Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) is a private university located in&nbsp;Tamil Nadu, India. Founded in 1984, as Vellore Engineering College, the institution offers 20 undergraduate, 34 postgraduate, four integrated and four research programs. It has campuses in Vellore, Amravati, Bhopal and Chennai.

VIT is one of the top ranked private universities in India according to NIRF, THE and QS Rankings.&nbsp;Govt. of India has recognized&nbsp;VIT, Vellore as an&nbsp;Institution of Eminence. This has allowed VIT to take independent quality initiatives and move up in world ranking.

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VIT University

In the systematic screening programme for cytotoxic compound from marine actinomycetes, the compound furan-2-yl acetate (F2A) from Streptomyces VITSDK1 spp. The structure of the compound was unequivocally determined by spectral studies. It was previously found that F2A has potential antiviral activity against fish nodavirus. In the present study, the cytotoxicity of F2A was studied using (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay which showed the IC50 values were less than 15 μg mL-1 against various tumor cell lines, whereas it was &gt;25 μg mL-1 against non-tumor cell lines. F2A inhibited the cell proliferation in a dose-and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, the cytotoxic mechanism was determined in HeLa cells. The morphological analysis, Hoechst staining and DNA fragmentation studies revealed the apoptosis mediated cell death. The cytosolic protein analysis of F2A treated HeLa cells by immunoblotting showed the mitochondrial cytochrome c release, increased expression of caspase 3 and caspase 9 with PARP cleavage. There was no change in the caspase-8 levels. The Bcl-2 was found to be down regulated and Bax was up regulated in the F2A treated cells. Further, the apoptosis induction and cell death was found to be mediated by Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation. A molecular docking study of F2A with 28 selected cancer drug target enzymes provides some insight on mode of activity of the compound. The findings showed that the F2A exhibits selective cytotoxicity towards tumor cells at a lower concentration via apoptosis. © 2013 Academic Journals Inc.

Department of Bio-Medical Sciences

School of Bio Sciences and Technology

Vellore Campus

Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology

Probing the Mechanism of Cytotoxic Furan 2-YL Acetate Using in vitro and in silico Analysis-pharmacological Study

The antiviral activity of furan-2-yl acetate (C6H6O3) extracted from Streptomyces VITSDK1 spp. was studied in cultured Sahul Indian Grouper Eye (SIGE) cells infected with fish nodavirus (FNV). The nodavirus infection in the SIGE cells was confirmed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the antiviral activity of furan-2-yl acetate was assessed by cytopathic effect, as well as reduction in nodaviral titre (TCID50 mL-1, where TCID50 is the 50% tissue culture infective dose) in the cultured SIGE cells under invitro conditions. Furan-2-yl acetate (20 μg mL-1) effectively inhibited the replication of the FNV-infected SIGE cell lines and the viral titre was reduced from 4.3 to 2.45 log TCID50 mL-1 on treatments. Furan-2-yl acetate (20 μg mL-1)-treated SIGE cell survival was found to be 90%, as determined by methyl thiazol tetrazolium assay. The results of an immunofluorescent assay revealed a strong association between the viral capsid protein inhibition and a decline in viral replication. The results suggest that furan-2-yl acetate suppressed FNV replication in cultured fish cells, providing a potential approach for the control of nodaviral diseases in marine fishes. © 2011 Taylor &amp;Francis.

VIT Unitversity

Natural Product Research

Anti-fish nodaviral activity of furan-2-yl acetate extracted from marineStreptomycesspp.

Dietary intake of phytochemicals having antioxidant activity is associated with a lower risk of mortality from many diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the free radical scavenging, cytotoxic and hemolytic activities of leaves of Acacia niloticaby using various methods. The results of the present study revealed that ethanol extract was the most effective and IC50value was found to be 53.6μg mL−1for Vero cell lines and 28.9μg mL−1for Hela cell lines in cytotoxicity assays. The zone of color retention was 14.2 mm in -carotene bleaching assay, which was as significant as positive control, butylated hydroxy toluene. None of the tested extracts possessed any hemolytic activity against rat and human erythrocytes revealing their cytotoxic mechanism and non-toxicity. Thus, only the ethanol extract could be considered as a potential source of anticancer and antioxidant compounds. Further phytochemical studies will be performed for specification of the biologically active principles.

