First Report of Mycotoxins in Second Peanuts Crop in Adana and Osmaniye at Harvest, Drying, Prestorage and Storage Periods

Aflatoxin (AF) and cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) contaminations are very important problems for peanuts and its products. The aim of the study was to detect aflatoxin (types B and G) and cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) occurrence and critical periods of toxin production in peanuts collected from different research areas of Osmaniye and Adana, Turkey, in 2015. Peanut kernels toxin analysis was performed in four different periods during the harvest, drying, prestorage, and storage. Total aflatoxin occurrence in peanut kernels was analyzed by immunoaffinity chromatography‐reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography (IAC‐HPLC) analysis and cyclopiazonic acid occurrence in peanut kernels was analyzed by thin layer chromatography (TLC). Aflatoxin levels in 76 out of 102 contaminated samples were from 0.3 to 1333.42 μg/kg. Cyclopiazonic acid levels in 18 out of 102 peanut samples were from 16.6 to 44.44 μg/kg. An unusual pattern of mycotoxin production (aflatoxin types B and G simultaneously with CPA) was seen in 11 of 102 peanuts samples. Six of nine samples were from the storage period. Aflatoxin contamination during harvesting (64%) and drying (75%) were higher than prestorage (53%). Aflatoxin (93%) and cyclopiazonic acid (30%) were the most produced during storage. The results showed that storage period was significantly important for the presence of two mycotoxins according to the statistical analysis

Antioksidacijska i antimikrobna aktivnost etil-acetatnog ekstrakta kvasca Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Research background. Antioxidants are important compounds present at low concentrations that inhibit oxidation processes. Due to the side effects of synthetic antioxidants, research interest has increased considerably towards finding natural sources of antioxidants that can replace the synthetic ones. The emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance require the development of new drugs or some potential sources of novel medicine. This work aims to extract the secondary metabolites of Saccharomyces cerevisiae using ethyl acetate as a solvent and to determine the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of these extracted metabolites. Experimental approach. The antioxidant activity of the secondary metabolites of S. cerevisiae were determined using DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays. Furthermore, the antimicrobial potential of the ethyl acetate extract of S. cerevisiae against Cutibacterium acnes, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis was assessed. Results and conclusion. Five out of 13 of the extracted secondary metabolites were identified as antioxidants. The antioxidant activity of the S. cerevisiae extract exhibited relatively high IC50 of 455.26 and 294.51 μg/mL for DPPH and ABTS respectively, while the obtained FRAP value, expressed as ascorbic acid equivalents, was 44.40 μg/mL. Moreover, the extract had a significant antibacterial activity (p<0.05) against Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis at the concentrations of 100 and 200 mg/mL, respectively. However, no inhibitory effect was observed against Cutibacterium acnes as the extract was only effective against the bacterium at the concentrations of 300 and 400 mg/mL (inhibition zones ranging from 9.0±0.0 to 9.3±0.6) respectively (p<0.05). Staphylococcus aureus was highly sensitive to the extract, with a MIC value of 18.75 mg/mL. Novelty and scientific contribution. This report confirmed the efficacy of the secondary metabolites of S. cerevisiae as a natural source of antioxidants and antimicrobials and suggested the possibility of employing them in drugs for the treatment of infectious diseases caused by the tested microorganisms.Pozadina istraživanja. Antioksidansi su važni spojevi koji već pri niskim koncentracijama inhibiraju oksidacijske procese. Zbog štetnih nuspojava primjene sintetskih antioksidanasa porastao je interes za istraživanjem prirodnih izvora antioksidansa. Pojava i proširenost antibiotske rezistencije potakli su interes za razvojem novih lijekova ili mogućih izvora novih lijekova. Svrha je ovoga rada bila ekstrahirati sekundarne metabolite kvasca Saccharomyces cerevisiae pomoću etil-acetata kao otapala, te odrediti antioksidacijsku i antimikrobnu aktivnost dobivenih metabolita. Eksperimentalni pristup. Antioksidacijska aktivnost sekundarnih metabolita kvasca S. cerevisiae određena je pomoću metoda DPPH, ABTS i FRAP. Osim toga, ispitan je antimikrobni učinak etil-acetatnog ekstrakta kvasca S. cerevisiae na bakterije Cutibacterium acnes, Staphylococcus aureus i Staphylococcus epidermidis. Rezultati i zaključci. Od 13 izdvojenih sekundarnih metabolita, identificirano je njih pet s antioksidacijskim učinkom. Ekstrakt S. cerevisiae imao je relativno veliku IC50 vrijednost, i to 455,27 μg/mL utvrđenu DPPH metodom i 294,51 μg/mL dobivenu ABTS metodom, te FRAP vrijednost, izraženu u ekvivalentima askorbinske kiseline, od 44,40 μg/mL. Osim toga, ekstrakt je imao izraženi antibakterijski učinak (p<0,05) na Staphylococcus aureus pri koncentraciji od 100 mg/mL i Staphylococcus epidermidis pri koncentraciji od 200 mg/mL. Međutim, nije opažena inhibicija bakterije Cutibacterium acnes, budući da je ekstrakt učinkovito (p<0.05) inhibirao tu bakteriju samo pri koncentracijama od 300 i 400 mg/mL (sa zonama inhibicije od 9,0±0,0 do 9,3±0,6). Bakterija Staphylococcus aureus bila je vrlo osjetjiva na djelovanje ekstrakta, s minimalnom inhibicijskom koncentracijom od 18,75 mg/mL. Novina i znanstveni doprinos. U ovom je radu potvrđena učinkovitost sekundarnih metabolita kvasca S. cerevisiae kao prirodnih antioksidacijskih i antimikrobnih spojeva, te je dokazana mogućnost njihove primjene u lijekovima protiv zaraznih bolesti uzrokovanih ispitanim bakterijama

