The Effect of Low-Energy Laser-Driven Ultrashort Pulsed Electron Beam Irradiation on Erythropoiesis and Oxidative Stress in Rats.

Anemia is a commonly observed consequence of whole-body exposure to a dose of X-ray or gamma irradiation of the order of the mean lethal dose in mammals, and it is an important factor for the determination of the survival of animals. The aim of this study was to unravel the effect of laser-driven ultrashort pulsed electron beam (UPEB) irradiation on the process of erythropoiesis and the redox state in the organism. Wistar rats were exposed to laser-driven UPEB irradiation, after which the level of oxidative stress and the activities of different antioxidant enzymes, as well as blood smears, bone marrow imprints and sections, erythroblastic islets, hemoglobin and hematocrit, hepatic iron, DNA, and erythropoietin levels, were assessed on the 1st, 3rd, 7th, 14th, and 28th days after irradiation. Despite the fact that laser-driven UPEB irradiation requires quite low doses and repetition rates to achieve the LD50 in rats, our findings suggest that whole-body exposure with this new type of irradiation causes relatively mild anemia in rats, with subsequent fast recovery up to the 28th day. Moreover, this novel type of irradiation causes highly intense processes of oxidative stress, which, despite being relatively extinguished, did not reach the physiologically stable level even at the 28th day after irradiation due to the violations in the antioxidant system of the organism.

The role of women scientists in the development of ultrashort pulsed laser technology-based biomedical research in Armenia.

PURPOSE: To describe the contribution of women scientists in the development of biomedical studies conducted on research facilities based on the ultrashort pulsed laser technologies in Armenia. CONCLUSION: Given the opportunities provided by the ultrashort pulsed laser driven two-photon microscopy and electron beam linac facilities at CANDLE Synchrotron Research Institute, the Armenian women scientists initiated and conducted interdisciplinary research to understand of the biomedical effects of ultrashort pulsed electron beam irradiation, as well as to experience and apply the advantages of the two-photon microscopy in their fields of research. Women scientists had a crucial role and unique impact in the development of ultrashort pulsed laser technology-based biomedical studies in Armenia.

Low-Energy Laser-Driven Ultrashort Pulsed Electron Beam Irradiation-Induced Immune Response in Rats.

The development of new laser-driven electron linear accelerators, providing unique ultrashort pulsed electron beams (UPEBs) with low repetition rates, opens new opportunities for radiotherapy and new fronts for radiobiological research in general. Considering the growing interest in the application of UPEBs in radiation biology and medicine, the aim of this study was to reveal the changes in immune system in response to low-energy laser-driven UPEB whole-body irradiation in rodents. Forty male albino Wistar rats were exposed to laser-driven UPEB irradiation, after which different immunological parameters were studied on the 1st, 3rd, 7th, 14th, and 28th day after irradiation. According to the results, this type of irradiation induces alterations in the rat immune system, particularly by increasing the production of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and elevating the DNA damage rate. Moreover, such an immune response reaches its maximal levels on the third day after laser-driven UPEB whole-body irradiation, showing partial recovery on subsequent days with a total recovery on the 28th day. The results of this study provide valuable insight into the effect of laser-driven UPEB whole-body irradiation on the immune system of the animals and support further animal experiments on the role of this novel type of irradiation.

The LD50 for Low-Energy Ultrashort-Pulsed Laser Driven Electron Beam Whole-Body Irradiation of Wistar Rats.

Recently, a new technology of low-energy ultrashort-pulsed electron beam (UPEB) accelerators has been developed opening new directions for radiobiology and biomedical research. The purpose of this study was to reveal the lethal dose, LD50 (lethal dose, 50%) delivered by low-energy UPEB whole-body exposure on an organismal level. Wistar rats were exposed to low-energy UPEB whole-body irradiation with different doses and pulse repetition rates to find the LD50 and in silico computer simulations were performed to conduct numerical dose calculations. Survival rate, body weight and water consumption were monitored over the 30-day observation period postirradiation. The LD50 was observed after a 2 Gy dose and pulse repetition rate of 2 Hz. In this group, 50% of the animals survived 30 days postirradiation. The groups of animals exposed to low-energy UPEB radiation at higher doses and pulse repetition rates demonstrated higher mortality rates. We demonstrated that the LD50 dose for the low-energy UPEB whole body irradiation in Wistar rats corresponds to 2 Gy with a pulse repetition rate of 2 Hz. Moreover, we showed that the pulse repetition rate is a very important parameter in the experiments with UPEB and should be assessed in the experiments with such kind of novel irradiation sources.

Antifungal Activity of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolates and Their Associations: The Effects of Ca and Mg Divalent Cations.

