Unveiling the Structural Characteristics and Bioactivities of the Polysaccharides Extracted from Endophytic Penicillium sp.

Polysaccharides are abundantly present in fungi and are gaining recognition for their exceptional bioactivities. Hence, the present study aimed to extract intracellular polysaccharides (IPS-1 and IPS-2) from the endophytic Penicillium radiatolobatum and compare their physicochemical and bioactive attributes. The monosaccharide composition analysis revealed the existence of galactose, glucose, and mannose in both the IPS, while a trace amount of xylose was found in IPS-1. Further, FT-IR, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR analysis suggested that the IPS-2 was mainly composed of the ß-(1→4)-D-Galactose and ß-(1→4)-D-Glucose as the main chain, with the ß-(1→6)-D-mannose as branched chains. Compared to IPS-1, the IPS-2 showed higher antioxidant activities with an IC50 value of 108 ± 2.5 µg/mL, 272 ± 4.0 µg/mL, and 760 ± 5.0 µg/mL for ABTS+ scavenging, DPPH radical scavenging, and ferric reducing power, respectively. In addition, the IPS-2 inhibited the viability of prostate cancer (PC-3) cells (IC50; 435 ± 3.0 µg/mL) via apoptosis associated with mitochondrial membrane potential collapse and altered morphological features, which was revealed by cellular staining and flow cytometric analysis. Moreover, no apparent cytotoxic effects were seen in IPS-2-treated (1000 µg/mL) non-cancerous cells (HEK-293 and NIH3T3). Overall, the findings of this study suggest that P. radiatolobatum could be a potent source of polysaccharides with promising antioxidant and anticancer activity.

Research progress in green synthesis of manganese and manganese oxide nanoparticles in biomedical and environmental applications - A review.

Nanomaterials and nanotechnology have proven unassailable positions for environmental remediation and medicine. Currently, global environmental pollution and public health problems are increasing and need to be urgently addressed. Manganese (Mn) is one of the essential metal elements for plants and animals, it is necessary to integrate with nanotechnology. Mn and Mn oxide (MnO) nanoparticles (NPs) have applications in dye degradation, biomedicine, electrochemical sensors, plant and animal growth, and catalysis. However, the current research is limited, especially in terms of optimal synthesis of Mn and MnO NPs, separation, purification conditions, and the development of potential application areas is too basic and do not support by in-depth studies. Hence, this review comprehensively discusses the classification, green synthesis methods, and applications of Mn and MnO NPs in biomedical, environmental, and other fields and gives a perspective for the future.

Biodegradation of dibutyl phthalate in liquid fermentation by endophytic Penicillium species and the toxicity evaluation of the by-product.

The production and use of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) are increasing, and the resulting health and environmental problems are of concern. Therefore, the present study focused on the biodegradation of DBP in liquid fermentation using endophytic Penicillium species and evaluated the cytotoxic, ecotoxic, and phytotoxic effects of the fermented filtrate (by-product). Higher biomass yield was observed in fungal strains grown in DBP-containing media (DM) compared to DBP-free (control) media (CM). The highest esterase activity was observed at 240 h during fermentation with Penicillium radiatolobatum (PR) grown in DM (PR-DM). As per gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) results, the PR degraded 99.986 % of DBP after 288 h of fermentation. Furthermore, compared to DM treatment, the fermented filtrate of PR-DM demonstrated negligible toxicity in HEK-293 cells. Besides, the treatment of PR-DM in Artemia salina indicated >80 % viability and showed a trivial ecotoxic effect. However, compared to the control, the fermented filtrate of PR-DM treatment resulted in ~90 % of the roots and shoots growth of Zea mays seeds, indicating no phytotoxicity. Overall, the findings of this study suggested that PR can degrade DBP in liquid fermentation without generating toxic byproducts.

Ampicillin-resistant bacterial pathogens targeted chitosan nano-drug delivery system (CS-AMP-P-ZnO) for combinational antibacterial treatment.

