Effect of Ethanol Stress on Fermentation Performance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cells Immobilized on Nypa fruticans Leaf Sheath Pieces

The yeast cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae immobilized on Nypa fruticans leaf sheath pieces were tested for ethanol tolerance (0, 23.7, 47.4, 71.0 and 94.7 g/L). Increase in the initial ethanol concentration from 23.7 to 94.7 g/L decreased the average growth rate and concentration of ethanol produced by the immobilized yeast by 5.2 and 4.1 times, respectively. However, in the medium with initial ethanol concentration of 94.7 g/L, the average growth rate, glucose uptake rate and ethanol formation rate of the immobilized yeast were 3.7, 2.5 and 3.5 times, respectively, higher than those of the free yeast. The ethanol stress inhibited ethanol formation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells and the yeast responded to the stress by changing the fatty acid composition of cellular membrane. The adsorption of yeast cells on Nypa fruticans leaf sheath pieces of the growth medium increased the saturated fatty acid (C16:0 and C18:0) mass fraction in the cellular membrane and that improved alcoholic fermentation performance of the immobilized yeast.

Genomic analysis of Nypa fruticans elucidates its intertidal adaptations and early palm evolution

Nypa fruticans (Wurmb), a mangrove palm species with origins dating back to the Late Cretaceous period, is a unique species for investigating long-term adaptation strategies to intertidal environments and the early evolution of palms. Here, we present a chromosome-level genome sequence and assembly for N. fruticans. We integrated the genomes of N. fruticans and other palm family members for a comparative genomic analysis, which confirmed that the common ancestor of all palms experienced a whole-genome duplication event around 89 million years ago, shaping the distinctive characteristics observed in this clade. We also inferred a low mutation rate for the N. fruticans genome, which underwent strong purifying selection and evolved slowly, thus contributing to its stability over a long evolutionary period. Moreover, ancient duplicates were preferentially retained, with critical genes having experienced positive selection, enhancing waterlogging tolerance in N. fruticans. Furthermore, we discovered that the pseudogenization of Early Methionine-labelled 1 (EM1) and EM6 in N. fruticans underly its crypto-vivipary characteristics, reflecting its intertidal adaptation. Our study provides valuable genomic insights into the evolutionary history, genome stability, and adaptive evolution of the mangrove palm. Our results also shed light on the long-term adaptation of this species and contribute to our understanding of the evolutionary dynamics in the palm family.

Antibacterial activity of hexane and methanol fractions of some selected plants against Klebsiella pneumoniae

Besides adenovirus, pneumonia can also be caused by bacteria. One of the most common bacteria causing the pneumonia is Klebsiella pneumoniae. Currently, treatment by antibiotics has been widely used. Nevertheless, the increasing failure of existing antibiotics because of antibiotic resistance resulted by bacterial pathogens has become a serious problem to human health. Hence, there is a need for a new antibacterial potential agent against K. pneumoniae as an alternative treatment to the pneumonia to prevent the risk of a severe pneumonia for both healthy people and those already infected with the pneumonia. This study, therefore, investigated the antibacterial activity of some selected plants (Pandanus tectorius, Nypa fruticans, Sonneratia alba, Phaleria macrocarpa, Hibiscus tiliaceus, and Pongamia pinnata) against K. pneumoniae. In this study, samples were extracted successively by cold maceration using hexane and methanol. Antibacterial activity was determined by well and disc diffusion methods. Each fraction was prepared by two-fold dilutions from 20 mg/mL to 0.156 mg/mL. All data were analyzed in triplicate replication and presented as mean values ± standard deviation. Results showed that all methanol fractions of selected plants had antibacterial activity against K. pneumoniae, and well-diffusion method showed better antibacterial results compared to the agar well-diffusion method. The strongest activity was obtained by methanol fraction of S. alba leaf, followed by P. pinnata leaf, Nypa fruticans bark, H. tiliaceus leaf, P. macrocarpa leaf, and P. tectorius leaf with the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) value between 0.625 and 5.0 mg/mL. Phytochemical screening revealed that all methanol fractions were rich in flavonoid content, which could have contributed to their antibacterial activity.

Comprehensive metabolite profiling and evaluation of anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory potencies of Nypa fruticans (Wurmb.) leaves: Experimental and in-silico approaches

Globally, inflammation and pain are among the most prevalent health issues. The use of medicinal plants to alleviate these conditions is growing. This study comprehensively investigated the analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of the ethyl-acetate extract of Nypa fruticans (EENF) leaves, traditionally used in folk Medicine. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) were employed to identify the phytochemicals in EENF. In vitro antioxidant studies were conducted to determine the antioxidative properties of EENF. Formalin-induced paw edema assay was employed to assess the in-vivo anti-inflammatory activity whereas; acetic acid-induced writhing test, hot plate test, and tail immersion test were performed to evaluate the in vivo anti-nociceptive effects. The identified compounds were subsequently evaluated by computational studies against the cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme. EENF demonstrated significant antioxidant activity in both the DPPH scavenging assay (IC50: 105.18 μg/mL) and the reducing power assay (RC50:1752.76 μg/mL). In the in-vivo anti-inflammatory assay, EENF exhibited the highest (50.39 % and 67.72 %) inhibition of edema at the fourth hour at 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight, accordingly. Moreover, all the pain modulation studies demonstrated significant (p < 0.001) analgesic properties of EENF in a dose-dependent manner. Among, the 23 identified phytocompounds, the most promising ones were determined to be potential anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory agents through molecular docking studies and ADME/T analysis. Molecular dynamics simulations (MDS) confirmed the stability of the protein-ligand complexes. Two phytochemicals, (-) Epicatechin (CID 72276) and Quercetin (CID 5280343), outperformed the standard anti-inflammatory drug, diclofenac sodium, in MDS studies. Both experimental and in-silico studies have scientifically verified the traditional use of Nypa fruticans in treating pain and inflammatory disease. Overall, (-) Epicatechin and Quercetin possess excellent potential as natural lead compounds for COX-2 inhibition. Further research, including pure compound isolation and biomolecular studies, is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms of these activities.