Role of Polyphenols in Alleviating Alzheimer's Disease: A Review.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a successive neurodegenerative disorder in the aged population. Many chemicals and phytochemicals are used to treat AD. Polyphenols which occur widely in various fruits, vegetables, beverages, and some other plant sources are gaining importance in AD treatment. Polyphenols comprise various subcategories, such as phenolic acids, lignans, tannins, stilbenes, hydroxybenzoic acid, hydroxycinnamic acid, and flavonoids. These compounds, as sole entities or in combination, can be used for treating AD because they have an abundance of antioxidants that are reported to be effective in free radical scavenging, metal ion chelating, and anti-inflammatory activities. Polyphenols of various plant origins have been studied, and these have been supported by in vitro assays and in vivo studies in rodents. These molecules protect neurons against oxidative stress and deposition of amyloid-ß (Aß) and tau proteins which play a vital role in the pathogenesis of AD. Consumption of wine and other foods rich in polyphenols has a beneficial effect on the neuronal signaling pathways, playing a vital role in shielding neuronal cells from neurodegeneration. Their ability to reduce free radicals and chelate metals are of great advantage. In this review, we highlight the various polyphenols that inhibit neuronal damage and progression of AD while also providing a cure. Some of the polyphenols covered are hesperidin, resveratrol, curcumin, catechin, kaempferol, and quercetin. The mechanisms of the actions of three polyphenols are also elaborated.

Antidiabetic with antilipidemic and antioxidant effects of flindersine by enhanced glucose uptake through GLUT4 translocation and PPARγ agonism in type 2 diabetic rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Medicinal plants have been used by the people of developing countries to treat various diseases. WHO also recommends the use of medicines from plants source. In that, diabetes also one of the diseases that have been treated traditionally by several people all over the world. In India, Toddalia asiatica (L.) Lam. (Rutaceae) is also a medicinal plant used traditionally for the treatment of diabetes in Ayurveda. Moreover, T. asiatica is also used in a polyherbal formulation to treat diabetes. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study examined the antidiabetic with antilipidemic and antioxidant effects of flindersine isolated from T. asiatica leaves. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Diabetes was induced in Wistar rats by feeding a high-fat diet (HFD) for 15 days and injecting a single dose of 40 mg/kg b. wt. of Streptozotocin (STZ). Five days post-injection, the grouped diabetic rats were treated with 20 and 40 mg/kg of flindersine. RESULTS: Flindersine resulted in a clear decline of blood glucose levels during 28 days of treatment in two different doses. Flindersine also significantly (P ≤ 0.05; P ≤ 0.005) reduced the body weight gain, plasma insulin concentration, urea, creatinine, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) and free fatty acids (FFA) levels and significantly increased (P ≤ 0.05; P ≤ 0.005) the total protein level, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities compared to the standard drug, pioglitazone. Additionally, flindersine restored the glucose transporter protein 4 (GLUT4), adenosine monophosphate protein kinase (AMPK) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) expressions in adipose tissues and skeletal muscles. CONCLUSION: It has been found that flindersine has potent antilipidemic and antidiabetic activities by improving insulin sensitivity by enhancing the phosphorylation of AMPK, GLUT4 translocation, and PPARγ agonism on adipose tissue and skeletal muscles of diabetic rats.

Friedelin exhibits antidiabetic effect in diabetic rats via modulation of glucose metabolism in liver and muscle.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Demand for plant-based medications and therapeutics is increasing worldwide as of its potential effects and no toxic. Traditionally, so many medicinal plants are used to treat diabetes. Subsequently, investigation on medicinal plants was enduring to discover potential antidiabetic drugs. A. tetracantha is used traditionally to cure diabetes mellitus, cough, dropsy, chronic diarrhea, rheumatism, phthisis and smallpox. Scientifically, A. tetracantha has been reported as an antidiabetic agent. Friedelin, the isolated compound has been reported as hypolipidemic, antioxidant, scavenging of free radicals, antiulcer, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic agent. AIM OF THE STUDY: To scrutinize the mechanism of antidiabetic activity of friedelin isolated from the leaves of A. tetracantha. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A. tetracantha leaves powder (5 kg) was soaked in hexane (15 L) to obtain hexane extract. Using column chromatography, the hexane extract was fractionated using a combination of solvents like hexane and ethyl acetate. 25 fractions were obtained and the fractions 13 and 14 yielded the compound, friedelin. Friedelin at the doses of 20 and 40 mg/kg was used to treated STZ -induced diabetic rats for 28 days. Later 28 days of treatment, the bodyweight changes, levels of blood glucose, insulin, SGOT, SGPT, SALP, liver glycogen and total protein were assessed. RESULTS: Friedelin significantly brought these altered levels to near normal. Moreover, friedelin also enhanced the translocation as well as activation of GLUT2 and GLUT4 through PI3K/p-Akt signaling cascade in skeletal muscles and liver on diabetic rats. CONCLUSION: This finding proved that friedelin has an anti-diabetic effect through insulin-dependent signaling cascade mechanism, thus it may lead to establishing a drug to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Probiotic and Antioxidant Potential of Lactobacillus reuteriLR12 and Lactobacillus lactisLL10 Isolated from Pineapple Puree and Quality Analysis of Pineapple-Flavored Goat Milk Yoghurt during Storage.

