Biological and Medicinal Importance of Sponge

Sponges are multicellular, heterotrophic parazoan organisms, characterized by the possession of unique feeding system among the animals. They are the most primitive types of animals in existence, featuring a cell-based organization where different cells have different tasks, but do not form tissues. Sponges (Porifera) are a predominantly marine phylum living from the intertidal to the abyssal (deepest ocean) zone. There are approximately 8500 described species of sponges worldwide with a prominent role in many reef coral communities. Several ecological studies reported have shown that secondary metabolites isolated from sponges often serve defensive purposes to protect them from threats such as predator attacks, biofouling, microbial infections, and overgrowth by other sessile organisms. In the recent years, interest in marine sponges has risen considerably due to presence of high number of interesting biologically active natural products. More than 5300 different natural products are known from sponges and their associated microorganisms, and every year hundreds of new substances are discovered. In addition to the unusual nucleosides, other classes of substances such as bioactive terpenes, sterols, fatty acids, alkaloids, cyclic peptides, peroxides, and amino acid derivatives (which are frequently halogenated) have been described from sponges or from their associated microorganisms. Many of these natural products from sponges have shown a wide range of pharmacological activities such as anticancer, antifungal, antiviral, anthelmintic, antiprotozoal, anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, neurosuppressive, and antifouling activities. This chapter covers extensive work published regarding new compounds isolated from marine sponges and biological activities associated with them

The protective effect of Moringa oleifera plant extract against glutamate-induced DNA damage and reduced cell viability in a primary retinal ganglion cell line

Background Glutamate excitotoxicity can cause DNA damage and is linked to many retinal and neurological disorders. In mammals, the visual signal from the eyes to the brain is conducted only by retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), which can be damaged by overstimulation of glutamate receptors. Methodology We examined the protective effects of Moringa oleifera seed extract against glutamate-induced DNA damage in RGCs. RGCs cells were treated with 5, 10, 50, or 100 µg/ml of M. oleifera seed extract and glutamate separately and then assessed for DNA damage using the comet assay. We also evaluated the viability of the RGCs after both treatments using the MTT test. Additionally, RGCs were pretreated with M. oleifera seed extract (50 or 100 µg/ml) for 2 h before glutamate treatment (100 µg/ml) to determine the potential protective effects of M. oleifera. We performed a phytochemical analysis of the M. oleifera seed extract using standard reactions. Results The M. oleifera seed extract was found to be rich in many phytochemicals. We observed a significant dose-dependent elevation in all comet assay variables in glutamate-treated RGCs, whereas M. oleifera seed extract treatments did not show any significant change in DNA integrity. Conclusion M. oleifera seed extract demonstrates neuroprotective effects, which suggests it may help to prevent the development of many neurodegenerative disorders

Antioxidant and hepatorenal protective effects of bee pollen fractions against propionic acid‐induced autistic feature in rats

In the brain, propionic acid (PA) can cross cell membranes and accumulate within cells, leading to intracellular acidification, which may alter neurotransmitter release (NT), communication between neurons, and behavior. Such elevation in levels of PA constitutes a neurodevelopmental metabolic disorder called propionic acidemia, which could clinically manifest as autism. The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective effects of different fractions of bee pollen (BP) on PA‐induced autism in rats, and to evaluate their effects on the expression of liver and renal biomarkers. Groups of rats received treatments of different fractions of BP at a dose of 250 mg/kg of body weight/day for a period of 1 month. Normal control group I and group II were orally administered with phosphate‐buffered saline and propionic acid, respectively, for 3 days. BP contains various health‐promoting phenolic components. Different fractions of BP administered pre‐ and post‐treatment with PA showed significant reduction in the levels of liver and renal biomarkers (p < .05). Also, a significant enhancement in the levels of glutathione S‐transferase (GST), catalase CAT), and ascorbic acid (VIT C) was observed. Supplementation with BP significantly reduced biochemical changes in the liver, kidneys, and brain of rats with PA‐induced toxicity. It exhibited protective effects against oxidative damage and reactive oxygen species produced by PA‐induced adverse reactions in rats. Taken together, our study shows that BP possesses protective effects in PA‐induced liver and kidney damage

