Furan-based Chalcone Annihilates the Multi-Drug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Protects Zebra Fish Against its Infection.

The emergence of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a multi-drug-resistant bacteria, is becoming a serious public health concern. This bacterium infects immunocompromised patients and has a high fatality rate. Both naturally and synthetically produced chalcones are known to have a wide array of biological activities. The antibacterial properties of synthetically produced chalcone were studied against P. aeruginosa. In vitro, study of the compound (chalcone derivative named DKO1), also known as (2E)-1-(5-methylfuran-2-yl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl) prop-2-en-1-one, had substantial antibacterial and biofilm disruptive action. DKO1 effectively shielded against P. aeruginosa-induced inflammation, oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and apoptosis in zebrafish larvae. In adult zebrafish, the treatment enhanced the chances of survivability and reduced the sickness-like behaviors. Gene expression, biochemical analysis, and histopathology studies found that proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, iNOS) were down regulated; antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) levels increased, and histoarchitecture was restored in zebrafish. The data indicate that DKO1 is an effective antibacterial agent against P. aeruginosa demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo.

Isolation of bioactive compounds from lichen Parmelia sulcata and evaluation of antimicrobial property.

BACKGROUND: Lichens were used as an ailment in the traditional medicine for treating various disorders for centuries. Since there is less evidence in the literature about the medicinal property of Parmelia sulcata (P. sulcata), we made a pioneer attempt to explore the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of lichens. METHODS: In the present study, the three Samples were collected by using the column chromatography by elucidating the ethyl acetate extract of P. sulcata, and the samples were subjected to DPPH and ABTS assays to find the free radical scavenging activity, total phenols and flavonoids were estimated. The minimum inhibitory concentration was evaluated against the bacterial species (Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae) and fungal species (Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus) by the microdilution method. The best activity sample was analyzed using the Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), Fourier Transmission Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). RESULTS: The results shown that all the samples contain phenols and flavonoids which are responsible for antioxidants, antibacterial and antifungal activities. Among that sample-3 shown best antimicrobial activity and it was analyzed and identified as 7-hydroxy-3-(2-methylbut-3-en2-yl)-chromen-2-one. CONCLUSION: The outcome of the study suggests that sample-3 shown good antimicrobial activity and identified as 7-hydroxy-3-(2-methylbut-3-en2-yl)-chromen-2-one. It can be a resource for further studies.

Exogenous application of moringa leaf extract improves growth, biochemical attributes, and productivity of late-sown quinoa.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) has gained significant popularity among agricultural scientists and farmers throughout the world due to its high nutritive value. It is cultivated under a range of soil and climatic conditions; however, late sowing adversely affects its productivity and yield due to shorter growth period. Inorganic and organic phyto-stimulants are promising for improving growth, development, and yield of field crops under stressful environments. Field experiments were conducted during crop cultivation seasons of 2016-17 and 2017-18, to explore the role of inorganic (hydrogen peroxide and ascorbic acid) and organic [moringa leaf extract (MLE) and sorghum water extract (sorgaab)] phyto-stimulants in improving growth and productivity of quinoa (cultivar UAF-Q7). Hydrogen peroxide at 100 µM, ascorbic acid at 500 µM, MLE at 3% and sorgaab at 3% were exogenously applied at anthesis stage of quinoa cultivated under normal (November 21st and 19th during 2016 and 2017) and late-sown (December 26th and 25th during 2016 and 2017) conditions. Application of inorganic and organic phyto-stimulants significantly improved biochemical, physiological, growth and yield attributes of quinoa under late sown conditions. The highest improvement in these traits was recorded for MLE. Application of MLE resulted in higher chlorophyll a and b contents, stomatal conductance, and sub-stomatal concentration of CO2 under normal and late-sowing. The highest improvement in soluble phenolics, anthocyanins, free amino acids and proline, and mineral elements in roots, shoot and grains were observed for MLE application. Growth attributes, including plant height, plant fresh weight and panicle length were significantly improved with MLE application as compared to the rest of the treatments. The highest 1000-grain weight and grain yield per plant were noted for MLE application under normal and late-sowing. These findings depict that MLE has extensive crop growth promoting potential through improving physiological and biochemical activities. Hence, MLE can be applied to improve growth and productivity of quinoa under normal and late-sown conditions.