In recent years, studies have focused on the therapeutic properties of probiotics to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms associated with various diseases. Lactobacilli are important probiotics groups that have been found to possess many health-promoting activities. This study was carried out to isolate LactobacillusreuteriLR12 and L. lactisLL10 from pineapple puree. The invitro analysis to evaluate probiotic characteristics of the isolated bacteria included survival in bile and acid tolerance. The cell-free supernatant of L. reuteri LR12 was effective against various pathogenic bacteria and fungi compared with L. lactisLL10. These two bacterial strains have strong anti-biofilm activity (100%) against Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus. The bacterial strains exhibited adhesion properties to HT-29 cells (human colorectal adenocarcinoma). These bacteria showed DPPH- (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate) free radical scavenging activity, scavenging of hydroxyl radical activity, superoxide radical scavenging activity, and reducing power activity in the range of 72% ± 3%to 89.3% ± 1.7%, 64% ± 2.7%to 66.8% ± 1.5%, 59.8% ± 4.1% to 63.8% ± 2.1%, and 60.4% ± 1.8%to 66.1% ± 3.3%, respectively. Pineapple puree was used as the starter culture with milk for 2 days for yogurt preparation. Pineapple puree increased flavor and showed the physicochemical properties of yogurt. The finding of the sensory evaluation revealed no significant change compared with the control, except the appearance of yogurt. These findings show that Lactobacilli and pineapple puree have potential use in various probiotic preparations for the fermentation industry.

Synthesis and characterization of proanthocyanidin-chitosan nanoparticles: An assessment on human colorectal carcinoma HT-29 cells.

Cancer nanotheranostic materials are helpful in monitoring drug delivery and efficacy against tumor cells. Current chemotherapeutic may have adverse side effects and this necessity to discover the new modern therapeutic nano-drugs. In the present study, we designed the new targeted and degradable polymer of bio-active chitosan nanoparticles with proanthocyanidin (PAC-CSNPs) and evaluated its apoptotic effects against human colorectal carcinoma cells (HT-29). The functional groups were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscope. Further, their dispersion of spherical form nanoparticle with an average size of 73.43 nm used for drug delivery system. The PAC-CSNPs were targeted to inhibit the cyclin-dependent kinases and prevent cell cycle/cell division in cancer cells. At high concentrations of PAC (25 µg/mL) exposure, cell viability of HT-29 cells was greater than 80%. However, at low concentrations of PAC-CSNPs (6.25 µg/mL) exposure, HT-29 cell mortality was high, which may be due to the efficient drug release by CSNPs. The percentage of reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were 12 ± 2.52% (control), 39 ± 4.32% (PAC), and 85.06 ± 3.54% (PAC-CSNPs). The over production of ROS by PAC-CSNPs can prompt DNA damage, cell death and apoptosis in HT-29 cells. The in vivo toxicity of synthesized PAC-CSNPs was tested against zebra fish observed at dose-time-dependent intervals. In conclusion, the PAC-CSNPs enhanced HT-29 cell death and shows promise as a novel future nano-therapy for cancer.

Chemical constituents of Streptomyces sp. strain Al-Dhabi-97 isolated from the marine region of Saudi Arabia with antibacterial and anticancer properties.

