Cholera is a gastrointestinal disease caused by pathogenic strain of Vibrio cholerae, the disease clinically manifested by rice-water diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. This study aimed to study the incidence of Vibrio species and employ simple method for rapid detection of Vibrio cholerae from water samples of Sunsari, Nepal. Identification of V. cholerae through biochemical tests requires extensive labor and costs. In resource limited laboratories, isolation and identification of V. cholerae often becomes difficult. Therefore, this study also aimed for selecting scope of this methodology as a scientific outcome for rapid isolation and identification of Vibrio cholerae. A total of 100 water samples were collected from Sunsari district in which 25 samples were collected from sewage, 25 from pond, 25 from tap and 25 from tube well. The samples of collected water were sent to the microbiology laboratory of Central Campus of Technology maintained in ice cold box and were enriched in Alkaline Peptone water and selectively isolated from TCBS agar and NA agar without NaCl. Pathogens were isolated and identified by conventional microbiological techniques. Out of 100 water samples collected, sucrose fermenting Vibrio species were isolated only from 16 water samples. Further the selective isolation of V. cholerae from nutrient agar without NaCl isolated 6 isolates from sewage samples and 3 isolates from pond samples. The distribution of Vibrio cholera in the water sample was found to be 9%, distribution of V. alginolyticus was found to be 4% and distribution of V. fluvialis was found to be 3%. In this study, non-sucrose fermenting Vibrio species were not isolated from the water samples. However, sucrose fermenting Vibrio species was obtained with yellow pigmentation in TCBS agar medium. The yellow pigmented colonies of Vibrio isolates recovered from TCBS and even from Nutrient Agar devoid of sodium chloride provided sufficient evidence of V. cholerae after series of other biochemical tests. This study concludes that yellow colonies (sucrose-fermenting) of Vibrio from TCBS agar medium that can grow on nutrient agar without added NaCl and which exhibit a positive oxidase reaction can be confidently identified as presumptive V. cholerae. In resource-constrained environments, this simple method can reduce the labor cost, chemicals and time-consuming procedure of performing multiple biochemical and molecular assays for identification.
{"title":"Simple method devised for rapid isolation and identification of Vibrio cholerae from water resources of Sunsari District, Nepal","authors":"B. Kumar Shrestha, J. Shakya","doi":"10.54796/njb.v9i2.41913","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54796/njb.v9i2.41913","url":null,"abstract":"Cholera is a gastrointestinal disease caused by pathogenic strain of Vibrio cholerae, the disease clinically manifested by rice-water diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. This study aimed to study the incidence of Vibrio species and employ simple method for rapid detection of Vibrio cholerae from water samples of Sunsari, Nepal. Identification of V. cholerae through biochemical tests requires extensive labor and costs. In resource limited laboratories, isolation and identification of V. cholerae often becomes difficult. Therefore, this study also aimed for selecting scope of this methodology as a scientific outcome for rapid isolation and identification of Vibrio cholerae. A total of 100 water samples were collected from Sunsari district in which 25 samples were collected from sewage, 25 from pond, 25 from tap and 25 from tube well. The samples of collected water were sent to the microbiology laboratory of Central Campus of Technology maintained in ice cold box and were enriched in Alkaline Peptone water and selectively isolated from TCBS agar and NA agar without NaCl. Pathogens were isolated and identified by conventional microbiological techniques. Out of 100 water samples collected, sucrose fermenting Vibrio species were isolated only from 16 water samples. Further the selective isolation of V. cholerae from nutrient agar without NaCl isolated 6 isolates from sewage samples and 3 isolates from pond samples. The distribution of Vibrio cholera in the water sample was found to be 9%, distribution of V. alginolyticus was found to be 4% and distribution of V. fluvialis was found to be 3%. In this study, non-sucrose fermenting Vibrio species were not isolated from the water samples. However, sucrose fermenting Vibrio species was obtained with yellow pigmentation in TCBS agar medium. The yellow pigmented colonies of Vibrio isolates recovered from TCBS and even from Nutrient Agar devoid of sodium chloride provided sufficient evidence of V. cholerae after series of other biochemical tests. This study concludes that yellow colonies (sucrose-fermenting) of Vibrio from TCBS agar medium that can grow on nutrient agar without added NaCl and which exhibit a positive oxidase reaction can be confidently identified as presumptive V. cholerae. In resource-constrained environments, this simple method can reduce the labor cost, chemicals and time-consuming procedure of performing multiple biochemical and molecular assays for identification.","PeriodicalId":34186,"journal":{"name":"Nepal Journal of Biotechnology","volume":"2011 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86323712","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bacillus species are one of the predominant soil bacteria that are able to produce essential secondary metabolites that have antagonistic effects on other microorganisms. They are Gram-positive, endospore-forming, chemoheterotrophic, aerobic or facultative anaerobic rods usually consisting of peritrichous flagella for motility. The major aim of