Antibiotic resistance is the major growing threat facing the pharmacological treatment of bacterial infections. Therefore, bioprospecting the medicinal plants could provide potential sources for antimicrobial agents. Mimusops, the biggest and widely distributed plant genus of family Sapotaceae, is used in traditional medicines due to its promising pharmacological activities. This study was conducted to elucidate the antimicrobial effect of three unexplored Mimusops spp. (M. kummel, M. laurifolia and M. zeyheri). Furthermore, the mechanisms underlying such antibacterial activity were studied. The Mimusops leaf extracts revealed significant antibacterial activities against the five tested bacterial strains with a maximum inhibition zone diameter of 22.0 mm against B. subtilis compared with standard antibiotic ciprofloxacin. The minimal inhibitory and bactericidal concentration values against tested Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains ranged from 3.15-12.5 µg/ml. However, weak antifungal effect was recorded against Candida albicans with MIC value ˃25 µg/ml. The 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay showed that M. caffra was the best antioxidant (IC50=14.75±0.028 µg/ml), while M. laurifolia was the least one (IC50=34.22±0.014 µg/ml). The phenolics in plant leaves extracts were identified and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) which revealed the presence of seven phenolic acids and four flavonoids. The abundant phenolic compounds were rutin (5.216±0.067 mg/g dried wt.) and gallic acid (0.296±0.068 mg/g) followed by myricetin (0.317±0.091 mg/g) then kaempferol (0.113±0.049 mg/g) as flavonoids. The antibacterial mechanism of M. laurifolia extract, as a representative species, induces ultrastructural changes in the model bacterium Staphylococcus aureus with cell wall and plasma membrane lysis as revealed by transmission electron microscopy. Overall, Mimusops species (M. laurifolia, M. kummel and M. zeyheri) are promising natural alternative sources for antimicrobial agents.
Biofilm formation is one of the biggest challenges of scientists. Role of heavy metals in forming biofilm is not clear enough. Here, the effect of lead on biofilm formation by Bacillus spp. isolated from soil in terms of biofilm formation and remove was studied. In present study, 10 isolates of Bacillus spp were isolated from soil. The ability of all isolates to form biofilm was evaluated. The effect of lead on biofilm formation was studied by adding lead (pb) before forming biofilm. In another experiment the lead was added after biofilm formation to study the effect of lead on biofilm remove. The current study, showed the ability of all studied isolates to form biofilm. Maximum biofilm formation by Bacillus spp isolate number 8 (B8) follow
... Show MoreIn this study Oscillatoria limnetica and Chroococus minor were isolated ?purified and identification from water canal around Baghdad University Campus. The water of this canals originally from Tigris River. BG-11 culture media was used for their cultivation in suitable laboratory conditions (25c°, 200µE/m2/sec) for 16:8 hrs. Light: dark. Each culture was harvested at the end of exponential phase .Organic solvents used for extraction were Ethanol? Hexane and Methanol 95% to extract the crude active Intracellular and Extracellular substances, and evaporated down to dryness .Antibacterial and antifungal activity of these different extracts were evaluated against 6 strains of gram positive bacteria and gram negative bacteria in additi
... Show MoreFour samples were collected from the wastewater of State Battery Manufacturing Company (SBMC); Babylon 2 factory in AL-Waziriya district, as triplicates. Physical and chemical measurements were carried out such as temperature, pH, Lead concentrations and their ranges were: (19.5-34.5) °C, (6.1-6.4) and (4.5-6.5) mg/L, respectively. Six dominant Bacillus spp. isolates were isolated from these samples; namely, Bacillus subtilis N1, Bacillus subtilis N2, Bacillus subtilis N3, Bacillus cereus N4, Bacillus cereus N5 , Bacillus cereus N6. These isolates were capable of removing Lead from aqueous solutions in a capacity reached 27.6 ± 1.4, 10.1 ± 1.7, 74.5 ± 0.7, 8.93 ± 2.8, 8.1 ± 3.5, 1.6± 0.7 mg/L, respectively. Whereas cell walls,
... Show MoreBigheaded carps (bighead carp, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, and silver carp, Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and their hybrids play an important ecological and economic role in their original habitat, while their introduced stocks may pose serious ecological risks. To address questions about the persistence and invasiveness of these fish, we need to better understand their population structures. The genetic structures of bigheaded carp populations inhabiting Lake Balaton and the Tisza River were examined with ten microsatellite markers and a mitochondrial DNA marker (COI). The Lake Balaton stock showed higher genetic diversity compared with the Tisza River stock. Based on hierarchical clustering, the Tisza population was characterized o
... Show MoreBackground: L. sativum, are traditionally used for the treatment of various diseases and thought to have medicinal value. Isolates from many part of the world is now multidrug resistant. Therefore, there is an urgent need to look for and test an alternative herbal drug.
Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of L. Sativum seed extract against multi drug resistant (MDR) and sensitive Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates.
Subjects and Methods: An ethanolic and aqueous stock extracts were prepared from L. sativum seed plant then serial dilutions were prepared and the obtained concentrations (50, 25, 12.5 and 6.2 mg/ml) were tested against 30 multidrug-resistan
... Show MoreThe study aims to set an image to the mechanisms of the skills of the 21st century in the educational competencies of the basic education stage. To achieve this aim, a qualitative research design has been adopted in its analytical content analysis way. The study has arrived to the following conclusions: the availability of: the communicative and team work skills with a percentage of 25.9%, linguistic competency with a percentage of 24.6%, the skills of local and global citizenship, creativity, and problem solving with a percentage of 13.6%, critical thinking with a percentage of 10.38%, technological culture with a percentage of 5.8%, pioneerism and initiativeness with a percentage of 10.38%, technological culture with a percentage of
... Show MoreThe coronavirus-pandemic has a major impact on women's-mental and physical-health. Polycystic-ovary-syndrome (PCOS) has a high-predisposition to many cardiometabolic-risk factors that increase susceptibility to severe complications of COVID-19 and also exhibit an increased likelihood of subfertility. The study includes the extent of the effect of COVID-19-virus on renin-levels, glutathione-s-transferase-activity and other biochemical parameters in PCOS-women. The study included 120 samples of ladies that involved: 80 PCOS-patients, and 40 healthy-ladies. Both main groups were divided into subgroups based on COVID-19 infected or not. Blood-samples were collected from PCOS-patients in Kamal-Al-Samara Hospital, at the period between Decembe
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