Impairment of an Endothelial NAD+-H2S Signaling Network Is a Reversible Cause of Vascular Aging.

A decline in capillary density and blood flow with age is a major cause of mortality and morbidity. Understanding why this occurs is key to future gains in human health. NAD precursors reverse aspects of aging, in part, by activating sirtuin deacylases (SIRT1-SIRT7) that mediate the benefits of exercise and dietary restriction (DR). We show that SIRT1 in endothelial cells is a key mediator of pro-angiogenic signals secreted from myocytes. Treatment of mice with the NAD+ booster nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) improves blood flow and increases endurance in elderly mice by promoting SIRT1-dependent increases in capillary density, an effect augmented by exercise or increasing the levels of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a DR mimetic and regulator of endothelial NAD+ levels. These findings have implications for improving blood flow to organs and tissues, increasing human performance, and reestablishing a virtuous cycle of mobility in the elderly.

Soil treatment using a biosurfactant producing bacterial consortium in rice fields contaminated with oily sludge- a sustainable approach.

A consortium of two biosurfactant-producing bacteria (Bacillus pumilus KS2 and Bacillus cereus R2) was developed to remediate petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated paddy soil. Soil samples from a heavily contaminated rice field near Assam's Lakwa oilfield were collected and placed in earthen pots for treatment. After each month of incubation, 50 g of soil from each earthen pot was collected, and the soil TPH (ppm) in each sample was determined. The extracted TPH samples were analysed by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to confirm microbial degradation. The soil samples were examined for changes in pH, conductivity, total organic content (TOC), water holding capacity, and total nitrogen content in addition to TPH degradation. An increasing trend in TPH degradation was observed with each passing month. After six months of treatment, the sample with the lowest initial TPH concentration (1735 ppm) had the highest degradation (91.24%), while the soil with the highest amount of TPH (5780 ppm) had the lowest degradation (74.35%). A wide range of aliphatic hydrocarbons found in soil samples was degraded by the bacterial consortium. The soil samples contained eight different low- and high-molecular-weight PAHs. Some were fully mineralized, while others were significantly reduced. With the decrease in the TPH level in the polluted soil, a significant improvement in the soil's physicochemical qualities (such as pH, electrical conductivity, total organic content, and water-holding capacity) was observed.

Fungi-derived agriculturally important nanoparticles and their application in crop stress management - Prospects and environmental risks.

Nanotechnology has a wide range of agricultural applications, with emphasize on the development of novel nano-agrochemicals such as, nano-fertilizer and nano-pesticides. It has a significant impact on sustainable agriculture by increasing agricultural productivity, while reducing the use of inorganic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Nano-coating delivery methods for agrochemicals have improved agrochemical effectiveness, safety, and consistency. Biosynthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) has recently been recognized as an effective tool, contrary to chemically derived NPs, for plant abiotic and biotic stress control, and crop improvement. In this regard, fungi have tremendous scope and importance for producing biogenic NPs of various sizes, shapes, and characteristics. Fungi are potential candidates for synthesis of biogenic NPs due to their enhanced bioavailability, biological activity, and higher metal tolerance. However, their biomimetic properties and high capacity for dispersion in soil, water environments, and foods may have negative environmental consequences. Furthermore, their bioaccumulation raises significant concerns about the novel properties of nanomaterials potentially causing adverse biological effects, including toxicity. This review provides a concise outline of the growing role of fungal-mediated metal NPs synthesis, its potential applications in crop field, and associated issues of nano-pollution in soil and its future implications.

Biodegradation of hazardous naphthalene and cleaner production of rhamnolipids - Green approaches of pollution mitigation.