Chemotherapeutic Agents: Taxol and Vincristine Isolated from Endophytic Fungi

Endophytic fungi are abundant and have been found asymptomatically in most plants species. Endophytic fungi are considered as hidden members of the microbial world and represent an under-utilized resource of natural bioactive compounds for agricultural, industrial and medicinal uses. As reported previously, several valuable natural products with anticancer, antimicrobial, and insecticidal properties have been successfully extracted from the endophytic fungi. Chemotherapy yields the first promise of destroying cancer cells that has distributed into the body. This is due to the fact that chemotherapeutic agents overlap with the process of dividing cancer cells, which in turn leads to establishing new cells. Vincristine (vinca alkaloids) and podophyllotoxin prohibit the microtubules polymerization at high drug concentrations whereas Taxol™ and Taxotere stimulate the microtubules polymerization and stabilize the microtubules as well at high concentrations. In This review, we critically attempt to summarize the mechanisms of the cancer chemotherapeutic drugs, namely, Taxol and Vincristine (vinca alkaloids) on the need for more the research in the field of cancer chemotherapy

Therapeutic Potential of N-Acetylcysteine for Wound Healing, Acute Bronchiolitis, and Congenital Heart Defects

Wound healing is a composite and vital process in which devitalized tissue layers and cellular structures repair themselves. Bronchiolitis is generally prompted by respiratory syncytial virus or human metapneumovirus; this condition is an acute inflammatory injury of bronchioles. Heart problems that develop before birth are known as congenital heart defects (CHDs), and pregestational diabetes is considered a major predisposing factor of CHDs. N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) is a transformed kind of amino acid cysteine which restores the intracellular levels of the natural antioxidant glutathione when taken internally, thereby assisting the cells’ ability to diminish the damaging effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS)

Novel Compounds Targeting InhA for TB Therapy

Tuberculosis (TB) is described as lethal disease in the world. Resistant to TB drugs is the main reason to have unfavourable outcomes in the treatment of TB. Therefore, new agents to replace existing drugs are urgently needed. Previous reports suggested that InhA inhibitors, an enoyl-ACP-reductase, might provide auspicious candidates which can be developed into novel antitubercular agents. In this review, we explain the role of InhA in the resistance of isoniazid. Furthermore, five classes of InhA inhibitors, which display novel binding modes and deliver evidence of their prosperous target engagement, have been debated

Preliminary Phylogenetic Analysis of Thermophilic Bacteria Producing Protease isolated from Kuantan Malaysia

