Search results for "RESISTANCE"

Biochar Particles Obtained from Agricultural Carob Waste as a Suitable Filler for Sustainable Biocomposite Formulations

2022

In the context of sustainable and circular economy, the recovery of biowaste for sustainable biocomposites formulation is a challenging issue. The aim of this work is to give a new life to agricultural carob waste after glucose extraction carried out by a local factory for carob candy production. A pyrolysis process was carried out on bio-waste to produce biofuel and, later, the solid residual fraction of pyrolysis process was used as interesting filler for biocomposites production. In this work, biochar particles (BC) as a pyrolysis product, after fuels recovery of organic biowaste, specifically, pyrolyzed carobs after glucose extraction, were added on poly(butylene-adipate-co-terephthalat…

Characterization of Self-Growing Biomaterials Made of Fungal Mycelium and Various Lignocellulose-Containing Ingredients

2022

In this study, novel blends of mycelium biocomposites (MB) were developed. Various combinations of birch sawdust and hemp shives with birch bark (BB) and wheat bran (WB) additives were inoculated with basidiomycete Trametes versicolor to produce self-growing biomaterials. MB were characterized according to mycelial biomass increment in final samples, changes in chemical composition, elemental (C, H, N) analyses, granulometry of substrates, water-related and mechanical properties, as well as mold resistance and biodegradability. The mycelial biomass in manufactured MB increased by ~100% and ~50% in hemp and sawdust substrates, respectively. The lignocellulose ingredients during fungal growth…

Processing of metals and metalloids by actinobacteria: Cell resistance mechanisms and synthesis of metal(loid)-based nanostructures

2020

Metal(loid)s have a dual biological role as micronutrients and stress agents. A few geochemical and natural processes can cause their release in the environment, although most metal-contaminated sites derive from anthropogenic activities. Actinobacteria include high GC bacteria that inhabit a wide range of terrestrial and aquatic ecological niches, where they play essential roles in recycling or transforming organic and inorganic substances. The metal(loid) tolerance and/or resistance of several members of this phylum rely on mechanisms such as biosorption and extracellular sequestration by siderophores and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), bioaccumulation, biotransformation, and me…

2017

The 6-epimer of the plakortide H acid (1), along with the endoperoxides plakortide E (2), plakortin (3), and dihydroplakortin (4) have been isolated from a sample of the Caribbean sponge Plakortis halichondrioides. To perform a comparative study on the cytotoxicity towards the drug-sensitive leukemia CCRF-CEM cell line and its multi-drug resistant subline CEM/ADR5000, the acid of plakortin, namely plakortic acid (5), as well as the esters plakortide E methyl ester (6) and 6-epi-plakortide H (7) were synthesized by hydrolysis and Steglich esterification, respectively. The data obtained showed that the acids (1, 2, 5) exhibited potent cytotoxicity towards both cell lines, whereas the esters s…

Activity of Drug Efflux Transporters in Tumor Cells Under Hypoxic Conditions

2008

Tumor cells exhibit mechanisms by which chemotherapeutic drugs can be actively pumped out of the cell (e.g., p-glycoprotein pGP, MRP1), resulting in a multidrug resistant phenotype. Many human tumors show pronounced hypoxia which can result in a local ATP depletion which in turn may compromise the efficacy of these transporters. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the transport activity and expression of drug transporters under hypoxic conditions. Prostate carcinoma cells (R3327-AT1) were exposed to hypoxia (pO2≶0.5 mmHg) for up to 24h and pump activity was determined by an efflux assay. The results showed that exposing cells to hypoxia for 3–6 h led to a moderate increase in pGP …

High-Temperature Short-Time Inactivation of Peroxidase by Direct Heating with a Five-Channel Computer-Controlled Thermoresistometer

1997

The thermal inactivation kinetics of horseradish and asparagus peroxidase in high-temperature short-time conditions was studied by heating in a five-channel computer-controlled thermoresistometer. Horseradish peroxidase was heated between 111.5 and 145°C and the reaction was analyzed assuming that two isoenzymes with EaL = 44.1 and Eas = 22.0 kcal/mol were present. Asparagus peroxidase heated from 110 to l20°C reacted with first-order kinetics, with Ea = 20 kcal/mol. The five-channel computer-controlled thermoresistometer enabled us to study the inactivation kinetics of the more labile fraction of horseradish peroxidase at temperatures above 100°C; this equipment was suitable for studying t…

Increased number of Clostridium difficile infections and prevalence of Clostridium difficile PCR ribotype 001 in southern Germany

2008

In recent years, Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has emerged as an increasing problem, both in in- and outpatients. In a rural region of southern Germany, the annual number of C. difficile toxin (Tcd)-positive patients has increased from 95 to 796 in the period from 2000 to 2007. Simultaneously, the proportion of positive tests among all Tcd examinations has risen from 7.0% to 12.8%, indicating that the higher number of affected patients was not solely due to an increase in the number of assays. Elevated numbers of CDI have recently been associated with outbreaks of the ribotype 027 strain, particularly in North America. This strain has also been isolated in Europe, including in Germa…

Glucose uptake in germinating Aspergillus nidulans conidia: involvement of the creA and sorA genes

2003

d-Glucose uptake in germinating wild-typeAspergillus nidulansconidia is an energy-requiring process mediated by at least two transport systems of differing affinities for glucose: a low-affinity system (Km∼1·4 mM) and a high-affinity system (Km∼16 μM). The low-affinity system is inducible by glucose; the high-affinity system is subject to glucose repression effected by the carbon catabolite repressor CreA and is absent insorA3mutant conidia, which exhibit resistance tol-sorbose toxicity. An intermediate-affinity system (Km∼400 μM) is present insorA3conidia germinating in derepressing conditions.creAderepressed mutants show enhanced sensitivity tol-sorbose. The high-affinity uptake system ap…

Overcoming of P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance of tumors in vivo by drug combinations

2014

Summary Inhibition of P-glycoprotein represents an attractive possibility to modulate resistance of cancer cells to anticancer drugs. One major strategy to overcome P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance (MDR) of tumors is to increase intracellular concentrations of anticancer drugs. This can be achieved by blocking of P-glycoprotein-mediated drug efflux using synthetic or natural small molecules or monoclonal antibodies, which bind to various parts of the efflux channel. Another possibility to increase intracellular drug concentrations can be reached by nanoparticles. A further major strategy to overcome MDR involves the downregulation of P-glycoprotein expression either by therapeut…

Cytotoxicity of fagaramide derivative and canthin-6-one from Zanthoxylum (Rutaceae) species against multidrug resistant leukemia cells

2019

In our continuous search for cytotoxic compounds from the genus Zanthoxylum, chromatographic separation of the MeOH/CH2Cl2 (1:1) extract of Z. chalybeum yielded one new alkamide; 4-(isoprenyloxy)-3-methoxy-3,4-deoxymethylenedioxyfagaramide (1) and a known one; fagaramide (2). Similarly, from the MeOH/CH2Cl2 (1:1) extract of the stem bark of Z. parachanthum four known compounds; canthin-6-one (3), dihydrochelerythrine (4), lupeol (5) and sesamin (6) were isolated. Characterization of the structures of these compounds was achieved using spectroscopic techniques (NMR and MS). Using resazurin reduction assay 1, 3 and 6 displayed moderate cytotoxicity with IC50 values below 50 μM against the dru…