Toxic and hazardous waste poses a serious threat to human health and the environment. Green remediation technologies are required to manage such waste materials, which is a demanding and difficult task. Here, effort was made to explore the role of Pseudomonas aeruginosa SR17 in alleviating naphthalene via catabolism and simultaneously producing biosurfactant. The results showed up to 89.2% naphthalene degradation at 35 °C and pH 7. The GC/MS analysis revealed the generation of naphthalene degradation intermediates. Biosurfactant production led to the reduction of surface tension of the culture medium to 34.5 mN/m. The biosurfactant was further characterized as rhamnolipids. LC-MS of the column purified biosurfactant revealed the presence of both mono and di rhamnolipid congeners. Rhamnolipid find tremendous application in medical field and as well as in detergent industry and since they are of biological origin, they can be used as favorable alternative against their chemical counterparts. The study demonstrated that catabolism of naphthalene and concurrent formation of rhamnolipid can result in a dual activity process, namely environmental cleanup and production of a valuable microbial metabolite. Additionally, the present-day application of rhamnolipids is highlighted.

Evaluation of algal active compounds as potent antibiofilm agent.

Biofilm is the syntrophic association of microbial colonies that remain adhered to the biotic and abiotic surfaces with the help of self-secreted polymeric substances also termed extracellular polymeric substances. Chronic pathogenicity caused by biofilm-associated pathogenic microorganisms becomes a significant threat in biomedical research. An extensive search is being made for the antibiofilm agents made from natural sources or their biogenic derivatives due to their effectivity and nontoxicity. Algae being the producer of various biogenic substances are found capable of disintegrating biofilm matrix and eradication of biofilm without exerting any deterrent effect on other biotas in the ecosystem. The current trend in phycological studies includes the exploration of antifouling efficacy among various algal groups. The extracts prepared from about 225 microalgae and cyanobacteria species are found to have antibiofilm activity. Polyunsaturated fatty acids are the most important component in the algal extract with antibacterial and antibiofilm properties. The antibiofilm activity of the sulfated polysaccharides extracted from a marine alga could be effectively used to remove dental biofilm. Algal extracts are also being used for the preparation of different biogenically synthesized nanoparticles, which are being used as potent antibiofilm agents. Genome editing of algal species by CRISPR/Cas9 may make precise modifications in the algal DNA for improving the algal strains and production of a more effective antibiofouling agent.

New holistic approach for the management of biofilm-associated infections by myco-metabolites.

Biofilm-associated infections have increased excessively over the recent years due to the increased population having impaired immune systems or as a result of certain medical conditions like transplantation, cancer, and any other chronic ailments. The abrupt enhancement of antibiotic resistance and enhanced utilization of biomedical devices offer new opportunities for microbial colonization leading to the development of microbial biofilms. Total eradication of recalcitrant microbial biofilms demands the adoption of a holistic approach and since the fungal metabolites enriched with bioactive compounds show efficacy in inhibiting the multiple factors behind biofilm formation, the anti-biofilm activities of fungal metabolites need to be appraised. Being effective in preventing various steps of biofilm formation, including inhibition of surface adhesion and cell-to-cell communication through quorum quenching, blocking of quorum sensing receptors, and enzymes involved in microbial cell wall biosynthesis, targeting the virulence factors and finally killing of biofilm bound individual cells; myco-metabolites are found effective as a potent holistic anti-biofilm agent. The wide spectrum of bioactive substances of fungi and their anti-biofilm activities against different pathogens and their multitarget characteristics are very promising in the field of treating biofilm infections.

Partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide: enhanced oil recovery applications, oil-field produced water pollution, and possible solutions.

Polymers, such as partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM), are widely used in oil fields to enhance or improve the recovery of crude oil from the reservoirs. It works by increasing the viscosity of the injected water, thus improving its mobility and oil recovery. However, during such enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations, it also produces a huge quantity of water alongside oil. Depending on the age and the stage of the oil reserve, the oil field produces ~ 7-10 times more water than oil. Such water contains various types of toxic components, such as traces of crude oil, heavy metals, and different types of chemicals (used during EOR operations such as HPAM). Thus, a huge quantity of HPAM containing produced water generated worldwide requires proper treatment and usage. The possible toxicity of HPAM is still ambiguous, but its natural decomposition product, acrylamide, threatens humans' health and ecological environments. Therefore, the main challenge is the removal or degradation of HPAM in an environmentally safe manner from the produced water before proper disposal. Several chemical and thermal techniques are employed for the removal of HPAM, but they are not so environmentally friendly and somewhat expensive. Among different types of treatments, biodegradation with the aid of individual or mixed microbes (as biofilms) is touted to be an efficient and environmentally friendly way to solve the problem without harmful side effects. Many researchers have explored and reported the potential of such bioremediation technology with a variable removal efficiency of HPAM from the oil field produced water, both in lab scale and field scale studies. The current review is in line with United Nations Sustainability Goals, related to water security-UNSDG 6. It highlights the scale of such HPAM-based EOR applications, the challenge of produced water treatment, current possible solutions, and future possibilities to reuse such treated water sources for other applications.

