The Isolation and Characterization of Antagonist Trichoderma spp. from the Soil of Abha,Saudi Arabia

Background: The genus Trichoderma is widely spread in the environment, mainly in soils. Trichoderma are filamentous fungi and are used in a wide range of fields to manage plant patho-genic fungi. They have proven to be effective biocontrol agents due to their high reproducibility, adaptability, efficient nutrient mobilization, ability to colonize the rhizosphere, significant inhibitory effects against phytopathogenic fungi, and efficacy in promoting plant growth. In the present study, the antagonist Trichoderma isolates were characterized from the soil of Abha region, Saudi Arabia. Methodology: Soil samples were collected from six locations of Abha, Saudi Arabia to isolate Trichoderma having the antagonistic potential against plant pathogenic fungi. The soil dilution plate method was used to isolate Trichoderma (Trichoderma Specific Medium (TSM)). Isolated Trichoderma were evaluated for their antagonistic potential against Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria alternata and Helminthosporium rostratum. The antagonist activity was assessed by dual culture assay, and the effect of volatile metabolites and culture filtrate of Trichoderma. In addition, the effect of different temperature and salt concentrations on the growth of Trichoderma isolates were also evaluated. Results: The most potent Trichoderma species were identified by using ITS4 and ITS 5 primers. Total 48 Trichoderma isolates were isolated on (TSM) from the soil samples out of those six isolates were found to have antagonist potential against the tested plant pathogenic fungi. In general, Trichoderma strains A (1) 2.1 T, A (3) 3.1 T and A (6) 2.2 T were found to be highly effective in reducing the growth of tested plant pathogenic fungi. Trichoderma A (1) 2.1 T was highly effective against F. oxysporum (82%), whereas Trichoderma A (6) 2.2 T prevented the maximal growth of H. rostratum (77%) according to the dual culture data. Furthermore, Trichoderma A (1) 2.1 T volatile metabolites hindered F. oxysporum growth. The volatile metabolite of Trichoderma A (6) 2.2 T, on the other hand, had the strongest activity against A. alternata (45%). The Trichoderma A (1) 2.1 T culture filtrate was proven to be effective in suppressing the growth of H. rostratum (47%). The temperature range of 26 °C to 30 °C was observed to be optimum for Trichoderma growth. Trichoderma isolates grew well at salt concentrations (NaCl) of 2%, and with the increasing salt concentration the growth of isolates decreased. The molecular analysis of potent fungi by ITS4 and ITS5 primers confirmed that the Trichoderma isolates A (1) 2.1 T, A (3) 3.1 and A (6) 2.2 T were T. harzianum, T. brevicompactum, and T. velutinum, respectively. Conclusions: The study concludes that the soil of the Abha region contains a large population of diverse fungi including Trichoderma, which can be explored further to be used as biocontrol agents.     

Synthesis of some novel pyrazolopyrimidotriazepine,pyrazolotriazolopyrimidine, and pyrazolopyrimidotetrazine derivatives

Reaction of ethyl 5-amino-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylate with thiocarbohydrazide yielded 5-amino-6-hydrazinyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine-4-(5H)one ( 1 ), which used as precursor to synthesize pyrazolopyrimidotriazepine 2 , pyrazolopyrimidotriazines 5-7 , pyrazolotriazolopyrimidines 8 - 14 , pyrazolopyrimidotetrazines 17 . The structures of the newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by spectral data (IR, NMR, elemental analysis, and mass spectra).     

Solanum anguivi Lam. Fruits: Their Potential Effects on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a complex metabolic disorder of glucose homeostasis associated with a status of insulin resistance, impaired insulin signaling, β-cell dysfunction, impaired glucose and lipid metabolism, sub-clinical inflammation, and increased oxidative stress. Consuming fruits and vegetables rich in phytochemicals with potential antidiabetic effects may prevent T2DM and/or support a conservative T2DM treatment while being safer and more affordable for people from low-income countries. Solanum anguivi Lam. fruits (SALF) have been suggested to exhibit antidiabetic properties, potentially due to the presence of various phytochemicals, including saponins, phenolics, alkaloids, ascorbic acid, and flavonoids. For the saponin fraction, antidiabetic effects have already been reported. However, it remains unclear whether this is also true for the other phytochemicals present in SALF. This review article covers information on glucose homeostasis, T2DM pathogenesis, and also the potential antidiabetic effects of phytochemicals present in SALF, including their potential mechanisms of action.     

A novel amperometric inhibition biosensor based on HRP and gold sononanoparticles immobilised onto Sonogel-Carbon electrode for the determination of sulphides

A novel inhibition biosensor used for the detection of sulphides (Na₂S) has been developed. The biosensor is based on the immobilisation of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) on the Sonogel-Carbon (SNGC) electrode using glutaraldehyde, Poly(4-vinylpyridine) and gold sononanoparticles (AuSNPs). The Poly(4-vinylpyridine) was used due to its high affinity for sulphide anions, while the presence of gold sononanoparticles enhances the electron transfer reaction and improves the analytical performance of the biosensor. The amperometric measurements were performed at an applied potential of ?0.15 V vs. Ag/AgCl in 50 mM sodium acetate buffer solution pH = 6.0. The apparent kinetic parameters (K_mapp, V_max) of immobilised HRP were calculated in the absence of inhibitor (sulphide) using caffeic acid as substrate. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the determination of sulphide can be achieved in a dynamic range of 0.4–2.8 µM with a low limit of detection of 0.15 µM. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was also used to characterise the interactions of substrate and inhibitor with the enzyme-modified electrode. The developed biosensor exhibited high sensitivity, selectivity and stability, and can be successfully applied to the detection of sulphide in water.     

