Biotechnological Journal of Environmental Microbiology
Volume:1 Issue: 3, Autumn 2022

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), which emerged in order to meet the increasing world population and the food need arising in this direction, to bring the structural properties of foods to the desired level by interfering with the genes of the foods by using the developing technological opportunities and thus to get more efficiency from a small area in a short time is important in terms of the food production philosophy of the future. Although there is not enough experimental evidence about the possible benefits and harms of interfering with the genes of foods and animals by means of gene technology, necessary precautions should be taken to minimize the possible effects and risks on the environment and future generations. The haram or halal status of GMO, which has started to take place in the food sector, has also been seriously discussed in terms of Islamic law. Issues for which there is no clear provision are tried to be decided within the framework of benefit-harm balance and within the framework of the general principles of fiqh. In order to determine the verdict of Genetically Modified Foods, its effects on health, environment, economy and politics should also be taken into account.

Nowadays, nanotechnology and the use of its components, including nanoparticles, have successfully improved the situation of industries in advancing production goals. Among these nanoparticles, SnO2 or tin dioxide nanoparticle, which was used in this study, can be mentioned. Tin dioxide is used in the manufacture of batteries and fuel cells, capacitors, and catalysts, and the health of living organisms will be affected by the negative effects of factory effluents entering rivers and other water sources. In this study, the biotoxicity of tin oxide nanoparticles on Chlorella vulgaris algae, which is one of the primary producers and most important levels of the food chain was investigated. This research was conducted by the OECD acute toxicity test method (Counting method for algae, method 201) and statistical probit analysis was performed in order to obtain toxicity data using the probit method. The results of exposure for Chlorella vulgaris in 48 and 72 hours, were EC50 and EC90 equal to 6.99, 57.54 and 13.08, and 1.07 x 1010 mg L-1, respectively. The highest growth decrease after 48 and 72 hours was observed in 5.5 mg L-1 SnO2 NP. During the test period, no morphological changes were observed for any of the microorganisms, which are based on the toxicity of tin oxide nanoparticles.

The emergence of drug resistance, therapeutic failure, and the development of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections are primarily attributed to biofilm formation and quorum sensing (QS) dependent virulence factors. The antimicrobial potential of some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, has been determined in laboratory studies. Herein, a docking analysis was conducted to examine the interaction between seven NSAIDs and the proteins of the Las system. Initially, the three-dimensional structure of selected NSAIDs (Diclofenac sodium, Ibuprofen, Ketoprofen, Mefenamic acid, Meloxicam, Naproxen, and Tenoxicam), and natural ligand of LasR (3-oxo-C12-HSL) were retrieved from PubChem database. Also, crystal structures of LasI Synthase and transcriptional activator protein LasR were obtained from Protein Data Bank. Subsequently, the molecular docking analysis utilizing AutoDock Vina software was employed to investigate the capability of the selected NSAIDs to inhibit the LasI/LasR receptor. Based on our findings, the majority of the selected NSAIDs exhibited favorable interactions with LasI/R proteins. Moreover, ketoprofen exhibited the strongest interactions with both proteins. In summary, this work suggested that NSAIDs, especially ketoprofen and naproxen, have promising potential as candidates for further in vitro and in vivo investigations to inhibit the QS circuits of P. aeruginosa.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are used as efficient carrier candidate for the delivery of the bioactive molecules, proteins, and drugs because of their properties such as safety, stability, biocompatibility, high surface area and controllable pore sizes with the narrow distribution and facile surface modification. MSNs demonstrate high encapsulation capability for both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs.In this study, SBA-15 MSN was synthesized by hydrothermal method in acidic media and functionalized by post-grafting method using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane. The efficiency of amino functionalized SBA-15 MSN (SBA-15-NH2) was investigated for the loading and release of grape seed extract (GSE). The disc diffusion assay indicated GSE and GSE loaded on SBA-15-NH2 (SBA-15-NH2@GSE) at the concentration of 32 mg/ml extract per disc resulted to in the inhibition zone of 24 mm and 15 mm for S. aurous and 22 mm and 13 mm for E. coli, respectively. The antibacterial effect improved by increasing concentration of GSE loaded into SBA-15-NH2 from 2 to 32 mg/ml. These results indicate that SBA-15-NH2@GSE owns a strong antibacterial potential valuable for the pharmaceutical industry.

Microbial communities occupy a significant position in the functioning and productivity of agricultural ecosystems. The taxonomic genus Pseudomonas encompasses a group of bacterial species that can establish mutually beneficial partnerships with different plants. The objective of this study was to ascertain and isolate Pseudomonas strains that were obtained from the rhizosphere soil of M. officinalis. Furthermore, an examination was conducted on the morphological characteristics of M. officinalis that had been treated with standard and rhizospheric Pseudomonas. The experimental treatments consisted of 3 different groups: a rhizosphere Pseudomonas inoculation with a concentration of 106 and 109 CFU /ml, standard Pseudomonas inoculation with a concentration of 106 and 109 CFU /ml, and a control group that did not contain any bacteria. To effectively separate bacteria, specialized culture medium, such as the King B medium, were employed. The biochemical and molecular result revealed that the isolated strain was Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The standard Pseudomonas treatment with a concentration of 109 CFU/ml exhibited the greatest root length of 24.1 cm, while the treatment lacking the presence of Pseudomonas displayed the lowest root length of 12.9. Treatments with rhizospheric P. aeruginosa showed the greatest values for stem length, as well as root and stem weight. Meanwhile, the control treatment resulted in the lowest measurements for these mentioned characteristics.

Infectious diseases caused by bacteria are a major global public health threat, and due to their high impact on public health, they are a high priority in national health programs in different countries. Bacterial drug resistance has grown over the past decades, but the rate of discovery of new antibiotics has steadily decreased. Therefore, the search for new effective antibacterial agents has become a priority and has led to the development of alternative therapies and new technologies for the production of microbial products due to technical and economic advantages. The efforts of gene editing and next-generation sequencing have created an unprecedented genomic potential for the production of secondary metabolites by diverse microorganisms in the environment and microbiota. Secondary metabolites, which produce organic products with low molecular mass, play important roles in cell growth, signal transduction, nutrient search, communication, and intra- and interspecies competition. Therefore, researchers have paid increasing attention to the potential replacement of secondary metabolites instead of traditional antibiotics. As bacteria become resistant to first-generation antibiotics, treatment must be changed to second- or third-generation drugs. Indeed, the world is faced with the need to discover new potent small molecules with significant anticancer potential and favorable toxicity profile, but many anticancer drugs in clinical practice today have side effects. In this chapter of the present book, the aim is to review the prospects, costs, benefits, side effects and detailed information about the types of microbial secondary metabolites for the control of infectious diseases.