The present study for the first time addressed whether the simultaneous presence of selenium, zinc and iron may have effects on the selenium uptake in the mycelia of the winter mushroom (also known as enoki), Flammulina velutipes. Response surface methodology was used to optimize concentrations of selenium, zinc and iron in the range of 0 to 120 mg L-1. The findings showed that application of selenium, zinc and iron (singly, in pairs, or triads) significantly enhanced the selenium accumulation in the mycelia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedicinal mushrooms belonging to Lentinus spp. exhibit significant antibacterial activities, but little attention has been paid to their efficacy against the food-borne pathogen, Bacillus cereus. The present study for the first time quantitatively evaluated the antibacterial activity of different extracts from fruiting bodies of a well-authenticated Iranian native strain of medicinal mushroom, Lentinus tigrinus, against Gram-positive spore-forming bacterium B.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Immunomodulatory activity of β-glucans of shiitake mushroom () has been known. We investigated whether β-glucans from would attenuate the acute effects of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) on peripheral hematological parameters in mice.
Materials And Methods: An in-house β-glucans extract (BG) prepared from fruiting bodies of shiitake mushroom was chemically measured and characterized using spectrophotometry and HPLC.
Edible mushrooms are among food sources containing natural folate compounds. However, little is known about how the content of folates in edible mushrooms may be improved. This study aimed to enrich Flammulina velutipes with higher levels of folates and to characterize patterns of the bioconversion of folates in the fruiting bodies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInformation on the biosafety of tiger sawgill mushroom, Lentinus tigrinus, is limited and controversial. In the present study, the toxicity of a native L. tigrinus strain was evaluated in both cell cultures and mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTuberculosis (TB) is referred to as a "consumption" or phthisis, which has been a fatal human disease for thousands of years. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) might have been responsible for the death of more humans than any other bacterial pathogens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSevere side effects of chemotherapy as well as drug resistance highlight the ongoing need to discover novel natural bioactive compounds with anticancer potentiality. Mushroom-derived proteins are among the naturally occurring compounds that have been the subject of a body of research on their potentiality in cancer therapy. The greatest attention in relevant review articles has been paid to well-known mushroom-derived glycoproteins such as lectins and protein-bound polysaccharide complexes such as polysaccharide-K (PSK) or krestin and polysaccharopeptide (PSP), which contain substantial amounts of carbohydrates (50-90%).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman T cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) as the first human retrovirus is currently a serious endemic health challenge. Despite the use of assorted molecular or serological assays for HTLV-1 detection, there are several limitations due to the lack of a confirmatory test that may affect the accuracy of the results. Herein, a novel label-free biosensor for the detection of HTLV-1 Tax gene has been reported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSynergistic effects of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) with commonly used antibiotics have encouraged the exploration of novel biological entities, including bacteria and weed plants. The present study for the first time reports the capability of an extracellular fraction of Bacillus sp. isolated from effluents of a glass-manufacturing unit to biosynthesis silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) without hazardous materials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProduction and emission of CO from different sources have caused significant changes in the climate, which is the major concern related to global warming. Among other CO removal approaches, microalgae can efficiently remove CO through the rapid production of algal biomass. In addition, microalgae have the potential to be used in wastewater treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe global interest in production of the winter mushroom or Enokitake (Flammulina filiformis previously known as Flammulina velutipes) is increasing owing to its nutritional and medicinally important bioactive compounds along with a marketable texture and flavor. This review presents the state of knowledge on achievements in solid-state cultivation and submerged cultures of Enokitake and how they are influenced by environmental factors and agronomic characteristics. A wide range of basic lignocellulosic substrates and supplementations have been reviewed in order to formulate an efficient and locally available substrate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, is the most commonly grown mushroom in Iran; however, there is a significant shortage of research on its antioxidant activity and other medicinal properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate antioxidant capacity of the methanolic extracts from four cultivated strains and four Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS)-identified, Iranian wild isolates of A. bisporus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell surface heparan sulphate (HS) mediates infection for many viruses from diverse families. We demonstrated significant antiviral potencies for a number of HS mimetics against a cloned strain of Enterovirus 71 (EV71) in a previous study. Thus, the involvement of HS in mediating viral infection of isolates of human enteroviruses was investigated in Vero and human neural cells in the present work.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Microbiol Immunol Infect
February 2015
Enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection remains a public health problem at a global level, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. The infection normally manifests as hand-foot-mouth disease; however, it is capable of developing into potentially fatal neurological complications. There is currently no approved vaccine or antiviral substance available for the prevention or treatment of EV71 infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe 50 % tissue culture infectious dose (TCID50) is still one of the most commonly used techniques for estimating virus titers. However, the traditional TCID50 assay is time consuming, susceptible to subjective errors and generates only quantal data. Here, we describe a colorimetric-based approach for the titration of Enterovirus 71 (EV71) using a modified method for making virus dilutions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Heparan sulphate mimetics, particularly heparin (Hep), have previously been shown to considerably inhibit infection of enterovirus 71 (EV71) in Vero cells. Therefore, in this study, a genome-wide DNA microarray was performed to gain insight into the mechanism(s) of action of Hep against infection of a human neural cell line, SK-N-SH, with a clinical strain of EV71.
Methods: This study focused on a selection of EV71-induced genes whose expression profiling was exclusively affected by the antiviral activity of Hep.
Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is the causative agent of hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD) and can also cause fatal neurological complications for which currently there is no vaccine or approved antiviral drug. Despite suggestions that heparan sulfate (HS)-like compounds are effective antivirals against various viruses, no research has been undertaken to examine their effects upon EV71. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the in vitro anti-EV71 effect of HS mimetics (heparin, heparan sulfate, and pentosan polysulfate).
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