Drug-resistant microorganisms are defeated using combinational drug delivery systems based on biopolymer chitosan (CS) and metal nanoparticles. Hence, PEGylated zinc oxide nanoparticles (P-ZnO NPs) decorated chitosan-based nanoparticles (CS NPs) were prepared to deliver ampicillin (AMP) for improved antibacterial activity. In comparison to ZnO NPs, P-ZnO NPs exhibit less aggregation and more stable rod morphologies in TEM. The size of the P-ZnO NPs decreased and was engulfed by the spherical CS-AMP NPs. The zeta potential of the CS-AMP-P-ZnO NPs was determined to be -32.93 mV and the hydrodynamic size to be 210.2 d. nm. Further, DEE and DLE of CS-AMP (2.0:0.2 w/w) showed 79.60 ± 2.62 % and 15.14 ± 2.11 %, respectively. The cumulative AMP release was observed at >50 % at 48 h at pH 5.4 and 7.4. Additionally, when compared to AMP, CS-AMP-P-ZnO NPs had better antibacterial activity against E. coli, due to the alternation of cell membrane permeability by CS and ZnO NPs. Moreover, the hemolytic properties of ZnO NPs were attenuated because of PEGylation and CS. Furthermore, due to the biocompatible behavior of CS, CS-AMP-P-ZnO NPs did not exhibit toxicity on HEK-293 cells, erythrocytes, and chick embryos. Hence, this study concludes that CS-AMP-P-ZnO NPs could be a promising antibacterial agent.

Comparative Analysis of the Antioxidant, Antidiabetic, Antibacterial, Cytoprotective Potential and Metabolite Profile of Two Endophytic Penicillium spp.

The current study assessed the metabolite abundance, alpha (α)-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory, antioxidant, and antibacterial activity of the ethyl acetate extract (EAE) of endophytic Penicillium lanosum (PL) and Penicillium radiatolobatum (PR). A higher extract yield was found in EAE-PR with a total phenolic content of 119.87 ± 3.74 mg of GAE/g DW and a total flavonoid content of 16.26 ± 1.95 mg of QE/g DW. The EAE-PR inhibited α-amylase and scavenged ABTS+ radicals with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 362.5 and 37.5 µg/mL, respectively. Compared with EAE-PL, EAE-PR exhibited higher antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. Treatment with EAE-PR (1000 µg/mL) did not cause significant toxicity in the HEK-293 cell line compared to the control cells (p < 0.05). EAE-PR treatments (250-1000 µg/mL) showed higher cytoprotective effects toward H2O2-stressed HEK-293 cells compared with ascorbic acid (AA). The UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS analysis revealed the presence of thiophene A (C13H8S), limonene (C10H16), and phenylacetic acid (C8H8O2) in EAE-PR. Furthermore, these compounds demonstrated substantial interactions with diabetes (α-amylase and α-glucosidase), oxidative stress (NADPH-oxidase), and bacteria (D-alanine D-alanine ligase)-related enzymes/proteins evidenced in silico molecular docking analysis.

Antioxidant and Antibacterial Effects of Potential Probiotics Isolated from Korean Fermented Foods.

A total of sixteen bacterial strains were isolated and identified from the fourteen types of Korean fermented foods that were evaluated for their in vitro probiotic potentials. The results showed the highest survivability for Bacillus sp. compared to Lactobacillus sp. in simulated gastric pH, and it was found to be maximum for B. inaquosorum KNUAS016 (8.25 ± 0.08 log10 CFU/mL) and minimum for L. sakei KNUAS019 (0.8 ± 0.02 log10 CFU/mL) at 3 h of incubation. Furthermore, B. inaquosorum KNUAS016 and L. brevis KNUAS017 also had the highest survival rates of 6.86 ± 0.02 and 5.37 ± 0.01 log10 CFU/mL, respectively, in a simulated intestinal fluid condition at 4 h of incubation. The percentage of autoaggregation at 6 h for L. sakei KNUAS019 (66.55 ± 0.33%), B. tequilensis KNUAS015 (64.56 ± 0.14%), and B. inaquosorum KNUAS016 (61.63 ± 0.19%) was >60%, whereas it was lower for L. brevis KNUAS017 (29.98 ± 0.09%). Additionally, B. subtilis KNUAS003 showed higher coaggregation at 63.84 ± 0.19% while B. proteolyticus KNUAS001 found at 30.02 ± 0.33%. Among them, Lactobacillus sp. showed the best non-hemolytic activity. The highest DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity was observed in L. sakei KNUAS019 (58.25% and 71.88%). The cell-free supernatant of Lactobacillus sp. considerably inhibited pathogenic growth, while the cell-free supernatant of Bacillus sp. was moderately inhibited when incubated for 24 h. However, the overall results found that B. subtilis KNUAS003, B. proteolyticus KNUAS012, L. brevis KNUAS017, L. graminis KNUAS018, and L. sakei KNUAS019 were recognized as potential probiotics through different functional and toxicity assessments.

