IN VITRO STUDY ON RELEASE OF BIOACTIVE ANTIMICROBIAL COMPOUNDS FROM DAIRY PRODUCTS BY CERTAIN PROMISING PROBIOTIC LACTOBACILLUS STRAINS

Objective: The antimicrobial activity and Probiotic properties of Lactobacillus species were evaluated. The antimicrobial compound of potent antimicrobial probiotic Lactobacillus was purified by column chromatography and its nature and stability were determined.Methods: This investigation was performed with few Lactobacillus strains of ATCC and MTCC along with certain strains isolated from different dairy sources. They were evaluated for their probiotics properties (acid tolerance, bile tolerance, bile salt hydrolase activity, cell autoaggregation, cell surface hydrophobicity and haemolytic behaviour). Agar well diffusion method was used to screen their potency to release bioactive compound against several pathogens. This potent antimicrobial compound was purified by chromatography as well as its molecular mass was estimated by following SDS-PAGE. Finally, the stability of the compound was determined against various ranges of temperature and pH.Results: Among all Lactobacillus strains, R1 was found to be a potent probiotic strain as well as cell free supernatant (CFS) of R1 showed more strong antagonistic effect against most of the pathogens. Carbohydrate fermentation and physiological characterization of strain R1 matched with Lactobacillus fermentum as per Bergey's manual of systematic bacteriology. The molecular mass of the purified fraction was estimated at approximately 25 kDa and could be stable after heat treatment of 100 °C for 30 min and pH range of 4.5-7.0Conclusion: R1 showed highest antimicrobial activity while it has been found as Lactobacillus fermentum. It is due to the release of a bioactive compound having a molecular mass of 25 kDa.Â

BIOFILM FORMATION OF METHICILLIN AND VANCOMYCIN RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS SPECIES ISOLATED FROM CELLULAR PHONES

Objective: The goal of the study was to explore the occurrence of methicillin and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus species from cellular phones and preventive measures to avoid contamination. Methods: The issues addressed in this investigation are i) Isolation of bacteria from 70 cellular phones through swab culture method ii) Characterization of the isolates by standard biochemical test iii) Antibiogram pattern study of the isolates iv) Molecular identification of the selected isolate through 16s rDNA sequencing v) Virulence study through biofilm assay vi) Susceptibility of the isolates against commonly used disinfectants and essential oils through disc diffusion. Results: All 70 different cellular phone used in this study harbored 120 isolates of bacteria. Of which, we recorded high incidence of Gram-positive cocci (51.6%) and 22 isolates were identified as Staphylococcus species. Three isolates (52N6, 53N9 and 53N6) were resistant to both methicillin and vancomycin, in addition, showed resistance against several other antibiotics. The strain 53N6 that exhibited multidrug resistance was further identified as Staphylococcus sp. strain CPC53N6 through 16s rDNA sequencing with NCBI accession no. KX858346. Virulence activity of the isolate was observed by its biofilm forming capacity as revealed from SEM imaging and the biofilms were composed of aggregated cocci and fibriform extracellular matrix. All the Staphylococcus isolates, including CPC53N6, were sensitive to disinfectants like dettol and cinnamon (Cinnamon zeylanicum) oil indicating their use as preventive measures. Conclusion: Thus, the methicillin and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus species of cellular phones can be decontaminated through cinnamon oil to minimize further transmission

Anti–miR-93-5p therapy prolongs sepsis survival by restoring the peripheral immune response

Sepsis remains a leading cause of death for humans and currently has no pathogenesis-specific therapy. Hampered progress is partly due to a lack of insight into deep mechanistic processes. In the past decade, deciphering the functions of small noncoding miRNAs in sepsis pathogenesis became a dynamic research topic. To screen for new miRNA targets for sepsis therapeutics, we used samples for miRNA array analysis of PBMCs from patients with sepsis and control individuals, blood samples from 2 cohorts of patients with sepsis, and multiple animal models: mouse cecum ligation puncture–induced (CLP-induced) sepsis, mouse viral miRNA challenge, and baboon Gram+ and Gram– sepsis models. miR-93-5p met the criteria for a therapeutic target, as it was overexpressed in baboons that died early after induction of sepsis, was downregulated in patients who survived after sepsis, and correlated with negative clinical prognosticators for sepsis. Therapeutically, inhibition of miR-93-5p prolonged the overall survival of mice with CLP-induced sepsis, with a stronger effect in older mice. Mechanistically, anti–miR-93-5p therapy reduced inflammatory monocytes and increased circulating effector memory T cells, especially the CD4+ subset. AGO2 IP in miR-93–KO T cells identified important regulatory receptors, such as CD28, as direct miR-93-5p target genes. In conclusion, miR-93-5p is a potential therapeutic target in sepsis through the regulation of both innate and adaptive immunity, with possibly a greater benefit for elderly patients than for young patients

