Band 76, Heft 11-12

The agricultural waste with lignocellulose origin is considered to be one of the major environmental pollutants which, because of their high nutritional value, represent an extremely rich resource with significant potential for the production of value added bio-products. This review discusses the applications of higher fungi to upcycle abundant agricultural by-products into more sustainable materials and to promote the transition to a circular economy. It focuses on the main factors influencing the properties and application of mycelium composites – the feedstock, the basidiomycete species and their interaction with the feedstock. During controlled solid state cultivation on various lignocellulose substrates, the basidiomycetes of class Agaricomycetes colonize their surfaces and form a three-dimensional mycelium net. Fungal mycelium secretes enzymes that break down lignocellulose over time and are partially replaced by mycelium. The mycelium adheres to the residual undegraded substrates resulting in the formation of a high-mechanical-strength bio-material called a mycelium based bio-composite. The mycelium based bio-composites are completely natural, biodegradable and can be composted after their cycle of use is completed. The physicochemical, mechanical, and thermodynamic characteristics of mycelium based bio-composites are competitive with those of synthetic polymers and allow them to be successfully used in the construction, architecture, and other industries.

Candida spp. can form biofilms on mucosal surfaces and epithelial cells as well as on devices implanted in the body such as catheters and dentures, which are thought to underlie the most recalcitrant infections. It was aimed to show antifungal and antibiofilm activities of oregano oil ( Origanum onites ) . The antifungal activities of some essential oils were investigated against C. spp. and among them, oregano oil was found to be the most effective oil and further biofilm studies were conducted with it. Oregano oil inhibited biofilm adhesion and formation of C. spp. and mature biofilms and also displayed the ability to reduce biofilm formation when they were allowed to form on surfaces previously coated with oil (up to 50% inhibition rates). In addition, oregano oil was found to be effective against dual biofilms of Candida albicans + Staphyloccocus aureus at different concentrations. This study suggests that O. onites essential oil has useful antibiofilm effects against C. spp. The inhibitory effects of O. onites essential oil, against C. spp., were demonstrated for the first time. It also had antifungal effect on biofilm formation and established biofilm even at MIC level.

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål 1855) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an invasive and economically important agricultural and ornamental insect pest nowadays established in many countries. There are numerous methods used for its control. Due to the increased risk of chemical contamination upon the application of synthetic insecticides to control harmful insects, essential oils are gaining increasing attention. In this research, the insecticidal effectiveness of Satureja spicigera (C. Koch) Boiss (Laminaceae) essential oil at 10, 15 and 20 μL/mL doses, and 24, 48, 72 and 96 h against five nymph instars and adults of H. halys was investigated. In addition, the chemical analysis of S. spicigera essential oil was done by GC-MS. The major components of the S. spicigera oil were carvacrol (32.14%), thymol (20.01%), ɣ -terpinene (17.05%), p -cymene (9.08%) and carvacrol methyl ether (5.70%). At the 96th h of the study, the essential oil caused a mortality rate of between 20.1 and 87.5%. The positive control (Nimbecidine ® ) had the highest mortality rates for nymphs (100%) and adults (90.3%). According to the LD 50 and LD 90 values, while the most toxic LD 50 values were recorded as 0.63 and 4.66 μL/mL for the N 1 instar and adults, the lowest LD 90 values were 19.12 and 26.32 μL/mL for the N 5 instar and adults, respectively. In conclusion, results showed that S. spicigera oil had a highly toxic effect against five nymph instars and adults of H. halys .

Flavonolignans, for example, silymarin and silybin, have interesting biological activities. For the first time, three new flavonolignans named oenanthenoid A-C ( 1 – 3 ) and nine known flavonolignan derivatives ( 4 – 12 ) were isolated from Oenanthe javanica . Comprehensive spectroscopic data analysis and references were used to identify all of the compounds. The anti inflammatory activities of these isolates ( 1 – 12 ) on RAW264.7 macrophage cells were investigated. Three new compounds ( 1 – 3 ) demonstrated anti inflammatory activity with IC 50 values ranging from 6.5 ± 0.6 to 14.7 ± 1.6 µM. Furthermore, two compounds ( 11 and 12 ) demonstrated moderate anti inflammatory activity, with IC 50 values ranging from 24.1 ± 1.2 to 62.5 ± 1.9 µM.