this study was to isolate the antimicrobials producing Bacillus spp. from soil samples of different parts of the Kathmandu Valley, identify them and to assess their antimicrobial activity against different pathogenic bacteria. The test organisms used were Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), E. coli (ATCC 25922), Pseudomonas spp., Salmonella spp., methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing E. coli. Twenty four isolates from 9 soil samples identified as Bacillus spp. showed the zone of inhibition around their growth on Nutrient agar during isolation. These 24 isolates were chosen for primary screening of production of antimicrobial by perpendicular streaking method using four test organisms. . Of these 24 isolates, six isolates showing a significant zone of inhibition (≥1mm) against two or more test organisms from the primary screening were chosen for secondary screening which was further tested with six test organisms including ESBL E.coli and MRSA. They were further characterized through different physiological and biochemical tests. All 6 isolates showed inhibitory action against MRSA and the largest zone of inhibition (30mm) was shown by isolate U6. Isolate U3 was found to have broad spectrum antimicrobial activity with inhibitory effect against gram negative organisms- Pseudomonas and Salmonella and gram positive organism S. aureus (ATCC 25923). Isolate U5 showed a zone of inhibition of about 25mm against S. aureus which was comparable to that of erythromycin. Hence, this study determines the soil in Kathmandu Valley as a potential source of antimicrobial producing Bacillus spp. and recommends isolation and further characterization of Bacillus isolates as a possible source of novel drug to combat with the emergence of multidrug resistant strains.
{"title":"Isolation, Identification and Screening of Bacillus species with Antimicrobial Activity from Different Soil Samples of Kathmandu Valley","authors":"Aishwarya Thapa, Anupa Budhathoki, Anupama Sapkota, Muskan Sainju, Prativa Shrestha","doi":"10.54796/njb.v9i2.41892","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54796/njb.v9i2.41892","url":null,"abstract":"Bacillus species are one of the predominant soil bacteria that are able to produce essential secondary metabolites that have antagonistic effects on other microorganisms. They are Gram-positive, endospore-forming, chemoheterotrophic, aerobic or facultative anaerobic rods usually consisting of peritrichous flagella for motility. The major aim of this study was to isolate the antimicrobials producing Bacillus spp. from soil samples of different parts of the Kathmandu Valley, identify them and to assess their antimicrobial activity against different pathogenic bacteria. The test organisms used were Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), E. coli (ATCC 25922), Pseudomonas spp., Salmonella spp., methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing E. coli. Twenty four isolates from 9 soil samples identified as Bacillus spp. showed the zone of inhibition around their growth on Nutrient agar during isolation. These 24 isolates were chosen for primary screening of production of antimicrobial by perpendicular streaking method using four test organisms. . Of these 24 isolates, six isolates showing a significant zone of inhibition (≥1mm) against two or more test organisms from the primary screening were chosen for secondary screening which was further tested with six test organisms including ESBL E.coli and MRSA. They were further characterized through different physiological and biochemical tests. All 6 isolates showed inhibitory action against MRSA and the largest zone of inhibition (30mm) was shown by isolate U6. Isolate U3 was found to have broad spectrum antimicrobial activity with inhibitory effect against gram negative organisms- Pseudomonas and Salmonella and gram positive organism S. aureus (ATCC 25923). Isolate U5 showed a zone of inhibition of about 25mm against S. aureus which was comparable to that of erythromycin. Hence, this study determines the soil in Kathmandu Valley as a potential source of antimicrobial producing Bacillus spp. and recommends isolation and further characterization of Bacillus isolates as a possible source of novel drug to combat with the emergence of multidrug resistant strains.","PeriodicalId":34186,"journal":{"name":"Nepal Journal of Biotechnology","volume":"82 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79959759","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rasna Maharjan, P. Thapa, Karan Khadayat, Surya Kant Kalauni
The bioactive chemical components of the plant's origin have been used as primary remedies for a wide array of human diseases including diabetes. The present research deal to evaluate and compare anti-diabetic potential of ethanolic and methanolic, young and mature leaves of medicinally valuable Cinnamomum tamala. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of young and mature leaves were determined. In vitro α-amylase inhibition was carried out using 2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl-α-D-maltotrioside (CNPG3) as substrate. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of polyphenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, quinones, carbohydrates, glycosides, diterpenes, tannins, and reducing sugars. The highest total phenolic content and flavonoid content were observed in methanolic extract of mature leaves (13.725 ± 0.54 mg GAE/g) and young leaves (12.591 ± 0.71 mg QE/g) respectively. Methanolic young leaves extract showed α-amylase inhibition with IC50 value 224.6 ± 2.76 μg/mL as compared to acarbose with IC50 value 5.93 ± 0.14 μg/mL. The result suggests that young leaves of C. tamala had anti-diabetic activity so further work should be carried out.