Metagenomics Combined with Stable Isotope Probe (SIP) for the Discovery of Novel Dehalogenases Producing Bacteria.

Halogenated compounds are one of the largest groups of environmental-hazardous chemicals. The removal of the halogen atom from the substrate is possible by the catalytic activity of a type of enzyme called dehalogenase. Hydrolytic dehalogenases are suggested to be a good biodegradation catalyst for halogenated compounds with potential bioremediation applications. Therefore, the identification of possible bacterial strains that produce dehalogenase is of great importance. Soil microorganisms that are regularly exposed to halogenated pesticides are a major source of hydrolytic dehalogenase. Their proper identification may be useful in the production of high-quality dehalogenase. DNA stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) is quite a useful technique for the identification of active microorganisms that assimilate specific carbon substrates and nutrients. Metagenomics combined with a stable isotope probe (SIP) technique could therefore be used to detect bacterial dehalogenases in pesticides exposed agricultural soil.

Loss of autophagy causes a synthetic lethal deficiency in DNA repair.

(Macro)autophagy delivers cellular constituents to lysosomes for degradation. Although a cytoplasmic process, autophagy-deficient cells accumulate genomic damage, but an explanation for this effect is currently unclear. We report here that inhibition of autophagy causes elevated proteasomal activity leading to enhanced degradation of checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1), a pivotal factor for the error-free DNA repair process, homologous recombination (HR). We show that loss of autophagy critically impairs HR and that autophagy-deficient cells accrue micronuclei and sub-G1 DNA, indicators of diminished genomic integrity. Moreover, due to impaired HR, autophagy-deficient cells are hyperdependent on nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) for repair of DNA double-strand breaks. Consequently, inhibition of NHEJ following DNA damage in the absence of autophagy results in persistence of genomic lesions and rapid cell death. Because autophagy deficiency occurs in several diseases, these findings constitute an important link between autophagy and DNA repair and highlight a synthetic lethal strategy to kill autophagy-deficient cells.

A Self-Reporting Photocatalyst for Online Fluorescence Monitoring of High Throughput RAFT Polymerization.

Translating controlled/living radical polymerization (CLRP) from batch to the high throughput production of polymer libraries presents several challenges in terms of both polymer synthesis and characterization. Although recently there have been significant advances in the field of low volume, high throughput CLRP, techniques able to simultaneously monitor multiple polymerizations in an "online" manner have not yet been developed. Here, we report our discovery that 5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl-21H,23H-porphine zinc (ZnTPP) is a self-reporting photocatalyst that can mediate PET-RAFT polymerization as well as report on monomer conversion via changes in its fluorescence properties. This enables the use of a microplate reader to conduct high throughput "online" monitoring of PET-RAFT polymerizations performed directly in 384-well, low volume microtiter plates.

Microbial enhanced heavy crude oil recovery through biodegradation using bacterial isolates from an Omani oil field.

