Bioactive Molecules of Mandarin Seed Oils Diminish Mycotoxin and the Existence of Fungi.

Mandarin is a favorite fruit of the citrus family. Mandarin seeds are considered a source of nontraditional oil obtained from byproduct materials. This investigation aimed to assess the biomolecules of mandarin seeds and evaluated their antimycotic and antimycotoxigenic impact on fungi. Moreover, it evaluated the protective role of mandarin oil against aflatoxin toxicity in cell lines. The two types of extracted oil (fixed and volatile) were ecofriendly. The fatty acid composition, tocopherol, sterols, and carotenoids were determined in the fixed oil, whereas volatiles and phenolics were estimated in the essential oil. A mixture of the two oils was prepared and evaluated for its antimicrobial impact. The reduction effect of this mixture was also investigated to reduce mycotoxin secretion using a simulated experiment. The protective effect of the oil was evaluated using healthy strains of cell lines. Fixed oil was distinguished by the omega fatty acid content (76.24%), lutein was the major carotenoid (504.3 mg/100 g) and it had a high ß-sitosterol content (294.6 mg/100 g). Essential oil contained limonene (66.05%), α-pinene (6.82%), ß-pinene (4.32%), and γ-terpinene (12.31%) in significant amounts, while gallic acid and catechol were recorded as the dominant phenolics. Evaluation of the oil mix for antimicrobial potency reflected a considerable impact against pathogenic bacteria and toxigenic fungi. By its application to the fungal media, this oil mix possessed a capacity for reducing mycotoxin secretion. The oil mix was also shown to have a low cytotoxic effect against healthy strains of cell lines and had potency in reducing the mortality impact of aflatoxin B1 applied to cell lines. These results recommend further study to involve this oil in food safety applications.

Efficacy of Bottle Gourd Seeds' Extracts in Chemical Hazard Reduction Secreted as Toxigenic Fungi Metabolites.

Bottle gourd seeds are surrounded by innumerable bioactive components of phytochemicals. This work aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of bottle gourd extracts as antimicrobial and an-ti-mycotoxigenic against toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins. Polar and nonpolar extracts were made from the seeds. The polar eco-friendly extract was prepared by an ultrasonication-assisted technique utilizing aqueous isopropanol (80%), whereas the non-polar extract was obtained using petroleum ether (40-60). The antioxidant efficacy, total phenolic content, and flavonoid content of the extracts were all measured. The fatty acid profile was measured using GC equipment, and the influence on toxigenic fungus and mycotoxin release was also investigated. The antioxidant efficacy of the polar extract is reflected. The total phenolic values of the oil and polar extract were 15.5 and 267 mg of GAE/g, respectively. The total flavonoid content of the oil was 2.95 mg catechol/g, whereas the isopropyl extract of seeds contained 14.86 mg catechol/g. The polar extract inhibited the DPPH more effectively than oil. When compared to other seed oils, the fatty acid composition differed. The pathogens were distinguished by the MIC and MFC for the polar extract. Three sterols were found in the oil, with a high concentration of B-sitosterols. The oil's valuable -carotene content and tocopherol content were recorded. When compared to traditional antibiotics, the polar extract has shown promising antimicrobial activity against infections and toxigenic fungi. Bottle gourd extracts, as a non-traditional bioactive source, are viewed as a potentially promising alternative that might contribute to increased food safety, shelf-life, and security.

Effect of dietary yeast nucleotide on antioxidant activity, non-specific immunity, intestinal cytokines, and disease resistance in Nile Tilapia.

The present study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation of yeast nucleotides on the hematology, antioxidant activity, non-specific immunity, expression of intestinal cytokines, and disease resistance in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Fish weighing 42.90 ±â€¯0.14 g were randomly divided into four groups. Each group was set in triplicate (15 fish per replicate). Fish were fed on four dietary levels of yeast nucleotides (NTs) supplemented with the basal diet 0% (control), 0.05%, 0.15%, and 0.25% NTs. Significantly higher total serum protein, albumin, total serum globulin, total WBC counts, and lymphocyte and granulocyte contents were recorded in 0.25% NT group as compared to the control. The albumin/globulin ratio (A:G) showed a considerable decrease in the 0.25% NT group. The non-specific immune parameters; serum killing percentage, lysozyme activity, nitric oxide assay, IgM levels, and anti-protease activity, were significantly higher in the 0.25% NT group as compared to the control. Moreover, a 15-day feeding trial demonstrated improved results in terms of serum lysozyme activity, nitric oxide assay, IgM levels, and anti-protease activity than a 30-day feeding trial. A significant increase in the anti-oxidant status of O. niloticus was noticed, as reflected by increased superoxide dismutase and malondialdehyde activity in the serum of 0.25% NT group compared to the control, while glutathione peroxidase displayed a significant increase in all groups as compared to the control. The intestinal cytokines TGF-ß, IL-1ß, IL-10ß, and TNF-α mRNA levels showed a pattern of 0.25% NT > 0.15% NT > 0.05% NT > 0% NT, as relative to the control Ef-1α levels. The relative survival percentages of fish fed on yeast nucleotide-supplemented diets, as analyzed by exposure to Aeromonas sobria, were significantly better than the control group. In conclusion, dietary yeast nucleotide administration at 0.25% improved blood proteins, leukocytes, antioxidant activity, non-specific immunity, cytokine gene expression, and disease resistance of Nile Tilapia.