BACKGROUND: Unlike the terrestrial region, the microorganisms especially actinomycetes groups existing in the marine environment are important sources for the medically important drugs and other active compounds. Considering the importance of natural compounds from the marine actinomycetes, the present study proceeded to identify and characterize promising antibacterial and anticancer actinomycetes from the marine region of Saudi Arabia and to profile the individual chemical components. METHODS: Antimicrobial, anticancer and chemical profiling were performed by broth microdilution, mitochondrial membrane potential assays and GC-MS analysis. Investigations were directed towards the isolation and characterization of active Streptomyces sp. strain Al-Dhabi-97. RESULTS: The obtained results of the morphological, biochemical, physiological and molecular level studies of the isolate Al-Dhabi-97 showed similarity towards the species of Streptomyces. Gram positive bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus showed MIC values of 500, 250, 125 and 62.5µg/ml and Gram negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli and Salmonella paratyphi reported MIC values of 500, 500, 250 and >250µg/ml in the antimicrobial studies. The results of anticancer studies showed that at 100µg/ml, the extract showed maximum cell growth inhibition and exhibited 2.5% necrosis, 62.2% late apoptosis and 20.8% early apoptosis in COLO 320 DM and VERO cell lines respectively. Chemical profiling of the extract authenticated the presence of constituents such as 1-phenanthrenemethanol (46.64%), phthalic acid, di(2-propylpentyl) ester (26.97%), benzenebutanoic acid (3.37%), podocarp-7-en-3-one (2.68%), and indole-3-carboxaldehyde (1.11%) respectively. CONCLUSION: The present study concluded that Saudi Arabian marine region was a promising area for the identification of medically important natural products producing actinomycetes for antibacterial and anticancer drugs.

Occupational health hazards on workers exposure to lead (Pb): A genotoxicity analysis.

BACKGROUND: The present investigation of genotoxicity of lead (Pb) among workers exposed to inorganic Pb environment, which appears to be first of its kind in South India, was undertaken to assess the seriousness, the ill effects of health contributed by this serious environmental pollutant. METHODS: A total of 144 samples comprising of exposed (n=72), and control (n=72) subjects were screened. Demographic data and their associated health levels were undertaken by means of a questionnaire. The blood samples collected were subjected to chromosomal analysis, micronuclei assessment and comet assay. RESULTS: A higher level of Pb was quantified in the blood samples of all exposed subjects. An overview of the genotoxic assessment helped us understand parameters such as age do not affect or bring about any difference in the genotoxic potential of the exposed and control subjects. The only signification feature that resulted in an enhanced genotoxic potential was the years of exposure to the Pb environment that accumulated the dosage of Pb over the years. CONCLUSION: The high positivity of genotoxic potential of Pb in a country like India highlights the need for labelling hazardous metals in paint containers as a means to assure strict regulations.

Synthesis and characterization of ZnO nanoflakes anchored carbon nanoplates for antioxidant and anticancer activity in MCF7 cell lines.

ZnO nanoparticles with flakes-like structures were synthesized by simple wet chemical route using triethanolamine as a mild base. The well distributed ZnO nanoflakes onto carbon nanoplates (ZnO/C) were prepared by wet impregnation method. The crystalline structure and purity of the synthesized samples was inspected using XRD. The shape, structural morphology and elemental composition analysis was studied using FESEM and EDS. The probable anticancer activity of the synthesized samples was studied through their activity on human breast cancer MCF7 cell line. Exposure of breast cancer cells to ZnO and ZnO/C resulted in a dose dependent loss of cell viability, and the characteristic apoptotic features such as early and late apoptosis by dual staining. The results exhibited an enhanced antioxidant activity in the ZnO/C treated cells. This present study demonstrated that the ZnO and ZnO/C can be suggested as compounds with potential activity to induce apoptosis probable anticancer activity agents.

Environmental friendly synthesis of silver nanomaterials from the promising Streptomyces parvus strain Al-Dhabi-91 recovered from the Saudi Arabian marine regions for antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.

