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Endophytic fungi reside in the intercellular space of plant nourished by the plant. In return, they provide bioactive molecules which can play critical roles on plant defense system. Fifty six endophytes were isolated from the leaves, root, bark and fruits of Sonneratia apetala, a pioneer mangrove plant in the Sundarbans, Bangladesh. A total of 56 isolates were obtained and 12 different species within 8 genera were identified using morphological and molecular characteristics. Antimicrobial activity of Ethyl Acetate (EtOAc) and Methanolic (MeOH) extracts of these 12 different species were analyzed by resazurin assay and the Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) were determined. The fungal extracts showed antimicrobial activities against more than one tested bacterium or fungus among 5 human pathogenic microbes, i.e. Escherichia coli NCTC 12241, Staphylococcus aureus NCTC 12981, Micrococcus lutus NCTC 7508, Pseudomonas aeruginosa NCTC 7508 and Candida albicans ATCC 90028. Overall, Methanolic extracts showed greater activity than that of Ethyl Acetate extracts. Of the isolates identified, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Aspergillus niger and Fusarium equiseti were the most active isolates and showed activity against microorganisms under investigation. Methanolic extracts of C. gloeosporioides and A. niger showed the lowest MIC (0.0024 mg/mL) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The study indicates that endophytic fungi isolated from S. apetala species posses potential antimicrobial properties, which could be further investigated.

Recent evidence has prompted the notion of gut-microbial signatures as an indirect marker of aging and aging-associated decline in humans. However, the underlying host-symbiont molecular interactions contributing to these signatures remain poorly understood. In this study, we address this gap using cheminformatic analyses to elucidate potential gut microbial metabolites that may perturb the longevity-associated NAD+ metabolic network. In silico ADMET, KEGG interaction analysis, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and molecular mechanics calculation predict a large number of safe and bioavailable microbial metabolites to be direct and/or indirect activators of NAD+-dependent sirtuin proteins. Our simulation results suggest dihydropteroate, phenylpyruvic acid, indole-3-propionic acid, phenyllactic acid, all-trans-retinoic acid, and multiple deoxy-, methyl-, and cyclic nucleotides from intestinal microbiota as the best-performing regulators of NAD+ metabolism. Retracing these molecules to their source microorganisms also suggest commensal Escherichia, Bacteroides, Bifidobacteria, and Lactobacilli to be associated with the highest number of pro-longevity metabolites. These findings from our early-stage study, therefore, provide an informatics-based context for previous evidence in the area and grant novel insights for future clinical investigation intersecting anti-aging drug discovery, probiotics, and gut microbial signatures.

A bacterial species having the ability to grow in t he presence of carbosulfan pesticide “Marshall” was isolated from Solanum melongena (brinjal) cultivated soil in Khulna region, Bangla deh, having a history of pesticide usage. The strain was morpholo gically and biochemically identified to belong to the genera Pseudomonas . A comparative study of growth of this strain with other isolated bacteria showed its ability to grow in the presence of diffe rent concentrations of Marshall. The susceptibility of the stain to Marshall was also assessed through dis k diffusion assay which showed the strain to be resistant at concentrations of Marshal commonly use d under field conditions. The selected strain also showed its capability to degrade Marshall through o bserved characteristics on sublimated agar plates. The biodegradation capability of the strain isolate d in this study can be valuable for further study towards bioremediation of pesticide contaminated so ils.