Biocatalysis and agricultural biotechnology最新文献

{"title":"Proteases from marine endophyte, Bacillus subtilis ULB16: Unlocking the industrial potential of a marine-derived enzyme source","authors":"Swathy Sadanandan Anand,&nbsp;Bipin Gopalakrishnan Nair,&nbsp;Sudarslal SadasivanNair,&nbsp;Jayashree GopalakrishnaPai","doi":"10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103503","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103503","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A potential protease producer, exhibiting 98% genetic similarity to <em>Bacillus subtilis</em> LXB3, was isolated from a marine macroalga, <em>Ulva lactuca</em>, and is extensively studied for its potential to produce proteases. This research delved into the exoenzyme profile of the isolate, with a particular emphasis on its significantly higher protease activity when compared to a reference strain, <em>Bacillus subtilis</em> 168. Ammonium sulfate precipitation of the spent culture media revealed that the 60–80% fraction (active protease fraction) exhibited the highest protease content and activity. Mass spectrometric characterization identified multiple alkaline proteases within this sample. The protease fraction displayed optimal activity at 50 °C and pH 10, with notable enhancements in the presence of divalent cations such as Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺. Significant kinetic parameters of the active fraction with casein substrate suggest its potential to be explored for its different industrial applications. The specific inhibition of protease activity by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride indicated a predominance of serine proteases in the active protease fraction. Beyond protease activity, the consortium of proteins also revealed significant biosurfactant properties. This dual functionality underscores the isolate's potential for biofilm inhibition and effective removal of persistent stains, such as blood, in textile applications and also its eligibility to be used in oil spill bioremediation. The current study highlights the newly identified marine endophytic bacterium, <em>Bacillus subtilis</em> ULB16, as a potent and versatile source of industrial enzymes, demonstrating notable protease activity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8774,"journal":{"name":"Biocatalysis and agricultural biotechnology","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 103503"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143147864","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":"β-Glucosidase from Lacticaseibacillus casei TISTR 1463: Biochemical characterization and application on biotransformation of pigmented leaf extract from Oryza sativa L. (Luem Pua glutinous rice)","authors":"Sirinthip Jaijoi ,&nbsp;Tanyawat Kaewsalud ,&nbsp;Kamon Yakul ,&nbsp;Sugunya Mahatheeranont ,&nbsp;Woraprapa Sriyotai ,&nbsp;Sarana Rose Sommano ,&nbsp;Pornchai Rachtanapun ,&nbsp;Noppol Leksawasdi ,&nbsp;Masanori Watanabe ,&nbsp;Thanongsak Chaiyaso","doi":"10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103491","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103491","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to biochemically characterize a purified β-glucosidase from a probiotic <em>Lacticaseibacillus casei</em> TISTR 1463 and to apply the enzyme for improving antioxidant activities of Luem Pua (<em>Oryza sativa</em> L.) pigmented rice leaf extract (PRLE-LP). The effect of PRLE-LP supplementation in de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) medium, inoculum size, initial pH, and temperature were investigated using one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) approach. Under optimal conditions, the maximal β-glucosidase activity of 38.43 ± 0.01 U/g _DCW was achieved by cultivation strain TISTR 1463 in MRS-PRLE-LP medium (20:80% (v/v)), 10% (v/v) inoculum size, initial pH 3.5 at 30 °C for 36 h. Afterward, β-glucosidase was purified to 7.5-fold with 37% recovery yield and a molecular weight (MW) of 75 kDa. This purified enzyme had an optimal pH and temperature of pH 4.5 and 35 °C. It was stable under pH of 3.0–5.0 and temperature of 30–35 °C and showed the highest specific activity toward 4-nitrophenyl β-D-glucopyranoside (<em>p</em>-NPG) with the <em>K</em>_<em>m</em> and <em>V</em>_max of 1.31 mg/mL and of 0.06 μmol/min/mg. The enhancement of antioxidant activities of PRLE-LP by purified β-glucosidase from strain TISTR 1463 and commercial enzyme was also studied. An in-house β-glucosidase displayed superior antioxidant activities over the commercial enzyme from <em>Aspergillus niger</em>. In addition, LC-QTOF-MS analysis confirmed that β-glucosidase efficiently converted glycone into aglycone, resulting in enhanced antioxidant activities. The potential for producing antioxidant-rich substances from anthocyanin-containing