Engineering Microbial Consortia towards Bioremediation

Bioremediation is a sustainable remediation technology as it utilizes microorganisms to convert hazardous compounds into their less toxic or non-toxic constituent elements. This technology has achieved some success in the past decades; however, factors involving microbial consortia, such as microbial assembly, functional interactions, and the role of member species, hinder its development. Microbial consortia may be engineered to reconfigure metabolic pathways and reprogram social interactions to get the desired function, thereby providing solutions to its inherent problems. The engineering of microbial consortia is commonly applied for the commercial production of biomolecules. However, in the field of bioremediation, the engineering of microbial consortia needs to be emphasized. In this review, we will discuss the molecular and ecological mechanisms of engineering microbial consortia with a particular focus on metabolic cross-feeding within species and the transfer of metabolites. We also discuss the advantages and limitations of top-down and bottom-up approaches of engineering microbial consortia and their applications in bioremediation.

​The Nutritional Facts of Bamboo Shoots have a Potential and Prospects for Utilization as a Health Food: A Review

In Indian tradition, bamboo shoot plays an important role in the traditional food of North East State of India. In India, it is used in the traditional food name as ushoi, soibum, rep, mesu, eup, hirring, etc. In the market, this crop fibre is applied in the bakery and meat products. It has lots of health benefits to the human because it is nutritionally important that contain huge amount of protein, carbohydrate, vitamin, fibre, minerals and very trace amount of fat. Mostly its shoot may be consumed as a food either in fresh form or canned form. The main aimed to study the bamboo shoot could be helpful in mitigating the problem of malnutrition and food security and boost immune system are the major challenges for humanity which facing during Covid-19 pandemic situation. The role of bamboo is increasing day-to-day. Due to the present of phytosterols and rich amount of fibre, it becomes nutraceuticals and apply as natural medicine in several diseases. In recent time, the people are aware to improve their immunity to fight against such type of diseases-to improve the digestion and appetite and recover weight or loss, to cure cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and cancer. The part of this crop mainly shoot has important role in the anticancer, antibacterial and also antiviral diseases. The bamboo smell is very strong due to the presence of phenolic compounds. In Tripura, new event are discovered such as bamboo shoot fortified cookies as a healthy snack. So that its unique characteristics, bamboo is known as miracle plant and green gold. It play an important role in the secondary metabolize formation, so that its taste is slightly acidic. Various bamboo shoot processing methods, effect of cooking, technological methods for removal of toxic constituent in shoots have also been discussed.

Circadian clock regulates hepatotoxicity of Tripterygium wilfordii through modulation of metabolism

Objectives We aimed to determine the diurnal rhythm of Tripterygium wilfordii (TW) hepatotoxicity and to investigate a potential role of metabolism and pharmacokinetics in generating chronotoxicity. Methods Hepatotoxicity was determined based on assessment of liver injury after dosing mice with TW at different circadian time points. Circadian clock control of metabolism, pharmacokinetics and hepatotoxicity was investigated using Clock-deficient (Clock−/−) mice. Key findings Hepatotoxicity of TW displayed a significant circadian rhythm (the highest level of toxicity was observed at ZT2 and the lowest level at ZT14). Pharmacokinetic experiments showed that oral gavage of TW at ZT2 generated higher plasma concentrations (and systemic exposure) of triptolide (a toxic constituent) compared with ZT14 dosing. This was accompanied by reduced formation of triptolide metabolites at ZT2. Loss of Clock gene sensitized mice to TW-induced hepatotoxicity and abolished the time-dependency of toxicity that was well correlated with altered metabolism and pharmacokinetics of triptolide. Loss of Clock gene also decreased Cyp3a11 expression in mouse liver and blunted its diurnal rhythm. Conclusions Tripterygium wilfordii chronotoxicity was associated with diurnal variations in triptolide pharmacokinetics and circadian expression of hepatic Cyp3a11 regulated by circadian clock. Our findings may have implications for improving TW treatment outcome with a chronotherapeutic approach.

In vitro nematicidal activity of a garlic extract and salicylaldehyde on the potato cyst nematode, Globodera pallida

The in vitro nematicidal effects of an aqueous garlic extract, salicylaldehyde, a nonylphenol ethoxylate surfactant and a formulation containing these constituents were evaluated against the potato cyst nematode, Globodera pallida. Newly hatched, infective second-stage juveniles (J2) were placed for 24, 48 and 72 h in solutions containing concentrations of the formulation from 30.080.0 μl l–1 with 20% (v/v) potato root leachate and sterile distilled water controls. The garlic extract, salicylaldehyde and surfactant treatments were assessed at concentrations proportional to their occurrence in the formulation. Hatching assays involved a series of experiments in which G. pallida cysts were incubated for 8 weeks in potato root leachate solution containing different concentrations of the test substances. A second set of experiments involved incubating cysts in different concentrations of the test substances for 2, 4 and 8 weeks prior to hatching in potato root leachate solution to determine how prior exposure to these substances influences hatching and in-egg viability. The formulation caused 100% mortality at 75.0 μl l–1 with an LC50 of 43.6 μl l–1 after 24 h exposure. Salicylaldehyde was the most toxic constituent of the formulation with an LC50 of 6.5 μl l–1 after 24 h, while the garlic extract achieved 50% J2 mortality at 983.0 μl l–1, demonstrating that the formulation and salicylaldehyde are more toxic to G. pallida in vitro than oxamyl but less toxic when compared with aldicarb. The surfactant showed no dose-dependent toxic effects on J2 when compared with the controls. Emergence of J2 from the cysts was significantly reduced by concentrations of the formulation above 688.0 μl l–1 and its equivalent concentration of salicylaldehyde, while concentrations of the formulation above 2752.0 μl l–1 and the corresponding salicylaldehyde concentrations resulted in complete irreversible hatch inhibition. Concentrations of the garlic extract below 137.6 μl l–1 caused 26% more J2 hatch in comparison to the potato root leachate solution. This study has shown that salicylaldehyde is more toxic to nematodes than the garlic extract, and is the first report of a hatch stimulatory effect of a garlic extract on G. pallida under in vitro conditions.