A novel red pigment from marine Arthrobacter sp. G20 with specific anticancer activity

Optimization of media components for enhanced carotenoid production by Paracoccus marcusii RSPO1 and assessment of their cytotoxicity against A549 and vero cells

In this study, we tried to explore the influence of various tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates on carotenoid production and with a focus on enhancing pigment biosynthesis, we conducted two statistical analysis. In case of TCA intermediates influence on pigment production by Paracoccus marcusii RSPO1; fumaric acid, and malic acid were observed as potent enhancers of pigment biosynthesis. Further, to optimize key media components for enhanced carotenoid production, the Plackett-Burman design was employed encompassing carbon, nitrogen sources, TCA cycle intermediates, and metal salts. The selected factors after Plackett Burman were fine-tuned through Response Surface Methodology and the optimal concentrations that have remarkably elevated carotenoid production were starch-2.24 g/l, MgSO4-0.416 g/l, ZnSO4-0.0157 g/l, and fumaric Acid-16 mM. Further, evaluation of pigment cytotoxicity against normal (Vero) and Non-Small Cell Carcinoma (A549) cells was performed. The resultant IC50 values were quantified as 161.3 µg/ml and 7.623 µg/ml for Vero and A549 cells, respectively. Moreover, a reactive oxygen species (ROS) determination study in A549 cells was done which have shown a noteworthy threefold ROS production in A549 cells through fluorescence spectroscopic observation. This implies that the bacterial carotenoids can act as potent pro-oxidants against cancerous cells while being nontoxic toward normal cells.

Cryosphere: a frozen home of microbes and a potential source for drug discovery

The world is concerned about the emergence of pathogens and the occurrence and spread of antibiotic resistance among pathogens. Drug development requires time to combat these issues. Consequently, drug development from natural sources is unavoidable. Cryosphere represents a gigantic source of microbes that could be the bioprospecting source of natural products with unique scaffolds as molecules or drug templates. This review focuses on the novel source of drug discovery and cryospheric environments as a potential source for microbial metabolites having potential medicinal applications. Furthermore, the problems encountered in discovering metabolites from cold-adapted microbes and their resolutions are discussed. By adopting modern practical approaches, the discovery of bioactive compounds might fulfill the demand for new drug development.

Characterization of pigment produced by high carotenoid yielding bacteria Paracoccus marcusii RSPO1 and evaluation of its anti-diabetic, anti-microbial and antioxidant properties

High pigment producing bacteria was isolated and identified as Paracoccus marcusii RSPO1 using biochemical and 16s rRNA identification. Bacterial pigment production was optimised using parameters like inoculum size, nitrogen source, pH, temperature, and agitation speed. Carotenoids production was 7,240 ± 41 µg L-1 after optimization. The silica column purified pigment was characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, TLC, FTIR, LC-ESI-MS and NMR, which revealed its composition as astaxanthin, zeaxanthin, ζ-carotene and β-zeacarotene. The inhibition assays against α-amylase and α-glucosidase showed IC50 values as 226 µg ml-1 and 0.7548 µg ml-1 respectively. The MIC of 1000 µg ml-1 of carotenoid was found to be effective against Escherichia coli and Enterobacter aerogenes when tested for antibacterial activity. Moreover, antioxidant activity of carotenoid sample was also determined where antioxidant potential of extracted carotenoid for DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) inhibition were 65 ± 0.06% and 42 ± 07% respectively at 20 µg ml-1 concentration.

Microbial pigments: Sources, current status, future challenges in cosmetics and therapeutic applications

Color serves as the initial attraction and offers a pleasing aspect. While synthetic colorants have been popular for many years, their adverse environmental and health effects cannot be overlooked. This necessitates the search for natural colorants, especially microbial colorants, which have proven and more effective. Pigment-producing microorganisms offer substantial benefits. Natural colors improve product marketability and bestow additional benefits, including antioxidant, antiaging, anticancer, antiviral, antimicrobial, and antitumor properties. This review covers the various types of microbial pigments, the methods to enhance their production, and their cosmetic and therapeutic applications. We also address the challenges faced during the commercial production of microbial pigments and propose potential solutions.