Impact of environmental phthalate on human health and their bioremediation strategies using fungal cell factory- A review.

Phthalates are utilized as plasticizers in plastic products to enhance their durability, transparency, and elasticity. However, phthalates are not covalently bonded to the polymer matrix of the phthalate-containing products and can be gradually released into the environment through biogeochemical processes. Hence, phthalates are now pervasive in our environment, including our food. Reports suggested that phthalates exposure to the mammalian systems is linked to various health consequences. It has become vital to develop highly efficient strategies to reduce phthalates from the environment. In this context, the utilization of fungi for phthalate bioremediation (mycoremediation) is advantageous due to their highly effective enzyme secretory system. Extracellular and intracellular enzymes of fungi are believed to break down the phthalates by ester hydrolysis to produce phthalic acid and alcohol, and subsequent digestion of the benzene rings of phthalic acid and their metabolites. The present review scrutinizes and highlights the knowledge gap in phthalate prevalence, exposure to mammals, and associated human health challenges. Furthermore, discusses the role of fungi and their secretory enzymes in the biodegradation of phthalates and gives a perspective to better describe and tackle this continuous threat.

Human Fungal Infection, Immune Response, and Clinical Challenge-a Perspective During COVID-19 Pandemic.

Fungi are a small but important part of the human microbiota and several fungi are familiar to the immune system, yet certain can cause infections in immunocompromised hosts and referred as opportunistic pathogens. The fungal coinfections in COVID-19 hosts with predisposing conditions and immunosuppressive medications are posing higher severity and death. The immunological counteraction (innate/adaptive immunity) is triggered when the PRRs on the host cells recognize the fungal PAMPs. However, in simultaneous infections (COVID-19 and fungal coinfection), the synergism of TLR and NLR may hyperactivate the immune cells which dramatically increase the cytokine level and generate cytokine storm. Fungal colonization in the human gut assists the development of microbiome assembly, ecology, and shaping immune response. However, SARS-CoV-2 infection represented unstable mycobiomes and long-term dysbiosis in a large proportion in COVID-19 patients. Normally, amphotericin B is considered as first-line treatment for invasive fungal infection. So, amphotericin B therapy is recommended in COVID-19 hosts with serious fungal infections. Still, the long-term corticosteroid supplementation prescribed in case of severe pneumonia and lower oxygen levels may result in systemic fungal infection in COVID-19 patients, eventually limiting the lifesaving benefits of available medications. Also, due to the evolution of fungal resistance to available antibiotics, the current treatments are becoming ineffective. Therefore, this review summarizes the concerns, needed to deal with the impending crises.

Enhancement of anti-bacterial potential of green synthesized selenium nanoparticles by starch encapsulation.

This study established a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach to synthesizing the selenium nanoparticles using Artemisia annua (AaSeNPs) and encapsulating the starch (StAaSeNPs) for enhanced anti-bacterial activity. The UV-vis spectra displayed an absorption maxima at 278 nm corresponding to surface plasmon resonance of SeNPs. Particle size were found 70.81 nm for AaSeNPs and 109.2 nm for StAaSeNPs with zeta potential of -26.6 and -30.9 mV respectively. TEM images evidenced that both NPs were spherical in structure with an average particle size of <200 nm. FT-IR indicated the hydroxyl group associated encapsulation of starch in AaSeNPs. The XRD pattern revealed the crystalline nature of SeNPs. The agar well diffusion and micro-dilution assay results revealed that StAaSeNPs had marginally higher bacterial (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella enterica, and Escherichia coli) inhibition activity compared to AaSeNPs. Further, these NPs on cellular ultrastructural changes of bacterial pathogens were observed by TEM analysis. These findings indicated that the surface modification of AaSeNPs with starch molecules enhanced the anti-bacterial activity that could be used to treat multidrug-resistant pathogens-related infections.

