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A series of pyrazole integrated thiazolo[2,3-b]dihydropyrimidinone derivatives were synthesized as dual anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agents. Among the compounds studied, 3-fluoro-4-methylphenyl analogues (3a, 3e, and 3i) are considered to be promising leads for novel anti-inflammatory agents compared with the standard drug. The superior antimicrobial property of the compounds 3a, 3b, and 3d indicates that 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazole substitution is a favourable site for high activity. Molecular docking studies were carried out in order to predict the hypothetical binding mode of these compounds to the COX-2 isoenzyme. The results of the present study suggest that 1,3-diaryl pyrazole substitution on thiazolo[2,3-b]dihydropyrimidinone derivatives might potentially constitute a novel class of anti-inflammatory agents with antimicrobial property and could be an interesting approach for the design of new selective COX-2 inhibitory agents.

Association of Chrysanthemum stunt viroid (CSVd) and Chrysanthemum chlorotic mottle viroid (CChMVd) with the Chrysanthemum plants exhibiting severe stunting, distinct yellow leaf mottling, and chlorosis was detected in the main chrysanthemum-growing regions of India. Sequence analysis of 90 cDNA clones obtained for CSVd and CChMVd, representing the chrysanthemum-growing regions of India, revealed the high degree of sequence variation throughout the genome under natural conditions. Additionally, all the analyzed CChMVd clones revealed the presence of UUUC in the tetraloop, a signature of symptomatic variants in susceptible cultivars. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Indian CSVd is closely related to European isolates from ornamentals, whereas CChMVd clustered along with the isolates reported from the East Asian countries.

Campylobacter jejuni is one of the most common intestinal pathogen causes of human gastroenterocolitis thereby leading to diarrhea and other serious post-infectious complications. Controlling the C. jejuni infection is critical for reducing campylobacteriosis for a healthy gut. In the current study, Lactobacillus plantarum MYS94 was isolated from traditional fermented wine and characterized for its probiotics properties and therapeutic potential against C. jejuni.The probiotic attributes revealed that, the strain could resist the gut pH, bile salt tolerance, adherence ability to chicken crop epithelial cells, sensitivity to penicillin, amoxicillin, bacitracin and erythromycin, further the strain also exhibited inhibitory potential against common food pathogens. The neutralized cell-free supernatant of Lp MYS94 exhibited 62.04% inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC 7903 biofilm. The study also evaluated the cholesterol-lowering property of the Lp MYS94 using hen egg yolk as the cholesterol source. The cholesterol in hen egg yolk was assimilated by 62.18% and 31.42% by Lp MYS94and its CFS respectively. In addition, Lp MYS94-CFS tested against C. jejuni by well diffusion and time kill assay revealed a significant effect on C. jejuni with strong inhibitory activity. Collectively, the results suggests that L. plantarum MYS94 could be useful as potential probiotic strain suppressing C. jejuni.

Autism is characterized by communication impairments, neurobehavioral, social abnormalities and immunological and metabolic dysfunction. Among these, gastrointestinal abnormalities are of clinical importance associated with the autistic individuals. Gastrointestinal abnormalities can affect the neuropathological and behavioral features and contribute to pathogenesis of autistic symptoms. Now a spate of new studies supports this notion and suggests that restoring proper microbial balance could alleviate some of the disorder's behavioral symptoms. Evidence is mounting that some of the beneficial intestinal microbiome called probiotics favors the individuals with autism supporting the gut-brain barrier. These probiotics may provide therapeutic strategies for neurodevelopmental disorders. Therapies that target the gut microbiome may hold the key for making progress against a wide range of notoriously difficult psychiatric illnesses. Thus, a probiotic supplementation early in life may reduce the risk of neuropsychiatric disorder development later in childhood possible by mechanisms not limited to gut microbiota composition.

