scholarly journals Transcriptomic Analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Response to Pine Honey via RNA Sequencing Indicates Multiple Mechanisms of Antibacterial Activity

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 936
Author(s):  
Ioannis Kafantaris ◽  
Christina Tsadila ◽  
Marios Nikolaidis ◽  
Eleni Tsavea ◽  
Tilemachos G. Dimitriou ◽  
...  

Pine honey is a unique type of honeydew honey produced exclusively in Eastern Mediterranean countries like Greece and Turkey. Although the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of pine honey are well documented, few studies have investigated so far its antibacterial activity. This study investigates the antibacterial effects of pine honey against P. aeruginosa PA14 at the molecular level using a global transcriptome approach via RNA-sequencing. Pine honey treatment was applied at sub-inhibitory concentration and short exposure time (0.5× of minimum inhibitory concentration –MIC- for 45 min). Pine honey induced the differential expression (>two-fold change and p ≤ 0.05) of 463 genes, with 274 of them being down-regulated and 189 being up-regulated. Gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed that pine honey affected a wide range of biological processes (BP). The most affected down-regulated BP GO terms were oxidation-reduction process, transmembrane transport, proteolysis, signal transduction, biosynthetic process, phenazine biosynthetic process, bacterial chemotaxis, and antibiotic biosynthetic process. The up-regulated BP terms, affected by pine honey treatment, were those related to the regulation of DNA-templated transcription, siderophore transport, and phosphorylation. Pathway analysis revealed that pine honey treatment significantly affected two-component regulatory systems, ABC transporter systems, quorum sensing, bacterial chemotaxis, biofilm formation and SOS response. These data collectively indicate that multiple mechanisms of action are implicated in antibacterial activity exerted by pine honey against P. aeruginosa.

Author(s):  
Oleg Bostanjoglo ◽  
Peter Thomsen-Schmidt

Thin GexTe1-x (x = 0.15-0.8) were studied as a model substance of a composite semiconductor film, in addition being of interest for optical storage material. Two complementary modes of time-resolved TEM were used to trace the phase transitions, induced by an attached Q-switched (50 ns FWHM) and frequency doubled (532 nm) Nd:YAG laser. The laser radiation was focused onto the specimen within the TEM to a 20 μm spot (FWHM). Discrete intermediate states were visualized by short-exposure time doubleframe imaging /1,2/. The full history of a transformation was gained by tracking the electron image intensity with photomultiplier and storage oscilloscopes (space/time resolution 100 nm/3 ns) /3/. In order to avoid radiation damage by the probing electron beam to detector and specimen, the beam is pulsed in this continuous mode of time-resolved TEM,too.Short events ( <2 μs) are followed by illuminating with an extended single electron pulse (fig. 1c)


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 722-729
Author(s):  
Usman Sani ◽  
Bashir Gide Muhammad ◽  
Dimas Skam Joseph ◽  
D. Z. Joseph

Poor implementation of quality assurance programs in the radiation industry has been a major setback in our locality. Several studies revealed that occupational workers are exposed to many potential hazards of ionizing radiation during radio-diagnostic procedures, yet radiation workers are often not monitored. This study aims to evaluate the occupational exposure of the radiation workers in Federal Medical Centre Katsina, and to compare the exposure with recommended occupational radiation dose limits. The quarterly readings of 20 thermo-luminescent dosimeters (TLDs') used by the radiation workers from January to December, 2019 were collected from the facility's radiation monitoring archive, and subsequently assessed and analyzed. The results indicate that the average annual equivalent dose per occupational worker range from 0.74 to 1.20 mSv and 1.28 to 2.21 mSv for skin surface and deep skin dose, measured at 10 mm and 0.07 mm tissue depth respectively. The occupational dose was within the recommended national and international limits of 5 mSv per annum or an average of 20 mSv in 5 years. Therefore, there was no significant radiation exposure to all the occupational workers in the study area. Though, the occupational radiation dose is within recommended limit, this does not eliminate stochastic effect of radiation. The study recommended that the occupational workers should adhere and strictly comply with the principles of radiation protection which includes distance, short exposure time, shielding and proper monitoring of dose limits. Furthermore, continuous training of the radiation workers is advised.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chem Int

