Semra Ilhan

Airborne Fungi and Actinomycetes Concentrations in the Air of Eskisehir City (Turkey)

The present study investigated the isolation and identification of airborne fungi from three different urban stations located in Eskisehir (Turkey). Air samples were taken by exposing a Petri dish with Rose-Bengal streptomycin agar medium for 15 min and after incubation the number of growing colonies was counted. The sampling procedure for fungi was performed 35 times at the research stations weekly between March and November 2001. A total of 2518 fungal and 465 actinomycetes colonies were counted on 420 Petri plates over a nine-month period. In total, some 20 mould species belonging to 12 genera were isolated. Alternaria alternata, Cladosporium cladosporioides and Scopulariopsis brevicaulis were the most abundant species in the study area (13.66, 5.80 and 5.50% of the total, respectively). Relationships between fungal spore numbers, aerosol air pollutants (that is the particulate matter in the air) and sulphur dioxide together with the meteorological conditions were examined using statistical analysis. Number of fungi and actinomycetes were tested by multivariate analysis (MANOVA) according to the areas and months. Fungal numbers were nonsignificant according to the areas and months (p > 0.05), but the number of actinomycetes recorded was significant (p < 0.01).

Isotherm and kinetic studies of Burazol Blue ED dye biosorption by dried anaerobic sludge

Biosorption potential of dried anaerobic sludge (DAS) for Burazol Blue ED (BB) was studied with respect to pH, equilibrium time, initial dye concentrations and temperature to determine equilibrium and kinetic models. The most suitable pH, equilibrium time and initial dye concentration were determined as 0.5+/-0.03, 75 min and 150 mg/L, respectively, at a biomass dosage of 0.4 g/L and 25 degrees C+/-1.0. The equilibrium data was best described by the Langmuir isotherm model. Maximum uptake capacity (q(m)) of DAS for the dyestuff (BB) were 118.3, 125.8 and 127.5mg/g biomass at temperatures of 25, 40 and 50 degrees C, respectively, indicating that the biosorption process is spontaneous and favored at higher temperatures. The overall biosorption process was best described by pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Gibbs free energy changes were calculated as -356.8, -519.7 and -520.6J/mol at 25, 40 and 50 degrees C, respectively.

Monitoring and assessment of airborne Cladosporium Link and Alternaria Nées spores in Sivrihisar (Eskisehir), Turkey

The spores of Cladosporium spp. and Alternaria spp., commonly described as the most allergenic spores, were collected by means of Durham gravimetric sampler from the Sivrihisar (Eskisehir) atmosphere throughout 2005 to 2006. The weekly variations in spores/cm2 of Cladosporium and Alternaria were recorded. During this period, a total of 6,198 spores belonging to Cladosporium spp. and Alternaria spp. were recorded. Of these spores, 2,969 were identified in 2005 and 3,229 in 2006. While 69.55% of the total spores were those of Cladosporium spp., 30.45% were Alternaria spp. Relationships between airborne fungal spore presence and weather conditions were examined statistically. A Shapiro–Wilk test revealed that the airborne spores of Cladosporium spp. and Alternaria spp. had a normal distribution. Following this, Chi-square test, t test and Pearson correlation analysis were performed. The effects of temperature and relative humidity on the spore numbers of Cladosporium spp. and Alternaria spp. were significant according to the month in which they were collected (p < 0.01). The spore concentrations of each species reached to their highest levels in June 2006.

Biosorption study of anionic dyes from aqueous solutions using Bacillus amyloliquefaciens

In this study, the biosorption of two commonly used dyes, namely Acid Blue 225 (AB 225) and Acid Blue 062 (AB 062), from aqueous solutions by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens biomass was studied in a batch system with respect to initial dye concentration, pH, adsorbent dosage, and contact time. The biomass exhibited maximum uptake at pH 1 due to its positive nature at acidic pH and the anionic nature of the dyes. Kinetic studies showed that the biosorption of dyes on biomass was a gradual process. An equilibrium was reached in 90 min for both dyes. The kinetic studies indicated that a pseudo‐second‐order rate equation was able to provide a realistic description of biosorption kinetics of the dyes. The constants obtained from the pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model at different temperatures were evaluated and the activation energies for the biosorption of AB 225 and AB 062 were found to be 13.52 and 13.62 kJ/mol, respectively. Isotherm studies pointed out that biosorption of dyes on biomass followed the Langmuir isotherm model. The adsorption capacity of biomass for AB 225 and AB 062 were 111.15 and 112.19 mg/g, respectively. Thermodynamic quantities that characterize the biosorption phenomena, i.e. enthalpy, entropy, and free energy change of the adsorption, were calculated leading to a conclusion on the efficiency of the properties of the biosorbent‐dye systems.

Chemical Composition and Biological Activity of the Essential Oil of Perovskia atriplicifolia. from Pakistan

Abstract The current study describes the phytochemical profile, antimicrobial, mutagenic, and antimutagenic activity of Perovskia atriplicifolia. Benth. essential oil, collected in Pakistan. The sample of essential oil was obtained from aerial parts of the plant by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. From the 18 compounds identified, the major compounds were camphor (28.91%), limonene (16.72%), α.-globulol (10.21%), trans.-caryophyllene (9.30%), and α.-humulene (9.25%). Antimicrobial activity of the oil was evaluated using agar diffusion method and agar dilution method. The antimicrobial test results showed that the oil had a significant potential antimicrobial activity against 10 bacteria and 5 fungal strains. Furthermore, the mutagenic and antimutagenic activity of the oil was investigated through the Salmonella./microsome test system, with and without S9 metabolic fraction in Salmonella typhimurium. TA98 and TA100. None of the tested concentrations of oil was found mutagenic. However, all tested concentrations did show an increase in antimutagenic activity with or without S9 fraction against 2-aminofluorene and daunomicina, but not sodium azide. Results presented here suggest that the essential oil of P. atriplicifolia. possesses antimicrobial properties and is therefore a potential source of antimicrobial ingredients for the food and pharmaceutical industry. In addition, that it also has antimutagenic activity raises the importance of this essential oil in this area.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) identification of terverticillate Penicillium species isolated from agricultural soils in eskişehir province