Sorghum-based traditional fermented food was screened for potential probiotic lactic acid bacteria. The isolates were identified by biochemical, physiological and genetic methods. Species identification was done by 16s rRNA sequence analysis. The functional probiotic potential of the two Lactobacillus species viz., Lactobacillus plantarum (Lact. plantarum) and Lactobacillus pentosus (Lact. pentosus) was assessed by different standard parameters. The strains were tolerant to pH 2 for 1 h and resistant to methicillin, kanamycin, vancomycin and norfloxacin. Two (Lact. plantarum COORG-3 and Lact. pentosus COORG-8) out of eight isolates recorded the cell surface hydrophobicity to be 59.12 and 64.06 %, respectively. All the strains showed tolerance to artificial duodenum juice (pH 2) for 3 h, positive for bile salt hydrolase test and negative for haemolytic test. The neutralized cell-free supernatant of the strains Lact. pentosus COORG-4, Lact. plantarum COORG-1, Lact. plantarum COORG-7, Lact. pentosus COORG-8 and Lact. plantarum COORG-3 showed good antibiofilm activity. Lact. pentosus COORG-8 exhibited 74 % activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa-MTCC 7903 and Lact. plantarum COORG-7 showed 68 % inhibition of biofilm against Klebsiella pneumonia MTCC 7407. Three (Lact. plantarum COORG-7, Lact. pentosus COORG-5 and Lact. pentosus COORG 8) out of eight isolates exhibited a good antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes and five isolates (Lact. pentosus COORG 2, Lact. plantarum COORG 1, Lact. plantarum COORG 4, Lact. pentosus COORG 3 and Lact. plantarum COORG 6) are active against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter aerogenes, Klebsiella pneumonia, Enterococcus faecalis. The study also evaluated the cholesterol lowering property of the Lactobacillus strains using hen egg yolk as the cholesterol source. The cholesterol in hen egg yolk was assimilated by 74.12 and 68.26 % by Lact. plantarum COORG 4 and Lact. pentosus COORG 7, respectively. The results of the present study suggest that the Lactobacillus strains isolated and characterized from sorghum-based fermented product may be used as probiotic strains for therapeutic applications.

Fumonisin B1 (FB1), a mycotoxin produced by Fusarium species is a predominant Group 2B carcinogen occurring in maize and maize-based poultry feeds. It is shown to be nephrotoxic, hepatotoxic, neurotoxic, and immunosuppressing in animals. In this study, we report the ameliorating effects of a probiotic strain, Lactobacillus plantarum MYS6 on FB1-induced toxicity and oxidative damage in broilers. A 6-week dietary experiment consisting of 48 broilers was performed in six treatment groups. Probiotic treatment (109 cells/mL) involved pre-colonization of broilers with L. plantarum MYS6 while co-administration treatment involved supplementation of probiotic and FB1-contaminated diet (200 mg/Kg feed) simultaneously. At the end of the treatment period, growth performance, hematology, serum biochemistry, and markers of oxidative stress in serum and tissue homogenates were evaluated in all the broilers. The histopathological changes in hepatic and renal tissues were further studied. The results demonstrated that administration of L. plantarum MYS6 efficiently improved the feed intake, body weight and feed conversion ratio in broilers. It mitigated the altered levels of hematological indices such as complete blood count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit. Serum parameters such as serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, creatinine, cholesterol, triglycerides, and albumin were significantly restored after administering the probiotic in FB1-intoxicated broilers. Additionally, L. plantarum MYS6 alleviated the levels of oxidative stress markers in serum and tissue homogenate of liver. The histopathological data of liver and kidney further substantiated the overall protection offered by L. plantarum MYS6 against FB1-induced cellular toxicity and organ damage in broilers. Our results indicated that co-administration of probiotic along with the toxin had better effect in detoxification compared to its pre-colonization in broilers. Collectively, our study signifies the protective role of L. plantarum MYS6 in ameliorating the FB1-induced toxicity in the vital organs and subsequent oxidative stress in broilers. The probiotic L. plantarum MYS6 can further be formulated into a functional feed owing to its anti-fumonisin attributes and role in mitigating FB1-induced hepatorenal damage.

The study aims to evaluate the cell-free supernatant (CFS) from Lactobacillus plantarum strain MYS44 against the growth and aflatoxin production by Aspergillus parasiticus MTCC 411. Standard in vitro techniques revealed the potential antifungal activity of CFS of LpMYS44. In poison food technique, it was observed that 6% CFS of LpMYS44 retarded maximum growth. The inhibition of A. parasiticus on peanuts confirmed the ability of CFS of LpMYS44 for biopreservation. Further, CFS of LpMYS44 was purified by chromatography and analyzed by GC-MS. The major antifungal compounds were oleic acid, octanoic acid, butanamide, and decanoic acid derivatives. Twofold concentrated 80 μL of CFS was found to be minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of CFS of LpMYS44. CFS of LpMYS44 suppressed the germination and growth of the spores of A. parasiticus. Microscopic observation showed that CFS of LpMYS44 severely affected the hyphal wall of A. parasiticus by the leakage of cytoplasmic content leading to complete destruction. Acidic condition is favorable for CFS of LpMYS44 activity. In poultry feed sample, CFS of LpMYS44 reduced the aflatoxin B1 content by 34.2%, reflecting its potentiality to use as detoxification agent. The multiple antifungal components in CFS of LpMYS44 exhibited antifungal properties against aflatoxigenic A. parasiticus resulted in causing overall morphological changes. Furthermore, we also observed the biopreservative ability of CFS of LpMYS44 against A. parasiticus and AFB1 reduction in for poultry feed. This study makes a contribution to using CFS of LpMYS44 and their applications in food and feed as pretreatment against aflatoxigenic A. parasiticus to reduce or eliminate AFB1 and maybe other aflatoxins, produced by other Aspergillus spp.

