18 research outputs found
Isolation and Characterization of Bacteria from the Gut of Bombyx mori that Degrade Cellulose, Xylan, Pectin and Starch and Their Impact on Digestion
Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) have been domesticated and widely used for silk production. It feeds on mulberry leaves. Mulberry leaves are mainly composed of pectin, xylan, cellulose and starch. Some of the digestive enzymes that degrade these carbohydrates might be produced by gut bacteria. Eleven isolates were obtained from the digestive tract of B. mori, including the Gram positive Bacillus circulans and Gram negative Proteus vulgaris, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Citrobacter freundii, Serratia liquefaciens, Enterobacter sp., Pseudomonas fluorescens, P. aeruginosa, Aeromonas sp., and Erwinia sp.. Three of these isolates, P. vulgaris, K. pneumoniae, C. freundii, were cellulolytic and xylanolytic, P. fluorescens and Erwinia sp., were pectinolytic and K. pneumoniae degraded starch. Aeromonas sp. was able to utilize the CMcellulose and xylan. S. liquefaciens was able to utilize three polysaccharides including CMcellulose, xylan and pectin. B. circulans was able to utilize all four polysaccharides with different efficacy. The gut of B. mori has an alkaline pH and all of the isolated bacterial strains were found to grow and degrade polysaccharides at alkaline pH. The number of cellulolytic bacteria increases with each instar
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, inflammation and co-morbidity – a common inflammatory phenotype?
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is and will remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The severity of airflow obstruction is known to relate to overall health status and mortality. However, even allowing for common aetiological factors, a link has been identified between COPD and other systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. COPD is known to be an inflammatory condition and neutrophil elastase has long been considered a significant mediator of the disease. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, in particular TNF-α (Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha), may be the driving force behind the disease process. However, the roles of inflammation and these pro-inflammatory cytokines may extend beyond the lungs and play a part in the systemic effects of the disease and associated co-morbidities. This article describes the mechanisms involved and proposes a common inflammatory TNF-α phenotype that may, in part, account for the associations
Prevalence of α-thalassemia 3.7 kb deletion in the adult population of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
Antiparkinsonian Effects of Aqueous Methanolic Extract of Hyoscyamus niger Seeds Result From its Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitory and Hydroxyl Radical Scavenging Potency
Hyoscyamus species is one of the four plants
used in Ayurveda for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease
(PD). Since Hyoscyamus niger was found to contain negligible
levels of L-DOPA, we evaluated neuroprotective
potential, if any, of characterized petroleum ether and
aqueous methanol extracts of its seeds in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-
1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) model of PD in
mice. Air dried authenticated H. niger seeds were
sequentially extracted using petroleum ether and aqueous
methanol and were characterized employing HPLC-electrochemistry
and LCMS. Parkinsonian mice were treated
daily twice with the extracts (125–500 mg/kg, p.o.) for two
days and motor functions and striatal dopamine levels were
assayed. Administration of the aqueous methanol extract
(containing 0.03% w/w of L-DOPA), but not petroleum ether extract, significantly attenuated motor disabilities
(akinesia, catalepsy and reduced swim score) and striatal
dopamine loss in MPTP treated mice. Since the extract
caused significant inhibition of monoamine oxidase activity
and attenuated 1-methyl-4-phenyl pyridinium (MPP?)-
induced hydroxyl radical (�OH) generation in isolated
mitochondria, it is possible that the methanolic extract of
Hyoscyamus niger seeds protects against parkinsonism in
mice by means of its ability to inhibit increased �OH
generated in the mitochondria