Biodegradation of Keratin Waste by Bacillus velezensis HFS_F2 through Optimized Keratinase Production Medium.

Enormous aggregates of keratinous wastes are produced annually by the poultry and leather industries which cause environmental degradation globally. To combat this issue, microbially synthesized extracellular proteases known as keratinase are used widely which is effective in degrading keratin found in hair and feathers. In the present work, keratinolytic bacteria were isolated from poultry farm soil and feather waste, and various cultural conditions were optimized to provide the highest enzyme production for efficient keratin waste degradation. Based on the primary and secondary screening methods, the potent keratinolytic strain (HFS_F2T) with the highest enzyme activity 32.65 ± 0.16 U/mL was genotypically characterized by 16S rRNA sequencing and was confirmed as Bacillus velezensis HFS_F2T ON556508. Through one-variable-at-a-time approach (OVAT), the keratinase production medium was optimized with sucrose (carbon source), beef extract (nitrogen source) pH-7, inoculum size (5%), and incubation at 37 °C). The degree of degradation (%DD) of keratin wastes was evaluated after 35 days of degradation in the optimized keratinase production medium devoid of feather meal under submerged fermentation conditions. Further, the deteriorated keratin wastes were visually examined and the hydrolysed bovine hair with 77.32 ± 0.32% degradation was morphologically analysed through Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) to confirm the structural disintegration of the cuticle. Therefore, the current study would be a convincing strategy for reducing the detrimental impact of pollutants from the poultry and leather industries by efficient keratin waste degradation through the production of microbial keratinase.

Production, characterization and in vitro biological activities of crude pigment from endophytic Micrococcus luteus associated with Avicennia marina.

Due to their non-toxic and non-carcinogenic nature, biopigments have a phenomenal benefit over synthetic pigments, making them a desirable source for human utilization and a potential alternative to traditional synthetic pigments that are hazardous to the environment and public health. Endosymbiotic interactions between mangrove plants and bacteria could provide an alternate source for the synthesis of unique compounds with potent biomedical applications. Pigmented endophytic bacteria were screened from the explants of Avicennia marina, a mangrove plant, and identified as Micrococcus luteus by molecular characterization. The intracellular pigment was successfully extracted using the sonication-assisted solvent extraction method, and screening factors impacting the pigmentation bioprocess were determined using a one-factor-at-a-time approach. The endophyte produced yellow pigment in the liquid medium, with the maximum growth and pigment production recorded in nutrient broth at 37 â„ƒ and pH 7 after 96 h of incubation, while the maximum accumulation of pigment was observed in the media supplemented with glucose and tryptone as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. The extracted crude pigment was further characterized by ultraviolet, followed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The obtained crude pigment has been evaluated for its antioxidant and anticancer activity by various assays, such as DPPH radical scavenging activity, FRAP assay, superoxide anion and nitric oxide radical scavenging, metal chelating activity, phosphomolybdenum assay, and MTT assay, respectively, at varying concentrations. The results of our study revealed that the yellow pigment produced by the endophyte showed significant dose-dependent antioxidant and anticancer activity.

Green synthesis of ZnO-NPs using endophytic fungal extract of Xylaria arbuscula from Blumea axillaris and its biological applications.

The biogenic manufacture of nanoparticles utilising endophytic fungus is an eco-friendly, cost-effective, and secure alternative to constructing chemical methods. The prime focus of the study was to fabricate ZnONPs using the biomass filtrate of endophytic Xylaria arbuscula isolated from Blumea axillaris Linn. and to evaluate their biological properties. The characterisation of the biosynthesized ZnO-NPs was done utilising both spectroscopic and microscopic methods. The bioinspired NPs showed a surface plasmon peak at 370 nm; SEM and TEM micrographs illustrated the hexagonal organisation; XRD spectra proved the crystalline phase as hexagonal wurtzite; EDX analysis confirmed the presence of zinc and oxygen atoms; and the zeta potential analysis proved the stability of ZnONPs. In addition, they also demonstrated significant concentration-dependent inhibition of antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic potential in comparison with the reference drugs. In vitro cytotoxicity and wound healing potential of ZnONPs were examined in L929 cell lines, illustrating that they accelerated the wound healing process by roughly 95.37 ± 1.12% after a 24-h exposure to ZnONPs. The photocatalytic activity of the ZnONPs was examined by degrading the methylene blue dye under solar irradiation. In conclusion, our outcomes showed that mycosynthesized ZnONPs possessed potent bioactivity and could be an excellent choice for biomedical applications.

