Ayse Ogan

Antioxidative and Lipid Lowering Effects of 7,8-Dihydroxy-3-(4-methylphenyl) Coumarin in Hyperlipidemic Rats

In this study, 7,8-dihydroxy-3-(4-methylphenyl) coumarin (DHMPC), a new coumarin derivative, was tested for the first time to determine whether it had any antioxidant and lipid lowering effects. Hypercholesterolemia was induced by feeding rats with a high cholesterol diet for 17 days. The lipid lowering and antioxidant effects of DHMPC were compared with those of hesperidin (CAS 520-26-3) and rutin (CAS 153-18-4), which have been pharmacologically determined as potential lipid lowering and antioxidant agents. DHMPC significantly decreased total cholesterol levels but not as efficient as hesperidin. When the ratios of high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol) to total cholesterol were evaluated, the most significant changes were observed in DHMPC and rutin treatments. The results of serum triglyceride levels indicate that DHMPC and hesperidin did not significantly decrease triglyceride level when compared to rutin group but prevented it to rise. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels increased as expected in high cholesterol diet groups but no significant decrease was observed for serum MDA levels in all treated groups. In contrast to serum MDA levels, liver homogenates MDA levels decreased in all treated groups but a considerable decrease was not observed for DHMPC treated group. Liver homogenates glutathione (GSH) levels drastically decreased in hyperlipidemic group and increased in all treated groups. As a conclusion DHMPC displayed both antioxidant and lipid lowering effects and can be a candidate drug for further studies.

A Maltooligosaccharides Producing α-Amylase from Bacillus subtilis SDP1 Isolated from Rhizosphere of Acacia cyanophylla Lindley

Maltooligosaccharides producing amylases are required in the food industry, especially in breadmaking. The Bacillus subtilis strain SDP1 amylase hydrolyses starch to produce maltotriose and maltotetraose along with maltose after prolonged reactions of 5 h. Bacillus subtilis strain SDP1 was isolated from the rhizosphere of Acacia cyanophylla Lindley from the Çukurova region of Turkey. The highest enzyme production was achieved with soluble starch as the carbon and yeast extract as the nitrogen source and at pH 7.0 and 37°C. Under optimized culture conditions, 68.49 U/mL activity was obtained. SDP1 α-amylase had molecular weight of 61 kD. The optimum pH of the enzyme was 7.0 and was highly active at pH ranging from 5.0 to 9.0. The optimum temperature of the crude enzyme was 60°C, and it retained 83% and 74% of its initial activity after 1 h and 2 h incubation periods, respectively, at 50°C. While, Mn+2 has a stimulatory effect on the activity, Ca+2, Mg+2, Na+ did not effect the enzyme activity. Fe+3, Ni+2, Cu+2 and Co+2 had an inhibitory effect on SDP1 amylase activity.

Production of cellulase by immobilized whole cells of Haloarcula

Halophilic Archaea are adapted to a life in the extreme conditions and some of them are capable of growth on cellulosic waste as carbon and energy source by producing cellulase enzyme. The production of cellulase using free and immobilized cells of halophilic archaeal strain Haloarcula 2TK2 isolated from Tuzkoy Salt Mine and capable of producing cellulose was studied. The cells were cultured in a liquid medium containing 2.5 M NaCl to obtain the maximum cellulase activity and immobilized on agarose or polyacrylamide or alginate. Optimal salt dependence of free and immobilized cells of Haloarcula 2TK2 was established and the effects of pH and temperature were investigated. Immobilization to Na-alginate enhanced the enzymatic activity of the Haloarchaeal cells when compared to free cells and other polymeric supports. From the results obtained it is reasonable to infer that decomposition of plant polymers into simpler end products does occur at high salinities and cellulase producing haloarchael cells may be potentially utilized for the treatment of hypersaline waste water to remove cellulose.