The therapeutic molecules recovered from the marine biological origin are widely used for the treatment of diverse levels of infections caused by microbial pathogens. In addition, the eco-friendly preparations of nanomaterials together with the secondary metabolites' producing active microbial strains effectively suppress the spreading of the pathogenic bacteria. Considering their importance, the present study evaluated the environmental friendly synthesis of Silver nitrate nanomaterials (SNM) from the active marine Streptomyces strain Al-Dhabi-91 isolated from the Dammam region of Saudi Arabia. The obtained SNM was chemically characterized by various spectroscopic techniques such as UV, XRD, FTIR, SEM, TEM and EDAX; and its biological applications such as antimicrobial properties and antioxidant potential were recorded by DPPH methods. Biochemical and micromorphological studies together with the molecular techniques confirmed that the isolate Al-Dhabi-91 belonged to Streptomyces species. The characterization techniques confirmed that the UV spectrum showed maximum absorption peak at 305 nm indicating the plasmodium characteristics. SEM and TEM analyses evidenced 5-2 nm which are agglomerated, cool to form porous asymmetrical networks. Additionally, the FTIR spectrum showed maximum peak at 1194 cm-1 and 1394 cm-1, confirming the presence of aromatic CH bending and aromatic CC bending in the SNM. SNM exhibited prolific antibacterial activity against Gram negative pathogens, K. pneumoniae (28.33 mm) and E. coli (21.66 mm) respectively. The MIC values of SNM were significant with respect to E. faecalis (125 µg/ml), S. aureus (250 µg/ml), P. aeruginosa (125 µg/ml), K. pneumoniae (500 µg/ml) and E. coli (250 µg/ml) respectively. In addition, the antioxidant potential of the SNM was another value added importance. Especially 50 µg/ml of the nanoparticles showed 33% antioxidant potential; similarly in nitric oxide radical inhibition assay the concentration of 50 µg/ml nanoparticles showed 33% of inhibition potential. Overall, the eco-friendly synthesis of SNM from the marine Streptomyces strain Al-Dhabi-91 was an ideal active source for the treatment of infectious disease and health associated disorders.

Chemical profiling of Streptomyces sp. Al-Dhabi-2 recovered from an extreme environment in Saudi Arabia as a novel drug source for medical and industrial applications.

Filamentous bacterial belonged to Streptomyces species were novel drug source for medical and industrial applications. However, the detailed identification of Streptomyces species from Saudi Arabian extreme environment for the identification novel drug source for medical and industrial applications were rarely studied. The Streptomyces strain Al-Dhabi-2 obtained from the thermophilic region kingdom of Saudi Arabia, exhibited antimicrobial potentials against the pathogenic microorganism were characterized. Biochemical and phylogenetic analysis confirmed that the strain was closely associated to the Streptomyces species. The chromatogram of GC-MS analysis of this ethyl acetate extract (EA) had diverse of chemical compounds namely benzene acetic acid (7.81%), acetic acid, methoxy-, 2-phenylethyl ester (6.01%) were the major compounds. EA of Al-Dhabi-2 showed inhibition zone ranged from 14 to 25 mm at 5 mg/well concentration against the tested microbial pathogens. Results revealed that the significant MIC values were observed against B. cereus, and E. faecalis by (less than 39 µg/ml) and against S. agalactiae with (78 µg/ml). Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for fungi: were also reported against Cryptococcus neoformans and Trichophyton mentagrophytes by (156 µg/ml), whilst Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger by (312 µg/ml). Results of this study showed that thermophilic actinobacteria could be promise source in the context of searching for unique antimicrobial agents with novel properties.

Macleaya cordata extract alleviated oxidative stress and altered innate immune response in mice challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

This study examines the effects of dietary Macleaya cordata extract (MCE) on bacterial burden and resistance to enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) in ICR mice. ICR mice were randomly distributed into one of the following groups: (i) basal diet; (ii) basal diet with 200 mg kg-1 MCE; (iii) basal diet challenged with ETEC; and (iv) basal diet with 200 mg kg-1 MCE and challenged with ETEC. Following a 7-day period of pre-treatment, CTRL-ETEC and MCE-ETEC mice were subjected to oral infection using 5×108E. coli SEC 470. The results showed dietary 200 mg kg-1 MCE markedly reduced intestinal ETEC burden (P < 0.05) and the disease-associated mortality was significantly alleviated in the MCE treated group (P < 0.05). In addition, dietary MCE markedly alleviated ETEC-induced oxidative stress, evidenced by the lowered methane dicarboxylic aldehyde (MDA) abundance and enhanced activities of catalase and glutathione peroxidase (P < 0.05). Furthermore, MCE mice exhibited higher immune activity, which might have further mediated ETEC infection. These results indicate MCE plays a preventative role with respect to ETEC infection. Future research should aim to develop MCE as a therapeutic approach to the promotion of intestinal health and a safeguard against ETEC infection.

