• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.82-89
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• 2020

A systematic isolation and characterization study for Cassia auriculata (CA) seeds resulted in identifying antidiabetic compounds 1,3,8-trihydroxyanthraquinone and quercetin, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, gallic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and ellagic acid. The ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography based triple quadrupole mass spectrometry methodology was developed and validated for simultaneous identification and confirmation of these compounds from CA seeds. Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) based quantification method was developed with MRM optimizer software for MS1 and MS2 mass analysis. The method was optimized on precursor ions and product ions with the ion ratio of each compound. The calibration curves of seven bioactive analytes showed excellent linearity (r2 ≥ 0.99). The quantitation results found precise (RSD, < 10 %) with good recoveries (84.58 to 101.42%). The matrix effect and extraction recoveries were found within the range (91.66 to 102.11%) for the CA seeds. This is the first MS/MS-based methodology applied to quantifying seven antidiabetic compounds in CA seeds and its extract for quality control purposes.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.223-233
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• 2024

Objectives: The phytochemicals in the aerial parts of Euphorbia paralias (also known as Sea Spurge) and their anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities were investigated. Methods: The methanolic extract was characterized using GC-MS and HPLC techniques. The anti-inflammatory feature was estimated through a Human Red Blood Cell (HRBC) membrane stabilization technique, while the antimicrobial feature was evaluated by the disc diffusion agar technique, minimum bactericidal concentration, and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) via micro-broth dilution method. Results: The GC/MS results demonstrated the existence of various phytochemicals, such as n-hexadecenoic acid, cis-11-eicosenoic acid, and methyl stearate, recognized for their anti-inflammatory and antibacterial features. The similarity of the phytochemical composition with other Euphorbia species emphasizes the genus-wide similarity. The anti-inflammatory activity exhibited a noteworthy inhibitory effect comparable to the reference drug indomethacin. The extract's antimicrobial potential was tested against a range of microorganisms, demonstrating significant action against Gram-positive bacteria and Candida albicans. The quantification of total phenolics and flavonoids further supported the therapeutic potential of the extract. Conclusion: The methanolic extract from E. paralias emerges as a successful natural source of important active constituents with potential applications as anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agents. This research provides a first step to valorize Euphorbia paralias insights as a source of worthwhile phytochemicals that have potential applications in the pharmaceutical industry.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2006

Harmful algal blooms (HABs or red tides), caused by uncontrolled proliferation of marine phytoplankton, impose a severe environmental problem and occasionally threaten even public health. We sequenced the genome of an EPS-producing marine bacterium Hahella chejuensis that produces a red pigment with the lytic activity against red-tide dinoflagellates at parts per billion level. H. chejuensis is the first sequenced species among algicidal bacteria as well as in the order Oceanospirillales. Sequence analysis indicated a distant relationship to the Pseudomonas group. Its 7.2-megabase genome encodes basic metabolic functions and a large number of proteins involved in regulation or transport. One of the prominent features of the H. chejuensis genome is a multitude of genes of functional equivalence or of possible foreign origin. A significant proportion (${\sim}23%$) of the genome appears to be of foreign origin, i.e. genomic islands, which encode genes for biosynthesis of exopolysaccharides, toxins, polyketides or non-ribosomal peptides, iron utilization, motility, type III protein secretion and pigment production. Molecular structure of the algicidal pigment was determined to be prodigiosin by LC-ESI-MS/MS and NMR analyses. The genomics-based research on H. chejuensis opens a new possibility for controlling algal blooms by exploiting biotic interactions in the natural environment and provides a model in marine bioprospecting through genome research.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.1039-1052
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• 2017

Endophytic fungi have currently been acknowledged as the most promising source of bioactive compounds for drug discovery, and considerable progress has been made in exploring their diversity, species richness, and bioprospecting. Fungal endophytes from unique environmental settings offer a pool of potentially useful medicinal entities. Owing to the constant stresses imposed on macroalgae by marine environments, it is believed that algae and their associated endophytic symbionts represent a good source of structurally diverse bioactive secondary metabolites. Despite the proven significance of active metabolites of algal endophytes, little have been exploited. This review highlights the latest discoveries in algicolous endophytic research, with particular focus on the bioactive metabolites from algal endophytes. Compounds are classified according to their reported biological activities, like anticancer, antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant properties. Present experimental evidence suggests that a majority of the bioactive metabolites were reported from Phaeophyceae followed by Rhodophyceae and Chlorophyceae. An intensive search for newer and more effective bioactive metabolites has generated a treasure trove of publications, and this review partially covers the literature published up to 2016.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.77-89
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• 2012