The potential of archaeosomes as carriers of pDNA into mammalian cells

This paper describes the formulation of archaeosomes and the evaluation of their abilities to facilitate in vitro DNA delivery. Lipids of the H.hispanica 2TK2 strain were used in archaeosome formation, which is formulated by mixing H.hispanica 2TK2 lipids with plasmid DNA encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) or β-galactosidase (β-gal). Archaeosome/pDNA formation and unbound DNA were monitored by agarose gel electrophoresis. The archaeosome formulations were visualized by AFM and TEM. The zeta potential analysis showed the archaeosomes to be electronegative. The composition of archaeosomes and the DNA dose for transient transfection into HEK293 cells were optimized, and the relationship between the structure and activity of archaeosomes in DNA delivery was investigated. By themselves, archaeosomes showed low efficiency for DNA delivery, due to their anionic nature. By formulating archaeosomes with a helper molecule, such as DOTAP, CaCl2, or LiCl, the capability of archaeosomes for gene transfection is significantly enhanced. The transfection profiles of efficient archaeosomes are proved to have a long shelf-life when maintained at room temperature. Thus, the archaeal lipids have the potential to be used as transfection reagents in vitro.

QSAR models for antioxidant activity of new coumarin derivatives

This study presents 37 new antioxidant coumarin derivatives and strategies for structural modification to improve their antioxidant activities, the main ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay used to evaluate their antioxidant properties and the generation of validated quantitative structure–activity (antioxidant activity) relationship (QSAR) models. In an attempt to generate QSAR models, structures of all coumarin derivatives in the data set were fully optimized by semi-empirical PM6 method using SPARTAN 10 software. Descriptors were calculated by DRAGON 6.0 software. Multiple linear regression (MLR) models were developed with different training/test set combinations using QSARINS 2.2.1 software. Robustness, reliability and predictive power of the models were tested by internal and external validations. Applicability domain of the best two-descriptor model (nTR = 30; r2 = 0.924; RMSETR = 0.213; nTEST = 7; r2ext = 0.887; RMSEext = 0.255; CCCext = 0.939) was determined. Descriptors appeared in the model revealed that complexity, H-bond donor and lipophilic character are important parameters in describing the antioxidant activity. Apart from the compounds in the data set, we also designed 31 new antioxidant coumarin derivatives and predicted their antioxidant activity using the best two-descriptor model. Most of these compounds are promising antioxidants

Covalent immobilization of acetylcholinesterase on a novel polyacrylic acid-based nanofiber membrane

In this study, polyacrylic acid‐based nanofiber (NF) membrane was prepared via electrospinning method. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) from Electrophorus electricus was covalently immobilized onto polyacrylic acid‐based NF membrane by demonstrating efficient enzyme immobilization, and immobilization capacity of polymer membranes was found to be 0.4 mg/g. The novel NF membrane was synthesized via thermally activated surface reconstruction, and activation with carbonyldiimidazole upon electrospinning. The morphology of the polyacrylic acid‐based membrane was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The effect of temperature and pH on enzyme activity was investigated and maxima activities for free and immobilized enzyme were observed at 30 and 35°C, and pH 7.4 and 8.0, respectively. The effect of 1 mM Mn2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Mg2+, Ca2+ ions on the stability of the immobilized AChE was also investigated. According to the Michaelis–Menten plot, AChE possessed a lower affinity to acetylthiocholine iodide after immobilization, and the Michaelis–Menten constant of immobilized and free AChE were found to be 0.5008 and 0.4733 mM, respectively. The immobilized AChE demonstrated satisfactory reusability, and even after 10 consecutive activity assay runs, AChE maintained ca. 87% of its initial activity. Free enzyme lost its activity completely within 60 days, while the immobilized enzyme retained approximately 70% of the initial activity under the same storage time. The favorable reusability of immobilized AChE enables the support to be employable to develop the AChE‐based biosensors.

