Haloalkalitolerant Fungi from Sediments of the Big Tambukan Saline Lake (Northern Caucasus): Diversity and Antimicrobial Potential.

We have performed a characterization of cultivated haloalkalitolerant fungi from the sediments of Big Tambukan Lake in order to assess their biodiversity and antimicrobial activity. This saline, slightly alkaline lake is known as a source of therapeutic sulfide mud used in sanatoria of the Caucasian Mineral Waters, Russia. Though data on bacteria and algae observed in this lake are available in the literature, data on fungi adapted to the conditions of the lake are lacking.

Enzymatic and Antimicrobial Activities in Polar Strains of Microscopic Soil Fungi.

Potential to produce inducible enzymes (several hydrolases and oxidases) and antibiotics as secondary metabolites was studied in soil micromycete strains from the Arctic (Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya) and Antarctica (the oases Thala Hills, Larsemann Hills, Schirmacher, and Marie Byrd Land). Maximal esterase activity was observed in strains of two typical Antarctic species, Hyphozyma variabilis 218 and Thelebolus ellipsoideus 210 (51 and 29 nmol FDA/((g mycelium h), respectively). Cellulolytic activity was maximal (89 µmol glucose/mg biomass) in Ascochyta pisi 192.

Water Saturated with Pressurized CO as a Tool to Create Various 3D Morphologies of Composites Based on Chitosan and Copper Nanoparticles.

Methods for creating various 3D morphologies of composites based on chitosan and copper nanoparticles stabilized by it in carbonic acid solutions formed under high pressure of saturating CO were developed. This work includes a comprehensive analysis of the regularities of copper nanoparticles stabilization and reduction with chitosan, studied by IR and UV-vis spectroscopies, XPS, TEM and rheology. Chitosan can partially reduce Cu ions in aqueous solutions to small-sized, spherical copper nanoparticles with a low degree of polydispersity; the process is accompanied by the formation of an elastic polymer hydrogel.

Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Hydrophobin, Sa-HFB1, with Antifungal Activity from an Alkaliphilic Fungus, .

The adaptations that alkaliphilic microorganisms have developed due to their extreme habitats promote the production of active natural compounds with the potential to control microorganisms, causing infections associated with healthcare. The primary purpose of this study was to isolate and identify a hydrophobin, Sa-HFB1, from an alkaliphilic fungus, . A potential antifungal effect against pathogenic and opportunistic fungi strains was determined.

Antiseptic Materials on the Base of Polymer Interpenetrating Networks Microgels and Benzalkonium Chloride.

Polymer microgels, including those based on interpenetrating networks (IPNs), are currently vastly studied, and their practical applications are a matter of thriving research. In this work, we show the perspective for the use of polyelectrolyte IPN microgels either as scavengers or carriers of antiseptic substances. Here, we report that poly--isopropylacrylamide/polyacrylic acid IPN microgels can efficiently absorb the common bactericidal and virucidal compound benzalkonium chloride.