Contribution of the mesophilic fungi of different spices in Egypt

Thirty-eight genera and 81 species of fungi were isolated and identified from 120 samples of 24 kinds of spices collected from different places at Assiut Governorate, Egypt. Predominant genera wereAspergillus (25 species) andPenicillium (7 species) of whichA. flavus, A. niger, A. ochraceus, A. fumigatus, A. flavus var.columnaris, A. terreus, P. chrysogenum andP. corylophilum were the most commonly occurring.     

Accumulation of sugar alcohols by filamentous fungi

Five hundred isolates of different xerophilic and non-xerophilic fungi belonging to 10 genera and 74 species were screened for alditol (sugar alcohol) accumulation. Ninety-two of the isolates failed to grow on a salt medium, most of the isolates (408) produced alditols; 348,44 and 16 of them produced low, moderate and high levels of alditols, respectively. The high alditol producers belonged to five species ofAspergillus, six species ofEurotium andFennellia flavipes. Glycerol andd-mannitol were the main constituents of alditol pools of the 16 high alditol producers.d-Arabinitol andmeso-erythritol were also formed but at low concentrations by several of the tested isolates.     

Purification and characterization of a thermostable α-galactosidase from Thielavia terrestris NRRL 8126 in solid state fermentation

Several seeds and husks of some plants belonging to leguminosae, Graminae, Compositae and Palmae were evaluated as carbon substrates to produce α-galactosidase (α-Gal) by the thermophilic fungus, Thielavia terrestris NRRL 8126 in solid substrate fermentation. The results showed that Cicer arietinum (chick pea seed) was the best substrate for α-Gal production. The crude enzyme was precipitated by ammonium sulphate (60%) and purified by gel filtration on sephadex G-100 followed by ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-Cellulose. The final purification fold of the enzyme was 30.42. The temperature and pH optima of purified α-Gal from Thielavia terrestris were 70 °C and 6.5, respectively. The enzyme showed high thermal stability at 70 °C and 75 °C and the half-life of the α-Gal at 90 °C was 45 min. Km of the purified enzyme was 1.31 mM. The purified enzyme was inhibited by Ag2+, Hg2+, Zn2+, Ba2+, Mg2+, Mn2+ and Fe2+ at 5 mM and 10 mM. Also, EDTA, sodium arsenate, L-cysteine and iodoacetate inhibited the enzyme activity. On the other hand, Ca2+, Cu2+, K+ and Na+ slightly enhanced the enzyme activity at 5 mM while at 10 mM they caused inhibition. The molecular weight of the α-Gal was estimated to be 82 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This enzyme displays a number of biochemical properties that make it a potentially strong candidate for biotechnological and medicinal applications.     

Chromium Status and Glucose Tolerance in Saudi Men With and Without Coronary Artery Disease

Chromium deficiency is associated with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and dyslipidemia. Hence, the objective of the current study was to investigate chromium status among Saudi men with and without established cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its relationship to glucose tolerance, lipid profile and other established CVD risk factors. We measured serum and urine chromium concentrations, fasted lipid profile, plasma glucose, and serum lipid peroxide in 130 Saudi men with an established history of myocardial infarction and 130 age-matched controls without established CVD. Patients with established CVD had higher serum triglycerides (p < 0.05) and plasma glucose (p < 0.0001) and lower serum and urinary chromium concentrations (p < 0.0001) than controls. Serum chromium was inversely correlated with plasma glucose among cases and controls (r = −0.189, p < 0.05 and r = −0.354, p < 0.00001, respectively). Plasma glucose (OR 1.127, CI 1.0–1.269, p < 0.05), serum chromium (OR 0.99, CI 0.985–0.995, p < 0.0001), and urinary chromium (OR 0.988, CI 0.981–0.995, p < 0.001) were independently associated with the presence of established coronary disease applying this model. While chromium metabolism appears to be altered in individuals with CVD, it is unclear whether chromium supplementation would be effective in CVD prevention among patients with IGT. This would need to be tested in long-term outcome trials.     

Targeting NF-κB/COX-2 signaling by soyasaponin I alleviates diclofenac-induced gastric ulceration in male albino rats

Gastric ulceration is a prevalent worldwide clinical presentation due to altered gastric defense mechanisms. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are one of the common causes of gastric ulcers mediated by the release of inflammatory mediators. The study aimed to investigate the potential protective effect of soyasaponin I (soya) against diclofenac (DIC)-induced gastric ulcer in rats and to highlight the underlying mechanisms. The experiment was conducted on 40 male Wistar albino rats, equally distributed into five groups: control, DIC-induced ulcer (9 mg/kg/d, orally, twice daily for 3 days), ulcer/soya-, ulcer/ranitidine-, and ulcer/soya/selective nuclear factor kappa B inhibitor (JSH-23)-treated groups. The doses of soya, ranitidine, and JSH were 20, 25, and 5 mg/kg/d, respectively, given orally. Gastric specimens were prepared for gene and histological study and for biochemical analysis of gastric prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), oxidative markers, and inflammatory cytokines. The gastric samples were formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded, and subjected to hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), PAS staining, and immunohistochemical assay for identification of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and proliferation marker (Ki67) expressions. The findings revealed decreased gastric PGE2 and altered inflammatory and oxidative markers in the ulcer model group. The H&E staining showed mucosal injury characterized by mucosal surface defects and inflammatory cell infiltrations. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry demonstrated an upregulation of NF-κB and COX-2 expression at gene/protein levels; meanwhile, Ki67 downregulation. The soya-treated group showed maintained biochemical, histological, and PCR findings comparable to the ranitidine-treated group. The JSH-23-treated group still showed partial gastric protection with biochemical and immunohistochemical changes. Soyasaponin I ameliorated DIC-induced gastric ulcers by targeting the COX-2 activity through modulation of NF-κB signaling.     

