Different feeding strategy for the production of biosurfactant from Pseudomonas aeruginosa USM AR2 in modified bioreactor

A locally-isolated Pseudomonas aeruginosa USM AR2 possessing the ability to produce glycolipid-type biosurfactant (rhamnolipid) was used in this research to explore fermentation technology for rhamnolipid production. Rhamnolipid concentration in 2.5 L fed-batch fermentation was improved from 0.173 to 8.06 g/L by manipulating the feeding strategy and cultivation protocol. The culture was fed with petroleum diesel and complex medium. The highest rhamnolipid concentration was achieved when the culture was initially fed with both petroleum diesel and complex medium, followed by feeding of petroleum diesel only at the end of the stationary phase. Severe foaming problem was resolved by modifying and integrating a foam recycler to the bioreactor. This successfully extended the cultivation period and increased the yield of final rhamnolipid. No antifoam agent was added as this modified bioreactor allowed cultivation to proceed even under foam generation. The viscosity measurement, surface tension activity test, and drop-collapse test were performed as an indirect measure of rhamnolipid presence.     

Oxidative stress,ceruloplasmin and neopterin biomarkers in dromedary camels with clinical endometritis

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of some oxidative stress (OS), ceruloplasmin (Cp), and neopterin (NPT) as diagnostic biomarkers for dromedary camels endometritis as well as to explore the impact of ceftiofur treatment on endometritis. Camels were categorized into two groups; healthy control group (n = 20) and endometritis group (n = 60). She-camels with clinical signs of endometritis (CE) received 6.6 mg/kg BW of ceftiofur (i/m). On days 7, and 14, she-camels were evaluated and clinical cure or failure to cure was determined. The comparison of the groups for OS demonstrated that endometritis caused an increase in serum malondialdehyde (sMDA), Cp, and NPT levels (P<0.05), but decreased serum levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH) (P<0.05). The most prevalent pathogens involved in the etiology of CE are Arcanobacterium pyogenes, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus. All examined biomarkers demonstrated a high degree of recognition between CE camel and healthy controls (the area under the curve (AUC) was 95.9 for NPT). A higher proportion of camels with CE that were treated with ceftiofur (90%, P<0.0001) showed clinical cure by the first dose, while 10% required a second dose. In conclusion, CE causes increased oxidative reactions and decreased antioxidant defense competence. Subsequently, the alteration in that balance that was represented by the biomarkers of OS could be beneficial for clinical practice and basic clinical research. Additionally, all trials demonstrated the efficacy of ceftiofur for the treatment of CE in she-camel.     

Untraditional N2-fixing bacteria as biofertilizers for wheat and barley

The screening of 27 isolates grown on nitrogen-free medium for nitrogen-fixing ability resulted in the isolation of five organisms belonging toBacillaceae, Enterobacteriaceae andPseudomonadaceae. Estimates of N₂-fixation efficiencies of these isolates indicated that they may be responsible for low rates of N₂-fixation in soil. The possible association of these isolates as well as ofAzotobacter andAzospirillum with wheat and barley was investigated in a greenhouse experiment. The highest values of nitrogenase activity on plant root were recorded in treatments inoculated with composite inocula of the isolated N₂-fixers, particularly whenAzotobacter and/orAzospirillum were added in combination. Inoculation with single inoculum of each of the N₂-fixing isolates had no significant influence on plant growth, except withPseudomonas andBacillus for wheat and barley, respectively. Highly significant increases in growth of both plants were recorded in all cases of multistrain inoculation.     

GC-MS metabolites profiling of anethole-rich oils by different extraction techniques: antioxidant,cytotoxicity and in-silico enzymes inhibitory insights

GC-MS profiling and metabolomics study of anise and star anise oils obtained by hydrodistillation, n-hexane, and microwave-assisted extraction methods were conducted herein. Trans-anethole was the major phenylpropanoid in both oils. Principal component and hierarchical cluster analyses revealed a clear separation of different extraction methods. Microwave-assisted star anise oil (MSA) revealed the highest anethole content (93.78%). MSA oil showed antioxidant activity using DPPH and ABTS assays, this was verified via an in-silico docking study of its major compounds on human tyrosinase and NAD(P)H oxidase. Trans-anethole displayed the best fitting scores (−8.9 and −10.1 Kcal/mole, respectively). MSA oil showed promising cytotoxic activity on different cell lines, mainly the cervical (HeLa) cell lines. Cell cycle inhibition at the G0–G1 phase was observed with an early apoptotic effect of the oil on HeLa cells. Trans-anethole achieved the best docking scores (−7.9, −9.3 and −9.9 Kcal/mole) for in-silico study on EGFR, CDK2 and CDK4 enzymes engaged in cancer, respectively.     

