Investigation of the Protective Effects of Graviola (Annona muricata), Moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) and Lactobacillus gasseri in a Pseudomonas aeruginosa Fibroblast Wound Model

BackgroundExopolysaccharides (EPS) secreted by beneficial lactobacilli exert a plethora of positive activities, but little is known about their effects on biofilms of opportunistic vaginal pathogens and especially on biofilms of lactobacilli themselves. Here, the EPS produced by six vaginal lactobacilli, belonging to Lactobacillus crispatus (BC1, BC4, BC5) and Lactobacillus gasseri (BC9, BC12, BC14) species were isolated from cultural supernatants and lyophilized.ResultsLactobacillus EPS were chemically characterized in terms of monosaccharide composition by liquid chromatography (LC) analysis coupled to UV and mass spectrometry (MS) detection. Moreover, the ability of EPS (0.1, 0.5, 1 mg/mL) to stimulate the biofilm formation of lactobacilli and to inhibit the formation of pathogens’ biofilms was evaluated by crystal violet (CV) staining and 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.Isolated EPS (yields 133–426 mg/L) were heteropolysaccharides mainly composed of d-mannose (40–52%) and d-glucose (11–30%). For the first time we demonstrated that Lactobacillus EPS were able to stimulate in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05) the formation of biofilms of ten strains belonging to L. crispatus, L. gasseri and Limosilactobacillus vaginalis species, in terms of cell viability (84–282% increase at 1 mg/mL) and especially biofilm biomass (40–195% increase at 1 mg/mL), quantified with MTT assay and CV staining, respectively. EPS released from L. crispatus and L. gasseri were found to better stimulate the biofilms of the same producer species rather than that of other species, including producing strains themselves and other strains. Conversely, the biofilm formation of bacterial (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus spp., Enterococcus spp. and Streptococcus agalactiae) and fungal (Candida spp.) pathogens was inhibited. The anti-biofilm activity was dose-dependent and was more marked for L. gasseri-derived EPS (inhibition up to 86%, 70%, and 58% at 1 mg/mL, 0.5 mg/mL, and 0.1 mg/mL, respectively), whilst L. crispatus-derived EPS resulted overall less efficient (inhibition up to 58% at 1 mg/mL and 40% at 0.5 mg/mL) (p < 0.05).ConclusionsLactobacilli-derived EPS favour the biofilm formation of lactobacilli preventing, at the same time, that of opportunistic pathogens. These results support the possible employment of EPS as postbiotics in medicine as a therapeutic/preventive strategy to counteract vaginal infections.

Epstein–Barr Virus Infection Induces Aberrant TLR Activation Pathway and Fibroblast–Myofibroblast Conversion in Scleroderma

Tea is commonly made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis. Production of similar drinks from other plant leaves with potential health benefits would help to prevent diseases. This study examined the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of tea made from blends of dried moringa (Moringa oleifera) and soursop (Annona muricata) leaves. Mature, fresh and green leaves from both plants were washed in water and sun-dried for 10 h. The dried leaves were milled and sieved to obtain the tea powders. Blends of soursop: Moringa tea were formulated as follows: A: 100% Soursop, B: 100% Moringa, and soursop: Moringa blends as C:50:50%; D: 60:40% and E: 40:60%. Ten grams of each blend of tea powder was brewed in 100 ml of hot water (90°C) for 10 min and cooled to room temperature (28 ±- 2°C) before analysis. From the result, 50:50 soursop-moringa tea gave the highest levels of vitamins C and A. Mineral levels were significantly different among the samples (p&lt;0.05) with higher values recorded for calcium (2117.10 mg/100 ml), sodium (146.02 mg/100 ml), magnesium (362.03 mg/100 ml), phosphorous (241 mg/100 ml), zinc (7.13 mg/100 ml) and potassium (1207.20 mg/100 ml) in 50:50 soursop-moringa tea. The pH differed significantly (p&lt;0.05) in all the tea samples and ranged from 7.28–7.81. Total solids gave values ranging from 3.47 mg/l-3.82 mg/l (p˂0.05) and total sugars 1.12–3.07% (p&lt;0.05). The amount of tannin was significantly higher (p&lt;0.05) in all tea blends compared to other antinutrients analyzed in this study and ranged from 8.95-9.84%. Assessment of the antioxidant capacity by Diphenol-2,2picrylhydroxyl (DPPH) and Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) showed significant differences (p&lt;0.05) among the tea samples with the 50:50 soursop: Moringa blend having the highest antioxidant activity with values up to 89.04% and 531.44 (µM/L) in each case. Overall the soursop-moringa tea blends exhibited good chemical composition and antioxidant activity, with 50:50 formulation showing the best nutritional quality attributes.