Egg Protein Transferrin-Derived Peptides IRW and IQW Regulate Citrobacter rodentium-Induced, Inflammation-Related Microbial and Metabolomic Profiles.

Bioactive peptides that target the gastrointestinal tract can strongly affect the health of animals and humans. This study aimed to evaluate the abilities of two peptides derived from egg albumin transferrin, IRW and IQW, to treat enteritis in a mouse model of Citrobacter rodentium-induced colitis by evaluating serum metabolomics and gut microbes. Forty-eight mice were randomly assigned to six groups: basal diet (CTRL), intragastric administration Citrobacter rodentium (CR), basal diet with 0.03%IRW (IRW), CR with 0.03% IRW (IRW+CR), basal diet with 0.03%IQW (IQW) and CR with 0.03% IQW (IQW+CR). CR administration began on day 10 and continued for 7 days. After 14 days of IRW and IQW treatment, serum was collected and subjected to a metabolomics analysis. The length and weight of each colon were measured, and the colon contents were collected for 16srRNA sequencing. The colons were significantly longer in the CR group, compared to the CTRL group. A serum metabolomics analysis revealed no significant difference in microbial diversity between the six groups. Compared with the CTRL group, the proportions of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria species decreased significantly and the proportions of Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria species increased in the CR group. There were no significant differences between the CTRL and other groups. The serum metabolomics analysis revealed that Infected by CR increased the levels of oxalic acid, homogentisic acid and prostaglandin but decreased the levels of L-glutamine, L-acetyl carnitine, 1-methylhistidine and gentisic acid. Therefore, treatment with IRW and IQW was shown to regulate the intestinal microorganisms associated with colonic inflammation and serum metabolite levels, thus improving intestinal health.

Bioactivity assessment of the Saudi Arabian Marine Streptomyces sp. Al-Dhabi-90, metabolic profiling and its in vitro inhibitory property against multidrug resistant and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase clinical bacterial pathogens.

BACKGROUND: Metabolites obtained from the marine microorganisms were known for their important role in microbial inhibition. Interestingly, bioprospecting of secondary metabolites from marine derived actinomycetes has huge demand especially in the treatment of multi drug resistant clinical pathogens. The present study subjected towards the identification of promising antimicrobial actinomycetes from the Arabian Gulf regions and metabolic profiling of the crude organic solvent extract by chromatographic techniques. METHODS: The strains were characterized by 16S rRNA sequencing. Extracellular metabolites were profiled by performing GC-MS analysis. MIC values of the compounds were detected using broth dilution technique. RESULTS: A Gram positive, spore forming filamentous Streptomyces sp. Al-Dhabi-90 possessed good antibacterial activities against the drug resistant pathogens were confirmed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Further, the gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrum analysis data revealed that the organic solvent extract of the fermented Streptomyces sp. Al-Dhabi-90 contained major components such as 3-methylpyridazine, n-hexadecanoic acid, indazol-4-one, octadecanoic acid and 3a-methyl-6-((4-methylphenyl) sul respectively. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of the extract against Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae were 12.5 and 50µg/ml respectively. Against drug resistant ESBL pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonsa aeroginosa and Proteus mirabilis were 12.5, and 25µg/ml respectively. Interestingly, the extract showed promising activity against the vancomycin resistant Enterococcus faecium at 50µg/ml. The increased level of cellular constituents after the extract treatment evidenced that the metabolites altered the membrane integrity of the pathogens. CONCLUSION: Conclusively, the marine Streptomyces sp. Al-Dhabi-90 is an ideal source for the treatment of multi drug resistant clinical pathogens.

Corrigendum to "The Protective Effect of Chrysanthemum indicum Extract against Ankylosing Spondylitis in Mouse Models".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2017/8206281.].

Green biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles produced from marine Streptomyces sp. Al-Dhabi-89 and their potential applications against wound infection and drug resistant clinical pathogens.

