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The functional and structural features of microbial load in soil are influenced by the presence of insecticides. This study examined the impact of two organophosphorus insecticides, dimethoate and parathion on the microbial load of soil. The colony count of fungi, actinomycetes, bacteria, and nitrogen fixing bacteria was reduced after insecticides application at 7 and 14 days, but at 28 days the colony count began to increase. The growth of two white rot fungi including Pleurotus sajor-caju and Phanerochaete chrysosporium was affected by parathion, which was reflected by a decrease in colony radius to 1.85±0.05 and 0.75±0.06 cm, respectively, and by dimethoate, reflected by a decrease in colony radius to 3.33±0.12 and 1.85±0.05 cm, respectively at 40 mg/L compared to colony radius at control 7.90±0.12 and 7.50±0.06 cm, respectively. The applied low concentration (10 mg/L) encouraged P. sajor-caju and P. chrysosporium to remove up to 87.7% and 81.8% of dimethoate, respectively, and 69.20 and 68.30% of parathion, respectively compared with the decomposition at high dose (40 mg/L) at 28 days. The presence of insecticides induced the production of ligninolytic enzymes lignin peroxidase, laccase, and manganase peroxidase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water pollution has become a worldwide issue, particularly in developing countries. This study aimed to cleanse water contaminated with reactive red (RR-198) and reactive blue (RB-19) dyes via adsorption onto nonliving white rot fungal biomass Phanerochaete chrysosporium under different operational conditions. It was found that P. chrysosporium removed more of RB-19 than RB-198. The conditions of pH 3, temperature 50 °C, adsorbent dosage 0.6 g, particle sizes of adsorbent (0.25 mm), and contact time (30 min) were optimum for removal of the dyes. RR-198 and RB-19 were removed with levels of 78.4% and 86.4%, respectively at pH 3; 79.6% and 90.0%, respectively using 0.6 g of adsorbent dosage; 82.0% and 87.0%, respectively at 30 min; and 82.0% and 87.2%, respectively at 50 °C. Thus, dead P. chrysosporium biomass was shown to be a biosorbent for the uptake of RB-19 and RR-198 dyes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cinnamon is a plant with significant medicinal value that is used extensively as a spice, flavoring, and fragrance ingredient. Phytochemical characterization via high-performance liquid chromatography, antimicrobial activity against various microorganisms, anti-diabetic properties by α-glucosidase and α-amylase assessments, antioxidant activity via 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl-hydrate, and total antioxidant capacities of cinnamon bark were evaluated. Moreover, antitumor potential against human breast cancer (MCF-7) and human fetal lung fibroblast (WI-38) cells of the bark extract were detected. A promising antimicrobial action towards Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhi, Candida albicans, and Mucor circinelloides where the inhibition areas were 25, 23, 18, 19, 29, and 16 mm, respectively, was recorded. Cinnamon bark has IC50 of 5.01 and 2.58 µg/mL compared to standard acrobose with their IC50 values 4.32 and 1.99 µg/mL, respectively for α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitions. Cinnamon bark extract has IC50 of 77.39 ± 0.84 and 162.67 ± 0.28 µg/mL toward cell lines of MCF-7 and WI-38, respectively. The protective effect of cinnamon in accelerating the apoptosis of MCF-7 cells has been verified by flow cytometric evaluation employing Annexin-V and cell cycle kits, as well as the increasing levels of malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and nitric oxide with decreasing glutathione and catalase levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental sampling around a landfill site in the UK previously identified the methylimidazolium ionic liquid, 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium (M8OI), in the soil. More recently, M8OI was shown to be detectable in sera from 5/20 PBC patients and 1/10 controls and to be oxidised on the alkyl chain in the human liver. The objective of this study was to examine the metabolism of M8OI in humans in more detail. In human hepatocytes, M8OI was mono-oxygenated to 1-(8-Hydroxyoctyl)-3-methyl-imidazolium (HO8IM) then further oxidised to 1-(7-carboxyheptyl)-3-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium (COOH7IM). The addition of ketoconazole—in contrast to a range of other cytochrome P450 inhibitors—blocked M8OI metabolism, suggesting primarily CYP3A-dependent mono-oxygenation of M8OI. Hepatocytes from one donor produced negligible and low levels of HO8IM and COOH7IM, respectively, on incubation with M8OI, when compared to hepatocytes from other donors. This donor had undetectable levels of CYP3A4 protein and low CYP3A enzyme activity. Transcript expression levels for other adult CYP3A isoforms—CYP3A5 and CYP3A43—suggest that a lack of CYP3A4 accounted primarily for this donor's low rate of M8OI oxidation. Insect cell (supersome) expression of various human CYPs identified CYP3A4 