Red bioactive pigment from Himalayan Janthinobacterium sp. ERMR3:09: optimization, characterization, and potential applications

Prodigiosin is a red pigment commonly produced as a secondary metabolite by Serratia marcescens. It exhibits inherent bioactivities, including antimicrobial and anticancer, with low to no toxic effects on normal cells. The present study investigates a bioactive prodigiosin production from an atypical, red-pigmented, potentially novel Janthinobacterium sp. ERMR3:09 isolated from a glacial moraine. Statistically optimized culture parameters, i.e., w/v 1.0% glucose and 0.08% peptone as carbon and nitrogen sources, temperature 20 °C, and media pH 7, resulted in a four-fold increase in the pigment yield. The upscaled production in an 8 L volume resulted in higher pigment production within a shorter period of 48 h. The ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) analysis validated the identity of the purified pigment as prodigiosin that showed thermostability at 75 °C for 3 h. Evaluation of antimicrobial activity showed potent inhibitory effects (> 50%) against the opportunistic pathogenic fungal and Gram-positive bacterial strains. The pigment showed significant cytotoxicity (p < 0.05) towards A549 and HeLa cell lines with IC50 values of 42.2 μM and 36.11 μM, respectively. The study demonstrated that microbial communities from extreme niches can be ideal sources of bioactive pigments with immense pharmaceutical potential vital for the development of non-synthetic therapeutic agents.

Biodiversity and biological applications of marine actinomycetes-Abu-Qir Bay, Mediterranean Sea, Egypt

BACKGROUND

The ability of actinomycetes to produce bioactive secondary metabolites makes them one of the most important prokaryotes. Marine actinomycetes are one of the most important secondary metabolites producers used for pharmaceuticals and other different industries.

RESULTS

In this study, the promising actinomycetes were isolated from Abu-Qir Bay. Four different media named as starch nitrate, starch casein, glycerol asparagine, and glycerol glycine were used as a preliminary experimental media to study the role of the medium components on the counts of actinomycetes in sediment samples. The results indicated that starch casein medium reported the highest counts (30-63 CFU/g) in all the tested sites. Lower counts were detected on starch nitrate and glycerol asparagine. On the other hand, glycerol glycine medium gave the lowest counts (15-48 CFU/g). Abu-Qir8 harbored the highest average count of actinomycetes (63 CFU/g), followed by Abu-Qir1 (48 CFU/g). The lower counts were detected in Abu-Qir5 and Abu-Qir7 (26 and 29 CFU/g, respectively). A total of 12 pure obtained actinomycetes isolates were subjected to morphological, physiological, and biochemical characterization. The selected actinobacterial isolates were subjected to numerical analysis, and the majority of isolates were grouped into four main clusters (A, B, C, & D), and each of them harbored two isolates; additionally, four isolates did not cluster at this similarity level. Isolate W4 was carefully chosen as the most promising pigment and antimicrobial agent's producer; the produced pigment was extracted and optimized by statistical experiments (PBD & BBD) and was tested for its anti-inflammatory activity. The results showed anti-inflammatory effect and prevented the denaturation of BSA protein at a concentration much higher than the safe dose and increased with increasing the pigment concentration.

CONCLUSION

Marine actinomycetes play a vital role in the production of novel and important economic metabolites that have many industrial and pharmaceuticals applications. Streptomyces genera are the most important actinomycetes that produce important metabolites as previously reported.

