Isolation and Characterization of a Bacterial Strain Capable of Efficient Berberine Degradation

Berberine Degradation Characteristics and its Degradation Pathway by a Newly Isolated Berberine-Utilizing Agrobacterium

Berberine (BBR) is widely used as a botanical pesticide due to its broad-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal activities. However, BBR degradation pathway in soil microorganisms, which determines its impact on soil environment, remains poorly understood. Herein, a novel BBR-degrading bacterium Agrobacterium sp. V1 was isolated and characterized. Agrobacterium sp. V1 was able to utilize BBR as the sole carbon source for cell growth, and 50 μg/mL of BBR was completely degraded within 48 h. To reveal the possible BBR degradation pathway, whole genome sequencing of Agrobacterium sp. V1 was conducted, and proteins in Agrobacterium sp. V1 were aligned with enzymes involved in BBR biosynthesis in Rhizoma Coptidis. The results indicated that more than 60% of enzymes in BBR biosynthesis pathway had orthologs in Agrobacterium sp. V1. Combined with the primary mass spectra of BBR metabolites, a novel BBR degradation pathway in this bacterium was proposed. In summary, the proposed BBR degradation pathway offered new insights into the impact of BBR to the environment and also provided a reference for studying BBR metabolism in microorganisms.

Dietary berberine against intestinal oxidative stress, inflammation response, and microbiota disturbance caused by chronic copper exposure in freshwater grouper (Acrossocheilus fasciatus)

Berberine (BBR) is known for its strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and capacity to preserve intestinal microbiota balance in fish. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of berberine against copper-induced toxicity in the intestine of freshwater grouper Acrossocheilus fasciatus. The experiment involved four groups: a control group, a Cu group exposed to 0.02 mg/L Cu²⁺, and two BBR groups fed with 100 or 400 mg/kg of berberine diets and exposed to the same Cu²⁺ concentration. Three replicates of healthy fish (initial weight 1.56 ± 0.10 g) were subjected to their respective treatments for 30 days. Results showed that none of the treatments significantly affected the survival rate, final weight, weight gain, and feed intake (P > 0.05). However, supplementation with 100 and 400 mg/kg of BBR significantly lowered the antioxidant activities, and glutathione peroxidase (gpx) and superoxide dismutase (sod) expression levels, as well as reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) content caused by Cu²⁺ exposure (P < 0.05). Berberine inclusion significantly downregulated proinflammatory factors NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (nlrp3), interleukin 1 beta (il1β), interleukin 6 cytokine family signal transducer (il6st) but upregulated transforming growth factor beta 1 (tgfβ1) and heat shock 70kDa protein (hsp70) expression. Moreover, berberine at both levels maintained the intestinal structural integrity and significantly improved gap junction gamma-1 (gjc1) mRNA level compared to the Cu group (P < 0.05). Based on 16S rDNA sequencing, the richness and diversity of intestinal microbiota in different groups were not significantly influenced. Berberine reduced the Firmicutes/Bacteroidota ratio and stifled the growth of some specific pathogenic bacteria such as Pseudomonas, Citrobacter, and Acinetobacter, while boosting the richness of potential probiotic bacteria, including Roseomonas and Reyranella compared with the Cu group. In conclusion, berberine showed significant protective effects against Cu²⁺-induced intestinal oxidative stress, inflammation response, and microbiota disturbance in freshwater grouper.

River sediment microbial community composition and function impacted by thallium spill

Thallium (Tl) is widely used in various industries, which increases the risk of leakage into the environment. Since Tl is highly toxic, it can do a great harm to human health and ecosystem. In order to explore the response of freshwater sediment microorganisms to sudden Tl spill, metagenomic technique was used to elucidate the changes of microbial community composition and functional genes in river sediments. Tl pollution could have profound impacts on microbial community composition and function. Proteobacteria remained the dominance in contaminated szediments, indicating that it had a strong resistance to Tl contamination, and Cyanobacteria also showed a certain resistance. Tl pollution also had a certain screening effect on resistance genes and affected the abundance of resistance genes. Metal resistance genes (MRGs) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were enriched at the site near the spill site, where Tl concentration was relatively low among polluted sites. When Tl concentration was higher, the screening effect was not obvious and the resistance genes even became lower. Moreover, there was a significant correlation between MRGs and ARGs. In addition, co-occurrence network analysis showed that Sphingopyxis had the most links with resistance genes, indicating that it was the biggest potential host of resistance genes. This study provided new insight towards the shifts in the composition and function of microbial communities after sudden serious Tl contamination.