Bacillus and biopolymer: Prospects and challenges

The microbially derived polyhydroxyalkanoates biopolymers could impact the global climate scenario by replacing the conventional non-degradable, petrochemical-based polymer. The biogenesis, characterization and properties of PHAs by Bacillus species using renewable substrates have been elaborated by many for their wide applications. On the other hand Bacillus species are advantageous over other bacteria due to their abundance even in extreme ecological conditions, higher growth rates even on cheap substrates, higher PHAs production ability, and the ease of extracting the PHAs. Bacillus species possess hydrolytic enzymes that can be exploited for economical PHAs production. This review summarizes the recent trends in both non-growth and growth associated PHAs production by Bacillus species which may provide direction leading to future research towards this growing quest for biodegradable plastics, one more critical step ahead towards sustainable development

Climate change and vulnerability of agribusiness: Assessment of climate change impact on agricultural productivity

The current study has mapped the impact of changes in dierent climatic parameters on the productivity of major crops cultivated in India like cereal, pulses, and oilseed crops. The vulnerability of crops to dierent climatic conditions like exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive indicators along with its dierent components and agribusiness has been studied. The study uses data collected over the past six decades from 1960 to 2020. Analytical tools such as the Tobit regression model and Principal Component Analysis were used for the investigation which has shown that among climatic parameters, an increase in temperature along with huge variations in rainfall and consistent increase in CO2 emissions have had a negative impact by reducing crop productivity, particularly cereals (26 percent) and oilseed (35 percent). Among various factors, adaptive factors such as cropping intensity, agricultural machinery, and livestock density in combination with sensitivity factors such as average operational land holding size and productivity of cereals, and exposure indicators like Kharif (June-September) temperature, heavy rainfall, and rate of change in maximum and minimum Rabi (October-February) temperature have contributed significantly in increasing crop vulnerability. The agribusiness model needs to be more inclusive. It should pay attention to small and remote farmers, and provide them with inclusive finance that can facilitate the adoption of climate-smart financial innovations, serve the underserved segments, and help them reach the target of a sustainable and inclusive agribusiness model. Though the social, technological, and economic initiatives can enhance the adaptive capacity of farmers, political measures still have a major role to play in providing a healthy climate for agriculture in India through tailored adaptive approaches like the adoption of craft climate adaptation program, dilating the irrigation coverage and location-centric management options. Hence, multidisciplinary and holistic approaches are worth emphasizing for evaluating the future impacts of change in climate on Indian agriculture

In silico design of PHA synthase and its validation by PHAs producing bacterial isolates

Biopolymers are important alternatives to the petroleum-based plastics due to environment friendly manufacturing processes, biodegradability and biocompatibility. Therefore use of novel biopolymers such as polylactide, polysaccharides, aliphatic polyesters and polyhydroxyalkonoates (PHAs) is of interest. PHAs are biodegradable polyesters of hydroxyalkanoates (HA) produced from renewable resources by using microorganisms as intracellular carbon and energy storage compounds.  Even though PHAs are promising candidate for biodegradable polymers, however, the production cost limits their application on an industrial scale. Therefore an attempt was made to model different PHAs synthases which are the key enzyme in the biosynthesis of Polyhydroxyalkanoates as the structural information of this enzyme is in dark veil.Then molecular docking  of class I  PHA  Synthase from Ralstonia Eutrophia was done to study the PHA synthase activity. As there are lots of strain which needs to explore for the production of PHA. This investigation leads to find out the most industrial applicable microbes. Few bacterial isolates from soil sample were screened for production of PHA followed by the validation of the enzymatic activity and its product characterization to understand its structural properties

Effect of Probiotics on Host-Microbial Crosstalk: A Review on Strategies to Combat Diversified Strain of Coronavirus

The scare of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), does not seem to fade away, while there is a constant emergence of novel deadly variants including Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omicron. Until now, it has claimed approximately 276,436,619 infections, and the number of deaths surpluses to 5,374,744 all over the world. While saving the life has been a priority during the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the post-infection healing and getting back to normalcy has been undermined. Improving general health conditions and immunity with nutritional adequacy is currently of precedence for the government as well as frontline health workers to prevent and assuage infections. Exploring the role of probiotics and prebiotics in managing the after-effects of a viral outbreak could be of great significance, considering the emergence of new variants every now and then. To enhance human immunity, the recent evidence on the connection between gut microbiota and the broad spectrum of the clinical COVID-19 disease is the reason to look at the benefits of probiotics in improving health conditions. This review aims to sketch out the prospective role of probiotics and prebiotics in improving the standard of health in common people