Affinity chromatography has the reputation of a more expensive and less robust than other types of liquid chromatography. Furthermore, the technique is considered to stand a modest chance of ...large-scale purification of proteinaceous pharmaceuticals. This perception is changing because of the pressure for quality protein therapeutics, and the realization that higher returns can be expected when ensuring fewer purification steps and increased product recovery. These developments necessitated a rethinking of the protein purification processes and restored the interest for affinity chromatography. This liquid chromatography technique is designed to offer high specificity, being able to safely guide protein manufactures to successfully cope with the aforementioned challenges. Affinity ligands are distinguished into synthetic and biological. These can be generated by rational design or selected from ligand libraries. Synthetic ligands are generated by three methods. The
rational method features the functional approach and the structural template approach. The
combinatorial method relies on the selection of ligands from a library of synthetic ligands synthesized randomly. The
combined method employs both methods, that is, the ligand is selected from an intentionally biased library based on a rationally designed ligand. Biological ligands are selected by employing high-throuphput biological techniques, e.g. phage- and ribosome-display for peptide and microprotein ligands, in addition to SELEX for oligonucleotide ligands. Synthetic mimodyes and chimaeric dye-ligands are usually designed by rational approaches and comprise a chloro-triazinlyl scaffold. The latter substituted with various amino acids, carbocyclic, and heterocyclic groups, generates libraries from which synthetic ligands can be selected. A ‘lead’ compound may help to generating a ‘focused’ or ‘biased’ library. This can be designed by various approaches, e.g.: (i) using a natural ligand-protein complex as a template; (ii) applying the principle of complementarity to exposed residues of the protein structure; and (iii) mimicking directly a natural biological recognition interaction. Affinity ligands, based on the peptide structure, can be peptides, peptide-mimetic derivatives (<30
monomers) and microproteins (e.g. 25–200
monomers). Microprotein ligands are selected from biological libraries constructed of variegated protein domains, e.g. minibody, Kunitz, tendamist, cellulose-binding domain, scFv, Cytb
562, zinc-finger, SpA-analogue (Z-domain).
Medicinal plants are sources of health-promoting substances, including phytochemicals and phytoalexins that comprise polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, vitamins A, C, E and several other ...constituents. Many studies have indicated that medicinal plants have been used to treat human diseases for thousands of years owing to their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Medicinal plants reduce the oxidative stress in cells and prevent cancer, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, neurodegenerative and digestive system disorders. These potential beneficial effects have been attributed to the presence of bioactive compounds that show antioxidant properties by acting as free radical scavengers or metal chelators, reducing the reactions that produce reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS). Considering the importance of medicinal plants in terms of their beneficial health effects, some of the medicinally important plants grown in Turkey are covered in this review with respect to their antioxidant potential and phytochemical profile.
•Inulin, a fructan-type plant polysaccharide with average MW 5600−6300 g mol−1.•Inulin has functions of prebiotics, antioxidant, reglualting lipid metabolism, etc.•Inulin can be a carrier for ...colon/tumor-targeting drug delivery.
Inulin (IN), a fructan-type plant polysaccharide, is widely found in nature. The major plant sources of IN include chicory, Jerusalem artichoke, dahlia etc. Studies have found that IN possessed a wide array of biological activities, e.g. as a prebiotic to improve the intestinal microbe environment, regulating blood sugar, regulating blood lipids, antioxidant, anticancer, immune regulation and so on. Currently, IN is widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. IN can be used as thickener, fat replacer, sweetener and water retaining agent in the food industry. IN also can be applied in the pharmaceutics as stabilizer, drug carrier, and auxiliary therapeutic agent for certain diseases such as constipation and diabetes. This paper reviews the physiological functions of IN and its applications in the field of pharmaceutics, analyzes its present research status and future research direction. This review will serve as a one-in-all resource for the researchers who are interested to work on IN.
Annona muricata is a member of the Annonaceae family and is a fruit tree with a long history of traditional use. A. muricata, also known as soursop, graviola and guanabana, is an evergreen plant that ...is mostly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The fruits of A. muricata are extensively used to prepare syrups, candies, beverages, ice creams and shakes. A wide array of ethnomedicinal activities is contributed to different parts of A. muricata, and indigenous communities in Africa and South America extensively use this plant in their folk medicine. Numerous investigations have substantiated these activities, including anticancer, anticonvulsant, anti-arthritic, antiparasitic, antimalarial, hepatoprotective and antidiabetic activities. Phytochemical studies reveal that annonaceous acetogenins are the major constituents of A. muricata. More than 100 annonaceous acetogenins have been isolated from leaves, barks, seeds, roots and fruits of A. muricata. In view of the immense studies on A. muricata, this review strives to unite available information regarding its phytochemistry, traditional uses and biological activities.
