Bioactive Extracts: Strategies to generate Diversified Natural Product Like Libraries

Natural products have stimulated chemists owing to their abundant structural diversity and complexity. Indeed, natural products have performed an essential role, particularly in the cure of cancerous and infectious diseases, thereby posing medicinal researchers with a scope of unexplored chemotypes for the innovation of new drugs. Fusion of chemical derivatization and combinatorial synthesis forms the basis of the concept of chemo diversification of plants. Diverse libraries of natural product analogs are constructed through existing biological and chemical approaches using unique schemes to expand natural product frameworks. This review aims to present several approaches employed to offer innovative opportunities to synthesize NP-inspired compound libraries. Reactive molecular fragments present in most natural products are chemically converted to chemically engineered extracts (CEEs) or semisynthetic compounds constituting distinct libraries. Bio-guided isolation for natural products required vital tools like reverse phase chromatography and bioautographic assays. Different established strategies from DTS, BIOS, CtD, FOS, FBDD to Late-stage diversification facilitate the expansion of molecules with physicochemical properties. In particular, fragment-like natural products with novel skeletons may be used as preliminary points for chemical biology and medicinal chemistry programs with great capacity. In this review, we sum up how NPs have proven fruitful for the novel methodologies responsible for the diversification of complex natural products; thereby, it is worthy of going over the upcoming integration of natural products with combinatorial chemistry.

Molecular identification and genetic relationships among Alcea (Malvaceae) species by ISSR Markers: A high value medicinal plant

Alcea L. is one of the largest genera of Malvaceae family with nearly 70 species worldwide mainly distributed in SW Asia. According to the latest revision of the family, it is represented by 34 species in the Flora of Iran, among them, 15 species are endemic. It is tough to accurate germplasm/ plant recognition by using morphological characteristics because of its propagation, growing and using. We conducted a molecular data analysis on these plant species due to their importance. We examined 156 plants from 14 species in 16 regions that were selected randomly for this investigation. It has been 119 polymorphic bands (94.33%) were resulted from 128 bands of 10 primers in amplification of genomic DNA. ISSR primers have a great capacity to detect polymorphic loci among Alcea species, as evidenced by the high average PIC and MI values found. The genetic similarity of 14 species was calculated and ranged between 0.635 to 0.990. Inter-Simple sequence repeats (ISSR) markers research revealed that Alcea tarica Pakravan & Ghahreman and Alcea kopetdaghensis lljin had the least similarity, while Alcea semnanica Pakravan and Alcea mazandaranica Pakravan & Ghahreman had the most. The current study attempts to answer three questions: 1) can ISSR markers identify Alcea species? 2) what is the genetic structure of these taxa in Iran? and 3) what is the inter-relationship between these taxa? The current study discovered that ISSR markers can be used to identify species.

EFECTO INHIBITORIO DE Lactobacillus plantarum AISLADOS DESDE LAS DISTINTAS ETAPAS DE LA CADENA PRODUCTIVA DE CARNE PORCINA FRENTE A Campylobacter coli

Lactobacillus plantarum has a great capacity to adapt to environmental and have antibacterial capacity against different pathogen. This is a potential alternative for the control of pathogen in food coming slaughter animal. The objective of this work was to determine the antibacterial effect of L. plantarum strains against C. coli strains. L. plantarum LP1, LP3, LP5 and LP7 of porcine origin and a reference strain of Campylobacter coli NCTC 11366 were used. C. coli and L. plantarum was reactivated. Lyophilized ELC and ELCn were obtained. C. coli was distributed on the surface of mCCDA by swab and the ELC and the ELCn were inoculated in wells previously made on the agar. After 48 h, the diameter of the zone of inhibition was measured. The inhibition halos produced were 23.2 mm. The ELCn showed less antagonistic activity. The LP5 ELC generated higher inhibition halos and ELCn showed no differences between the four strains studied. L. plantarum strains, isolated from the pig production chain, could potentially be applied to control C. coli. This data is added to the scarce scientific evidence of the inhibitory effect of L. plantarum before this zoonotic pathogen of importance in public health.