A high-fat diet rich in corn oil exaggerates the infarct size and memory impairment in rats with cerebral ischemia and is associated with suppressing osteopontin and Akt,and activating GS3Kβ, iNOS,and NF-κB

Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry - The increase in osteopontin (OPN) levels after stroke induces neural protection by activating Akt signaling and inhibiting GS3Kβ, iNOS, and NF-κB....     

Synthesis of Some New Pyrazoline-Based Thiazole Derivatives and Evaluation of Their Antimicrobial,Antifungal, and Anticancer Activities

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry - 3-(2-Thienyl)-5-aryl-1-thiocarbamoyl-2-pyrazolines were reacted with chloroacetone derivatives and hydrazonyl chloride derivatives in ethanol to afford the...     

Production,optimization, purification,characterization, and anti-cancer application of extracellular L-glutaminase produced from the marine bacterial isolate

Abstract

L-glutaminase from bacterial sources has been proven to be effective and economical agents in cancer therapy, food industry and high-value chemicals like threonine. In the present study, a newly isolated bacterial strain was potentially producing extracellular L-glutaminase, it identified as Bacillus subtilis OHEM11 (MK389501) using the 16S rRNA gene. L-glutaminase production optimized and the optimum factors for production under submerged fermentation were at pH 6.5–7.0 and 35?°C after 28?hr using rhamnose and glutamine as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively, while bagasse was the best inducer for the production under solid-state fermentation. Ethanol precipitation and ion-exchange chromatography using QFF are the purification steps. L-glutaminase was purified to 2-fold with specific activity 89.78?U/mg and its molecular weight about 54.8?kDa with the alkaline property of the enzyme makes it clear having carcinostatic property; maximum enzyme activity at pH 8.2 and 40?°C and retained about 90% activity for 1?hr. The cytotoxicity effect of L-glutaminase indicated a significant safety on Vero cells with high anticancer activity against NFS-60, HepG-2, and MCF-7 cancer cell lines. The outcomes demonstrated that L-glutaminase could be applied in many biotechnological applications such as pharmaceutical and food processing.     

Chitosan‐triggered immunity to Fusarium in chickpea is associated with changes in the plant extracellular matrix architecture,stomatal closure and remodeling of the plant metabolome and proteome

Pathogen‐/microbe‐associated molecular patterns (PAMPs/MAMPs) initiate complex defense responses by reorganizing the biomolecular dynamics of the host cellular machinery. The extracellular matrix (ECM) acts as a physical scaffold that prevents recognition and entry of phytopathogens, while guard cells perceive and integrate signals metabolically. Although chitosan is a known MAMP implicated in plant defense, the precise mechanism of chitosan‐triggered immunity (CTI) remains unknown. Here, we show how chitosan imparts immunity against fungal disease. Morpho‐histological examination revealed stomatal closure accompanied by reductions in stomatal conductance and transpiration rate as early responses in chitosan‐treated seedlings upon vascular fusariosis. Electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy showed ECM fortification leading to oligosaccharide signaling, as documented by increased galactose, pectin and associated secondary metabolites. Multiomics approach using quantitative ECM proteomics and metabolomics identified 325 chitosan‐triggered immune‐responsive proteins (CTIRPs), notably novel ECM structural proteins, LYM2 and receptor‐like kinases, and 65 chitosan‐triggered immune‐responsive metabolites (CTIRMs), including sugars, sugar alcohols, fatty alcohols, organic and amino acids. Identified proteins and metabolites are linked to reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, stomatal movement, root nodule development and root architecture coupled with oligosaccharide signaling that leads to Fusarium resistance. The cumulative data demonstrate that ROS, NO and eATP govern CTI, in addition to induction of PR proteins, CAZymes and PAL activities, besides accumulation of phenolic compounds downstream of CTI. The immune‐related correlation network identified functional hubs in the CTI pathway. Altogether, these shifts led to the discovery of chitosan‐responsive networks that cause significant ECM and guard cell remodeling, and translate ECM cues into cell fate decisions during fusariosis.     

Expansion of GARP-Expressing CD4+CD25−FoxP3+ T Cells and SATB1 Association with Activation and Coagulation in Immune Compromised HIV-1-Infected Individuals in South Africa

Virologica Sinica - Although antiretroviral treatment lowers the burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related disease, it does not always result in immunological recovery. This manifests as...