Background: The increasing industrialization and hydrocarbon use have led to concerning soil contamination. Oil spills and improper disposal of oily waste pose threats to ecosystems and human health. The recovery of these environments is essential, but separating oily components from soil remains challenging. Current bioremediation strategies using synthetic surfactants can cause secondary contamination. Microbial biosurfactants, which are biodegradable and low in toxicity, emerge as promising solutions, and this study reviews methods for utilizing these biosurfactants in the environmental bioremediation of hydrocarbons.
Objective: This study explores the efficient and eco-friendly use of biosurfactants for hydrocarbon- contaminated soil management, providing a market-oriented analysis of recent patents and trends, and highlighting the transition from academic research to industrial applications.
Method: The methodology involves an extensive literature review, careful selection of recent studies and patents on biosurfactants in hydrocarbon bioremediation, critical analysis of in-situ and ex-situ application methods, assessment of commercial viability, and synthesis of findings to contribute to sustainable solutions in contaminated environments.
Conclusion: The present study demonstrates the extensive applicability of biosurfactants across various industrial sectors. The increasing interest in incorporating biosurfactants into industrial processes is driven by the pressing need for sustainable solutions to address tangible market challenges. Notably, the cosmetics industry exhibited the highest number of patents related to the use of biosurfactants, underscoring its significant role in advancing the adoption of these environmentally friendly agents. This trend highlights the critical demand for sustainable alternatives in product formulations and underscores the pivotal role of biosurfactants in fostering eco-innovation within the industry.
Background: One of the main sources of contaminated dairy products is moldy fungi, specifically species of Aspergillus and Penicillium. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the alcoholic extract of Allium jesdianum plant on the growth of molds contaminating dairy products in Isfahan.
Materials and methods: In this research, 200 samples of dairy products were gathered from different areas of Isfahan city, including 70 samples of cheese, 60 samples of buttermilk, 40 samples of yogurt, 20 samples of curd, and 10 samples of cream. The antifungal activity of Allium jesdianum plant was investigated by the diffusion method in disc, well, and agar dilution in various concentrations. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fatal concentration (MFC) were also determined. Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium, and Acremonium fungi were the most commonly found fungal contaminants of this investigation. Antifungal activity was not observed by disc diffusion and well diffusion methods.
Results: In the agar dilution method, ethanolic and methanolic extracts of stem and leaves in concentrations of 80, 60, 40, and 30 mg/ml, and ethanolic and methanolic extracts of plant bulbs in concentrations of 60 and 30 mg/ml revealed antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger, Penicillium notatum, and Penicillium chrysogenum. The MIC of stem and leaf ethanol extracts and onion ethanol for Aspergillus niger was 18.7, and for Penicillium notatum and Penicillium chrysogenum, it was 37.5, 37.5, 37.5, and 37.5 mg/ml. Fungal contamination of dairy products is a serious threat to the public health of society. Therefore, identifying medicinal plants with antifungal activity can be an effective step in preventing fungal contamination and increasing the shelf life of these products.
Conclusion: The results of this research have shown that the Allium jesdianum plant can inhibit the growth of Aspergillus niger, Penicillium notatum, and Penicillium chrysogenum.
Background: Among the bioactive isoflavones identified from different plants is formononetin. Formononetin's antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer qualities have all received a lot of attention lately. The goal of the current investigation was to examine formononetin's antifungal and antibacterial activity against Candida albicans and Enterococcus faecalis in vitro, respectively.
Methods: The present study determined the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC), and Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) of formononetin, chlorhexidine, formononetin + chlorhexidine, Formononetin+ nystatin, and nystatin against E. faecalis and C. albicans isolates. Next, SPSS version 25 was used to analyze the data. A significance cutoff of P<0.05 was taken into account.
Results: Chlorhexidine + formononetin and formononetin alone had the greatest and lowest minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) against E. faecalis, at 6.6 and 18.3 μg/ml, respectively. With MIC values of 0.66 and 8.3 μg/ml against a C. albicans isolate sensitive to nystatin, the combination of formononetin + nystatin and formononetin alone was shown to have the greatest and lowest anti-candida effects.
Conclusion: The findings demonstrated a considerably greater antibacterial effect (P<0.05) for the combinations of formononetin + nystatin and chlorhexidine as compared to nystatin and chlorhexidine alone.
Introduction: The market offers a wide range of extracellular vesicles (EVs) isolation products, but their lack of standardization is a concern. Therefore, it is important to carefully assess the quality of the EVs obtained using these products. In this study, we compared the EXOCIB kit with the ultracentrifuge method, which is considered the gold standard for small EV isolation.
