Innovative biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using yeast glucan nanopolymer and their potentiality as antibacterial composite.

Nanometals (NM) frequently possess potent antimicrobial potentials to combat various pathogens, but their elevated biotoxicity limits their direct applications. The biosynthesis of NM and their capping/conjugation with natural biopolymers can effectually enhance NM stability and diminish such toxicity. Yeast ß-glucan (ßG), from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was extracted and transformed to nanoparticles (NPs) using alkali/acid facile protocol. The ßG NPs were innovatively employed for direct biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) without extra chemical processes. The physicochemical assessments (Fourier-transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy) validated NPs formation, interaction, and interior capping of Ag NPs in ßG NPs. The synthesized ßG NPs, Ag NPs, and ßG-Ag NPs composite were negatively charged and had minute particle sizes with mean diameters of 58.65, 6.72, and 63.88 nm, respectively. The NPs (plain Ag NPs and composited ßG-Ag NPs) exhibited potent comparable bactericidal actions, opposing Gram+ (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram- (Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Scanning micrographs, of treated S. aureus and S. Typhimurium with ßG-Ag NPs, elucidated the powerful bactericidal actions of nanocomposite for destructing pathogens' cells. The inventive Ag NPs biosynthesis with ßG NPs and the combined ßG-Ag NPs nanocomposites could be impressively recommended as powerful antibacterial candidates with minor potential toxicity.

Adiponectin: Structure, Physiological Functions, Role in Diseases, and Effects of Nutrition.

Adiponectin (a protein consisting of 244 amino acids and characterized by a molecular weight of 28 kDa) is a cytokine that is secreted from adipose tissues (adipokine). Available evidence suggests that adiponectin is involved in a variety of physiological functions, molecular and cellular events, including lipid metabolism, energy regulation, immune response and inflammation, and insulin sensitivity. It has a protective effect on neurons and neural stem cells. Adiponectin levels have been reported to be negatively correlated with cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, and shown to be affected (i.e., significantly increased) by proper healthy nutrition. The present review comprehensively overviews the role of adiponectin in a range of diseases, showing that it can be used as a biomarker for diagnosing these disorders as well as a target for monitoring the effectiveness of preventive and treatment interventions.

Hepatoprotective Impact of Geraniol Against CCl4-Induced Liver Fibrosis in Rats.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Numerous experimental studies have shown various pharmacological activities including geraniol's cancer prevention agent and antioxidant capacity. The goal of this investigation is to mark the prospective defensive role of geraniol in rat's carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) instigated in liver fibrosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Liver fibrosis was prompted by subcutaneous injections of CCl4, twice week by week and for about a month. Simultaneously, geraniol (200 mg kg-1) was orally regulated every day. Post-Hoc-Test were carried out where p<0.05 has been established as a significant value. RESULTS: The biochemical results showed that geraniol reduced liver damage just as manifestations of liver fibrosis. The administration of geraniol diminished the CCl4-initiated the elevation in serum aminotransferase activities and alkaline phosphatase activity. Geraniol diminished the levels of TNF-α, NO and myeloperoxidase activity which were prompted by the CCl4 treatment. The rise of serum hyaluronidase activity and hepatic hydroxyproline content was also curtailed by geraniol treatment. Besides, geraniol fundamentally declined hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) formation and increased reduced glutathione (GSH) in CCl4-treated rats. Geraniol has also increased the activity of hepatic antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the rats treated with CCl4. Finally, the histological analysis of the liver bolstered the biochemical results. CONCLUSION: Our study has demonstrated that geraniol has a hepatoprotective upshot on liver fibrosis caused by CCl4, supposedly due to its free radical scavenging, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory characteristics.

Exogenous melatonin restrains neuroinflammation in high fat diet induced diabetic rats through attenuating indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 expression.

AIM OF THE WORK: Neuroinflammation can arise from metabolic disturbances accompanying type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with an implication of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1). The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potentials of melatonin (Mel) can amend diabetic complications. Here, we examined the effect of exogenous melatonin on neuroinflammation in high fat diet (HFD)-induced T2DM rats. MAIN METHODS: Twenty-one adult male Sprague-dawley rats were divided in to three groups: control group: fed commercial standard rat chow, T2DM group: fed with HFD for 16 weeks, and T2DM-Mel group: received HFD for 8 weeks, followed by weekly melatonin treatment (i.p injection 10 mg/kg in saline) for 8 weeks with continuous supply of HFD. After which, animals were submitted to euthanasia for brain and blood samples collection. KEY FINDINGS: In T2DM-Mel group the diabetic profile was ameliorated, and the state of low-grade systemic inflammation was alleviated through lowering serum pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) and leptin while increasing adiponectin. Melatonin improved brain oxidative stress by increasing total antioxidant capacity and reduced glutathione (GSH), whereas malondialdehyde was declined. Melatonin reduced acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in blood and brain and its hippocampal expression, also hippocampal inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression was reduced, moreover IDO1 hippocampal expression was declined, furthermore recovered neuronal morphology following melatonin treatment was also clearly viewed in the hippocampus under the light microscope in T2DM-Mel rats. SIGNIFICANCE: Melatonin can be considered as a promising solution in preventing neuroinflammation development in T2DM owing to its ability to render the oxidative stress and accompanied low-grade systemic inflammation.

