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.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10020222 | DOI Listing |
Curr Top Med Chem
January 2025
Harbin University of Commerce, Harbin, China.
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 PDFComb 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 PDFRecent Pat Biotechnol
January 2025
Department of Zoology, University of Education, Bank Road Campus, Lahore, Pakistan.
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 PDFFront 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 PDFSci Rep
January 2025
School of Geographic Science, Changchun Normal University, Changchun, 130102, China.
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.
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