alpha-Mangostin enhances betulinic acid cytotoxicity and inhibits cisplatin cytotoxicity on HCT 116 colorectal carcinoma cells

Despite the progress in colon cancer treatment, relapse is still a major obstacle. Hence, new drugs or drug combinations are required in the battle against colon cancer. α-Mangostin and betulinic acid (BA) are cytotoxic compounds that work by inducing the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway, and cisplatin is one of the most potent broad spectrum anti-tumor agents. This study aims to investigate the enhancement of BA cytotoxicity by α-mangostin, and the cytoprotection effect of α-mangostin and BA on cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity on HCT 116 human colorectal carcinoma cells. Cytotoxicity was investigated by the XTT cell proliferation test, and the apoptotic effects were investigated on early and late markers including caspases-3/7, mitochondrial membrane potential, cytoplasmic shrinkage, and chromatin condensation. The effect of α-mangostin on four signalling pathways was also investigated by the luciferase assay. α-Mangostin and BA were more cytotoxic to the colon cancer cells than to the normal colonic cells, and both compounds showed a cytoprotective effect against cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity. On the other hand, α-mangostin enhanced the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of BA. Combination therapy hits multiple targets, which may improve the overall response to the treatment, and may reduce the likelihood of developing drug resistance by the tumor cells. Therefore, α-mangostin and BA may provide a novel combination for the treatment of colorectal carcinoma. The cytoprotective effect of the compounds against cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity may find applications as chemopreventive agents against carcinogens, irradiation and oxidative stress, or to neutralize cisplatin side effects.     

Double sampling derivatives and truncation error estimates

This paper investigates double sampling series derivatives for bivariate functions defined on R² that are in the Bernstein space. For this sampling series, we estimate some of the pointwise and uniform bounds when the function satisfies some decay conditions. The truncated series of this formula allow us to approximate any order of partial derivatives for function from Bernstein space using only a finite number of samples from the function itself. This sampling formula will be useful in the approximation theory and its applications, especially after having the truncation error well-established. Examples with tables and figures are given at the end of the paper to illustrate the advantages of this formula.     

Synthesis and Anticancer Evaluation of Some Novel Thiophene,Thieno[3,2‐d]pyrimidine,Thieno[3,2‐b]pyridine,and Thieno[3,2‐e][1,4]oxazepine Derivatives Containing Benzothiazole Moiety

In an attempt to establish novel candidate with promising anticancer activity, two derivatives of (benzo[d]thiazol‐2‐yl)thiophene backbone 1 and 14 were synthesized, and they further reacted with various chemical reagents to afford the corresponding substituted thiophene derivatives 6 , 8 , 10 , 15 , 17 , and 20 , thieno[3,2‐d]pyrimidine derivatives 2 – 5 , 7 , 9 , 16 , 21 , 23 , and 24 , thieno[3,2‐b]pyridine derivatives 11 – 13 , and thieno[3,2‐e][1,4]oxazepine derivative 18 . Structures of prepared compounds were affirmed via spectral and elemental data. Among the obtained compounds, seven derivatives 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 11 , 12 , and 13 were chosen by National Cancer Institute, USA. Such compounds were screened for their antitumor activity versus 60 cancer cell lines in one‐dose (10 μmol) screening assay. The outcomes showed that all selected compounds exhibited moderate to high anticancer activity towards many cancer cell lines among which compounds 5 and 11 exerted potent antitumor activity against numerous malignant growth cell lines particularly Ovarian Cancer IGROV1.     

Dynamics of charged plane symmetric gravitational collapse

In this paper, we study dynamics of the charged plane symmetric gravitational collapse. For this purpose, we discuss non-adiabatic flow of a viscous fluid and deduce the results for adiabatic case. The Einstein and Maxwell field equations are formulated for general plane symmetric spacetime in the interior. Junction conditions between the interior and exterior regions are derived. For the non-adiabatic case, the exterior is taken as plane symmetric charged Vaidya spacetime while for the adiabatic case, it is described charged plane symmetric spacetime. Using Misner and Sharp formalism, we obtain dynamical equations to investigate the effects of different forces over the rate of collapse. In non-adiabatic case, a dynamical equation is joined with transport equation of heat flux. Finally, a relation between the Weyl tensor and energy density is found.     

Alleviation of adverse effects of drought stress on growth and some potential physiological attributes in maize (Zea mays L.) by seed electromagnetic treatment

Effects of varying preseed magnetic treatments on growth, chlorophyll pigments, photosynthesis, water relation attributes, fluorescence and levels of osmoprotectants in maize plants were tested under normal and drought stress conditions. Seeds of two maize cultivars were treated with different (T0 [0 mT], T1 [100 mT for 5 min], T2 [100 mT for 10 min], T3 [150 mT for 5 min] and T4 [150 mT for 10 min]) electromagnetic treatments. Drought stress considerably suppressed growth, chlorophyll a and b pigments, leaf water potential, photosynthetic rate (A), stomatal conductance (g(s)) and substomatal CO(2) concentration (C(i)), while it increased leaf glycinebetaine and proline accumulation in both maize cultivars. However, pretreated seeds with different magnetic treatments significantly alleviated the drought-induced adverse effects on growth by improving chlorophyll a, A, E, g(s), C(i) and photochemical quenching and nonphotochemical quenching, while it had no significant effect on other attributes. However, different magnetic treatments negatively affected the g(s) and C(i) particularly in cv. Agaiti-2002 under drought stress conditions. Of all magnetic treatments, 100 and 150 mT for 10 min were most effective in alleviating the drought-induced adverse effects. Overall, preseed electromagnetic treatments could be used to minimize the drought-induced adverse effects on different crop plants.