Preparation, characterization, and in vitro evaluation of isoniazid and rifampicin‐loaded archaeosomes

The ability of Archaea to adapt their membrane lipid compositions to extreme environments has brought in archaeosomes into consideration for the development of drug delivery systems overcoming the physical, biological blockades that the body exhibits against drug therapies. In this study, we prepared unilamellar archaeosomes, from the polar lipid fraction extracted from Haloarcula 2TK2 strain, and explored its potential as a drug delivery vehicle. Rifampicin and isoniazid which are conventional drugs in tuberculosis medication were loaded separately and together in the same archaeosome formulation for the benefits of the combined therapy. Particle size and zeta potential of archaeosomes were measured by photon correlation spectroscopy, and the morphology was assessed by with an atomic force microscope. Encapsulation efficiency and loading capacities of the drugs were determined, and in vitro drug releases were monitored spectrophotometrically. Our study demonstrates that rifampicin and isoniazid could be successfully loaded separately and together in archaeosomes with reasonable drug‐loading and desired vesicle‐specific characters. Both of the drugs had greater affinity for archaeosomes than a conventional liposome formulation. The results imply that archaeosomes prepared from extremely halophilic archaeon were compatible with the liposomes for the development of stable and sustained release of antituberculosis drugs.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates Production from Renewable and Waste Materials Using Extremophiles/Recombinant Microbes

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biodegradable polyesters produced by various species of Bacteria and Archaea as reserves of energy and carbon in nutrient poor environments. Being biodegradable and biocompatible, PHAs have found many industrial and medical applications as attractive bio-based alternatives to petroleum-based polymers. To compete with petroleum-based polymers and garner a bigger market share, cost-effective PHA production processes are needed. Therefore, renewable, cheap, sustainable, and readily available carbon sources from industrial wastes and agricultural by-products should be considered in PHA production.

Amine functional magnetic nanoparticles via waterborne thiol–ene suspension photopolymerization for antibody immobilization

The modification of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) via different routes for biomolecule binding is an attractive area of research. Waterborne thiol-ene suspension photopolymerization (TESP) can be a useful method for preparing functional MNPs. In this study, for the very first time waterborne TESP was performed in the presence of MNPs. Neat MNPs were coated and in situ functionalized with amine groups by using thiol-ene chemistry. Engrailed-2 (EN2) protein, a potential biomarker for various cancers such as prostate cancer, bladder cancer, breast cancer and ovarian cancer, is known to be a strong binder to a specific DNA sequence (50-TAATTA-30) to regulate transcription. Anti-EN2 antibodies were immobilized onto these MNPs by physical adsorption and covalent bonding methods, respectively. The amount of the physically immobilized antibodies (0.54 mg/g) were found to be lower than the loading of the covalently bonded antibodies (1.775 mg/g). The biomarker level in the artificial solutions prepared was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Coated MNPs were characterized by FTIR, TGA, SEM and STEM. After TESP, the average diameter of the neat magnetite nanoparticles increased from ∼15 nm to ∼32 nm.

Proteomic changes in the cortex membrane fraction of genetic absence epilepsy rats from Strasbourg

Epilepsy is a serious neurodegenerative disorder with a high incidence and a variety of presentations and causes. Studies on brain from various animal models including chronic models: Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS) are very useful for understanding the fundamental mechanisms associated with human epilepsy. Individual regions of the brain have different protein composition in different conditions. Therefore, proteomic analyses of the brain compartments are preferred for the development of new therapeutic targets in different pathophysiological conditions like neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, we describe a proteomic profiling of membrane fraction of cortex tissue from epileptic GAERS and non-epileptic Wistar rat brain by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectroscopy. Comparing the optical density of spots between groups, we found that one protein expression was significantly down-regulated (guanine nucleotide-binding protein G(I)/G(S)/G(T) subunit beta-1) and one protein expression was significantly up-regulated (14-3-3 protein epsilon isoform) in GAERS group. Our results indicate that these proteins might have played a significant role in epilepsy and may be considered as valuable therapeutic targets in the absence of epilepsy.