Green biosynthesis of nanoparticles yielded from the extracellular metabolites of marine derived actinomycetes is covering enormous attention due to their superior applications and broad spectrum of bioactive secondary metabolites. The present study aimed to explore the characterization of novel bioactive Streptomyces sp. Al-Dhabi-89 derived from the Arabian Gulf region of Dammam was authenticated based on their physiological, biochemical characterization and molecular level amplification of the 16S rRNA was guided for the green biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles from the cell free extract. The reducing potential of Streptomyces sp. Al-Dhabi-89 cell surface extracts was explored for the green synthesis of the silver nanoparticles without the supplementation of the external capping substance, were characterized by UV-Vis, XRD, SEM, TEM, EDX, FTIR, and antimicrobial activities were determined by performing broth micro-dilution techniques. Results indicated that UV-Vis absorption spectrum of the bio-reduced nanoparticles documented the major peak at 310 nm confirmed the silver nanoparticles surface plasmon resonance. TEM and SEM characterization authenticated the morphological size ranged from 11 to 21 nm and cubic in their appearances; in addition, FTIR spectrum revealed variation in the band values from 626 cm-1 to 3432 cm-1 respectively. While, the EDX study pronounced strong band at 3 keV evidenced the presence of metallic silver. The synthesized nanoparticles showed better antimicrobial activity against the standard Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli (31.25 µg/ml), Klebsiella pneumoniae (62.5 µg/ml), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (15.6 µg/ml) respectively. In addition, the prolific MIC values against the drug resistant clinical pathogens namely Acinetobacter baumannii (7.81 µg/ml), multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7.81 µg/ml) and Proteus mirabilis (15.6 µg/ml) were its advantage. Alternatively, considerable activity towards the wound infecting bacteria Enterococcus faecium (62.5 µg/ml) was its value-added properties. In conclusion, the silver nanoparticles produced from marine Streptomyces sp. Al-Dhabi-89 exhibited potential activity against both standard and clinical drug resistant microbial pathogens.

Effect of dietary α-ketoglutarate and allicin supplementation on the composition and diversity of the cecal microbial community in growing pigs.

BACKGROUND: The search for substitutes for antibiotics has recently become urgent. In our previous work, dietary α-ketoglutarate (AKG) combined with allicin improved growth performance and enhanced immunity in growing pigs, whereas the effects on them of intestinal microbiota were unclear. Here, we further investigate the effects of dietary AKG and allicin supplementation on the composition and diversity of intestinal microbiota in growing pigs. RESULTS: Treatment with a combination of AKG and allicin enhanced cecal bacteria richness and diversity, as evidenced by changes in Chao 1, ACE, Shannon, and Simpson values when compared to the control group and antibiotics group. At the phylum level, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were the two most abundant phyla. Treatment with a combination of AKG and allicin increased the numbers of Firmicutes and reduced the numbers of Bacteroidetes. Prevotella was the most abundant genus; it was increased by treatment with a combination of AKG and allicin. Furthermore, compared with the antibiotic group, the level of acetate was increased in the AKG group with or without allicin. Treatment with a combination of AKG and allicin increased the levels of cecal butyrate and total volatile fatty acids (VFA) when compared with the control group in growing pigs. CONCLUSION: Dietary 1.0% AKG combined with 0.5% allicin improved cecal microbial composition and diversity, which might further promote VFA metabolism in growing pigs. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Toxicological effects of chemical constituents from Piper against the environmental burden Aedes aegypti Liston and their impact on non-target toxicity evaluation against biomonitoring aquatic insects.

Dengue is the most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral disease in the world. The mosquito, Aedes aegypti, also spreads Yellow fever, Chikungunya, and Zika virus. As the primary vector for dengue, Ae. aegypti now occurs in over 20 countries and is a serious concern with reports of increasing insecticide resistance. Developing new treatments to manage mosquitoes are needed. Formulation of crude volatile oil from Piper betle leaves (Pb-CVO) was evaluated as a potential treatment which showed larvicidal, ovipositional, and repellency effects. Gut-histology and enzyme profiles were analyzed post treatment under in-vitro conditions. The Pb-CVO from leaves of field collected plants was obtained by steam distillation and separated through rotary evaporation. The Pb-CVO were evaluated for chemical constituents through GC-MS analyses revealed 20 vital compounds. The peak area was establish to be superior in Eudesm-7(11)-en-4-ol (14.95%). Pb-CVO were determined and tested as four different concentrations (0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mg/L) of Pb-CVO towards Ae. aegypti. The larvicidal effects exhibited dose dependent mortality being greatest at 1.5 mg Pb-CVO/10 g leaves. The LC50 occurred at 0.63 mg Pb-CVO/L. Larva of Ae. aegypti exposed to Pb-CVO showed significantly reduced digestive enzyme actions of α- and ß-carboxylesterases. In contrast, GST and CYP450 enzyme levels increased significantly as concentration increased. Correspondingly, oviposition deterrence index and egg hatch of Ae. aegypti exposed to sub-lethal doses of Pb-CVO demonstrated a strong effect suitable for population suppression. Repellency at 0.6 mg Pb-CVO applied as oil had a protection time of 15-210 min. Mid-gut histological of Ae. aegypti larvae showed severe damage when treated with 0.6 mg of Pb-CVO treatment compared to the control. Non-toxic effects against aquatic beneficial insects, such as Anisops bouvieri and Toxorhynchites splendens, were observed at the highest concentrations, exposed for 3 h. These results suggest that the Pb-CVO may contain effective constituents suitable for development of new vector control agents against Ae. aegypti.

