The in vitro antibacterial activities of different extracts of pomegranate fruit peels and arils (with seeds) were investigated by agar-well diffusion and broth dilution methods against four food-related bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella typhimurium). The solvents used as extractants in this study were hot water, 95% ethanol, and acetone. Their total phenolic contents were also evaluated. All pomegranate extracts contained high levels of phenolics and exhibited antibacterial activity against all bacteria tested. The hot-water extract of the peels was the most potent with the minimal inhibitory concentration of 207 mg/ml against E. coli and less than 103.6 mg/ml against the other bacteria. Gram-positive bacteria were generally more sensitive to the extracts than Gram-negative ones.
Urinary tract infections, especially catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), are the most common type of nosocomial infections. Patients with chronic indwelling urinary catheters have a higher risk of infection due to biofilm formation on the urinary catheter surface. Therefore, in this work, a novel, cost-effective antimicrobial urinary catheter was developed using green technology. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized from Mon Thong durian rind waste were used as an antimicrobial agent for the prevention of infection. Flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and glucose extracted from durian rind were used as a reducing agent to reduce the Ag+ dissolved in AgNO3 solution to form non-aggregated AgNPs under light irradiation. The AgNPs were simultaneously synthesized and coated on the inner and outer surfaces of silicone indwelling urinary catheters using the dip coating method. The results showed that the antimicrobial urinary catheter fabricated using a 0.3 mM AgNO3 concentration and 48 h coating time gave the highest antibacterial activity. The as-prepared spherical AgNPs with an average diameter of 9.1 ± 0.4 nm formed on catheter surfaces in a monolayer approximately 1.3 µm thick corresponding to a 0.712 mg/cm2 silver content. The AgNP layer was found to damage and almost completely inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli cells with antibacterial activity by 91%, equivalent to the commercial, high-price antimicrobial urinary catheter. The cumulative amount of silver released from the coated catheter through artificial urine over 10 days was about 0.040 µg/mL, which is less than the silver content that causes tissue and organ toxicity at 44 µg/mL. Thus, we concluded that the developed antimicrobial urinary catheter was useful in reducing the risk of infectious complications in patients with indwelling catheters.
Cassava cellulosic waste obtained from starch processing was utilized in this work for bio-ethanol production. The 10% (w/v) of cassava waste was pretreated with either water or 1% (v/v) acetic acid and steam treated by autoclaving at 121 °C under pressure of 15 pound/inch 2 for 15 min. After neutralization of the acid-autoclaved pretreated waste with 2% (w/v) NaHCO 3 , the mixture was hydrolyzed further by using 3% or 6% (w/w) cellulase for sugar production. It appeared that the optimum hydrolysis condition was 1% (v/v) acetic acid and 6% (w/w) enzyme (shaking at 50 °C, 150 rpm for 96 h), which gave the maximum sugar yield of 199.82 ± 0.27 mg/g dried cellulosic waste. A total of 515.39 ± 0.48 mg ethanol/g dried cellulosic waste was obtained from 9% (w/v) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in 7-days fermentation at room temperature. This indicates that cassava wastes actually could be used as substrate for biochemical production, such as fuels, organic acids and etc. In addition, the pretreatment method using dilute acetic acid and steam is environmentally friendly and not complex.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.