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Bacterial cellulose (BC) is an ecofriendly biopolymer with diverse commercial applications. Its use is limited by the capacity of bacterial production strains and cost of the medium. Mining for novel organisms with well-optimized growth conditions will be important for the adoption of BC. In this study, a novel BC-producing strain was isolated from rotten fruit samples and identified as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum from 16S rRNA sequencing. Culture conditions were optimized for supporting maximal BC production using one variable at a time, Plackett–Burman design, and Box Behnken design approaches. Results indicated that a modified Yamanaka medium supported the highest BC yield (2.7 g/l), and that yeast extract, MgSO 4 , and pH were the most significant variables influencing BC production. After optimizing the levels of these variables through Box Behnken design, BC yield was increased to 4.51 g/l. The drug delivery capacity of the produced BC membrane was evaluated through fabrication with sodium alginate and gentamycin antibiotic at four different concentrations. All membranes (normal and fabricated) were characterized by scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and mechanical properties. The antimicrobial activity of prepared composites was evaluated by using six human pathogens and revealed potent antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus , and Streptococcus mutans , with no detected activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans .

The current study was directed toward developing a new series of fused heterocycles incorporating indazolylthiazole moiety. The newly synthesized compounds were characterized through elemental analysis and spectral data (IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and Mass Spectrometry). The cytotoxic effect of the newly synthesized compounds was evaluated against normal human cells (HFB-4) and cancer cell lines (HepG-2 and Caco-2). Among the synthesized compounds, derivatives 4 , and 6 revealed a significant selective antitumor activity, in a dose-dependent manner, against both HepG-2 and Caco-2 cell lines, with lower risk toward HFB-4 cells (normal cells). Derivative 8 revealed the maximum antitumor activity toward both tumor cell lines, with an SI value of about 26 and IC50 value of about 5.9 μg/mL. The effect of these derivatives ( 8 , 4 , and 6 ) upon the expression of 5 tumor regulating genes was studied through quantitative real-time PCR, where its interaction with these genes was simulated through the molecular docking study. Furthermore, the antimicrobial activity results revealed that compounds 2 , 7 , 8 , and 9 have a potential antimicrobial activity, with maximum broad-spectrum activity through compound 3 against the three tested pathogens: Streptococcus mutans , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and Candida albicans . The newly prepared compounds also revealed anti-biofilm formation activity with maximum activity against Streptococcus mutans , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and Candida albicans , respectively.

The pressing necessity to substitute fossil fuels drives the investigation of biofuels sourced from biomass feedstock. This study investigates a novel and environmentally sustainable approach to transform soft tissue waste into bioethanol. Exploring soft tissue waste as a cellulose source via hybrid hydrolysis, utilizing diverse acids, bases, neutral solvents, and physical methods such as microwaving, autoclaving, and sonication, succeeds by enzymatic hydrolysis. The yeast strain Hanseniaspora uvarum (STDF‐AP1), derived from rotten apples and identified in GenBank with the accession number OP861649, is utilized in fermentation. Results indicate that direct hydrolysis using cellulase enzyme, without preceding treatment, produces 10.86 g L−1 of glucose. Employing the Box–Behnken design, it is determined that a 12.5% tissue waste hydrolysate, incubated at 40 °C with a medium pH of 6, maximizes bioethanol production at 7.55 g L−1. Bioethanol is purified with a PVC/PI/Graphite membrane, resulting in a separation factor of 36.48 and a flux of 245.65 g m−2 h. These findings affirm the feasibility of soft tissue waste as a sustainable feedstock for bioethanol synthesis, aiding in renewable energy generation and mitigating carbon emissions in accordance with global sustainability goals. This study offers a sustainable approach for converting soft tissue waste into bioethanol, promoting the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Employing hybrid hydrolysis and the yeast Hanseniaspora uvarum, a glucose yield of 10.86 g L−1 is attained, with optimal bioethanol production reaching 7.55 g L−1, highlighting the potential of soft tissue waste as an effective feedstock.