Comparative study of three predominant gut Bacillus strains and a commercial B. amyloliquefaciens as probiotics on the performance of Clarias gariepinus.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the supplementation of three autochthonous Bacillus strains (B. subtilis, B. amyloliquefaciens and B. cereus) and a commercial B. amyloliquefaciensin doses of 1 × 1010 CFU/kg on the growth performance, hematology, antioxidant activities, digestive enzyme levels, immune status and disease resistance of Clarias gariepinus. A total of 300 fish (75.23 ±â€¯1.6 g) were randomly divided into 5 groups (each group was subdivided into 2 subgroups, 30 fish/each). The control group was fed basal diet (D0). Diets D1, D2, D3 and D4were supplemented with B. subtilis, B. amyloliquefaciens, B. cereus and a commercial B. amyloliquefaciens, respectively. During the course of the experiment, D3 showed the best body weight, weight gain, specific growth rate and food conversion ratio. The measured hemogram blood parameters had the highest significant increase in D3. WBCs and monocyte counts had no significant differences among the experimental groups. The serum antioxidant and digestive enzymes were the highest in D3 and were the lowest in D0. After 15 d, the non-specific immune parameters were markedly increased in fish fed probiotic-containing diet compared with the control. After 30 d, the highest significant immune parameters were observed in D3; D1 and D2 had no significant differences in serum lysozyme activity, nitric oxide and IgM compared with D0. Myostatin cDNA levels were adversely affected by probiotic supplements compare with the control. The PACAP expression showed the highest significant value in D3 followed by D1and D4then D2. The relative survival percentages of the Aeromonas sobria challenged C. gariepinus were the highest in D3, D2, D4 and then D1. Among the three isolated Bacillus species, dietary supplementation with the B. cereus had the highest performance in C. gariepinus compared with the commercial B. amyloliquefaciens and the control group.

Effects of dietary acidifiers on growth, hematology, immune response and disease resistance of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus.

Organic acids or their salts can be used as feed additives in aquaculture. This study was conducted to evaluate the use of a mixture of formic acid, propionic acid and calcium propionate compared with oxytetracycline (OTC). A total of 720 apparently healthy Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings with an average body weight of 28.8 ± 0.14 g (mean ± SE) were randomly divided into four equal groups (G1, G2, G3and G4). G1 was fed a basal diet with no additive as the control group, while G2 and G3 were fed a formic and propionic acid/salt mixture in 1 and 2 g/kg, respectively. G4 was fed OTC (0.5 g/kg). Each group was subdivided into tow subgroups A and B (30 fish/subgroup) in triplicate. The first subgroup was used to evaluate growth performance, hematology and body composition for 60 d. The second subgroup was used to examine immunity, gut microbiota and resistance to infection for 30 d. At the end of the feeding period (60 d), G3 had significant improvements in final body weight (FBW), weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR) and food conversion ratio (FCR) compared with other groups. The total erythrocyte count, hemoglobin content, platelet count, hematocrit, mean corpuscular hemoglobin and total leukocyte count were significantly increased in G3 and G2 compared with G1 and G4. Mean corpuscular volum, lymphocyte and neutrophil percentages had the highest significant improvement in G3. There were no significant differences among the groups in mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration and monocyte percentage. The protein and fat contents of the whole body were the highest in G3. The widest inhibition zones against Aeromonas sobria were at the 30, 40 and 50% concentrations of acidifiers, which were equivalent to OTC (30 µg). G3 showed the lowest total gastrointestinal bacterial counts, followed by G2. After 15 and 30 d, G3 had the highest serum killing, lysozyme and nitric oxide activities. Serum lysozyme activity and nitric oxide assay had no significant difference between G1 and G2 after 30 d. The lowest immune parameters were recorded in G4. After 30 d, the highest expression of interleukin-1ß and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the liver and kidney were found in G3. The best protection against challenged Aeromonas sobria was in G3, followed by G2 and G4. Dietary supplementation with a combination of formic acid, propionic acid and calcium propionate improves the performance of Nile tilapia.

High expression level of antioxidants and pharmaceutical bioactivities of endophytic fungus Chaetomium globosum JN711454.

