Bio Technology

Caralluma atteunata extract have been reported to have antihyperglycemic effect. White albino rats were rendered diabetic by intraperitoneal administration of alloxan (120 mg/kg body weight). Oral administration of ethanolic extract of Caralluma atteunata 500 mg/kg body wt was given orally for 30 days. Experimental results showed that, alloxan significantly elevated the blood sugar level whereas treatment with ethanolic extract of Caralluma atteunata (500 mg/kg body wt.) depressed the alloxan induced high blood sugar level and also it shows the marked changes in the level of Insulin, Hemoglobin, Glycosylated hemoglobin, urea, protein, Hexokinase, Pyruvate kinase, Glucose-6-phophatase, Fructose 1, 6 biphosphatase and glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase. This study strongly suggests that the ethanolic extract of Caralluma atteunata attributed its prominent hypoglycemic activity on experimental diabetic rats through suppression of gluconeogenesis and stimulation of glucose oxidation using the pentose phosphate pathway.

For many years, actinobacteria were best known as a source of large numbers of antibiotics. More recently, they have been found to be a promising source of a wide range of important enzymes. Studies on proteolytic marine actinobacteria especially in the southeast coast of Tamilnadu have not been carried out adequately. Actinobacteria were isolated from the flesh content of the Mud crab, Scylla serrata. This is first report on isolation of protease producing actinobacteria from crab. These crabs have a high tolerance to both nitrate and ammonia. Partial purification of the enzyme by DEAE Cellulose yielded 2.16-fold purity. Streptomyces nigellus showed highest enzyme activity at pH7 and 40°C. Out of the 7 morphological different strains, the strain LK-3 which was tentatively identified as Streptomyces nigellus showed protease activity. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to isolate the proteolytic actinobacteria from the crab.

In mineral bio-beneficiation, it is very important to understand the microbial surface characteristics and its behaviour onto the mineral surface. Bacillus cereus bacterium has never been used before as a bio-reagent for separation of different mineral systems. In this paper, complete characterization of such type of bacteria, isolated from Egyptian iron ore surface, including gram stain, growth curve, Biolog microbial identification, Zeta potential measurements, FTIR measurements, Scanning Electron Microscope, SEM as well as protein and polysaccharide analysis have been studied. The results confirmed that Bacillus cereus is a gram positive bacterium, rod shaped, smooth and circular with different types of by-products as polysaccharides, carboxylic acids and amino acids that gives an amphoteric behaviour on the cell surface. The results of zeta potential showed that the iso-electric point (IEP) of iron oxide (? 6.3) is significantly displaced to lower values (? 2.2) after treatment with the bacterial isolates which indicates the bacterial hydrophobic effect. This is in agreement with FTIR results which confirmed the formation of hydrogen bond between OH group (of the polysaccharides part) and/or the COOH group of both the polysaccharides or the protein fractions of the bacteria with the positively adsorption sites of hematite lead to a reduction in the zeta potential of its surface to be close from that of the bacteria itself. The results obtained showed a better affinity of Bacillus cereus to hematite mineral and could be used in separation of such mineral from its associated gangue minerals.

The army worm Spodoptera litura is one of the most damaging pests of cotton, tobacco and castor in India. Synthetic pyrethroids and organophosphate pesticides are used for controlling this pest. Due to continuous use of these chemicals there are reports of insecticide resistance among S. litura. In the present study we analyzed the mechanisms involved in the development of pyrethroid resistance and organophosphate resistance in S. litura using biochemical marker enzymes. The result shows an increased carboxylesterase activity, GST and AChE activity in organophosphate and pyrethroid treatments in field population as compared to laboratory populations. The data presented in this work shows the occurrence of pyrethroid and organophosphate resistance in S.litura may confer through estrases and glutathione complexes.

Phyllanthus niruri L belongs to family Euphorbiaceae is a field weed. In the present investigation sequential solvent extracts of various plant parts and tissue isolates of P. niruri were analyzed for their non enzymatic antioxidant activity using various standard protocols such as DPPH free radical scavenging method and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP). Results were expressed as antiradical efficiency (AE), which is 1000/ IC50.