Enzymes have played a crucial role in mankind’s challenges to use different types of biological systems for a diversity of applications. They are proteins that break down and convert complicated compounds to produce simple products. Fungal enzymes are compatible, efficient, and proper products for many uses in medicinal requests, industrial processing, bioremediation purposes, and agricultural applications. Fungal enzymes have appropriate stability to give manufactured products suitable shelf life, affordable cost, and approved demands. Fungal enzymes have been used from ancient times to today in many industries, including baking, brewing, cheese making, antibiotics production, and commodities manufacturing, such as linen and leather. Furthermore, they also are used in other fields such as paper production, detergent, the textile industry, and in drinks and food technology in products manufacturing ranging from tea and coffee to fruit juice and wine. Recently, fungi have been used for the production of more than 50% of the needed enzymes. Fungi can produce different types of enzymes extracellularly, which gives a great chance for producing in large amounts with low cost and easy viability in purified forms using simple purification methods. In the present review, a comprehensive trial has been advanced to elaborate on the different types and structures of fungal enzymes as well as the current status of the uses of fungal enzymes in various applications.

Coastal environments worldwide are threatened by the effects of pollution, a risk particularly high in semienclosed basins like the Mediterranean Sea that is poorly studied from bioremediation potential perspective especially in the Southern coast. Here, we investigated the physical, chemical, and microbiological features of hydrocarbon and heavy metals contaminated sediments collected at El-Max bay (Egypt). Molecular and statistical approaches assessing the structure of the sediment-dwelling bacterial communities showed correlations between the composition of bacterial assemblages and the associated environmental parameters. Fifty strains were isolated on mineral media supplemented by 1% crude oil and identified as a diverse range of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria involved in different successional stages of biodegradation. We screened the collection for biotechnological potential studying biosurfactant production, biofilm formation, and the capability to utilize different hydrocarbons. Some strains were able to grow on multiple hydrocarbons as unique carbon source and presented biosurfactant-like activities and/or capacity to form biofilm and owned genes involved in different detoxification/degradation processes. El-Max sediments represent a promising reservoir of novel bacterial strains adapted to high hydrocarbon contamination loads. The potential of the strains for exploitation for in situ intervention to combat pollution in coastal areas is discussed.

The promising features of most bacterial celluloses (BC) promote the continuous mining for a cost-effective production approach toward wide and sustainable applications. Herein, cantaloupe peels (CP) were successfully implemented for sustainable BC production. Results indicated that the enzymatically hydrolyzed CP supported the maximum BC production of approximately 3.49 g/L when used as a sole fermentation media. The produced BC was fabricated with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitosan (Ch), and loaded with green synthesized copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) to improve its biological activity. The novel composite showed an antimicrobial activity against several human pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas fluorescens . Furthermore, the new composite revealed a significant in vitro anticancer activity against colon (Caco-2), hepatocellular (HepG-2), and breast (MDA) cancer cells, with low IC 50 of 0.48, 0.27, and 0.33 mg/mL for the three cell lines, respectively. On the other hand, the new composite was remarkably safe for human skin fibroblast (HSF) with IC 50 of 1.08 mg/mL. Interestingly, the composite membranes exhibited lethal effects against all stages of larval instar and pupal stage compared with the control. In this study, we first report the diverse potential applications of BC/PVA/Ch/CuO-NPs composites based on green synthesized CuO-NPs and sustainably produced BC membrane.

The application of microbial products as natural biocontrol agents for inducing systemic resistance against plant viral infections represents a promising strategy for sustainable and eco-friendly agricultural applications. Under greenhouse conditions, the efficacy of the culture filtrate of Bacillus subtilis strain HA1 (Acc# OM286889) for protecting tomato plants from Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) infection was assessed. The results showed that the dual foliar application of this culture filtrate (HA1-CF) 24 h before and 24 h after TMV inoculation was the most effective treatment for enhancing tomato plant development, with substantial improvements in shoot and root parameters. Furthermore, compared to non-treated plants, HA1-CF-treated tomato had a significant increase in total phenolic and flavonoid contents of up to 27% and 50%, respectively. In addition, a considerable increase in the activities of reactive oxygen species scavenging enzymes (PPO, SOD, and POX) and a significant decrease in non-enzymatic oxidative stress markers (H2O2 and MDA) were reported. In comparison to untreated control plants, all HA1-CF-treated plants showed a significant reduction in TMV accumulation in systemically infected tomato leaves, up to a 91% reduction at 15 dpi. The qRT-PCR results confirmed that HA1-CF stimulated the transcription of several defense-related tomato genes (PR-1, PAL, CHS, and HQT), pointing to their potential role in induced resistance against TMV. GC–MS analysis showed that phenol, 2,4-bis (1,1-dimethylethyl)-, Pyrrolo [1,2-a] pyrazine-1,4-dione, hexahydro-3-(2-methylpropyl)- and eicosane are the primary ingredient compounds in the HA1-CF ethyl acetate extract, suggesting that these molecules take part in stimulating induced systemic resistance in tomato plants. Our results imply that HA1-CF is a potential resistance inducer to control plant viral infections, a plant growth promoter, and a source of bioactive compounds for sustainable disease management.

