Immunomodulators

Fungal immunomodulators are high-value compounds in nutraceuticals and the high-value pharmaceutical market. Fungal immunosuppressors such as cyclosporins, mycophenolic acid and their derivatives are important medicines for the treatment of many diseases; and they are widely used as the main therapy for pre- and post-organ transplantation treatments to minimize the risk of the body’s rejection of the xenotransplanted organ. Further, fungal immunostimulators have a long history in nutraceuticals and preventive medicine through stimulation of the body defense mechanisms. However, most of the known immunostimulators were obtained from macrofungi (mushrooms). More recently, many fungal immunostimulators were used effectively to prevent and to treat many types of cancer. Thus, both the roles of immunosuppressor and immunostimulator are equally important. This chapter provides recent information regarding the chemistry, biosynthesis and industrial production of different types of fungal immunomodulators

Studies on factors affecting business performance of biotechnology companies

Biotechnology industries are fast growing, technology based and multibillion dollars business. Biotechnology dealt with using biomaterials to produce bioproducts or to provide service in many industrial sectors of health, food, chemical and environmental industries. Like most of high-tech business, biotechnology is long term investment business with high risk. Therefore, based on the unique nature of this business, factors affecting its performance are different from those of ordinary business. Thus, this study is focused on the determination of the current factors affecting the performance of biotechnology business by 46 worldwide experts using mixed research method (a combination between Expert Opinion Assessment EOA technique and questionnaire of closed ended questions). Two rounds of questioning were conducted to identify, categorize and prioritize these factors by mean ranks. In the first round, experts listed all factors affecting business performance. The results of the first round were grouped and returned to the experts in the second round to score the importance of each factor. The second round showed high results consensus among the experts. Based on the favorable Kendall’s coefficient of consensus, it was not necessary to run the third round. Based on the results obtained from EOA study, a non-Financial Business Performance Indicator (n-FBPI) was developed for quantitative determination of performance of biotechnology companies. To evaluate the company’s performance, another research instrument (questionnaire) was developed. This questionnaire composed of 97 questions to evaluate the company’s external and internal environment and strength in points related to the effective factors uncovered in the first part of this study. The developed instrument was tested by 5 companies and gave quantitative measure for companies performance. Furthermore, a new website (www.biotechhorizon.com) was developed for this study for online assessment of the performance of biotechnology companies. The results of this study will help all stakeholders in biotechnology business either who are new in this type of business or who are well established by providing the current factors which have significant effect on biotechnology business performance. The n-FBPI developed will also be a useful tool for companies to evaluate their non financial performance quantitatively

Editorial

Editorial - Inaugural issue - Volume 1 Number 1International Journal of Biotechnolgy for Wellness Industrie

Optimierung der Produktion und Exkretion von Glucoseoxidase mittels rekombinanten Aspergillus niger