BACKGROUND: Biodegradation is a cheap and environmentally friendly process that could breakdown and utilizes heavy crude oil (HCO) resources. Numerous bacteria are able to grow using hydrocarbons as a carbon source; however, bacteria that are able to grow using HCO hydrocarbons are limited. In this study, HCO degrading bacteria were isolated from an Omani heavy crude oil field. They were then identified and assessed for their biodegradation and biotransformation abilities under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. RESULTS: Bacteria were grown in five different minimum salts media. The isolates were identified by MALDI biotyper and 16S rRNA sequencing. The nucleotide sequences were submitted to GenBank (NCBI) database. The bacteria were identified as Bacillus subtilis and B. licheniformis. To assess microbial growth and biodegradation of HCO by well-assay on agar plates, samples were collected at different intervals. The HCO biodegradation and biotransformation were determined using GC-FID, which showed direct correlation of microbial growth with an increased biotransformation of light hydrocarbons (C12 and C14). Among the isolates, B. licheniformis AS5 was the most efficient isolate in biodegradation and biotransformation of the HCO. Therefore, isolate AS5 was used for heavy crude oil recovery experiments, in core flooding experiments using Berea core plugs, where an additional 16 % of oil initially in place was recovered. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report from Oman for bacteria isolated from an oil field that were able to degrade and transform HCO to lighter components, illustrating the potential use in HCO recovery. The data suggested that biodegradation and biotransformation processes may lead to additional oil recovery from heavy oil fields, if bacteria are grown in suitable medium under optimum growth conditions.

Microbial enhanced heavy oil recovery by the aid of inhabitant spore-forming bacteria: an insight review.

Crude oil is the major source of energy worldwide being exploited as a source of economy, including Oman. As the price of crude oil increases and crude oil reserves collapse, exploitation of oil resources in mature reservoirs is essential for meeting future energy demands. As conventional recovery methods currently used have become less efficient for the needs, there is a continuous demand of developing a new technology which helps in the upgradation of heavy crude oil. Microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) is an important tertiary oil recovery method which is cost-effective and eco-friendly technology to drive the residual oil trapped in the reservoirs. The potential of microorganisms to degrade heavy crude oil to reduce viscosity is considered to be very effective in MEOR. Earlier studies of MEOR (1950s) were based on three broad areas: injection, dispersion, and propagation of microorganisms in petroleum reservoirs; selective degradation of oil components to improve flow characteristics; and production of metabolites by microorganisms and their effects. Since thermophilic spore-forming bacteria can thrive in very extreme conditions in oil reservoirs, they are the most suitable organisms for the purpose. This paper contains the review of work done with thermophilic spore-forming bacteria by different researchers.

Emergence of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and advances in the remediation strategies.

A group of fluorinated organic molecules known as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been commonly produced and circulated in the environment. PFAS, owing to multiple strong CF bonds, exhibit exceptional stability and possess a high level of resistance against biological or chemical degradation. Recently, PFAS have been identified to cause numerous hazardous effects on the biotic ecosystem. As a result, extensive efforts have been made in recent years to develop effective methods to remove PFAS. Adsorption, filtration, heat treatment, chemical oxidation/reduction, and soil washing are a few of the physicochemical techniques that have shown their ability to remove PFAS from contaminated matrixes. However these methods also carry significant drawbacks, including the fact that they are expensive, energy-intensive, unsuitable for in-situ treatment, and requirement to be carried under dormant conditions. The metabolic products released upon PFAS degradation are largely unknown, despite the fact that thermal disintegration methods are widely used. In contrast to physical and chemical methods, biological degradation of PFAS has been regarded as efficient method. However, PFAS are difficult to instantly and completely metabolize through biological methods due to the limitations of biocatalytic mechanisms. Nevertheless, cost, easy-to-operate and environmentally safe are some of the advantages over its counterpart. The present review comprehensively discusses the occurrence of PFAS, the state-of-the science of remediation technologies and approaches applied, and the remediation challenges. The article also focuses on the future research directions toward the development of effective methods for PFAS-contaminated site in-situ treatment.

Engineering rhizobial bioinoculants: a strategy to improve iron nutrition.

