• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.158-165
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• 2024

Pneumonia is an acute respiratory infection that primarily affects the lungs and is caused by various microorganisms, including viruses, fungi, and bacteria. Klebsiella pneumoniae, a multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) bacterium, is a leading cause of widespread pneumonia. This study aimed to identify endophytic bacteria from the leaves of Acalypha indica L. and evaluate their antibacterial properties through both in vitro and in silico approaches. The objectives included isolating endophytic bacteria from Acalypha indica L., testing their antibacterial activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae, identifying the selected bacterial isolates using molecular techniques, analyzing their secondary metabolites via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and performing in silico molecular docking studies. The study identified BE 4, an endophytic bacterial isolate of Bacillus pumilus, as exhibiting the most potent antibacterial activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae. GC-MS analysis of the ethyl acetate extract of this isolate revealed 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, bis(2-methylpropyl) ester as the primary metabolite component. Furthermore, molecular docking analysis identified two natural compound ligands, 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, diethyl ester (-6.5 kcal/mol), and lilial (-6.2 kcal/mol), as having potential efficacy against drugresistant bacteria responsible for pneumonia. These findings suggest that endophytic bacteria and their bioactive compounds could serve as promising candidates for the development of new treatments against drug-resistant pneumonia.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.20-31
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• 2012

Endophytic bacterial communities of tidal flat plants antagonistic to oomycete plant pathogens were studied by the isolation of 256 root colonizing endophytic bacteria from surface-disinfected root tissues of six plants ($Rosa$ $rugosa$, $Suaeda$ $maritima$, $Vitex$ $rotundifolia$, $Carex$ $scabrifolia$, $Glehnia$ $littoralis$ and $Elymus$ $mollis$) growing in a tidal flat area of Namhae Island, Korea. To understand the antagonistic potential, an $in$ $vitro$ antagonistic assay was performed to characterize and identify strains that were antagonistic to the oomycete plant pathogens $Phytophthora$ $capsici$ and $Pythium$ $ultimum$ from the total population. Nine percent of the total number of isolated bacteria exhibited in vitro inhibitory activity against target plant pathogenic oomycetes. Taxonomic and phylogenetic placement of the antagonistic bacteria was investigated by analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences. The sequence analysis classified the antagonistic strains into four major classes of the domain bacteria ($Firmicutes$, ${\alpha}-Proteobacteria$, ${\gamma}-Proteobacteria$ and $Actinomycetes$) and 10 different genera. Further production of secondary metabolites, hydrolytic enzymes and plant growth promoting traits were determined for the putative new species of antagonistic endophytic bacteria. These new strains could not be identified as known species of ${\alpha}-Proteobacteria$, and so may represent novel bacterial taxa. The unexpected high antagonistic bacterial diversity associated with the tidal flat plants may be indicative of their importance in tidal flat plants as a promising source of novel antimicrobial compounds and biocontrol agents.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.437-443
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• 2013

The diversity of culturable non-actinobacterial (NA) bacteria associated with four species of South China Sea gorgonians was investigated using culture-dependent methods followed by analysis of the bacterial 16S rDNA sequence. A total of 76 bacterial isolates were recovered and identified, which belonged to 21 species of 7 genera, and Bacillus was the most diverse genus. Fifty-one percent of the 76 isolates displayed antibacterial activities, and most of them belonged to the Bacillus genus. From the culture broth of gorgonian-associated Bacillus methylotrophicus SCSGAB0092 isolated from gorgonian Melitodes squamata, 11 antimicrobial lipopeptides including seven surfactins and four iturins were obtained. These results imply that Bacillus strains associated with gorgonians play roles in coral defense mechanisms through producing antimicrobial substances. This study, for the first time, compares the diversity of culturable NA bacterial communities among four species of South China Sea gorgonians and investigates the secondary metabolites of gorgonian-associated B. methylotrophicus SCSGAB0092.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.161-166
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• 1996

