Into the Unknown: Microbial Communities in Caves, Their Role, and Potential Use.

Microorganisms

Department of Medical Mirobiology, Faculty of Mecicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Dębowa 25, 80-204 Gdansk, Poland.

Published: January 2022

Caves have been an item of amateur and professional exploration for many years. Research on the karst caves has revealed great diversity of bacteria, algae, and fungi living on stone walls and speleothems, in mud puddles or sediments. They have become the source of interest for various research groups including geologists, chemists, ecologists, or microbiologists. The adaptations of cave-dwelling organisms applied to their survival are complex and some of their properties show potential to be used in various areas of human life. Secondary metabolites produced by cave's bacteria show strong antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, or anticancer properties. Furthermore, bacteria that can induce mineral precipitation could be used in the construction industry and for neutralization of radioisotopes. In this review we focus on bacteria and algae present in cave ecosystems, their role in shaping such specific environment, and their biotechnological and medical potential.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8877592PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10020222DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

bacteria algae
8
unknown microbial
4
microbial communities
4
communities caves
4
caves role
4
role potential
4
potential caves
4
caves item
4
item amateur
4
amateur professional
4

Similar Publications

Halogenated natural products are an important class of secondary metabolites that are widely distributed in nature. The presence of halogen atoms usually enhances the pharmacological activity of the compounds. As a result, halogenated natural products have shown promising pharmacological activities in antibacterial, antitumour, anti-inflammatory and antiplasmodial properties, providing a rich resource for the development of new drugs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cellulose and Cellulose Nanomaterials: Recent Research and Applications in Medical Field.

Comb Chem High Throughput Screen

January 2025

Pharmaceutics Division, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar-190006, Jammu and Kashmir, India.

Cellulose, the most prevalent biopolymer in the world, is comprehensively reviewed. Cellulose occurs in fibrillar patterns with alternating crystalline and amorphous regions. The non-toxic and -friendly nature of cellulose has made it beneficial in many fields, such as pharmaceuticals, biomedical, nanotechnology, etc.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The marine environment is one of the major biomass producers of algae and seaweed; it is rich in functional ingredients or active metabolites with valuable nutritional health effects. Algal metabolites derived from the cultivation of both microalgae and macroalgae may positively impact human health, offering physiological, pharmaceutical and nutritional benefits. Microalgae have been widely used as novel sources of bioactive substances.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Global perspectives on the biodegradation of LDPE in agricultural systems.

Front Microbiol

January 2025

Corporación para la Investigación de la Corrosión (CIC), Piedecuesta, Colombia.

The increasing use of plastics globally has generated serious environmental and human health problems, particularly in the agricultural sector where low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and other plastics are widely used. Due to its low recycling rate and slow degradation process, LDPE is a major source of pollution. This paper addresses the problem of plastic accumulation in agriculture, focusing on LDPE biodegradation strategies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Climate change and human activities affect the biomass of different algal and the succession of dominant species. In the past, phytoplankton phyla inversion has been focused on oceanic and continental shelf waters, while phytoplankton phyla inversion in inland lakes and reservoirs is still in the initial and exploratory stage, and the research results are relatively few. Especially for mid-to-high latitude lakes, the research is even more blank.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!