Triple therapy with olmesartan medoxomil, amlodipine besylate, and hydrochlorothiazide in adult patients with hypertension: The TRINITY multicenter, randomized, double-blind, 12-week, parallel-group study

This research focuses on the development of a hybrid dressing, i.e. Moringa oleifera (MOL) leave extract nanofibers impregnated onto an alginate-pectin hydrocolloid film for chronic wound healing. The MOL nanofibers impregnated hydrocolloid films were characterised and optimised by physicomechanical properties, moisture transmission, swelling ratio, microscopy analysis, Franz diffusion drug release and cell viability assays. From the preformulation studies, PEO 6 % solution with viscosity above 1.3 Pa·s was found suitable to be electrospun into uniform nanofibers (diameter 322.7±78.02 nm). The moisture transmission rate and swelling ratio studies revealed that the MOL nanofiber-film was useful for the application of light to medium suppurating wounds. The Franz diffusion cell study showed that the electrospun duration could influence the amount of MOL released from the nanofibers-film. Finally, cell viability assays revealed that the MOL nanofibers-films hybrid dressing did not cause cytotoxicity to human dermal fibroblast and human epithelial keratinocytes cell lines. In conclusion, a hybrid MOL nanofibers impregnated hydrocolloid films dressing was successfully formulated and this study has implied that MOL nanofibers-film could be an alternative treatment option for treating chronic wounds.

The distribution of medicinal and food tree species in Owerri West Local Government Area (LGA) of Imo State were assessed. Data were collected using socio-economic survey and biological study. A total of 50 respondents from the study area were randomly selected and relevant information on the uses and contributions of tree species of food and medicinal importance was collected through the use of semi-structured questionnaire and Focused Group Discussion (FGD). A total of ten communities were sampled, with one community in each of the ten political wards in the LGA. Tree species of ethno-botany and food relevance were identified and enumerated in the course of field survey in the study communities. The spatial distributions of six most-frequently utilized tree species were mapped using Geographical Information System (GIS). Data were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance. A total of 22 tree species, belonging to16 families, known to be used for medicinal and food purposes, were identified in the ten study communities. Dacryodes edulis of the family Burseraceae was the most abundant tree species in the area having about 13% of the species encountered. In the study locations, the least-occurring species were Dialium guineensis and Garcinia kola with 0.27% each. Fabaceae and Rutaceae were the most represented families with 13.64% and 3 species each belonging to each of the two families. The six (6) mostly utilized species in the area were Dacryodes edulis, Chrysophyllum albidium, Persea americana, Psidium guajava, Mangifera indica and Moringa oleifera. The seven tree species that were abundant in the study area were Annona muricata, Citrus sinensis, Cola nitida, Dacryodes edulis, Elaeise quineensis Magifera indica and Psidium guajava with relative density (RD) of 6.29, 11.98, 12.72, 12.99, 6.16, 9.20 and 9.47, respectively. Dennettia tripetala and Persea americana were frequent species with RD values of 4.33 and 4.06, respectively. Dialium guineensis Garcinia kola and Pentaclethra macrophylla were threatened, having RD of 0.27, 0.27 and 0.47, respectively. A total of 8 tree species including: Anacardium occidentale, Azadirachta indica, Chrysophyllum albidium, Citrus aurantiifolia, Citrus lemon, Gliricidia sepium, Irvingia gaboneensis and Moringa oleifera were rare in the area with RD of 1.76, 1.49, 2.44, 2.44, 1.49, 1.69, 1.76 and 2.10, respectively. The threatened species include Dialium guineensis, Garcinia kola and Pentaclethra macrophylla with RD values of 0.27, 0.27 and 0.47, respectively. In seven of the ten communities, (i.e. Emeabiam, Eziobodo, Nekede, Ihiagwa, Okuku, Obinze, and Umuguma), Dacryodes edulis was the dominant species with 23, 35, 32, 32, 9, 10 and 14 stems, respectively while Mangifera indica predominated in Avu, Irete, and Ndegwu with 24, 14, and 11stems, respectively.Keywords: Species abundance, status, distribution, utilization, extinction