植物来源的生物活性化学成分已被用作包括糖尿病在内的一系列人类疾病的主要药物。本研究旨在评价和比较药用价值柽柳肉桂的乙醇叶和甲醇叶、幼叶和成熟叶的抗糖尿病潜能。测定幼叶和成熟叶总酚和总黄酮含量。以2-氯-4-硝基苯-α- d -麦芽糖三苷(CNPG3)为底物体外抑制α-淀粉酶。植物化学筛选显示存在多酚、类黄酮、萜类、醌类、碳水化合物、糖苷、二萜、单宁和还原糖。成熟叶甲醇提取物总酚含量最高(13.725±0.54 mg GAE/g)，幼叶甲醇提取物总酚含量最高(12.591±0.71 mg QE/g)。甲醇幼叶提取物对α-淀粉酶有抑制作用，IC50值为224.6±2.76 μg/mL，而阿卡波糖的IC50值为5.93±0.14 μg/mL。结果表明，柽柳幼叶具有抗糖尿病活性，有待进一步研究。
{"title":"Phytochemical Analysis and α-Amylase Inhibitory Activity of Young and Mature Leaves of Cinnamomum tamala","authors":"Rasna Maharjan, P. Thapa, Karan Khadayat, Surya Kant Kalauni","doi":"10.54796/njb.v9i2.41909","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54796/njb.v9i2.41909","url":null,"abstract":"The bioactive chemical components of the plant's origin have been used as primary remedies for a wide array of human diseases including diabetes. The present research deal to evaluate and compare anti-diabetic potential of ethanolic and methanolic, young and mature leaves of medicinally valuable Cinnamomum tamala. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of young and mature leaves were determined. In vitro α-amylase inhibition was carried out using 2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl-α-D-maltotrioside (CNPG3) as substrate. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of polyphenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, quinones, carbohydrates, glycosides, diterpenes, tannins, and reducing sugars. The highest total phenolic content and flavonoid content were observed in methanolic extract of mature leaves (13.725 ± 0.54 mg GAE/g) and young leaves (12.591 ± 0.71 mg QE/g) respectively. Methanolic young leaves extract showed α-amylase inhibition with IC50 value 224.6 ± 2.76 μg/mL as compared to acarbose with IC50 value 5.93 ± 0.14 μg/mL. The result suggests that young leaves of C. tamala had anti-diabetic activity so further work should be carried out.","PeriodicalId":34186,"journal":{"name":"Nepal Journal of Biotechnology","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84377200","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Agricultural biotechnology is becoming the major sector in crop improvement through the use of scientific techniques for the modification of genes conferring resistance to biotic, abiotic stress and improving the quality of crops. With the evolvement from Mendelian genetics to molecular biotechnology, there have been several developments in the field of crop improvement. Recent biotechnological advances have aimed towards removing the physiological constraints of the crops and increasing crop yield potential. With the use of different tools of agricultural biotechnologies like genetic engineering, tissue culture, embryo rescue, somatic hybridization, molecular marker-assisted selection, genome doubling, and omics technologies, various transgenic crops have been developed over the decades and have been approved for commercialization. This development and adoption of transgenic technology have been shown to increase crop yields, reduce CO2 emission, reduce pesticide and insecticide use and decrease the costs of crop production. Even though the biotechnological approach and transgenic organisms have immense potential to contribute to the world’s food security, several concerns of genetically modified crops being a threat to the environment and human health have developed. This review will address applications and concerns of biotechnology in crop improvement considering health hazards and ecological risks.
