Effects of selected bryophyte species extracts on microorganisms

Two dozen of bryophyte species was collected from native habitat types across Europe to test if the ethanol extract can affect the growth of various microorganisms. After start-up test the ethanol extract did not show any influence on growth and development to Gram-negative bacteria and fungi Candida albicans (ATCC10231). Thus, the further tests focused on the Gram-positive bactreia. The ethanol extract of 5g bryophyte material was macerated in liquid nitrogen, and then extract was evaporated till dry. The dry residue was dissolved in 5ml of methanol. This was used in further analyses by MIC and MBC techniques. The result obtained showed the most effective extracts were those made from Pellia endiviifolia and Bazzania trilobata. Phytopathogenic bacteria and fungi C. albicans showed resistance to extracts of any bryophyte species tested. Gram-positive bacterias, namely Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC25923), Listeria monocytogenes (ATCC19111) and Bacilus subtilis (ATCC6633) were intolerant to extracts of liverworts P. endiviifolia and B. trilobata. MIC value for two above mentioned liverworts extract tested were 7-12mm, while referent antibiotic (rifampicin) inhibitory zone were 15-35mm. The most resistant to any bryophyte extracts was Escherichia coli (ATCC25922), while the most sensitive was B. subtilis (ATCC6633) with MIC values obtained 0.01-0.19 mg/ml. The results obtained show clear antimicrobial potential of P. endiviifolia and B. trilobata, however further research are needed

Changes in chemical attributes during ripening of traditional fermented sausage, "Pirot ironed"

"Pirot ironed" is a traditional Serbian dry-fermented sausage manufactured in the southeast of Serbia. The changes in the chemical attributes of Pirot ironed sausage were followed during ripening. Samples were taken on the processing days 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28. Pirot ironed sausage was produced from the most valuable cuts of beef and chevon, without addition of starter cultures or fat tissues. Sausages were manufactured in a traditional drying/ripening chamber, where they were pressed every two days to acquire the typical flat form and to speed up the drying. The final water activity was 0.839. The lowest pH value recorded was 5.30 on the processing day 28. During ripening, the water content decreased significantly from 74.72% to 40.32%, while the protein and the fat amounts increased significantly from 19.12% to 45.79% and from 1.22% to 6.21%, respectively. Up to now, the properties of Pirot ironed sausage have not been recognized or published in scientific literature in spite of the long tradition and popularity of this meat product in Serbia

Normotensive rats with PCOS exhibit the hypertensive pattern: focus on oxidative stress

Numerous evidence implies complex interrelations between polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and hypertension (HT) in reproductive-age women. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential strain differences in ovarian morphology, hemodynamic, and biochemical characteristics in an androgen-induced PCOS rat model. A total of 24 rats of 3 weeks old (12 Wistar Kyoto - WK and 12 spontaneously hypertensive rats - SHR) were divided into four groups: WK, WK PCOS, SHR, and SHR PCOS. PCOS was induced by daily s.c. injections of testosterone enanthate (1 mg/100 g body weight) administered for 5 weeks. PCOS induction led to estrus cyclicity cessation, cystic ovarian appearance, and sex hormones disturbances in both strains. The morphometric parameters in ovaries were altered in a manner of PCOS-related changes in both strains (higher number in preantral, atretic, and cystic follicles). Ultrasonographically, a significant decrease in ovarian volume (OV) was registered in PCOS groups but also in SHR compared to WK rats. All blood pressure parameters were higher in SHR compared to WK. PCOS modeling increased systolic, mean arterial, and pulse pressure in WK strain, while in SHR, only mean arterial and pulse pressure were higher. Alterations in oxidative stress parameters could provide a molecular basis for PCOS-related changes: in PCOS groups, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance and superoxide anion radical levels were higher in both strains, while superoxide dismutase and glutathione were significantly lowered

The Profile and Antimicrobial Activity of Bacillus Lipopeptide Extracts of Five Potential Biocontrol Strains