Antibacterial effects of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of seeds of moringa (Moringa oleifera) and pods of soursop (Annona muricata) in the concentration of 1:5 and 1:10 in volumes 50, 100, 150 and 200 microL were examined against Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholerae, Escherichia coli (isolated from the organism and the aquatic environment) and Salmonella Enteritidis. Antibacterial activity (inhibition halo > 13 mm) against S. aureus, V. cholerae and E. coli isolated from the whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannmaei, was detected in aqueous and ethanolic extracts of moringa. E. coli isolated from tilapiafish, Oreochromis niloticus, was sensitive to the ethanolic extract of moringa. The aqueous extracts of soursop showed an antibacterial effect against S. aureus and V. cholerae, but the antibacterial activity by the ethanol extracts of this plant was not demonstrated.

The production of biofilms by S. aureus contributes significantly to treatment failures. The present study aims to establish the relationship between biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance and adhesion genes in Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from raw cow milk in Shahrekord, Iran. A total of 90 samples of raw cow's milk were collected. Presumptive S. aureus strains were obtained using Baird-Parker plates after enrichment in tryptone soy broth, and final colonies were selected from brain heart infusion. Additional tests such as coagulase were done, and the identification was confirmed by the detection of the aroA gene. Biofilm producing strains were screened using a spectrophotometry method applied to microplates. Crystal violet staining was used to quantify the formation of biofilm. An antibiotic susceptibility test was performed using the Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion method. PCR was used to detect several biofilm and antibiotics resistance related genes. The chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used to establish a statistically significant relationship between biofilm reaction and antibiotic resistance (p value <0.05). Results show a moderate (38.88%) recovery rate of S. aureus in milk and 65.71% of the isolates were strong biofilm producers. Antibiotic susceptibility tests show an alarming rate of resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics, especially penicillin (100%), ampicillin (91.42%), and oxacillin (71.42%). This finding correlates with antibiotic resistance gene detection, in which the gene blaZ was most found (71.42%), followed by mecA and Aac-D (42.85%). Detection of biofilm-related genes shows that all the genes targeted were found among S. aureus isolates. Statistical tests show a significant correlation between biofilm production and antibiotic resistance in S. aureus. This study revealed that there is a significant correlation between biofilm production and antibiotic resistance in S. aureus isolated from raw milk. These results highlight the need for regular surveillance of the occurrence of S. aureus strains in milk and milk products in Iran.

MRSA is a major contributor to skin infections, bloodstream infections, toxic shock syndrome, and joint inflammation. Aspergillus flavus can result in a range of health issues these problems include allergic reactions, aspergilloma, both invasive and non-invasive. infections are a matter of importance for public health. Aspergillus flavus and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) resistance to both antibiotics and antifungal medications put the public at risk.This study therefore was carried out to investigate the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Aspergillus flavus and Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from publicly used toilets in Port Harcourt, Rivers State Nigeria. Eighty (80) samples were collected for a period of two months from five public toilets using the sedimentation air sampling method. Samples were subjected to isolation and identification, antibiotics and antifungal susceptibility test using Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method, plant extracts and molecular identification of bacterial isolates for analysis. The susceptibility profile showed that MRSA were resistant to Ofloxacin (61%), Ceftazidime (92.30%), Levoflaxcin (92.30%), Vancomycin (77 %), Gentamycin (61%), Azithromycin (46.2%) and cefotaxime (46.2%) and susceptible to Imipenem (100%), Meropenem (92.32%). Ketoconazole and nystatin both antifungals were both effective on the A. flavus. Methanol extract of Ocimum grastissimum was more effective followed by Psidium guajava and moringa oleifera on MRSA but also less effective in A. flavus. The MAR index ranged from 0.1 to 0.8 which showed that 60% of MRSA isolates had MAR index of 0.8, while 20% had MAR index of 0.4 and 0.5. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts is promising as the extracts could be used as a cheap antimicrobial for the treatment of infections cause by these test organisms. Conclusively, this study revealed both organisms present in toilet air, their vulnerability patterns was established, their resistance gene verified, and explore the potential use of natural plant compounds on them, would assist in mitigating public health.