{"title":"Advances in Agricultural Biotechnology","authors":"Mamata K.C., A. Lamichhane","doi":"10.3126/njb.v9i1.38643","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3126/njb.v9i1.38643","url":null,"abstract":"Agricultural biotechnology is becoming the major sector in crop improvement through the use of scientific techniques for the modification of genes conferring resistance to biotic, abiotic stress and improving the quality of crops. With the evolvement from Mendelian genetics to molecular biotechnology, there have been several developments in the field of crop improvement. Recent biotechnological advances have aimed towards removing the physiological constraints of the crops and increasing crop yield potential. With the use of different tools of agricultural biotechnologies like genetic engineering, tissue culture, embryo rescue, somatic hybridization, molecular marker-assisted selection, genome doubling, and omics technologies, various transgenic crops have been developed over the decades and have been approved for commercialization. This development and adoption of transgenic technology have been shown to increase crop yields, reduce CO2 emission, reduce pesticide and insecticide use and decrease the costs of crop production. Even though the biotechnological approach and transgenic organisms have immense potential to contribute to the world’s food security, several concerns of genetically modified crops being a threat to the environment and human health have developed. This review will address applications and concerns of biotechnology in crop improvement considering health hazards and ecological risks.","PeriodicalId":34186,"journal":{"name":"Nepal Journal of Biotechnology","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73343442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A wound gets infected when the organism gets invaded through the breached skin, proliferated and production of various enzymes, toxins, etc. In order to treat the wound infection, antibiotic susceptibility pattern of organism should be determined before the prescription of the medicine. The present study was conducted from September 2017 to March 2018 with an aim to determine antibiotic susceptibility pattern of Staphylococcus aureus identified from the pus/wound swab among the patients visiting the International Friendship Children's Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal. Total 270 sample were processed, isolated and identified using standard microbiological procedure and biochemical test. Antibiotic susceptibility test was carried out by using Modified Kirby Bauer's Disc Diffusion Method. Out of total sample, 51.48% (139) showed growth. The growth distribution was found to be high in out-patient department 84.9% (118) than in-patient department 15.1% (21). Among 139 positive growth, 83.5% were gram positive and 16.5% were gram negative. All together 12 different organisms were identified, among which S. aureus was found to be predominant organism 105 (75.5%). S. aureus was found to be sensitive towards Linezolid followed by Doxycycline whereas it was found resistant towards Ciprofloxacin. Among S. aureus identified, 50% were Multidrug resistant (MDR) S. aureus and 55% were Methicillin resistance S. aureus (MRSA). MRSA was found to be sensitive towards Linezolid followed by Doxycycline and resistant towards Ciprofloxacin. The association between MDR and MRSA was found positively significant (i.e. p-value = 0.000). All strains of S. aureus were found to be sensitive towards Vancomycin. 22.86% were double disk diffusion test (D-test) positive. The prevalence of D-test was found to be high in MRSA (75%). The relationship between D-test and MRSA was found to be significantly correlated with each other (r = 0.39). Linezolid, Chloramphenicol, Vancomycin and Doxycycline is a drug of a choice for both S. aureus and MRSA infection.
{"title":"Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Pus/Wound Swab from Children Attending International Friendship Children's Hospital","authors":"B. Maharjan, S. Karki, R. Maharjan","doi":"10.3126/njb.v9i1.38645","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3126/njb.v9i1.38645","url":null,"abstract":"A wound gets infected when the organism gets invaded through the breached skin, proliferated and production of various enzymes, toxins, etc. In order to treat the wound infection, antibiotic susceptibility pattern of organism should be determined before the prescription of the medicine. The present study was conducted from September 2017 to March 2018 with an aim to determine antibiotic susceptibility pattern of Staphylococcus aureus identified from the pus/wound swab among the patients visiting the International Friendship Children's Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal. Total 270 sample were processed, isolated and identified using standard microbiological procedure and biochemical test. Antibiotic susceptibility test was carried out by using Modified Kirby Bauer's Disc Diffusion Method. Out of total sample, 51.48% (139) showed growth. The growth distribution was found to be high in out-patient department 84.9% (118) than in-patient department 15.1% (21). Among 139 positive growth, 83.5% were gram positive and 16.5% were gram negative. All together 12 different organisms were identified, among which S. aureus was found to be predominant organism 105 (75.5%). S. aureus was found to be sensitive towards Linezolid followed by Doxycycline whereas it was found resistant towards Ciprofloxacin. Among S. aureus identified, 50% were Multidrug resistant (MDR) S. aureus and 55% were Methicillin resistance S. aureus (MRSA). MRSA was found to be sensitive towards Linezolid followed by Doxycycline and resistant towards Ciprofloxacin. The association between MDR and MRSA was found positively significant (i.e. p-value = 0.000). All strains of S. aureus were found to be sensitive towards Vancomycin. 