Degradation of tannery hide raw trimming hairs using keratinolytic bacteria isolated from tannery effluent-contaminated soil.

The disposal of keratinous wastes produced by several leather industries is evolving into a global problem. Around 1 billion tonnes of keratin waste are released into the environment each year. In the breakdown of tannery waste, certain enzymes, such as keratinases produced from microorganisms, might be a better substitute for synthetic enzymes. Keratinase enzymes are able to hydrolyze gelatin, casein, bovine serum albumin and insoluble protein present in wool, feather. Therefore, in this study, bacterial strains from tannery effluent-contaminated soil and bovine tannery hide were isolated and assessed for their ability to produce the keratinolytic enzyme. Among the six isolates, the strain NS1P showed the highest keratinase activity (298 U/ml) and was identified as Comamonas testosterone through biochemical and molecular characterization. Several bioprocess parameters such as pH, temperature, inoculum size, carbon sources, and nitrogen sources were optimized in order to maximize crude enzyme production. The optimized media were used for inoculum preparation and subsequent biodegradation of hide hairs. The degradation efficacy of the keratinase enzyme produced by Comamonas testosterone was examined by degrading bovine tannery hide hairs, and it was found to be 73.6% after 30 days. The morphology of the deteriorated hair was examined using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), which revealed significant degradation. Thus, our research work has led to the conclusion that Comamonas testosterone may be a promising keratinolytic strain for the biodegradation of tannery bovine hide hair waste and the industrial production of keratinases.

Insights into bacterial endophytic diversity and isolation with a focus on their potential applications -A review.

Endophytic bacteria inevitably form mutualistic relationships with plants and supply numerous benefits without causing peripheral infection or adverse effects on their host. They are omnipresent and may be found in a variety of habitats, including terrestrial and mangrove environments, spanning the plant kingdom. The need for bioactive compounds in medicines has skyrocketed in recent years. Because of their intimate association with their host plant, bacterial endophytes might be investigated for biotechnologically important products, including antibiotics, proteins, enzymes, and others. Bioactive compounds produced by bacterial endophytes possess numerous biological properties corresponding to antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities. Therefore, endophytes are an essential replacement for overcoming pathogen drug resistance due to their enormous diversity and long-term tolerance to environmental conditions. Bacterial endophytes have a tremendous impact on the floral community by boosting their growth, raising their fitness by targeting pests and plant pathogens. The major focus of the review relies on the isolation and identification of bacterial endophytes from diverse habitats and illustrates their various potential applications in the pharmaceutical, industrial, and agricultural sectors as well as in nanotechnology for the fabrication of various nanoparticles incorporated into different applications.

Ultra-sonication-enhanced green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Barleria buxifolia leaf extract and their possible application.

The main aim of the study, green route to the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is a new technique that has recently gained popularity due to several advantages over conventional chemical methods. The objective of the study was focused on the green synthesis of AgNPs using Barleria buxifolia leaf extract via a rapid and eco-friendly ultrasonic-assisted technique. The obtained AgNPs were characterized using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectrum of the organically reduced silver showed a surface plasmon peak at 435 nm, characteristic for silver colloidal solutions. UV-Vis absorption spectrum, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis showed that the obtained AgNPs were dispersed spheres with a uniform size of 80 nm. Furthermore, the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that the surface of the obtained AgNPs was covered with organic molecules in plant extracts. Green synthesized AgNPs showed the highest antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-biofilm activity than a plant extract. In vitro anticancer assay demonstrated half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 31.42, 30.67, 51.07 and 56.26 µg/mL against MCF-7, HeLa and HepG2 cancer cell lines, respectively, which confirms its potent anticancer action. The biocompatibility of green synthesized AgNPs is confirmed by their lack of cytotoxicity against normal human cells. The potent bioactivity exhibited by the green synthesized AgNPs leads towards the multiple use as antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-biofilm and cytotoxic agent.