Department of Biotechnology

Fulltext

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Free Radical Scavenging, Cytotoxic and Hemolytic Activities from Leaves ofAcacia nilotica(L.) Wild. ex. Delile subsp.indica(Benth.) Brenan

The present study was designed to investigate the Puducherry coast of the Bay of Bengal, India for the diversity of bioactive actinomycetes. A total of 50 actinomycete strains were isolated from the marine sediments and most of the strains were belongs to Streptomyces. These strains were identified by means of morphological physiological, biochemical and cultural characteristics. The isolates were subjected to shake flask fermentation and the secondary metabolites were extracted with ethyl acetate and screened for cytotoxicity, hemolytic activity and antimicrobial activity against selected bacterial and fungal pathogens. The cytotoxic activity was evaluated using HeLa cell lines by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, a tetrazole (MTT) assay, hemolytic activity on mouse erythrocytes and the antifungal activity was evaluated by MTT cytotoxic assay against Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans. The antibacterial activity was studied against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The cytotoxicity and antimicrobial activity of secondary metabolite was found to be concentration dependent and nearly 24% of isolates showed significant antimicrobial, hemolytic and cytotoxic activity. The results of our study indicate the diversity and bioactive potential of marine actinomycetes isolated in the Puducherry coast. © 2010 Association of Microbiologists of India.

Indian Journal of Microbiology

Diversity and exploration of bioactive marine actinomycetes in the Bay of Bengal of the Puducherry coast of India

VIT Business School

Chennai Campus

2010 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 20 - June 23, 2010

Ethanol Production from Waste Potato Mash By Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A moderately halophilic actinomycete strain was isolated from marine sediments collected at the Marakkanam coast of Tamil Nadu, India. The taxonomic position was evaluated by polyphasic approach and the strain was identified as a member of the genus Streptomyces. The strain is congruent with the description of the genus Streptomyces due to the characteristics of white aerial cell mass, spiral spore chains and a rough spore surface, menaquinones of MK-9 (H4, H2 and H6) types and belongs to cell-wall type I. The G + C content of the isolated DNA is 71.3 mol% and the 16S rRNA sequence of the strain shows a maximum of 93% similarity with Streptomyces HBUM 49447. The comparison of phenotypic data of closest strains with the isolate clearly indicates that our strain belongs to the genus Streptomyces. Based on the phenotypic and phylogenetic analysis, the strain was classified as a new species of the genus Streptomyces and designated as VITSDK1. The media and cultural conditions for maximal growth have been optimized under shake-flask conditions by measuring the dry weight of the mycelium. The maximal growth was attained with the use of optimized production medium, pH of 7.2 and incubation temperature of 27 °C. The growth of the strain was salt concentration dependent and maximal growth was attained at 15% salt concentration which indicates the halophilic nature of the isolate. Streptomyces VITSDK1 spp. exhibits significant hemolytic activity against rat erythrocytes with the EC50 value of 127 μg/ml and for human erythrocytes 168 μg/ml. Further, it shows moderate antibiosis against fungi and bacterial pathogens. © 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Journal de Mycologie Médicale

Hemolytic activity of Streptomyces VITSDK1 spp. isolated from marine sediments in Southern India

Problem statement: Although the diversity of marine Actinobacteria have been studied and biotechnologically exploited throughout the world, the studies on marine actinobacteria in Indian peninsula are largely unexplored. Of 9 maritime states in India, only 4 states have been extensively studied for the diversity of actinobacteria. Further, the studies on bioactive actinomycetes from saline soil are very scanty. In the present study, we had taken an initiative to isolate culturable halophilic actinomycetes and to screen the bioactive potential. Approach: The marine sediment sample was collected at a depth of 400 cm at Marakkanam. The strain was isolated using ISP No. 2 medium supplemented with 25% sea water. The polyphasic taxonomy of the strain was evaluated by phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analysis. The 16S rRNA was sequenced and phylogenetic relationship with the closest related species were studied. The growth conditions and the medium had been optimized under shake-flask conditions by measuring the dry weight of the mycelium. The isolate was subjected to fermentation and the crude extract was screened for cytotoxic, hemolytic and antimicrobial activity. The cytotoxicity was evaluated on HeLa cells by MTT assay, hemolytic assay on mouse erythrocytes and the antimicrobial activity was determined by agar diffusion assay. Results: Based on polyphasic taxonomy the species was identified as Saccharopolyspora salina and belongs to the genus Saccharopolyspora. The 16S rRNA sequence of the isolate showed 100% similarity with Saccharopolyspora salina. Based on the phylogenetic and phenotypic evaluation the isolate was designated as Saccharopolyspora salina VITSDK4. The growth was maximal in the designed production medium with the incubation temperature of 28°C and pH of 7.4. It is a moderately halophilic species requires 9% NaCl concentration for optimal growth. The cytotoxicity on HeLa cells showed the IC50 value of 26.2 μg mL-1 by MTT assay. The hemolytic activity on mouse erythrocytes showed the EC50 value of 266 μg mL-1. The crude extract also exhibited significant antagonistic activity against fungal pathogens Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans and the Gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Only moderate activity was seen against Gram positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. Conclusion/Recommendations: Based on the results of our investigation, the isolated strain was identified as Saccharopolyspora salina VITSDK4, which was moderately halophilic, produces an extracellular bioactive metabolite, which inhibits the proliferation of HeLa cells as well as antagonistic to fungal and bacterial pathogens. Further studies on purification and characterization of the pure compound from the strain were ongoing. The results of this study suggested that the marine actinomycetes from the unexplored Indian coast could provide lead compounds of therapeutic value. © 2009 Science Publications.