alternative crops with applications in food and pharmaceutical industries that are both health and eco-friendly is thus addressed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8774,"journal":{"name":"Biocatalysis and agricultural biotechnology","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 103491"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143147906","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":"Biofertilizers as an eco-friendly approach to combat drought stress in plants","authors":"Zhenqi Liao ,&nbsp;Hatem Boubakri ,&nbsp;Beibei Chen ,&nbsp;Muhammad Farooq ,&nbsp;Zhenlin Lai ,&nbsp;Hongtai Kou ,&nbsp;Junliang Fan","doi":"10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103510","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103510","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Drought is a severe abiotic stress adversely affecting agricultural activity worldwide. Biofertilizers have emerged as an environmentally-safe tool to combat drought adverse effects in plants. Biofertilizers like endophytic fungi (EF), arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) and natural compounds have enormous potential to mitigate drought negative effects in plants. Microbials like PGPB and AMF improve physical, chemical and biological features of soils by promoting nutrient uptake and water flow. However, natural compounds provide drought stress tolerance by inducing morphological and structure changes, water status adjustment, stomatal regulation, osmotic regulation, ion balance and pH regulation, reactive oxygen metabolism, antioxidant defense system, photosynthetic system, plant hormones, signal transduction, and gene expression regulation. This review provides valuable background knowledge on various biofertilizers that have proven effective against drought and serves as theoretical basis for conducting future research under field conditions to validate their practical use.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8774,"journal":{"name":"Biocatalysis and agricultural biotechnology","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 103510"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143148750","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":"Optimization of medium formulations for biomass vaccine production of gdhA derivative Pasteurella multocida B:2 using statistical experimental design","authors":"Siti Nur Hazwani Oslan ,&nbsp;Jiun Shen Loo ,&nbsp;Rosfarizan Mohamad ,&nbsp;Siti Khairani Bejo ,&nbsp;Mohd Zamri Saad","doi":"10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103504","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103504","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The glutamate dehydrogenase (gdhA) gene of a pathogenic <em>Pasteurella multocida</em> B:2 was successfully inactivated to create an attenuated strain as a vaccine candidate against hemorrhagic septicemia (HS) in ruminants. This study presents a novel approach to optimizing the medium formulation for high-throughput mass production of a gdhA-inactivated <em>P. multocida</em> B:2, which is critical for scaling up vaccine production. Using response surface methodology (RSM) with a central composite design (CCD), we systematically investigated the effects of various medium components on biomass yield. Yeast extract, glucose, sodium chloride, and sodium phosphate were identified as critical factors, with yeast extract demonstrating a significant enhancement in biomass production, yielding 2.03 ± 0.15 mg/mL, compared to traditional peptone (1.30 ± 0.26 mg/mL) and inorganic nitrogen sources like ammonium chloride and ammonium sulfate (&lt;1.0 mg/mL). Among carbon sources, glucose paired with yeast extract produced the highest biomass, while sucrose, white sugar, and soluble starch had minimal effects. Optimization through CCD identified the ideal concentrations of yeast extract, glucose, NaCl, and NaH₂PO₄ as 15.64 g/L, 1.91 g/L, 3.06 g/L, and 2.48 g/L, respectively, resulting in a 35% increase in biomass yield to 3.10 mg/mL. Yeast extract was the key driver of growth, with optimal concentrations between 5 and 20 g/L, while excess glucose, NaCl, and NaH₂PO₄ inhibited growth. Statistical analysis revealed that the quadratic polynomial model fit the data well (R² = 0.8440, model F-value = 5.80, p &lt; 0.05). The novelty of this study lies in the optimization of a medium that significantly improves biomass production compared to conventional formulations, providing a cost-effective and efficient solution for scaling up the production of attenuated <em>P. multocida</em> B:2. This optimized medium holds promise for advancing vaccine development against HS.