A series of ethyl 2-(2-(arylidene)hydrazinyl)thiazole-4-carboxylates (2a–r) was synthesized in two steps from thiosemicarbazones ( 1a–r ), which were cyclized with ethyl bromopyruvate to ethyl 2-(2-(arylidene)hydrazinyl)thiazole-4-carboxylates (2a–r) . The structures of compounds (2a–r) were established by FT-IR, 1 H- and 13 C-NMR. The structure of compound 2a was confirmed by HRMS. The compounds (2a–r) were then evaluated for their antimicrobial and antioxidant assays. The antioxidant studies revealed, ethyl 2-(2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)hydrazinyl)thiazole-4-carboxylate (2g) and ethyl 2-(2-(1-phenylethylidene)hydrazinyl)thiazole-4-carboxylate (2h) as promising antioxidant agents with %FRSA: 84.46 ± 0.13 and 74.50 ± 0.37, TAC: 269.08 ± 0.92 and 269.11 ± 0.61 and TRP: 272.34 ± 0.87 and 231.11 ± 0.67 μg AAE/mg dry weight of compound. Beside bioactivities, density functional theory (DFT) methods were used to study the electronic structure and properties of synthesized compounds ( 2a–m ). The potential of synthesized compounds for possible antiviral targets is also predicted through molecular docking methods. The compounds 2e and 2h showed good binding affinities and inhibition constants to be considered as therapeutic target for M pro protein of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). The present in-depth analysis of synthesized compounds will put them under the spot light for practical applications as antioxidants and the modification in structural motif may open the way for COVID-19 drug.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the microbiological (number of viable lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria), physicochemical (dry matter, protein and fat contents, titratable acidity, and pH), and sensory characteristics (appearance of coagulum, taste and aroma, structure at cutting, color, and consistency at shattering) of probiotic Bulgarian yoghurts obtained by ultrafiltration of goat’s milk. These yoghurts were obtained using volume reduction ratios of 2 and 3 with the probiotic starters MZ 2 f, MZ 2 f +  Bifidobacterium bifidum BB – 87, and MZ 2 f +  Lactobacillus acidophilus LAB – 8. The increase in the level of the concentration by ultrafiltration led to an increase in the dry matter, protein and fat contents of the yoghurts, in the number of lactic acid bacteria and titratable acidity, and to a decrease in the pH. The twofold concentration by ultrafiltration resulted in a higher number of lactic acid bacteria in comparison with yoghurts made without ultrafiltration, and with better sensory characteristics compared to yoghurts without and with threefold ultrafiltration. The higher number of viable cells and better sensory characteristics were obtained for yoghurts with MZ 2 f +  Bifidobacterium bifidum BB – 87 and MZ 2 f +  Lactobacillus acidophilus LAB – 8 in comparison with MZ 2 f alone.

The goal of this study was to develop an injectable form of decellularized bovine myocardial tissue matrix which could retain high levels of functional ECM molecules, and could gel at physiological temperature. Dissected ventricular tissue was processed by a detergent-based protocol, lyophilized, enzymatically-digested, and neutralized to form the injectable myocardial matrix (IMM). Histochemical analysis, DNA quantification, and agarose gel electrophoresis demonstrated the efficiency of the applied protocol. Chemical, thermal, morphological, and rheological characterization; protein and sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) content analysis were performed, in vitro biological properties were evaluated. An in vivo histocompatibility and biodegradability study was performed. Histochemistry revealed complete removal of myocardial cells. DNA content analysis revealed a significant decrease (87%) in the nuclear material, while protein and sGAG contents were highly preserved following decellularization. Soluble IMM was capable of turning into gel form at ∼37 °C, indicating selfassembling property. In vitro findings showed the biomaterial was noncytotoxic, nonhemolytic, and supported the attachment and proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells. In vivo study demonstrated IMM was well-tolerated by rats receiving subcutaneous injection. This work demonstrates that the IMM from decellularized bovine myocardial tissue has the potential for use as a feasible regenerative biomaterial in prospective tissue engineering and regenerative medicine studies.

Capsaicin (CAP) is an active component in Capsicum annuum L. known to have anti inflammatory and anticancer activity. CAP is highly lipophilic and suffers low bioavailability. Therefore, developing delivery systems that enhance solubility and bioavailability can provide more promising therapeutic applications for CAP. In the current work, CAP was complexed with β-cyclodextrin (βCD) to form capsaicin-in-β-cyclodextrin (CAP-in-βCD) inclusion complexes. Then, the CAP-in-βCD inclusion complexes were characterized and loaded into PEGylated liposomes using the thin-film hydration extrusion method. The size, charge, and polydispersity index (PDI) of the PEGylated liposomes were characterized. The levels of IL-8 production were quantified after treatment using array beads. The results of this work showed that the successful formation of inclusion complexes at 1:5 M ratio of CAP to βCD respectively. PEGylated liposomes loaded with βCD/CAP inclusion complexes (CAP-in-βCD-in-liposomes) have a hydrodynamic diameter of (181 ± 36) nm, zeta potential of (−2.63 ± 4.00) mV, encapsulation efficiency (EE) of (38.65 ± 3.70)%, drug loading (DL) of (1.65 ± 0.16)%, and a stable release profile. Both free CAP and liposomal CAP showed a significant reduction in the IL-8 production by the MDA-MB-231 and A549 cancer cell lines after treatment. In conclusion, a liposomal-based drug delivery system for CAP was achieved.