The interrelation between various process parameters was evaluated for the cultivation of a recombinant Aspergillus niger NRRL 3 (GOD 3-18) in shake flask and bioreactor level. To increase GOx production in submerged culture, yeast extract was added to cultivation medium up to a concentration of 2 g l -1 . Beyond this concentration yeast extract supported only cell growth with a decrease in enzyme production due to the formation of large pellets. For further study of the influence of growth morphology on cell productivity, cultivations in baffled and non-baffled flask were performed. In the case of baffled flasks, cells grew in smaller pellet form which resulted in higher productivity as compared to non-baffled flask. The process was then conducted at bioreactor level for GOx production under controlled pH value. The origin of inoculum was a critical factor in microbial growth. When the spores, obtained directly from stock frozen glycerin culture, were plated only once the growth resulted in micropellet-filamentous form, showing more than two fold increase in GOx production and with a higher excretion rate as compared to pelleted grown cultures. The pelleted growth was observed under the same cultivation conditions when spores were obtained from multi-time platted cultures. The second part of this study was focused on the production of GOx with non-glucose C-sources to overcome the problem of the conversion of the substrate glucose by the produced enzyme. Among nine different mono-sugars tested, fructose and xylose supported cell growth and GOx production. Utilization of fructose increased the final cell mass concentration 2-fold compared to glucose at equivalent concentration, but it resulted in 30 lower final total GOx activity. On the other hand, xylose increased the final cell mass concentration and the final total GOx activity were 3 and 2.5-fold higher, respectively. The suitability of fructose and xylose for GOx production was also studied.Die Beziehung zwischen verschiedenen Prozeßparametern wurde für die Kultivierung von rekombinanten Aspergillus niger NRRL 3 (GOD 3-18) in Schüttelkultur und Bioreaktorexperimenten untersucht. Um die GOx Produktion in Submerskultur zu steigern, wurde Hefeextrakt zum Kulturmedium bis zu einer Konzentration von 2 g l -1 hinzugefügt. Oberhalb dieser Konzentration führte Hefeextrakt nur zu Zellwachstum bei gleichzeitiger Abnahme der Enzymproduktion, da größere Pellets gebildet wurden. Zur weiteren Untersuchung des Einflusses der Morphologie auf das Zellwachstum wurden Kultivierungen in Schüttelkolben mit und ohne Schikanen durchgeführt. In Kolben mit Schikanen wuchsen die Zellen in kleineren Pellets, was zu höherer Enzymproduktivität im Vergleich zu Kolben ohne Schikanen führte. Daraufhin wurde der Prozeß in einem Bioreaktor mit geregeltem pH durchgeführt. Der Ursprung des Inokulum war ein kritischer Faktor für das mikrobielle Wachstum. Wenn die Sporen, von einer Glycerinstammkultur stammend, nur einmal ausplattiert wurden, zeigte sich filamentöses Wachstum mit geringem Anteil von Mikropellets. Gleichzeitig verdoppelte sich die GOx Produktion und auch die Exkretion stieg an, im Vergleich zu Kultivierungen in Pelletform. Wachstum in Pelletform wurde beobachtet unter ansonsten den gleichen Bedingungen, wenn Sporen von mehrfach ausplattierten Kulturen genommen wurden. Im zweiten Teil dieser Arbeit wurde die Produktion von GOx mit verschiedenen Kohlenstoffquellen, außer Glukose, untersucht, um den Umsatz von Glukose durch das produzierte Enzym zu vermeiden. Von den neun getesteten Monosacchariden unterstützten Fruktose und Xylose Zellwachstum und GOx Produktion. Die Aufnahme von Fruktose steigerte die Zellmasse 2-fach im Vergleich zu Glucose bei äquivalenter Konzentration, aber die Gesamt-GOx-Aktivität war 30 niedriger. Auf der anderen Seite steigerte Xylose die Biomassekonzentration 3-fach und die Gesamt-GOx-Aktivität 2.5-fach

Medium composition effects on growth kinetic of cordyceps militaris cells using agar plate method

Mushroom Cordyceps, as one of the most well known funguses with numerous bioactive compounds possess therapeutic actions; many years used as medicinal food particularly in China and Japan. Interestingly, the long history of mushroom as a therapeutic agent is not far from its role as a food component among Asian people specifically in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It has been cultivated naturally or in artificial media. Fungal mycelia contain adenosine, cordycepin, and polysaccharides, which are responsible for its biological activities. Cordycepin is the best-known and most potent mushroom-derived substances possessing anticancer, antitumor, antiviral, antihypertensive, immune response stimulating effects, blood lipid lowering effects and several other immunomodulating activities. Therefore, it can be a potential alternative or supplement to chemotherapy in order to treat or accelerate the treatment efficiency on the different types of human related cancer diseases. However, high quality and large-scale production of bioactive products from mushroom Cordyceps are the issues need to be investigated. Thus, optimization of cultural conditions such as medium composition and also the type of components used in medium are two essential factors, which are so effective on the acceleration of the product formation by the cells. In this study, optimized solid state cultivation of fungal mycelia cells using modified potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium culture supplemented with specific amount of malt extract (ME) together with yeast extract (YE) was investigated. The mycelial growth diameter was monitored during 21 days of cultivation time using two series of experiments including 2, 4, 6 and 8 g of ME and 6 g of ME with 0, 2, 4 and 6 g/L of YE in the PDA medium culture, respectively. Results illustrated the highest mycelial growth diameter around 7.5 cm using medium composed of PDA supplemented with 6 g/L ME and 4 g/L. Further investigations are now undertaken in our laboratories to clarify the effects of the new medium presented here on the bioactive metabolite formation (e.g. cordycepin)

Effects of agitation speed and kinetic studies on probiotication of pomegranate juice with Lactobacillus casei