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8774,"journal":{"name":"Biocatalysis and agricultural biotechnology","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 103504"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143264431","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":"Comparative analysis of Polyphenolic Compound Production from Rubus adenotrichos Schltdl. in a stirred tank bioreactor using two different impellers","authors":"Alexander Schmidt-Durán ,&nbsp;Laura A. Calvo-Castro ,&nbsp;Oscar Acosta-Montoya ,&nbsp;Mario Rodríguez-Monroy","doi":"10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103516","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103516","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Rubus adenotrichos</em> Schltdl. has a high content of polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant properties; however, obtaining these from the fruits presents limitations because it depends on the plant physiology, developmental stage, and environmental conditions. Cell cultures in a stirred tank bioreactor (STR) offer an alternative for obtaining plant secondary metabolites. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two impellers with different mixing patterns, a marine impeller, and a Rushton turbine impeller, on the culture of <em>R. adenotrichos</em> cells and the production of gallic acid, vanillin and ellagic acid, using an STR. It was observed that the marine impeller enhanced cell growth, reaching 2.320 g L⁻¹ of dry biomass, but did not promote the accumulation of polyphenolic compounds, producing 0.528 mg L⁻¹. Conversely, with the Rushton turbine, cell growth was limited (1.680 g L⁻¹ dry biomass), but the production of the target metabolites was favored, producing a total of 1.043 mg L⁻¹. The decrease in biomass and the increase in specialized metabolite content may be associated with smaller eddy sizes produced by the Rushton turbine, leading to the activation of lethal and sublethal mechanisms in plant cells due to hydrodynamic stress. Additionally, thermal concentration treatments differentially affected each analyzed metabolite, with gallic acid being the least affected compound when the concentration temperature was increased. The results establish the basis for the bioprocess advancement of <em>R. adenotrichos</em> Schltdl., focused on developing a sustainable strategy for natural resource management and as a source of phenolic compounds on a large scale.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8774,"journal":{"name":"Biocatalysis and agricultural biotechnology","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 103516"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143348682","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":"Mycoremediation for sustainable remediation of environmental pollutants","authors":"Amlan Roy ,&nbsp;Nirmali Gogoi ,&nbsp;Fasih Ullah Haider ,&nbsp;Muhammad Farooq","doi":"10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103526","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103526","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mycoremediation is an eco-friendly and sustainable biotechnology approach that helps detoxify the environment by removing heavy metals, pesticides, and organic pollutants, particularly in agricultural settings. This method enhances soil health while supporting crop productivity. Despite the identification of approximately 150,000 fungal species, only a limited number have been explored for mycoremediation. While wood-decaying fungi are well-known for their ligninolytic enzymes, other fungal communities—such as endophytic, soil, and aquatic fungi beyond the saprophytic category—have received comparatively less attention. This review offers a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms employed by diverse ecological groups of fungi for contaminant remediation, including biotransformation, bioabsorption, and immobilization. The findings highlight that mycoremediation is an eco-friendly approach to mitigating the toxic effects of heavy metals like cadmium, silver, lead, and mercury, as well as organic pollutants such as phenanthrene, naphthalene, and benzo[a]pyrene. Key factors influencing the efficiency of mycoremediation include temperature, rhizosphere pH, redox potential, and substrate concentration, all of which can either enhance or limit the process. The review also describes on the significance of mycoremediation in agriculture and how it can improve soil health, which may be utilized for increasing crop yield. Despite the promising findings, significant challenges remain in replicating natural conditions within laboratory environments and effectively translating these results into practical applications. Although fungal enzymes offer hope for bioremediation, productivity and stability-related issues limit their efficiency. One approach for increasing enzyme productivity and resistance to pollutants is genetic engineering. Overexpression and mutation can enhance enzyme attributes so that these enzymes may