Thermophilic bacteria grow in relatively high temperature between 50 to 60°C. These organisms can produce specific enzymes that have been used in industrial and biotechnological applications. The basic method to derive a sequence for a uncultured bacteria is to use universal primers against the 16S rRNA gene region in a PCR step to increase the amount of DNA and then to sequence the amplicon. This study was carried out to screen the ability of thermophilic bacterial isolates for degrading protein by protease and to identify the most potent isolates using molecular techniques inferred by 16S rRNA gene. We are dependent on accurate sequences in databases, appropriate names associated with those sequences, and an accurate sequence for the isolate to be identified. Thirty seven bacterial isolates were cultured and characterized using nutrient casein plate method. Twenty out of thirty seven bacterial isolates have been recognized to be positive for casein test and selected for Gram staining method. Total DNA genomic were extracted by using I-genomic DNA Extraction Mini Kit, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) operation assay was performed for appropriate target isolates. The phylogenetic analysis of these strains revealed that the genus of Bacillus is the most closely matched to the data from the GenBank. Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus sp, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Bacillus licheniformis were identified as species for the potential bacterial isolates. Two samples which are RSS6 and JF OUTER 2B have not been characterized through the phylogenetic tree. This might refer to either rare or new bacteria

Çoklu ilaç dirençlı tüberküloza karşı antıtüberküloz ilaçları ile birlikte nar suyunun kombınasyonu ve bu karışımın direnç ve efflux pompa sistem genlerine etkisinin incelenmesı.

TEZ11209Tez (Doktora) -- Çukurova Üniversitesi, Adana, 2018.Kaynakça (s. 135-210) var.xxii, 211 s. : res. (bzs. rnk.), tablo ; 29 cm.Bu çalışmada amaç, taze nar suyunun (TNS=FPJ) tek başına ve şu ana kadar tedavide kullanılanılmakta olan antitüberküloz ilaçlarından Rifampin (R) ve Isoniazid (INH)’ ile kombinasyonlarının MDR-TB klinik izolatları üzerine antibakteriyel aktivitesini araştırmaktır .Dört adet taze nar suyu konsantrasyonu ile ilaca dirençli izolatlara karşı sırasıyla; (FPJ) (% 5,% 10,% 15 ve% 20), R ve INH ile kombinasyon halinde (1.0 ug / ml) ve (0.1ug / ml) doz aralığında değerlendirilmiştir. Ayrıca, çalışmamızda yüksek performanslı sıvı kromatografisi (HPLC) kullanılarak FPJ'nin tek tek fenolik bileşikleri araştırılarak; FPJ'de toplam polifenoller (TP), toplam flavonoid (TF), toplam antosiyanin içeriği (TAC) ve antioksidan kapasite de değerlendirilmiştir. Çalışmamızda, INH ve R direnci ile ilişkili dirençli genler ile altı efflux pompa genlerinin MDR-TB klinik izolatlarındaki ilaç direnci seviyelerine katkısı da değerlendirilmiştir. MDR-TB izolatlarında KatG'nin ekspresyon seviyesi 24/27 (%88.88) 'de azalırken; MDR-TB izolatlarında sırasıyla 8 /27 (% 29.62) ve 4/27 (% 14.81), inhA, oksiR-ahpC ve rpoB genleri 24 /27'de (% 88.88) yüksek düzeyde eksprese edilmiş veya artmıştır. Ayrıca, efflux pompa genleri drrA, drrB, efpA, Rv2459, Rv1634 ve Rv1250, INH/R ile FPJ kombinasyonu etkisinde, yüksek düzeyde eksprese edilerek MDR-TB izolatlarının genel direncine katkı gösterdiği görülmüştür.The aim of present study was to investigate the effect of fresh pomegranate juice (FPJ) on the antibacterial activity of anti-tuberculosis drugs (Rifampin (R) and Isoniazid (INH)) against MDR-TB clinical isolates. Four concentrations of fresh pomegranate juice (FPJ) (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) were evaluated in combination with R and INH at a dose range of (1.0 ?g/ml), and (0.1?g/ml), respectively. Moreover, this study investigated individual phenolic compounds of FPJ by using highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The total polyphenols (TP), total flavonoid (TF), total anthocyanins content (TAC), and the antioxidant capacity were also assessed in FPJ. Additionally,we evaluated the contribution of resistant genes associated with INH and R resistance plus six putative drug efflux pump genes to the drug resistance levels in MDR-TB clinical isolates. While the expression level of katG was down-regulated in 24/27 (88.88%) MDR-TB isolates, inhA, oxyR-ahpC, and rpoB appeared to be either overexpressed or up-regulated in 8/ 27 (29.62%), 4/27 (14.81 %), and 24/ 27 (88.88%), respectively in MDR-TB isolates. Moreover, the efflux pump genes drrA, drrB, efpA, Rv2459, Rv1634, and Rv1250 were overexpressed under INH/RIF plus FPJ stressBu çalışma Ç.Ü. Bilimsel Araştırma Projeleri Birimi tarafından desteklenmiştir. Proje No: FDK-2017-8223

