Phytochemical investigation and antimicrobial, antifungal and synergistic activities of chloroform fractions of the root of Ferula szovitsiana

زمینه و هدف: گیاه کمای بیابانی (Ferula szowitsiana) متعلق به خانواده چتریان و از گیاهان دارویی بومی ایران و آسیای مرکزی می‌باشد. صمغ حاصل از ریشه گیاهان جنس کما در درمان بیماری های گوارشی و روماتیسم کاربرد دارد. این مطالعه با هدف بررسی اثرات فراکسیون های عصاره کلرفرمی ریشه گیاه کمای بیابانی طراحی و اجرا شده است. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه تجربی اثرات ضد باکتریایی، ضد قارچی و هم افزایی عصاره‌ی کلروفرمی و فراکسیون های فعال ریشه (CEF1-CEF15) بر روی برخی باکتری‌های گرم مثبت و گرم منفی و قارچ های کاندیدا کفیر و کریپتوکوکوس نئوفورمانس (غلظت‌های 2/0 تا 4 میلی‌گرم بر میلی‌لیتر و با مضرب 2) با روش انتشار در آگار و تعیین حداقل غلظت مهارکنندگی بررسی گردید. یافته‌ها: نتایج نشان داد که عصاره‌ و اجزای مختلف آن ، اثرات ضد میکروبی قابل ملاحظه‌ای بر روی میکروارگانیسم‌های مورد آزمون دارند. میانگین قطر هاله‌های عدم رشد بین 7 تا 23 میلی متر برای اجزای مختلف عصاره ثبت شد. عمده‌ترین اثر ضد میکروبی از 15 جزء حاصله در جزء CEF6 و روی باکتری باسیلوس سوبتیلیس و قارچ کریپتوکوکوس نئوفورمانس (به ترتیب با قطر هاله 4/15 و 1/23 میلی متر) دیده شد. جزء CEF5 اثر مهار کنندگی روی رشد هیچکدام از میکروارگانیسم‌ها نداشت. بیشترین اثرات هم افزایی اجزا، با آنتی‌بیوتیک‌های اریترومایسین و تتراسایکلین با اجزای CEF1، CEF9، CEF10 و CEF11 روی باکتری استافیلوکوکوس اورئوس مقاوم به متی سیلین و باسیلوس سوبتیلیس مشاهده شد. نتیجه گیری: نتایج نشان داد عصاره و اجزای حاصله از گیاه کمای بیابانی خواص ضد قارچی و ضد باکتریی قابل قبولی از خود نشان می‌دهند که می‌توانند به عنوان منبع بالقوه برای ترکیبات جدید ضد باکتری در نظر گرفته شوند

Evaluation of Methyl Red and Lactate as a Mediator and a Simple Carbon Source on Electrochemical Performance of Urmia lake Sediment Microbial Fuel Cell

Introduction: The energy crisis is an urgent issue due to the increased consumption of fossil fuels. Therefor alternative energy sources are, of critical importance. Sediment Microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) are more important among other renewable energy sources in which chemical energy in organic compounds is converted to electrical energy due to proper bacteria (exoelectrogens) catalytic activity. Materials and methods: In this study, one liter glassy reactor was used, half of it was filled with Urmia lake sediment, where microbial consortium are present, as anodic part and upper half was filled with lake water as cathodic part. Copper wires attached to graphite electrodes 4×4 cm² (choice electrode) and via an external resistance 2/2 kΩ two sections related to each other. Electrochemical performance was evaluated by a digital voltimeter. The effectiveness of methyl red as mediator and lactate after determination of optimum concentration which is added every 15 days was evaluated. All fuel cells were studied for over 45 days of experiment. Results: The results demonstrated the mediator SMFC with power density of 7/54 mW/m² has a distinct difference with mediator-less SMFC with power density of 0.46 mW/m². The recorded power density of SMFC with lactate and mediator was 4/44 ± 1/44 mW/m². Discussion and conclusion: Sediment microbial consortia degrade available organic compounds and transfer to the anode electrode by using synthetic mediators. The results showed, in addition to external synthetic mediator, methyl red increases fuel cell electrochemical performance. While it was expected that fuel cell performs well in the presence of mediator and external carbon source, we witnessed better electrochemical performance in the absence of lactate

