Search

Knowledge of the insect microbiota remains largely unexplored. The intestinal microbiome of Marchalina hellenica (Gennadius, 1883) (Hemiptera, Margarodidae) was determined in the current study. This species is the main source of pine honey production. A pool of 100 samples were selected, representing the distribution of M. hellenica in the province of Mugla, Turkey. API Staph tests were used to assess Gram-positive bacteria, while API 20NE and API 20E tests were used to assess Gram-negative bacteria. As a result, 33 Gram-negative and 15 Gram-positive isolates were obtained from samples collected from 44 different locations. Among Gram-positive, 14 out of 15 belonged to Staphylococcus spp. Among Gram-negative, 22 out of 33 belonged to Aeromonas spp. This is the first study intended to determine the intestinal microbiome of M. hellenica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study sought to examine the chemical profile, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and anti-quorum sensing potential of two propolis ethanolic extracts (PEEs) collected from northeast Algeria. Materials and Methods: To achieve the main objectives of this study, multiple in vitro tests were employed. The phenolic and flavonoid contents were analyzed, and the chemical composition of both PEE was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. The antioxidant properties of the propolis extracts were investigated using six complementary tests. The inhibitory effects of propolis extracts were evaluated against multidrugresistant (MDR) clinical isolates using agar well diffusion and microdilution methods, whereas their antibiofilm and quorum-sensing disruption effects were determined by spectrophotometric microplate methods. Results: The results demonstrated that phenolic and flavonoid contents were higher in propolis from the Guelma (PEEG) region (PEEG; 188.50 ± 0.33 μg GAE/mg E, 144.23 ± 1.03 μg QE/mg E), respectively. Interestingly, different components were identified, and cynarin was the major compound detected. The PEEG sample exhibited potential antioxidant effects in scavenging ABTS•+ radicals with minimal inhibitory concentration values equal to 10.46 ± 1.40 μg/mL. Furthermore, the highest antibacterial activity was recorded by PEEG against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus MDR1. Similarly, PEEG effectively inhibited the biofilm formation of S. aureus MDR1 and the degradation of biofilm was up to 60%. In addition, quorum sensing disruption revealed that both extracts have a moderate capacity for violacein inhibition by the Chromobacterium violaceum ATCC 12472 strain in a concentration-dependent manner. Conclusion: These findings indicate that propolis can be regarded as a natural therapeutic agent for health problems associated with MDR bacteria and oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants have been widely used as a pharmaceutical to treat diseases in many cultures for centuries. In vitro biological activities of some plants consumed as food and used in traditional medicine in Southwestern Anatolia have been reported. The present study focused on the antimicrobial, antibiofilm, antioxidant, and quorum sensing (QS) inhibitory activities of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of aerial parts of Scandix pectenveneris L., Artedia squamata L., Oenanthe pimpinelloides L. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated against fifteen bacteria and one yeast using disc diffusion and microdilution methods. The aqueous and ethanol extracts of A. squamata showed the highest activity against Staphylococcus aureus MU 47 with 20 and 23 mm zone diameters, respectively. The ethanol extract of S. pecten-veneris inhibited Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 at a 5 mg/mL MIC value. The aqueous extract of O. pimpinelloides inhibited biofilm formation of S. aureus MU 40, P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853, and C. albicans ATCC 10239 at MIC value. All extracts displayed violacein inhibition against Chromobacterium violaceum CV12472 in the concentration range of 1.25 mg/mL to 25 mg/mL. The aqueous extract of A. squamata showed valuable anti-quorum sensing (anti-QS) activity with a pigment inhibition zone of 17 mm on Chromobacterium violaceum CV026. The aqueous extract of S. pecten-veneris inhibited the swarming motility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01 by 47.6%. The aqueous and ethanol extracts of A. squamata indicated the best antioxidant activity. It was proved that these edible plant extracts could be used as natural alternative inhibitors to control microbial pathogenesis and diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This preliminary study investigated the chemical composition and biological properties of essential oils derived from Schinus molle L. leaves obtained from three specific regions in Algeria: Algiers (SMA), Djelfa (SMD), and Mascara (SMM). Gas chromatography (GC) and Gas chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS) analyses confirmed the presence of 52 compounds (100.0%) in SMA essential oil, 50 compounds (100.0%) in SMD, and 72 compounds (100.0%) in SMM essential oils. The main components of SMA oil were camphene (31.82%), limonene (14.71%), and p‐cymene (9.25%). In SMD and SMM oils, α‐phellandrene (14.25% and 12.70%), limonene (13.02% and 11.90%), and germacrene D (10.62% and 10.15%) were the major components, respectively. The antioxidant characteristics were evaluated using five methods: β‐carotene‐linoleic acid, DPPH, ABTS+, CUPRAC, and Metal chelating assays. The results revealed a moderate to low anti‐oxidant effect, with SMA essential oils exhibiting the highest activity. A moderate inhibitory effect against acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), α‐glucosidase, α‐amylase, urease, and tyrosinase was observed, indicating anti‐enzymatic activity. Nevertheless, all samples had higher IC50 values for both antioxidant and anti‐enzymatic activities than 200 μg/mL. It was determined that regional differences in the locations where S. molle grows showed both qualitative and quantitative differences in essential oil components. This difference was also detected in the biological activities of the essential oils. The anti‐inflammatory capacities of the three samples were assessed using Human Red Blood Cell (HRBC) membrane stabilisation and egg albumin denaturation techniques. The results showed effective anti‐inflammatory activity in all three samples. The antimicrobial efficacy was evaluated using a range of tests, such as anti‐quorum sensing, violacein inhibition, anti‐swimming, and anti‐swarming assays, demonstrating moderate activity. No toxic effects were observed at the tested dosages when assessing cytotoxicity against a healthy cell line (CCD18‐Co). This thorough examination provides valuable insights into the chemical composition and bioactive properties of essential oils derived from S. molle. These findings indicate the possible use of these essential oils in the food, medicinal, and cosmetic industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]