22.86% were double disk diffusion test (D-test) positive. The prevalence of D-test was found to be high in MRSA (75%). The relationship between D-test and MRSA was found to be significantly correlated with each other (r = 0.39). Linezolid, Chloramphenicol, Vancomycin and Doxycycline is a drug of a choice for both S. aureus and MRSA infection.","PeriodicalId":34186,"journal":{"name":"Nepal Journal of Biotechnology","volume":"94 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86041863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Indoor air pollution is a significant problem today because the release of various contaminants into the indoor air has created a major health threat for humans occupying indoors. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are pollutants released into the environment and persist in the atmosphere due to its low boiling point values. Various types of indoor activities, sources, and exposure to outdoor environments enhance indoor VOCs. This poor indoor air quality leads to adverse negative impacts on the people in the indoor environment. Many physical and chemical methods have been developed to remove or decompose these compounds from indoors. However, those methods are interrupted by many environmental and other factors in the indoor atmosphere, thus limit the applications. Therefore, there is a global need to develop an effective, promising, economical, and environmentally friendly alternatives to the problem. The use of the plant and associated microflora significantly impact reducing the environmental VOC gases, inorganic gases, particulate matter, and other pollutants contained in the air. Placing potted plants in indoor environments not only helps to remove indoor air pollutants but also to boost the mood, productivity, concentration, and creativity of the occupants and reduces stress, fatigue, sore throat, and cold. Plants normally uptake air pollutants through the roots and leaves, then metabolize, sequestrate, and excrete them. Plant-associated microorganisms help to degrade, detoxify, or sequestrate the pollutants, the air remediation, and promote plant growth. Further studies on the plant varieties and microorganisms help develop eco-friendly and environmentally friendly indoor air purifying sources.
{"title":"Plant and Plant Associated Microflora: Potential Bioremediation Option of Indoor Air Pollutants","authors":"Y. Gunasinghe, I. Rathnayake, M. P. Deeyamulla","doi":"10.3126/njb.v9i1.38669","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3126/njb.v9i1.38669","url":null,"abstract":"Indoor air pollution is a significant problem today because the release of various contaminants into the indoor air has created a major health threat for humans occupying indoors. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are pollutants released into the environment and persist in the atmosphere due to its low boiling point values. Various types of indoor activities, sources, and exposure to outdoor environments enhance indoor VOCs. This poor indoor air quality leads to adverse negative impacts on the people in the indoor environment. Many physical and chemical methods have been developed to remove or decompose these compounds from indoors. However, those methods are interrupted by many environmental and other factors in the indoor atmosphere, thus limit the applications. Therefore, there is a global need to develop an effective, promising, economical, and environmentally friendly alternatives to the problem. The use of the plant and associated microflora significantly impact reducing the environmental VOC gases, inorganic gases, particulate matter, and other pollutants contained in the air. Placing potted plants in indoor environments not only helps to remove indoor air pollutants but also to boost the mood, productivity, concentration, and creativity of the occupants and reduces stress, fatigue, sore throat, and cold. Plants normally uptake air pollutants through the roots and leaves, then metabolize, sequestrate, and excrete them. Plant-associated microorganisms help to degrade, detoxify, or sequestrate the pollutants, the air remediation, and promote plant growth. Further studies on the plant varieties and microorganisms help develop eco-friendly and environmentally friendly indoor air purifying sources.","PeriodicalId":34186,"journal":{"name":"Nepal Journal of Biotechnology","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82527518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Enish Pathak, Arjun Sanjyal, Chhatra Raj Regmi, S. Paudel, A. Shrestha
The deleterious effects of intensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture has led to the substantial research efforts on finding the alternatives to these agrochemicals. This study was aimed to isolate Bacillus species from soil of different regions of Nepal and screen for their ability to promote plant growth directly or indirectly by testing their ability to produce plant growth hormone indole acetic acid, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia and protease as well as phosphate solubilization. Thirty nine Bacillus strains were isolated from 25 soil samples of different regions of Kathmandu and Chitwan districts of Nepal. These isolates were tested for plant growth promoting traits in vitro. Among the total isolates, about 48.7% were indole acetic acid producers, 38.4% of the isolates showed the ability to solubilize the phosphate, 71.8% were able to produce ammonia and all the isolates had the ability to produce hydrogen cyanide and protease. The isolated strains showed positive results to maximum PGPR traits and exhibited a potential to be used as alternatives to chemical fertilizers and pesticides and could be used as low-cost bio-based technology to promote plant growth in the agricultural sector.