The hairy root cultures of Centella asiatica were established by infection leaf explants with Agrobacterium rhizogenes A4, 15834 in 1/2 Murashing and skoog liquid medium supplemented with 50 $\mu$M acetosyringone. The induced hairy roots were subjected to paper electrophoresis for the detection of opine and opine-positive clones which were considered to have been transformed. Five hairy root clones were selected according to the different bacterial strains used, growth rate and pattern. Among media tested, MS basal medium substituted phosphate concentration by 2.5mM K2HPO4 showed the highest growth rate in the dark condition.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.265-268
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• 2009

Three-hundred bacterial isolates from a natural cheese were screened for the production of bifidobacterial growth factor by whey fermentation. Based on this screen, two whey samples fermented by strains designated as CJNU 0421 and CJNU 0588 were found to effectively stimulate the growth of a bifidobacterial strain, Bifidobacterium longum FI10564, by 1.6$\sim$1.7 fold compared to a control, in which non-fermented whey medium was added. The two isolates were identified to be Lactobacillus casei (99% identity) by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and named Lactobacillus casei CJNU 0421 and CJNU 0588, respectively. The whey sample fermented by CJNU 0588 did not enhance the growth of other bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes, suggesting that the whey fermentation metabolites from the isolate could be used for the selective stimulation of bifidobacteria.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1998.11a
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• pp.95-98
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• 1998

Ginseng (the root of Panax ginseng C. A. MEYER, Araliaceae) has been used for traditional medicine in China, Korea, Japan and other Asian countries for the treatment of various diseases including psychiatric and neurologic diseases as well as diabetes mellitus. So far, ginseng saponins (ginsenosides) have been regarded as the principal components responsible for the pharmacological activities of ginseng. Ginsenosides are glycosides containing an aglycone (protopanaxadiol or protopanaxatriol) with a dammarane skeleton and have been shown to possess various biological activities including the enhancement of cholesterol biosynthesis, stimulation of serum protein synthesis, immuno- modulatory effects and anti-inflammatory activity. Several studies using ginsenosides have also reported anti-tumor effects, particularly the inhibition of tumor-induced angiogenesis, tumor invasion and metastasis, and the control of phenotypic expression and differentiation of tumor cells.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.340-346
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• 1994

Six bacterial strains capable to grow on medium containing cholesterol as sole carbon source were isolated from soil, pork fat and cheese. Three of them were tentatively identified as Rhodococcus species, Rhodococcus sp. CD-1, R. sp. CD-2, and R. sp. CD-3. All the isolates showed a varying amount of cholest-4-en-3-one as the degradation product, and three strains of Rhodococcus spp. showed rapid degradation of cholesterol. Radioisotopic studies revealed that cholesterol was degraded to non-sterol hydrophilic compounds via cholest-4-en-3-one, and presumably to C0$_{2}$- These strains showed two distinct patterns in further degradation of cholest-4-en-3-one. By one group, R. sp. CD-1 and R. sp. CD-3, cholest-4-en-3-one was rapidly converted to non-sterol inter- mediates without significant accumulation of sterol derivatives in the culture broth. In contrast, by another group, R. sp. CD-2, the substantial amount of cholest-4-en-3-one was accumulated indica- ting a lower conversion of the compound to the next metabolites.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.395-400
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• 2022

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is a well-known Gramnegative opportunistic pathogen. Neutrophils play key roles in mediating host defense against P. aeruginosa infection. In this study, we identified a metabolite derived from P. aeruginosa that regulates neutrophil activities. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, a markedly increased level of 2-undecanone was identified in the peritoneal fluid of P. aeruginosa-infected mice. 2-Undecanone elicited the activation of neutrophils in a G_αi-phospholipase C pathway. However, 2-undecanone strongly inhibited responses to lipopolysaccharide and bactericidal activity of neutrophils against P. aeruginosa by inducing apoptosis. Our results demonstrate that 2-undecanone from P. aeruginosa limits the innate defense activity of neutrophils, suggesting that the production of inhibitory metabolites is a strategy of P. aeruginosa for escaping the host immune system.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.176-184
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• 2006

