Potential Activity of Arthrospira platensis as Antioxidant, Cytotoxic and Antifungal against Some Skin Diseases: Topical Cream Application.

This research evaluated the antifungal effectiveness of Arthrospira platensis ethanol, methanol, ethyl acetate and acetone extracts against the tested pathogenic fungi (Candida albicans, Trichophyton rubrum and Malassezia furfur). Antioxidant and cytotoxicity effectiveness of A. platensis extracts against four distinct cell lines were also assessed. Methanol extract of A. platensis exhibited the highest inhibition zones against Candida albicans as measured by the well diffusion method. A transmission electron micrograph of the treated group of Candida cells with A. platensis methanolic extract showed mild lysis and vacuolation of the cytoplasmic organelles. In vivo, after induced infection of mice by C. albicans and treatment with A. platensis methanolic extract cream, the skin layer emerged with the removal of Candida spherical plastopores. The extract of A. platensis recorded the highest antioxidant activity using the DPPH (2, 2- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) scavenging method (IC50 28 mg/mL). A cytotoxicity test using a MTT assay showed that the A. platensis extract had strong cytotoxic activity against the HepG2 cell line (IC50 20.56 ± 1.7 µg/mL) and moderate cytotoxic activity against MCF7 and the Hela cell (IC50 27.99 ± 2.1 µg/mL). Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy (GC/MS) results revealed that the effective activity of A. platensis extract could be linked to a synergistic impact between their prominent composition as alkaloids, phytol, fatty acids hydrocarbons, phenolics and phthalates. A. platensis extract contains active metabolites that constitute a promising source of antifungal, antioxidant and anti-proliferative compounds for the pharmaceutical drug industry.

Insight into multidrug-resistant microorganisms from microbial infected diabetic foot ulcers.

AIM: This study was undertaken to inspect the preponderance of multidrug-resistant (MDR) microorganisms in microbial infected diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) in north Egypt. Moreover, their later impact on the patients and previous antibiotic therapies were taken into consideration. METHODS: To accomplish this goal, twenty-two of diabetic foot patients with purulent wounds were enrolled in this prospective study. These wounds were swabbed and the antibiotics susceptibility patterns of most virulent bacteria and yeast were studied. Furthermore, bacterial and yeast strains were identified using 16S rRNA and 16S rRNA nucleotide sequences, respectively, and following their phenotypic characteristics employing the VITEK 2 system. RESULTS: Microbial profiles showed a predominance of monomicrobial infections (77.3%), while polymicrobial infections were found in 22.7%. A total of 24 bacterial isolates (15 Gram-positive and 9 Gram-negative) and four yeast isolates were perceived. Four bacteria were selected based on their resistance toward more than six of empirical antibiotics. They were identified and deposited in GenBank as Acinetobacter baumanni MT3 (KY421195), Staphylococcus aureus MT1 (KY421197), Klebsiella pneumonia MT2 (KY421196), and Staphylococcus aureus MT4 (KY421198). On the other hand, one strain belonged to yeast was opted and identified as Candida albicans MT5 (MG851796). CONCLUSION: These findings might effectively help to avert the severe complications of diabetic foot infections (DFIs) besides our endeavours to find new antimicrobial wound dressings.

Synthesis, spectral, antimicrobial and antitumor assessment of Schiff base derived from 2-aminobenzothiazole and its transition metal complexes.

N-(thiophen-2-ylmethylene)benzo[d]thiazol-2-amine Schiff base (L) derived from 2-aminobenzothiazole and 2-thiophenecarboxaldehyde was synthesized and characterized using elemental analysis, IR, mass spectra, (1)H NMR and UV-vis spectra. Its complexes with Cu(II), Fe(III), Ni(II) and Zn(II) were prepared and isolated as solid products and characterized by elemental and thermal analyses, spectral techniques as well as magnetic susceptibility. The IR spectra showed that the Schiff base under investigation behaves as bidentate ligand. The UV-vis spectra and magnetic moment data suggested octahedral geometry around Cu(II) and Fe(III) and tetrahedral geometry around Ni(II) and Zn(II). In view of the biological activity of the Schiff base and its complexes, it has been observed that the antimicrobial activity of the Schiff base increased on complexation with the metal ion. In vitro antitumor activity assayed against five human tumor cell lines furnished the significant toxicities of the Schiff base and its complexes.

A Protective Mechanism in Lungs of Rats Experimentally Infected with Aspergillus fumigatus.

Aspergillus fumigatus is associated with invasive disease aspergillosis in immunocompromised individuals. The major aim of this study was to investigate the biochemical and immunological responses of male Wistar rats against A. fumigatus experimentally-induced pulmonary fungal infection. Nostril experimental exposure of male Wistar rats to a high dose of A. fumigatus freeze-dried preparation for only 24 hr resulted in a significant increase in levels of catalase, nitric oxide and lipid peroxide in lung homogenates, compared to those of the control animals. However, the oxidative status of the lungs of rats challenged with killed fungus did not change significantly, except for the stimulation in the level of lipid peroxide. IgG level was significantly elevated only in rats that received two low doses of fungus, compared to unexposed animals (p<0.005). Examining the lung of rats exposed to A. fumigatus revealed no abnormal changes, except for pus in bronchial lumen spaces and per bronchial inflammation. Histologically, large numbers of granuloma cells were evident in the lungs of challenged rats, while no granuloma formation was evident in the lungs of rats exposed to killed fungus.