Methods: After overnight fasting, small plasma EVs were extracted from four individuals using both the ultracentrifuge and the EXOCIB kit methods. The pooled EVs were then compared for the presence of the cluster of differentiation 63 (CD63) protein using the western blot analysis, and their size and zeta potential were performed by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). In addition, the size and morphology of small EVs were determined by using the Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) technique.
Results: An average hydrodynamic size of 135.7 nm and a zeta potential of -6.33 Mv at 25°C was found for small EVs isolated by the ultracentrifuge, whereas the kit method resulted in small EVs with a hydrodynamic size of 102.8 nm and a zeta potential of -0.907. Notably, the size of the particles in the kit samples was smaller compared to those obtained through the ultracentrifuge (P < 0.001). The western blot method confirmed the expression of CD63 in both methods, so the ultracentrifuge yielded small EVs with a higher level of purity compared to the kit-based approach (P = 0.036).
Conclusion: The DLS findings revealed the existence of vesicles within the appropriate size range for small EVs like exosomes in both isolation techniques. The results of the western blot analysis, in conjunction with DLS, displayed that the ultracentrifuge method extracted small EVs with a greater degree of purity than the kit-based approach.
Background: Harmful microorganisms like pathogens significantly impact human health. Meanwhile, industrial growth causes pollution and water contamination by releasing untreated hazardous waste. Effective treatment of these microorganisms and contaminants is essential, and nanocomposites may be a promising solution. The present attempt demonstrates the green synthesis of α-Fe2O3@TiO2 nanocomposites (FTNCs) for the effective treatment of pathogens and organic contaminants.
Methods: The α-Fe2O3@TiO2 nanocomposites (FTNCs) has been synthesized through a green approach utilizing curcumin extract. Curcumin (Turmeric) extract (TEx) was prepared by washing, drying, and crushing 5 g of turmeric, then boiling it in 100 mL distilled water at 70°C for 1 hour. Metal salts (Fe3+/Ti4+, 2:1) were added to 100 mL of TEx under continuous stirring at 70°C for 24 h. The solution was rinsed and dried at 80°C overnight and heated at 300°C for 3 h to remove impurities.
Results: Synthesized FTNCs have been tested for the potent antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecalis) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Salmonella Abony, Pseudomonas sp.). Observations discovered noteworthy inhibition of both Gram-positive and Gramnegative bacteria by FTNCs. Furthermore, the FTNCs system shows the energy band gap of ~2.6 eV which may suppress electron recombination, thereby enhancing photocatalysis and examined against Evans blue (EB) and Congo red (CR) dyes under UV and visible light (125 W) irradiation. The remarkable photocatalytic degradation efficiency (DE) for CR reached ~67.4% in 60 min.
Conclusion: A simple green approach has been demonstrated for the synthesis of the FTNCs using curcumin-mediated reduction. As prepared FTNCs have been evaluated for potent antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecalis) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Salmonella Abony, Pseudomonas sp.).
Observations: The results show that the highest ZID values have been obtained for 5 mg/mL concertation of FTNCs of ~14, 22,18, 21, and 20 and 29 mm for E. coli, S. abony, S. aureus, B. subtilis, E. faecalis, and Pseudomonas sp., respectively. Additionally, FTNCs demonstrate remarkable photocatalytic degradation efficiency against EB and CR dyes under UV (125 W) irradiation, achieving 56, 67% degradation within 60 minutes for EB and CR. The findings suggest that the FTNCs hold promise for long-term antimicrobial efficacy against various bacteria and offer the potential for addressing water and wastewater contaminants through photocatalysis.
Industrialization and globalization have increased the demand for petroleum products that has increased a load on natural energy resources. The escalating fossil fuel utilization has resulted in surpassing the Earth's capacity to absorb greenhouse gases, necessitating the exploration of sustainable bioenergy alternatives to mitigate emissions. Biofuels, derived from algae, offer promising solutions to alleviate fossil fuel dependency. Algae, often regarded as third-generation biofuels, present numerous advantages owing to their high biomass production rates. While algae have been utilized for their bioactive compounds, their capability as biomass for the production of biofuel has gained traction among researchers. Various biofuels such as bio-hydrogen, bio-methane, bio-ethanol, bio-oil, and bio-butanol can be derived from algae through diverse processes like fermentation, photolysis, pyrolysis, and transesterification. Despite the enormous commercial potential of algae-derived biofuels, challenges such as high cultivation costs persist. However, leveraging the utilization of algae byproducts could improve economic viability of biofuel production. Moreover, algae derived biofuels offer environmental sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and waste reduction benefits, promising novel opportunities for a more sustainable energy future.