The Dynamic Shift of Bacterial Communities in Hybrid Anaerobic Baffled Reactor (ABR)—Aerobic Granules Process for Berberine Pharmaceutical Wastewater Treatment

Because of its anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antibiotic properties, berberine has been used extensively in medication. The extensive production of berberine results in the generation of wastewater containing concentrated residual berberine. However, to date, limited related studies on the biological treatment of berberine wastewaters have been carried out. A lab-scale anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR)–aerobic granular sludge (AGS) process was developed for berberine removal from synthetic wastewater. The system showed effective removal of the berberine. In order to better understand the roles of the bacterial community, the ABR–aerobic granular sludge system was operated in the state with the highest BBR removal rate in this study. The bacterial community dynamics were studied using the 16S rDNA clone library. The results showed that the hybrid ABR-AGS process achieved 92.2% and 94.8% overall removals of berberine and COD, respectively. Bacterium was dominant species in ABR, while the CFB group bacteria and Betaproteobacteria were dominant species in AGS process. The uncultured bacterium clone B135, Bacillus endophyticus strain a125, uncultured bacterium mle1-42, uncultured bacterium clone OP10D15, and uncultured bacterium clone B21.29F54 in ABR, and uncultured bacterium clone F54, uncultured bacterium clone ZBAF1-105, uncultured bacterium clone SS-9, and uncultured bacterium clone B13 in AGS process were identified as functional species in the biodegradation of berberine and/or its metabolites. Both anaerobic and aerobic bacterial communities could adapt appropriately to different berberine selection pressures because the functional species’ identical functions ensured comparable pollutant removal performances. The information provided in this study may help with future research in gaining a better understanding of berberine biodegradation.

Tetrahydroisoquinoline N-methyltransferase from Methylotenera Is an Essential Enzyme for the Biodegradation of Berberine in Soil Water

Berberine (BBR), a Chinese herbal medicine used in intestinal infection, has been applied as a botanical pesticide in the prevention of fungal disease in recent years. However, its degradation in the environment remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated BBR’s degradation in soil water from different sources accompanied by its effect on bacterial diversity. Our results indicated that BBR was only degraded in soil water, while it was stable in tap water, river water and aquaculture water. Bacterial amplicon results of these samples suggested that the degradation of BBR was closely related to the enrichment of Methylotenera. To reveal this special relationship, we used bioinformatics tools to make alignments between the whole genome of Methylotenera and the pathway of BBR’s degradation. An ortholog of Tetrahydroisoquinoline N-methyltransferase from plant was discovered only in Methylotenera that catalyzed a crucial step in BBR’s degradation pathway. In summary, our work indicated that Methylotenera was an essential bacterial genus in the degradation of BBR in the environment because of its Tetrahydroisoquinoline N-methyltransferase. This study provided new insights into BBR’s degradation in the environment, laying foundations for its application as a botanical pesticide.

The Impact of Berberine Pharmaceutical Wastewater on Aerobic Granules Formation: Change of Granules’ Size

As important parameters in the characterization of aerobic granulation, the shape and average diameter were related to substrates. The previous studies disclosed that the morphology change in aerobic granules was the result of growth and the relatively strong hydrodynamic shear force. No further exploration of the size distribution of the aerobic granules has been conducted. To better understand the impact of toxic compounds on aerobic granules’ growth during their formation, the properties of aerobic granules were traced over 81 days in 3 sequencing batch reactors fed with acetate and berberine wastewater, especially the particle size and size distribution. The results showed that the aerobic granules were cultivated by the simulated acetate wastewater (R1), simulated berberine wastewater (R2), and effluent from an anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) reactor which was fed with industrial berberine wastewater (R3). The reactors exhibited different COD removal efficiencies, and the MLSS and MLVSS values affected by the different substrates which were in an order of R1 > R2 > R3. However, the SVI and SOUR, which were affected by several factors, showed more complicated results. The aerobic granules had the lowest microbial activity (SOUR), while the aerobic granules in R3 had the lowest settling ability among the three kinds of granules. For the three reactors with different influent compositions, the aerobic granulation process displayed a three-stage process separately. Compared with the granules fed with berberine wastewater, the granules fed with acetate in a stable operation period showed more independence from other periods.The size distribution was affected by substrates. The aerobic granules with a range of 0.3–1.0 µm occupied 77.0%, 67.0%, and 35.7% of the volume for R1, R2, and R3, respectively. The biomass less than 0.3 µm occupied 59.1% volume in R3. The components of the substrate had a great influence on the growth of aerobic granules, not only on the diameter but also on the size distribution.

Biological modification of pentosans in wheat B starch wastewater and preparation of a composite film

BACKGROUND

Petrochemical resources are becoming increasingly scarce, and petroleum-based plastic materials adversely impact the environment. Thus, replacement of petroleum-based materials with new and effective renewable materials is urgently required.

RESULTS

In this study, a wheat pentosan-degrading bacterium (MXT-1) was isolated from wheat-processing plant wastewater. The MXT-1 strain was identified using molecular biology techniques. The degradation characteristics of the bacteria in wheat pentosan were analyzed. The results show that wheat pentosan was effectively degraded by bacteria. The molecular weight of fermented wheat pentosan decreased from 1730 to 257 kDa. The pentosan before and after the biological modification was mixed with chitosan to prepare a composite film. After fermentation, the water-vapor permeability of the wheat pentosan film decreased from 0.2769 to 0.1286 g mm (m² h KPa)^-1. Results obtained from the Fourier-transformed infrared experiments demonstrate that the wave number of the hydroxyl-stretching vibration peak of the membrane material decreased, and the width of the peak widened. The diffraction peak of the film shifted to the higher 2θ, as seen using X-ray diffraction. The cross-section of the modified composite membrane was observed via scanning electron microscopy, which revealed that the structure was denser; however, no detectable phase separation was observed. These results may indicate improved molecular compatibility between wheat pentosan and chitosan and stronger hydrogen bonding between the molecules. Given the increased number of short-chain wheat pentosan molecules, although the tensile strength of the film decreased, its flexibility increased after fermentation modification.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study established that the physical properties of polysaccharide films can be improved using strain MXT-1 to ferment and modify wheat pentosan. The compatibility and synergy between pentosan and chitosan molecules was substantially enhanced, and hydrogen bonding was strengthened after biological modification. Therefore, modified pentosan film could be a potential candidate material for edible packaging films.

