Antibacterial Photoactivity and Thermal Stability of Tetra-cationic Porphyrins Immobilized on Cellulosic Fabrics.

The thermal stability and photo-bactericidal effect of several tetra-cationic porphyrins and their zinc ion compounds immobilized onto cellulosic fabrics against S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and E. coli were investigated and compared using a 100 W tungsten lamp. Immobilization of various concentrations of these photosensitizers onto cellulosic fabrics was carried out and characterized by ATR-FT-IR, DRS, TGA, and SEM. Applied cellulosic fabrics with the photosensitizers exhibited remarkable photo-stability, thermal stability, and antimicrobial activity against these studied strains.

The study of cellulosic fabrics impregnated with porphyrin compounds for use as photo-bactericidal polymers.

In the present work, we report on the preparation of cellulosic fabrics bearing two types of photo-sensitizers in order to prepare efficient polymeric materials for antimicrobial applications. The obtained porphyrin-grafted cellulosic fabrics were characterized by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance UV-Vis (DRUV) spectroscopy, thermo-gravimetric analysis (TG) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Antimicrobial activity of the prepared porphyrin-cellulose was tested under visible light irradiation against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomunas aeroginosa and Escherichia coli. In addition, the effect of two parameters on photo-bactericidal activity of treated fibers was studied: illumination time and concentration of photosensitizers (PS).

Crystalline Bacterial Surface Layer (S-Layer) Opens Golden Opportunities for Nanobiotechnology in Textiles.

This study focuses on the successful recrystallization of bacterial S-layer arrays of the Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356 at textile surfaces to create a novel method and material. Optimum bacterial growth was obtained at approximately 45 °C, pH 5.0, and 14 h pi. The cells were resuspended in guanidine hydrochloride and the 43 kDa S-protein was dialyzed and purified. The optimum reassembly on the polypropylene fabric surface in terms of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), reflectance, and uniformity (spectrophotometry) was obtained at 30 °C, pH 5.0 for 30 minutes in the presence of 2 gr/l (liquor ratio; 1:40) of the S-protein. Overall, our data showed that the functional aspects and specialty applications of the fabric would be very attractive for the textile and related sciences, and result in advanced technical textiles.

Antibacterial activity of the body wall extracts of sea cucumber (Invertebrata; Echinodermata) on infectious oral streptococci.

Abstract Background: The present study was carried out to test the antibacterial effect of the body wall of the sea cucumber Holothuria leucospilota Brandt on Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus salivarius. Methods: After sampling sea cucumbers from the Persian Gulf, different extractions were prepared. Then, aqueous, phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.8), chloroform, hexane and methanolic extracts from sea cucumber body wall were screened for antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacteria S. mutans and S. salivarius using the disk diffusion method. Results: The PBS extract did not show any antibacterial or inhibitory activity; the chloroform extract, however, demonstrated high levels of antibacterial activity against S. salivarius while exhibiting low levels of activity against S. mutans. The hexane and methanolic extracts were found to show no antibacterial activity against S. mutans, but exhibited antibacterial activity against S. salivarius. Conclusions: In conclusion, the results demonstrated the possibility of utilizing sea cucumbers as a cheap source of potential antibacterial agents and for treating odontogenic diseases.

A rapid one-pot synthesis of pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives using Brønsted-acidic ionic liquid as catalyst.

Pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives were synthesized regioselectivly in good to high yields by one-pot three-component condensation of 6-amino-2-(methylthio)pyrimidin-4(3H)-one, aromatic aldehydes and ethylcyanoacetate or meldrum's acid using 1,2-dimethyl-N-butanesulfonic acid imidazolium hydrogen sulfate ([DMBSI]HSO4) Brønsted-acidic ionic liquid as catalyst. Solvent-free mild reaction conditions, short reaction times, easy work-up, and reusability of the catalyst are the main advantages of this protocol.

Facile regioselective synthesis of novel bis-thiazole derivatives and their antimicrobial activity.

The design and synthesis of several new bis-thiazoles 4a-h serving as bis-drugs in comparison with mono-heterocyclic analogs are described. These bis-drugs present superior medicinal and pharmacological activities against both gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) and gram-positive (Micrococcus luteus and Bacillus subtilis) bacteria, which are in general more sensitive to compounds with higher hydrophobicity. Compounds with higher hydrophobicity (4d and 4h) exhibited some activity against the gram-negative bacteria.

Substrate preference of a Geobacillus maltogenic amylase: a kinetic and thermodynamic analysis.

The gene encoding a maltogenic amylase (MAase) from a newly isolated strain of thermophilic Geobacillus has been isolated, cloned and expressed. Following purification, biochemical and structural characterization have been performed. The enzyme exhibited maximal activity at a broad temperature range between 55 and 65 °C, clearly higher than that of other dimeric MAses. The optimum pH was 6.0 and catalytic activity increased by of Li(+) and K(+). A noticeable preference was demonstrated for α-, ß- and γ-cyclodextrin (CD) compared to polymeric substrates (amylose, amylopectin, glycogen and starch) possibly due to steric interference. The affinity for CD substrates increased in the order of γ-CD>ß-CD>α-CD, but k(cat)/K(m) increased as α-CD>ß-CD>γ-CD, implying that increased substrate specificities are mainly attribute to kcat. Thermodynamic analysis of the activation process showed that improved activity (decrease in ΔG(#)) is accompanied by increases in activation entropy (ΔS(#)) for aforementioned substrates. Molecular docking on the binding interactions between substrates and active site residues revealed a considerably higher accessible surface area for the active site residues in the presence of α-CD than ß-CD, indicating that interactions in the transition state are stronger in the presence of α-CD. This result explains the increased ΔH(#) of the activation process and increased K(m) of the enzyme in the presence of α-CD, compared to that of ß-CD. This study, which presents the first detailed comparative analysis on the substrate preference of dimeric MAases for different substrates, may shed some lights into the molecular mechanism of these enzymes.