In order to maximize antioxidant activity of pharmaceutical bioactive endophytic fungus Chaetomium globosum JN711454 during fermentation process, designed fermentation experiments of culture media for three levels of eight culture factors were performed using a Taguchi orthogonal array (OA) design with layout L18 (2(1) × 3(7)). The agitation and the potato extract were the most significant affecting factors, and their interaction contributed significantly to fungus activity. The production of antioxidants was more favorable for static condition with 25 g potato extract/100 m. The remaining factors had no strong impact when considered individually. The validation of statistically optimized medium indicated the improvement of antioxidant activity to a level of twofold with approximately overall 40% enhancement in activity. The extract of optimized medium was investigated for various pharmaceutical bioactivities; it revealed a moderate antimicrobial activity, strong anticancer activity against HepG-2, UACC62 cell lines, an antiviral activity against HSV-2 virus, and strong inhibitory activity to butyrylcholinesterase enzyme, one of the neurohydrolase enzymes that play a major role in development of Alzheimer's disease. As a result of applying statistical fermentation designs, the optimized conditions of endophytic fungus C. globosum JN711454 developed a cost-effective production medium by using inexpensive commercial potato extracts statically, which can lower the energy requirement and could become an efficient, economic, and viable fermentation process for production of pharmaceutical secondary metabolites.

Improvement of immunity and disease resistance in the Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, by dietary supplementation with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens.

Probiotics can be used as immunostimulants in aquaculture. The aim of this study was to evaluate the immune responses of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus following feeding with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens spores at concentrations of 1 × 10(6) (G3) and 1 × 10(4) (G2) colony-forming units per gram (CFU/g) of feed compared with a basal diet with no probiotics (G1). A total of 180 fingerlings (27.7 ± 0.22 g) were divided into three groups (G1-G3 of 20 fish per group) in triplicate. Innate immunities were measured every two weeks based on serum bactericidal activity, lysozyme activity, a nitric oxide assay (mmo/l) and phagocytic activity, and the expressions of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF α) were examined after one month. Moreover, the survival of tilapia upon challenge with Yersinia ruckeri or Clostridium perfringens type D was determined at the end of feeding trial. After 15 d, the serum killing percentages and phagocytic activities were significantly higher in G3 than in G1 and G2, whereas the same parameters had significantly higher values in G3 and G2 than in G1 after 30 d. After both 15 d and 30 d, the lysozyme activities and nitric oxide assay results (mmo/l) were significantly higher in G3 than G2, and the lowest values were observed in G1. The percentage of serum killing, serum nitric oxide and serum lysozyme activity were significantly increased by the time of B. amyloliquefaciens administration independently of the probiotic dose, and the phagocytic activity percentage was significantly decreased at the end of the experiment. Dietary B. amyloliquefaciens caused significant increases in IL-1 and TNF α mRNA levels in the kidneys in the following pattern: G3 > G2 > G1. Fish that were fed B. amyloliquefaciens exhibited better relative survival percentages than the controls when challenged by Y. ruckeri or C. perfringens type D. Dietary supplementation with B. amyloliquefaciens improves immune status and disease resistance in Nile tilapia.

Biological evaluation of endophytic fungus, Chaetomium globosum JN711454, as potential candidate for improving drug discovery.

The main objective of this research work focused on investigating the biological and chemical aspects of endophytic fungus Chaetomium globosum, for pharmaceutical purposes to improve the drug discovery process. The endophytic C. globosum was isolated from healthy leaves of Egyptian medicinal plant Adiantum capillus-veneris collected from Saint Katherine Protectorate, Sinai, Egypt. The identification of C. globosum was on the basis of classical and molecular taxonomy. Gene encoding for 18S rRNA was partially sequenced, submitted to the GenBank and got the accession number JN711454, to resolve the phylogenetic relations with fungal ancestor using phylogenetic tree. To explore the biosynthetic power of endophytic C. globosum JN711454, the fungus was cultivated over five different media, oatmeal, rice, yeast malt glucose, potato dextrose agar (PDA) and Czapek's dox media, for 3 weeks at 30 °C, followed by extraction with different solvents, ethyl acetate (EA), and methanol. The ethyl acetate extract of C. globosum cultivated on PDA medium was the most potent extract. It showed strong antioxidant activity with EC50 11.5 µg/ml, potent anticancer activity with 55 % toxicity toward HepG-2 cells at 100 µg/ml and 66 % cytotoxicity to FGC4 cells at 250 µg/ml, promising butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activities (>85 %), and moderate antimicrobial and stopped the attachment of HSV-2 virus to VERO cells. The metabolomic profiling of PDA-EA extract using LC-MS revealed the presence of several metabolites to which the observed bioactivities could be attributed. Here we report for the first time inhibitory activity of endophytic C. globosum JN711454 secondary metabolites to butyrylcholinesterase, one of neuro hydrolase enzymes that play a major role in development of Alzheimer's disease.