Examination biological effects of the extract Crataegus nigra Wald. et Kit berries

Crataegus nigra, crni glog, može biti žbun ili nisko drvo. Njegovo stanište su plavni, aluvijalni tereni kraj većih reka u Mađarskoj, Srbiji, Hrvatskoj. Sam rod Crataegus je vrlo bogat vrstama i mnoge od njih su detaljno fitohemijski i farmakološki ispitivane. Hemijskom karakterizacijom različitih vrsta roda Crataegus je utvrđeno prisustvo flavonoida, flavonoidnih glikozida, procijanidina, dok su farmakološka ispitivanja pokazala kardioprotektivno, antioksidativno, antimikrobno, gastroprotektivno delovanje. Međutim u dosadašnjim ispitivanjima vrste Crataegus nigra istraživanja su bila usmerena samo na botaničke i morfološke karakteristike. U literaturi nema podataka o hemijskom sastavu i farmakološkim osobinama ove vrste. Cilj ovog istraživanja je bio da se odredi hemijski profil ove vrste gloga, kao i utvrđivanje biološke aktivnosti i farmakoloških efekata vodeno-etanolnog ekstrakta plodova C. nigra. Za predviđene analize pripremljen je ekstrakt plodova C. nigra sa 80% etanolom. Primenom referentne metodologije određen je sadržaj ukupnih fenola, flavonoida i procijanidina. Izvršena je identifikacija fenolnih jedinjenja pomoću 45 standardnih supstanci. U in vitro uslovima primenom DPPH testa određena je antioksidativna aktivnost ekstrakta. Ispitivanje farmakoloških efekata sprovedeno je primenom odgovarajućih metodologija pri čemu je određivan anksiolitički, hipnotički efekat i antimikrobna aktivnost etanolnog ekstrakta plodova crnog gloga.Crataegus nigra, black hawthorn, may grow either into shrubs or small trees. Its habitat is the alluvial flood plain along the larger rivers in Hungary, Serbia and Croatia. The genus Crataegus is very rich in species and many of them have been phytochemically and pharmacologically examined thoroughly. Chemical characterization of different species of Crataegus has revealed the presence of flavonoids, flavonoid glycoside, procyanidins, while pharmacological analysis has shown cardioprotective, antioxidative, antimicrobial, gastroprotective effects. However, the previous studies in Crataegus nigra species were focused only on botanical and morphological characteristics. In the literature, there is no data concerning the chemical composition and pharmacological properties of this species. The aim of this research is to determine the chemical profile of this hawthorn species, as well as to determine the biological activity and pharmacological effects of water-ethanol extracts of C. nigra fruits. For the planned analysis, C.nigra fruit extract was prepared in 80% ethanol. Applying reference methodology, the total content of phenols, flavonoids and procyanidins was determined. Phenolic compounds were identified using 45 standard substances. In vitro, antioxidant activity of the extract was determined using DPPH test. Studies on the pharmacological effects were carried out using appropriate methodologies while assessing anxiolytic effect, hypnotic effect and antimicrobial activity of the ethanol extract of black hawthorn fruit. The research findings showed the dominant presence of flavonoid glycosides, among which rutin, isoquercetin and hyperoside stand out by their quantity. The presence of numerous phenolic compounds and procyianidins was proved. The studied extract showed antioxidant effect. When compared with the examined standards (BHT, BHA and quercetin) it was weaker, but it ranked equal in antioxidant activities to other hawthorn species. C.nigra fruit ethanol extract showed significant anxiolytic effect. This statistical significance was noticed as compared to negative control, but was not noticed as compared to positive control (diazepam). Hypnotic effect of the extract also had statistical significance as compared to negative control. Antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria was the strongest at the highest applied concentrations. However, not one of the applied concentrations led to growth inhibition of the fungus Candida albicans

