Zuhra Bibi , Dilara Abbas Bukhari , Muhammad Qadeer Sarwar , Arifullah , Samina Younas , Tayyab Manzoor , Abdul Rehman
{"title":"Gut health improvement by locally isolated probiotics and histomorphometric analysis in Wistar rats","authors":"Zuhra Bibi , Dilara Abbas Bukhari , Muhammad Qadeer Sarwar , Arifullah , Samina Younas , Tayyab Manzoor , Abdul Rehman","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100271","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100271","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the present investigation, lab-isolated probiotics <em>Weisella confusa</em> MZ735961.1, <em>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</em> MZ707748.1<em>, L. plantarum</em> MZ710117.1<em>,</em> and <em>L. plantarum</em> MZ735961 were used separately and in combinations to evaluate their effect on gut morphology of Wistar rats. Synergistic groups were formed by 1:1 and labeled as G1 (<em>L. plantarum</em> MZ707748.1 and <em>L. plantarum</em> MZ729681.1), G2 (<em>W. confusa</em> MZ735961.1 and <em>L. plantarum</em> MZ727611.1), G3 (<em>L. plantarum</em> MZ729681.1, <em>W. confusa</em> MZ735961.1, and <em>Lactobacillus acidophilus</em> La-14), G4 (all above mentioned probiotics). Rats were gavage-fed with probiotics according to their colony-forming unit (CFU). The experiment was carried out for 35 days. The bacteria were re-isolated from the gut and identified by biochemical tests which confirmed the administration and re-isolation of different <em>Lactobacillus</em> strains from the gut. Molecular characterization was done through 16S rRNA by using universal primers. After sequencing eight <em>Lactobacillus</em> strains were identified. Histopathology of rats’ intestines was done, and different parameters were examined. Villus height, crypt height, crypt width, mucosa, and sub-mucosa of jejunum were significantly (p = 0.00) increased in the G3 synergetic probiotic group compared to 0-day and negative control. However, the villus width showed non-significant (p > 0.05) variations in both genders. Mucosa tunic, muscle tunic, total wall, and crypt depth were significantly increased (p = 0.00) in the G4 group of medial colon. The study concluded that gut morphology improves as probiotics adhere better to the intestinal epithelium, excluding pathogens, reducing inflammation, enhancing nutrient absorption, and stimulating mucosal growth. This results in improved villus structure and gut wall integrity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100271"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143136459","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}
Aritro Banerjee, Rajnish Kaur Calay, Somil Thakur, Mohamad Y. Mustafa
{"title":"A study on the impact of electrode and membrane modification in stacked microbial fuel cells for wastewater treatment","authors":"Aritro Banerjee, Rajnish Kaur Calay, Somil Thakur, Mohamad Y. Mustafa","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100278","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100278","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the efficacy of treating wastewater using microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology to the safe limits for discharge in the environment. It has been demonstrated that MFC directly converts organic matter present in wastewater into energy. The present study uses a cell design based on simple plate geometry, carbon felt electrodes and Nafion117 as proton exchange membrane separating the anode and cathode chambers. The anode was then modified with heat and acid treatment and PEM was treated with PVDF to improve the performance of the cell. Synthetic dairy wastewater with initial COD of 2412 mg/l was used to test the operation of stack consisting of four cells which were hydraulically connected in series. The stack operated with continuous flow of wastewater. COD removal of the feed water was tested in successive cells to achieve the permissible limits for safe discharge of the effluent. COD decreased from 2412 mg/l to 126 mg/l after the fourth cell. For the power output each cell was treated individually. The power density of each cell was directly proportional to the COD of the influent. The power density of the first cell that has the highest COD was measured at 77.9 mW/m<sup>2</sup>, which is two times that for the cell with unmodified anode and membrane. For the first cell COD removal was the highest at 57 % and 2.6 times more than the cell with the unmodified anode and membrane. These results suggest that targeted modifications to the anode and membrane can significantly boost the MFC performance both in terms of COD removal and corresponding power output. Secondly, up to 93.66 % COD removal may be achieved by four cells hydraulically connected in series. The paper offers some insights for stacking options for implementing at scale up of the MFC technology for wastewater treatment plants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100278"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143478906","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}
{"title":"Corrigendum to “A review: Anti-obesity drug discovery from natural plant metabolites and endogenous peptides” [Curr. Res. Biotechnol. 8 (2024) 100259]","authors":"Xiaomu Zhu , Dongdong Wang , Atanas G. Atanasov","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100289","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100289","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100289"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143834803","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}
{"title":"Targeting the UCP1-dependent thermogenesis pathway with CRISPR/Cas9: a new approach to obesity management","authors":"Esmail Karami , Fatemeh Rostamkhani , Maasoume Abdollahi , Mohamadreza Ahmadifard","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100295","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100295","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Obesity is a complex, multifactorial disease characterized by excessive body fat accumulation, which negatively impacts health. Its increasing prevalence has led to a global epidemic, emphasizing the urgent need for innovative and effective treatment strategies. This study aims to explore the potential of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing to enhance UCP1-dependent thermogenesis, offering a novel approach to obesity management. Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), primarily located in the inner mitochondrial membrane of brown adipose tissue (BAT), plays a crucial role in thermogenesis and energy expenditure. By converting stored energy into heat, UCP1 activation enhances calorie burning, helping to regulate body temperature and mitigate obesity-related health risks. Recent advancements in genome editing technologies, particularly CRISPR/Cas9, provide a precise method to modify genes involved in UCP1 expression and activity. This approach holds significant promise for sustainable obesity management by enhancing metabolic efficiency and energy expenditure. This study examines the feasibility of using CRISPR/Cas9 to target the UCP1-dependent thermogenesis pathway for obesity treatment. It explores the mechanisms of CRISPR/Cas9, the role of UCP1 in energy regulation, and potential strategies to enhance thermogenic activity. Our findings highlight the promise of CRISPR-based interventions in metabolic regulation. However, further research is necessary to optimize safety, efficacy, and regulatory considerations before translating these findings into clinical applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100295"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143916719","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}
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}
{"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}
{"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}
{"title":"Ranking economic and environmental performance of feedstocks used in bio-based production systems","authors":"Dania Muhieddine Orfali , Samir Meramo , Sumesh Sukumara","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100275","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2025.100275","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biotechnology offers renewable alternatives for producing food, materials, and numerous functional compounds. While rampant human activities are disrupting planets’ geophysical flows, it is urgent to develop sustainable solutions with novel feedstocks and innovative valorization pathways. With the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance circularity, new raw materials termed the next-generation feedstocks (<em>NGFs</em>), such as carbon dioxide, methane, methanol, formic acid, and acetic acid, have emerged as potential feedstocks for bio-based processes. So far, no such review exists that compares the performance of conventional, sugar, lignocellulosic, algae-based feedstocks, and <em>NGFs</em>, which biotechnology could upcycle into a wide range of products. In this review, the economic and environmental performances of the feedstocks are analyzed, and quantifications are presented and standardized based on techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment models. The main parameters for comparison included the geographical location, unit production cost, and environmental impact categories. The results show that the economic and environmental performances are highly variable among the different feedstocks and their processing routes, also depicting evident tradeoffs. Carbon dioxide, sugar cane molasses and glycerol from waste streams are performing better on assessed indicators overall than other potential feedstocks. Nonetheless, this designed data source is the first step for reliable feedstock selection based on sustainability criteria.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100275"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143395072","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}