Bhushan L. Chaudhari

Production, purification and chemical characterization of the catecholate siderophore from potent probiotic strains of Bacillus spp.

The aim of the present study was to characterize the probiotic qualities of Bacillus isolates and study their siderophore prior to possible siderophoregenic probiotic application for iron nutrition in animals and humans. Bacillus strains were selectively isolated from dairy waste and mango pulp waste. Best two siderophore positive isolates, JHT3 and DET6 showed high homology with Bacillus megaterium (98%) and B. subtilis (99%), respectively, using partial 16S-rRNA sequencing and biochemical characterization. These isolates produced catecholate type of siderophore under iron stressed conditions and were screened for probiotic properties as per WHO and FAO guidelines. Spores of these strains showed excellent tolerance in partially simulated gastrointestinal tract conditions and exhibited antimicrobial activity against organisms such as Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus flavus and Escherichia coli. Importantly, these isolates were susceptible to the most of the antibiotics tested, in conflict that they would not donate resistance determinants if administered in the form of probiotic preparations.

Siderophore production by a marine Pseudomonas aeruginosa and its antagonistic action against phytopathogenic fungi

A marine isolate of fluorescent Pseudomonas sp. having the ability to produce the pyoverdine type of siderophores under low iron stress (up to 10 µM iron in the succinate medium) was identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa by using BIOLOG Breathprint and siderotyping. Pyoverdine production was optimum at 0.2% (w/v) succinate, pH 6.0, in an iron-deficient medium. Studies carried out in vitro revealed that purified siderophores and Pseudomonas culture have good antifungal activity against the plant deleterious fungi, namely, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus oryzae, Fusarium oxysporum, and Sclerotium rolfsii. Siderophore-based maximum inhibition was observed against A. niger. These in vitro antagonistic actions of marine Pseudomonas against phytopathogens suggest the potential of the organism to serve as a biocontrol agent.

Bovine serum albumin catalyzed one-pot, three-component synthesis of dihydropyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole derivatives in aqueous ethanol

Bovine serum albumin (BSA) catalyzed synthesis of dihydropyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole derivatives via a one pot, three component reaction of an aldehyde/ketone/isatin, malononitrile and 3-methyl-1H-pyrazol-5-(4H)-one in H2O–EtOH (7 : 3) at ambient temperature was developed in this work. The catalyst was found to work efficiently for aldehydes, ketones and isatins to give the corresponding dihydropyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole and spiro[indoline-3,4′-pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole] derivatives in high yields. BSA showed a broad range of catalytic promiscuity towards various aldehydes, aromatic/aliphatic ketones and substituted isatins. The use of an environmentally benign protocol, reusability of the catalyst, avoidance of hazardous solvents, excellent yields, easy work up and no byproduct formation make BSA an attractive candidate for further applications as a biocatalyst.

Exploring Antagonistic Metabolites of Established Biocontrol Agent of Marine Origin

Biocontrol ability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ID 4365, a biocontrol agent of groundnut phytopathogens from marine origin, was previously attributed to the production of pyoverdin type of siderophores. However, pyoverdin-rich supernatants of this organism showed better antifungal activity compared to equivalent amount of purified pyoverdin indicating presence of undetected metabolite(s) in pyoverdin rich supernatants. On the basis of observation that antagonistic activity was iron-dependent and iron-independent, an attempt was made to detect the presence of additional metabolites. In addition to pyoverdin, strain produced additional siderophores, viz. pyochelin and salicylic acid. Two broad spectrum antifungal compounds, viz. pyocyanin and phenazine-1-carboxylic acid, were detected, characterized, and activity against phytopathogens was demonstrated. Iron- and phosphate-dependent co-production of siderophores and phenazines was confirmed. Strain showed additional features like production of hydrogen cyanide, indol-3-acetic acid, and phosphate solubilization.

Bacillus spp. of Human Origin: A Potential Siderophoregenic Probiotic Bacteria

Bacillus spp. ST13, isolated from human stool, was evaluated for siderophoregenic and probiotic qualities prior to its possible application for iron nutrition in humans and animals. It was tested for siderophore production in iron-limiting conditions and found to produce catecholate type of siderophore on the basis of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), FT-IR, NMR, and mass spectra analysis. The isolate was screened for probiotic properties as per WHO and FAO guidelines. The strain ST13 can survive stomach acidity, bile salt and partially simulated gastrointestinal tract conditions. It was susceptible to most of the antibiotic tested and showed antimicrobial activity against enteric pathogens like Salmonella typhimurium, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus. Strain ST13 showed close similarity with Bacillus subtilis using 16S r-RNA gene sequence analysis and biochemical characterization. The methanolic extract of ST13 siderophore was evaluated for DPPH radical scavenging activity, which showed 94.55 ± 0.9% of radical scavenging effect.