Paenibacillus polymyxa was used in pretreatment of hematite to facilitate the flocculation removal of quartz and pyrolusite minerals. The adsorption results showed that the affinity of P. polymyxa to the three minerals according to the order: pyrolusite> quartz >hematite all over the pH range. On applying P. polymyxa bacterial strain, to be used as sole flocculating reagent, to selectively separate hematite from its mixture with pyrolusite at pH 6.5 and 5x109 cell/ml succeeded in the removal of 73.5 % of MnO2 as a concentrate containing about 2.65% MnO2 was obtained from a feed containing about 9.97 % MnO2 with 77 % Wt. % flocculated. Applying the same conditions for flocculation of a natural iron ore yielded a concentrate containing 2.54% MnO2, 0.25% SiO2 and 74.40% Fe2O3 with a recovery of 75% from a feed containing 8.79% MnO2 , 0.49% SiO2 and 67.90% Fe2O3. In this paper, the role of Paenibacillus polymyxa on the surface properties of the three single minerals has been studied through zeta potential measurements as well as the adsorption experiments. Complete characterization of both single minerals and bacteria strain have been done using XRF, SEM, and FTIR.

Magnesium plays important roles in physiological function of the body organs because magnesium is an essential mineral. Present study was to determine magnesium levels in serum of fifty pulmonary tuberculosis patients and fifty controls magnesium was determined using a Hitachi atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Tokyo, Japan). Magnesium level was significantly decreased in pulmonary tuberculosis patients as compared with the controls. In order to better understand the role of magnesium in pulmonary tuberculosis further clinical studies are required

The aim of the paper is to simulate the brain nervous system based on complex networks. Complex networks provides a new view for brain network, and the brain nervous system can be abstracted to a network. In this paper we delineate the simulation process to brain nervous system by complex network and computer algorithm. By the logical definition, we can abstract the node and edge to set up the brain nervous system networks with the different algorithms. The simulation results imply that it is feasible to simulate brain nervous system network based on complex networks with brain anatomical and functional architectures.

Present study deals with the isolation of lipolytic lactic acid bacteria from camel milk. Bacterial lipase is secreted extracellular and hydrolyses acyl glycerides into free fatty acid. Thus, the intake of bacterial lipase directly in food sample or as probiotic formulation can be helpful for those people suffering from health implications related to high serum triglyceride level. For this purpose, a lipolytic bacterial strain Enterococcus durans purified from camel milk employing enrichment and selective culture technique. Identification was done by sequencing of 16S rDNA/D1/D2 domain of LSU rDNA or ITS region and BLAST analysis. Strain showed significant lipase activity of 3988 U/ml. Physicochemical characterization showed that optimum lipase activity was observed between 7.2-7.5 pH, 30o C – 40 o C temperature, 3.5 %- 4.5 % salinity and 4 % (v/v) inoculum’s size whereas presence of peptone, calcium and tributyrin in media enhanced the lipase production. Optimization of lipase production was done using RSM model. Further purification via DEAE anion exchange leads 1.9 fold purification of lipase with retention of 81 % lipase activity. Quality assurance of this bacterial strain as a probiotic and subsequent formulation development can be useful achievement in the field of medical microbiology.

The roots of common beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris) were collected fresh by uprooting carefully from a garden soil in Bori, in Khana Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria. The root nodules were prepared using the Gwyn and Handelsman,(1989) technique, and analyzed by the spread plate method upon Yeast Mannitol agar, for the Isolation and Identification of nitrogen fixing bacteria (Rhizobium), obtained from the leguminous plant. Rhizobium japonicum, R. leguminosarum and R.aggregatum were isolated and identified. Rhizobium japonicum and Rhizobium leguminosarum were the most regular isolates, whereas, Rhizobium aggregatum were scarcely isolated. The frequency of occurrence of the microbial colony forming units were in order of 6.7, 20, 26.7, 33.3 and 13 for the sample plates,T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 as assay of root nodules formicrobial concentration of isolates were found, in the legume plant.