Iron nanoparticles have gained tremendous attention due to their application in magnetic storage media, ferrofluids, biosensors, catalysts, separation processes, environmental remediation and antibacterial activity. In the present paper, iron nanoparticles were synthesized using aqueous flower extract of Piliostigma thonningii, a natural nontoxic herbal infusion. Iron nanoparticles were generated by reaction of ferrous chloride solution with the flower extract. The reductants present in the flower extract acted as reducing and stabilizing agents. UV-vis analysis of the iron nanoparticles showed continuous absorption in the visible range suggesting the iron nanoparticles were amorphous. This was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis which did not have distinct diffraction peaks. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that the synthesized iron nanoparticles were aggregated as irregular clusters with rough surfaces. FT-IR studies showed the functional groups that participated in the bio-reduction process to include a C-H stretch (due to alkane CH3, CH2 or CH), C=O stretch (due to aldehydes), O-H bend (due to tert-alcohol or phenol), C-O stretch (due to aldehydes or phenols) and C-O stretch (due to alcohols) corresponding to absorptions at 2929.00, 1721.53, 1405.19, 1266.31 and 1030.02 cm-1 respectively. The iron nanoparticles showed significant antibacterial activity against Escharichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus suggesting potential antibacterial application.


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (04) ◽  
pp. 4512
Author(s):  
Jackie K. Obey ◽  
Anthoney Swamy T* ◽  
Lasiti Timothy ◽  
Makani Rachel

The determination of the antibacterial activity (zone of inhibition) and minimum inhibitory concentration of medicinal plants a crucial step in drug development. In this study, the antibacterial activity and minimum inhibitory concentration of the ethanol extract of Myrsine africana were determined for Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Streptococcus pneumoniae. The zones of inhibition (mm±S.E) of 500mg/ml of M. africana ethanol extract were 22.00± 0.00 for E. coli,20.33 ±0.33 for B. cereus,25.00± 0.00 for S. epidermidis and 18. 17±0.17 for S. pneumoniae. The minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC) is the minimum dose required to inhibit growth a microorganism. Upon further double dilution of the 500mg/ml of M. africana extract, MIC was obtained for each organism. The MIC for E. coli, B. cereus, S. epidermidis and S. pneumoniae were 7.81mg/ml, 7.81mg/ml, 15.63mg/ml and 15.63mg/ml respectively. Crude extracts are considered active when they inhibit microorganisms with zones of inhibition of 8mm and above. Therefore, this study has shown that the ethanol extract of M. africana can control the growth of the four organisms tested.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Mahmoud Muddathir ◽  
Ebtihal Abdalla M. Mohieldin ◽  
Tohru Mitsunaga

