Bio-Characterization and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Exopolysaccharides in Biofilm-Producing Cyanobacteria Isolated from Soil Crust: Exploring the Potential of Microalgal Biomolecules.

Exopolysaccharide-producing cyanobacterial strains in biological soil crusts are described, in addition to their chemical properties and antioxidant and flocculation activities. The EPSs from Pudukkottai blackish biological soil crusts (PBBSCs) showed significant amounts of total soluble proteins (0.1687 mg/mL) and carbohydrates (0.8056 mg/mL) compared with the Ariyalur blackish biological soil crusts (ABBSCs). LC-MS analysis of the cyanobacterial polysaccharides revealed the presence of natural sugars such as ribose and glucose/mannose, and uronic acids. The FTIR spectrum showed specific peak for OH and -NH stretching, C-H stretching, and carboxylic acids as the dominant groups in EPS. The in vitro DPPH assay of EPSs from PBBSCs showed 74.3% scavenging activity. Furthermore, the reducing power was determined to be 0.59 ata 500 mg/mL concentration, respectively. The extracted EPSs from the biological soil crust flocculated Kaolin clay suspension maximum at 500 mg/mL. Consequently, the cyanobacterial strain and exopolysaccharide characterization from the sacred forest's biological soil crust were analyzed for their bioactive potential, bio-crust diversity, and distribution.

Comparison of the microalgae Phormidium tenue and Chlorella vulgaris as biosorbents of Cd and Zn from aqueous environments.

Heavy metals are accumulating into sediments and enriching in aquatic food chains. The efficiency of two microalgae, Phormidium tenue and Chlorella vulgaris, to remove zinc and cadmium from aqueous solutions was studied. The microalgae were incubated in different heavy metal concentrations for 18 days. Morphological and anatomical changes in microalgae were investigated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Both algae removed both Zn2+ and Cd2+in vitro. C. vulgaris removed Zn2+ almost totally (99%) and Cd2+ slightly less (87%). The concentration factors were 2210 and 1117, respectively. SEM and TEM figures showed some alterations in the form and cellular components of both algae. C. vulgaris appeared to be more tolerant to both Cd and Zn than P. tenue. C. vulgaris is a promising microalgal species used to remove heavy metals from aqueous environments.

Optimization Study of the Capacity of Chlorella vulgaris as a Potential Bio-Remediator for the Bio-Adsorption of Arsenic (III) from Aquatic Environments.

This study examined the ability of the green microalgae Chlorella vulgaris to remove arsenic from aqueous solutions. A series of studies was conducted to determine the optimal conditions for biological arsenic elimination, including biomass amount, incubation time, initial arsenic level, and pH values. At 76 min, pH 6, 50 mgL-1 metal concentration, and 1 gL-1 bio-adsorbent dosage, the maximum removal of arsenic from an aqueous solution was 93%. The uptake of As (III) ions by C. vulgaris reached an equilibrium at 76 min of bio-adsorption. The maximum adsorptive rate of arsenic (III) by C. vulgaris was 55 mg/gm. The Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich equations were used to fit the experimental data. The best theoretical isotherm of Langmuir, Freundlich, or/and Dubinin-Radushkevich for arsenic bio-adsorption by Chlorella vulgaris was determined. To choose the best theoretical isotherm, the coefficient of correlation was used. The data on absorption appeared to be linearly consistent with the Langmuir (qmax = 45 mgg-1; R2 = 0.9894), Freundlich (kf = 1.44; R2 = 0.7227), and Dubinin-Radushkevich (qD-R = 8.7 mg/g; R2 = 0.951) isotherms. The Langmuir and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherms were both good two-parameter isotherms. In general, Langmuir was demonstrated to be the most accurate model for As (III) bio-adsorption on the bio-adsorbent. Maximum bio-adsorption values and a good correlation coefficient were observed for the first-order kinetic model, indicating that it was the best fitting model and significant in describing the arsenic (III) adsorption process. SEM micrographs of treated and untreated algal cells revealed that ions adsorbed on the algal cell's surface. A Fourier-transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR) was used to analyze the functional groups in algal cells, such as the carboxyl group, hydroxyl, amines, and amides, which aided in the bio-adsorption process. Thus, C. vulgaris has great potential and can be found in eco-friendly biomaterials capable of adsorbing arsenic contaminants from water sources.

Seasonal Changes in the Biochemical Composition of Dominant Macroalgal Species along the Egyptian Red Sea Shore.