Characterization of Arthropeptide B, an Antifungal Cyclic Tetrapeptide from Arthrobacter humicola

Disease suppressive composts are known, yet little information on the potential role of specific microbial antagonist within are available. Arthrobacter humicola isolate M9-1A has been obtained from a compost prepared from marine residues and peat moss. The bacterium is a non-filamentous actinomycete with antagonistic activity against plant pathogenic fungi and oomycetes sharing its ecological niche in agri-food microecosystems. Our objective was to identify and characterize compounds with antifungal activity produced by A. humicola M9-1A. Arthrobacter humicola culture filtrates were tested for antifungal activity in vitro and in vivo and a bioassay-guided approach was used to identify potential chemical determinants of its observed activity against molds. The filtrates reduced the development of lesions of Alternaria rot on tomatoes and the ethyl acetate extract inhibited growth of Alternaria alternata. A compound, arthropeptide B [cyclo-(L-Leu, L-Phe, L-Ala, L-Tyr)], was purified from the ethyl acetate extract of the bacterium. Arthropeptide B is a new chemical structure reported for the first time and has shown antifungal activity against A. alternata spore germination and mycelial growth.

Microalgae, Seaweeds and Aquatic Bacteria, Archaea, and Yeasts: Sources of Carotenoids with Potential Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Health-Promoting Actions in the Sustainability Era

Carotenoids are a large group of health-promoting compounds used in many industrial sectors, such as foods, feeds, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, and colorants. Considering the global population growth and environmental challenges, it is essential to find new sustainable sources of carotenoids beyond those obtained from agriculture. This review focuses on the potential use of marine archaea, bacteria, algae, and yeast as biological factories of carotenoids. A wide variety of carotenoids, including novel ones, were identified in these organisms. The role of carotenoids in marine organisms and their potential health-promoting actions have also been discussed. Marine organisms have a great capacity to synthesize a wide variety of carotenoids, which can be obtained in a renewable manner without depleting natural resources. Thus, it is concluded that they represent a key sustainable source of carotenoids that could help Europe achieve its Green Deal and Recovery Plan. Additionally, the lack of standards, clinical studies, and toxicity analysis reduces the use of marine organisms as sources of traditional and novel carotenoids. Therefore, further research on the processing of marine organisms, the biosynthetic pathways, extraction procedures, and examination of their content is needed to increase carotenoid productivity, document their safety, and decrease costs for their industrial implementation.

Biopigments of Microbial Origin and Their Application in the Cosmetic Industry

Along with serving as a source of color, many microbial pigments have gained attention as interesting bioactive molecules with potential health advantages. These pigments have several applications in the food, agrochemical, medicine, and cosmetic industries. They have attracted the attention of these industries due to their high production value, low cost, stability, and biodegradability. Recently, many consumers worldwide have noted the impact of synthetic dyes; thus, natural pigments are more in demand than synthetic colors. On the other hand, the cosmetic industry has been moving toward greener manufacturing, from the formulation to the packaging material. Microbial pigments have several applications in the field of cosmetics due to their photoprotection, antioxidant, and antiaging properties, including inhibiting melanogenesis and acting as natural colorants for cosmetics, as some microorganisms are rich in pigments. More investigations are required to estimate the safety and efficacy of employing microbial pigments in cosmetic products. Furthermore, it is necessary to obtain information about DNA sequencing, metabolic pathways, and genetic engineering. In addition, unique habitats should be explored for novel pigments and new producing strains. Thus, new microbial pigments could be of consideration to the cosmetic industry, as they are ideal for future cosmetics with positive health effects.

Oral Microbiota Variation: A Risk Factor for Development and Poor Prognosis of Esophageal Cancer

Recent studies have shown that oral microbiota play an important role in the esophageal cancer (EC) initiation and progression, suggesting that oral microbiota is a new risk factor for EC. The composition of the microbes inhabiting the oral cavity could be perturbed with continuous factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and inflammation. The microbial alteration involves the decrease of beneficial species and the increase of pathogenic species. Experimental evidences suggest a significant role of oral commensal organisms in protecting hosts against EC. By contrast, oral pathogens, especially Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum, give rise to the risk for developing EC through their pro-inflammatory and pro-tumorigenic activities. The presences of oral dysbiosis, microbial biofilm, and periodontitis in EC patients are found to be associated with invasive cancer phenotypes and poor prognosis. The mechanism of oral bacteria in EC progression is complex, which involves a combination of cytokines, chemokines, oncogenic signaling pathways, cell surface receptors, the degradation of extracellular matrix, and cell apoptosis. From a clinical perspective, good oral hygiene, professional oral care, and rational use of antibiotics bring positive impacts on oral microbial balance, thus helping individuals reduce the risk of EC, inhibiting postoperative complications among EC patients, and improving the efficiency of chemoradiotherapy. However, current oral hygiene practices mainly focus on the oral bacteria-based predictive and preventive purposes. It is still far from implementing microbiota-dependent regulation as a therapy for EC. Further explorations are needed to render oral microbiota a potential target for treating EC.

