Rapid reductive dechlorination of trichloroethene in contaminated ground water using biostimulation agent, BD-1, formulated from canola oil.

A case study of the bioremediation of groundwater contaminated with trichloroethene (TCE) was conducted using the biostimulation agent, BD-1. TCE levels were monitored by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Total organic carbon (TOC) and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) were analyzed to investigate the environmental fate of BD-1. The effects of BD-1 on microbial activity were investigated using 16S rRNA gene-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis. The biodegradation of BD-1 was accompanied by a reduction in TCE, and the initially high TOC levels decreased rapidly as BD-1 was transformed into VFAs. qPCR analysis showed that the genus Dehalobacter became progressively dominant through the experiment. These results suggested that BD-1 might dechlorinate TCE by activating dechlorinating bacteria.

Effect of essential oils, such as raspberry ketone and its derivatives, on antiandrogenic activity based on in vitro reporter gene assay.

The effect of essential oils, such as raspberry ketone, on androgen (AR) receptor was investigated using a MDA-kb2 human breast cancer cell line for predicting potential AR activity. Among them, eugenol had the highest AR antagonistic activity with its IC(50) value of 19 microM. Raspberry ketone, which has threefold higher anti-obese activity than that of capsaicin, also had AR antagonist activity with its IC(50) value of 252 microM. Based on these findings, a more precise CoMFA model was proposed as follows: pIC(50) [log (1/IC(50))]=3.77+[CoMFA field terms] (n=39, s=0.249, r(2)=0.834, s(cv)=0.507, q(2)=0.311 (three components).

Effect of flavonoids on androgen and glucocorticoid receptors based on in vitro reporter gene assay.

The effect of 32 flavonoids on androgen (AR) and glucocorticoid receptors (GR) was investigated using an MDA-kb2 human breast cancer cell line to predict potential AR and GR activities. Among them, 5-hydroxyflavone (7) had the highest AR antagonistic activity with an IC(50) value of 0.3 microM, whereas 6-methoxyflavone (11) had the highest induced luciferase activity with an EC(150) value of 0.7 microM. Genistein (2) and daizein (1) showed a sufficient increase of luciferase activities as their concentrations increased with EC(150) values of 4.4 and 10.1 microM, respectively. These findings provide evidence of a fundamental property of their structure-activity relationship with AR and/or GR.

Identification of the electron transfer flavoprotein as an upregulated enzyme in the benzoate utilization of Desulfotignum balticum.

Desulfotignum balticum utilizes benzoate coupled to sulfate reduction. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) analysis was conducted to detect proteins that increased more after growth on benzoate than on butyrate. A comparison of proteins on 2D gels showed that at least six proteins were expressed. The N-terminal sequences of three proteins exhibited significant identities with the alpha and beta subunits of electron transfer flavoprotein (ETF) from anaerobic aromatic-degraders. By sequence analysis of the fosmid clone insert (37,590 bp) containing the genes encoding the ETF subunits, we identified three genes, whose deduced amino acid sequences showed 58%, 74%, and 62% identity with those of Gmet_2267 (Fe-S oxidoreductase), Gmet_2266 (ETF beta subunit), and Gmet_2265 (ETF alpha subunit) respectively, which exist within the 300-kb genomic island of aromatic-degradation genes from Geobacter metallireducens GS-15. The genes encoding ETF subunits found in this study were upregulated in benzoate utilization.

The effect of calcium ion on the biodegradation of octylphenol polyethoxylates, and the antiandrogenic activity of their biodegradates.

Because limes have been used as important fertilizers to neutralize acidified farmland in Japan, our interest in this study was focused on the effect of calcium ion on the biodegradation of octylphenol polyethoxylates (OPEOn) by a pure culture of Pseudomonas putida S5 isolated from a rice paddy field in Japan. In the presence of calcium ion, P. putida S5 accelerated the formation of octylphenol oligoethoxy carboxylates (OPECn) rather than that of octylphenol oligoethoxylates under an aerobic condition, indicating that more soluble biodegradates with terminal carboxyl group may liquate out easily to surface and ground water rather than more hydrophobic biodegradates with shorter ethylene oxide residues. Therefore, the androgen receptor (AR) activity of their degradation products was characterized using an in vitro reporter gene assay. As ethylene oxide chain length decreased, the biodegradates, OPEOn (n < 3), increased their AR antagonist activity. However, OPECn (n < 3) were unable to determine their AR activity because of their cytotoxicity in our reporter gene assay system.