Design of Phage-Cocktail–Containing Hydrogel for the Treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa–Infected Wounds

Recently, the treatment of infected wounds has become a global problem due to increased antibiotic resistance in bacteria. The Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is often present in chronic skin infections, and it has become a threat to public health as it is increasingly multidrug resistant. Due to this, new measures to enable treatment of infections are necessary. Treatment of bacterial infections with bacteriophages, known as phage therapy, has been in use for a century, and has potential with its antimicrobial effect. The main purpose of this study was to create a phage-containing wound dressing with the ability to prevent bacterial infection and rapid wound healing without side effects. Several phages against P. aeruginosa were isolated from wastewater, and two polyvalent phages were used to prepare a phage cocktail. The phage cocktail was loaded in a hydrogel composed of polymers of sodium alginate (SA) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). To compare the antimicrobial effects, hydrogels containing phages, ciprofloxacin, or phages plus ciprofloxacin were produced, and hydrogels without either. The antimicrobial effect of these hydrogels was investigated in vitro and in vivo using an experimental mouse wound infection model. The wound-healing process in different mouse groups showed that phage-containing hydrogels and antibiotic-containing hydrogels have almost the same antimicrobial effect. However, in terms of wound healing and pathological process, the phage-containing hydrogels performed better than the antibiotic alone. The best performance was achieved with the phage–antibiotic hydrogel, indicating a synergistic effect between the phage cocktail and the antibiotic. In conclusion, phage-containing hydrogels eliminate efficiently P. aeruginosa in wounds and may be a proper option for treating infectious wounds

Isolation and identification of culturable aerobic halophilic Archaea associated with salt crystals from Urmia Lake

Urmia Lake is one of the largest hypersaline lakes in the world. Water evaporation and saturation cause a lot of salt crystals formation on the lake beach. In this study, extremely halophilic strains were isolated from salt crystals that formed in distinct regions of lake. The isolation was performed by means of modified Marine agar medium and their DNA were extracted and amplified by PCR using universal primers that amplify archaeal 16S rDNA. The amplified archeal DNA fragments were purified, and were subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis which was compared to known sequences by a Blast search at NCBI (National Center for Biological Information). Similarity analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences of all isolates indicated that the archaeal isolates belong to three different halophilic genera of euryarcheota: Halorubrum, Haloarcula and Halobacterium. These extreme halophilc archaea can be used as a potential source of new therapeutic metabolites and enzymes as well as antibiotic compounds along with novel biotechnological applications.</p

Design, synthesis and evaluation of biological activities of some novel anti-TB agents with bio-reducible functional group

Introduction: With regard to the anti-mycobacterial activity of 2-pyrazinoic acid esters (POEs), recent studies have shown that both pyrazine core and alkyl part of POE interact with the fatty acid synthase type (I) (FAS (I)) precluding a complex formation between NADPH and FAS (I). Methods: Considering this interaction at the reductase site of FAS (I) responsible for reduction of β-ketoacyl-CoA to β-hydroxyacyl-CoA, we hypothesized that POE containing a bioreducible center in its alkyl part might show an increased anti-tubercular activity due to the involvement of FAS (I) in extra bio-reduction reaction. Thus, we synthesized novel POEs, confirmed their structures by spectral data, and subsequently evaluated their anti-mycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) (H37Rv) strain at 10 μg/mL concentration. Results: Compounds 3c, 3j, and 3m showed higher activity with regard to the inhibition of Mtb growth by 45.4, 45.7, and 51.2% respectively. Unexpectedly, the maltol derived POE 3l having the lowest log p value among the POEs indicated the highest anti-mycobacterial growth activity with 56% prevention. Compounds 3c and 3l showed no remarkable cytotoxicity on human macrophages at 10 μg/mL concentration as analyzed by xCELLigence real-time cell analysis. In further experiments, some of the tested POEs, unlike pyrazinamide (PZA), exhibited significant antibacterial and also anti-fungal activities. POEs showed an enhanced bactericidal activity on gram-positive bacteria as shown for Staphylococcus aureus, e.g. compound 3b with a MIC value of 125 μg/mL but not E. coli as a gram-negative bacteria, except for maltol derived POE (3l) that showed an inverse activity in the susceptibility test. In the anticancer activity test against the human leukemia K562 cell lines using MTT assay, compounds 3e and 3j showed the highest cytotoxic effect with IC50 values of 25±8.0 μΜ and 25±5.0 μΜ, respectively. Conclusion: It was found that the majority of POEs containing a bioreducible center showed higher inhibitory activities on Mtb growth when compared to the similar compounds without a bio-reducible functional group

