Decolorization of textile dyes in an air-lift bioreactor inoculated with Bjerkandera adusta OBR105.

A new decolorizing white-rot fungus, OBR105, was isolated from Mount Odae in South Korea and identified by the morphological characterization of its fruit body and spores and partial 18s rDNA sequences. The ligninolytic enzyme activity of OBR105 was studied to characterize their decolorizing mechanism using a spectrophotometric enzyme assay. For the evaluation of the decolorization capacity of OBR105, the isolate was incubated in an erlenmeyer flask and in an airlifte bioreator with potato dextrose broth (PDB) medium supplemented with each dye. In addition, the decolorization efficiency of real textile wastewater was evaluated in an airlift bioreactor inoculated with the isolate. The isolate was identified as Bjerkandera adusta and had ligninolytic enzymes such as laccase, lignin peroxidase (LiP), and Mn-dependent peroxidase (MnP). Its LiP activity was higher than its MnP and laccase activities. B. adusta OBR105 successfully decolorized reactive dyes (red 120, blue 4, orange 16, and black 5) and acid dyes (red 114, blue 62, orange 7, and black 172). B. adusta OBR105 decolorized 91-99% of 200 mg L-1 of each dye (except acid orange 7) within 3 days in a PDB medium at 28°C, pH 5, and 150 rpm. This fungus decolorized only 45% of 200 mg L-1 acid orange 7 (single azo-type dye) within 3 days, and the decolorization efficiency did not increase by prolonging the cultivation time. In the air-lift bioreactor, B. adusta OBR105 displayed a high decolorization capacity, greater than 90%, for 3 acid dyes (red 114, blue 62, and black 172) and 1 reactive dye (blue 4) within 10-15 h of treatment. B. adusta OBR105 could decolorize real textile wastewater in the air-lift bioreactor. This result suggests that an air-lift reactor employing B. adusta OBR105 is a promising bioreactor for the treatment of dye wastewater.

Quinoxaline-, dopamine-, and amino acid-derived metabolites from the edible insect Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis.

Edible insects have been reported to produce metabolites showing various pharmacological activities, recently emerging as rich sources of health functional food. In particular, the larvae of Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis (Kolbe) have been used as traditional Korean medicines for treating diverse diseases, such as breast cancer, inflammatory disease, hepatic cancer, liver cirrhosis, and hepatitis. However, only few chemical investigations were reported on the insect larvae. Therefore, the aim of this study was to discover and identify biologically active chemical components of the larvae of P. brevitarsis seulensis. As a result, a quinoxaline-derived alkaloid (1) was isolated, which was not reported previously from natural sources. In addition, other related compounds (2, 4-10, 15, 16) were also encountered for the first time from the larvae. The structures of all the isolated compounds were established mainly by analysis of HRESIMS, NMR, and electronic circular dichroism data. Compound 5 exhibited inhibition of tyrosinase with IC50 value of 44.8 µM.

Antithrombotic and antiplatelet activities of small-molecule alkaloids from Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans.

The aim of this study was to discover small-molecule anticoagulants from Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans (SSM). A new acylated polyamine (1) and a new sulfated quinoline alkaloid (2) were isolated from SSM. Treatment with the new alkaloids 1, 2, and indole acetic acid 4 prolonged the activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time and inhibited the activity and production of thrombin and activated factor X. Furthermore, compounds 1, 2, and 4 inhibited thrombin-catalyzed fibrin polymerization and platelet aggregation. In accordance with these potential in vitro antiplatelet activities, compounds 1, 2, and 4 showed enhanced antithrombotic effects in an in vivo pulmonary embolism and arterial thrombosis model. Compounds 1, 2, and 4 also elicited anticoagulant effects in mice. Collectively, this study may serve as the groundwork for commercializing SSM or compounds 1, 2, and 4 as functional food components for the prevention and treatment of pathogenic conditions and serve as new scaffolds for the development of anticoagulants.

Caffeoyl glucosides from Nandina domestica inhibit LPS-induced endothelial inflammatory responses.

Endothelial dysfunction is a key pathological feature of many inflammatory diseases, including sepsis. In the present study, a new caffeoyl glucoside (1) and two known caffeoylated compounds (2 and 3) were isolated from the fruits of Nandina domestica Thunb. (Berberidaceae). The compounds were investigated for their effects against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated endothelial inflammatory responses. At 20 µM, 1 and 2 inhibited LPS-induced hyperpermeability, adhesion, and migration of leukocytes across a human endothelial cell monolayer in a dose-dependent manner suggesting that 1 and 2 may serve as potential scaffolds for the development of therapeutic agents to treat vascular inflammatory disorders.