{"title":"Screening of Potential Plant Growth Promoting Properties of Bacillus Species Isolated from Different Regions of Nepal","authors":"Enish Pathak, Arjun Sanjyal, Chhatra Raj Regmi, S. Paudel, A. Shrestha","doi":"10.3126/njb.v9i1.38672","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3126/njb.v9i1.38672","url":null,"abstract":"The deleterious effects of intensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture has led to the substantial research efforts on finding the alternatives to these agrochemicals. This study was aimed to isolate Bacillus species from soil of different regions of Nepal and screen for their ability to promote plant growth directly or indirectly by testing their ability to produce plant growth hormone indole acetic acid, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia and protease as well as phosphate solubilization. Thirty nine Bacillus strains were isolated from 25 soil samples of different regions of Kathmandu and Chitwan districts of Nepal. These isolates were tested for plant growth promoting traits in vitro. Among the total isolates, about 48.7% were indole acetic acid producers, 38.4% of the isolates showed the ability to solubilize the phosphate, 71.8% were able to produce ammonia and all the isolates had the ability to produce hydrogen cyanide and protease. The isolated strains showed positive results to maximum PGPR traits and exhibited a potential to be used as alternatives to chemical fertilizers and pesticides and could be used as low-cost bio-based technology to promote plant growth in the agricultural sector.","PeriodicalId":34186,"journal":{"name":"Nepal Journal of Biotechnology","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74855956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
B. Joshi, K. Ghimire, P. Bista, R. Yadaw, R. Shrestha, Gaurish Krishna Kharel, P. Paneru, R. Kc, Deepak Bhandari
Basmati rice, also called the king/prince of rice landraces has very special values in Nepalese society as well as in other countries of Indian Subcontinent. With the objectives of collecting, analyzing and documenting Basmati related information in Nepal, we visited different sites; carried out key informant surveys; organized focus group discussions, online interaction and discussion meetings; requested all relevant offices/ persons/ stakeholders through phone, website, and letter to share information; organized high level official meeting, and Basmati rice expert meeting; documented video documentary and did online as well as library search. Because of its high market value at global level, many countries and organizations have been attempting to get intellectual property rights (mainly patent and geographical indication tag) on Basmati rice. India applied for GI tag to Basmati rice in the European Union (EU) in July 2018, and Nepal submitted opposition letter along with proofs and evidences of origin, diversity, cultivation and use values of Basmati rice on 9 December 2020. A total 133 Basmati type rice landraces are grown in 60 districts of Nepal. Basmati rice is traditionally grown, sold, and consumed in geographically localized areas of Nepal since ancient time. International and national scientists have defined lower altitude of Nepal as one of the centers of origin of Basmati rice. Many Nepalese basmati rice landraces have been characterized and evaluated using morphological traits, isozymes and DNA markers. Four basmati type of rice landraces have been registered in National Seed Board. Many community seed banks have maintained different types of Basmati rice landraces. National Agriculture Genetic Resources Center and International genebanks have collected more than 80 and conserved 68 basmati landraces. Basmati rice landraces have geo-linked traits. The historical culture of production, consumption and marketing of native basmati rice in Nepal should always be favored by both national and international rules and regulations. Nepal has ample and valid evidences to get geographical indication (GI) right on Basmati rice.
{"title":"Intellectual Property Right on Basmati Rice: Current Scenario and Evidences of Origin, Diversity, Cultivation and Use Values of Basmati Rice in Nepal","authors":"B. Joshi, K. Ghimire, P. Bista, R. Yadaw, R. Shrestha, Gaurish Krishna Kharel, P. Paneru, R. Kc, Deepak Bhandari","doi":"10.3126/njb.v9i1.38671","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3126/njb.v9i1.38671","url":null,"abstract":"Basmati rice, also called the king/prince of rice landraces has very special values in Nepalese society as well as in other countries of Indian Subcontinent. With the objectives of collecting, analyzing and documenting Basmati related information in Nepal, we visited different sites; carried out key informant surveys; organized focus group discussions, online interaction and discussion meetings; requested all relevant offices/ persons/ stakeholders through phone, website, and letter to share information; organized high level official meeting, and Basmati rice expert meeting; documented video documentary and did online as well as library search. Because of its high market value at global level, many countries and organizations have been attempting to get intellectual property rights (mainly patent and geographical