Investigation of antibacterial and antifungal activities of the extract marine algae Sargassum glaucescens

In recent decades the use of algae in the food and pharmaceutical industries is of great importance. The antimicrobial activity of brown alga methanol, ethyl acetate, hexane, and chloroform extracts on bacteria gram positive, gram negative, and fungi was evaluated by using nutrient broth macrodilution test. Sargassum glaucescense was collected around the coastal waters of Chabahar (Oman Sea) in Nov and Dec 2015. Six pathogenic organisms including; Enterococcus faecium ATCC 51299, Streptococcus mutans ATCC 35668, Shigella boydii ATCC 25923, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 13883, Salmonella enteritidi PTCC, 1709, Candida albicans ATCC 10231 and Aspergillus fumigatus PTCC 5009 were investigated by the broth dilution method. Methanolic Extract for six strains showed good activity amongst eight strains. Hexane extract, after methanolic extract has good effect on antimicrobial activity against five strains. All bacteria strain in this survey has showed resistance against ethyl acetate and chloroformic extracts. All extract of S. glaucescens has good inhibition growth against two fungal strains. S. glaucescens using four various solution extract against eight different human pathogens showed an important antimicrobial and antifungal activity. However, more investigation has to be done on separation, purification and detection of the active ingredients in order to recognize their antifungal and antibacterial activity

Identification of metallothionein gene structure in sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus)

Aquatic organisms present, not only simple sources of accumulated metal, but can interact with metals, altering their toxicity. Due to exposition of biosphere with metals, organisms have developed various defense mechanisms to protect themselves against adverse effects of these ions and their compounds. Metallothionein (MT) is one of that which represents a critical mechanism for detoxification of metals. The sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) is a bottom feeding sturgeon species and because the fish are dependent on invertebrate species for food throughout their life cycle, the sterlet could be a good indicator of the quality of the state of water ecosystem. Addition of copper to water leads to the induction of MT. The present study analyzed MTgene primary structure that was excreted from the liver of sterlet exposed to sub-lethal copper concentrations (0.075 mgL^-1 ). At the beginning to identify the molecular structure of Metallothionein of sterlet, a cDNA encoding MT was purified from livers of sterlet, and the MTgene was amplified. The primary structure of sterlet metallothionein (S-MT) contained 20 cysteine residues, which is the same as MTs of teleost fishes. Although, the primary structure of S-MT contained 63 amino acids, which is longer than any MT identified in teleost fishes but similar to the structure of MT gene in lake sturgeon and white sturgeon. The complete nucleotide sequence of the S-MTgene has been detected. We have determined the structure of the fish copper-binding protein by DNA sequence analysis of the gene

Analysis of vitellogenin gene structure in Caspian roach, Rutilus caspicus (Pisces: Cyprinidae) during exposure to Atrazine

Chemical contamination of aquatic environments to EDCs has become a major focus of environmental toxicology research. The exposure of fishes to estrogenic EDCs in aquatic environments is most frequently assessed by analyzing Vitellogenin (Vg) (the egg yolk precursor protein) expression. Therefore, characterization of Vg gene is of high priority for EDCs bio-monitoring. So, we prepared liver tissue samples of Caspian roach, Rutilus caspicus for RNA extraction. Following the cDNA synthesis, specifically - designed primers were employed to amplify the Vg gene and ultimately sequence it. The evolutionary analyses of the sequence were performed using MEGA7 software. The obtained results indicated that the designed primers successfully amplified the partial cDNA sequence. Our results indicated that this sequence most probably belongs to the Vg1 form of the gene. Moreover, it was demonstrated that Caspian roach and Petroleuciscus esfahani share a common ancestor. Noteworthy, the study of Vg gene would be helpful to understand the molecular mechanisms of development and would be used to establish a bio-monitoring tool for detection of exposure to different EDCs

First record of Limnodrilus claparedeianus ratzel, 1868 (Annelida: Oligochaeta: tubificidae) from Anzali wetland, Guilan Province, Iran