A potential probiotic culture ST2 produces siderophore 2,3-dihydroxybenzoylserine under intestinal conditions.

The aim of this study was to characterise siderophores of a culture bearing better probiotic qualities of human origin. In this direction, bacterial strain ST2 was isolated from faecal sample of 6-month-old healthy infant, which showed close similarity with Escherichia coli based on 16S r-RNA gene sequence analysis and biochemical characteristics. It was tested for siderophore production under in vitro iron limiting intestinal conditions. The siderophore produced was catecholate type of 2,3-dihydroxybenzoylserine on the basis of FTIR, NMR and mass spectra analysis. The strain obeyed probiotic properties as per WHO and FAO guidelines. It showed excellent tolerance in partially simulated gastro-intestinal tract conditions, non-haemolytic nature, susceptibility to many antibiotics tested and antimicrobial activity against enteric pathogens like Salmonella typhimurium, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus. Hence, this culture could be a possible probiotic candidate in iron nutrition, but only after conducting proper animal and human trials.

Production of hyaluronic acid from Streptococcus zooepidemicus MTCC 3523 and its wound healing activity.

Exopolysaccharide produced and purified from Streptococcus zooepidemicus MTCC 3523 was identified as hyaluronic acid (HA) based on IR and NMR spectroscopy while its Mw was found to be 5.38 × 10(5)Da. HA produced passed bacterial endotoxin test and showed significant wound healing activity in Wistar rats on 12th and 16th day.

Selective ciprofloxacin antibiotic detection by fluorescent siderophore pyoverdin

Fluorescent siderophore pyoverdin (PVD) was produced from a soil isolate Pseudomonas monteilii strain MKP 213. The PVD was purified near to homogeneity and applied for the fluorescent chemosensing of various antibiotics in aqueous solution (pH=7.0). Upon addition of ciprofloxacin, PVD showed new UV-vis absorption bands at 252 and 321nm due to an internal charge transfer mechanism. Also, the addition of ciprofloxacin induced a highly selective fluorescence enhancement of PVD with a 13nm blue shift from 458 to 445nm. The combination of a long peptide chain along with the chromophore unit of PVD generates a converging cleft for ciprofloxacin recognition with LOD and LOQ of 7.13μM and 21.6μM, respectively without interference from other studied antibiotics. The association constant (Ka) of PVD with ciprofloxacin was calculated to be as low as 1.40×10(5)M(-1) using Benesi-Hildebrand plot depicting its significance in detection. The pharmaceutical tablet analysis measures the sensing with negligible matrix effect and quantitative recovery.

Siderophoregenic Bradyrhizobia boost yield of soybean.

After screening for siderophore (microbial iron chelator) production, of seven available cultures of soybean (Glycine max L.) root nodule bradyrhizobia, one strain, Bradyrhizobium japonicum NCIM 2746, was selected to confirm its phytopathogenic suppression and soybean growth promotion. Based on chromatographic and spectrophotometric studies, two different siderophores, a hydroxamate type (MW 734) and another catecholate type (MW 1000), were observed. Randomized block design (RBD) analysis of sickpot studies (soil inoculated with phytopathogens) with an MACS 124 variety of soybean, bacterized with siderophoregenic B. japonicum, showed a marked increase in the percentage of germination, nodulation, chlorophyll, oil, protein content, and number of pods. Field trial study confirmed these pot results, which were evident from enhancement in shoot length, number of branches, chlorophyll content, number of nodules, root length, and number of pods. These results suggest the possibility of exploiting B. japonicum NCIM 2746 as a potential bioinoculant.

Pyoverdin mediated sunlight induced green synthesis of silver nanoparticles

The objective of this work was to check the ability of a siderophore, pyoverdin, a natural iron chelating compound of bacterial origin to produce silver nanoparticles (AgNps) under sunlight. Among the 26 strains of siderophore producing fluorescent pseudomonads, a strain SBC-I was found to be latent applicant based on its percent decoloration of chrome azurol sulfonate reagent. The 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed the strain SBC-I to be Pseudomonas aeruginosa owing to 99% similarity with previously reported culture. The silver ions were examined for their coordination with the purified pyoverdin using UV-Vis spectrophotometric titrations. The AgNps were found crystallized in the face centered cubic with an average particle size of 6–12 nm. The predicted mechanism of AgNps synthesis involved photoreduction of metal ions by means of ligand-to-metal charge transfer. The synthesis of AgNps was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. Synthesized AgNps showed antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli, Bacillus spizizenii and Staphylococcus aureus.