The optimization of table beet cultivation by using a boron-containing chelate

In the field experiment, the possibility of optimizing the cultivation of table beet Beta vulgaris L. using a borate complex based on ethylenediamine disuccinic acid (B-EDDS) was investigated. Before sowing, beet seeds were soaked for a day in a solution of this compound, as well as in solutions of boric acid and a borate complex based on ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (B-EDTA), taken for comparison, with a concentration of solutes of 1.5·10-3 mol/L. During the growing season, the plants were sprayed twice with experimental solutions at a rate of 100 ml/m2. In the first decade of August, the content of photosynthetic pigments in plant leaves and microbial carbon in the soil was determined, after harvesting, sugars and betanin in root crops were determined by spectrophotometric methods. The boron content in beet root crops was analyzed by the fluorometric method. According to the results of the two-year experiment, all three boron-containing compounds, to varying degrees, had a positive effect on the experimental plant. In decreasing efficiency, they can be arranged in a row: B-EDDS > H3BO3> B-EDTA. Treatment with the solution of borate-ethylenediamine disuccinate complex increased the boron content in root crops by 65% in comparison with treatment with boric acid. In comparison with the control variant, the sugar content in root crops increased by 37%, the content of betanin increased by 25% and the yield of root crops increased by 39%. At the same time, the mass of microbial carbon in the soil increased by 20%, which serves as one of the arguments confirming the ecological safety of the compound under study. Judging by the results of the experiment, borate-ethylenediamine disuccinate has good prospects for use as boron micronutrient fertilizer.

Metabolic activity of hydro-carbon-oxo-borate on a multispecies subgingival periodontal biofilm: a short communication

Objective This study evaluated the metabolic activity of hydro-carbon-oxo-borate complex (HCOBc) on a multispecies subgingival biofilm as well as its effects on cytotoxicity. Materials and methods The subgingival biofilm with 32 species related to periodontitis was formed in the Calgary Biofilm Device (CBD) for 7 days. Two different therapeutic schemes were adopted: (1) treatment with HCOBc, 0.12% chlorhexidine (CHX), and negative control group (without treatment) from day 3 until day 6, two times a day for 1 min each time, totaling 8 treatments and (2) a 24-h treatment on a biofilm grown for 6 days. After 7 days of formation, biofilm metabolic activity was determined by colorimetry assay, and bacterial counts and proportions of complexes were determined by DNA-DNA hybridization. Both substances’ cytotoxicity was evaluated by cell viability (XTT assay) and clonogenic survival assay on ovary epithelial CHO-K1 cells and an osteoblast precursor from calvaria MC3T3-E1 cells. Results The first treatment scheme resulted in a significant reduction in biofilm’s metabolic activity by means of 77% by HCOBc and CHX treatments versus negative control. The total count of 11 and 25 species were decreased by treatment with hydro-carbon-oxo-borate complex and CHX, respectively, compared with the group without treatment (p < 0.05), highlighting a reduction in the levels of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Prevotella intermedia, and Fusobacterium periodontium. CHX significantly reduced the count of 10 microorganisms compared to the group treated with HCOBc (p < 0.05). HCOBc and CHX significantly decreased the pathogenic red-complex proportion compared with control-treated biofilm, and HCOBc had even a more significant effect on the red complex than CHX had (p ≤ 0.05). For the second treatment scheme, HCOBc complex and CHX significantly decreased 61 and 72% of control biofilms’ metabolic activity and the counts of 27 and 26 species, respectively. HCOBc complex did not significantly affect the proportions of formed biofilms, while CHX significantly reduced red, orange, and yellow complexes. Both substances exhibited similar cytotoxicity results. Conclusions This short communication suggested that the HCOBc complex reduced a smaller number of bacterial species when compared to chlorhexidine during subgingival biofilm formation, but it was better than chlorhexidine in reducing red-complex bacterial proportions. Although HCOBc reduced the mature 6-day-old subgingival multispecies biofilms, it did not modify bacterial complexes’ ratios as chlorhexidine did on the biofilms mentioned above. Future in vivo studies are needed to validate these results. Clinical relevance HCOBc complex could be used to reduce red-complex periodontal bacterial proportions.

Novel enzymatic single-nucleotide modification of DNA oligomer: prevention of incessant incorporation of nucleotidyl transferase by ribonucleotide-borate complex

Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT), which mediates template-independent polymerization with low specificity for nucleotides, has been used for nucleotide extension of DNA oligomers. One concern is that it is difficult to control the number of incorporated nucleotides, which is a limitation on the use of TdT for single-nucleotide incorporation of DNA oligomers. Herein, we uncovered an interesting inhibitory effect on TdT when ribonucleotide substrates (rNTPs) were employed in a borate buffer. On the basis of unique inhibitory effects of the ribonucleotide–borate complex, we developed a novel enzymatic method for single-nucleotide incorporation of a DNA oligomer with a modified rNTP by TdT. Single-nucleotide incorporation of a DNA oligomer with various modified rNTPs containing an oxanine, biotin, aminoallyl or N6-propargyl group was achieved with a high yield. The ‘TdT in rNTP-borate’ method is quite simple and efficient for preparing a single-nucleotide modified DNA oligomer, which is useful for the design of functional DNA-based systems.