Macroalgae are significant biological resources in coastal marine ecosystems. Seasonality influences macroalgae biochemical characteristics, which consequentially affect their ecological and economic values. Here, macroalgae were surveyed from summer 2017 to spring 2018 at three sites at 7 km (south) from El Qusier, 52 km (north) from Marsa Alam and 70 km (south) from Safaga along the Red Sea coast, Egypt. Across all the macroalgae collected, Caulerpa prolifera (green macroalgae), Acanthophora spicifera (red macroalgae) and Cystoseira myrica, Cystoseira trinodis and Turbinaria ornata (brown macroalgae) were the most dominant macroalgal species. These macroalgae were identified at morphological and molecular (18s rRNA) levels. Then, the seasonal variations in macroalgal minerals and biochemical composition were quantified to determine the apt period for harvesting based on the nutritional requirements for commercial utilizations. The chemical composition of macroalgae proved the species and seasonal variation. For instance, minerals were more accumulated in macroalgae C. prolifera, A. spicifera and T. ornata in the winter season, but they were accumulated in both C. myrica and C. trinodis in the summer season. Total sugars, amino acids, fatty acids and phenolic contents were higher in the summer season. Accordingly, macroalgae collected during the summer can be used as food and animal feed. Overall, we suggest the harvesting of macroalgae for different nutrients and metabolites in the respective seasons.

Anticancer and Cytotoxicity Activity of Native and Modified Black Rice Flour on Colon Cancer Cell Lines.

This study is intended to evaluate the cytotoxicity of native and dual-modified black rice flour against the colon cancer cell line (HCT116) and mouse embryo cell line (3T3-L1) by using the MTT assay. The modification techniques applied to prepare rice flour samples were enzymatic modification and heat moisture treatment. In this study, the IC50 of native black rice flour and modified black rice flour was 255.78 µg/mL and 340.85 µg/mL, respectively. The result confirms that the native black rice flour has significant cytotoxic and anticancer potential against human colon cancer cells. In addition, the IC50 of native black rice flour and modified black rice flour on the 3T3-L1 cell line was found to be 345.96 µg/mL and 1106.94 µg/mL, respectively. The results showed that the native black rice flour had weak cytotoxicity, and modified black rice flour was nontoxic in both the cell lines. The active component of phytochemicals present in black rice flour has a potential role in preventing colon cancer.

Bioremoval capacity of Co+2 using Phormidium tenue and Chlorella vulgaris as biosorbents.

Microalgae sorbents are microalgae that have the potential to passively bind heavy metals/contaminants to their cellular structures in a process called biosorption. This study investigates the use of two species of microalgae to remove the toxic heavy metal cobalt from aqueous solution. Two microalgae isolates, Phormidium tenue and Chlorella vulgaris, were collected from the Wadi Hanifah Stream in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We determined the capacity of both isolates to bioremove Co+2 ions and the optimum conditions under which this occurs. The two isolates were additionally characterized by microscopic and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In the current investigation, Phormidium tenue removed 94% of Co+2 under ideal conditions of pH 6, contact duration (30 min), starting concentration (50 mgL-1) and biosorbent dose (1gL-1); while Chlorella vulgaris removed 87% of Co+2 under the same parameters except pH 5.5 and contact duration (60 min). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirms the binding of Co+2 to the biomass, which comprises many of the functional groups. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed some alterations to the shape of algal cells and cellular components for both microalgae studied. In addition, equilibrium study by both Langmuir and Freundlich models was performed to detect the effect of certain equilibrium factors on the capacity of the biosorption mechanism. Finally, Phormidium tenue and Chlorella vulgaris were discovered to be promising microalgae for effective cobalt biosorption in aquatic conditions.

Antimicrobial and antinematicidal metabolites from Streptomyces cuspidosporus strain SA4 against selected pathogenic bacteria, fungi and nematode.

The exploration of novel therapeutic agents and other bioactive secondary metabolite from Streptomyces species, for possible agricultural farming, pharmaceutical and industrialized applications, has been, and still is, essential. The existing studies were aimed with biologically potential Streptomyces species and its antagonistic activity against dreadful microorganisms. Totally, morphological three different actinomycetes were selected from the fertile agricultural lands. Among the three, the isolate SA4 exhibited significant antimicrobial and anti-nematicidal activity towards selected microbial pathogens such as E Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Bacillus subtilis, Proteus vulgaris, Shigella flexineri, Candida albicans, and Fusarium sp. The prospective strain SA4 was identified as Streptomyces cuspidosporus. The isolate SA4 optimized for secondary metabolites production with International Streptomyces project 4 (ISP 4) medium, pH 7.0 at 37 °C for 14 days. Gas Chromatography-Mass spectrometry (GCMS) analysis of strain SA4 bioactive extract publicized the existence of 1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid, bis(2-Methylpropyl) ester compound and occupied by high peak area and its possessed significant biological properties.

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Citrus limon peels and evaluation of their antibacterial and cytotoxic properties.