The study of effects of Ca2+ and Mg2+ on antifungal activity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolates and their associations revealed inducing and inhibiting effects on antifungal activity. The addition of Ca2+ essentially inhibited the antifungal effect of L. rhamnosus MDC9661 but stimulated the activity of RIN-2003-Ls, MDC9632 and MDC9633 strains, as well as their associations. Mg2+ partly increased the inhibitory activity of LAB isolates, while the addition of ions combination did not cause changes of their antifungal activity. The supplementation of Ca2+ stimulated the antifungal effect of most associations against Penicillium sp., Trichoderma viride, Geotrichum candidum, and Aspergillus flavus compared with the native conditions. The addition of Mg2+ induced the antifungal activity of RIN-2003-Ls, MDC9632, MDC9633, and INR-2010-Tsov-G-St combinations. The antifungal effects of most associations were increased in the presence of ions mixture. The natural LAB associations including VKPM B-3386, MDC9632, and MDC9633 could not suppress the growth of any tested mold; however, the supplementation of ions combination revealed their antifungal effect against all kinds of molds. The finding of substantial stimulation of the most LAB associations antifungal effect by metal ions can be basis for creation of new effective antifungal preparations by the supplementation of ions combined mixture.

Antifungal and antibacterial effects of newly created lactic acid bacteria associations depending on cultivation media and duration of cultivation.

BACKGROUND: The newly created associations of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from Armenian dairy products (yoghurt, sour cream and different varieties of cheese), as well as from the gastrointestinal tract of honeybees were screened according to their antifungal and antibacterial activity. RESULTS: LAB strains were mixed at equal proportions (1:1) according to mathematical planning of experiments. Antifungal and antibacterial effects of different combinations (associations) were determined in different media, employing well-diffusion and total diffusion into agar methods. A number of fungal and bacterial test-organisms, including pathogenic ones, were used. Pure LAB strain cultures were used as a control. The antifungal effect of the most active strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus MDC 9661 in the associations with other LAB strains was partly decreased. At the same time, some mixed LAB cultures in DeMan, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) medium demonstrated significant antibacterial activity against wide spectra of test-organisms only in the case of simultaneous cultivation of LAB strains. On the other hand, in the case of different LAB strains cultivated in MRS with 24-h time break between mix formations by different strains, no inhibitory activity was revealed. But the inhibitory effect of many LAB associations against test-organisms was significantly increased in the case of separated cultivation in milk. CONCLUSION: The inhibitory effect of mixed LAB associations showed stronger dependence on the cultivation media and on the duration of cultivation with respect to each other. The co-cultivation of some strains, like L. rhamnosus MDC 9661, could lead to changed antagonistic activity. Consequently, the results are significant for creation and further investigation of LAB associations, as effective probiotics, and for their probable application in the production of antimicrobial preparations.

Comparative analysis of the effect of Ca and Mg ions on antibacterial activity of lactic acid bacteria isolates and their associations depending on cultivation conditions.

The effects of divalent cations of Ca and Mg on antibacterial activity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolates, as well as their different associations were studied. Most LAB strains and associations revealed significant inhibitory effects in MRS against Gram-positive and Gram-negative test-organisms at different Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentrations (determined specifically for each LAB strain and each association). Some LAB strains and communities inhibited the growth of pathogenic test-organisms depending on both ions concentrations and cultivation conditions. Interestingly, the presence of Mg ions in medium significantly decreased the antimicrobial activity of LAB communities against pathogenic test-organisms; on the other hand, the combined mixture of ions essentially increased the inhibitory effect in case of time-spaced cultivation. In contrast, the inhibitory effects of many associations were significantly increased at the presence of Mg2+ and especially ions combination in case of simultaneous cultivation. The addition of ions combination didn't affect antibacterial activity of LAB isolates. The results allow us to conclude that Ca and Mg ions had inducible effects on antibacterial activity in case of simultaneous cultivation. This probably can be prospective for creation of new antimicrobial preparations and their possible application.

Antifungal activity of lactobacilli isolated from Armenian dairy products: an effective strain and its probable nature.

Different strains of lactobacilli isolated from Armenian dairy products (matsoun, sour cream and different types of cheeses), were studied for antifungal activity. Lactobacillus rhamnosus MDC 9661 strain was shown to have inhibitory activity against Penicillium aurantioviolaceum and Mucor plumbeus growth. Bacterial cell-free supernatant didn't show antifungal activity. The L. rhamnosus antifungal activity was stable to the wide range of pH from 3 to 10. This activity was high after treatment with both low temperature (- 30 °C) and lysozyme and with ultrasound. However, it was sensitive to high temperature from 45 to 80 °C and proteolytic enzymes. The results suggest the proteinaceous nature of L. rhamnosus antifungal activity associated with bacterial cell wall. L. rhamnosus MDC 9661 could be recommended as a starter for production of dairy products, functional food and preserving strain in food production.