Background: Vibriosis is currently still a major problem in marine aquaculture and is highly dependent on availability of antibacterial agents in its handling. Investigation of antibacterial potential of the coastal plants of Bidara Laut (Ximenia americana) has been carried out. Methods: Parts of the X. americana plant taken are Old Fruit, Young Fruit, Old Leaf, and Young Leaf. A total of ± 200 grams of each part of X. americana plant was taken to be extracted using maceration method. The antibacterial activity test was performed using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method on Muller Hinton Agar (MHA) media. Observations were made in time units, namely every 6 hours of incubation for 24 hours. Results: The tested extract of plant parts of X. americana showed an inhibition zone against the growth of V. alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus bacteria in each replication in all-time units of observation. Of the four types of extracts tested, old leaves showed strong category resistance to V. alginolyticus with the highest clear zone diameter of 16 mm (average 14.67 mm) at 6 hours incubation. Young leaves gave the highest of 18 mm (average 16.33 mm) against V. parahaemolyticus at 6 hours incubation. Conclusions: X. americana plants have potential for antibacterial against Vibriosis disease in aquaculture. The ability of power to be seen tended to decrease for all tests until the end of observation, but until the end of observation, the ability of extract inhibition of all parts of the plant was still in the moderate to strong category.

One of the diseases that arise due to infection with pathogenic bacteria is typhoid fever. Typhoid is an infectious disease that is transmitted through the bacterium Salmonella typhi. One of the plants that can be used as an antibacterial is duku fruit skin. Duku fruit skin leaves were extracted by maceration with 96% ethanol as solvent. The extract obtained was s screened for phytochemicals to see what secondary metabolites were found in duku fruit skin leaves. This study consisted of 4 treatment groups, namely extract concentration 25%, 50%, 75%, positive control (Kloramfenikol), and negative control (aquadest), with 3 repetitions to minimize the possibility of data errors in the study. Antibacterial activity test was carried out using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. The ethanolic extract of duku fruit skin leaves contains alkaloid, flavonoid, saponin, tanin, and triterpenoid. The ethanolic extract of duku fruit skin leaves had antibacterial activity at concentrations of 25%, 50%, and 75% against Salmonella typhi with inhibition zone diameters of 10,22 mm, 11,94 mm, 13,63 mm, respectively. The results of unvariate data analysis showed that the ethanolic extract of duku fruit skin leaves had antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi and the higher the concentration, the wider the inhibition zone formed.

Tamarind and turmeric are used by the community to treat respiratory diseases and fever obtained at the Pandaan market. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of tamarind leaves and turmeric by maceration in inhibiting Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria at various concentrations. Antibacterial activity test using Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method with concentrations of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. Tamarind and turmeric leaves used maceration extraction method by immersion using 96% ethanol as solvent. The positive control used was Penicillin while the negative control used was DMSO 10%. The concentrations of the samples used were: tamarind leaf extract with concentrations of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%; turmeric extract concentrations of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%; a combination of 25% tamarind leaf extract and 75% turmeric extract; a combination of 50% tamarind leaf extract and 50% turmeric extract; combination of 75% tamarind leaf extract and 25% turmeric extract. The total number of samples is 33 samples. The best inhibition was obtained from the results of the inhibition zone &gt; 20 mm. Turmeric extract had the best antibacterial activity against the growth of Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria at concentrations of 50%, 75%, and 100%. With each inhibition zone diameter of 21.5 mm; 29.83 mm ; and 33.16 mm. Based on the results of the Two Way ANOVA test with a 95% confidence level (p &gt; 0.05), it was found that there was no significant effect between samples of tamarind leaf extract and turmeric extract on the growth of Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria.