Unraveling the hazardous impact of diverse contaminants in the marine environment: Detection and remedial approach through nanomaterials and nano-biosensors.

Marine pollution is one of the most underlooked forms of pollution as it affects most aquatic lives and public health in the coastal area. The diverse form of the hazardous pollutant in the marine ecosystem leads the serious genetic level disorders and diseases which include cancer, diabetes, arthritis, reproductive, and neurological diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and several microbial infections. Therefore, a recent alarming study on these pollutants, the microplastics have been voiced out in many countries worldwide, it was even found to be in the human placenta. In recent times, nanomaterials have demonstrated their potential in the detection and remediation of sensitive contaminants. In this review, we presented a comprehensive overview of the source, and distribution of diverse marine pollution on both aquatic and human health by summarizing the concentration of diverse pollutions (heavy metals, pesticides, microbial toxins, and micro/nano plastics) in marine samples such as soil, water, and seafood. Followed by emphasizing its ecotoxicological impact on aquatic animal life and coastal public health. Also discussed are the applicability and advancements of nanomaterials and nano-based biosensors in the detection, prevention, and remediation of diverse pollution in the marine ecosystem.

Combination of Paraconiothyrium brasiliense fabricated titanium dioxide nanoparticle and antibiotics enhanced antibacterial and antibiofilm properties: A toxicity evaluation.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) causes global consequences through increased mortality and economic loss. Antimicrobial drugs including nanomaterials are an emerging environmental impact. Hence, this work aimed to synthesize and characterize the titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) using the aqueous extract of endophytic fungus Paraconiothyrium brasiliense (Pb) for enhancing the antibacterial efficiency of existing standard antibiotics at minimum concentration. The FTIR and XRD results confirmed the capping of functional molecules and the crystalline nature of Pb-TiO2 NPs. The spherical-shaped TiO2 NPs with the size of 57.39 ± 13.65 nm were found in TEM analysis. The average hydrodynamic size (68.43 ± 1.49 d. nm) and the zeta potential (-19.6 ± 1.49 mV) was confirmed the stability of Pb-TiO2 NPs. Antibacterial studies revealed that bare Pb-TiO2 NPs (20 µg/mL) did not exhibit significant antibacterial activity while combination of TCH + Pb-TiO2 NPs considerably increased the inhibition of E. coli biofilm evidenced by CLSM and SEM analysis. Further, Pb-TiO2 NPs (100 µg/mL) were found to be moderately toxic to cell line (NIH3T3), red blood cells (RBC), and egg embryos. Hence, this study concluded that <50 µg/mL of TiO2 NPs can be mixed with antibiotics for enhanced antibacterial application thereby minimizing the AMR and the environmental toxicity.

Impact of benzo[a]pyrene with other pollutants induce the molecular alternation in the biological system: Existence, detection, and remediation methods.

The exposure of benzo [a]pyrene (BaP) in recent times is rather unavoidable than ever before. BaP emissions are sourced majorly from anthropogenic rather than natural provenance from wildfires and volcanic eruptions. A major under-looked source is via the consumption of foods that are deep-fried, grilled, and charcoal smoked foods (meats in particular). BaP being a component of poly aromatic hydrocarbons has been classified as a Group I carcinogenic agent, which has been shown to cause both systemic and localized effects in animal models as well as in humans; has been known to cause various forms of cancer, accelerate neurological disorders, invoke DNA and cellular damage due to the generation of reactive oxygen species and involve in multi-generational phenotypic and genotypic defects. BaP's short and accumulated exposure has been shown in disrupting the fertility of gamete cells. In this review, we have discussed an in-depth and capacious run-through of the various origins of BaP, its economic distribution and its impact as well as toxicological effects on the environment and human health. It also deals with a mechanism as a single compound and its ability to synergize with other chemicals/materials, novel sensitive detection methods, and remediation approaches held in the environment.

Discovery and Functional Evaluation of Antimicrobials.

Microbial infections pose a continuous threat to human health and healthcare systems around the globe [...].