Cladosporium Cladosporioides from the Perspectives of Medical and Biotechnological Approaches

Fungi are important natural product sources that have enormous potential for the production of novel compounds for use in pharmacology, agricultural applications and industry. Compared with other natural sources such as plants, fungi are highly diverse but understudied. However, research on Cladosporium cladosporioides revealed the existence of bioactive products such as p-methylbenzoic acid, ergosterol peroxide (EP) and calphostin C as well as enzymes including pectin methylesterase (PME), polygalacturonase (PG) and chlorpyrifos hydrolase. p-Methylbenzoic acid has ability to synthesise 1,5-benzodiazepine and its derivatives, polyethylene terephthalate and eicosapentaenoic acid. EP has anticancer, antiangiogenic, antibacterial, anti-oxidative and immunosuppressive properties. Calphostin C inhibits protein kinase C (PKC) by inactivating both PKC-epsilon and PKC-alpha. In addition, calphostin C stimulates apoptosis in WEHI-231 cells and vascular smooth muscle cells. Based on the stimulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress in some types of cancer, calphostin C has also been evaluated as a potential photodynamic therapeutic agent. Methylesterase (PME) and PG have garnered attention because of their usage in the food processing industry and significant physiological function in plants. Chlorpyrifos, a human, animal and plant toxin, can be degraded and eliminated by chlorpyrifos hydrolase

Production of Xylanase Enzyme from AspergillusTerreus SUK-1

Xylanase productionfrom AspergillusterreusSUK-1 was carried out in submerged culture fermentation (SCF). The fermentation process was performed by using 0.30% ofxylan and 0.75% -cellulose as substrates of carbon source at 30°C, 150 rpm in the shaker for 7 days. Two processes, which were used for xylanaseproduction, were shake flask culture and fermenter. In the shake flask culture, the maximum xylanase activity was 52.18U/mL U/mL with xylan as a substrate, while 63.29U/mL was for a-cellulose as substrate; after 5 days. In 5 L fermenter with 3 L working volume, the xylanase activity reached the maximum value which was 78.65U/mLafter five days. Two conditions were studied to get the optimum conditions for xylanase activities which were pH and temperature by using xylan as substrate. The highest activity was at pH 6.5 and constant temperature 37°C. While the optimum temperature was 50°C with constant pH 5

The Physiological/Pathophysiological Significance of Vitamin D in Cancer, Cardiovascular Disorders and Beyond

Background: Vitamin D, a molecular precursor of the potent steroid hormone calcitriol, has crucial functions and roles in physiology and pathophysiology. Tellingly, calcitriol has been shown to regulate various cellular signalling networks and cascades that have crucial role in cancer biology and diagnostics. Mounting lines of evidences from previous clinical and preclinical investigations indicate that the deficiency of vitamin D may contribute to the carcinogenesis risk. Concomitantly, recent reports suggested that significant reduction in the cancer occurrence and progression is more likely to appear after vitamin D supplementation. Furthermore, a pivotal role functioned by vitamin D in cardiovascular physiology indicates that the deficiency of vitamin D is significantly correlated with enhanced prevalence of stroke, hypertension and myocardial infarction. Notably, vitamin D status is more likely to be used as a lifestyle biomarker, since poor and unhealthy lifestyles are correlated with the deficiency of vitamin D, a feature which may result in cardiovascular complications. Moreover, recent reports revealed that the effect of vitamin D is to cover not only cardiovascular system but also skeletal system