Recent developments in Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) production - A review.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are inevitably a key biopolymer that has the potential to replace the conventional petrochemical based plastics that pose jeopardy to the environment globally. Even then the reach of PHA in the common market is so restricted. The economy of PHA is such that, even after several attempts the overall production cost seems to be high and this very factor surpasses PHAs usage when compared to the conventional polymers. The major focus of the review relies on the synthesis of PHA from Mixed Microbial Cultures (MMCs), through a 3-stage process most probably utilizing feedstocks from waste streams or models that mimic them. Emphasis was given to the works carried out in the past decade and their coherence with each and every individual criteria (Aeration, Substrate and bioprocess parameters) such that to understand their effect in enhancing the overall production of PHA.

Polyhydroxyalkanoate production from statistically optimized media using rice mill effluent as sustainable substrate with an analysis on the biopolymer's degradation potential.

The present study focuses on the optimization of the bioprocess for the fermentative production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) by Acinetobacter junii BP 25 using rice mill effluent as a cheap substrate, henceforth to develop an economically feasible biopolymer production process. Statistical tools like Plackett-Burman design (PBD) and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) were used to evaluate the important variables that influence the yield of PHA. Initially from PBD three factors (glycerol, KH2PO4 and incubation time) were taken for further optimization using Box-Behnken design where, the interaction between each of the factors were studied in detail, providing a final optimized media for the high concentration of PHA. Before the optimization process the concentration of PHA was 0.52 ±â€¯0.05 g/l for 1.07 ±â€¯0.32 g/l cell dry mass (CDM) after which a 5.84 fold increase in PHA concentration was observed with 3.04 g/l of PHA. Biodegradation studies of the produced PHA sheets were investigated briefly in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem, showing degradation within 8 weeks in soil and 4 weeks in water which was very promising, as the non-degrading property of the conventional plastic have made scientist to research on biopolymers mainly.

Anthelmintic efficacy of glycolipid biosurfactant produced by Pseudomonas plecoglossicida: an insight from mutant and transgenic forms of Caenorhabditis elegans.

The current research focuses on the production and characterization of glycolipid biosurfactant (GB) from Pseudomonas plecoglossicida and its anthelmintic activity against Caenorhabditis elegans. The GB was purified and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Anthelmintic activity of GB was studied at six different pharmacological doses from 10 to 320 µg/mL on C. elegans. Exposure of different developmental stages (L1, L2, L3, L4 and adult) of C. elegans to the GB reduced the survivability of worms in a dose and time-dependent manner. Adult and L4 worms were least susceptible, while L1, L2 and L3 were more susceptible to GB when compared to the untreated control. An increased exposure period drastically reduced the survival rate of worms and reduction in LC50 value. The GB significantly inhibited the development of C. elegans with an IC50 value of 53.14 µg/mL and even reduced the adult body length and egg hatching. Fecundity rate of the worms treated with GB at 20, 40 and 80 µg/mL decreased from 261.90 ± 3.21 to 239.70 ± 5.58, 164.20 ± 5.94 and 44.80 ± 6.22 eggs per worm, respectively. Besides the toxicological effects, prolonged exposure to GB significantly decreased (p ≤ 0.0001) the lifespan of wild type worms under standard laboratory conditions. Additionally, GB was found to be lethal towards ivermectin and albendazole resistant C. elegans strains. Overall, the data indicated that the GB extracted from P. plecoglossicida could be utilized for the control of non-susceptible and resistant gastrointestinal nematodes towards broad spectrum anthelmintic drugs, ivermectin and albendazole.

Bioprocess optimization of PHB homopolymer and copolymer P3 (HB-co-HV) by Acinetobacter junii BP25 utilizing rice mill effluent as sustainable substrate.

The potential use of parboiled rice mill effluent as a cheap substrate for the production of homopolymer and copolymer of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) by Acinetobacter junii BP 25 was investigated for the first time. Process optimization by one factor at a time led to homopolymer polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production of 2.64 ± 0.18 g/l with 94.28% PHB content using a two-stage batch cultivation mode. BP 25 furthermore produced polyhydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate (P3 (HB-co-HV)), with the addition of valeric acid as an additive to the substrate, yielding (2.56 ± 0.12 g/l dry biomass, 2.20 ± 0.15 g/l PHA) a copolymer content of 85.93%. Thus, rice mill effluent can be an effective and relatively low-cost alternative for the production of PHA, replacing the pure substrates.