Antimycobacterial potential of green synthesized silver nano particles from selected Himalayan flora

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is a persistent threat to human life and a challenge to global public health. The pathogen’s antibioticresistance has become a serious problem, prompting the development of nanotechnology-based medicines to prevent multidrug resistance in microorganisms. The present study aimed to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), using leaves extracts of Achillea millefolium, Artemisia campestris and Hedera nepalensis to analyze their antimycobacterial potential. The biosynthesized silver nanoparticlesnwere harvested and characterized through UV visible spectroscopy,nField Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The FESEM analysis showed, that selected plant-based silver nanoparticles were spherical in shape with a diameter ranging from 50 nm to 80 nm. Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed that constitute elements of silver nanoparticles are Ag, C, O, Cl and Ca. The biosynthesized AgNPs exhibited significant antibacterial potential against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. At a concentration of 50 μL Hedera nepalensis exhibited the highest growth inhibition at 97.33%, followed by Artemisia at 95%, whereas the percentage growth inhibition of Achillea millefolium at 50 μL concentration was 72.33% as compared to the Rifampicin (RIF) i.e., 40%. Fluorescence microscopy confirmed visible growth inhibition in both experimental and controlled cultures. Hedra nepalensis and Artemisia campestris showed promising potential to inhibit the growth of mycobacteria populations, indicating their potential for the development of novel nanomedicine to treat tuberculosis effectively

Identification of bacterial communities in extreme sites of Pakistan using high throughput barcoded amplicon sequencing

Microorganisms thrive nearly everywhere including extreme environments where few other forms of life can exist. Geochemistry of extreme sites plays a major role in shaping these microbial communities and microbes thriving in such harsh conditions are untapped sources of novel biomolecules. To understand the structure and composition of such microbial communities, culture-independent bacterial diversity was characterised for two extreme sites in Pakistan, Khewra salt range and Murtazaabad hot spring. Barcoded amplicon sequencing technique was used to study the microbial communities. Physicochemical analysis of these sites was also conducted to study the dynamics of microbial communities under stressed conditions. Metagenomic sequencing of salt range soil samples yielded of 40,433 16S rRNA sequences, while hot spring sediments produced 76,449 16S rRNA sequence reads. Proteobacteria were predominant in saline soil while Firmicutes were most abundant in hot spring sediment. The taxonomic analysis of saline samples revealed 914 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) while that of hot spring sequences were clustered into 726 distinct OTUs. OTUs from genus Alkalibacillus were most abundant in hot spring sediments, whereas Haloarcula were more prevalent in saline soil. Some unidentified sequences were also present at each taxonomic level. Multivariate analysis indicated that electrical conductivity and pH are the major environmental factors involved in modelling microbial communities. This study revealed a poly-extremophilic microbial community in the Murtazaabad hot spring and characterised the unexplored halophilic microbial diversity of saline soil of Pakistan

Diversity of culturable thermophilic bacteria from Tata Pani hotspring of Kotli Azad Jammu and Kashmir

Hot water springs are unique areas populated by mesophiles, thermotolerant and hyperthermophiles. They are the source of diversity of thermophiles, mainly belonging to archaea and bacteria domains. The diversity of thermophiles gives an outline of the huge biological potential that can be exploited for industrial applications.To this end, this study was aimed to isolate and characterise the unexplored thermophilic microorganisms from hot water spring in Tatapani, Tehsil & District Kotli AJK, Pakistan. Around 10 bacterial isolates were identified using morphological, biochemical, physiological and molecular attributes. Sequencing of the 16S rDNA gene of the isolates followed by BLAST search revealed that the strain MBT008 has 100% similarity with Anoxybacillus kamchatkensis. MBT012 showed 99.57% similarity with A. mongoliensis, MBT014 was affiliated with A. tengchongensis with 99.43% similarity, MBT009 showed 99.83% homology with A. gonensis and MBT018, 98.70% similarity with A. karvacharensis. The presence of all this microbial diversity in one common source is of immense importance related to envioronmental and industrial aspects in general and extraction of thermostable enzymes from these thermophiles specifically opens new horizons in the field of industrial biotechnology. These thermophiles are revealing new capabilities and are being manipulated by biotechnologists in utilizing them in different unique ways

Diversity of culturable thermophilic bacteria in hotspring of Kotli Azad Jammu and Kashmir

Hot water springs are unique areas populated by mesophiles, thermotolerant, and hyperthermophiles. They are source of diversity of thermophiles, mainly belonging to archaea and bacteria domains. The diversity of thermophiles gives an outline of the huge biological potential that can be exploited for industrial applications.To this end, this study was aimed to isolate and characterize the unexplored thermophilic microorganisms from hot water spring in Tatapani, Tehsil & District Kotli AJK, Pakistan. Around 10 bacterial isolates were identified using morphological, biochemical, physiological and molecular attributes. Sequencing of the 16S rDNA gene of the isolates followed by BLAST search revealed that the strain MBT008 has 100% similarity with Anoxybacillus kamchatkensis. MBT012 showed 99.57% similarity with A. mongoliensis, MBT014 was affiliated with A. tengchongensis with 99.43% similarity, MBT009 showed 99.83% homology with A. gonensis and MBT018, 98.70% similarity with A. karvacharensis. The presence of all this microbial divesrity in one common source is of immense importance related to envioronmental and industrial aspects in general and extraction of thermostable enzymes from these thermophiles specifically opens new horizons in the field of industrial biotechnology. These thermophiles are revealing new capabilities and are being manipulated by biotechnologists in utilizing them in different unique ways