as the most active CYP mediating M8OI mono-oxygenation, followed by CYP3A5. HO8IM and COOH7IM were not toxic to human hepatocytes, in contrast to M8OI, and using a pooled preparation of human hepatocytes from five donors, ketoconazole potentiated M8OI toxicity. These data demonstrate that CYP3A initiates the mono-oxygenation and detoxification of M8OI in adult human livers and that CYP3A4 likely plays a major role in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the world, Ralstonia solanacearum, the second most harmful bacterial phytopathogen, poses a serious danger to potato crop by causing brown rot disease, which can result in losses of up to 100%. For that, this study aims to isolate and identify of pathogenic bacteria causing brown rot disease and biocontrol it using ZnONPs synthesized by fungal strain. Eighteen infected potato cv. Cara samples were collected from different six regions of El-Minya governorate, Egypt. Isolation, identification, and pathogenicity tests were done for the most common pathogenic bacteria. Also, 18 native agricultural soil samples from 6 regions of El-Minya governorate, Egypt. Additionally, isolation and identification of the most common fungal isolate can synthesize ZnONPs. Mycosynthesized ZnONPs were characterized by UV, TEM, SEM, EDX, XRD, FTIR, Zeta potential, and particle size. Cytotoxicity test for mycosynthesized ZnONPs was done to determine the safety level of obtained nanoparticles which its dominant spherical or hexagonal shapes and small in size at 42.2 ± 3.0 nm. Results showed that the pathogenic bacterial isolate was identified using morphological, biochemical, and molecular as Ralstonia solanacearum (OR533702). Also, 16 fungal isolates were isolated and the most common was selected and identified as Epicoccum nigrum (OR533699) using microscopic, macroscopic, and molecular identification. Additionally, the result showed the selected fungal strain E. nigrum has high efficacy with inhibition zone diameter (2.20 ± 0.20) mm at 100 μg/ mL (5mM) against R. solanacearum. This study concluded that mycosynthesized ZnONPs have a potent effect against R.solanacearum compared to Revanol 50% as a traditional product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants represent a great source of medicines, and for their components to be discovered, extraction processes must be developed, especially methods based on green technology. Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) was employed as a green method for Moringa oleifera extraction in the present investigation. The maximum yield of extraction was obtained at 25 MPa. Moreover, the extraction at 25 MPa induced the release of various phenols and flavonoids, as analyzed via high-performance liquid chromatography. The investigation revealed the concentrations of chlorogenic, gallic, rosmarinic, and coumaric acids to be 150.59, 89.90, 44.75, and 29.41 μg/mL, respectively at 25 MPa. However, their concentrations were 0.73, 1.53, 0.24, and 0.04 μg/mL, respectively at 15 MPa; vs. 4.73, 2.62, 1.06, and 0.50 at 35 MPa, respectively. Totals of saponin, flavonoid, phenolic, tannins, and alkaloid were recorded in maximum yield at 25 MPa. Moringa oleifera extracted at 35 MPa reflected highest inhibition zones of 27 ± 0.1, 30 ± 0.2, and 30 ± 0.1 mm against C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, and C. albicans, correspondingly. α-Amylase and α-glucosidase activities were greatly suppressed by the M. oleifera extract at 25 MPa with less IC50 (12.97 μg/mL and 6.0 µg/mL), than the IC50 (53.46 and 22.02 μg/mL) at 15 MPa, compared with acarbose IC50 (5.52 and 2.64 μg/mL), correspondingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanotechnology is a valuable strategy for managing a number of medicinal, agricultural, and environmental concerns. Cocculus pendulus was used for selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) synthesis to evaluate their usage for microbial inhibition and to enhance plant resistance to heavy metals. Mono-dispersed, spherical shape, and mean diameter (36.19 nm) of SeNPs were documented. More inhibitory potential was associated with SeNPs with inhibition zones of 38±0.3, 18±0.2, 18±0.1, 31±0.2, and 27±0.1 mm than extract of C. pendulus against B. subtilis, S. aureus, E. coli, K. pneumoniae, and C. albicans, respectively. SeNPs had successfully scavenged the free radicals of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) with lower IC50 (inhibitory concentration that inhibit 50% of DPPH) value (10.31 µg/mL) than that of C. pendulus extract (55.54 µg/mL). The effect of C. pendulus extract (200 mg/kg soil) alone or in combination with SeNPs (15 mg/kg soil of SeNPs) as a soil drench on shoot, root lengths, plant pigments, lead and cadmium contents of Corchorus olitorius under lead and cadmium stress (5 mg/L) was investigated. The pigments quantity and plant growth were decreased by cadmium and lead poisoning. Application of C. pendulus extracts or SeNPs decreased the Pb and Cd concentrations and improved the growth and metabolites of Corchorus olitorius plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]