Under field conditions, inoculated rhizobial strains are at a survival disadvantage as compared to indigenous strains. In order to out-compete native rhizobia it is not only important to develop strong nodulation efficiency but also increase their competence in the soil and rhizosphere. Competitive survival of the inoculated strain may be improved by employing strain selection and by genetic engineering of superior nitrogen fixing strains. Iron sufficiency is an important factor determining the survival and nodulation by rhizobia in soil. Siderophores, a class of ferric specific ligands that are involved in receptor specific iron transport into bacteria, constitute an important part of iron acquisition systems in rhizobia and have been shown to play a role in symbiosis as well as in saprophytic survival. Soils predominantly have iron bound to hydroxamate siderophores, a pool that is largely unavailable to catecholate-utilizing rhizobia. Outer membrane receptors for uptake of ferric hydroxamates include FhuA and FegA which are specific for ferrichrome siderophore. Increase in nodule occupancy and enhanced plant growth of the fegA and fhuA expressing engineered bioinoculants rhizobial strain have been reported. Engineering rhizobia for developing effective bioinoculants with improved ability to utilize heterologous siderophores could provide them with better iron acquisition ability and consequently, rhizospheric stability.

Comparative assessment on lignocellulose degrading enzymes and bioethanol production from spent mushroom substrate of Calocybe indica and Volvariella volvacea.

In the current study, we compared the production of extracellular lignocellulose degrading enzymes and bioethanol from the spent mushroom substrate (SMS) of Calocybe indica and Volvariella volvacea. From SMS at different stages of the mushroom development cycle, ligninolytic and hydrolytic enzymes were analysed. The activities of lignin-degrading enzymes, including lignin peroxidase (LiP), laccase, and manganese peroxidase (MnP) were maximal in the spawn run and primordial stages, while hydrolytic enzymes including xylanase, cellobiohydrolase (CBH), and carboxymethyl cellulase (CMCase) showed higher activity during fruiting bodies development and at the end of the mushroom growth cycle. SMS of V. volvacea showed relatively lower ligninase activity than the SMS of C. indica, but had the maximum activity of hydrolytic enzymes. The enzyme was precipitated with acetone and further purified with the DEAE cellulose column. The maximum yield of reducing sugars was obtained after hydrolysis of NaOH (0.5 M) pretreated SMS with a cocktail of partially purified enzymes (50% v/v). After enzymatic hydrolysis, the total reducing sugars were 18.68 ± 0.34 g/l (SMS of C. indica) and 20.02 ± 0.87 g/l (SMS of V. volvacea). We observed the highest fermentation efficiency and ethanol productivity (54.25%, 0.12 g/l h) obtained from SMS hydrolysate of V. volvacea after 48 h at 30 ± 2 °C, using co-culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae MTCC 11,815 and Pachysolen tannophilus MTCC 1077.

A Novel Study on Anionic Surfactant Degradation Potential of Psychrophillic and Psychrotolerant Pseudomonas spp. Identified from Surfactant-contaminated River Water.

The Yamuna River, a tributary of the holy Ganga, is heavily polluted in the Delhi-NCR region, India and has been gaining attention due to the excessive foaming of the river over the past few years. This can be directly or indirectly related to the overuse of surfactants and the discharge of untreated domestic and textile wastewater into the river. To determine the surfactant load and investigate potential surfactant-degrading bacteria in the region, 96 water samples from four sites in the Okhla Barrage stretch of the river were collected and analysed. The results showed that the selected sites have surfactant concentrations more than the permissible limit (1.00 mgL-1). Also, at most of the sites, the concentration crossed the desirable limit of BIS (0.2 mgL-1) during the period of analysis. The concentration of anionic surfactant reported in the region was found in the range of 0.29 mgL-1 and 2.83 mgL-1. A total of 38 different bacteria were isolated using selective media from the same water samples, out of which 7 bacterial isolates were screened for sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) tolerance activity. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, 2 species, namely Pseudomonas koreensis YRW-02 and Pseudomonas songnenensis YRW-05 have been identified and their degradation potential was assessed at different SDS concentrations. The results showed that our strains YRW-02 and YRW-05 degraded 78.29 and 69.24% of SDS respectively. Growth optimization was also performed at different substrate concentrations, pH, and temperature to investigate optimum degradation conditions. This study plays a significant role in assessing the surfactant load and also gives a promising background for future use in in-situ bioremediation experiments.