In this study the efficacy of two different methods for extracting lipopeptides produced by five Bacillus strains-ethyl acetate extraction, and acid precipitation followed by methanol extraction-was investigated using mass spectrometry. High performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) was also used for the simultaneous separation of complex mixtures of lipopeptide extracts and for the determination of antimicrobial activity of their components. The mass spectra clearly showed well-resolved groups of peaks corresponding to different lipopeptide families (kurstakins, iturins, surfactins, and fengycins). The ethyl acetate extracts produced the most favorable results. The extracts of SS-12.6, SS-13.1, and SS-38.4 showed the highest inhibition zones. An iturin analog is responsible for the inhibition of Xanthomonas arboricola and Pseudomonas syringae phytopathogenic strains. HPTLC bioautography effectively identified the active compounds from a mixture of lipopeptide extracts, proving in situ its potential for use in direct detection and determination of antimicrobials. In the test of potential synergism among individual extracts used in different mixtures, stronger antimicrobial effects were not observed. Biochemical and phylogenetic analysis clustered isolates SS-12.6, SS-13.1, SS-27.2, and SS-38.4 together with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, while SS-10.7 was more closely related to Bacillus pumilus

Comparative assessment of radial collector well elements with a new approach

In radial collector well design or rehabilitation it is extremely important to define the capacity of the location and the long-term sustainable discharge of the well. Where incrustation occurs, groundwater entrance velocities at horizontal screens also need to be determined. At Belgrade Groundwater Source, maximum permissible screen entrance velocities are correlated with the oxic state of the aquifer, expressed via the redox potential, and the concentration of bivalent iron in the groundwater. The entrance velocities limit the rate of screen incrustation and are based on the maximum permissible increase in local hydraulic resistance at the screens. This is a novel approach on a global scale. In the case of anoxic groundwater, the derived permissible entrance velocities are much lower than estimated by standard, commonly used methods. The new approach is believed to be a significant contribution to well design. Jaroslav Černi Institute for the Development of Water Resources (JCI) has developed software for estimating 3D groundwater flow, which relatively easily and realistically simulates horizontal screens and riverbed configuration and conductivity. The software is an effective tool for determining the capacity of the location and of the radial collector well itself. It is especially useful where the aquifer system comprises a semi-permeable interbed between the water-bearing layer, in which the screens are emplaced, and the overlying strata. Acomparative hydrodynamic analysis of two wells at Belgrade Groundwater Source is presented in the paper. One of the wells (RB-16) clearly reflects the presence of a semi-permeable interbed, whereas the other (RB-46) does not. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. TR37014: Methodology for the Assessment, Design and Maintenance of Groundwater Sources in Alluvial Environments Depending on the Aerobic State

Clogging of water supply wells in alluvial aquifers by mineral incrustations, central Serbia

The formation of incrustations on public water supply well screens reduces their performance considerably. The incrustations increase hydraulic losses, reduce the capacity of the well and screen, affect the quality of the pumped water and increase maintenance costs. In alluvial environments, the most common deposits are iron and manganese hydroxides. However, the rates of formation, compositions and levels of crystallization vary, depending on the geochemical characteristics of the alluvial environment, the microbiological characteristics of the groundwater and the abstraction method. Samples of 15 incrustations were collected from wells that tap shallow alluvial aquifers and were found to be dominated by iron. XRD analyses detected low-crystalline ferrihydrite and manganese hydroxide in the samples collected from the water supply source at Trnovče (Velika Morava alluvial). The incrustations from the Belgrade Groundwater Source revealed the presence of ferrihydrite and a substantial amount of goethite α-FeOOH. Apart from goethite, greigite (Fe3S4) was detected in three samples, while one sample additionally contained bernalite Fe(OH)3 and monoclinic sulfur S8. Among carbonates, only siderite was detected. Iron oxidizing bacteria generally catalyze deposition processes in wells, while sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) play a role in the biogenic formation of greigite. Determining the nature of the deposited material allows better selection of rehabilitation chemicals and procedure. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR37014

Radical Scavenging and Antimicrobial Properties of Polyphenol Rich Waste Wood Extracts

