Isolation and characterization of thermophilic benzothiophene-degrading Mycobacterium sp.

A bacterial strain, SWU-4, capable of using benzothiophene (BT) as a sole carbon and energy source was isolated from a petroleum-contaminated site in Thailand and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis to be in the genus of Mycobacterium. The strain was Gram-positive, nonspore former, and grew at 50° C. Colonies of the strain on nutrient agar were rod-shaped, smooth with a convex surface, slightly mucoid, and yellow pigmented. The thermophilic Mycobacterium sp. strain SWU-4 rapidly degraded 2% (w/v) BT at 50°C. Interestingly, this strain was able to degrade a wide variety of organosulfur compounds including thiophene, bromo(α)thiophene, and 3-methylthiophene in liquid minimum medium at 50°C, which will be beneficial for industrial applications.     

Anxiety-like behaviour and c-fos expression in rats that inhaled vetiver essential oil

Vetiver essential oil (VEO) has been used in aromatherapy for relaxation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of VEO on an anxiety-related behavioural model (the elevated plus-maze, EPM) and immediate-early gene c-fos in amygdala, known to be involved in anxiety. Male Wistar rats were administered diazepam (1 mg/kg i.p.) for 30 min or inhalated with VEO (1%, 2.5% or 5% w/w) for 7 min prior to exposure to the EPM. Then, the effects of 2.5% VEO, the anxiolytic dose, on c-fos expression in amygdala were investigated. The rats given either 2.5% VEO or diazepam exhibited an anxiolytic-like profile in the EPM. VEO and diazepam significantly increased c-fos expression in the lateral division of the central amygdaloid nucleus (CeL). Therefore, the anxiolytic properties of VEO might be associated with altering neuronal activation in CeL. However, future studies are needed to investigate the precise mechanism of action of VEO.