The controversy on genotoxicity of molinate, an herbicide, has been reported in bacterial system, and in vitro and in vivo mammalian systems. To clarify the genotoxicity of molinate, we performed bacterial gene mutation test, in vitro chromosome aberration and mouse lymphoma $tk^{+/-}$ gene assay, and in vivo micronucleus assay using bone marrow cells and peripheral reticulocytes of mice. In bacterial gene mutation assay, no mutagenicity of molinate ($12-185{\mu}g/plate$) was observed in Salmonella typhimurium TA 98, 100, 1535 and 1537 both in the absence and in the presence of S-9 metabolic activation system. The clastogenicity of molinate was observed in the presence ($102.1-408.2\;{\mu}g/mL$) of metabolic activation system in mammalian cell system using Chinese hamster lung fibroblast. However, no clastogenicity was observed in the absence ($13.6-54.3\;{\mu}g/mL$) of metabolic activation system. It is suggested that the genotoxicity of molinate was derived some metabolites by metabolic activation. Molinate was also subjected to mouse lymphoma L5178Y $tk^{+/-}$ cells using microtiter cloning technique. In the absence of S-9 mixture, mutation frequencies (MFs) were revealed $1.4-1.9{\times}10^{-4}$ with no statistical significance. However, MFs in the presence of metabolic activation system revealed $3.2-3.4{\times}10^{-4}$ with statistical significance (p<0.05). In vivo micronucleus (MN) assay using mouse bone marrow cells, molinate revealed genotoxic potential in the dose ranges of 100-398 mg/kg of molinate when administered orally. Molinate also subjected to acridine orange MN assay with mouse peripheral reticulocytes. The frequency of micronucleated reticulocytes (MNRETs) induced 48 hr after i.p. injection at a single dose of 91, 182 and 363 mg/kg of molinate was dose-dependently increased as $10.2{\pm}4.7,\;14.6{\pm}3.9\;and\;28.6{\pm}6.3\;(mean{\pm}SD\;of\;MNRETs/2,000\;reticulocytes)$ with statistical significance (p<0.05), respectively. Consequently, genotoxic potential of molinate was observed in in vitro mammalian mutagenicity systems only in the presence of metabolic activation system and in vivo MN assay using both bone marrow cells and peripheral reticulocytes in the dose ranges used in this experiment. These results suggest that metabolic activation plays a critical role to express the genotoxicity of molinate in in vitro and in vivo mammalian system.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.142-148
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• 1996

Aloe(Aloe arborescens M$_{ILL}$) has been used as a home medicine for the past several thousand in the world, and has been studied on anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activities, hypotension, atherosclerosis, myocardiac infartion, apoplexy, diabetes as a chronic digenerative disease, tumors, gastrointestinal tract, liver and pancreas' diseases, and genitourinary tract etc. SAMP8 as a learing and memory impairment animal model were fed basic and/or experimental diets with 1.0% freezing dried(FD)-aloe for 8 months. The passive avoidance tests such as acqusition trial and retention test were significantly higher in aloe group than in control group. Grading score of senescence resulted in a marked decreases in aloe group compared with control group. Acetylcholinesterase(AChE) activity was remarkably increased in aloe group compared with control group. Neurotransmitters such as dopamine(DA) and serotonin(5-HT) almost did not change by the feeding of aloe-added diet, but their metabolites such as homovanillic acid(HVA) and 5-hydroxy-indole acetic acid(5-HIAA) in aloe group were significantly increased compared with control group. Therefore, the ratios of HVA/DA and 5-HIAA/5-HT as a ratio of metabolite on neurotransmitter were significantly increased by the feeding of aloe-added diet. These results suggest that aloe vara may be activated acetylcholinesterase, the metabolite of neurotransmitter, and ratios of metabolite on neurotransmitter, resulting ina greater prevention of learning and memory impairments such as Alzheimertype dementia.