The main focus of this study is to assess radical scavenging and antimicrobial activities of the 11 wood extracts: oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl., Q. robur L., and Q. cerris L.), mulberry (Morus alba L.), myrobalan plum (Prunus cerasifera Ehrh.), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), and wild cherry (Prunus avium L.). High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) provided initial phenolic screening and revealed different chemical patterns among investigated wood extracts. To identify individual compounds with radical scavenging activity DPPH-HPTLC, assay was applied. Gallic acid, ferulic and/or caffeic acids were identified as the compounds with the highest contribution of total radical scavenging activity. Principal component analysis was applied on the data set obtained from HPTLC chromatogram to classify samples based on chemical fingerprints: Quercus spp. formed separate clusters from the other wood samples. The wood extracts were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against eight representative human and opportunistic pathogens. The lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was recorded against Staphylococcus aureus for black locust, cherry and mulberry wood extracts. This work provided simple, low-cost and high-throughput screening of phenolic compounds and assessments of the radical scavenging properties of selected individual metabolites from natural matrix that contributed to scavenge free radicals.publishedVersio

Metagenomic insight into the microbial diversity of the world unique lorandite mine Allchar

Background The Allchar mine situated in southern part of the Republic of North Macedonia, is an unique mine well known as the source of the lorandite (TlAsS2) that present mineral with purest contain of thallium (Tl) in the world. The Crven Dol mine, part of the Allchar mine complex, holds an estimated 500 t of Tl. As a result of interaction of solar neutrinos with 205Tl of the lorandite, Tl transforms to 205 Pb (205 lead whose 15,3 million years half-life present traps of neutrino capture event). Lorandite from this ore deposit is used as geochemical detector to capture neutrinos from the Sun, developed in the project LOREX). Objectives and Methods of this study was, for the first time for this locality, to evaluate presence and diversity of bacteria and fungi using metagenomic methods and bioinformatic analysis (Krona viewer). Results showed high bacterial and fungal diversity. Most dominant bacterial phyla level were: Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Acidobacteria, Planctomycetes, Actinobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia. On the genus level following groups of bacteria were detected: Chryseolinea, Opitutus, Flavobacterium, Pseudomonas, Terrimonas and Sphingomonas. Fungi phyla Ascomycota (genera: Pilidium, Dendroclathra, Rosellinia and Hypomyces) and Basidiomycota (genera: Coprinellus and Coprinus) were confirmed. This study is the first to identify specific As- and Tl- tolerant fungal (Pilidium, Cladophialophora, Neobulgaria, and Mycena) and bacterial genera (Trichococcus, Devosia, Litorilinea, and Gimesia). ICP-OES analysis of the samples detected 25 elements and high concentration of As and Tl. Keywords: Allchar, mine, bacteria, fungi, diversity, lorandite, thallium

Characterisation of twelve newly synthesised N-(substituted phenyl)-2-chloroacetamides with QSAR analysis and antimicrobial activity tests

In this study we screened twelve newly synthesised N-(substituted phenyl)-2-chloroacetamides for antimicrobial potential relying on quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis based on the available cheminformatics prediction models (Molinspiration, SwissADME, PreADMET, and PkcSM) and verified it through standard antimicrobial testing against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and Candida albicans. Our compounds met all the screening criteria of Lipinski's rule of five (Ro5) as well as Veber's and Egan's methods for predicting biological activity. In antimicrobial activity tests, all chloroacetamides were effective against Gram-positive S. aureus and MRSA, less effective against the Gram-negative E. coli, and moderately effective against the yeast C. albicans. Our study confirmed that the biological activity of chloroacetamides varied with the position of substituents bound to the phenyl ring, which explains why some molecules were more effective against Gram-negative than Gram-positive bacteria or C. albicans. Bearing the halogenated p-substituted phenyl ring, N-(4-chlorophenyl), N-(4-fluorophenyl), and N-(3-bromophenyl) chloroacetamides were among the most active thanks to high lipophilicity, which allows them to pass rapidly through the phospholipid bilayer of the cell membrane. They are the most promising compounds for further investigation, particularly against Gram-positive bacteria and pathogenic yeasts