Mycoremediation of petroleum contaminated soils: progress, prospects and perspectives

Mycoremediation, an aspect of bioremediation, has been investigated for some decades. However, there seems to be little progress on its commercial application to petroleum-contaminated soils despite some promising outcomes. In this review, mycoremediation is examined to identify development, limitations and perspectives for its optimal utilization on petroleum-contaminated soils. Mycoremediation agents and substrates that have been used for the treatment of petroleum contaminated soils have been identified, application methods discussed, recent advances highlighted and limitations for its applications accentuated. Possible solutions to the challenges in applying mycoremediation to petroleum-contaminated soils have also been discussed. From this review, we conclude that for optimal utilization of mycoremediation of petroleum-contaminated soils, ideal environmental, edaphic and climatic factors of a typical contaminated site must be incorporated into the approach from first principles. Development of application procedures that can easily translate laboratory results to field applications is also required

Antibacterial Activity of Methanol Extract of Achillea Wilhe lmsii C. Koch Flower and Leaf

Background and Objectives: Infection diseaseshave always been an important concern of human being and attracted theattention of a large number of professionals from the medical and laboratory community. On the other hand, antibiotic treatment can bring about microbial resistance and many side effects. Therefore, using medical plants with fewer side effects can be of great help in the treatment of these infections. The aim of this study was to examine antimicrobial effects of the flowers and leaves of methanol extract of Achilleawilhelmsii on the growth of some pathogenic bacteria.Methods: In this study, methanol extracts were obtained by Soxhlet apparatus and Rotary and were tested invitro against 4 bacteria species: Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Escherchia coli. Several concentrations of flowers and leaves of methanol extracts (20,30,50,400 mg/ml) were prepared by using DMSO solvent and then antimicrobial activity was tested using Agar well diffusion and dilution Test. Data were analyzed using Chi-square and AVONA statistical tests (p<0/001).Results: The results of this study showed that this plant had antimicrobial effects. Flower and leaves of methanol extracts had more inhibitory activity on Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus, On the other hand, weak inhibition was observed in the Escherchia coli and thus did not have any inhibitory effect on Pseudomonas aeroginosa. Conclusion: The results demonstrated that the flowers and leaves of methanol extracts of Achilleawilhelmsii have excellent antimicrobial effect on some of the bacteria. Therefore, its effect is better than that of selected antibiotics. However, we will be able to carry out researches for using this plant in the treatment of diseases

Antibacterial activity of methanol, acetone and aqueous extracts of Wild Rose gall against Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis

Background and Objective: Nowadays, microorganisms have high resistance to antibiotics due to indiscriminate and unnecessary consumption. Treatment of infections caused by resistant bacteria has become difficult and expensive. Galls wild rose created by wasp's species Diplolepis mayri. This study was done to evaluate antibacterial activity of methanol, acetone and aqueous extracts of Wild Rose gall against Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis. Methods: In this experimental laboratory study, the methanol, acetone and aqueous extracts of wild rose galls in 15.6, 31.3, 62.5, 125, 250 and 500 mg/dl were prepared by Soxhlet apparatus. Antibacterial activity of extracts was determined using well diffusion. MIC and MBC were determined by microdilution method. The active compounds of gall were evaluated by GC-MS. Results: The inhibition zone of 500 mg/ml methanol, acetone and aqueous extracts of wild rose gall were 27.3, 26.7 and 20.0, respectively. The inhibition zone of wild rose gall was similar to imipenem (antibiotics). The extract concentration was related with antibacterial activity. The gall rose methanol extract showed the highest antibacterial effect. The MIC and MBC of methanol extract against Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis was 62.5, 31.3 mg/ml, respectively. Conclusion: This study showed that aqueous, methanol and acetone extracts of wild rose galls have strong antibacterial activity