Oligochaeta worms are important organisms in aquatic ecosystem. Their omnipresence makes them as an indicator of environmental changes and health of aquatic ecosystem. The members of the family Tubificidae and in particular, genus Limnodrilus are considered as the most tolerant oligochaets to aquatic pollution. Therefore identification and biological characteristics of this taxon are of great help to evaluate the ecosystem of water bodies. Limnodrilus claparedeianus were collected from Anzali Wetland with a grab of 0.04 m2 capacity at 13 stations from August 2012 through June 2013. Penis sheath was one of the main characteristics to identify them. Results showed their maximum and the minimum density in spring (601.27 ± 466.8346 Ind.m-2) and in autumn (156.12 ± 136.3 Ind.m-2) respectively which was significantly different (P<0.05). Comparative spatial distribution of L. claparedeianus among 13 stations revealed significant differences in the west stations (P<0.05). According to the results, correlation analysis did not exhibit any relation between abundance of L. claparedeianus and total organic matter, abundance of the species and percentage of silt in substrate sediment

Histopathological effects and toxicity of atrazine herbicide in Caspian kutum, Rutilus frisii kutum, fry

This study aimed to investigate the toxic effects of atrazine herbicide on the fry of Caspian kutum (Rutilus frisii kutum, Kamensky, 1901). First the 96-h LC50 of the fry were exposed to atrazine at the concentration of 24.95 ppm was determined. Then the toxicity of this herbicide on Caspian kutum fry exposed to the concentration of 12.47ppm (1/2 LC50), for four days was measured and compared with a control group. Comparison of the length, weight and condition factor showed no significant differences between atrazine exposed and control group. The concentration of Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and Cl- in the whole body of fry in control and atrazine exposure groups were as the following order: Ca2+>K+>Na+>Cl->Mg2+ and Ca2+>Na+>K+>Mg2+>Cl-, respectively. Results showed that the concentration of all these ions were higher in atrazine exposure group than control group, except for Cl-, and the only significant differences was found in Na+ concentration. Major histopathological effects of atrazine on the gills were hyperplasia and thickening of the filaments, separation of the pavement cells of the lamellae epithelium from the pillar cells and swelling of the epithelial cells. Results of the present study showed that atrazine could affect the ion composition of the body, and caused major damages in gill epithelium even at sublethal concentration and acute exposure, but had no effects on the growth parameters

Histopathological effects of water soluble–fraction of crude oil on liver tissue of fingerling beluga , Huso huso Linnaeus, 1754

In this study the LC50 96h values of water-soluble fractions (WSF) of the Caspian Sea – exploited crude oil were determined in beluga, Huso huso fingerlings. The fingerlings averaged 2.42 ± 0.11 g in weight were exposed to WSF crude oil at concentrations 24.75, 27, 29.25, 31.5, 33.75, 36, 38.25 ppm. The treatments were performed in three replicates and all changes in the specimens were determined for each concentration. Water quality parameters of the seawater were tested and recorded. The LC50 96h value was found to be 34.87 ppm. In the other step, the fingerling beluga was exposed to three sub-lethal concentrations (13.93, 20.92, 27.90 ppm) of WSF of the Caspian crude oil representing 40, 60 and 80% of LC50 96h respectively, and control without crude oil. All treatments and control were conducted in triplicate. Three specimens of each treatment were sampled for histological studies every day. Results revealed that the fish liver tissue of all the treatments showed histological changes, in comparison to the control after 2 days. Even if the changes in the treatment exposed to 27.90 ppm (80% LC50 96h) WSF occurred in 24h after exposure. Histopathological findings in liver included cloudy swelling, pyknotic nuclei, Karyorrhectic nuclei, fatty vacuolation, fatty degeneration, hypertrophy of hepatocyte, necrosis, hypertrophy of bile ducts, cholestasis and bile stagnation, inflammation, fibrosis and cirrosis. These alterations were more conspicuous with increasing the soluble fraction of crude oil concentrations and exposing time. The results are of importance since much attention has been paid to the oil slicks, particulate or sedimentary pollutions, instead of potential toxic effects of water-soluble fractions of oil, which are more available to marine biota

Analysis of vitellogenin gene structure in Caspian roach, Rutilus caspicus (Pisces: Cyprinidae) during exposure to Atrazine

Chemical contamination of aquatic environments to EDCs has become a major focus of environmental toxicology research. The exposure of fishes to estrogenic EDCs in aquatic environments is most frequently assessed by analyzing vitellogenin (Vg) (the egg yolk precursor protein) expression. Therefore, characterization of Vg gene is of high priority for EDCs bio-monitoring. So, we prepared liver tissue samples of Caspian roach, Rutilus caspicus for RNA extraction. Following the cDNA synthesis, specifically-designed primers were employed to amplify the Vg gene and ultimately sequence it. The evolutionary analyses of the sequence were performed using MEGA7 software. The obtained results indicated that the designed primers successfully amplified the partial cDNA sequence. Our results indicated that this sequence most probably belongs to the Vg1 form of the gene. Moreover, it was demonstrated that Caspian roach and Petroleuciscus esfahani share a common ancestor. Noteworthy, the study of Vg gene would be helpful to understand the molecular mechanisms of development and would be used to establish a bio-monitoring tool for detection of exposure to different EDCs