Preparation of a Highly Porous Clay-Based Absorbent for Hazard Spillage Mitigation via Two-Step Expansion of Vermiculite

Expanded vermiculite (eVMT) has been studied as a risk-free, general-purpose absorbent for liquid hazards due to its excellent thermal and chemical stability. Here, vermiculite was expanded by two steps: exfoliation by 30 wt% H2O2 treatment at 60 °C and subsequent expansion by microwave heating. This two-step expansion produced more homogenously separated concertina-like eVMTs with a higher total pore volume of 7.75 cm3 g−1 than the conventional thermal method. The two-step eVMT was found to be greatly superior to the thermal and commercial silver counterparts in hazardous liquid-uptake performance. The uptake was simply interpreted as a physical infilling process of a liquid into the eVMT pores, and the spontaneous hazard removal with a great capacity was discussed with the large pore volume of two-step eVMT and its suitable pore dimensions for capillary action. As a practical device, a prototype absorbent assembly made of these eVMTs demonstrated the successful mitigation of liquid hazards on an impermeable surface.

Larvae of migratory Characiformes species in an archipelago in the Lower Amazon River

In the Amazon basin, most of the migratory Characiformes species represent an important fishing resource for local people. However, the lack of information about the main areas and periods of reproduction and the importance of certain environments for the maintenance of species may jeopardize the renewal of fish stocks. Thus, the aim was to examine the spatial and seasonal variation in the density of larvae of migratory Characiformes species in an archipelago in the Lower Amazon River and to assess the importance of this environment for the biological recruitment of the studied species. The capture of larvae was carried out in places close to restinga swamps, steep ruts, and inlet areas with a plankton net (300 µm) in monthly sampling from January to December 2013. An analysis of variance was used to verify differences in larval density between seasons and sampling months. A total of 30,997 larvae were captured and showed no significant differences in their distributions between habitats. However, a variation between the phases of the hydrological cycle was evident, in which the highest larval concentrations were observed during the flooding (17.72 larvae.10m-3) and the drought (1.33 larvae.10m-3). The study area has a great capacity to assist in the maintenance and renewal of regional fish stocks, as it is an important retention and nursery site for larvae of Characiformes that drift along the main channel of the Amazon River.

Occurrence of Pseudomonas spp. in Raw Vegetables: Molecular and Phenotypical Analysis of Their Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence-Related Traits

Pseudomonas is characterized by its great capacity to colonize different ecological niches, but also by its antimicrobial resistance and pathogenicity, causing human, animal, or plant diseases. Raw and undercooked food is a potential carrier of foodborne disease. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of Pseudomonas spp. among raw vegetables, analysing their antimicrobial resistance, virulence, and molecular typing. A total of 163 Pseudomonas spp. isolates (12 different species) were recovered from 77 of the 145 analysed samples (53.1%) and were classified into 139 different pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns. Low antimicrobial resistance levels, but one multidrug-resistant isolate, were found. Among the 37 recovered P. aeruginosa strains, 28 sequence-types and nine serotypes were detected. Eleven OprD patterns and an insertion sequence (ISPa1635) truncating the oprD gene of one imipenem-resistant strain were found. Ten virulotypes were observed, including four exoU-positive and thirty-one exoS-positive strains. The lasR gene was absent in three ST155 strains and was truncated by different insertion sequences (ISPre2, IS1411, and ISPst7) in other three strains. High biofilm, motility, pigment, elastase, and rhamnolipid production were detected. Our study demonstrated a low occurrence of P. aeruginosa (18%) and low antimicrobial resistance, but a high number of virulence-related traits in these P. aeruginosa strains, highlighting their pathological importance.

Response to Antimony Toxicity in Dittrichia viscosa Plants: ROS, NO, H2S, and the Antioxidant System

Dittrichia viscosa plants were grown hydroponically with different concentrations of Sb. There was preferential accumulation of Sb in roots. Fe and Cu decreased, while Mn decreased in roots but not in leaves. Chlorophyll content declined, but the carotenoid content increased, and photosynthetic efficiency was unaltered. O2●− generation increased slightly, while lipid peroxidation increased only in roots. H2O2, NO, ONOO−, S-nitrosothiols, and H2S showed significant increases, and the enzymatic antioxidant system was altered. In roots, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDAR) activities declined, dehydroscorbate reductase (DHAR) rose, and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), peroxidase (POX), and glutathione reductase (GR) were unaffected. In leaves, SOD and POX increased, MDAR decreased, and APX was unaltered, while GR increased. S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) and l-cysteine desulfhydrilase (l-DES) increased in activity, while glutathione S-transferase (GST) decreased in leaves but was enhanced in roots. Components of the AsA/GSH cycle decreased. The great capacity of Dittrichia roots to accumulate Sb is the reason for the differing behaviour observed in the enzymatic antioxidant systems of the two organs. Sb appears to act by binding to thiol groups, which can alter free GSH content and SOD and GST activities. The coniferyl alcohol peroxidase activity increased, possibly to lignify the roots’ cell walls. Sb altered the ROS balance, especially with respect to H2O2. This led to an increase in NO and H2S acting on the antioxidant system to limit that Sb-induced redox imbalance. The interaction NO, H2S and H2O2 appears key to the response to stress induced by Sb. The interaction between ROS, NO, and H2S appears to be involved in the response to Sb.

