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.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

VIT University

Department of Bio-Medical Sciences

Nanomaterials have been used in various applications such as sensors, biofuel cells and biodiesel production. Various nanomaterials provide a high surface area-to-volume ratio and can be fabricated with enzymes as sensors for assay and in electrodes for electricity generation in biofuel cells. The methods of nanomaterial synthesis, analytical techniques for loading of enzymes, and fabrication of enzymes with nanomaterial along with the effect of enzyme immobilization on its activity have been discussed. In this mini-review article we concentrate on the current trends leading to various effects on immobilization of enzymes with nanomaterial. We focus mainly on enzymes used in hydrolysis of lignocellulosic agro-waste to produce bioalcohols by a fermentation process and enzymes used in transesterification reactions for biodiesel production. The current status of nanomaterial as an integral part of sustainable enzymatic biofuel production is discussed. © 2017, © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

VIT Unitversity

School of Bio Sciences and Technology

Vellore Campus

Department of Biotechnology

Biofuels

Mini review on nanoimmobilization of lipase and cellulase for biofuel production

Endophytic bacteria are the endosymbionts that live inside the host plant at least for a part of its life cycle without causing apparent disease. In most of the plant species, endophytic bacteria are actively colonizing plant tissues locally as well as systemically. It may include both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria with diverse morphology. Bacterial endophytes can be found in various sites of the plants like root, leave, stem and seed. In a single plant, more than one type of bacterial endophytes can be seen. Usually, the endosymbiont gives some beneficial effects to the host plants. Most of the endosymbiont help the host in resisting the environmental stress and also help to resist the pathogens. When compared to rhizospheric bacteria, endophytic bacteria have more advantage as they can stay in direct contact with the plant tissues. Some endophytes produce various extracellular enzymes, antimicrobial substances and some plant-growth-promoting hormones. This review mainly focuses on the endophytic bacteria that are associated with various host plants and their biological activities. © 2020 World Research Association. All rights reserved.

World University root node

Research Journal of Biotechnology

A review on Endophytic bacteria and their potential pharmacological applications

This study investigates the anticancer cytotoxic mechanism of action of benzoyloxy-ethyl-carbamic acid (BECA) produced by Streptomyces globosus VITLGK011. Flow cytometry analysis confirmed that BECA (at IC50: 3.12 µg/ml) treatment for 24 h induced apoptosis in 60% of cells. Schrodinger Maestro tools such as QikProp and DFT were used to confirm that BECA is an eligible drug-like molecule, with suitable physiochemical properties. Glide XP tool was used to perform induced-fit docking between BECA and 30 cancer drug target proteins. The highest significance was observed for VEGFR2 protein (−6.7 kcal/mol). GROMACS tool was used to perform molecular dynamic simulation between BECA and VEGFR2 protein for 40 ns. Root mean square deviation, root mean square fluctuation, H-bond, and trajectory analysis, confirmed that BECA is a suitable inhibitor of VEGFR2 protein. Results conclude that BECA is a valid VEGFR2 inhibitor, and it thus exerts the observed anticancer cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cells. © 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH

Journal of Basic Microbiology

Targeting VEGFR2 protein by marine Streptomyces globosus VITLGK011-derived compound BECA: An in vitro and in silico analysis

Emulsion formulations of essential oils are of major interest due to their relative biosafety, biocompatibility and good pharmacological potential. Their structural constituents (oil and water phase) facilitate ready solubilization of incorporated hydrophilic/lipophilic actives for their targeted delivery. In the present study, m5S cells were tested for their viability at various concentrations of clove oil and an alkyl polyglucoside emulsifier, viz., Montanov 202™. Thereafter, good cell viable concentrations of oil (10 %) and emulsifier (4%) were used at their optimised ratio (1:0.4) to formulate an oil in water emulsion using phase inversion technique followed by ultrasonication for particle size reduction. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis of clove oil revealed eugenol (76.11 %) and eugenyl acetate (12.41 %) as major constituents. The formulated clove oil emulsion was then characterised with respect to its size, zeta potential, microscopic and thermal analysis and the presence of liquid crystals were observed in the same. It was further studied for its anti-inflammatory potential in female Wistar rats wherein topical treatment with the emulsion inhibited paw swelling induced by carrageenan model by 40−60% over 30−180 min compared to untreated animals. Similarly, the emulsion's wound healing potential was also significant with respect to wounds induced by both incision (wound breaking strength of 338.91 ± 5.02 g) and excision (95 % wound contraction by 16th day) model in these animals, with a re-epithelization period of 10.67 ± 1.67 days and results being comparable with diclofenac gel and neomycin cream (positive controls). Histopathology of the skin sections showed accelerated healing with early granular tissue and collagen formation in emulsion treated animals. It is hence envisaged that this clove oil emulsion can substitute chemical based topical products for anti-inflammatory and wound healing applications due to its biological constituents as well as because of the presence of liquid crystals in its formulation. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.

Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces

Anti-inflammatory and wound healing potential of a clove oil emulsion

The recent emanation of hypermucoviscous Klebsiella oxytoca poses a major threat to public health and this emerging strain is unique from classic Klebsiella strains by producing increased capsule formation. In this study, a total of 42 Klebsiella species obtained from various diagnostic centers in Tamil Nadu were analyzed for multidrug resistance by performing disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), hypermucoviscous phenotype by string test and biofilm formation by crystal violet staining assay. Based on colony morphology and Vitek identification system, it was found that 12/42 (28%) were Klebsiella oxytoca and 30/42 (71%) were found to be Klebsiella pneumoniae. Antibiotic susceptibility testing reveals that 92% were multidrug-resistant (MDR) by the disc diffusion method. All the K. oxytoca (n=12) and K. pneumoniae (n=30) isolates were found to be resistant to colistin by MIC broth dilution. Among the colistin resistant K. oxytoca isolates, 4/12 were found to be hypermucoviscous phenotypically by string test whereas none of the K. pneumoniae were positive for string test and the biofilm forming categories was evaluated. Our study highlights the phenotypic outbreak of colistin resistant hypermucoviscous Klebsiella oxytoca which is an emerging nosocomial pathogen among Enterobacteriaceae family and also reveals phenotypic variation in clinical isolates to be explored in molecular level to prevent its spread. © 2020 World Research Association. All rights reserved.

Phenotypic detection of hypermucoviscous phenotype in colistin-resistant klebsiella oxytoca from tamil nadu

Arsenic is a ubiquitous metalloid compound commonly found in the environment and it is usually found in combination with sulphur and metals. Arsenic is considered as a therapeutic as well as poisoning agent since ancient times. It causes toxic effects on different organs, mainly the liver. In this review, we focused on the molecular mechanism of arsenic-induced hepatotoxicity. Here we envisaged the bridge between arsenic and hepatotoxicity with particular focus on the level of hepatic enzymes such as ALT, AST and ALP. Here, we attempted to elucidate the role of arsenic in redox imbalance on increased oxidative stress (elevated level of ROS, MDA and NO) and decreased antioxidant levels such as reduced GSH, catalase and SOD. Oxidative stress induces mitochondrial dysfunction via apoptosis (AKT-PKB, MAPK, PI3/AKT, PKCδ-JNK, AKT/ERK, p53 pathways), fibrosis (TGF-β/Smad pathway) and necrosis and inflammation (TNF-α, NF-ĸB, IL-1 and IL-6). Along with that, arsenic activates caspases and Bax, decreases Bcl2 through mitochondrial dysfunction and induces apoptosis regulatory mechanism. We believe the alteration of all these pathways leads to arsenic-induced hepatotoxicity.

Life Sciences

An appraisal on molecular and biochemical signalling cascades during arsenic-induced hepatotoxicity

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has grown to be global public health emergency. The biosurfactants (BSs) are surface-active biomolecules with unique properties and wide applications. Several microbes synthesize secondary metabolites with surface–active properties, which have a wide range of anti-inflammatory and anti-viral roles. The monocytes and neutrophils are activated by bacteria, which subsequently result in high secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, Il-18 and IL-1β) and toll-like receptors-2 (TLR-2). Following the inflammatory response, BSs induce the production of cationic proteins, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lysozyme and thus can be used for therapeutic purposes. This article provides recent advances in the anti-inflammatory and antiviral activities of BSs and discusses the potential use of these compounds against COVID-19, highlighting the need for in-vitro and in-vivo approaches to confirm this hypothesis. This suggestion is necessary because there are still no studies that have focused on the use of BSs against COVID-19.

Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health

Biosurfactants and anti-inflammatory activity: A potential new approach towards COVID-19

AsPac J. Mol. Biol. Biotechnol.

Insertion/deletion of angiotensin-converting enzyme gene polymorphism as a marker of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) development in South Indian cohort women

Studies on the geographic distribution of Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) revealed their ubiquitous presence in diverse habitats on all continents. However, little is known about MTB inhabitation in the Indian coastal ecosystem. Here, we investigate the diversity of Magnetospirillum sp. from the iron mineral sediments deposit of the South Kerala sedimentary basin, India using culture-independent methods. The collected sediment samples were analysed for the presence of nitrate (zinc reduction), sulphide (cline method), Fe2+, total iron (ferrozine assay) and iron minerals (XRD analysis). Based on the geochemical measurements, the sediment possesses major factors such as nutrients, pH, temperature and chemical gradients in metabolic accessible form for MTB. The cubo-octahedral crystals of the magnetosome are also evident from the TEM micrographs of magnetically enriched sediment. CARD-FISH analysis showed the presence of Magnetospirillum in all the six samples analysed. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene library showed that the clones belong to the class Alphaproteobacteria and are members of the genus Magnetospirillum. The results of the species-specific PCR study are consistent with CARD-FISH analysis and the identified uncultured Magnetospirillum were morphologically and phylogenetically similar to the isolates from diverse habitat. The identification of Magnetospirillum from Indian coast supports the hypothesis of wide geographic distribution of these bacteria. © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Current Microbiology

Diversity of Uncultured Magnetospirillum sp. from the Sediments of South Kerala Sedimentary Basin, India

Biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles has been carried out with various sources like bacteria, plants and algae. Seaweeds have high nutritional and medicinal properties. Sargassum plagiophyllum is seaweed that has excellent antioxidant activity. This study aims at evaluating the antimicrobial activity of biosynthesize d gold nanoparticles from the extract of S. plagiophyllum. The synthesised nanoparticles were subjected to characterization studies and the mean particle size was found to be 65.87 nm. The biosynthesised gold nanoparticles were treated with gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) and Salmonella typhi (ATCC 6539) and the antibacterial activity was studied using epifluorescence microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Field emission Scanning electron microscopy (FE–SEM). The synthesised nanoparticles cause significant amount of deterioration to bacterial cells, when examined using microscopic and cell viability analysis. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd