Bioinformatics study of phytase from Aspergillus niger for use as feed additive in livestock feed.

BACKGROUND: Phytase supplementation in rations can reduce their phytic acid composition in order to enhance their nutritional value. Aspergillus niger is a fungus that can encode phytase. This study aims to determine the characteristics of its DNA sequences and amino acid composition that encode the phytase enzyme, as well as to determine the primer designs. METHOD: This study used gene sequence data and protein-encoding phytase from Aspergillus niger that was collected manually from NCBI and PDB. The data was analyzed using SPDBV and then be aligned using the ClustalW Multiple Alignment features. The phylogenetic tree was built by Mega11 software. Primers were designed from selected candidate sequences that were analyzed. The designed primers were then simulated for PCR using FastPCR and SnapGene software. RESULTS: There are 18 Aspergillus niger phytases in NCBI which is 14.87% of the total Aspergillus. There are 14 Aspergillus niger phytases that have identity above 95%. Aspergillus niger 110. M94550.1 is the closest strain to the PDB template. Candidate sources of phytase genes are Aspergillus niger 110.M94550.1, 48.2.BCMY01000003.1, and 92.JQ654450.1. The primer design has 2 possibilities of self-annealing and high melting temperature on the reverse primer. PCR simulation shows that the primer design can attach completely but still has the possibility of mispriming. CONCLUSION: This study suggests promising results for the future development of phytase enzyme production from Aspergillus niger as a feed additive using genetic engineering to enhance the quality of livestock feed in Indonesia.

Nanocurcumin, Promising Potential Protective Agent Against Histopathological Damage in the Cerebral Cortex of Mice Induced by Aluminum Chloride.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Aluminum (Al) is widely used in many aspects of daily life, such as food packaging, cooking utensil components, food additives, cosmetics and water distillation. This study aimed to evaluate the protective role of nanocurcumin on the cerebral cortex of one and two-month-old mice exposed to 200 mg kg¹ b.wt., aluminium. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> The Swiss Webster mice were used in this study. The control group only received sterile distilled water, the Al group was administered 200 mg kg¹ b.wt., of AlCl₃ solution and the Al+Na Cur group was administered 200 mg kg¹ b.wt., AlCl₃+200 mg kg¹ nanocurcumin by intraperitoneal injection. The nanocurcumin was administered one hour after AlCl₃exposure and then on days 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27 and 30. All the mice were anaesthetized and their brains were collected and fixed in a neutral formalin buffer solution for histological analysis. The paraffin method was used in this study. <b>Results:</b> The death of granular neuron cells and karyolysis cells and the vacuolation of the pyramid cell layer of the cerebral cortex could be prevented by the intraperitoneal administration of nanocurcumin. The effect of nanocurcumin administration on the Al group at two months of age was more effective than on the Al group at one month of age. <b>Conclusion:</b> Nanocurcumin can be a promising candidate protective agent against cerebral cortex changes after aluminium administration.