Cellulose Derivatives Enhanced Stability of Alginate-Based Beads Loaded with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lactobacillus plantarum</Emphasis> LAB12 against Low pH,High Temperature and Prolonged Storage

The susceptibility of probiotics to low pH and high temperature has limited their use as nutraceuticals. In this study, enhanced protection of probiotics via microencapsulation was achieved. Lactobacillus plantarum LAB12 were immobilised within polymeric matrix comprised of alginate (Alg) with supplementation of cellulose derivatives (methylcellulose (MC), sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (NaCMC) or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC)). L. plantarum LAB12 encapsulated in Alg-HPMC(1.0) and Alg-MC(1.0) elicited improved survivability (91%) in simulated gastric conditions and facilitated maximal release (～100%) in simulated intestinal condition. Alg-HPMC(1.0) and Alg-MC(1.0) significantly reduced (P < 0.05) the viability loss of LAB12 (viability loss <7%) when compared to Alg alone (viability loss <13%) under extreme temperatures (75 and 90 °C). Four-week storage of encapsulated LAB12 at 4 °C yielded viable counts >7 log CFU g^?1. Alg-MC and Alg-HPMC improved the survival of LAB12 against simulated gastric condition (9.24 and 9.55 log CFU g^?1, respectively), temperature up to 90 °C (9.54 and 9.86 log CFU g^?1, respectively) and 4-week of storage at 4 °C (8.61 and 9.23 log CFU g^?1, respectively) with sustained release of probiotic in intestinal condition (>9 log CFU g^?1). These findings strongly suggest the potential of cellulose derivatives supplemented Alg bead as protective micro-transport for probiotic strains. They can be safely incorporated into new functional food or nutraceutical products.     

Inhibition of Endosteal Vascular Niche Remodeling Rescues Hematopoietic Stem Cell Loss in AML

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Role of glutathione on renal mitochondrial status in hyperoxaluria

Role of glutathione on kidney mitochondrial integrity and function during stone forming process in hyperoxaluric state was investigated in male albino rats of Wistar strain. Hyperoxaluria was induced by feeding ethylene glycol (EG) in drinking water. Glutathione was depleted by administering buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), a specific inhibitor of glutathione biosynthesis. Glutathione monoester (GME) was administered for supplementing glutathione. BSO treatment alone or along with EG, depleted mitochondrial GSH by 40% and 51% respectively. Concomitantly, there was remarkable elevation in lipid peroxidation and oxidation of protein thiols. Mitochondrial oxalate binding was enhanced by 74% and 129% in BSO and BSO + EG treatment. Comparatively, EG treatment produced only a 33% increase in mitochondrial oxalate binding. Significant alteration in calcium homeostasis was seen following BSO and BSO + EG treatment. This may be due to altered mitochondrial integrity and function as evidenced from decreased activities of mitochondrial inner membrane marker enzymes, succinate dehydrogenase and cytochrome-c-oxidase and respiratory control ratio and enhanced NADH oxidation by mitochondria in these two groups. NADH oxidation (r = -0.74) and oxalate deposition in the kidney (r = -0.70) correlated negatively with mitochondrial glutathione depletion. GME supplementation restored normal level of GSH and maintained mitochondrial integrity and function, as a result of which oxalate deposition was prevented despite hyperoxaluria. These results suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction resulting from GSH depletion could be a contributing factor in the development of calcium oxalate stones.     

Potential anti-leptospiral compound,leptomycin B from marine <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptomyces indiaensis</Emphasis> MSU5: taxonomy,fermentation, compound isolation,in vitro and in vivo efficacy

Leptospirosis is a worldwide reemerging tropical zoonotic disease with symptoms of mild febrile illness to more severe multiple organ failure caused by pathogenic leptospiral strains. There was no effective antibiotic for treating leptospirosis. Here, the anti-leptospiral potential of marine actinobacterial compound from Streptomyces indiaensis MSU5 isolated from Manakudy marine sediment, Tamil Nadu, India was evaluated. The potential actinobacterial strain was identified by phenotypic, cell wall, 16S rRNA gene sequence and phylogenetic analysis. In vitro anti-leptospiral activity of the actinobacterial compound was determined using broth microdilution test against various serovars of Leptospira with different concentration ranging from 15.625 to 500 µg/ml. Mass production of anti-leptospiral compound was carried out in agar surface fermentation with optimized condition and purified by preparative TLC. The purified fraction of anti-leptospiral compound named as MSU5-1, and it was confirmed by microdilution test. Remarkably, the compound MSU5-1 showed minimum inhibitory concentration of 62.5 µg/ml and minimum bactericidal concentration of 125 µg/ml against human pathogenic leptospiral isolate strain N2. The structural elucidation of purified compound was carried out using UV, FT-IR, NMR and LC-MS analysis. The compound MSU5-1 was tentatively identified as leptomycin B (C₃₃H₄₈O₆) with molecular weight 541.1 g/mol. Anti-leptospiral activity of compound MSU5-1 exhibited 80% of survival rate in mice model, further it was confirmed by Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis. From the available literature, this is the first report on the marine actinobacterial compound for evaluating both in vitro and in vivo leptospiricidal activity.     

Isolation and partial characterization of collagen from outer skin of Sepia pharaonis (Ehrenberg, 1831) from Puducherry coast

Type I collagen from outer skin of Sepia pharaonis was extracted and partially characterized. Yield of Acid Soluble Collagen (ASC) and Pepsin Soluble Collagen (PSC) were calculated as 1.66% and 3.93% and the total protein content of ASC and PSC were found as 18.4% and 48.6%. FT-IR spectrum of ASC and PSC recorded 12 and 14 peaks, respectively. ¹H NMR spectrum of ASC showed singlets at 1.23 ppm, 3.1 ppm, 3.55 ppm and 3.7 ppm and PSC at 1.23 ppm and 2.08 ppm. The molecular weight for ASC was calculated as 102 kDa and for PSC as 110, 108 and 102 kDa through SDS-PAGE. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) results supported that PSC withstand high thermal stability (82.85 °C) than ASC (73.13 °C). Higher denaturation temperature with high molecular weight well support the property of type I collagen from skin of S. pharaonis and it could be used as another potent source for the extraction of collagen.