Introduction: Escherichia coli is a pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria that commonly causes digestive tract infections, including diarrhea. Continuous use of antibiotics has led to an increase in bacterial resistance. Dewandaru leaves (Eugenia uniflora L.) have been known to have antibacterial activity against several pathogenic bacteria. This study aims to evaluate the antibacterial activity of dewandaru leaf extract against E. coli in vitro. Methods: Dewandaru leaves were extracted using the maceration method with 96% ethanol. The antibacterial activity test was carried out using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method with gentamicin as a positive control and sterile NaCl as a negative control. The diameter of the inhibition zone was measured and analyzed statistically. Results: Dewandaru leaf extract shows antibacterial activity against E. coli with a significant zone of inhibition. An extract concentration of 80% showed moderate antibacterial activity, while concentrations of 40% and 60% did not show antibacterial activity. Conclusion: Dewandaru leaves have the potential to be a natural antibacterial agent against E. coli. Further studies are needed to isolate and identify the active compounds and evaluate the effectiveness and safety of dewandaru leaf extract in vivo.

Several Indonesian medicinal plants are commonly utilized as antibacterial agents, namely moringa (Moringa oleifera Lamk.), green tea (Camellia sinensis), binahong (Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Steenis), and green meniran (Phyllanthus niruri L.). This investigation aimed to identify the chemical compounds found in plants and their antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi. The simplicia was extracted by the maceration technique with a solvent of 70% ethanol. Chemical compounds are identified using various chemical reagents. The antibacterial activity test was conducted using the diffusion method. The data were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. The phytochemical analysis of plant samples revealed the presence of many bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, saponins, tannins, alkaloids, steroids, and phenolics. The antibacterial activity of plant samples against Salmonella typhi has been shown. The average values of the inhibition zones for moringa leaf extract, green tea, binahong, and green meniran were determined to be 20.33 mm, 18.33 mm, 22.67 mm, and 27.00 mm, respectively. The antibacterial activity of green meniran leaf extract is significantly more potent against Salmonella typhi than other plant.

BackgroundThis study aimed to analyze the antimicrobial resistance and pathogenicity of Klebsiella pneumoniae(K. pneumoniae) isolates from pigs, evaluate their potential threat to pig farming and public health, and provide a theoretical basis for controlling K. pneumoniae infections in pig farms.MethodsNasal swabs collected from pigs were subjected to bacterial isolation, biochemical identification, species-specific PCR, and 16S rRNA sequencing to identify K. pneumoniae. Serotyping and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) were conducted using the wzi and MLST methods, respectively. Biofilm formation was assessed using crystal violet staining. Antimicrobial susceptibility was evaluated via the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method, and resistance and virulence genes were identified using PCR. Pathogenicity was determined through string testing and mouse infection models.Results21 strains of K. pneumoniae were isolated and identified from 50 swabs of pig nasal cavities. The isolates were classified into serotypes wzi 19 and wzi 81 and sequence types ST37 and ST967. Ten isolates exhibited strong biofilm-forming ability, while 11 showed moderate biofilm production. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed resistance to β-lactams, aminoglycosides, quinolones, tetracyclines, sulfonamides, aminoalcohols, and glycopeptides, with sensitivity restricted to imipenem and polymyxins. Ten resistance genes and eight virulence genes were detected. Pathogenicity testing in mice revealed a moderate virulence level, with a median lethal dose (LD50) of 4.0 × 10⁶ CFU/mL. Infected mice exhibited significant lesions in the liver, lungs, and small intestine.ConclusionThese findings highlight a potential risk to pig farming and public health, emphasizing the need for effective control measures against K. pneumoniae infections in pig farms.