Biofouling in Membrane Bioreactors: Mechanism, Interactions and Possible Mitigation Using Biosurfactants.

Biofouling roots damage to membrane bioreactors (MBRs), such as physical, functional and organisational changes and even therefore clogging of the membrane pores and successive microbial degradation. Further, it blocks the pores, results into a biomass cake and in due course reduces the membrane flux and leads to an increase in the operational costs. MBR fouling contributed to the rise in transmembrane pressure (TMP) and decrease in permeate flux (in case of constant pressure operation mode). Chemical surfactants adopted for the cleaning of membrane surfaces have certain disadvantages such as toxicity manifestations, damage to the membranes and high CMC concentrations. Biosurfactant surfactants have attained increasing interest due to their low toxicity, biodegradability, stability to extreme environmental conditions such as temperatures, pH and tolerance to salinity. The biosurfactants trapped the foulants via micelle formation, which distresses hydrophobic interactions amongst bacteria and the surface. Rhamnolipids as an anionic biosurfactant pose a significant interfacial potential and have affinity to bind organic matter. The present review discusses the problem of biofouling in MBRs, type and interactions of foulants involved and also highlights the mechanisms of biosurfactant cleaning, effect of different parameters, effect of concentration, TMP, flux recovery, permeability, mitigation practices and challenges.

Recent advances and challenges in the utilization of nanomaterials in transesterification for biodiesel production.

Due to diminishing fossil fuel supplies and rising energy needs, there has been an ever-increasing demand for renewable energy sources. The available renewable energy resources, such as solar, wind, hydropower, and biofuels, provide a new way of supplying the world's energy needs. Biofuels stand out among them because they are sustainable and have the potential to bring the idea of a global bioeconomy to life. As a result of their production of biofuels like biomethane, biohydrogen, and biodiesel, atmospheric CO2 is being fixed, eventually lowering the world's carbon footprint. Current developments in the production of bioenergy have concentrated on producing biodiesel among other biofuels. Biodiesel is being produced from a variety of feedstocks using a number of processes, including transesterification, micro-emulsion, direct mixing, and pyrolysis. The most popular method among these is transesterification, which makes use of a variety of catalysts. As a result of the development of nanotechnology, nanocatalysts with desirable properties, such as increased catalytic activity, increased surface area, and superior thermal stability, have been made and modified. In this review, various nanocatalyst types and manufacturing processes are examined in relation to transesterification. It explores how crucial nanocatalysts are in boosting biodiesel production, highlights potential barriers, and makes recommendations for their widespread use in the future.

Simultaneous microbial electrochemical degradation of methyl orange and bioelectricity generation using coculture as anode inoculum in a microbial fuel cell.

Methyl Orange, an azo dye, is a widely used colouring agent in the textile industry. The study aimed to investigate the efficiency of bioremediating bacteria in degrading methyl orange. Escherichia coli (E. coli), a Methyl Orange-degrading bacterium, was isolated from cow dung and its biochemical properties were analysed using 16S rRNA sequencing, and MALDI-TOF MS. A pre-cultured strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was co-cultured with E. coli in 1:1 ration in a microbial fuel cell (MFC) for simultaneous electricity production and methyl orange degradation. The degradation was combined with biological wastewater treatment at varying Methyl Orange concentrations, and the electrochemical characteristics were analysed through polarisation study, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The impact of parameters such as anolyte pH, dye concentration, incubation time, and substrate concentrations were also studied. This study confirmed E. coli as an effective methyl orange degrading bacteria with a maximum % degradation efficiency of 98% after 48 h incubation at pH 7.0. The co-culture of isolated microorganisms at 250 mg/L of methyl orange concentration showed a maximum power density 6.5 W/m3. Further, anode modification with Fe2O3 nanoparticles on the anode surface enhanced power production to 11.2 W/m3, an increase of 4.7 W/m3.