indication tag) on Basmati rice. India applied for GI tag to Basmati rice in the European Union (EU) in July 2018, and Nepal submitted opposition letter along with proofs and evidences of origin, diversity, cultivation and use values of Basmati rice on 9 December 2020. A total 133 Basmati type rice landraces are grown in 60 districts of Nepal. Basmati rice is traditionally grown, sold, and consumed in geographically localized areas of Nepal since ancient time. International and national scientists have defined lower altitude of Nepal as one of the centers of origin of Basmati rice. Many Nepalese basmati rice landraces have been characterized and evaluated using morphological traits, isozymes and DNA markers. Four basmati type of rice landraces have been registered in National Seed Board. Many community seed banks have maintained different types of Basmati rice landraces. National Agriculture Genetic Resources Center and International genebanks have collected more than 80 and conserved 68 basmati landraces. Basmati rice landraces have geo-linked traits. The historical culture of production, consumption and marketing of native basmati rice in Nepal should always be favored by both national and international rules and regulations. Nepal has ample and valid evidences to get geographical indication (GI) right on Basmati rice.","PeriodicalId":34186,"journal":{"name":"Nepal Journal of Biotechnology","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76818967","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shrimita Shresta, S. Bhandari, B. Aryal, B. Marasini, S. Khanal, P. Poudel, B. Rayamajhee, Bikash Adhikari, B. R. Bhattarai, Niranjan Parajuli
Medicinal plants are important reservoirs of bioactive compounds that need to be explored systematically. Because of their chemical diversity, natural products provide limitless possibilities for new drug discovery. This study aimed to investigate the biochemical properties of crude extracts from fifteen Nepalese medicinal plants. The total phenolic contents (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC), and antioxidant activity were evaluated through a colorimetric approach while the antibacterial activities were studied through the measurement of the zone of inhibition (ZoI) by agar well diffusion method along with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) by broth dilution method. The methanolic extracts of Acacia catechu and Eupoterium adenophorum showed the highest TPC (55.21 ± 11.09 mg GAE/gm) and TFC (10.23 ± 1.07 mg QE/gm) among the studied plant extracts. Acacia catechu showed effective antioxidant properties with an IC50 value of 1.3 μg/mL, followed by extracts of Myrica esculenta, Syzygium cumini, and Mangifera indica. Morus australis exhibited antibacterial activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae (ZoI: 25mm, MIC: 0.012 mg/mL), Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 (ZoI: 22 mm, MIC: 0.012 mg/mL), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ZoI; 20 mm, MIC: 0.05 mg/mL), and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (ZoI: 19 mm, MIC: 0.19 mg/mL). Morus australis extract showed a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, followed by Eclipta prostrata, and Hypericum cordifolium. Future study is recommended to explore secondary metabolites of those medicinal plants to uncover further clinical efficacy.
药用植物是生物活性化合物的重要储存库，需要系统地开发。由于其化学成分的多样性，天然产物为新药的发现提供了无限的可能性。本研究旨在研究尼泊尔15种药用植物粗提物的生化特性。用比色法测定其总酚含量(TPC)、总黄酮含量(TFC)和抗氧化活性，用琼脂孔扩散法测定其抑菌区(ZoI)，用肉汤稀释法测定其最低抑菌浓度(MIC)。儿茶和紫茎苋甲醇提取物的TPC(55.21±11.09 mg GAE/gm)和TFC(10.23±1.07 mg QE/gm)最高。儿茶相思具有较强的抗氧化活性，IC50值为1.3 μg/mL，其次为杨梅提取物、黑荆提取物和芒果提取物。桑对肺炎克雷伯菌(ZoI: 25mm, MIC: 0.012 mg/mL)、金黄色葡萄球菌ATCC 25923 (ZoI: 22 mm, MIC: 0.012 mg/mL)、铜绿假单胞菌(ZoI;20 mm, MIC: 0.05 mg/mL)，耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌(MRSA) (ZoI: 19 mm, MIC: 0.19 mg/mL)。桑提取物具有广谱抗菌活性，其次是黄花、金丝桃。建议进一步研究这些药用植物的次生代谢物，以进一步揭示其临床疗效。
{"title":"Evaluation of Phytochemical, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Selected Medicinal Plants","authors":"Shrimita Shresta, S. Bhandari, B. Aryal, B. Marasini, S. Khanal, P. Poudel, B. Rayamajhee, Bikash Adhikari, B. R. Bhattarai, Niranjan Parajuli","doi":"10.3126/njb.v9i1.38667","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3126/njb.v9i1.38667","url":null,"abstract":"Medicinal plants are important reservoirs of bioactive compounds that need to be explored systematically. Because of their chemical diversity, natural products provide limitless possibilities for new drug discovery. This study aimed to investigate the biochemical properties of crude extracts from fifteen Nepalese medicinal plants. The total phenolic contents (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC), and antioxidant activity were evaluated through a colorimetric approach while the antibacterial activities were studied through the measurement of the zone of inhibition (ZoI) by agar well diffusion method along with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) by broth dilution method. The methanolic extracts of Acacia catechu and Eupoterium adenophorum showed the highest TPC (55.21 ± 11.09 mg GAE/gm) and TFC (10.23 ± 1.07 mg QE/gm) among the studied plant extracts. Acacia catechu showed effective antioxidant properties with an