Antibacterial and Immunomodulatory Potentials of Biosynthesized Ag, Au, Ag-Au Bimetallic Alloy Nanoparticles Using the Asparagus racemosus Root Extract

Two noble metals, such as silver and gold alloy nanoparticles, were successfully synthesized by the microwave assisted method in the presence of the Asparagus racemosus root extract and were used as an antibacterial and immunomodulatory agent. The nanostuctures of the synthesized nanoparticles were confirmed by various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The UV-vis spectrum exhibits a distinct absorption peak at 483 nm for the bimetallic alloy nanoparticles. The microscopic analysis revealed the spherical shaped morphology of the biosynthesized nanoparticles with a particle size of 10&ndash;50 nm. The antibacterial potential of the green synthesized single metal (AgNPs and AuNPs) and bimetallic alloy nanoparticles was tested against five bacterial strains. The bimetallic alloy nanoparticles displayed the highest zone of inhibition against P. aeurgnosia and S.aureus strains when compared to single metal nanoparticles and plant extract. In addition, the inmmunomodulatory potential of the root extract of A. racemosus, AgNPs, AuNPs, and Ag-Au alloy NPs is achieved by measuring the cytokine levels in macrophages (IL-1&beta;, IL-6, and TNF-&alpha;) and NK cells (IFN-&gamma;) of NK92 and THP1 cells using the solid phase sandwich ELISA technique. The results showed that the root extract of A. racemosus, AgNPs, and AuNPs can reduce the pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in the macrophages cells, while Ag-Au alloy NPs can reduce cytokine responses in NK92 cells. Overall, this study shows that the microwave assisted biogenic synthesized bimetallic nanoalloy nanoparticles could be further explored for the development of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory therapies

Fig 10 -

Effect of sunflower oil/FA–CSNPs bionanocomposite on the production of cytokines (a) NO, (b) IL–6, and (c) TNF–α. The data are expressed as mean ± standard deviation (n = 3). The significant differences between the treated cells and the control cells were calculated as *P P < 0.01.</p

Fig 6 -

Antibacterial potential of (a) control, (b) FA–CSNPs, (c) fly ash, and (d) sunflower oil/FA–CSNPs bionanocomposite film against (A) B. subtilis and (B) P. aeruginosa strains.</p

Plectraterpene, a new ursane-type triterpene ester and other steroids from the aerial parts of Plectranthus montanus

A new ursane-type triterpene ester, plectraterpene [3β-(decanoyloxy)-19-hydroxy-urs-12-ene] and four known steroidal compounds have been isolated from the aerial parts of Plectranthus montanus Benth. (syn. Plectranthus cylindraceus Hochst. ex Benth.), Lamiaceae. The known compounds were stigmasterol, sitosteryl ferulate, cholest-5-en-3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside and stigmasterol-3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside. Compounds plectraterpene, sitosteryl ferulate and stigmasterol-3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside are reported for the first time from this plant whereas compound cholest-5-en-3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside first time from the genus. The structures of these compounds were determined through spectral analysis, including extensive 2D NMR data as well as chemical methods and comparison with literature. Keywords: Plectranthus cylindraceus, Lamiaceae, Plectraterpene, Ursane-type triterpen

Scheme 1 -

A new sunflower oil-chitosan decorated fly ash (sunflower oil/FA-CSNPs) bionanocomposite film was synthesized using the extract of Litopenaeus vannamei (White shrimp) and evaluated as an antibacterial and immunomodulatory agent. Fly ash-chitosan nanoparticles were produced by using chitosan (CS) isolated from white shrimp extract, glacial acetic acid and sodium tripolyphosphate solution as cross-linkage. The ultrafine polymeric sunflower oil-CS film was fabricated by treating fly ash-chitosan nanoparticles with sunflower oil in glacial acetic acid under continuous stirring for 24 h. The nanostructure of the fabricated polymeric film was confirmed and characterized by different microscopic and spectroscopic approaches. The surface morphology of pre-synthesized bionanocomposite film was found to be homogenous, even and without cracks and pores. The crystallinity of formed bionanocomposite film was noticed at angles (2θ) at 12.65°, 15.21°, 19.04°, 23.26°, 34.82°, and 37.23° in the XRD spectrum. The fabricated film displayed excellent stability up to 380 ⁰C. The formed sunflower oil/FA-CSNPs bionanocomposite film showed promising antibacterial towards Bacillus subtilis with highest zone of inhibition of 34 mm and Pseudomonas aeruginosa with zone of inhibition of 28 nm. The as-synthesized bionanocomposite film exhibited highest cell viability effect (98.95%), followed by FA-CSNPs (83.25%) at 200 μg mL-1 concentrations. The bionanocomposite film exerted notable immunomodulatory effect by promoting phagocytosis and enhancing the production of cytokines (NO, IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α) in macrophage-derived RAW264.7 cell line.</div

Measurement of Corneal Biomechanical Properties using Corneal Visualisation Scheimpflug Technology and Ocular Response Analyser in Healthy Saudi Female Adults: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Corneal biomechanics is a relatively new discipline of research that focuses on the physical and biological interactions in the anterior part of the eye. Corneal biomechanics is influenced by a wide range of variables, including environmental influences, hydration, and hormone changes. Central Corneal Thickness (CCT), Intraocular Pressure (IOP), and age are other variables that might impact the corneas. The biomechanical properties of the cornea, at any level of cell to tissue to the sub-organ, might cause serious corneal diseases. Aim: To measure the corneal biomechanial properties in healthy Saudi females. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Optometry and Vision Science, College of Applied Medical Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 53 right eyes of Saudi female participants from April 2021 to April 2022. The IOP, CCT, and the corneal biomechanical properties at the first applanation (time-T1, velocity-V1, length-L1, deformation amplitude-DA1), second applanation (time-T2, velocity-V2, length-L2, deformation amplitude-DA2), highest concavity (Highest Concavity Time-HCT, Highest Concavity Radius-HCR, Highest Concavity Deformation Amplitude-HCDA), and Peak Distance (PD) were evaluated by using Corneal Visualisation Scheimpflug Technology (CST) whereas, Ocular Response Analyser (ORA) was used for the comparison of biomechanical properties. The statistical analysis of the data was done by applying statistical package IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) (version 24) and conducting Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tests. Results: The mean age of the participants was 20.74±1.89 years, mean Spherical Equivalent (SE) refraction was -1.41±1.97 Diopters (D), the mean IOP was 16.82±1.96 mmHg, and the mean CCT was 569.43±27.22 μm for the right eyes. The results showed that the two most affecting factors in the biomechanical parameters were IOP and CCT. A potential association was found between first applanation time (T1) and corneal speed during the first applanation (V1) for both IOP and CCT (p<0.001) in the linear regression analysis, while a significant difference was observed in V1 (p=0.029) in SE. In the second applanation, a significant association was found in T2 with IOP (p<0.001) and CCT, cord length of the second applanation (L2) with CCT, and V2 with SE, IOP, and CCT was observed. A significant association between time and SE (p=0.034) was notice in the highest concavity parameter. However, deformation amplitude exhibited the significant association between SE and IOP, radius with IOP and CCT, and the PD with SE, IOP, and CCT (p<0.001). Conclusion: Most of the corneal biomechanical parameters were affected with CCT and IOP. Thus, the biomechanical characteristics of the cornea can be used to compare normal eyes with pathological eyes