Acute toxicity of chemical pesticides and plant-derived essential oil on the behavior and development of earthworms, Eudrilus eugeniae (Kinberg) and Eisenia fetida (Savigny).

Comparative toxicity of two chemical pesticides (temephos and monocrotophos) versus a plant-derived betel leaf oil Piper betle (L.) to earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae (Kinberg) and redworm Eisenia fetida Savigny, historically: Eisenia foetida (Savigny 1826), was evaluated. Mortality rate was more prominent in temephos at 100 µg concentration to both the earthworms in filter paper test (FPT) as well as 10 mg concentration in artificial soil test (AST). In contrast, P. betle does not display much mortality rate to both the earthworms even at 1000 mg of treatment concentrations. The lethal concentration (LC50) value was observed at 3.89 and 5.26 mg/kg for temephos and monocrotophos against E. eugeniae and 3.81 and 5.25 mg/kg to E. fetida, respectively. Whereas, LC50 value of betel leaf oil was only observed at 3149 and 4081 mg/kg to E. eugeniae and E. fetida, respectively. Correspondingly, the avoidance or attraction assay also displayed that earthworms were more sensitive to the soil containing chemical pesticides. Whereas, the avoidance percentage was decreased in the P. betle oil. Similarly, sublethal concentration of chemical pesticides (5 and 6.5 mg) significantly reduced the earthworm weight and growth rate. However, P. betle oil did not change the developmental rate in the duration of the assay (2, 7 and 14 days) even at 4000 mg treatment concentration. The enzyme ratio of CAT and SOD was also affected significantly after exposure to the chemical pesticides (6.5 mg/kg). Hence, our study implied the risk assessment associated with the chemical pesticides and also recommends plant-derived harmless P. betle oil against beneficial species as an alternative pest control agent.

Erratum to "Effect of High Dietary Tryptophan on Intestinal Morphology and Tight Junction Protein of Weaned Pig".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2016/2912418.].

Paenibacillus polysaccharolyticus sp. nov., a xylanolytic and cellulolytic bacteria isolated from leaves of Bamboo Phyllostachys aureosulcata.

A novel xylanolytic and cellulolytic strain, BL9T, was isolated from leaves of the Bamboo plants maintained at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Campus, Coimbatore, India. On the basis of the results of 16S rRNA gene analysis, it was determined to be phylogenetically close to the type strains of Paenibacillus amylolyticus NRRL NRS-290T (98.3 %), Paenibacillus barcinonensis BP-23T (98.1 %), Paenibacillus tundrae A10bT (98.0 %) and Paenibacillus xylanexedens B22aT (97.6 %). The strain stained Gram variable and was aerobic, motile and catalase- and oxidase-positive, with rod-shaped cells. Based upon the genome sequence, the average nucleotide identity with the related species ranged from 66 % to 72 %, and the digital DNA-DNA hybridization value ranged from 13 % to 27 %. The DNA G+C content was 45.6 mol%, meso-diaminopimelic acid was identified as the predominant component of the cell wall, and MK-7 was the only menaquinone in cell membranes. The whole-cell fatty acid profile included C16 : 0, iso-C14 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0. The polar lipids identified were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylserine and diphosphtidylglycerol. On the basis of these polyphasic taxonomic traits, BL9T represents a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus polysaccharolyticus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is BL9T (=NBRC 105191T=ICMP 17623T).