Abstract Background Dental caries and periodontal disease are the most common chronic infectious oral diseases in the world. Acacia nilotica was commonly known in Sudan as Garad or Sunt has a wide range of medicinal uses. In the present study, antibacterial activity of oral bacteria (Streptococcus sobrinus and Porphyromonas gingivalis), inhibitory activity against glucosyltransferase (GTF) enzyme and antioxidant activity were assayed for methanolic crude extract of A. nilotica bark and its fractions. Methods Methanoilc crude extract of A. nilotica bark was applied to a Sephadex LH-20 column and eluted with methanol, aqueous methanol, and finally aqueous acetone to obtain four fractions (Fr1- Fr4). Furthermore, the crude extract and fractions were subjected to analytical high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The crude extract and its fractions were assayed for antibacterial activity against S. sobrinus and P. gingivalis using a microplate dilution assay method to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), as well as GTF inhibition and antioxidant activity using ABTS radical scavenging method. Results Fractions (Fr1 and Fr2) exhibited MIC values of 0.3 mg/ml against the P. gingivalis. Additionally, Fr2 displayed MBC value of 1 mg/ml against two types of bacteria. Fr4 showed an especially potent GTF inhibitory activity with IC50 value of 3.9 μg/ml. Fr1 displayed the best antioxidant activity with IC50 value of 1.8 μg/ml. The main compound in Fr1 was identified as gallic acid, and Fr2 was mostly a mixture of gallic acid and methyl gallate. Conclusions The results obtained in this study provide some scientific rationale and justify the use of this plant for the treatment of dental diseases in traditional medicine. A. nilotica bark, besides their antibacterial potentiality and GTF inhibitory activity, it may be used as adjuvant antioxidants in mouthwashes. Further studies in the future are required to identify the rest of the active compounds.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 329-343
Author(s):  
Yaaser Q. Almulaiky ◽  
Ammar AL-Farga

Commiphora gileadensis is commonly used in Saudi Arabia for oral hygiene. A lack of data about its biological activity encouraged us to evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of its leaf and stem extracts. Ethanol, methanol, acetone and deionized water were tested as extraction solvents. 80% methanol gave the highest extracted concentrations of phenolic and flavonoid substances. The leaf and stem extracts were respectively evaluated for their radical scavenging activity with DPPH (EC50 = 3.39, and 1.06), ABTS (EC50 = 0.690, and 0.55), and peroxide scavenging activity (EC50 = 2.43, and 1.28). GC-MS identified a wide range of compounds that may be responsible for these activities of the results observed. The highest levels of chlorophyll, carotenoids, and lycopene were found in the leaf extract while level of proanthocyanidins was found in the stem peels extract. The peroxidase and catalase activities of stem peel extract were higher than those of the leaf extract. The findings showed that the leaf and stem peel extracts of C. gileadensis exhibited significant antibacterial activity against the test organisms. The minimum inhibitory concentrations for the plant extracts were compared with the standard reference drug Augmentin but the time–kill curves for the C. gileadensis extracts showed that they were less effective than Augmentin. Moreover, the stem peel extract exhibited stronger antibacterial activity than the leaf extract. In conclusion, C. gileadensis can be an important source of natural antioxidants, used as a healthy chewing stick for teeth brushing and oral hygiene purposes.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 105
Author(s):  
Kun Mi ◽  
Da Sun ◽  
Mei Li ◽  
Haihong Hao ◽  
Kaixiang Zhou ◽  
...  

Haemophilus parasuis can cause high morbidity and mortality in swine. Cefquinome possesses excellent antibacterial activity against pathogens causing diseases of the respiratory tract. This study aimed to establish the clinical breakpoint (CBP) of cefquinome against H. parasuis and to monitor the resistance change. Referring to the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) distribution of cefquinome against 131 H. parasuis isolates, the MIC50 and MIC90 were determined to be 0.125 and 1 μg/mL, respectively. And the epidemiological cutoff (ECOFF) value was 1 μg/mL. HPS42 was selected as a representative strain for the pharmacodynamic (PD) experiment, pharmacokinetic (PK) experiment and clinical experiments. The PK/PD index values, area under concentration-time curve (AUC)/MIC, of the bacteriostatic, bactericidal, and bacterial elimination effects were 23, 41, and 51 h, respectively. The PK/PD cutoff was calculated as 0.125 μg/mL by Monte Carlo simulation (MCS), and the clinical cutoff was 0.25−4 μg/mL by WindoW. Combing these three values, the CBP of cefquinome against H. parasuis was found to be 1 μg/mL. In conclusion, this was the first study to integrate various cutoffs to establish the CBP in the laboratory. It is helpful to distinguish wild type H. parasuis and reduce the probability of treatment failure.


Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 717
Author(s):  
Rita Abou Nader ◽  
Rawan Mackieh ◽  
Rim Wehbe ◽  
Dany El El Obeid ◽  
Jean Marc Sabatier ◽  
...  

Honeybees are one of the most marvelous and economically beneficial insects. As pollinators, they play a vital role in every aspect of the ecosystem. Beehive products have been used for thousands of years in many cultures for the treatment of various diseases. Their healing properties have been documented in many religious texts like the Noble Quran and the Holy Bible. Honey, bee venom, propolis, pollen and royal jelly all demonstrated a richness in their bioactive compounds which make them effective against a variety of bacterial strains. Furthermore, many studies showed that honey and bee venom work as powerful antibacterial agents against a wide range of bacteria including life-threatening bacteria. Several reports documented the biological activities of honeybee products but none of them emphasized on the antibacterial activity of all beehive products. Therefore, this review aims to highlight the antibacterial activity of honey, bee venom, propolis, pollen and royal jelly, that are produced by honeybees.


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Namukobe ◽  
Peter Sekandi ◽  
Robert Byamukama ◽  
Moses Murungi ◽  
Jennifer Nambooze ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Rural populations in Uganda rely heavily on medicinal plants for the treatment of bacterial skin infections. However, the efficacy of these medicinal plants for their pharmacological action is not known. The study aimed at evaluating the antibacterial, antioxidant, and sun protection potential of Spermacoce princeae, Psorospermum febrifugum, Plectranthus caespitosus, and Erlangea tomentosa extracts. Methods The plant samples were extracted by maceration sequentially using hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and distilled water. Antibacterial activity of each extract was carried out using an agar well diffusion assay against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonie, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Salmonella typhi. Acute dermal toxicity of the aqueous extract of S. princeae and P. febrifugum, and E. tomentosa was assessed in young adult healthy Wistar albino rats at a dose of 8000 and 10,000 mg/kg body weight. The antioxidant activity of each extract was carried out using a 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay. The sun protection factor was determined using Shimadzu UltraViolet-Visible double beam spectrophotometer between 290 and 320 nm. Results The plant extracts showed good antibacterial activity against the tested bacterial strains with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging between 3.12 and 12.5 mg/ml. There was no significant change in the levels of creatinine, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase in the rats even at a higher dose of 10,000 mg/kg, which was related to the results of biochemical analysis of the blood samples from the treated and control groups. The aqueous and methanol extracts of S. princeae showed potential antioxidant properties, with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 59.82 and 61.20 μg/ml respectively. The organic and aqueous extracts of P. caespitosus showed high levels of protection against Ultraviolet light with sun protection potential values ranging between 30.67 and 37.84. Conclusions The study demonstrated that the selected medicinal plants possessed good antibacterial, antioxidant, and sun protection properties. Therefore, the plants are alternative sources of antibacterial, antioxidant, and sun protection agents in managing bacterial skin infections.


Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 321
Author(s):  
Shekh Sabir ◽  
Tsz Tin Yu ◽  
Rajesh Kuppusamy ◽  
Basmah Almohaywi ◽  
George Iskander ◽  
...  

The quorum sensing (QS) system in multi-drug-resistant bacteria such as P. aeruginosa is primarily responsible for the development of antibiotic resistance and is considered an attractive target for antimicrobial drug discovery. In this study, we synthesised a series of novel selenourea and thiourea-containing dihydropyrrol-2-one (DHP) analogues as LasR antagonists. The selenium DHP derivatives displayed significantly better quorum-sensing inhibition (QSI) activities than the corresponding sulphur analogues. The most potent analogue 3e efficiently inhibited the las QS system by 81% at 125 µM and 53% at 31 µM. Additionally, all the compounds were screened for their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against the Gram-positive bacterium S. aureus, and interestingly, only the selenium analogues showed antibacterial activity, with 3c and 3e being the most potent with a MIC of 15.6 µM.


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