Peptides are important bioactive natural products which are present in many marine species. These marine peptides have high potential nutraceutical and medicinal values because of their broad spectra ...of bioactivities. Their antimicrobial, antiviral, antitumor, antioxidative, cardioprotective (antihypertensive, antiatherosclerotic and anticoagulant), immunomodulatory, analgesic, anxiolytic anti-diabetic, appetite suppressing and neuroprotective activities have attracted the attention of the pharmaceutical industry, which attempts to design them for use in the treatment or prevention of various diseases. Some marine peptides or their derivatives have high commercial values and had reached the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical markets. A large number of them are already in different phases of the clinical and preclinical pipeline. This review highlights the recent research in marine peptides and the trends and prospects for the future, with special emphasis on nutraceutical and pharmaceutical development into marketed products.
As the breadth of bacterial diversity in the oral cavity has been deciphered by
molecular studies, several newly identified species/phylotypes have emerged as
potential pathogens. We hypothesized ...that many of these species/phylotypes could also
be involved with the etiology of endodontic abscesses. Abscess aspirates from 42
persons were analyzed for the presence of 81 species/phylotypes by means of a
reverse-capture checkerboard hybridization assay. Associations between the most
frequently detected taxa were calculated. The most prevalent taxa were
Fusobacterium nucleatum, Parvimonas micra, and
Porphyromonas endodontalis. Other frequently found taxa included
Olsenella uli, streptococci, Eikenella
corrodens, some as-yet-uncultivated phylotypes
(Bacteroidetes clone X083 and Synergistes clone
BA121), and newly named species (Prevotella baroniae and
Dialister invisus). Several positive bacterial associations were
disclosed. Findings not only strengthen the association of many cultivable species
with abscesses, but also include some newly named species and uncultivated phylotypes
in the set of candidate pathogens associated with this disease.
The traditional fermentation of Shanxi aged vinegar (SAV), a well-known traditional Chinese vinegar, generally involves the preparation of starter daqu, starch saccharification, alcoholic ...fermentation (AF) and acetic acid fermentation (AAF). Dynamics and diversity of microbial community succession in daqu and other fermentation stages were investigated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Results showed that eight bacterial genera and four fungal genera were found in daqu. However, Staphylococcus, Saccharopolyspora, Bacillus, Oceanobacillus, Enterobacter, Streptomyces, Eurotium, Monascus and Pichia in daqu were eradicated during AF. Four bacterial genera and three fungal genera were found in this stage. Weissella, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Saccharomyces, and Saccharomycopsis were the dominant microorganisms in the late stage of AF. During AAF, four bacterial genera and four fungal genera were found. Weissella, Streptococcus, Klebsiella, Escherichia, and Cladosporium gradually disappeared; the dominant microorganisms were Acetobacter, Lactobacillus, Saccharomycopsis, and Alternaria in the late stage of AAF. Alpha diversity metrics showed that fungal diversity in daqu was greater than that in AF and AAF. By contrast, bacterial diversity decreased from daqu to AF and increased in the first three days of AAF and then decreased. Hence, these results could help understand dynamics of microbial community succession in continuous fermentation of traditional Chinese vinegars.
•Microbial community succession in Shanxi aged vinegar was investigated by PCR-DGGE.•Fungal and bacterial diversities in daqu were greater than those in alcoholic and acetic acid fermentation.•Bacterial diversity increased in the first three days of acetic acid fermentation and then decreased.
•Both biodegradation and adsorption govern the removal of TrOC by MBR.•Biodegradation is the most important removal mechanism of hydrophilic compounds.•Adsorption aids the degradation of hydrophobic ...compounds.•Hydrophobic & persistent TrOC accumulated in the sludge during MBR treatment.
