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Improved bioremediation of diesel-powered oil-contaminated seawater with a biochar-immobilized biosurfactant-producing bacteria Vibrio sp. LQ2 remote through frosty leak sediment.
A fluorescent stain, calcofluor white (CFW), was used for detection of spores of the microsporidium Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP). EHP spores in suspension, in feces, or in the infected hepatopancreas of the shrimp Penaeus vannamei, can be easily stained with this chitin and cellulose binding dye to show distinct blue-white fluorescent oval walls. The dye does not stain the host tissues. EHP spores showed orange-red spots by staining with hematoxylin and phloxine (H&P) in the section. CFW staining provides a simple and rapid method for determining the presence of EHP spores in fecal or tissue samples. Uninucleate and binucleate cells and multinucleate plasmodia of a haplosporidan-like protist associated with heavy haemocytic infiltration were observed in histological sections of cockles, Cerastoderma edule, from the Ría de Noia (Galicia, NW Spain) in the course of a cockle health surveillance programme. Molecular assays provided identification of this protist as Minchinia tapetis, which we thus record from a new host. Prevalence of M. tapetis as high as 93% was recorded but infection intensity was low to moderate, never heavy, and abnormally high cockle mortality was not observed in the ria by shellfishers. A significant positive correlation was found between M. tapetis prevalence and sea water temperature. Sea water temperature increase associated with climate change might contribute to increase the prevalence of this infection in cockles and, as a consequence, this parasite may be considered a threat for cockle production. Honeybees ensure a key ecosystem service by pollinating many agricultural crops and wild plants. However, in the past few decades, managed bee colonies have been declining in Europe and North America. Researchers have emphasized both parasites and pesticides as the most important factors. Infection by the parasite Nosema ceranae and exposure to pesticides can contribute to gut dysbiosis, impacting the honeybee physiology. Here, we examined and quantified the effects of N. ceranae, the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam, the phenylpyrazole fipronil and the carboxamide boscalid, alone and in combination, on the honeybee gut microbiota. Chronic exposures to fipronil and thiamethoxam alone or combined with N. ceranae infection significantly decreased honeybee survival whereas the fungicide boscalid had no effect on uninfected bees. selleck compound Interestingly, increased mortality was observed in N. ceranae-infected bees after exposure to boscalid, with synergistic negative effects. Regarding gut microbiota composition, co-exposure to the parasite and each pesticide led to decreased abundance of Alphaproteobacteria, and increased abundance of Gammaproteobacteria. The parasite also induced an increase of bacterial alpha-diversity (species richness). Our findings demonstrated that exposure of honeybees to N. ceranae and/or pesticides play a significant role in colony health and is associated with the establishment of a dysbiotic gut microbiota. ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Hypertension is one of the common chronic health problems in the world. Astragalus membranaceus root (AM), also known as Huangqi, is a popular medicinal herb traditionally used to reinforce vital energy and modulate hypertension. AIM OF THE STUDY This study was to reveal the anti-hypertensive activities and mechanisms of AM in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Moreover, the presence of bioactive components in AM was further identified. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyzed the effects of aqueous extract of AM (AME) on the regulation of blood pressure and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), the major target of anti-hypertensive drugs. Proteomic, bioinformatics, and docking analyses were performed to identify the anti-hypertensive bioactive peptides in AME. RESULTS Our data showed that AME inhibited ACE activities in a dose-dependent manner, with an IC50 of 1.85 ± 0.01 μg/ml. In comparison with mock, oral administration of AME reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels in SHRs, and the level of SBP was decreased by 22.33 ± 3.61 mmHg at 200 mg/kg AME. Proteomic analysis identified that an abundant 152-amino-acid putative protein kinase fragment accounted for approximately 11.7% of protein spots in AME. AM-1 (LVPPHA), a gastrointestinal enzyme-resistant peptide cleaved from putative protein kinase fragment, inhibited ACE activities, with an IC50 value of 414.88 ± 41.88 μM. Moreover, oral administration of AM-1 significantly decreased SBP levels by 42 ± 2.65 mmHg at 10 μmol/kg. Docking analysis further showed that AM-1 docked into the active site channel of ACE and interacted with Ala-354 in the active site pocket of ACE. CONCLUSIONS the ACE inhibitory effect of AM and the presence of ACE inhibitory phytopeptide in AME supported the ethnomedical use of AM on hypertension. ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) has many applications in folk medicine. Its oil is used traditionally to treat obesity and other metabolic disorders. The anti-hypercholesterolemic and antioxidant effects of this plant have been well documented, but the anti-inflammatory effects and its role on fatty acid oxidation and homeostasis of trace elements are not fully understood. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effects of different doses of oil and extract of safflower seed against fructose induced metabolic syndrome by investigating the homeostasis of trace elements, TNF-α, and fatty acids metabolism. METHODS Eighty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into ten groups and treated daily for 16 weeks. At the end of the study, plasma levels of liver enzymes, lipid profiles, blood glucose, insulin and TNF-α were measured. The levels of antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation were also measured along with the expression of CD36, fatty acyls, adjustment of homeostasis of trace elements, and enhancing the beta-oxidation capacity of the liver by increasing the expression of CD36, FAS, and CPT-1beta genes. ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Atherosclerosis has become a worldwide public health problem that seriously threatens human health. Leech is traditional Chinese medicine that can be utilized to treat cardiovascular disease. Based on the anti-atherosclerosis activity of leech hydrolysate, we separated and purified the leech peptide capable of inhibiting macrophage migration and studied the pathways of the anti-migration leech peptide. MATERIALS AND METHODS The leech peptide capable of inhibiting macrophage migration that measured by cell migration assays from the leech Whitmania pigra was separated and purified by Q Sepharose FF strong alkaline anion exchange column chromatography, Superdex 30, Superdex peptide and G10 gel column chromatography. And the purity, molecular weight of the leech peptide was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry. The pathways of anti-migration to macrophages of the leech peptide were studied by inhibitors, Western blotting and RT-PCR.
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