American Journal of Infectious Diseases

Cytotoxic and Antimicrobial Potential of Actinomycete Species Saccharopolyspora salina VITSDK4 Isolated from the Bay of Bengal Coast of India

An Actinomycete strain designated as VITSDK3 was isolated from marine sediment sample collected at Marakkanam, the southern coast of India. The strain was characterized using polyphasic taxonomy and identified as Micromonospora sp. The strain is Gram-positive, non-motile and aerial mycelium is absent. The cell wall type is meso-DAP, with xylose and arabinose as characteristic cell wall sugars, MK-10(H6) and MK-10(H4) as major menaquinones and contains branched iso and anteiso fatty acid profile. The 16S rRNA sequence analysis indicates that the strain is clustered within the genus Micromonospora. Similarly, based on comparative phenotypic and phylogenetic analysis the isolated strain is identified as a member of genus Micromonospora. The strain is able to grow between 6-22% NaCl concentrations. Maximal growth of the strain is seen on the ISP medium 9, supplemented with 50% sea water and 25% soil extract with a temperature of 28°C, pH of 7.4 and salt concentration of 10% (w/v). The media and cultural conditions for optimal growth have been optimized under shake-flask conditions by measuring the dry weight of the mycelium. The organic solvent extract of the strain is screened for the α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activity and shows concentration dependent activity. The extract shows 74.43% inhibition on α-glucosidase and 74.32% inhibition on α-amylase at 100μg/ml. Our investigations indicate that the isolated strain is halophilic, which produces extra cellular metabolites found to be very effective in inhibiting the enzymes α-glucosidase and α-amylase. The results suggest that the strain produces the secondary metabolites which could be used for the treatment of glucose metabolism related disorders. ©IJIB, All rights reserved.

World University root node

International Journal of Integrative Biology

α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activity of Micromonospora sp. VITSDK3 (EU551238)

Actinomycete strains isolated from marine sediment samples collected at the Bay of Bengal coast of Puddcherry, India was screened for antiproliferative activity on three cancer cell lines by trypan blue staining and MTT assay. The potential isolate having antiproliferative activity was cultured on ISP - Veg media supplemented with sea water, pH 7.2, and the inoculated broth was maintained at 28° C for 7 days. The media and cultural conditions for maximal growth have been optimized under shake- flask conditions by measuring the dry weight of the mycelium. The maximal growth was attained with the use of optimized production medium, pH of 7.2 and incubation temperature of 27°C. Based on molecular taxonomic and phylogenetic characterization, the strain was identified as Rhodococcus and designated as Rhodococcus sp. VITSNK6. The 16 S rDNA nucleotide sequence from the 16 S rRNA partial gene sequence of the isolate was deposited in the GenBank under the sequence of the accession number FJ 973467. The ethyl acetate extract prepared from the supernatant of the culture broth was used for testing the antiprolifertive activity against HeLa (human cervical carcinoma), MDA-MB 231 (human breast adenocarcinoma), HepG2 (hepatocellular carcinoma) cells, HEK (Human embryonic kidney) and Vero (green monkey kidney) cell lines. The susceptibility of cancer cell lines to the extract was in the order of Hep G2&gt; MDA-MB 231&gt;HeLa with the IC50 values 22 μg/ml, 35 μg/ml and 45 μg/ml respectively. The extract treated cancer cells showed apoptosis mediated cell death and the viability of cancer cells was inversely proportional to the concentration of the extract used. The normal cell lines were less susceptible to inhibition than cancer cells. The results of this study showed that the secondary metabolite produced by the isolate has marked antiproliferative activity against cancer cells.