Topological network alignment uncovers biological function and phylogeny

Sequence comparison and alignment has had an enormous impact on our understanding of evolution, biology, and disease. Comparison and alignment of biological networks will likely have a similar impact. Existing network alignments use information external to the networks, such as sequence, because no good algorithm for purely topological alignment has yet been devised. In this paper, we present a novel algorithm based solely on network topology, that can be used to align any two networks. We apply it to biological networks to produce by far the most complete topological alignments of biological networks to date. We demonstrate that both species phylogeny and detailed biological function of individual proteins can be extracted from our alignments. Topology-based alignments have the potential to provide a completely new, independent source of phylogenetic information. Our alignment of the protein-protein interaction networks of two very different species--yeast and human--indicate that even distant species share a surprising amount of network topology with each other, suggesting broad similarities in internal cellular wiring across all life on Earth.Comment: Algorithm explained in more details. Additional analysis adde

Extended h-Index Parameterized Data Structures for Computing Dynamic Subgraph Statistics

We present techniques for maintaining subgraph frequencies in a dynamic graph, using data structures that are parameterized in terms of h, the h-index of the graph. Our methods extend previous results of Eppstein and Spiro for maintaining statistics for undirected subgraphs of size three to directed subgraphs and to subgraphs of size four. For the directed case, we provide a data structure to maintain counts for all 3-vertex induced subgraphs in O(h) amortized time per update. For the undirected case, we maintain the counts of size-four subgraphs in O(h^2) amortized time per update. These extensions enable a number of new applications in Bioinformatics and Social Networking research

Comparative Study of the Antimicrobial Activity of Selenium Nanoparticles With Different Surface Chemistry and Structure

Although selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have gained attention in the scientific community mostly through investigation of their anticancer activity, a great potential of this nanomaterial was recognized recently regarding its antimicrobial activity. The particle form, size, and surface chemistry have been recognized as crucial parameters determining the interaction of nanomaterials with biological entities. Furthermore, considering a narrow boundary between beneficial and toxic effects for selenium per se, it is clear that investigations of biomedical applications of SeNPs are very demanding and must be done with great precautions. The goal of this work is to evaluate the effects of SeNPs surface chemistry and structure on antimicrobial activity against several common bacterial strains, including Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538), Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212), Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6633), and Kocuria rhizophila (ATCC 9341), as well as Escherichia coli (ATCC 8739), Salmonella Abony (NCTC 6017), Klebsiella pneumoniae (NCIMB 9111) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 9027), and the standard yeast strain Candida albicans (ATCC 10231). Three types of SeNPs were synthesized by chemical reduction approach using different stabilizers and reducing agents: (i) bovine serum albumin (BSA) + ascorbic acid, (ii) chitosan + ascorbic acid, and (iii) with glucose. A thorough physicochemical characterization of the obtained SeNPs was performed to determine the effects of varying synthesis parameters on their morphology, size, structure, and surface chemistry. All SeNPs were amorphous, with spherical morphology and size in the range 70–300 nm. However, the SeNPs obtained under different synthesis conditions, i.e. by using different stabilizers as well as reducing agents, exhibited different antimicrobial activity as well as cytotoxicity which are crucial for their applications. In this paper, the antimicrobial screening of the selected systems is presented, which was determined by the broth microdilution method, and inhibitory influence on the production of monomicrobial and dual-species biofilm was evaluated. The potential mechanism of action of different systems is proposed. Additionally, the cytotoxicity of SeNPs was examined on the MRC-5 cell line, in the same concentration interval as for antimicrobial testing. It was shown that formulation SeNPs-BSA expressed a significantly lower cytotoxic effect than the other two formulations

An Introductory Guide to Aligning Networks Using SANA, the Simulated Annealing Network Aligner.

Sequence alignment has had an enormous impact on our understanding of biology, evolution, and disease. The alignment of biological networks holds similar promise. Biological networks generally model interactions between biomolecules such as proteins, genes, metabolites, or mRNAs. There is strong evidence that the network topology-the "structure" of the network-is correlated with the functions performed, so that network topology can be used to help predict or understand function. However, unlike sequence comparison and alignment-which is an essentially solved problem-network comparison and alignment is an NP-complete problem for which heuristic algorithms must be used.Here we introduce SANA, the Simulated Annealing Network Aligner. SANA is one of many algorithms proposed for the arena of biological network alignment. In the context of global network alignment, SANA stands out for its speed, memory efficiency, ease-of-use, and flexibility in the arena of producing alignments between two or more networks. SANA produces better alignments in minutes on a laptop than most other algorithms can produce in hours or days of CPU time on large server-class machines. We walk the user through how to use SANA for several types of biomolecular networks