The Earth's climate is influenced by both natural phenomena (solar fluctuations, oceanic patterns, volcanic eruptions, and tectonic movements) and human activities (deforestation, CO and CO2 emissions, and desertification), all of which contribute to ongoing climate change and the resulting global warming. However, human actions are a major factor in exacerbating global warming and amplifying its adverse impacts worldwide. . With rising temperatures, water evaporation from water bodies and soils intensifies, leading to heightened water scarcity, particularly in drought-prone regions. This scarcity compounds rainfall deficits, posing significant challenges. Precipitation, essential for the biosphere's hydrological cycle, replenishes much of the world's freshwater. It occurs when condensed water vapor in the atmosphere falls back to Earth as rain, drizzle, sleet, graupel, hail, or snow due to gravity. Literature highlights the indispensable role of bacterial populations in this process, termed bio-precipitation. This phenomenon begins with bacterial colonization on plant surfaces, with colonies subsequently dispersed into the atmosphere by winds, triggering ice crystal formation. Through their ice nucleating property, these bacteria facilitate the growth of larger ice crystals, which eventually melt and precipitate as rain or snow. This mechanism aids in nutrient transfer from clouds to soil or vegetation. Pseudomonas syringae stands out as the most notable microorganism exhibiting this ice-nucleation property, serving as the primary source of ice nucleators driving bio-precipitation. Despite limited literature on "rain and snow-causing bacteria," this review comprehensively explores the conceptual background of bio-precipitation, the involved bioprocesses, and the critical role of bacteria like P. syringae, offering insights into future research directions.
Methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) or methanotrophs are a category of bacteria that rely on methane as their primary carbon and energy source. Methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide and is comparatively far more potent in trapping heat in the atmosphere. MOBs are important microorganisms in the global carbon cycle where they play a crucial role in the oxidation of methane. The present review provides a comprehensive patent landscape on technology development using MOB. The first patent in this technology domain was recorded in 1971, with a notable surge in activity observed in 2020. A detailed patent analysis revealed that the early inventions were mainly focused on the production of various metabolites and bioremediation using MOB. In the later years, patents were filed in the area of identification of various species of MOB and their large-scale production. From 2010 onwards, consistent patent filing was observed in the genetic engineering of MOB to enhance their methane oxidizing capacity. The United States and China have emerged as the global leaders in terms of patent filing in this technology space. Precigen Inc. and Exxon Research Engineering Co., US were the top patent assignees followed by the University of Tsinghua and Calysta Inc. The Highest number of patent applications have claimed metabolite production by using MOB followed by their use in bioremediation. Methylosinus has emerged as the predominant microorganism of choice for methane oxidation applications.
Background: Parthenium hysterophorous and Lantana camara are notable for their significant phytochemical and antimicrobial properties. Advancements in phytochemical research have led to the development of novel formulations and products derived from P. hysterophorus and L. camara. For instance, patent extracts from these plants have been utilized in the formulation of pharmaceutical drugs, herbal supplements, cosmeceuticals, and agricultural products. P. hysterophorous, commonly known as Santa Maria feverfew or Congress grass, contains various bioactive compounds like terpenoids, flavonoids, phenolics, and alkaloids.These compounds are the key to its medicinal properties, particularly its antimicrobial activity. On the other hand, L. camara, often referred to as wild sage, is rich in phytochemicals such as terpenoids, flavonoids, and alkaloid glycosides.
Methods: P. hysterophorous and L. camara plants selected and checking their antimicrobial activity by agar well diffusion method.
Results: In our study, we found that the leaf extract of P. hysterophorous exhibited the most potent antibacterial activity against E. coli. P. hysterophorous exhibited the most potent antifungal activity against A. niger and T. viride, with a diameter of inhibition zone measuring 12 mm, followed by A. flavus and A. parasiticus. In case of L. camara, the inhibitory zone ranging from 14 to 18 mm was detected against S. abony, P. aeruginosa, E. coli, and K. pneumonia. The leaf extract of the maximum zone of inhibition in case of L. camara was shown by A. flavus (12mm).
Conclusion: The present study suggests that these two weeds could be useful in the development of bactericides and fungicides.
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