Journal of Applied Biotechnology Reports
Volume:10 Issue: 4, Autumn 2023

The maintenance of homeostasis can be influenced by the gut microbiota. An imbalance in the gut microbiota, known as gut microbiota dysbiosis, can result in the deterioration of the mucosal layer and the integrity of the intestinal epithelial barrier. Consequently, this can lead to the infiltration of bacteria into the lamina propria. The disruption in the gut microbiota balance can also trigger innate immune responses, causing inflammation. Consequently, this inflammation has the potential to initiate various types of cancers. Numerous studies have indicated that probiotics play a direct or indirect role in regulating immune responses by modulating the gut microbiota. Hence, they can be employed as a preventive measure against cancer. This review aims to explore the potential of probiotics in countering cancer metastasis and inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells in different types of cancer including hepatocellular carcinoma, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, esophageal cancer, breast cancer, bladder cancer, and cervical cancer.

Monkeypox is an uncommon viral disease caused by a type of orthopoxvirus, and it is considered a zoonotic ailment, meaning it can be transmitted between humans and animals. Following the successful eradication of smallpox, the monkeypox virus has emerged as the most pathogenic virus within the orthopoxvirus family. Initially, it was primarily confined to central and west Africa. However, in 2022, the extensive outbreak of monkeypox in regions beyond its traditional boundaries raised significant concerns for the World Health Organization and the global health community. This systematic review involved the utilization of Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Science Direct databases, spanning the time period from 1972 to February 18, 2023. The primary aim was to gather data regarding the correlation between prior vaccination against chickenpox and the subsequent development of immunity against monkeypox. Any articles that did not align with the specific objectives of this study were deliberately excluded during the research selection process. The majority of studies have established the efficacy of prior vaccination in providing protection against monkeypox. Given that monkeypox now represents a substantial threat to global health security, there is an imperative need for a prompt, multidisciplinary approach that involves veterinarians, physicians, virologists, and public health experts. This approach should facilitate swift follow-up actions, encompassing the development of vaccination methods, diagnostic assays, and other control strategies. Given the demonstrated effectiveness of prior smallpox vaccination in safeguarding against monkeypox, it is imperative to prioritize the establishment of resources equipped with valuable knowledge for prevention initiatives. This includes the development of appropriate vaccines for proactive preparedness.

Somatic mutations in cancer are caused by a complex interaction of many starting and driving factors that work together to create a unique mutational landscape. During tumor growth, the controlled cellular environment restricts the alteration of only a few pathways. As a result, tumors that originate from various cell types frequently display similar genetic alterations. A noteworthy development in recent times is the increased detection of hotspot mutant residues located within particular genes. PhiDsc (Protein Functional Mutation Identification by 3D Structure Comparison), an innovative statistical technique developed for the purpose of detecting functional mutations in proteins that are prone to aberrations, is introduced in this study with a specific focus on the RAS and RHO protein families. By combining 3D structural alignment and recurrence data, PhiDsc determines whether mutated residues within a protein family have the potential to be functionally significant. The protein relationships within families were determined using UniProtKB, and the structural alignment of similar proteins in three dimensions was executed using DALI. The RCSB Protein Data Bank was consulted for the protein structures. The extraction of mutational data for the pertinent proteins was performed using BioMuta. The 3D hotspot database was utilized to identify mutational hotspots within the protein families under investigation. PhiDsc is accessible for free at https://github.com/ hobzy987/PhiDsc-DALI. The PhiDsc method successfully found both known and unknown mutational hotspots and changed residues in the RAS and RHO protein families. These changes are functionally important because they happen in or near active regions and domains that are important for protein-protein interactions. PhiDsc, an innovative statistical method, effectively detects functional mutations in frequently aberrant genes through the selective targeting of altered residues located in protein families that are highly probable to have functional significance. The present study showcased the ability of PhiDsc to identify mutations that impact the development and advancement of cancer, with a specific focus on the RAS and RHO protein families.

The main objective of this study was to determine the chemical composition of the aerial part of the essential oil and the hydrosol extract of Inula viscosa which has never been studied and to compare their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties in vitro. This was done in order to identify new biologically active agents. The essential oil and hydrosol extract were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Antimicrobial activity was tested against three bacteria and two fungi. The antioxidant activities were assessed using three different radical scavenging activity (DPPH), the β-carotene bleaching test, and Ferric-Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP). The anti-inflammatory activity was assessed using the protein denaturation method. The essential oil of Inula viscosa was composed mainly of hydrocarbon sesquiterpenes (52.6%) and oxygenated sesquiterpenes (47.0%), while the hydrosol extract was mainly composed of oxygenated sesquiterpenes (86.6%). The results of the biological activities showed that the hydrosol extract exhibited an interesting antioxidant activity, nearly equivalent to the synthetic antioxidant BHT. Furthermore, the hydrosol extract displayed very good anti-inflammatory activity, with an IC50 of 0.51 g/L, in comparison to diclofenac sodium (IC50 = 0.63 g/L). The hydrosol extract also exhibited antimicrobial activity and acted as an effective inhibitor of Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida ATCC 26960, and Candida ATCC 10231 microorganisms. The hydrosol extract of I. viscosa make this specie a potential alternative natural for use in the food and pharmaceutical industries. It can be utilized in the treatment of diseases involving oxidative stress as well as in the treatment of microbial and inflammatory infections.

Tropane alkaloids as secondary metabolites are one of the most useful plant elements that are widely applied in medicinal approaches. Studies have shown that UV light led secondary metabolites to be increased. Thus, we investigated the effect of UV-C light on the expression of the main genes involved in the biosynthesis of tropane alkaloids, namely hyoscyamine 6β-hydroxylase (H6H), Putrescine N-methyltransferase (PMT), and Tropinone reductase I (TR-I). Datura metel seeds cultured on MS media at 25 °C less than 12 h-12 h light-dark photoperiod. Then, they were transferred into vases and kept in the greenhouse. Three-month-old plants received 196 µWcm-2 UV-C light for 30 min. Afterward, the expression levels of different genes encoding H6H, PMT, and, TR-I enzymes, were measured at different post-exposure times. Our results demonstrated that UV-C increased the expression of PMT and TR-I genes after 48 h. Moreover, the rise of H6H expression was found after 24 h but its level was downregulated again after 48 h. These findings indicated that UV-C light as abiotic stress could boost the formation of tropane alkaloids through upregulation of genes of enzymes catalyzing the main steps in their biosynthesis and, also, these genes are differentially affected.

The quality of the extracted genomic DNA is largely reduced in patients who are exposed to chemotherapeutic treatment, which is usually encountered in the commonly used DNA extraction methods that are not designed to isolate DNA from those patients. In this study, a special non-organic protocol was developed to overcome the negative effects of chemotherapeutic drugs on the quality of extracted DNA. Numerous modulations were applied in the washing, suspension, and lysis approaches to compensate for the harmful impacts of the chemotherapeutic drugs on the quality of genomic DNA. Obvious purity and adequate yields of the extracted DNA were demonstrated in the suggested protocol. The validity of this protocol for digestion with restriction endonucleases, conventional PCR, and real-time PCR was confirmed. This protocol proved satisfactory values of absorbance ratio (1.8 ± 0.02 and 2.1 ± 1.2, for A260/280 and A260/230, respectively) and adequate yields of DNA (10 ± 2.24) µg/100 µl. The validation experiments proved the efficacy of extracted DNA for downstream applications of molecular biology. The utilization of this method entails a useful approach for extracting molecular biology-grade DNA without having inhibitors against common enzymes used in molecular biology even after exposing patients to several sessions of chemotherapy.

Tissue engineering is a field with enormous potential to revolutionize human treatment and medical practices. Despite this potential, the penetration of tissue-engineered products has not met expectations. Identifying the critical success factors is a good starting point to address this issue and find effective solutions. This study attempts to identify and quantify the critical success factors for the tissue engineering industry, and to determine which of these factors have the most significant impact on creating value for customers. The results of the current study were obtained using mixed methods to collect data from customers and experts, mapping data into a network structure, conducting pairwise comparison surveys, and using the Analytic Network Process (ANP) to prioritize identified factors. Finally, the critical success factors were extracted based on their relative significance. We found out that manufacturing and R&D as well as management are the most critical activities whose high performance is essential for conquering the market. The results also suggest that expert feedback, cost management, overall product quality, brand, as well as credit and reimbursement plans are the critical success factors of the tissue engineering industry. The outcome of this study suggests that in order to succeed in the tissue engineering industry, organizations must closely focus on expert feedback, overall product quality, brand image, and the availability of credit or reimbursement plans. They should also adjust their costs and, consequently, their prices in comparison to alternative products.