Anticandidal Activity of Green Synthesized Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Using Lemon Peel Extract

Nanobiotechnology has developed as an effective technology for developing antimicrobial nanoparticles in an environmentally safe manner. In this study, green synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPS) from zinc acetate solution by using lemon peels aqueous extract was characterized by UV–Visible Spectroscopy, High-resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). Anticandidal activity was investigated against three clinical multidrug resistant Candida species including two Candida albicans, one Candida glabrata and one Candida krusei using four antifungal agents by disc diffusion method and antifungal activity of ZnO NPS was assayed by disc diffusion method and determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC). Characterization studies revealed that the synthesized nanoparticles have rod shape with sizes of 13.58 - 30.70 nm. Notably, high rates of resistance were observed with the four tested antifungal agents against all Candida species and the antifungal activity of the synthesized ZnO NPS against Candida species were exhibited, with a maximum zone of inhibition of 24.5±0.5 mm against C. glabrata followed by C. albicans (19.5±0.5 mm) and C. krusei (16.0±0.0 mm). MIC and MFC for all Candida species were 0.25 and 0.5 mg/ml respectively. The cytotoxic data indicates that ZnO NPs have half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value = 230.12 ± 9.34 μg/ml on normal human lung fibroblast cell line (MRC5). In conclusion, the study elucidates that lemon peels mediated green synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles have antifungal activity against different Candida species. So that it can be developed as a novel medicine for the treatment of Candida associated infections in the near future

Cellular Cytotoxicity and Epigenetic Alteration in RP1 and RASSF1A Genes as Response for Anticancer Capabilities of Some Probiotic Bacteria in Breast Cancer

This study aimed to assess the anti-proliferative capabilities of the three probiotic strains on breast cancer (MCF7) and test their anticancer capabilities on RP1 and RASSF1A Genes. Three probiotics bacterial strains: Lactobacillus casei ss. casei (LC 1093), Lactobacillus delbreuckii ss. bulgaricus LD (1102) and Bifidobacterium bifidum (BB 1334) were tested for their anti-proliferative capabilities on cell lines via trypan blue test and MTT assay. Their anti-methylation activities were tested using methylation-specific PCR (MSP). Results revealed that Lactobacillus casei strain achieved the highest percentage of cancer cell death. The effects of these strains on the methylation status of RASSF1A and RB1 promotor regions in breast cancer cells were tested. The unmethylation-specific primers of both genes were able to generate a defined band. The methylation patterns were reshaped when compared to the untreated MCF7 cell line showing the epigenetic delaying mechanism of the probiotic cell free filtrate by interfering the methylation mechanism of breast cancer on two tested genes

Evaluation of Antimicrobial bioactive compounds from Endophytic Fungi Isolated from Moringa oleifera

Endophytic fungi are microorganisms that inhabit the living tissues of their host plants without causing any host loss. They are considered as a continuous natural source of novel bioactive secondary metabolites with potential application in medicine, which are almost same to their host plant. In this study a total of nine endophytic fungal isolates were collected from leaves and stems of Moringa oleifera. Based on the colonization frequency (CF) results, the highest number of isolates was obtained from plant stem, while the least was from leaves. The nine isolates were identified by keeping track of morphological and microscopic observations. Identification of the two antimicrobial potent strains was confirmed by 18S rDNA-based molecular analysis. The nine isolates were found belonging to Chaetomium, Alternaria, Fusarium, Aspergillus, Mycelia, Penicillium and Nigrospora taxa. Among them, Chaetomium taxon was included the highest CF) 40% (. Evaluation of antimicrobial activity documented ethyl acetate fungal extract as the highest effective inhibitor against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, and Aspergillus fumigatus. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was examined for the two most potent antimicrobial effective extracts, from Chaetomium laterale and Chaetomium interruptum; it was ranged from 12.5 to 0.39 mg/ml

Trends in the assessment of multidrug efficiency against identified bacterial strains isolated from wounds at El-Demerdash Hospital, Egypt

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria is a severe problem for universal public health which increases morbidity and mortality rate. These resistant bacteria lead to ineffective treatment of drugs resulting in the spreading and persistence of infections. So, the major target of this study is to estimate the competence of multidrug antibacterial agents against bacterial strains isolated from wound samples and then identify the most potent Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. Fifty wound swab specimens were gathered from various wounds and several patients from the Central Microbiology Laboratory of El-Demerdash Hospital, Cairo, Egypt. Eighty- nine bacterial isolates were isolated from fifty wound samples then cultured on different media and tested for their susceptibility to different thirty antibiotic discs using the agar disc diffusion method. After recording the results of the susceptibility test, the post potent resistant bacterial isolates recorded 3 bacterial isolates which resistant to 30 different antibiotic types. These resistant bacterial isolates were identified using morphological, biochemical, and molecular techniques. The results recorded that the post potent resistant bacterial isolates identified as Klebsiella oxytoca, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli. This study concluded that with the increase in the random use of antibiotic drugs resulted in the presence of multi-antibacterial resistant strains. There are bacterial strains that were isolated from wounds in patients at El-Demerdash Hospital, Egypt, and identified. They can resist about thirty different antibiotic discs. Abbreviation: Multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR)