Pub Date : 2025-01-01Epub Date: 2025-08-30DOI: 10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100329
Maima Matin , Rajeev K. Singla , Artur Jóźwik , Jarosław Olav Horbańczuk , Natalia Ksepka , Kamil Wysocki , Thadiyan Parambil Ijinu , Neenthamadathil Mohandas Krishnakumar , Sreejith Pongillyathundiyil Sasidharan , Ifeoma C. Ezenyi , John Igoli , Fabio Fusi , Sara Frazzini , Luciana Rossi , Michel-Edwar Mickael , Abhishek Joshi , Olga Adamska , Artur Stolarczyk , Esra Capanoglu , Deniz Gunal-Koroglu , Atanas G. Atanasov
The Zingiberaceae family, including among others, galangal (Alpinia galanga), turmeric (Curcuma longa), cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum), and ginger (Zingiber officinale), has been widely used in traditional medicine and culinary practices worldwide due to its diverse health-promoting properties. This mini-review aims to provide a concise overview of Zingiberaceae species’ medicinal potential and identify key areas for further research to facilitate their integration into modern medicine. Herein we summarize the existing research on the pharmacological activities of these species, with a focus on their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, cardiovascular, digestive, and metabolic effects. Aside from the reported biological effects of traditional formulations and phytopharmaceutical preparations, emphasis is given to the primary bioactive compounds identified in these plants including diverse phenolics, terpenes, and various other secondary metabolites. Mechanisms contributing to therapeutic benefits. Moreover, highlighted is the promise of these plants for future development of drugs and nutraceuticals despite current challenges, particularly bioavailability issues and the need for more clinical studies.
{"title":"Health-promoting and medicinal properties of Zingiberaceae family plants: A minireview with a special focus on galangal, turmeric, cardamom, and ginger","authors":"Maima Matin , Rajeev K. Singla , Artur Jóźwik , Jarosław Olav Horbańczuk , Natalia Ksepka , Kamil Wysocki , Thadiyan Parambil Ijinu , Neenthamadathil Mohandas Krishnakumar , Sreejith Pongillyathundiyil Sasidharan , Ifeoma C. Ezenyi , John Igoli , Fabio Fusi , Sara Frazzini , Luciana Rossi , Michel-Edwar Mickael , Abhishek Joshi , Olga Adamska , Artur Stolarczyk , Esra Capanoglu , Deniz Gunal-Koroglu , Atanas G. Atanasov","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100329","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100329","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Zingiberaceae family, including among others, galangal (<em>Alpinia galanga</em>), turmeric (<em>Curcuma longa</em>), cardamom (<em>Elettaria cardamomum</em>), and ginger (<em>Zingiber officinale</em>), has been widely used in traditional medicine and culinary practices worldwide due to its diverse health-promoting properties. This mini-review aims to provide a concise overview of Zingiberaceae species’ medicinal potential and identify key areas for further research to facilitate their integration into modern medicine. Herein we summarize the existing research on the pharmacological activities of these species, with a focus on their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, cardiovascular, digestive, and metabolic effects. Aside from the reported biological effects of traditional formulations and phytopharmaceutical preparations, emphasis is given to the primary bioactive compounds identified in these plants including diverse phenolics, terpenes, and various other secondary metabolites. Mechanisms contributing to therapeutic benefits. Moreover, highlighted is the promise of these plants for future development of drugs and nutraceuticals despite current challenges, particularly bioavailability issues and the need for more clinical studies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100329"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145319557","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}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01Epub Date: 2025-10-22DOI: 10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100347
Abhishek Dadhich, Madan Mohan Sharma
Cadmium (Cd), a toxic trace element, poses a significant threat to plant physiology and secondary metabolite production, with implications for environmental and human health. Bacopa monnieri (BM), a medicinal plant valued for its neuroprotective properties, is highly sensitive to Cd, which reduces shoot biomass by approximately 50 % and chlorophyll content by approximately 30 %. Phytohormones, such as salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA), are recognized stress modulators; however, their combined influence on Cd detoxification and bacoside A production has not been reported. In this study, BM plants were exposed to Cd stress, with SA and JA applied individually and in combination. Cd-induced growth inhibition, pigment loss, and elevated root Cd accumulation were significantly alleviated by phytohormone treatments, with the SA + JA combination exhibiting the greatest effect. Co-treatment improved shoot and root biomass, restored chlorophyll levels, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities, and reduced root Cd accumulation from 6340 to 3600 µg/g DW, thereby lowering the translocation factor from 0.16 to 0.10. Importantly, JA and SA + JA treatments increased bacoside A content by up to 1.7-fold, demonstrating enhanced secondary metabolite biosynthesis. This study provides the first experimental evidence that exogenous SA and JA synergistically mitigate Cd toxicity, strengthen phytostabilization, and boost bacoside A accumulation. These findings highlight the potential of BM as a dual-purpose candidate for phytoremediation and pharmaceutical exploitation in metal-contaminated ecosystems.
{"title":"Remediation of cadmium-contaminated soil using Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst. Synergistic role of salicylic and jasmonic acids in Phytostabilisation and neuroprotective bacoside A biosynthesis","authors":"Abhishek Dadhich, Madan Mohan Sharma","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100347","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100347","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cadmium (Cd), a toxic trace element, poses a significant threat to plant physiology and secondary metabolite production, with implications for environmental and human health. <em>Bacopa monnieri</em> (BM), a medicinal plant valued for its neuroprotective properties, is highly sensitive to Cd, which reduces shoot biomass by approximately 50 % and chlorophyll content by approximately 30 %. Phytohormones, such as salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA), are recognized stress modulators; however, their combined influence on Cd detoxification and bacoside A production has not been reported. In this study, BM plants were exposed to Cd stress, with SA and JA applied individually and in combination. Cd-induced growth inhibition, pigment loss, and elevated root Cd accumulation were significantly alleviated by phytohormone treatments, with the SA + JA combination exhibiting the greatest effect. Co-treatment improved shoot and root biomass, restored chlorophyll levels, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities, and reduced root Cd accumulation from 6340 to 3600 µg/g DW, thereby lowering the translocation factor from 0.16 to 0.10. Importantly, JA and SA + JA treatments increased bacoside A content by up to 1.7-fold, demonstrating enhanced secondary metabolite biosynthesis. This study provides the first experimental evidence that exogenous SA and JA synergistically mitigate Cd toxicity, strengthen phytostabilization, and boost bacoside A accumulation. These findings highlight the potential of BM as a dual-purpose candidate for phytoremediation and pharmaceutical exploitation in metal-contaminated ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100347"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145415382","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}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01Epub Date: 2025-07-15DOI: 10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100317
Jana Tchekalarova , Tsveta Stoyanova , Petar Todorov
Hydantoins are a class of compounds renowned for their diverse medical applications, particularly in neurology. Phenytoin (Dilantin) is one of the most well-known hydantoins, primarily used to stabilize neuronal membranes and prevent the spread of seizure activity. Recently, our team synthesized and studied the physicochemical properties of two compounds, 3-amino-5,5′-dimethylhydantoin Schiff Bases (SB1 and SB2). We hypothesized that SB1 and SB2 possess anticonvulsant properties, with the cis forms expected to be more active than their trans forms. We conducted experiments using the maximal electroshock (MES) test and corneal kindling in mice to test this hypothesis. The results showed that the cis isomers of SB1 and SB2 exhibited more potent activity against seizure spread than their trans isomers, and this was observed at doses that did not induce a sedative effect. Furthermore, both trans and cis isomers of SB1 but not SB2 compound demonstrated the ability to suppress seizures in the corneal kindling test. Our findings suggest that the trans-cis conversion of the hydantoin compounds SB1 and SB2 is crucial for their effectiveness in preventing seizure spread in the MES test and that of SB1 in the corneal kindling mouse model.
{"title":"A comparative study of the cis and trans isomers of two hydantoin compounds with anticonvulsant potency","authors":"Jana Tchekalarova , Tsveta Stoyanova , Petar Todorov","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100317","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100317","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hydantoins are a class of compounds renowned for their diverse medical applications, particularly in neurology. Phenytoin (Dilantin) is one of the most well-known hydantoins, primarily used to stabilize neuronal membranes and prevent the spread of seizure activity. Recently, our team synthesized and studied the physicochemical properties of two compounds, 3-amino-5,5′-dimethylhydantoin Schiff Bases (<strong>SB1</strong> and <strong>SB2</strong>). We hypothesized that <strong>SB1</strong> and <strong>SB2</strong> possess anticonvulsant properties, with the cis forms expected to be more active than their trans forms. We conducted experiments using the maximal electroshock (MES) test and corneal kindling in mice to test this hypothesis. The results showed that the cis isomers of <strong>SB1</strong> and <strong>SB2</strong> exhibited more potent activity against seizure spread than their trans isomers, and this was observed at doses that did not induce a sedative effect. Furthermore, both trans and cis isomers of <strong>SB1</strong> but not <strong>SB2</strong> compound demonstrated the ability to suppress seizures in the corneal kindling test. Our findings suggest that the trans-cis conversion of the hydantoin compounds <strong>SB1</strong> and <strong>SB2</strong> is crucial for their effectiveness in preventing seizure spread in the MES test and that of <strong>SB1</strong> in the corneal kindling mouse model.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100317"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144655691","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}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01Epub Date: 2025-10-31DOI: 10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100344
Ayda Ahmadi, Abobakr Sori, Jafarsadegh Moghaddas
Silica nanoparticles (SNPs) and silica aerogels (SAs) have emerged as new drug delivery platforms with promise for treating chronic conditions such as multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and diabetic foot infections. This review integrates papers from 2015 to 2025, selected by PubMed and Scopus searches through the use of keywords like ’silica nanoparticles drug delivery chronic infections’ to detect its significance in the fight against AMR with a maximum of 50 % enhanced drug loading efficiency. Because of their tunable porosity and favorable biocompatibility, nanoparticulate and aerogel materials are well compatible with target and controlled release of drugs, and this is how it is possible to bypass complications caused by poor drug penetration and microbial resistance. This review article, for the first time, addresses the application of silica nanoparticles and aerogels to fight drug-resistant infections in terms of scalability as well as regulatory considerations. With respect to scalability as well as regulatory, including the 2025 horizon scanning report of EMA on nanomedicines for enhanced biocompatibility and GMP scalability. It also addresses recent advances in surface modification techniques, such as covalent grafting of amine groups and non-covalent coating with polymers such as chitosan. These alterations have increased the drug loading capability (approximately 30 to 50 wt% for antibiotics) and have facilitated stimulus-responsive drug release triggered by stimuli including pH change and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The data from this review indicate that nanocarrier surface optimization has a significant ability to enhance therapeutic efficacy, wherein antibacterial action against drug-resistant microbes is increased two-fold. This review is distinct from previous structural-focused reviews because it investigates the direct relationship between drug loading capacity and surface modifications and smart drug release. Its focus on chronic drug-resistant infection renders the review an imperative reference document for guiding subsequent studies and generating clinical applications.
{"title":"Preparation, characterization, and application of silica nanoparticles and silica aerogel in smart drug delivery systems","authors":"Ayda Ahmadi, Abobakr Sori, Jafarsadegh Moghaddas","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100344","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100344","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Silica nanoparticles (SNPs) and silica aerogels (SAs) have emerged as new drug delivery platforms with promise for treating chronic conditions such as multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and diabetic foot infections. This review integrates papers from 2015 to 2025, selected by PubMed and Scopus searches through the use of keywords like ’silica nanoparticles drug delivery chronic infections’ to detect its significance in the fight against AMR with a maximum of 50 % enhanced drug loading efficiency. Because of their tunable porosity and favorable biocompatibility, nanoparticulate and aerogel materials are well compatible with target and controlled release of drugs, and this is how it is possible to bypass complications caused by poor drug penetration and microbial resistance. This review article, for the first time, addresses the application of silica nanoparticles and aerogels to fight drug-resistant infections in terms of scalability as well as regulatory considerations. With respect to scalability as well as regulatory, including the 2025 horizon scanning report of EMA on nanomedicines for enhanced biocompatibility and GMP scalability. It also addresses recent advances in surface modification techniques, such as covalent grafting of amine groups and non-covalent coating with polymers such as chitosan. These alterations have increased the drug loading capability (approximately 30 to 50 wt% for antibiotics) and have facilitated stimulus-responsive drug release triggered by stimuli including pH change and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The data from this review indicate that nanocarrier surface optimization has a significant ability to enhance therapeutic efficacy, wherein antibacterial action against drug-resistant microbes is increased two-fold. This review is distinct from previous structural-focused reviews because it investigates the direct relationship between drug loading capacity and surface modifications and smart drug release. Its focus on chronic drug-resistant infection renders the review an imperative reference document for guiding subsequent studies and generating clinical applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100344"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145465890","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}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01Epub Date: 2025-04-16DOI: 10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100286
Nikolay T. Tzvetkov , Martina I. Peeva , Maya G. Georgieva , Vera Deneva , Aneliya A. Balacheva , Ivan P. Bogdanov , Maria Ponticelli , Luigi Milella , Kiril Kirilov , Maima Matin , Hans-Georg Stammler , Atanas G. Atanasov , Liudmil Antonov
{"title":"Corrigendum to “Favipiravir vs. Deferiprone: tautomeric, photophysical, in vitro biological studies, and binding interactions with SARS-Cov-2-MPro/ACE2” [Curr. Res. Biotechnol. 7 (2024) 100176]","authors":"Nikolay T. Tzvetkov , Martina I. Peeva , Maya G. Georgieva , Vera Deneva , Aneliya A. Balacheva , Ivan P. Bogdanov , Maria Ponticelli , Luigi Milella , Kiril Kirilov , Maima Matin , Hans-Georg Stammler , Atanas G. Atanasov , Liudmil Antonov","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100286","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100286","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100286"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143834805","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}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01Epub Date: 2024-12-12DOI: 10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100270
Gui-yu Li , Ji-yong Lin
Objective
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer and is one of the most common global cancers. Curcuma zedoaria (Christm.) Roscoe is a traditional Chinese herb that has been used for thousands of years in China to treat various types of cancer. Curcumol is one of its primary bioactive sesquiterpenes and has been reported to possess antitumor properties; however, the underlying mechanisms in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to reveal the mechanism of curcumol treating HCC based on the network pharmacology and experimental verification.
Materials and Methods
Targets of HCC and curcumol were identified. The drugs and disease targets were intersected by Venn Diagram. The KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of curcumol treating HCC was analyzed through the R 3.6.1 software. The effects of curcumol on the inhibition of HCC cell line HepG2 growth and its pro-apoptotic activity were evaluated by cell counting kit-8 and flow cytometry. The expression of microRNA-124 (miRNA-124) mRNA was detected by quantitative real-time PCR. HepG2 cells were transfected with a miRNA mimic and inhibitor. The expression of STAT3 and its phosphorylation were induced by IL-6 and detected by western blotting.
Results
MicroRNAs in cancer is a significant enrichment signaling pathway for curcumol treating HCC, according to the KEGG pathway analysis. Curcumol effectively inhibited HepG2 cell growth at 50–150 μg/ml, while it had low toxicity to normal LO2 cells. Using flow cytometry, curcumol strongly promoted apoptosis in HepG2 cells and was more potent than the miRNA-124 mimic, whereas the miRNA-124 inhibitor reduced the pro-apoptotic effect of curcumol. Western blotting revealed that curcumol significantly downregulated the overexpression of STAT3 and its phosphorylation in interleukin-6 induced HepG2 cells, whereas an increased level of STAT3 was observed in the miRNA-124 inhibitor transfected cells after curcumol treatment compared to untransfected cells. The level of miRNA-124 was changed up to 5.87-fold by curcumol treatment.