This study examined the relationship between molecular properties and the fate of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) in the aqueous and solid phases during wastewater treatment by MBR. A set of 29 TrOCs was selected to represent pharmaceuticals, steroid hormones, phytoestrogens, UV-filters and pesticides that occur ubiquitously in municipal wastewater. Both adsorption and biodegradation/transformation were found responsible for the removal of TrOCs by MBR treatment. A connection between biodegradation and molecular structure could be observed while adsorption was the dominant removal mechanism for the hydrophobic (logD>3.2) compounds. Highly hydrophobic (logD>3.2) but readily biodegradable compounds did not accumulate in sludge. In contrast, recalcitrant compounds with a moderate hydrophobicity, such as carbamazepine, accumulated significantly in the solid phase. The results provide a framework to predict the removal and fate of TrOCs by MBR treatment.
The postharvest treatment and processing of fresh coffee cherries can impact the quality of the unroasted green coffee beans. In the present case study, freshly harvested Arabica coffee cherries were ...processed through two different wet and dry methods to monitor differences in the microbial community structure and in substrate and metabolite profiles. The changes were followed throughout the postharvest processing chain, from harvest to drying, by implementing up-to-date techniques, encompassing multiple-step metagenomic DNA extraction, high-throughput sequencing, and multiphasic metabolite target analysis. During wet processing, a cohort of lactic acid bacteria (i.e., Leuconostoc, Lactococcus, and Lactobacillus) was the most commonly identified microbial group, along with enterobacteria and yeasts (Pichia and Starmerella). Several of the metabolites associated with lactic acid bacterial metabolism (e.g., lactic acid, acetic acid, and mannitol) produced in the mucilage were also found in the endosperm. During dry processing, acetic acid bacteria (i.e., Acetobacter and Gluconobacter) were most abundant, along with Pichia and non-Pichia (Candida, Starmerella, and Saccharomycopsis) yeasts. Accumulation of associated metabolites (e.g., gluconic acid and sugar alcohols) took place in the drying outer layers of the coffee cherries. Consequently, both wet and dry processing methods significantly influenced the microbial community structures and hence the composition of the final green coffee beans. This systematic approach to dissecting the coffee ecosystem contributes to a deeper understanding of coffee processing and might constitute a state-of-the-art framework for the further analysis and subsequent control of this complex biotechnological process.
Coffee production is a long process, starting with the harvest of coffee cherries and the on-farm drying of their beans. In a later stage, the dried green coffee beans are roasted and ground in order to brew a cup of coffee. The on-farm, postharvest processing method applied can impact the quality of the green coffee beans. In the present case study, freshly harvested Arabica coffee cherries were processed through wet and dry processing in four distinct variations. The microorganisms present and the chemical profiles of the coffee beans were analyzed throughout the postharvest processing chain. The up-to-date techniques implemented facilitated the investigation of differences related to the method applied. For instance, different microbial groups were associated with wet and dry processing methods. Additionally, metabolites associated with the respective microorganisms accumulated on the final green coffee beans.
Measures of disease burden such as quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) are increasingly important to risk-based food safety policy. They provide a means of comparing relative risk from diverse health ...outcomes. We present detailed disease-outcome trees and EQ-5D scoring for 14 major foodborne pathogens representing over 95% of foodborne illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths due to specified agents in the United States (Campylobacter spp., Clostridium perfringens, Cryptosporidium parvum, Cyclospora cayetanensis, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli non-O157, Listeria monocytogenes, nontyphoidal Salmonella enterica, Shigella, Toxoplasma gondii, Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and other noncholera Vibrio, and Yersinia enterocolitica). We estimate over 5800 QALYs lost per 1000 cases of L. monocytogenes and V. vulnificus, compared to 125 QALYs lost per 1000 cases of T. gondii, 26 for E. coli O157:H7, 16 for Salmonella and Campylobacter, and 14 for Y. enterocolitica. The remaining 7 pathogens are estimated to cause less than 5 QALYs lost per 1000 cases. In total, these 14 pathogens cause over 61,000 in QALY loss annually, with more than 90% due solely to acute infection being responsible for 65% of total QALY loss, with premature mortality and morbidity due to chronic and congenital illness responsible for another 28%. These estimates of the burden of chronic sequelae are likely conservative; additional epidemiological research is needed to support more accurate burden estimates. This study shows the value of using integrated metrics for comparing disease burden, and the need to consider chronic and congenital illness when prioritizing foodborne pathogens.
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