Research in Molecular Medicine
Volume:10 Issue: 2, May 2022

Recently, the market demand for biopharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals has increased. Consequently, high-volume production strategies have also drawn a lot of attention. The invention and development of recombinant DNA technology, using various hosts from bacteria to mammalian cells, have led to the industrial-scale manufacture of many valuable pharmaceutical products. Among the hosts, yeasts have a special place due to their numerous benefits. The present study deals with commercial yeast-derived biopharmaceuticals and laboratory-scale yeast-extracted nutraceuticals. It represents the biotechnological potential of yeasts to meet the market's needs in this area. Besides, considering the COVID-19 pandemic, the applications of yeast hosts for the clinical management of this disease have been briefly discussed.Recently, the market demand for biopharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals has increased. Consequently, high-volume production strategies have also drawn a lot of attention. The invention and development of recombinant DNA technology, using various hosts from bacteria to mammalian cells, have led to the industrial-scale manufacture of many valuable pharmaceutical products. Among the hosts, yeasts have a special place due to their numerous benefits. The present study deals with commercial yeast-derived biopharmaceuticals and laboratory-scale yeast-extracted nutraceuticals. It represents the biotechnological potential of yeasts to meet the market's needs in this area. Besides, considering the COVID-19 pandemic, the applications of yeast hosts for the clinical management of this disease have been briefly discussed.

Multi-drug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) bacteria are becoming a serious global health issue, which may soon become untreatable by clinicians. Since the invention of antibiotics, inappropriate consumption, non-prescribed drugs, overuse, and hoarding have caused the rapid emergence of MDR and XDR bacteria. The ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Enterobacter spp.) cause many nosocomial infections and thus escape the biocidal action of the antibiotic. Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria have acquired self-defense tools like ESBL (extended spectrum beta-lactamase), a mutation in porin genes, biofilm production, and many more to develop multi-drug resistance. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) endangers patients' treatment as it causes high mortality and morbidity rates, economic loss of both patient and country, and prolonged hospital stay. To combat upcoming MDR and XDR bacteria, it is essential to design novel therapeutic techniques to eradicate such resistant bacteria via burgeoning technologies like nanoparticles, CRISPER-Cas9, genetic engineering, and synthetic biology.

One of the important issues in aging is sarcopenia characterized by muscle mass and function reduction. The present study investigated the effect of high intensity interval resistance training (HIIRT) on muscular parameters in sarcopenic elderly women.

A total of 30 sarcopenic women aged 60 to 70 years (appendicular skeletal muscle mass index<6.76 kg/m2, hand grip<20 kg) were randomly assigned to the experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. The experimental group (EX) participated in the training protocol that was implemented in 2 phases, the first phase (2 weeks/3 times per week/50-55% 1RM) and the second phase (6 weeks/3 times per week/60- 85% 1RM). The control group (C) did not participate in any training program during this period and performed their normal daily activities. Rectus femoris cross-sectional area (RFCSA), Myostatin (MSTN) to Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and MSTN to RF CSA were evaluated in two stages: pre-test (week 0) and post-test (end of week 8) and compared between groups. Independent t test and within groups one-way analysis of variance were subsequently utilized to assess the research variables through SPSS software version 23 at 0.05 level of significance.

The results showed that body mass (P=0.0001), body mass index (P=0.0001), MSTN to RF CSA (P=0.0001), and MSTN to IGF-1(P=0.04) decreased significantly in the EX group compared to the C group. While ASMI (P=0.0001), handgrip (P=0.0001), RF CSA (P=0.0001), and walking speed (P=0.0001) significantly increased.

It seems that the HIIRT protocol resulted in an improvement in muscular parameters in sarcopenic elderly women. Based on our results, this type of training is safe and risk-free for the elderly and prevents the progressive reduction of muscle mass and strength. However, determining the exact mechanisms involved in these changes in response to HIIRT requires further molecular-cellular studies.

Increased resistance to β-lactams is one of the most important considerations about Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of blaOXA-2 and blaOXA-10 genes in β-lactam-resistant P. aeruginosa.

In this study, 100 clinical isolates were collected, and β-lactam-resistant strains were identified using the disk agar diffusion test. Bacterial DNA was extracted by the sodium dodecyl sulfate method, and the polymerase chain reaction was used to identify blaOXA-2 and blaOXA-10 β-lactamase genes.

In total, 43 isolates were resistant to at least one of the β-lactams tested. Piperacillin-tazobactam and aztreonam were the most and least effective antibiotics, respectively. The resistance rate to a panel of β-lactams ranged from 12% to 37%. The highest rate of antibiotic resistance was related to wound and catheter specimens in burn and intensive care units. A significant relationship was observed between β-lactams resistance and the presence of blaOXA-2 and blaOXA-10 genes. Among 43 resistant isolates, 100% and 83.72% carried the blaOXA-2 and blaOXA-10 genes, respectively.

High β-lactam resistance rates and prevalence of blaOXA-2 and blaOXA-10 in this study indicate these enzymes' significant role in resistance to β-lactams, possibly due to overuse of these antibiotics and their easier access.