Bioinformatics role of the WGCNA analysis and co-expression network identifies of prognostic marker in lung cancer

Lung cancer is the most talked about cancer in the world. It is also one of the cancers that currently has a high mortality rate. The aim of our research is to find more effective therapeutic targets and prognostic markers for human lung cancer. First, we download gene expression data from the GEO database. We performed weighted co-expression network analysis on the selected genes, we then constructed scale-free networks and topological overlap matrices, and performed correlation modular analysis with the cancer group. We screened the 200 genes with the highest correlation in the cyan module for functional enrichment analysis and protein interaction network construction, found that most of them focused on cell division, tumor necrosis factor-mediated signaling pathways, cellular redox homeostasis, reactive oxygen species biosynthesis, and other processes, and were related to the cell cycle, apoptosis, HIF-1 signaling pathway, p53 signaling pathway, NF-κB signaling pathway, and several cancer disease pathways are involved. Finally, we used the GEPIA website data to perform survival analysis on some of the genes with GS > 0.6 in the cyan module. CBX3, AHCY, MRPL12, TPGB, TUBG1, KIF11, LRRC59, MRPL17, TMEM106B, ZWINT, TRIP13, and HMMR was identified as an important prognostic factor for lung cancer patients. In summary, we identified 12 mRNAs associated with lung cancer prognosis. Our study contributes to a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms of lung cancer and provides new insights into drug use and prognosis.     

Exploring the cardioprotective effects of canagliflozin against cisplatin-induced cardiotoxicity: Role of iNOS/NF-κB,Nrf2, and Bax/cytochrome C/Bcl-2 signals

Cardiotoxicity is a severe considerable side effect of cisplatin (CDDP) that requires much medical attention. The current study investigates the cardioprotective effects of canagliflozin (CA) against CDDP-induced heart toxicity. Rats were allocated to the control group; the CA group was administered CA 10 mg/kg/day orally for 10 days; the CDDP group was injected with 7 mg/kg, intraperitoneal as a single dose on the 5th day, and the CDDP + CA group. Compared to the CDDP-treated group, CA effectively attenuated CDDP-induced heart injury as evidenced by a decrease of serum aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, creatine kinase-MB, and lactate dehydrogenase enzymes and supported by the alleviation of histopathological changes in cardiac tissues. Biochemically, CA attenuated cardiac oxidative injury through upregulation of the nuclear factor-erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) signal. CA suppressed inflammation by decreasing cardiac NO₂⁻, MPO, iNOS, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin 1-beta levels. Besides, CA significantly upregulated cardiac levels of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (AKT), and p-AKT proteins. Moreover, CA remarkably mitigated CDDP-induced apoptosis via modulation of Bax, cytochrome C, and Bcl-2 protein levels. Together, the present study revealed that CA could be a good candidate for preventing CDDP-induced cardiac injury by modulating iNOS/NF-κB, Nrf2, PI3K/AKT, and Bax/cytochrome C/Bcl-2 signals.     

Effect of propiomazine on plasma prolactin in the rat: counteraction by L-dopa

A single iv injection of 0.31, 0.62, 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 mg/kg body wt of a phenothiazine derivative, propiomazine (PP), into male rats significantly (P less than 0.05) increased plasma prolactin concentrations. The higher doses (5, 10, and 20 mg/kg body wt) produced increases that were greater in both magnitude and duration than those produced by the lower doses. The higher doses of PP, along with the elevations in plasma prolactin, also produced concomitant decreases in plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) levels. Pretreatment with L-dopa (100 mg/kg body wt) completely blocked the PP-induced stimulation of prolactin release, indicating that antidopaminergic action of PP either at the hypothalamic or anterior pituitary level was responsible for its effects on the release of prolactin.     

The flavonoids of theFagonia bruguieri complex (Zygophyllaceae)

Seven flavonol glycosides were identified from the main taxa of theF. bruguieri complex. Of these, kaempferol 3-rhamno-galactoside, Quercetin 3-rhamnogalactoside and Quercetin 3-galactoside are new records for the genusFagonia L. and theZygophyllaceae s. str. The distribution of these flavonoid glycosides is discussed with respect to the morphology, chemosystematics, and possible phylogeny of the complex and the genus.Dedicated to Hofrat Univ.-Prof. DrKarl Heinz Rechinger on the occasion of his 80th birthday.     

Immobilization and biocatalysis of chlorophyllase in selected organic solvent systems

Chlorophyllase extract from Phaeodactylum tricornutum was immobilized by physical adsorption on DEAE-cellulose and silica gel as well as by covalent binding on Eupergit C, Eupergit C250L, Eupergit C/ethylenediamine (EDA) and Eupergit C250L/EDA. Although the highest immobilization yield (83-93%) and efficiency (51-53%) were obtained when chlorophyllase extract was immobilized on DEAE-cellulose and silica gel, there was no improvement in the thermal stability of chlorophyllase as compared to that of the free one. The immobilization of chlorophyllase extract on Eupergit C250L/EDA resulted by a high recovery of enzymatic activity, with an immobilization efficiency of 44%, and promoted a higher stabilization of chlorophyllase (four times) in the aqueous/miscible organic solvent medium. On the other hand, the inhibitory effect of refined bleached deodorized (RBD) canola oil was reduced by immobilization of chlorophyllase extract onto silica gel as compared to those obtained with other enzyme preparations. However, the re-cycled chlorophyllase extract immobilized on Eupergit C250L/EDA retained more than 75% of its initial enzyme activity after 6 cycles, whereas that immobilized on silica gel was completely inactivated. The highest catalytic efficiency, for both free and immobilized chlorophyllase on Eupergit C250L/EDA, was obtained in the ternary micellar system as compared to the aqueous/miscible organic solvent and biphasic media.