Phage-Mediated Explosive Cell Lysis Induces the Formation of a Different Type of O-IMV in Shewanella vesiculosa M7T

Shewanella vesiculosa M7T is a cold-adapted Antarctic bacterium that has a great capacity to secrete membrane vesicles (MVs), making it a potentially excellent model for studying the vesiculation process. S. vesiculosa M7T undergoes a blebbing mechanism to produce different types of MVs, including outer membrane vesicles and outer-inner membrane vesicles (O-IMVs). More recently, other mechanisms have been considered that could lead to the formation of O-IMVs derived from prophage-mediated explosive cell lysis in other bacteria, but it is not clear if they are of the same type. The bacterial growth phase could also have a great impact on the type of MVs, although there are few studies on the subject. In this study, we used high-resolution flow cytometry, transmission electron microscopy, and cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) analysis to determine the amount and types of MVs S. vesiculosa M7T secreted during different growth phases. We show that MV secretion increases during the transition from the late exponential to the stationary phase. Moreover, prophage-mediated explosive cell lysis is activated in S. vesiculosa M7T, increasing the heterogeneity of both single- and double-layer MVs. The sequenced DNA fragments from the MVs covered the entire genome, confirming this explosive cell lysis mechanism. A different structure and biogenesis mechanisms for the explosive cell lysis-derived double-layered MVs was observed, and we propose to name them explosive O-IMVs, distinguishing them from the blebbing O-IMVs; their separation is a first step to elucidate their different functions. In our study, we used for the first time sorting by flow cytometry and Cryo-EM analyses to isolate bacterial MVs based on their nucleic acid content. Further improvements and implementation of bacterial MV separation techniques is essential to develop more in-depth knowledge of MVs.

Antioxidant capacity of pitcher (Nepenthes) extract on oxidative rancidity of sun-dried squid

Consumers demand new biologically natural-active ingredients with a great capacity to promote a healthier advantage and free from toxicity. Pitcher (Nepenthes) is one of the naturally carnivorous climber herbs. Extract from Nepenthes plant contains numerous beneficial bioactivity characteristics. This research compared the impact of 0.05% pitcher extract demonstrated with 10 ppm butylated hydroxyanisole on the accumulation of acid value, peroxide value, carbonyl value and thiobarbituric acid during 12 months of storage. Results showed that there was no significant difference between 0.05% pitcher extract and 10 ppm butylated hydroxyanisole in respect of acid value, peroxide value, carbonyl value and thiobarbituric acid during preservation of the dried squid. Pitcher extract would be a promising alternative to replace synthetic antioxidants to overcome oxidative rancidity in the dried seafood.

Chess, visual memory and geometric transformations

This work shows how playing chess creates capacities in the student such as increasing visual memory. This helps to classify information in an orderly manner in the mind and contributes to a better understanding of geometric transformations such as displacements, turns and similarities. This was done with a mixed technique (Quantitative and Qualitative), starting with a structured questionnaire that was applied to 487 students. A case study was carried out with two students (one with and the other without notable chess skills) in two schools in Bogotá-Colombia, with the aim of understanding chess as a tool that can help the teacher to teach mathematics¡. In the quantitative part, data were collected by a structured questionnaire, and in the qualitative part, recordings and transcripts were made of what the two students reported in the case study. So, favorable results were achieved for students who usually play chess, because they show a great capacity for visual memory (in the long and short term) that contributes to a more optimal learning of displacements and similarities in the Cartesian plane. This research shows a powerful tool (chess) that can be used in the teaching of mathematics, thanks to the skills and concepts that are generated in the experience with the game.