitrosoureas is to be investigated in different cell cultures.     

Value of the K+ salt of carageenan as an agar substitute in routine bacteriological media

The K+ salt of carageenan has no distinct advantages as a gelling agent, but it compared favorably with agar in most of the media tested. The difficulty involved in the preparation of blood plates and the results obtained with this medium prohibit its complete acceptance as a substitute for agar in routine solid media. However, it could be a suitable substitute for agar in all other routine bacteriological media.     

Division competence in Tetrahymena: determination of minimum cell volume and rate of nutrient uptake

Cell volume and doubling time have been determined for exponentially growing Tetrahymena pyriformis cells in broth medium with and without glucose and in media made from these media by dilution with water. The cells tolerate media with dry weights from 105 down to 0.06 g/L. In the diluted media the cells have small volumes and the doubling time is increased. When the cell volume increase per time per cell in a given medium is expressed as a function of the cell volume in this same medium, a direct proportionality is found. From this equation the minimum cell volume of division competence (MVDC) can be found. It is 2,100 microns 3 for T. pyriformis at 28 degrees C. The lag period resulting from an upshift of exponentially growing cells from diluted media to more concentrated media is a function of the initial and resulting cell volumes and MVDC. The increase in cell volume per unit of time for a given cell depends on the dry weight of the medium. This parameter can be transformed to mass increase per cell surface area per time, which represents rate of nutrient uptake. When plotted against the dry weight of the media, a Michaelis-Menten-like curve is obtained with two Km values of 3.8 and 0.08 g/L with corresponding Vmax values of 20 and 4 ng/cm2.s. The low Km value (0.08 g/L) indicates that Tetrahymena is able to take up nutrients from highly diluted media. The high value of Vmax (20 ng/cm2.s) increases the ability of growth in more concentrated media.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Bacterial otitis media: current vaccine development strategies

Otitis media is the most common reason for children less than 5 years of age to visit a medical practitioner. Whilst the disease rarely results in death, there is significant associated morbidity. The most common complication is loss of hearing at a critical stage of the development of speech, language and cognitive abilities in children. The cause and pathogenesis of otitis media is multifactorial. Among the contributing factors, the single most important are viral and bacterial infections. Infection with respiratory syncytial virus, influenza viruses, para-influenza viruses, enteroviruses and adenovirus are most commonly associated with acute and chronic otitis media. Streptococcus pneumoniae, non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis are the most commonly isolated bacteria from the middle ears of children with otitis media. Treatment of otitis media has largely relied on the administration of antimicrobials and surgical intervention. However, attention has recently focused on the development of a vaccine. For a vaccine to be effective against bacterial otitis media, it must, at the very least, contain antigens that induce a protective immune response in the middle ear against the three most common infecting bacteria. Whilst over the past decade there has been significant progress in the development of vaccines against invasive S. pneumoniae disease, these vaccines are less efficacious for otitis media. The search for candidate vaccine antigens for non-typeable H. influenzae are well advanced whilst less progress has been made for M. catarrhalis. No human studies have been conducted for non-typeable H. influenzae or M. catarrhalis and the concept of a tribacterial vaccine remains to be tested in animal models. Only when vaccine antigens are determined and an understanding of the immune responses induced in the middle ear by infection and immunization is gained will the formulation of a tribacterial vaccine against otitis media be possible.     

根芹体细胞胚产量与质量的研究

对根芹的不同外植体在附加不同成分的MS培养基上进行离体培养,以诱导适合于制作人工种子用的高质量体细胞胚。下胚轴、子叶和叶片在含0.5mg／LKT,0.5mg／L2,4 一 D的MSO培养基上诱导与继代胚性愈伤组织,然后转移到附加有100mg／L肌醇、2g／L葡萄糖的MSO无激素培养基上悬浮培养产生体细胞胚,获得了比固体培养基及含有KT的液体培养基中产生的体细胞胚形态发育更正常的大量体细胞胚,这为人工种子制作奠定了基础。     

支原体培养基的改良及其效果评价

为了改良支原体培养基配方,评价其效果。按《中华人民共和国药典》(以下简称药典)中规定的灵敏度比较方法,将实验室制备的新型支原体改良培养基与《药典》中支原体检查法推荐的处方培养基和商品化支原体培养基进行灵敏度效果比较试验。结果表明,改良后的支原体肉汤和半流体培养基,与接种口腔支原体和肺炎支原体及其它支原体的精氨酸培养基、支原体肉汤培养基无显著差异;与接种肺炎支原体的支原体半流体培养基无显著差异;与接种口腔支原体的支原体半流体培养基差异显著。因此经改良后的支原体培养基灵敏度能够满足药典规定的要求,但其操作简便,且成本低于现有的支原体培养基。     

Factors that determine stability of highly concentrated chemically defined production media

High cell density perfusion processes for the production of therapeutic antibodies require large volumes of media to meet cellular stoichiometric and energy demands. The use of media concentrates provides a way to reduce the cost of manufacturing. Reducing the number and size of liquid media batches reduces the media footprint in the manufacturing plant and cuts costs associated with single‐use systems for preparation and storage of liquid media. Concentrates that can be stored at room temperature also reduce costs by eliminating the need for refrigerated storage. To meet these economic and operational objectives, we developed a complete concentrated medium system consisting of a 5X medium concentrate that can be used in conjunction with a concentrated supplement of cystine, tyrosine, and folic acid. The effects of pyruvate, bicarbonate, and glutamine on the stability of the 5X concentrates were studied. Pyruvate and bicarbonate were found to have profound impacts on media stability, including media coloration, precipitate formation and ability to support cell culture. Bicarbonate was found to have detrimental effects in 5X concentrated media, resulting in precipitation of pyruvate‐free media and accelerated glutamine degradation. Pyruvate prevented precipitation in bicarbonate‐containing concentrates. Moreover, the presence of pyruvate in bicarbonate‐free, glutamine‐free 5X concentrates resulted in the substantial preservation of the functional activity of the medium for 1 month at room temperature. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 31:493–502, 2015