Antimicrobial activity of lozenge with garlic bulb powder

According to the tested antimicrobial activity of constituents and their chemical characteristics, a new formulation of oral antiseptic was made based on garlic bulb powder and its active principles with strong antimicrobial activity against a wide range of bacteria and fungi. The antimicrobial activity of garlic bulb powder, allicin and the lozenge with 15% of garlic powder was tested using broth microdilution method. The tested garlic powder, as well the lozenge, have shown very high antimicrobial activity with MIC 1.25-5.00 mg/ml, and 1.87-7.50 mg/ml, respectively. The major compound, allicin, was highly active at a very low concentration. The minimal inhibitory concentration of allicin was from 6.25-12.50 μg/ml for antibacterial activity and 0.4 μg/ml for antifungal activity. Those concentrations are comparable with concentrations of commercially available antibiotics and fungicides. The formulation of an antiseptic with herbal constituents, high antibacterial and antifungal activity and pleasant taste could be an alternative to classical pharmaceutical oral antiseptics.Na osnovu ispitane antimikrobne aktivnosti komponenata i njihovih hemijskih karakteristika, napravljena je nova formulacija oralnog antiseptika koji kao aktivnu komponentu ima prašak belog luka čiji sastojci pokazuju veoma izraženu aktivnost protiv širokog spektra bakterija i gljive Candida albicans. Antimikrobna aktivnost praška belog luka, alicina i lozengi sa 15% praška belog luka je ispitivana bujon mikrodilucionom metodom. Testiran prašak belog luka, kao i lozenge imaju veoma jaku antimikrobnu aktivnost sa minimalnim inhibitornim koncentracijama (MIC) 1,25-5,00 mg/ml (prašak belog luka) i 1,87-7,50 mg/ml (lozenge). Glavna aktivna komponeta belog luka, alicin, pokazuje antimikrobnu aktivnost u veoma niskim koncentracijama. Minimalne inhibitorne koncentracije alicina se kreću od 6,25-12,5 μg/ml protiv bakterija i 0,4 μg/ml protiv gljivice Candida albicans. Ove koncentracije se mogu uporediti sa koncentracijama komercijalnih antibiotika i fungicida. Naši rezultati su u skladu sa prethodnim ispitivanjima alicina i različitih ekstrakta belog luka, i potvrđuju najvažniju ulogu alicina u antimikrobnoj aktivnosti. Veoma je važna visoka aktivnost ovako formulisanog oralnog preparata protiv gljivice C. albicans koja je čest uzročnik infekcija usne duplje. Formulisan proizvod sa antiseptičkim osobinama karakteriše stanje čvrstog rastvora gde su aktivne supstance molekularno-disperzno ugrađene u obliku dobro rastvornog polimernog matriksa (sorbitola) velike specifične površine. Dobra rastvorljivost polimernog matriksa i velika specifična površina omogućuju zadovoljavajuću brzinu otpuštanja aktivnih principa iz belog luka (alicin). Pored visoke antimikrobne aktivnosti, lozenge poseduju prijatan ukus i osvežavaju dah, pa se mogu koristiti kao prirodni antiseptik u prevenciji i terapiji infekcija sluzokože usta i ždrela. Formulacija antiseptika sa biljnim sastojcima i visokom antibakterijskom i antifungalnom aktivnošću može biti alternativa farmaceutskim oralnim antisepticima.Projekat ministarstva br. 173021, br. 34012 i br. 17303

Simultaneous Optimization of Both Node and Edge Conservation in Network Alignment via WAVE