In the present study, nine terverticillate Penicillium isolates (P. griseofulfum, P. puberulum, P. crustosum, P. aurantiogriseum, P. chrysogenum, P. primulinum, P. expansum, P. viridicatum, Eupenicillium egyptiacum) from 56 soil samples were characterized genetically by a PCR method. The DNAs of the strains were isolated using the glass beads and vortexing extraction method and then used for PCR amplification with the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) and ITS4 universal fungal specific primers. The ITS regions of fungal ribosomal DNA (rDNA) were sequenced through the CEQ 8000 Genetic Analysis System. ITS-5.8S sequences obtained were compared with those deposited in the GenBank Database. The results indicated that the identification of Penicillium species with PCR based methods provided significant information about the solution to taxonomy and improve food safety and to protect the users from harmful contaminants such as mycotoxins, which must be controlled during the production of agricultural materials as well as during the processing of food and feed.

Biosorption of Reactive Yellow 145 Dye by Dried Penicillum restrictum: Isotherm, Kinetic, and Thermodynamic Studies

Removal of dyes from wastewaters causes a big concern from the environmental point of view due to their extreme toxicity towards aquatic life and humans. Commonly used traditional methods to treat these effluents are ineffective because dyes show resistance to many chemicals, oxidizing agents, and light. In this context, the biosorption process has attracted great attention in recent years since they utilize not only cheap plant materials but also a wide variety of microorganisms as biosorbing agents, displaying a high dye-binding capacity. In this study, biosorption potential of dried Penicillum restrictum (DPR) for Reactive Yellow 145 (RY 145) was studied with respect to pH, equilibrium time, and temperature to determine equilibrium and kinetic models. The most suitable pH and equilibrium time were determined as 1.0 ± 0.05 and 75 min respectively, at a biomass dosage of 0.4 mg L−1 and 20 ± 0.5°C. Data obtained from batch studies fitted well with the Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) followed by the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models. Maximum uptake capacities (qm) of DPR for the dyestuff (RY 145) were 109.7, 115.2, and 116.5 mg g−1 biomass at temperatures of 20, 30, and 40 ± 0.5°C, respectively. The overall biosorption process was best described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Gibbs free energy changes were calculated as −384.6, −273.5, and −245.9 J mol L−1 at 20, 30, and 40 ± 0.5°C, respectively.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Demethoxyviridin Derivatives as Potential Antimicrobials

Abstract The in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activities of demethoxyviridin and some synthetic analogues were evaluated by the agar diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the active compounds were also determined by the agar dilution method. Demethoxyviridin (1) showed moderate antibacterial activity against most of the strains tested. 1α-Hydroxydemethoxyviridin (3) showed antibacterial activity and the most potent in vitro antifungal activity with MIC of 20 μg/ml (0.062 mm) against Aspergillus niger, A. fumigatus, A. flavus, A. parasiticus, Fusarium solani, F. graminarum, Geotrichum candidum whereas 5′-methylfuro-(4′,3′,2′-4,5,6)androst-5-ene-3,17-dione (7) exhibited very weak antifungal activity against Candida albicans only.

The anaerobic treatment of pharmaceutical industry wastewater in an anaerobic batch and upflow packed-bed reactor

AbstractThe pharmaceutical industry constitutes an important place in terms of health and environment, both in our country and throughout the world. Various complex organic chemicals are present in the wastewater generated by pharmaceutical industries. The accumulation of toxic and persistent organic substances in wastewater is a serious problem for the environment. Therefore, it is important that pharmaceutical industry wastewater is treated before being discharged into receiving waters. Today, anaerobic treatment systems are commonly used for wastewater-containing high organic matter. The first stage of this study statistically investigates the optimization of anaerobic treatment conditions of pharmaceutical industry wastewater in a batch study. In the second stage, continuous treatment processes were planned using data obtained as a result of the batch study. For processing, an upflow anaerobic packed-bed reactor was used for treating substrate mixtures containing 10–100% pharmaceutical industry wastew...

Evaluation of antioxidant and antiproliferative metabolites of Penicillium flavigenum isolated from hypersaline environment: Tuz (Salt) Lake by Xcelligence technology

The aim of the study is the determination of antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of fungal isolates’ metabolites belonging to Penicillium flavigenum isolated from Lake Tuz, Turkey. Evaluation of the antioxidant activity, the total phenolic content and antiproliferative effect were evaluated with DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging assay, Folin-ciocalteu method, Xcelligence real-time cell analysis. The total phenolic content of these isolates were found 62–82 mg/GAE. Ethyl acetate extracts from identified isolates, P. flavigenum, showed cytotoxic effects on A549, MCF7, Caco-2 cell lines. IC50 values of P. flavigenum ethyl acetate extracts were found 96.7 μg/mL for A549, 33.4 μg/mL for MCF7, 43.4 μg/mL for Caco-2 and 97.3 μg/mL for 3T3. Phenolic acids in the extracts from P. flavigenum were identified with HPLC and GC-MS. Penicillium flavigenum is a new report for Turkey. According to these findings, fungi-related secondary metabolites are very important sources in terms of antioxidant and antiproliferative effects.