The issues of lactose intolerance and vegetarianism have encouraged the introduction of non-dairy fermented food into the market. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effect of agitation speed on the bioactive compounds and functional characteristics of probioticated pomegranate juice. Pomegranate juice was fermented with Lactobacillus casei at different agitation speeds ranging from 0 (microaerophilic) to 150 rpm at 37 °C. The functional properties of probioticated pomegranate juice were evaluated in terms of growth (biomass), lactic acid production, antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and key metabolites using LC-MS/MS. The growth kinetics of fermentation was monitored at the optimal condition using one factor at a time method. High cell growth (3.58 × 1010 cfu/mL or 7.9 gL-1) was observed for L. casei probioticated pomegranate juice agitated at 0 rpm. The findings of this study reveal the potential of pomegranate juice as a medium for L. casei cultivation without nutrient supplementation. The improvement of antioxidant activity in the probioticated juice could be due to the increment of quercetin-3-glucoside. Therefore, L. casei grew well in pomegranate juice with a high cell viability and antioxidant activity at a non-agitated condition. Probioticated pomegranate juice is a potentially functional drink

The Edible Mushroom Pleurotus spp.: I. Biodiversity and Nutritional Values

Mushrooms are macrofungi with numerous varieties and widely known as food and medicine in many ancient cultures. They are considered as potential source of many essential nutrients as well as therapeutic bioactive compounds and thus became one of the main components in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and in Japanese herbal medicine since more than two thousand years. The genus Pleurotus (widely known as oyster mushroom) is fast growing fungus belongs to basidiomycota group and considered as one of the famous species with many health benefits. Nowadays, seventy species of this genus has been discovered, but solely a few of them such as P. florida, P. sajor-caju and P. ostreatus are available in the market. The rich nutrients such as proteins, fibers, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and lipids present this mushroom as famous healthy food. Furthermore, Bioactive compounds such as polysaccharides, proteins and nucleic acid are extracted from various species of Pleurotus tends the researcher to investigate more on this beneficial genus. This work is focused on reviewing the recent work published in the biodiversity and nutritional content of Pleurotus spp

Coupling ultrasound with enzyme-assisted extraction of essential oil from algerian artemisia herba-alba asso

The composition of the essential oil (EO) of Artemisia herba-alba Asso, extracted by Hydro-Distillation (HD) and by coupling Ultrasound with Enzyme-Assisted Extraction (UE-AE) prior to HD from the plant's aerial parts were analyzed by GC-MS. Antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activities of the obtained EOs were evaluated. The yield of EO extraction after pretreatment of the desert wormwood leaves by coupling ultrasound with enzymes was in the range of 1.56%±0.07 compared to 1.01% ±0.08 in HD process; also, the total time necessary to complete EO extraction is 180min for HD and 120min for UE-AE. GC-MS profiling of the EOs showed changes in chemo type obtained by HD from camphor/1,8-cineole/α-mujone/chrysanmenone to a new chemo type in the case of UE-AE: camphor/α-thujone/1,8-cineole/filifolone; Then, an increasing of filifolone, α-thujone, 3-octyne and cis-limonene oxide characterize the UE-EO. The antifungal activity of the EO has slightly increased when extracted by UE-AE, however, both antibacterial and antioxidant activities were interestingly increased

A review of genetic taxonomy, biomolecules chemistry and bioactivities of Citrus hystrix DC

Citrus hystrix DC. with common name makrut lime or kafir lemon, is a very popular traditional medicinal plant as well as an important spice in Asiatic countries. The plant is native of the Indonesian island Sumbawa, then, it is cultivated in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and the tropical region of Asia. It mainly contains essential oil and phenolic compounds. The most intense odor compounds of kafir lemon are Citronellal, L-Linalool, 1,8-Cineole , á-Terpeneol and ä-Cadinene. Such as Citrusosides-A and furanocoumarines, Makrut lime content also non-volatile compounds like alkaloids and glyceroglycolipids. Citrus hystrix DC has many biological activities due to its volatile and nonvolatile compounds, and it has been used in traditional medicine for treating various illnesses, particularly cold pain and stomach disorder. It is also used as a juice for its fruit or as spice for its aromatic leaves. This review covers data on the chemistry and biological effects of Citrus hystrix DC biomolecules, and aims to lay the foundation for further study on the extraction enhancement of these biomolecules and more useful formulations