METHODS: The antimicrobial activity was evaluated using disc diffusion and microdilution methods.
RESULTS: The antimicrobial activities of the crude extracts were increased with increasing the concentration. It is clear that n-hexane extract was the most effective extract. Additionally, Gram positive Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) appear to be the most sensitive strain while Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and the yeast strains (Candida albicans (C. albicans) and Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans)) appear to be resistance to the tested concentrations since no inhibition zone was observed. The inhibition of microbial growth at concentration as low as 0.04 mg/mL indicated the potent antimicrobial activity of L. littorea extracts.
CONCLUSIONS: The obtained results are considered sufficient for further study to isolate the compounds responsible for the activity and suggesting the possibility of finding potent antibacterial agents from L. littorea extracts.
METHODS: Endophytes were isolated from plants collected from Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan and the National Park, Pahang and the extracts were tested for BACE1 inhibition. For investigation of biological activity, the pure endophytic cultures were cultivated for 14 days on PDA plates at 28°C and underwent semipolar extraction with ethyl acetate.
RESULTS: Of 212 endophytic extracts (1000 μg/ml), 29 exhibited more than 90% inhibition of BACE1 in the preliminary screening. Four extracts from isolates HAB16R13, HAB16R14, HAB16R18 and HAB8R24 identified as Cytospora rhizophorae were the most active with IC(50(BACE1)) values of less than 3.0 μg/ml. The most active extract HAB16R13 was shown to non-competitively inhibit BACE1 with K(i) value of 10.0 μg/ml. HAB16R13 was considered non-potent against PC-12 and WRL68 (IC(50(CT))) of 60.0 and 40.0 μg/ml, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: This first report on endophytic fungal extract with good BACE1 inhibitory activity demonstrates that more extensive study is required to uncover the potential of endophytes.
OBJECTIVES: In the present study, a bench-scale submerged microfiltration membrane bioreactor (MBR) was used to assess the treatment of textile wastewater.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The decolorization capacity of white-rot fungus coriolus versicolor was confirmed through agar plate and liquid batch studies. The temperature and pH of the reactor were controlled at 29±1°C and 4.5±2, respectively. The bioreactor was operated with an average flux of 0.05 m.d(-1) (HRT=15hrs) for a month.
RESULTS: Extensive growth of fungi and their attachment to the membrane led to its fouling and associated increase of the transmembrane pressure requiring a periodic withdrawal of sludge and membrane cleaning. However, stable decoloration activity (approx. 98%), BOD (40-50%), COD (50-67%) and total organic carbon (TOC) removal (>95%) was achieved using the entire system (fungi + membrane), while the contribution of the fungi culture alone for TOC removal, as indicated by the quality of the reactor supernatant, was 35-50% and 70%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: The treated wastewater quality satisfied the requirement of water quality for dyeing and finishing process excluding light coloration. Therefore, textile wastewater reclamation and reuse is a promising alternative, which can both conserve or supplement the available water resource and reduce or eliminate the environmental pollution.