IC50 value of 1.3 μg/mL, followed by extracts of Myrica esculenta, Syzygium cumini, and Mangifera indica. Morus australis exhibited antibacterial activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae (ZoI: 25mm, MIC: 0.012 mg/mL), Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 (ZoI: 22 mm, MIC: 0.012 mg/mL), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ZoI; 20 mm, MIC: 0.05 mg/mL), and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (ZoI: 19 mm, MIC: 0.19 mg/mL). Morus australis extract showed a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, followed by Eclipta prostrata, and Hypericum cordifolium. Future study is recommended to explore secondary metabolites of those medicinal plants to uncover further clinical efficacy.","PeriodicalId":34186,"journal":{"name":"Nepal Journal of Biotechnology","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73296058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ganesh Lamichhane, S. Khadka, S. Adhikari, Niranjan Koirala, Dhruba Prasad Poudyal
Haphazard mining and consumption of fossil fuels have reduced petroleum reserves causing fossil fuel depletion and environmental degradation; thus, reflecting the need of the cheaper, renewable and eco-friendly alternative source of petroleum to meet the fuel demand. Million liters of edible oil used for cooking foods and date expired oils from oil manufacturers are discarded into sewage. This study primarily intends to study the feasibility of biodiesel production using such waste oils. In this work, biodiesel was prepared from waste cooking oils by a process called transesterification with NaOH as a catalyst. Our results showed that methyl ester (biodiesel) (92.67±0.90%), soap materials (1.33±0.224%) and glycerol (6±0.68%) were obtained after the transesterification of waste cooking oil. The physicochemical properties of biodiesel such as density, viscosity, volatility, surface tension and flashpoint were analyzed, which were found to be 0.862±0.006 g/cm3, 2.23±0.021 cP, 0.327×10-3±4.5×10-6 g/s, 32.03±0.138 dyne/cm, 169.67±0.810°C, respectively. These properties were compared with that of commercial diesel as well as with the values specified by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D6751. The density and the surface tension of the biodiesel were found similar to that of petrodiesel but its volatility was 3 times lower. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra of the biodiesel showed methyl ester functional group at 1436 cm-1. Based on the cost of the materials used for production, the cost of biodiesel was estimated to be about 81 Nepalese rupees (0.67 USD) per liter. The properties of biodiesel also met the standard values of ASTM D6751. These findings indicate that waste oil is one of the feasible biodiesel sources and it can be used as a suitable alternative to petrodiesel.
{"title":"Biofuel Production from Waste Cooking Oils and its Physicochemical Properties in Comparison to Petrodiesel","authors":"Ganesh Lamichhane, S. Khadka, S. Adhikari, Niranjan Koirala, Dhruba Prasad Poudyal","doi":"10.3126/njb.v8i3.33661","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3126/njb.v8i3.33661","url":null,"abstract":"Haphazard mining and consumption of fossil fuels have reduced petroleum reserves causing fossil fuel depletion and environmental degradation; thus, reflecting the need of the cheaper, renewable and eco-friendly alternative source of petroleum to meet the fuel demand. Million liters of edible oil used for cooking foods and date expired oils from oil manufacturers are discarded into sewage. This study primarily intends to study the feasibility of biodiesel production using such waste oils. In this work, biodiesel was prepared from waste cooking oils by a process called transesterification with NaOH as a catalyst. Our results showed that methyl ester (biodiesel) (92.67±0.90%), soap materials (1.33±0.224%) and glycerol (6±0.68%) were obtained after the transesterification of waste cooking oil. The physicochemical properties of biodiesel such as density, viscosity, volatility, surface tension and flashpoint were analyzed, which were found to be 0.862±0.006 g/cm3, 2.23±0.021 cP, 0.327×10-3±4.5×10-6 g/s, 32.03±0.138 dyne/cm, 169.67±0.810°C, respectively. These properties were compared with that of commercial diesel as well as with the values specified by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D6751. The density and the surface tension of the biodiesel were found similar to that of petrodiesel but its volatility was 3 times lower. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra of the biodiesel showed methyl ester functional group at 1436 cm-1. Based on the cost of the materials used for production, the cost of biodiesel was estimated to be about 81 Nepalese rupees (0.67 USD) per liter. The properties of biodiesel also met the standard values of ASTM D6751. These findings indicate that waste oil is one of the feasible biodiesel sources and it can be used as a suitable alternative to petrodiesel.","PeriodicalId":34186,"journal":{"name":"Nepal Journal of Biotechnology","volume":"353 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82607326","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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