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The genus Micromonospora was found to occur in a diverse range of habitats. Here, we report the genome sequence of an endophytic strain of Micromonospora sp., ANENR4. ANENR4 was isolated from the healthy roots of a peanut ( Arachis hypogaea ) plant from Egra, West Bengal, India.

© 2022 Elsevier B.V.Silk produced by silkworms or spiders offers biocompatibility, biodegradability, stability, and biomechanical strength, making it an excellent biomaterial for wound bandages/dressings and skin grafts. Silk scaffolds are also bioactive matrices necessary to restore the healing cascade and barrier properties that induce skin organogenesis in chronic wounds. Silk-based composites are being used to protect wounds from infections. Many studies were conducted via 2D cell culture and in vivo approaches to explain the interaction between skin tissue and silk. In addition to the difficulties that 2D cell culture techniques have in mimicking skin tissue, the physiological differences and immunological incompatibility between in vivo models and human skin tissue make it more complicated to understand the effectiveness of silk scaffolds. This leads to excessive experimental animal usage and false positive or negative results for the clinical stage. Alternatively, organ-like microtissues (organoids, spheroids, among others) produced using stem cells can be a real stakeholder in measuring the success of wound patches due to their 3D structure, cellular diversity, and high yield. However, the fabrication procedure of the microtissues is highly Matrigel-dependent, and it is not the best choice for the studies due to its indeterminate nature, protein concentration, and composition. Silk-based nano-biocomposites can be a good candidate owing to their features above for 3D skin cell culture studies. Here, we evaluated the current applications of silk-based materials in wound healing and their possible applications in 3D tissue engineering for microtissues.

Mulberry (Morus sp.) cultivated worldwide in diverse agro-ecological conditions is recognized as the fodder of silkworms (Bombyx mori). In China, mulberry fruits have been used as traditional medicine and food for several years including in Asia and Africa. The mulberry fruits contain many bioactive phytochemicals possessing high antioxidant properties. These components have direct or indirect effects on diabetes, inflammation, tumor, hepatic diseases, immunomodulation, hyperlipidemia, neural damage, and chronic diseases either synergistically or in the pure form. This mini-review provides a critical overview of the phytochemical foundation of mulberry fruits and their bioactivities which aids in amendment of mulberry into pharmaceuticals for its widespread use.

Enterobacter sp. strain ASE was isolated from the gut of an infected domestic silkworm ( Bombyx mori L.; Lepidoptera: Bombycidae). The whole-genome sequence (WGS) of the multidrug-resistant strain Enterobacter sp. ASE, which may contribute to our understanding of the strain’s antibiotic resistance mechanism and virulence properties.

Bombyx mori L., a primary producer of silk, is the main tool in the sericulture industry and provides the means of livelihood to a large number of people. Silk cocoon crop losses due to bacterial infection pose a major threat to the sericulture industry. Bombyx mori L., a silkworm of the mulberry type, has a sophisticated inherent innate immune mechanism to combat such invasive pathogens. Among all the components in this defense system, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are notable due to their specificity towards the invading pathogens without harming the normal host cells. Bombyx mori L. so far has had AMPs identified that belong to six different families, namely cecropin, defensin, moricin, gloverin, attacin and lebocin, which are produced by the Toll and immune deficiency (IMD) pathways. Their diverse modes of action depend on microbial pathogens and are still under investigation. This review examines the recent progress in understanding the immune defense mechanism of Bombyx mori based on AMPs.

Highlights • Pandemics are more than just pathological medical phenomenon • Lockdown is helping countries to flatten the epidemic curve • World Health Organization is stressing upon #HealthyAtHome hash tag

The present study aimed to synthesise bio-molecule functionalized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using leaf extract from mulberry variety S-1635 (Morus alba L.) and to explore its antibacterial efficacy against multidrug resistant (MDR) gut bacteria isolated from natural infection observed from silkworm larvae in rearing conditions. AgNPs formation was established by surface plasmon resonance at 480 nm. The crystallinity of the synthesised AgNPs was checked by HR-TEM and XRD analysis. SEM and TEM characterisation further exhibited the spherical, monodispersed, well scattered nature of the AgNPs with an average particle size of 11.8 nm ± 2.8. The presence of (111), (200), (220) and (311) planes in Bragg's reflections confirmed the face-cantered-cubic crystalline silver. EDX analysis confirmed the presence of elemental silver. FT-IR spectra revealed functional groups were responsible for the reduction of silver ions. The zeta potential value of −17.3 mV and −25.6 mV was recorded in MH and DMEM/F-12 media, respectively. The LC-QTOF/MS and HRMS spectra disclosed the presence of bioactive compounds like flavonoid, gallic acid, and stigmasterol, which are probably involved in the reduction and functionalization of AgNPs. The antibacterial efficacy of bio-molecule functionalized AgNPs and the naked AgNPs was tested on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria isolated from silkworms and characterized by using 16S rDNA and gyrB genes. The cytotoxicity of AgNPs was tested on WRL-68, HEK-293, ACHN, and HUH-7 cell lines using MTT assay. This study provides an insight into the application of bio-molecule functionalized AgNPs for combating various silkworm pathogens which severely affect the agro-rural economy of developing countries.

Objective: The present study was carried out to evaluate the in vitro preliminary phytochemical analysis and antioxidant activity of methanolic leaf extracts of Corchorus olitorius L. The in vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH radical scavenging activity method. Methods: Fresh jute leaves (immature, mature and senescence) were collected, air dried and the crude powder was prepared for phytochemical and antioxidant analysis. The powder was mixed with 70% methanol and the supernatant was separated. The antioxidant activity of this methanolic extract was measured on the basis of the scavenging activity of the stable 1, 1-diphenyl 2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical with slight modifications. Phytochemical analysis was performed according to standard laboratory protocol. Results: The results indicated the presence of different phytochemicals viz. glycosides, steroids, cholesterol, alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids, riboflavin, saponins and terpenoids. The sample also showed antioxidant activity by inhibiting DPPH radical. The significant antioxidant activity of methanolic leaf extract of might be due to the presence of saponins, phenols, flavonoids and alkaloids found in the preliminary phytochemical analysis. Conclusion: Present study reveals that the jute leaf possesses different phytonutrients and exhibited DPPH radical scavenging activity, and therefore, may be used for therapeutic purposes.

A survey on jute farmers’ knowledge, perceptions and practices (KPP) in pest management strategy was conducted during jute cultivation season of 2015 in the upper Gangetic plains of Uttar Dinajpur District, West Bengal, India. Detection and control of insect pests was largely based on damage symptoms of host plant. Damage caused by jute semilooper (Anomis sabulifera) was often mistakenly attributed to other leaf feeding caterpillars. Nearly all of the farmers applied insecticides (99%) without target specific use with an average 1.5 per season which may increase up to two to three spray per week. Pyrethroids were mostly accepted insecticide (67%), followed by organophosphates (33%) without knowing its toxic effect on environment. Farmers’ estimated yield loss due to insect pests was significantly correlated to estimated pest control cost. Due to pesticide sellers’ recommendations, farmer’s insecticidal ‘spray load’ significantly increased in every year, whereas the adopted number of insecticidal increased with advice following the guidance of extension staff and advertisement. Expenditure for pesticides was in concurrent with that of fertilizers. Only 10% of participating farmers knew about natural enemies, all of which were predators. Investigation is needed to evaluate whether significant savings can be obtained given a more judicious use of pesticides.