Cytotoxic Effects of Lactobacilli Isolated from Azerbaijan Traditional Cheeses on Colorectal Tumor Cells HCT 116 and Identification of Paramount Strains

Background & objectives: Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Much attention has been given to nutritional supplements that can alter intestinal flora as factors preventing colon cancer. Research has shown that lactic acid bacteria in foods are potentially capable of inducing apoptosis. In this regard, the most focus has been on Lactobacillus genus. This study, investigated the cytotoxic effect of metabolites of isolated strain from Azerbaijan traditional cheeses on HCT116 colorectal cancer cells. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, after collecting samples of traditional &quot;Lighvan&quot; and &quot;jug&quot; cheeses in the region of Azerbaijan, MRS medium was used for isolation of lactobacilli. The isolates were identified by biochemical and molecular approaches after primary confirmation. The metabolites were produced in MRS broth, and their supernatants were separated. The inhibitory effect of the supernatants of the isolates on HCT116 cancer cells was studied and their effects were evaluated by microscopy and MTT assay. Results: In this study, three isolates of &quot;Lighvan&quot; and sixteen isolates of &quot;jug&quot; cheeses were obtained. The results of anticancer activity showed that the supernatants of the isolates CT2 and JT1 had a significant anticancer effect on HCT116 cancer cells (p˂0.05). Identification of the isolates CT2 and JT1 showed 99% and 96% similarity with Lactobacillus brevis, respectively. Conclusion: Lactobacilli in Azerbaijan traditional dairy products have a significant value in terms of anticancer properties. &nbsp

Novel functionalized monomers based on kojic acid: snythesis, characterization, polymerization and evalution of antimicrobial activity

Two novel acrylate monomers, [5-(benzyloxy)-4-oxo-4H-pyran-2-yl]methyl acrylate and {1-[(5-(benzyloxy)-4-oxo-4H-pyran-2-yl)methyl]-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl}methyl acrylate were synthesized by the reaction of 5-benzyloxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)-4H-pyran-4-one and 5-(benzyloxy)-2-{[4-(hydroxymethyl)-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl]methyl}-4H-pyran-4-one with acryloyl chloride in the presence of triethylamine, respectively. These monomers were polymerized using 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator in N,N-dimethylformamide:14-dioxane (10:1) solution. The thermal behavior of the polymers was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial and antifungal activites aganist bacteria and fungi using the disk diffusion method. The results indicated that some of these compounds demonstrated moderate to good antibacterial and antifungal activities

Vancomycin Capped with Silver Nanoparticles as an Antibacterial Agent against Multi-Drug Resistance Bacteria

Purpose: Many antimicrobial medications are available to combat infections. However, the indiscriminate use of antibiotics has produced antibiotic resistance in the case of many bacterial pathogens. This study focuses on the development of nanoparticles (NPs) that enhance the in vitro antibiotic activity of vancomycin against multi-drug resistant (MDR) organisms. Methods: Spherical shaped thioglycolic acid-stabilized silver nanoparticles (TGA-AgNPs) were prepared by using a simple chemical reduction method. Then, vancomycin was conjugated to the terminal carboxyl of TGA in the presence of N-Hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) and N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N’-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC). Afterwards, the antibacterial activity of these nanoconjugates was examined by using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay against MDR bacteria. Results: The rate of vancomycin bound to the AgNPs was 19.6%. The MIC values of vancomycin (Van)-capped AgNPs against tested pathogens were in the range of (3.2, 1.6, 0.8, 0.4, 0.2, 0.1, 0.05, and 0.025 µl/ml). The MIC was 0.1 µg/ml for VRE, MIC≤0.02 µg/ml for MRSE, and 0.05 µg/ml for S. aureus. The MIC corresponded to the MBC for all bacterial species. Conclusion: This study indicated that some antimicrobial agents like vancomycin can be conjugated with AgNPs. This can lead to increased antimicrobial activity against MDR microorganisms