Fungal chitosan and Lycium barbarum extract as anti-Listeria and quality preservatives in minced catfish.

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne bacterial pathogen that causes serious health risks. Chitosan (Ch) is a bioactive polymer that could be effectively applied for foodstuffs biopreservation. Lycium barbarum (Goji berry) is ethnopharmaceutical fruit that have diverse health protecting benefits. Chitosan was produced from A. niger and employed with L. barbarum extract (LBE) as blends for Listeria control and quality biopreservation of African catfish mince (Clarias gariepinus). Chitosan could utterly control L. monocytogenes survival in fish mince and its efficacy was strengthened with added LBE at 0.2 and 0.4%. Blending of fish mince with Ch could effectively reduce the progress of chemical spoilage parameters and this protective effect was greatly enhanced with increased addition of LBE. The sensorial assessment of treated minces indicated panelists preferences for the entire attributes of blended samples with Ch and LBE, particularly with storage prolongation. Scanning micrographs elucidated the antibacterial action of Ch against L. monocytogenes. Results recommended the application of fungal Ch/LBE composites as biopreservatives and anti-listerial agents, through their blending with catfish mince, to eliminate bacterial growth, enhance sensory and storage attributes of preserved fish.

The potentiality of cross-linked fungal chitosan to control water contamination through bioactive filtration.

Water contamination, with heavy metals and microbial pathogens, is among the most dangerous challenges that confront human health worldwide. Chitosan is a bioactive biopolymer that could be produced from fungal mycelia to be utilized in various applied fields. An attempt to apply fungal chitosan for heavy metals chelation and microbial pathogens inhibition, in contaminated water, was performed in current study. Chitosan was produced from the mycelia of Aspergillus niger, Cunninghamella elegans, Mucor rouxii and from shrimp shells, using unified production conditions. The FT-IR spectra of produced chitosans were closely comparable. M. rouxii chitosan had the highest deacetylation degree (91.3%) and the lowest molecular weight (33.2kDa). All chitosan types had potent antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus; the most forceful type was C. elegans chitosan. Chitosan beads were cross-linked with glutaraldehyde (GLA) and ethylene-glycol-diglycidyl ether (EGDE); linked beads became insoluble in water, acidic and alkaline solutions and could effectively adsorb heavy metals ions, e.g. copper, lead and zinc, in aqueous solution. The bioactive filter, loaded with EGDE- A. niger chitosan beads, was able to reduce heavy metals' concentration with >68%, and microbial load with >81%, after 6h of continuous water flow in the experimentally designed filter.

Bio-clarification of water from heavy metals and microbial effluence using fungal chitosan.

Water pollution is among the most hazardous problems that threaten human health worldwide. Chitosan is a marvelous bioactive polymer that could be produced from fungal mycelia. This study was conducted to produce chitosan from Cunninghamella elegans and to use it for water pollutants elimination, e.g. heavy metals and waterborne microorganisms, and to investigate its antibacterial mode of action against Escherichia coli. The produced fungal chitosan had a deacetylation degree of 81%, a molecular weight of 92.73 kDa and a matched FT-IR spectrum with standard shrimp chitosan. Fungal chitosan exhibited remarkable antimicrobial activity against E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. Chitosan was proved as an effective metal adsorbent, toward the examined metal ions, Cu2+, Zn2+ and Pb2+, and its adsorption capacity greatly increased with the increasing of metal concentration, especially for Cu and Zn. The scanning electron micrographs, of treated E. coli cells with fungal chitosan, indicated that the cells began to lyse and combine after 3h of exposure and chitosan particles attached to the combined cells and, after 12 h from exposure, the entire bacterial cell walls were fully disrupted and lysed. Therefore, fungal chitosan could be recommended, as a bioactive, renewable, ecofriendly and cost effective material, for overcoming water pollution problems, from chemical and microbial origins.

Antimicrobial textile treated with chitosan from Aspergillus niger mycelial waste.

The waste biomass of Aspergillus niger, following citric acid production, was used as a source for fungal chitosan extraction. The produced chitosan was characterized with deacetylation degree of 89.6%, a molecular weight of 25,000 dalton, 97% solubility in 1% acetic acid solution and comparable FT-IR spectra to standard shrimp chitosan. Fungal chitosan was applied as a cotton fabric finishing agent using pad-dry-cure method. The topographical structure of chitosan-treated fabrics (CTF) was much improved compared with control fabrics. CTF, after durability tests, exhibited a powerful antimicrobial activity against both E. coli and Candida albicans, the captured micrographs for E. coli cells contacted with CTF showed a complete lysis of cell walls with the prolonging contact time. The produced antimicrobial CTF could be proposed as a suitable material for many medical and hygienic applications.