Network alignment can be used to transfer functional knowledge between conserved regions of different networks. Typically, existing methods use a node cost function (NCF) to compute similarity between nodes in different networks and an alignment strategy (AS) to find high-scoring alignments with respect to the total NCF over all aligned nodes (or node conservation). But, they then evaluate quality of their alignments via some other measure that is different than the node conservation measure used to guide the alignment construction process. Typically, one measures the amount of conserved edges, but only after alignments are produced. Hence, a recent attempt aimed to directly maximize the amount of conserved edges while constructing alignments, which improved alignment accuracy. Here, we aim to directly maximize both node and edge conservation during alignment construction to further improve alignment accuracy. For this, we design a novel measure of edge conservation that (unlike existing measures that treat each conserved edge the same) weighs each conserved edge so that edges with highly NCF-similar end nodes are favored. As a result, we introduce a novel AS, Weighted Alignment VotEr (WAVE), which can optimize any measures of node and edge conservation, and which can be used with any NCF or combination of multiple NCFs. Using WAVE on top of established state-of-the-art NCFs leads to superior alignments compared to the existing methods that optimize only node conservation or only edge conservation or that treat each conserved edge the same. And while we evaluate WAVE in the computational biology domain, it is easily applicable in any domain.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

Eight new Halophytophthora species from marine and brackish-water ecosystems in Portugal and an updated phylogeny for the genus

During an oomycete survey in December 2015, 10 previously unknown Halophytophthora taxa were isolated from marine and brackish water of tidal ponds and channels in saltmarshes, lagoon ecosystems and river estuaries at seven sites along the Algarve coast in the South of Portugal. Phylogenetic analyses of LSU and ITS datasets, comprising all described Halophytophthora species, the 10 new Halophytophthora taxa and all relevant and distinctive sequences available from GenBank, provided an updated phylogeny of the genus Halophytophthora s.str. showing for the first time a structure of 10 clades designated as Clades 1-10. Nine of the 10 new Halophytophthora taxa resided in Clade 6 together with H. polymorphica and H. vesicula. Based on differences in morphology and temperature-growth relations and a multigene (LSU, ITS, Btub, hsp90, rpl10, tigA, cox1, nadh1, rps10) phylo-geny, eight new Halophytophthora taxa from Portugal are described here as H. brevisporangia, H. cele-ris, H. frigida, H. lateralis, H. lusitanica, H. macrosporangia, H. sinuata and H. thermoambigua. Three species, H. frigida, H. macrosporangia and H. sinuata, have a homothallic breeding system while the remaining five species are sterile. Pathogenicity and litter decomposition tests are underway to clarify their pathological and ecological role in the marine and brackish-water ecosystems. More oomycete surveys in yet undersurveyed regions of the world and population genetic or phylogenomic analyses of global populations are needed to clarify the origin of the new Halophytophthora species.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Highly-efficient N-arylation of imidazole catalyzed by Cu(II) complexes with quaternary ammonium-functionalized 2-acetylpyridine acylhydrazone

The reaction of (E)-N,N,N-trimethyl-2-oxo-2-(2-(1-(pyridin-2-yl)ethylidene)hydrazinyl)ethan-1-aminium-chloride (HLCl) with copper(II) perchlorate led to mononuclear [CuLCl]ClO 4 complex (1). The same reaction with excess of sodium azide gives dinuclear azido double end-on bridged Cu(II) complex [Cu 2 L 2 (μ- 1,1 -N 3 ) 2 ](ClO 4 ) 2 (2). In both complexes hydrazone ligand is NNO coordinated in monodeprotonated formally neutral zwitter-ionic form. Complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Variable‐temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements for dinuclear Cu(II) complex showed intra-dimer ferromagnetic coupling between Cu(II) ions (J = 7.4 cm −1 ). DFT-BS calculations provided explanation for magnetic properties of dinuclear Cu(II) complex. Both complexes were shown to highly efficiently catalyze the N-arylation of imidazole and benzimidazole with electron-poor or electron-rich aryl iodides, under user-friendly and sustainable conditions.This is the peer-reviewed version of the following article: Milenković, M. R.; Papastavrou, A. T.; Radanović, D.; Pevec, A.; Jagličić, Z.; Zlatar, M.; Gruden, M.; Vougioukalakis, G. C.; Turel, I.; Anđelković, K.; et al. Highly-Efficient N-Arylation of Imidazole Catalyzed by Cu(II) Complexes with Quaternary Ammonium-Functionalized 2-Acetylpyridine Acylhydrazone. Polyhedron 2019, 165, 22–30. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poly.2019.03.001]Supplementary material: [http://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/3006