Structural Features and Immunomodulatory Effects of Water-Extractable Polysaccharides from (Scop.) Singer.

(MP) is an edible mushroom used in the treatment of diabetes, hypertension and inflammation. However, the structure and biological effects of its polysaccharides (PSs) are unclear. This study investigates the structural features of a PS complex from MP (MP-PSC), its immunomodulatory activities and effects on probiotic and pathogenic bacteria.

Structural characterization of polysaccharides from Geranium sanguineum L. and their immunomodulatory effects in response to inflammatory agents.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Geranium sanguineum L. is used for treatment of inflammations, anemia, malignant diseases of the blood-forming organs, diarrhea, respiratory infections, etc. Only flavonoids in root extracts have been elucidated as immunostimulating and anti-inflammatory compounds, and polysaccharides in the herb have not been examined.

Phenotypic and molecular identification of lactobacilli isolated from vaginal secretions.

Background And Purpose: Twenty lactobacilli isolated from vaginal samples of healthy volunteers were characterized according to polyphasic taxonomy. A broad spectrum of activity and protective properties of these vaginal isolates has been reported.

Methods: Phenotypic and genotypic methods such as random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), species-specific and BOX polymerase chain reaction (PCR), amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA), and 16S rRNA sequence analyses were applied for Lactobacillus spp.

Electric dipole moments of Escherichia coli HB 101.

The theoretical and experimental studies of the particles' electric dipole moments in the microscopic and submicroscopic size range show that in the case of polar and conductive media the interfacial components of the dipole moments are of greatest importance. While in the range of manometer's sizes there seems to be no important problems in the identification and in the estimation of the values of the dipole moments at present, in the micrometer range there are serious problems. In this communication these problems are considered and illustrated by electro-optic investigations of Escherichia coli HB 101.

Identification and in vitro characterisation of Lactobacillus plantarum strains from artisanal Bulgarian white brined cheeses.

Lactobacillus plantarum strains were isolated from fully ripened, white brined Bulgarian home-made cheeses. Strains were derived from phenotypically homogenous Lactobacillus group and were identified as L. plantarum based on both phenotypic and molecular identification (species-specific and multiplex PCR) methods.

Antimicrobial activity and protective properties of vaginal lactobacilli from healthy Bulgarian women.

The role of vaginal Lactobacillus as an efficient barrier against invading pathogens is of considerable interest. The purpose of the present study was to assess in vitro the ability of 20 recently identified vaginal lactobacilli to protect the vagina. In order to evaluate their significance, the antimicrobial, hemagglutination (HA) and aggregation (Agg) activities, as well as acid and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) production, were estimated.

Molecular identification of vaginal lactobacilli isolated from Bulgarian women.

Lactobacilli play an important role in maintaining the vaginal health of women. The development of suitable bacterial replacement therapies for the treatment of vaginosis requires knowledge of the vaginal lactobacilli species representation. The aim of this study was to identify at the species level vaginal Lactobacillus isolates obtained from Bulgarian women in childbearing age by using different molecular methods.

Characterization of bacteriocin HV219, produced by Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis HV219 isolated from human vaginal secretions.

Bacteriocin HV219, produced by Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis HV219, is active against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Activity was lost when treated with proteolytic enzymes, SDS, Triton X-114 and Triton X-100, but not at pH 2.