Characterization and phylogeny of fungi isolated from industrial wastewater using multiple genes

The aim of this study was the isolation and molecular characterization of fungi from untreated refinery effluent by using multiple conserved genes. The Fungi isolated were characterized based on PCR amplification and genomic sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), partial β-tubulin (BenA), calmodulin (CaM), and RNA polymerase second large subunit (RPB2) genes, along with morphological characterization. The obtained sequences were subjected to BLAST analysis and the corresponding fungal isolates were assigned species names after comparison with representative sequences available in GenBank. Fifteen (15) Fungi species belonging to four genera of Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, and Trichoderma with Aspergillus as the predominant genus were identified. Therefore these genes should be used as molecular markers for species level identification of fungi (especially Aspergillus and Penicillium as proven in this study

A flavonoid-rich fraction of Euphorbia peplus attenuates hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and oxidative stress in a type 2 diabetes rat model

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a metabolic disorder characterized by insulin resistance (IR) and hyperglycemia. Plants are valuable sources of therapeutic agents for the management of T2D. Euphorbia peplus has been widely used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases, but its beneficial role in T2D has not been fully explored. Methods: The anti-diabetic efficacy of E. peplus extract (EPE) was studied using rats with T2D induced by high-fat diet (HFD) and streptozotocin (STZ). The diabetic rats received 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg EPE for 4 weeks. Results: Phytochemical fractionation of the aerial parts of E. peplus led to the isolation of seven known flavonoids. Rats with T2D exhibited IR, impaired glucose tolerance, decreased liver hexokinase and glycogen, and upregulated glycogen phosphorylase, glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-Pase), and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (F-1,6-BPase). Treatment with 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg EPE for 4 weeks ameliorated hyperglycemia, IR, liver glycogen, and the activities of carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes. EPE attenuated dyslipidemia, serum transaminases, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and liver lipid accumulation, nuclear factor (NF)-κB p65, and lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide and enhanced antioxidants. All EPE doses upregulated serum adiponectin and liver peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) in HFD/STZ-induced rats. The isolated flavonoids showed in silico binding affinity toward hexokinase, NF-κB, and PPARγ. Conclusion: E. peplus is rich in flavonoids, and its extract ameliorated IR, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, inflammation and redox imbalance, and upregulated adiponectin and PPARγ in rats with T2D