With the advent of the genomics era powered by DNA sequencing technologies, life science is being transformed significantly and biological research and development have been accelerated. Environmental biology concerns the relationships among living organisms and their natural environment, which constitute the global biogeochemical cycle. As sustainability of the ecosystems depends on biodiversity, examining the structure and dynamics of the biotic constituents and fully grasping their genetic and metabolic capabilities are pivotal. The high-speed high-throughput next-generation sequencing can be applied to barcoding organisms either thriving or endangered and to decoding the whole genome information. Furthermore, diversity and the full gene complement of a microbial community can be elucidated and monitored through metagenomic approaches. With regard to human welfare, microbiomes of various human habitats such as gut, skin, mouth, stomach, and vagina, have been and are being scrutinized. To keep pace with the rapid increase of the sequencing capacity, various bioinformatic algorithms and software tools that even utilize supercomputers and cloud computing are being developed for processing and storage of massive data sets. Environmental genomics will be the major force in understanding the structure and function of ecosystems in nature as well as preserving, remediating, and bioprospecting them.

• Mycobiology
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.303-310
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• 2015

The increasing emergence of lead drugs for the resistance produced by the pathogenic strains and arrival of new diseases have initiated the need for searching novel metabolites with best anticancer and antimicrobial properties than the existing one. With this view, the investigation was conducted for the isolation, identification, and biological evaluation of potential endophytic fungi of Aegle marmelos, a medicinal tree used for more than three decades, for curing various disorders. A total of 169 endophytic fungal strains obtained from sampling and among those 67 were pigmented strains. Upon antagonistic screening, five endophytic fungal strains exhibited antagonistic potentiality by inhibiting the pathogens. These five potent strains were characterized at molecular level by sequencing the amplified internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1 and ITS 4 regions of rDNA and they were grouped under order Pleosporales, Eurotiales, and Capnodiales. The metabolites from the respective strains were produced in fungal culturing media and extracted using polar solvents. Further, the extracts of five endophytes manifested antimicrobial activity against tested clinical pathogens and Alternaria alternata (FC39BY), Al. citrimacularis (FC8ABr), and Curvularia australiensis (FC2AP) exhibited significant antimicrobial profile against 9 of 12 tested pathogens, showing broad spectrum activity. The antioxidant levels of all the five endophytes revealed the highest activity at least concentrations, and major activity was unveiled by the members of order Pleosporales FC2AP and FC8ABr. This research explains the value of endophytic fungal extracts and its significance of antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.564-573
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• 2019

Objective: Evaluate the effects of i) dehulling of lupine seed on chemical composition and apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and ii) soybean meal substitution by dehulled lupine seed in broiler diets with enzymes on productive performance, size of digestive organs and welfare-related variables. Methods: Experiment 1, chemical composition and AME were determined in whole and dehulled lupine seed. Experiment 2, two hundred eighty-eight one-day-old male Ross 308 broilers were used. The experimental diets were maize-soybean meal (MS), MS with enzymes (MSE) and maize-dehulled lupine seed with enzymes (MLE). Diets were assigned to the experimental units under a completely randomized design (eight replicates per diet). The body weight (BW) gain, feed intake, feed conversion, digestive organ weights, gait score, latency to lie down and valgus/varus angulation were evaluated. Results: The dehulling process increased protein (25.0% to 31.1%), AME (5.9 to 8.8 MJ/kg) and amino acid contents. The BW gain of broilers fed the MLE diet was similar (p>0.05) to that of those fed the MS diet, but lower than that of those fed the MSE diet. Feed intake of broilers fed the MLE diet was higher (p<0.05) than that of those fed the MS diet and similar (p>0.05) to those fed the MSE diet. Feed conversion of broilers fed the MLE diet was 8.0% and 8.7% higher (p<0.05) than that of those fed the MS and MSE diets, respectively. Broilers fed the MLE diet had the highest (p<0.05) relative proventriculus and gizzard weights, but had poor welfare-related variables. Conclusion: It is possible to substitute soybean meal by dehulled lupine seed with enzymes in broiler diets, obtaining similar BW gains in broilers fed the MLE and MS diets; however, a higher feed intake is required. Additionally, the MLE diet reduced welfare-related variables.