degrade pollutants more efficiently. Furthermore, future work is required to screen strains on a large scale for endophytic fungi and their application in the biodegradation of industrial pollutants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8774,"journal":{"name":"Biocatalysis and agricultural biotechnology","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 103526"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143394708","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":"A DNase from halophilic bacterium Bacillus pacificus targets two notorious biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 and Staphylococcus aureus","authors":"Sadaf Salim ,&nbsp;Vusqa Jadoon ,&nbsp;Mugheesa Batool ,&nbsp;Irfan Ali ,&nbsp;Usman Irshad ,&nbsp;Raza Ahmed ,&nbsp;Sadaf Qayyum ,&nbsp;Awal Noor ,&nbsp;Tatheer Alam Naqvi","doi":"10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103515","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103515","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biofilm is a sessile microbial community in which microbes are encased in a self-produced matrix called extracellular matrix (EPS), composed of eDNA, proteins and carbohydrates. Microbes in biofilms are several times more resistant to antimicrobial agents and host defense systems, thus are responsible for 60–80 % of human bacterial infections. Therefore, the enzymes that target EPS components can play a vital role against these biofilms. In the present study, an enzyme was isolated from halophilic bacterium <em>Bacillus pacificus</em> strain ROC1 and its antibiofilm potential was checked against the biofilms of <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em> and <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em>. DNase assay confirmed that the enzyme is DNase, which was further confirmed by whole genome sequence analysis that identified the potential <em>DNase</em> gene in ROC1. For the production of DNase Luria Bertani (LB) media was employed and harvested after 24 h of growth. The disruption and inhibition assays confirmed the antibiofilm potential of DNase by inhibiting 80% biofilm biomass of <em>P. aeruginosa</em> and 71% biofilm biomass of <em>S. aureus</em>. It also disrupts the preformed biofilms of both strains, while more disruption was observed in <em>P. aeruginosa</em> (71%) as compared to <em>S. aureus</em> (55 %). Characterization of DNase indicates its robust nature with profound ability to catalyze in wide range of temperature and salt, and the addition of cations effects the enzyme activity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8774,"journal":{"name":"Biocatalysis and agricultural biotechnology","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 103515"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143204539","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":"Assessment of Bacillus derived indolic components on banana (Musa acuminata)","authors":"Syandan Sinha Ray ,&nbsp;Kumari Manisha ,&nbsp;Soumi Ghosh ,&nbsp;Shibasis Mukherjee ,&nbsp;Bhubaneswar Pradhan ,&nbsp;Gautam Chatterjee ,&nbsp;Md. Nasim Ali","doi":"10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103506","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103506","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Applying synthetic auxin is an age-old practice to induce <em>in vitro</em> rooting of plants. The poor root system enhances the mortality rate of tissue-cultured plants under <em>in vivo</em> conditions. The inclusion of the microbial auxin within the tissue culture medium may be a natural and potent alternative to synthetic auxin. On this background, the impact of <em>Bacillus subtilis</em> derived indole components as the cell-free extract has been tested on the unrooted and rooted banana plantlets under <em>in vitro</em> and <em>in vivo</em> conditions, respectively. In the present study, bacteria derived indole components were shown to substantially promote <em>in vitro</em> rooting, including the formation of lateral roots in bananas. In the primary hardening, carrier-free microbial treatments were found to be better than the carrier-based microbial treatments to improve various plant physiological growth parameters in bananas. The charcoal-based treatment was found to be better than that of the talcum-based treatment for the improvement of the studied physiological parameters. Hence, these cell-free extract-based microbial approaches may be adopted as a potent alternative to reduce the overall cost of micropropagation and to generate healthy plants as well.