Therapeutic effect of iturin A on Candida albicans oral infection and its pathogenic factors.

Candida albicans is responsible for conditions ranging from superficial infections such as oral or vaginal candidiasis to potentially fatal systemic infections. It produces pathogenic factors contributing to its virulence. Iturin A, a lipopeptide derived from Bacillus sp., exhibits a significant inhibitory effect against C. albicans. However, its exact mechanism in mitigating the pathogenic factors of C. albicans remains to be elucidated. This study aimed to explore the influence of iturin A on several pathogenic attributes of C. albicans, including hypha formation, cell membrane permeability, cell adhesion, biofilm formation, and therapeutic efficacy in an oral C. albicans infection model in mice. The minimal inhibitory concentration of iturin A against C. albicans was determined to be 25 µg/mL in both YEPD and RPMI-1640 media. Iturin A effectively inhibited C. albicans hyphal formation, decreased cell viability within biofilms, enhanced cell membrane permeability, and disrupted cell adhesion in vitro. Nonetheless, iturin A did not significantly affect the phospholipase activity or hydrophobicity of C. albicans. A comparative study with nystatin demonstrated the superior therapeutic efficacy of iturin A in a mouse model of oral C. albicans infection, significantly decreasing C. albicans count and inhibiting both fungal hypha formation and tongue surface adhesion. High-dose iturin A treatment (25 µg/mL) in mice had no significant effects on blood indices, tongue condition, or body weight, indicating the potential for iturin A in managing oral infections. This study confirmed the therapeutic potential of iturin A and provided valuable insights for developing effective antifungal therapies targeting C. albicans pathogenic factors.

Enhancement of biological treatment of wastewater by magnetic field.

In this study, effect of magnetic field on the activity of activated sludge in wastewater treatment was investigated. During the experiment, biodegradation duration, magnetic density, operating temperature and medium pH value were changed within the ranges from 0 to 60h, 0 to 500.0mT, 10.0 to 50.0 degrees C and 3.0 to 12.0, respectively. These results revealed that activated sludge acclimatization and organic pollutant biodegradation processes under magnetic field were stimulated, resulting in a higher efficiency of wastewater treatment. Biodegradation of organic compounds under magnetic field could reach stable states after 48h. The organic compounds removal rate first roared up and then fell down with the increase of magnetic density of the field, turning at 20.0mT. On account of application of magnetic field, the range of temperature and pH, which is suitable for the growth of microbe, were 20.0-40.0 degrees C and 6.0-10.0, respectively, which were expanded compared with those without the magnetic field.