The present work aimed to synthesis silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using biological waste products Citrus limon peels, its characterization, antimicrobial activities and the cytotoxic effect of the synthesized green AgNPs. Characterization of the prepared AgNPs showed the formation of spherical, and few agglomerated AgNPs forms as measured by UV-visible spectrophotometer. The average size of the prepared AgNPs was 59.74 nm as measured by DLS technique. The spectrum of the synthesized AgNPs was observed at 3 KeV using the EDX. On the other hand, FTIR analysis of the green synthesized AgNPs showed the presence of alcohols, phenolics, mono-substituted alkynes, aliphatic primary amines, sodium salt, amino acid, or SiOH alcohol groups. The antimicrobial studies of the formed AgNPs showed positive activity against most of the studied human pathogenic bacteria with varying degrees. Finally, the evaluation of the cytotoxic effect of the green synthesized AgNPs were done using two types of cell lines, human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) and human colon carcinoma cell line (HCT-116). The results revealed the concentration has a direct correlation with cell viability. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of MCF-7 cell line was in of 23.5 ± 0.97 µL/100 µL, whereas the HCT-116 cell line was in 37.48 ± 5.93 µL/100 µL.

Antimicrobial efficacy of Nocardiopsis sp. MK_MSt033 against selected multidrug resistant clinical microbial pathogens.

BACKGROUND: Actinomycetes show an active role in microbial disease control and antimicrobial metabolism production and were shown the greatest potentialities as sources of antimicrobial agents. The past few decades, an extensive literature has accumulated on the production of bioactive compounds from actinomycetes, particularily genus Streptomyces. METHODS: The actinomycetes were isolated with starch casein nitrate (SCN) agar medium. The prospective isolate was subjected to antimicrobial metabolites production. Further, the bio-extract was evaluated their biological properites by agar well diffusion assay and finally the extract was anaylized through GC-MS. RESULTS: In the present study, isolated 9 actinomycetes and the isolates were examined for their antifungal activities. Of these nine isolates, the isolate MK_MSt033 picked out from the rest, hences, it showed significant control towards the selected microbial pathogens. The prospective strain MK_MSt033 was determined as Nocardiopsis sp. The strain displayed effective antimicrobial activities against both bacterial and fungal pathgoens such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pencillium sp., and Aspergillus flavus respectively. Subsequently the chemical nature of the compounds produced by the potential isolate MK_MSt033 and it was successfully determined by GC-MS and it were 18 compounds with different retention time. CONCLUSION: The identified isolate Nocardiopsis sp. MK_MSt033 exhibited potential antimicrobial activities against selected microbial pathogens. Thus, the soil inhabiting Nocardiopsis sp. has explored for pharmaceutically active compounds with promising medical applications.

Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles by using of the marine brown alga Padina pavonia and their characterization.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are gaining considerable importance due to their attractive physicochemical properties for many applications. In the present study, (Ag NPs) were synthesized by the reduction of aqueous solutions of silver nitrate (AgNO3) with powder and solvent extracts of Padina pavonia (brown algae). The obtained nanoparticles exhibited high stability, rapid formation of the biogenic process (2 min -3 h), small size (49.58-86.37 nm) (the diameter of formed nanoparticles was measured by TEM and DLS) and variable shapes (spherical, triangular, rectangle, polyhedral and hexagonal). Preliminary characterization of nanoparticles was monitored by using UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and finally by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The ratios of converted Ag NPs were recorded as 88.5; 86.2 and 90.5% in case of P. pavonia powder. extract and chloroform extract, respectively.

ANTIMICROBIAL AND ANTIHYPERLIPIDEMIC ACTIVITIES OF ISOLATED QUERCETIN FROM ANABAENA AEQUALIS(1).

This study aimed to isolate quercetin (for the first time) from Anabaena aequalis Borge, which inhabits soil surface of Wadi El-Alaqui Protectorate located in Aswan city, Egypt. The isolated compound showed significant antibacterial activity against the gram-positive bacteria Sarcina maxima and Micrococcus kristinae, the gram-negative bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae, as well as against the filamentous fungus Aspergillus flavus. The isolated compound was identified as quercetin using the structure elucidation based on UV, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESIMS), (1) H and (13) C NMR, proton-proton correlation spectroscopy ((1) H-(1) H COSY), distortionless enhancement by polarization transfer (DEPT), heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC), and heteronuclear multiple bond correlations spectrum (HMBC). Medium lethal dose (LD50 ) of the isolated compound and its side effects against hyperlipidemia induced by ethanol intake in albino rats were carried out. No deaths were reported in rats within 72 h, which suggests that the isolated compound plays a beneficial role as an antihyperlipidemic agent in the treatment of alcohol-induced hepatic tissue damage, which can be described as one of the therapeutic values.