 E. coli O157:H7-related food poisoning is one of the most well-known causes of bloody diarrhea illness around the world. Therefore, devising a rapid, highly sensitive, and convenient detection technique for this species is crucial. In this work, we optimized a colorimetric Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) for detecting the intimin gene from E. coli O157:H7.

  In this study, eae (intimin), one of the virulence factors of E. coli O157:H7, was selected as the target gene, and specific primers were designed for the sequence of this gene using the Primer Explorer V5 software. The LAMP reaction was optimized with three variable factors of MgSO4 concentration, temperature, and incubation time, in a traditional (separate) way and by Taguchi experimental design. Finally, the LAMP products were visualized by 2% agarose gel electrophoresis stained with ethidium bromide or green fluorescence (SYBR green I) and the pink fluorescence (KBC power load), which can be observed using the naked eye. 

 The LAMP reaction was optimized at 63°C and 8 mM MgSO4 for 40 min. Also, the naked eye can readily visualize the LAMP products within 40 minutes and have a detection limit of 3.2×104 CFU/mL according to 0.38 fg from the genome. Designed primers based on the gene sequence proved their specificity by testing 4 species of other common foodborne pathogenic microorganisms. 

 The rapid, sensitive, one-step-visually developed LAMP assay could be of interest for screening functions in food analytical laboratories without special equipment or trained personnel.

One of the most prevalent malignancies to strike women, both in Iran and globally, is cervical cancer. Metastasis, which is a significant cause of mortality, is one of the most significant pathological processes of this cancer. Therefore, preventing the migration of cancer cells may be a useful therapeutic approach. The aim of this work was to investigate the impact of conditioned media and human Wharton's jelly stem cells (hWJSCs) on the migration and growth of the cervical cancer cell line Hela as well as the in vitro mRNA expression of genes involved in metastasis.

After primary culture, cellular extract and conditioned medium of hWJSCs were prepared. The viability of cervical cancer cells was investigated by MTT assay after treatment with cellular extract and conditioned medium of hWJSCs. Moreover, the anti-migratory effects of cellular extract and conditioned medium of hWJSCs on the cervical cancer cells were evaluated by wound‐healing migration assay. Finally, the mRNA expression of migration-related genes (E-cadherin and Vimentin) was detected by real-time PCR.

Our results indicated that the cellular extract and conditioned medium of hWJSCs (with 32% concentration) inhibited the proliferation of 100% and 20% of Hela cancer cells, respectively. In addition, the cellular extract and conditioned medium of hWJSCs significantly decreased morphological alteration and migration of the cancer cells. The cellular extract and conditioned medium of hWJSCs modified the expression of Vimentin and E-cadherin genes to inhibit the cancer cell migration (p<0.05). However, the cellular extract indicated significantly profound inhibitory effects on the cervical cancer cells compared to the conditioned medium.

Our study demonstrated that the cellular extract and conditioned medium of hWJSCs inhibit the proliferation and migration of cervical cancer cells through the modification of migration-related gene expression. However, further in vitro and in vivo studies are required for more accurate results.

Previously, we reported that the monoclonal Iranian honeys from different floral sources exhibited a large range from low to high anti-HIV activity. The aim of the present study was to determine the antibacterial activities of eight monofloral Iranian honeys.

the antibacterial activities of Iranian honeys were measured using disc diffusion and micro-broth dilution methods. The samples were evaluated spectrophotometrically for their total flavonoid content. the best results of within the in sillico antibacterial activity of the honeys with the most effective activity in vitro was performed by PyRx software. The molecular docking between flavonoids and 6 target proteins (DNAgyrase subunit B, penicilin binding protein, D-alanin D-alanin synthase, dihydrofolate reductase, and dihydropteroate synthetase and isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase) has been investigated.

The results showed that monofloral honeys from Zataria multiflora and Chamaemelum nobile showed the highest antibacterial effect against Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Proteus vulgaris, Bacillus licheniformis, Proteus mirabilis, and Staphylococcus saprophyticus. Monofloral Iranian honeys from Astragalus gummifer, Petro selenum sativum, Zizyphus Mauritiana, Citrus sinensis, Nigella sativa and Citrus aurantium flowers showed weak antibacterial activity. However, all these samples didn’t have any effect on Escherchia coli, Serratia marcescens, Salmonella enterica and Staphylococcus aureus. the entire flavonoid contents from Z. multiflora and C. Nobile were significantly quite other mono-floral honey types. The results of the docking study showed that each studied compound had appropriate interaction to targets. Analysis of docking results showed that flavonoids had the most effective results on 3SRW (dihydrofolate reductase) and 2ZDQ (D-alanineD-alanine ligase).

In conclusion, there's a connection between the anti-bacterial activity of mono-floral honey types and total flavonoids level Iranian honey types with high concentration of flavonoids like apigenin, quercetin and kaemferol may be good candidates for preclinical evaluation of anti-bacterial therapies.