The in vivo effect of methyl tert-butyl ether on liver, gills and kidney tissues of Rutilus caspicus

This study was conducted to evaluate histopathological responses in liver, gills and kidney in Rutilus caspicus exposed to concentrations of 50, 100, 150 mg L^-1 of methyl tert-butyl ether, for 7, 14, and 21 days. The experiments were conducted in water temperature of 19±1 °C, dissolved oxygen of 7.6 ± 0.2 mg L^-1 and zero salinity. A total of 156 fish were studied in this experiment. In the first, second and third week of the experiment, three fish were taken randomly from each aquarium. To examine the tissues, the liver, gills and kidney were isolated and prepared for evaluation using standard histological techniques. Tissue damage in the liver includes: blood congestion, congestion of sinusoid, melano macrophage aggregation, hepatocyte hypertrophy, vacuolation, degeneration and cellular necrosis. Gill tissue damage includes: hyperplasia, degeneration lifting, telangiectasis, in secondary lamellae, blood congestion in primary and secondary lamellae, S formation of lamellae, and reduction in length of secondary lamella, lamellar fusion and cellular necrosis. Tissue damage in the kidney includes: tubular shrinkage, blood congestion, melano macrophage aggregation, glomerular shrinkage, cellular necrosis, tubular degeneration, reduction in interstsial cells and interstisial hematopoietic tissue degeneration. The amount of tissue damages in high concentrations of pollutants was high, while gill, liver and kidney in the control group were observed in the normal outline. The results of this study showed that methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) can cause damage in vital tissues of R. caspicus and even, eventually lead to death

Application of Delphi method in site selection of desalination plants

Given the reduced freshwater supplies across the world, seawater desalination is one of the appropriate methods available for producing freshwater. Selecting an optimal location is crucial in the installation of these plants owing to the environmental problems they cause. The present study was conducted to identify optimal locations for installing desalination Plants in the coastal areas of southern Iran (Hormozgan Province) with application of Delphi method. To implement this technique and identify, screen and prioritize effective criteria and sub-criteria, ten experts were surveyed through questionnaires and eight criteria and 18 sub-criteria were identified. All these sub-criteria were evaluated and classified in ArcGIS into five classes as input layers. The maps were then integrated based on the modulation importance coefficient and the identified priorities using a linear Delphi model and the final map was reclassified into five categories. Environmentally sensitive areas and seawater quality were respectively the criterion and sub-criterion that received the highest importance. After combining the layers and obtaining the final map, 63 locations were identified for installing desalination plants in the coastal areas on the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea in Hormozgan Province.  At the end, 27 locations were high important and had optimal environmental conditions for establishing desalination plants. Of the 27 locations, six were located in the coastal area of the Oman Sea, one in the coastal area of the Strait of Hormuz and 20 others in the coastal area of the Persian Gulf

In vitro investigating of anticancer activity of focuxanthin from marine brown seaweed species

Breast cancer is the most common cancer type among women all over the world. Chemotherapy is the use of anticancer medicines for treating cancer but it has many side effects and cells may become resistant to these chemical medicines. Therefore, finding new compounds of natural origin could be a promising solution to this problem. The aim of the current study was to evaluate anticancer activity of fucoxanthin which is the most important carotenoid found in the marine brown seaweeds and diatoms. fucoxanthin has many properties (antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer, antiobesity, anti-inflammatory and etc.) due to its unique structure. Samples with different concentrations (10, 25 and 50 µg/ml) and at various incubation times were collected (6, 24 and 48 hours) from four different species (Padina tenuis, Colpomenia sinuosa, Iyengaria stellate and Dictyota indica) of brown seaweeds from Qeshm Island, Persian Gulf. Moreover, the anticancer activity of fucoxanthin-containing extracts on breast cancer cells line and normal human skin fibroblast cells line was assessed by MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide] assay to specify the cytotoxic effects. The results showed that fucoxanthin extract from Dictyota. indica at 24-hour treatment and 50 µg/ml concentration has the most effective anticancer activity on the breast cancer cells line, without toxic effects to the normal cells. According to the obtained results, it seems that Dictyota. Indica is a good candidate for further analysis and can be introduced to the food and pharmaceutical industries