The ethanolic extract of Coleus forskohlii Briq leaves was employed in the green synthesis of zinc nanoparticles (Zn-NPs) by an immediate, one-step, and cost-effective method in the present study. Zn-NPs were coated with purified bovine lactoferrin (LF) and characterized through different instrumental analysis. The biosynthesized Zn-NPs were white in color revealing oval to spherical-shaped particles with an average size of 77 ± 5.50 nm, whereas LF-coated Zn-NPs (LF-Zn-NPs) revealed a larger particles size of up to 98 ± 6.40 nm. The biosynthesized Zn-NPs and LF-Zn-NPs revealed negatively charged surfaces with zeta-potentials of – 20.25 ± 0.35 and – 44.3 ± 3.25 mV, respectively. Interestingly, the LF-Zn-NPs showed potent in vitro retardation for SARS-CoV-2 entry to host cells by binding to the ACE2-receptor and spike protein receptor binding domain at IC 50 values of 59.66 and μg/mL, respectively. Additionally, the results indicated the ability of LF-Zn-NPs to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication by interfering with RNA-dependent RNA polymerase “RdRp” activity at IC 50 of 49.23 μg/mL. In vivo, the LF-Zn-NPs displayed a protective and therapeutic activity against induced pulmonary fibrosis in Bleomycin-treated male albino rats owing to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and significant reduction in CRP, LDH, ferritin, and D-dimer levels. The obtained findings offer a promising route for biosynthesized Zn-NPs and LF-Zn-NPs as promising candidates against COVID-19.

Rhizobium spp. manifests strong nitrogen fixation ability in legumes. However, their significance as biocontrol agents and antivirals has rarely been investigated. Under greenhouse conditions, the molecularly identified nitrogen-fixing plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae strain 33504-Alex1, isolated from the root nodules of faba bean plants, was tested as a soil inoculum or a foliar application to trigger faba bean plants’ resistance against Bean yellow mosaic virus (BYMV) infection. Compared to the non-treated faba bean plants, the applications of 33504-Alex1 in either soil or foliar application significantly promoted growth and improved total chlorophyll content, resulting in a considerable reduction in disease incidence and severity and the inhibition index of BYMV in the treated faba bean plants. Furthermore, the protective activities of 33504-Alex1 were associated with significant reductions in non-enzymatic oxidative stress markers [hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and malondialdehyde (MDA)] and remarkably increased DPPH free radical scavenging activity and total phenolic content compared to the BYMV treatment at 20 days post-inoculation. Additionally, an increase in reactive oxygen species scavenging enzymes [superoxide dismutase (SOD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO)] and induced transcriptional levels of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins ( PR-1 , PR-3 , and PR-5 ) were observed. Of the 19 polyphenolic compounds detected in faba bean leaves by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, gallic and vanillic acids were completely shut down in BYMV treatment. Interestingly, the 33504-Alex1 treatments were associated with the induction and accumulation of the most detected polyphenolic compounds. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis showed hexadecanoic acid 2,3-dihydroxypropyl ester, tetraneurin-A-Diol, oleic acid, and isochiapin B are the major compounds in the ethyl acetate extract of 33504-Alex1 culture filtrate (CF), suggesting it acts as an elicitor for the induction of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in faba bean plants. Consequently, the capacity of R. leguminosarum bv. viciae strain 33504-Alex1 to enhance plant growth and induce systemic resistance to BYMV infection will support the incorporation of 33504-Alex1 as a fertilizer and biocontrol agent and offer a new strategy for crop protection, sustainability, and environmental safety in agriculture production.