The gut microbiota composition of Trichoplusia ni is altered by diet and may influence its polyphagous behavior

Insects are known plant pests, and some of them such as Trichoplusia ni feed on a variety of crops. In this study, Trichoplusia ni was fed distinct diets of leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana or Solanum lycopersicum as well as an artificial diet. After four generations, the microbial composition of the insect gut was evaluated to determine if the diet influenced the structure and function of the microbial communities. The population fed with A. thaliana had higher proportions of Shinella, Terribacillus and Propionibacterium, and these genera are known to have tolerance to glucosinolate activity, which is produced by A. thaliana to deter insects. The population fed with S. lycopersicum expressed increased relative abundances of the Agrobacterium and Rhizobium genera. These microbial members can degrade alkaloids, which are produced by S. lycopersicum. All five of these genera were also present in the respective leaves of either A. thaliana or S. lycopersicum, suggesting that these microbes are acquired by the insects from the diet itself. This study describes a potential mechanism used by generalist insects to become habituated to their available diet based on acquisition of phytochemical degrading gut bacteria.

The genus Sphingopyxis: Systematics, ecology, and bioremediation potential - A review

The genus Sphingopyxis was first reported in the year 2001. Phylogenetically, Sphingopyxis is well delineated from other genera Sphingobium, Sphingomonas and Novosphingobium of sphingomonads group, family Sphingomonadaceae of Proteobacteria. To date (at the time of writing), the genus Sphingopyxis comprises of twenty validly published species available in List of Prokaryotic Names with Standing in Nomenclature. Sphingopyxis spp. have been isolated from diverse niches including, agricultural soil, marine and fresh water, caves, activated sludge, thermal spring, oil and pesticide contaminated soil, and heavy metal contaminated sites. Sphingopyxis species have drawn considerable attention not only for their ability to survive under extreme environments, but also for their potential to degrade number of xenobiotics and other environmental contaminants that impose serious threat to human health. At present, genome sequence of both cultivable and non-cultivable strains (metagenome assembled genome) are available in the public databases (NCBI) and genome wide studies confirms the presence of mobile genetic elements and plethora of degradation genes and pathways making them a potential candidate for bioremediation. Beside genome wide predictions there are number of experimental evidences confirm the degradation potential of bacteria belonging to genus Sphingopyxis and also the production of different secondary metabolites that help them interact and survive in their ecological niches. This review provides detailed information on ecology, general characteristic and the significant implications of Sphingopyxis species in environmental management along with the bio-synthetic potential.

Removal of Berberine from Wastewater by MIL-101(Fe): Performance and Mechanism

The water contamination from pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) has attracted worldwide attention in recent years because of its threat to public health. Berberine is a typical anti-inflammatory medicine and berberine wastewater is difficult to be treated due to its high toxicity, poor biodegradability, and high acidity. Metal-organic frameworks would be a good choice to remove berberine from wastewater due to its advantages of high specific surface area, ultrahigh porosity, and structural and functional tunability. In this study, MIL-101(Fe) was synthesized and used for the removal of berberine from water. Experimental results indicated that MIL-101(Fe) showed promising characteristics when berberine was adsorbed in acidic wastewater. The high concentration of chloride in berberine wastewater could promote the adsorption of berberine by MIL-101(Fe). Fitting of batch equilibrium data showed that MIL-101(Fe) had a maximum adsorption capacity of 163.93 mg/g for berberine removal at pH 7, and the berberine sorption on MIL-101(Fe) followed the pseudo-second-order model. Furthermore, the associate mechanism for berberine removal was proposed by characterizing the material and theoretical calculation. The X-ray power diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis showed that no chemical reaction occurred during the adsorption of berberine by MIL-101(Fe). Also, the theoretical calculation results indicated that π-π interactions may play the main role in the adsorption of berberine onto MIL-101(Fe). The findings of this study suggest that MIL-101(Fe) is a promising sorbent for berberine removal from wastewater.

Characterization of Burkholderia sp. strain CJ1, a newly isolated berberine-degrading bacterium from rhizosphere of Coptis japonica

Burkholderia sp. strain CJ1 was newly isolated as berberine (BBR) degrading bacteria from rhizosphere of Coptis japonica. CJ1 had the ability to utilize BBR as the sole carbon source and revealed that BBR metabolism via 11-hydroxylation and demethylenation pathway. It was also revealed that the 11-hydroxylation ability of BBR and palmatine (PAL) has induced by BBR.