Ecological and Biotechnological Aspects of Pigmented Microbes: A Way Forward in Development of Food and Pharmaceutical Grade Pigments

Microbial pigments play multiple roles in the ecosystem construction, survival, and fitness of all kinds of organisms. Considerably, microbial (bacteria, fungi, yeast, and microalgae) pigments offer a wide array of food, drug, colorants, dyes, and imaging applications. In contrast to the natural pigments from microbes, synthetic colorants are widely used due to high production, high intensity, and low cost. Nevertheless, natural pigments are gaining more demand over synthetic pigments as synthetic pigments have demonstrated side effects on human health. Therefore, research on microbial pigments needs to be extended, explored, and exploited to find potential industrial applications. In this review, the evolutionary aspects, the spatial significance of important pigments, biomedical applications, research gaps, and future perspectives are detailed briefly. The pathogenic nature of some pigmented bacteria is also detailed for awareness and safe handling. In addition, pigments from macro-organisms are also discussed in some sections for comparison with microbes.

Production, purification, and process optimization of intracellular pigment from novel psychrotolerant Paenibacillus sp. BPW19

A pink pigment-producing bacterial strain was isolated from wastewater and identified as Paenibacillus sp. BPW19. The motile bacterial strain was Gram-positive, acid fermenting, glucose, sucrose utilizing and rod-shaped with an average cell length of 1.55 μm as studied under the Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope. Even though being psychrotolerant, the cell growth condition of BPW19 was optimized as 25 ºC along with pH 8, and 2.25% inoculum concentration considering the operational ease of the production. Sonication assisted solvent extraction produced 5.41% crude pigment which showed zones of exclusion against gram-negative strains Escherichia coli DH5α, Enterobacter sp. EtK3, and Klebsiella sp. SHC1. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analysis of the crude pigment exhibited the dominant presence of major compounds as dotriacontane; 3,7 dimethyl 7 octanal; 1-eicosene and erucic acid. While column chromatography (ethanol:chloroform in 1:4 (v/v) ratio) purified pigment was identified as erucic acid using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance with a net yield of 3.06%.

Purification and optimization of pink pigment produced by newly isolated bacterial strain Enterobacter sp. PWN1

Pigment-producing bacteria were isolated from kitchen wastewaters of the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela. A pink non-virulent bacterial strain PWN1 was selected based on the India Ink Broth and Coomassie Brilliant Blue (R-250) dye assay. According to morphological and biochemical characterization, the strain PWN1was a Gram-negative, rod-shaped, motile, non-coliform bacterium and could utilize only glucose and adonitol as sole carbon source. The pigment was found to be a growth-associated product, and the pigment production was accelerated after 40 h of bacterial culture. Further, 16S rRNA gene-based molecular identification showed its similarity with Enterobacter sp. The pigments were extracted by the solvent extraction method using chloroform and ethanol (3:1). The extracted pigments were then purified through thin-layer chromatography and column chromatography. To maximize pigment production, the culture condition was optimized for maximum biomass production using statistical software Design Expert v13. A quadratic model was structured describing the process efficiently and it suggested a moderate temperature, pH, and a high inoculum concentration which generated biomass of 3.81 ± 0.02 g/L. At optimized condition, 1 L of cell culture produced 3.77 g of biomass which produced a crude pigment of 0.234 g after solvent extraction and 0.131 g after column chromatography, implying a yield of 6.2% for crude pigment and 3.47% for purified pigment from biomass. The yield of the obtained pigment was high enough to draw interest for industrial production, although the application of the pigment is considerable for further study.