Effect of chitosan coating on maintenance of aril quality, microbial population and PPO activity of pomegranate (Punica granatum L. cv. Tarom) at cold storage temperature.

BACKGROUND: Chitosan edible coating was used in an attempt to extend the storage life of pomegranate arils during 12 days at 4 °C. Prior to storage, treated arils were dipped in 0.25, 0.5 and 1% (w/v) chitosan aqueous solutions and 1% (v/v) acetic acid for 1 min, while control arils were dipped in distilled water with 1% (v/v) acetic acid. RESULTS: Chitosan coating inhibited bacterial and fungal growth on the surface of arils. The water content of arils coated with 0.5 and 1% chitosan was maintained during 12 days of storage. Chitosan reduced the increase in total soluble solids (TSS) and titratable acidity (TA) of arils during storage. The lowest TSS and TA were detected in arils coated with 0.5 and 1% chitosan, which maintained the highest TSS/TA ratio after 12 days of storage. In contrast, application of chitosan delayed the decrease in total phenolics, total anthocyanins and antioxidant capacity during storage. The results also showed that chitosan coating suppressed the monophenolase activity of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) with pyrogallol substrate and the diphenolase activity of PPO with dopamine hydrochloride substrate, but the diphenolase activity of PPO with pyrocatechol substrate increased during storage. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that chitosan coating has the potential to extend the storage life of pomegranate arils by reducing the microbial population on their surface.

An expeditious regioselective synthesis of novel bioactive indole-substituted chromene derivatives via one-pot three-component reaction.

Novel fused 1H-benzo[f]chromen-indole derivatives were synthesized regioselectivly in good to high yields by triethyl amine catalyzed condensation of 3-cyanoacetylindoles, ß-naphthol and aryl aldehydes in methanol under ultrasounic irradiations and conventional conditions. The easy work-up of the products, rapidity, and mild reaction conditions are notable features of this protocol. The antibacterial activity of the selected products was examined. Some products showed promising activities.

An analysis of temperature adaptation in cold active, mesophilic and thermophilic Bacillus α-amylases.

A comparative biochemical and structural study was performed on a cold active α-amylase from Bacillus cereus (BCA) and two well-known homologous mesophilic and thermophilic α-amylases from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (BAA) and Bacillus licheniformis (BLA). In spite of a high degree of sequence and structural similarity, drastic variations were found for T(opt) as 50, 70 and 90°C for BCA, BAA and BLA, respectively. The half-lives of thermoinactivation were 1 and 9 min for BCA and BAA at 80°C respectively, whilst there was no inactivation for BLA at this temperature. Thermodynamic studies on inactivation process suggested that lower thermostability of BCA is due to lower inactivation slope of the Arrhenius plots and subsequently, lower E(a) and ΔH(#). Increased K(m) and accessible surface area for catalytic residues along with a decreased number of internal interactions in this region in BCA compared to BLA suggest that BCA substrate-binding site might be temperature sensitive and is probably more flexible. On the other hand, fewer ion pairs, destructive substitutions and disruption of aromatic interaction networks in structurally critical regions of Bacillus α-amylases result in a severe decrease in BCA thermostability compared to its mesophilic and thermophilic homologues.

Helicobacter pylori cagA status and peptic ulcer disease in Iran.

Helicobacter pylori contributes to the development of peptic ulcers and atrophic gastritis. Furthermore, H. pylori strains carrying the cagA gene are more virulent than cagA -negative strains and are associated with the development of gastric adenocarcinoma. The cagA gene is a putative H. pylori virulence factor of unknown function. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the cagA gene among H. pylori isolates and its relationship with peptic ulcer disease in 128 Iranian patients. A total of 107 (83.6%) samples were positive, including 40 (95%) of the 42 patients with duodenal ulcer, 43 (86%) of the 50 patients with gastric ulcer, and 24 (66.6%) of the 36 patients with gastritis. cagA was present in 32 (80%) of 40 strains from duodenal ulcer patients, 33 (77%) of 43 strains from gastric ulcer patients, and 11 (46%) of 24 from gastritis patients. We also attempted to investigate the subtypes of 3' region of cagA gene in H. pylori strains isolated from Iranian patients and their relation to H. pylori-associated gastroduodenal diseases. The PCR product of cagA positive strains obtained with primer set CAG1/CAG2 differed in size, varying from 642 to 651 bp (subtype A) in 33 isolates to 756 bp (subtype B/D) in 13 isolates. This does not support the view that subtypes of the 3' region of cagA gene in H. pylori isolated from Iran correlate with the clinical outcomes of H. pylori, but colonization with cagA positive strains was significantly higher among duodenal ulcer than gastritis patients in Iran.