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8774,"journal":{"name":"Biocatalysis and agricultural biotechnology","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 103506"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143428249","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":"Antibacterial and antioxidant activities of Pistacia lentiscus essential oils: Impact of total phenolic content on antioxidant efficacy","authors":"Amin Bouchfara ,&nbsp;Hamass Zerrad ,&nbsp;Ayoub Ez-zari ,&nbsp;Amin Laglaoui ,&nbsp;Mounir Nechar ,&nbsp;Badredine Souhail","doi":"10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103532","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103532","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Pistacia lentiscus,</em> commonly known as mastic tree, has long been recognized for its medicinal properties and is a rich source of a wide range of bioactive compounds. This study investigates how geographic localization influences the variation in the chemical composition of Pistacia lentiscus essential oils (PLEOs) from three locations in Northern Morocco: Fnideq, Zinat, and Masmouda. It examines the total phenolic compound (TPC) content, antioxidant and antibacterial activities. The main compounds of PLEOs are α-pinene, limonene, β-myrcene, terpinen-4-ol, and α-sabinene with the percentages of 12.2–21.2%, 2.3–19.0%, 3.6–17.6%, 5.1–10.7%, and 1.4–9.1%, respectively. The PLEOs showed significant levels of TPCs and demonstrated strong antioxidant activity. Specifically, the PLEO from Fnideq exhibited the highest TPC content (89.23 ± 4.13) mg GAE/g EO and demonstrated effective radical scavenging activity with IC₅₀ values of (11.62 ± 1.07), (0.04 ± 0.01), and (4.64 ± 0.39) mg/mL in the DPPH, FRAP, and β-carotene model, respectively. Furthermore, a strong correlation was observed between TPCs and the antioxidant activity of all PLEOs. In terms of antibacterial activity, the Fnideq PLEO demonstrated the most significant inhibition against <em>Listeria monocytogenes</em> (26 ± 2) mm, while the Zinat sample showed notable effects against <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> (14 ± 2) mm and <em>Proteus mirabilis</em> (14 ± 1) mm. Moreover, all PLEOs studied exhibited bactericidal effects at a concentration of 0.5 μl/mL. These findings highlight the potential of <em>PLEO</em> to address global challenges including antibiotic resistance, and underscore it use as a natural antioxidant and antibacterial agent, with promising applications as nutraceuticals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8774,"journal":{"name":"Biocatalysis and agricultural biotechnology","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 103532"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143421033","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":"Enhancing melatonin photostability and controlled release using pH-responsive mesoporous silica nanoparticles for agricultural applications","authors":"Parul Sangwan,&nbsp;Poonam Barala,&nbsp;Vinita Hooda","doi":"10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103497","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103497","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>pH-responsive and thiol-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (SH-MSNs) encapsulating the phytohormone melatonin were designed to release the hormone in a controlled manner while enhancing its photostability. Melatonin-loaded MSNs were prepared in weight ratios of 1:4, 1:2, 1:1, and 2:1, with the highest loading efficiency of 17.12 μg/mL observed at a 1:1 melatonin/SH-MSNs ratio. Detailed characterization of these MSNs confirmed their functionality: zeta potential and size analyses indicated enhanced stability post-functionalization and loading; FESEM confirmed spherical morphology; EDX and FTIR validated melatonin incorporation and disulfide linkage formation; and DSC and XRD analyses demonstrated the amorphous transformation of melatonin, enhancing dissolution rates. Reduced specific surface area and pore volume, as revealed by N₂ adsorption-desorption studies, confirmed melatonin entrapment. A distinct DSC peak at 118.82 °C reflected the crystalline nature of pure melatonin, contrasting with its amorphous state post-encapsulation. <em>In vitro</em> release studies demonstrated significant pH responsiveness, with 81 % melatonin release at pH 5.5 and 55% release at pH of 6.5 after 48 h due to disulfide bond reduction. Additionally, encapsulation improved melatonin photostability by 64.9% compared to free melatonin. This research suggests that MSNs grafted with redox-responsive gatekeepers could be used in crops to deliver melatonin in a controlled manner. Future research may explore the broader agricultural benefits of these MSNs for controlled release of other phytohormones under various environmental conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8774,"journal":{"name":"Biocatalysis and agricultural biotechnology","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 103497"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143148753","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}