An Overview on Industrial and Medical Applications of Bio-Pigments Synthesized by Marine Bacteria

Marine bacterial species contribute to a significant part of the oceanic population, which substantially produces biologically effectual moieties having various medical and industrial applications. The use of marine-derived bacterial pigments displays a snowballing effect in recent times, being natural, environmentally safe, and health beneficial compounds. Although isolating marine bacteria is a strenuous task, these are still a compelling subject for researchers, due to their promising avenues for numerous applications. Marine-derived bacterial pigments serve as valuable products in the food, pharmaceutical, textile, and cosmetic industries due to their beneficial attributes, including anticancer, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities. Biodegradability and higher environmental compatibility further strengthen the use of marine bio-pigments over artificially acquired colored molecules. Besides that, hazardous effects associated with the consumption of synthetic colors further substantiated the use of marine dyes as color additives in industries as well. This review sheds light on marine bacterial sources of pigmented compounds along with their industrial applicability and therapeutic insights based on the data available in the literature. It also encompasses the need for introducing bacterial bio-pigments in global pigment industry, highlighting their future potential, aiming to contribute to the worldwide economy.

Marine Bacteria Is the Cell Factory to Produce Bioactive Pigments: A Prospective Pigment Source in the Ocean

The course of investigations of bioactive compounds like bacterial pigments from the marine environment has greatly expanded in the recent decades. Despite the huge concern in secluding and collecting marine bacteria, microbial metabolites are progressively alluring to science due to their wide ranging applications in various fields, particularly those with distinctive color pigments. This review is a short appraisal of the studies undertaken over the past 5 years on the bacterial pigments sourced from the marine environment. Herein, we have reviewed the potential of different bacterial species isolated from marine environment in diverse studies that are producing bioactive pigments that have potential commercial applications.

Pigment production by cold-adapted bacteria and fungi: colorful tale of cryosphere with wide range applications

Pigments are an essential part of everyday life on Earth with rapidly growing industrial and biomedical applications. Synthetic pigments account for a major portion of these pigments that in turn have deleterious effects on public health and environment. Such drawbacks of synthetic pigments have shifted the trend to use natural pigments that are considered as the best alternative to synthetic pigments due to their significant properties. Natural pigments from microorganisms are of great interest due to their broader applications in the pharmaceutical, food, and textile industry with increasing demand among the consumers opting for natural pigments. To fulfill the market demand of natural pigments new sources should be explored. Cold-adapted bacteria and fungi in the cryosphere produce a variety of pigments as a protective strategy against ecological stresses such as low temperature, oxidative stresses, and ultraviolet radiation making them a potential source for natural pigment production. This review highlights the protective strategies and pigment production by cold-adapted bacteria and fungi, their industrial and biomedical applications, condition optimization for maximum pigment extraction as well as the challenges facing in the exploitation of cryospheric microorganisms for pigment extraction that hopefully will provide valuable information, direction, and progress in forthcoming studies.

Bacterial Pigments: The Bioactivities and as an Alternative for Therapeutic Applications

Synthetic pigments have been widely used in various applications since the 1980s. However, the hyperallergenicity or carcinogenicity effects of synthetic dyes have led to the increased research on natural pigments. Among the natural resources, bacterial pigments are a good alternative to synthetic pigments because of their significant properties. Bacterial pigments are also one of the emerging fields of research since it offers promising opportunities for different applications. Besides its use as safe coloring agents in the cosmetic and food industry, bacterial pigments also possess biological properties such as antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant and anticancer activities. This review article highlights the various types of bacterial pigments, the latest studies on the discovery of bacterial pigments and the therapeutic insights of these bacterial pigments which hopefully provides useful information, guidance and improvement in future study.