Fumonisins, being common in occurrence in maize-based feeds, pose a great threat to animal and human health. The present study is aimed at determining the antifungal activity of Lactobacillus plantarum MYS6 against a fumonisin producing fungus, Fusarium proliferatum MYS9. The isolate was subjected to standard tests for determining its probiotic attributes and antifungal properties. L. plantarum MYS6 thrived well at pH 3.0 and 6.0, and exhibited strong resistance up to 3% bile. The isolate showed a high degree of cell surface hydrophobicity corresponding to its strong adhesion to chicken crop epithelial cells. Co-inoculation with the fungus on modified de Man Rogosa Sharpe medium revealed the inhibitory effect of L. plantarum MYS6 on fungal growth and biomass. Observation using scanning electron microscopy showed distortion of hyphal structures, swollen tips and disrupted conidia. Conidia germination inhibition assay restrained germination and showed deformed hyphae. The bioprotective feature of the isolate was evident by the inhibition of fungal development in maize-kernel treated with the cell free supernatant of L. plantarum MYS6. Both the isolate and its extracellular metabolites lowered fumonisin content in feed model up to 0.505 mg/Kg of feed and 0.3125 mg/Kg of feed respectively when compared to the level of 0.870 mg/Kg of feed in control. The major antifungal compounds produced by the isolate were 10-Octadecenoic acid, methyl ester; palmitic acid, methyl ester; heptadecanoic acid, 16-methyl ester; stearic acid and lauric acid. L. plantarum MYS6 reduced 61.7% of fumonisin possibly by a binding mechanism. These findings suggest the application of L. plantarum MYS6 as an efficient probiotic additive and biocontrol agent in feed used in poultry industry. Additionally, the antifungal metabolites pose a conspicuous inhibition of Fusarium growth and fumonisin production.

Chrysanthemum chlorotic mottle viroid (CChMVd, genus Pelamoviroid, family Avsunviroidae) has been reported to infect chrysanthemum (Dendranthema x grandiflorum). CChMVd was first reported in 1967 in the cultivar Yellow Delaware in New York State, USA (Dimock et al. 1971). Presence of CChMVd has previously been recorded, based on the symptoms and bioassay, in India (Singh et al. 1978). Karnataka State of India is the prominent chrysanthemum-growing region, with 19,161 ha cultivated under this crop and accounting for more than 40% of country’s flower production. During late summer 2010 (May and June), chrysanthemum leaves with yellow-green mottling and chlorotic spots were noted, indicating the possible association with CChMVd in Karnataka. Total RNA was extracted using a 2% CTAB buffer from leaf samples of symptomatic plants (Adkar-Purushothama et al. 2013). For the detection of CChMVd, reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) was performed using PIII/PIV as described previously (De la Pena et al. 1999). PCR products of the expected sizes (∼398 to 401 bp) were cloned and sequenced. BLAST analysis of the obtained sequences confirmed the presence of CChMVd in Karnataka. In order to estimate the incidence of CChMVd, the same RT-PCR assay was performed on 80 randomly selected chrysanthemum leaf samples of four different cultivars (Redgold, Bangalore, Sarval, and CO-1) collected from four chrysanthemum-growing districts of Karnataka. A PCR product of the size expected for CChMVd was detected in 8 of 80 samples analyzed, accounting for the infection incidence of 10%. To identify the prominent CChMVd variants, 10 clones obtained from the four representative samples were sequenced. To confirm the sequence of the primer regions, an additional set of primers CCh1/CCh2 were used for RT-PCR (Hosokawa et al. 2005) with high-fidelity LA-Taq polymerase (Takara-Bio, Japan). Alignment of all 40 sequences revealed the presence of at least two major sequence variants of CChMVd: CChMVd-Ind-1 (GenBank Accession No. KP262531) and CChMVd-Ind-3 (KP262533). Both the sequence variants had UUUC sequences (nucleotide position 82 to 85) in the tetraloop of the CChMVd, which is often associated with induction of symptoms in susceptible chrysanthemum cultivars (De la Pena et al. 1999). CChMVd-Ind-1was found to differ from CChMVd-Ind-3 by 17 nucleotide substitutions. BLAST analysis of CChMVd-Ind-1 showed 98% sequence identity with the CChMVd strain reported from Spain (GenBank Accession No. FJ647515) and from Himachal Pradesh state of India (FN646404), whereas CChMVd-Ind-3 showed 96% sequence identity with CChMVd strain W2-4, isolated from China (HQ891014). To our knowledge, this is the first molecular evidence for the presence of CChMVd infecting chrysanthemum in Karnataka State, India. The high degree of sequence diversity reported in the Karnataka isolates of CChMVd will help to clarify the evolution of this viroid and its possible threat to important crops.