Conclusions
The mechanism underlying the effect of curcumol on inhibition and pro-apoptosis of HepG2 cell growth is possibly related to the miRNA-124/STAT3 pathway.
{"title":"Curcumol inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma proliferation through miRNA-124/STAT3 pathway: Network pharmacology and experimental validation","authors":"Gui-yu Li , Ji-yong Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100270","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100270","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Hepatocellular carcinoma <strong>(</strong>HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer and is one of the most common global cancers. <em>Curcuma zedoaria (Christm.) Roscoe</em> is a traditional Chinese herb that has been used for thousands of years in China to treat various types of cancer. Curcumol is one of its primary bioactive sesquiterpenes and has been reported to possess antitumor properties; however, the underlying mechanisms in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to reveal the mechanism of curcumol treating HCC based on the network pharmacology and experimental verification.</div></div><div><h3>Materials and Methods</h3><div>Targets of HCC and curcumol were identified. The drugs and disease targets were intersected by <em>Venn Diagram.</em> The KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of curcumol treating HCC was analyzed through the R 3.6.1 software. The effects of curcumol on the inhibition of HCC cell line HepG2 growth and its pro-apoptotic activity were evaluated by cell counting kit-8 and flow cytometry. The expression of microRNA-124 (miRNA-124) mRNA was detected by quantitative real-time PCR. HepG2 cells were transfected with a miRNA mimic and inhibitor. The expression of STAT3 and its phosphorylation were induced by IL-6 and detected by western blotting.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>MicroRNAs in cancer is a significant enrichment signaling pathway for curcumol treating HCC, according to the KEGG pathway analysis. Curcumol effectively inhibited HepG2 cell growth at 50–150 μg/ml, while it had low toxicity to normal LO2 cells. Using flow cytometry, curcumol strongly promoted apoptosis in HepG2 cells and was more potent than the miRNA-124 mimic, whereas the miRNA-124 inhibitor reduced the pro-apoptotic effect of curcumol. Western blotting revealed that curcumol significantly downregulated the overexpression of STAT3 and its phosphorylation in interleukin-6 induced HepG2 cells, whereas an increased level of STAT3 was observed in the miRNA-124 inhibitor transfected cells after curcumol treatment compared to untransfected cells. The level of miRNA-124 was changed up to 5.87-fold by curcumol treatment.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The mechanism underlying the effect of curcumol on inhibition and pro-apoptosis of HepG2 cell growth is possibly related to the miRNA-124/STAT3 pathway.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100270"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143136614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01Epub Date: 2025-07-17DOI: 10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100315
Marcela Guimarães , Daniela Luz , Elisabeth de Fátima Pires Augusto , Lucia Vieira , Maricilia Silva Costa , Roxane Maria Fontes Piazza , José Geraldo da Cruz Pradella
{"title":"Corrigendum to “Cost-effective production process of scFv antibody fragments against Shiga toxin 2 via recombinant E. coli” [Curr. Res. Biotechnol. 10 (2025) 100310]","authors":"Marcela Guimarães , Daniela Luz , Elisabeth de Fátima Pires Augusto , Lucia Vieira , Maricilia Silva Costa , Roxane Maria Fontes Piazza , José Geraldo da Cruz Pradella","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100315","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100315","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100315"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144879194","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}
Green nanotechnology has continued to gain popularity as a novel and alternative strategy to overcome the menace caused by drug-resistant pathogens. For the first time, this study explores an efficient, eco-friendly, and economical approach for the mycogenic synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by utilizing the aqueous extract of wild Termitomyces species of edible mushroom. The mushroom-assisted AgNPs synthesis was validated with visual colour observation and characterized with UV–Vis spectrophotometer, SEM, EDX, XRD, FTIR and DLS. The potential anticandidal efficacy of the synthesized AgNPs was investigated against six clinical isolates of resistant pathogenic Candida species. A typical Ag surface plasmon resonance (SPR) had absorbance maxima wavelength within 371–404 nm range, with a spherical shape particulate structure in the size range of 28 to 45 nm according to UV–Vis and SEM analyses respectively. Remarkable antifungal activity was recorded against a good number of the Candida isolates with MICs values in the range of 0.0122–0.0976 mg/mL. We conclude that wild Termitomyces mushroom is a suitable biomaterial for AgNPs synthesis and an effective antifungal agent which could be adopted as a novel therapeutic agent for efficient management of drug-resistant Candida pathogens.
{"title":"Termitomyces mushroom extract-mediated synthesis of silver nanoparticles and its in-vitro activity against drug-resistant Candida species","authors":"Naheem Adekilekun Tijani , Joseph Hokello , Emmanuel Eilu , Saheed Adekunle Akinola , Abdullateef Opeyemi Afolabi , Ibrahim Ntulume , Ismail Abiola Adebayo","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100279","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100279","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Green nanotechnology has continued to gain popularity as a novel and alternative strategy to overcome the menace caused by drug-resistant pathogens. For the first time, this study explores an efficient, eco-friendly, and economical approach for the mycogenic synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by utilizing the aqueous extract of wild <em>Termitomyces</em> species of edible mushroom. The mushroom-assisted AgNPs synthesis was validated with visual colour observation and characterized with UV–Vis spectrophotometer, SEM, EDX, XRD, FTIR and DLS. The potential anticandidal efficacy of the synthesized AgNPs was investigated against six clinical isolates of resistant pathogenic <em>Candida</em> species. A typical Ag surface plasmon resonance (SPR) had absorbance maxima wavelength within 371–404 nm range, with a spherical shape particulate structure in the size range of 28 to 45 nm according to UV–Vis and SEM analyses respectively. Remarkable antifungal activity was recorded against a good number of the <em>Candida</em> isolates with MICs values in the range of 0.0122–0.0976 mg/mL. We conclude that wild <em>Termitomyces</em> mushroom is a suitable biomaterial for AgNPs synthesis and an effective antifungal agent which could be adopted as a novel therapeutic agent for efficient management of drug-resistant <em>Candida</em> pathogens.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100279"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143429012","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01Epub Date: 2025-05-07DOI: 10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100296
Taru Koitto , Deepika Dahiya , Martina Huusela , Merja Penttilä , Emma Master
Expansins and expansin-like proteins are found in plants and microbes, and can disrupt the cellulosic microfibril network of plant cell walls. While plant expansins play a role in cell wall formation, microbial expansin-like proteins reportedly enhance the activity of lignocellulolytic enzymes. Herein, two novel fungal expansin-like proteins, AmaEXLX1 from Allomyces macrogynus and ApuEXLX1 from Aureobasidium pullulans, were recombinantly produced in Pichia pastoris. While both AmaEXLX1 and ApuEXLX1 retain typical expansin structure, they share low sequence identity (22.5 %) and different predicted pI values (5.8 and 8.8, respectively), which was expected to impact their action on cellulosic substrates. Accordingly, adsorption of the proteins on cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and the impact of the expansin-like proteins on the hydrolysis of CNF by an endoglucanase (Cel7B) was investigated using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D). AmaEXLX1 showed higher affinity towards cellulose compared to ApuEXLX1, which was correlated to missing key aromatic residues in the polysaccharide binding surface of ApuEXLX1. The pretreatment of a CNF film with AmaEXLX1 and ApuEXLX1 increased the initial rate of Cel7B activity. This study underscores similarities between the impacts that bacterial and fungal expansin-like proteins can have on the enzymatic deconstruction of cellulose, and sequence properties that could impact expansin performance.
{"title":"Phylogenetically distinct fungal expansins show different binding preferences towards cellulosic materials and enhance cellulase activity","authors":"Taru Koitto , Deepika Dahiya , Martina Huusela , Merja Penttilä , Emma Master","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100296","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100296","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Expansins and expansin-like proteins are found in plants and microbes, and can disrupt the cellulosic microfibril network of plant cell walls. While plant expansins play a role in cell wall formation, microbial expansin-like proteins reportedly enhance the activity of lignocellulolytic enzymes. Herein, two novel fungal expansin-like proteins, <em>Ama</em>EXLX1 from <em>Allomyces macrogynus</em> and <em>Apu</em>EXLX1 from <em>Aureobasidium pullulans</em>, were recombinantly produced in <em>Pichia pastoris</em>. While both <em>Ama</em>EXLX1 and <em>Apu</em>EXLX1 retain typical expansin structure, they share low sequence identity (22.5 %) and different predicted pI values (5.8 and 8.8, respectively), which was expected to impact their action on cellulosic substrates. Accordingly, adsorption of the proteins on cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and the impact of the expansin-like proteins on the hydrolysis of CNF by an endoglucanase (Cel7B) was investigated using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D). <em>Ama</em>EXLX1 showed higher affinity towards cellulose compared to <em>Apu</em>EXLX1, which was correlated to missing key aromatic residues in the polysaccharide binding surface of <em>Apu</em>EXLX1. The pretreatment of a CNF film with <em>Ama</em>EXLX1 and <em>Apu</em>EXLX1 increased the initial rate of Cel7B activity. This study underscores similarities between the impacts that bacterial and fungal expansin-like proteins can have on the enzymatic deconstruction of cellulose, and sequence properties that could impact expansin performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100296"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143942178","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}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01Epub Date: 2025-10-22DOI: 10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100346
Kamil R. Hiralal , Anneke Louwerse , Matea Skojo , Manon H.J. Hillegers , Hugo G. Schnack , Sabine E. Mous , Gwendolyn C. Dieleman
Purpose
There is ongoing debate in the autism community on the role of genetics. Most research examining the discourse on genetics in autism have focused primarily on caregivers. This study explored the public discourse on genetics within the broader autism community.
Methods
We collected 30,014 Reddit posts on genetics within autism communities, since the platform’s inception through August 1, 2024. Using topic modelling, we identified key topics and we conducted sentiment analysis to compare the emotional tone across these topics. Finally, we examined how user characteristics were related to the sentiment of a post.
Results
We identified seven topics related to genetics: personal stories, place in society, parental support, familial inheritance, healthcare, research, and moderator messages. Threads on healthcare and personal stories were relatively negative, whereas research and moderator messages threads were more positive. Comments on healthcare were relatively negative, while parental support and moderator messages comments were more positive. Users who generally post more positively also expressed more positive sentiment when discussing genetics in the context of autism.
Conclusions
The online discourse on genetics in online autism communities encompasses multiple topics. Researchers and clinicians should continuously engage with the autism community to address concerns regarding genetics in autism.
{"title":"The public discourse on genetics in autism communities: a content analysis of Reddit posts","authors":"Kamil R. Hiralal , Anneke Louwerse , Matea Skojo , Manon H.J. Hillegers , Hugo G. Schnack , Sabine E. Mous , Gwendolyn C. Dieleman","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100346","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100346","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>There is ongoing debate in the autism community on the role of genetics. Most research examining the discourse on genetics in autism have focused primarily on caregivers. This study explored the public discourse on genetics within the broader autism community.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We collected 30,014 Reddit posts on genetics within autism communities, since the platform’s inception through August 1, 2024. Using topic modelling, we identified key topics and we conducted sentiment analysis to compare the emotional tone across these topics. Finally, we examined how user characteristics were related to the sentiment of a post.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>We identified seven topics related to genetics: <em>personal stories, place in society, parental support, familial inheritance, healthcare, research,</em> and <em>moderator messages.</em> Threads on healthcare and personal stories were relatively negative, whereas research and moderator messages threads were more positive. Comments on healthcare were relatively negative, while parental support and moderator messages comments were more positive. Users who generally post more positively also expressed more positive sentiment when discussing genetics in the context of autism.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The online discourse on genetics in online autism communities encompasses multiple topics. Researchers and clinicians should continuously engage with the autism community to address concerns regarding genetics in autism.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100346"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145361513","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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