Abstract:

Our study reports for the first time, over a 12-month period, the seasonal variations of chemical composition, antibacterial and antioxidant activity of Rosmarinus officinalis L. essential oil (RoEO) from southwestern Romania (Oltenia Region). To analyze the constituents of RoEO, a comprehensive gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method was employed. The analysis aimed to identify and quantify the various components by comparing their mass spectra with reference spectra from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Library 2020. Staphylococcus aureus minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were determined using the microdilution method (96-well plates). The antioxidant activity was analyzed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) radical scavenging assays. This analysis provided a detailed profile of the RoEO’s constituents, revealing significant monthly variations. Key compounds, such as camphor, eucalyptol, α-pinene, camphene and α-myrcene, were quantified, alongside lesser-studied constituents like β-pinene, α-terpinene, linalool, terpinolene, and carvacrol. Comparisons were made with a reference sample from Tunisia. Correlations between specific compounds and their bioactivity were explored to understand their contributions to the overall efficacy of the RoEO. This comprehensive analysis provides valuable insights into the potential applications and seasonal variability of RoEO from Romania.

Abstract:

Background: Herpesviruses cause a variety of infections, ranging from localized inflammation to severe disease and malignancies. The current portfolio of anti-herpes drugs is limited, often accompanied by significant side effects, and prolonged use can lead to viral resistance. This study investigates the antiviral activity of newly synthesized compounds against cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV). Methods: Saturated heterocyclic compounds with annelated or spiro rings have been synthesized using either the aza-Cope–Mannich rearrangement or the alkene metathesis reaction as the key step of the transformation. Cytotoxicity was assessed using the MTT assay, while antiviral activity was measured by changes in viral titer in the presence of the compounds. Results: Several promising lead compounds were identified. A time-of-addition assay indicated that the primary targets are likely viral DNA polymerase, with inhibition leading to a halt in viral protein synthesis. Conclusions: We identified two active compounds that inhibit both herpesviruses, likely targeting the viral replicative complex.

Abstract:

During the last 100 years, vaccine development has evolved from an empirical approach to one of more rational vaccine designs where careful selection of antigens and adjuvants is key to the desired efficacy for challenging pathogens and/or challenging populations. To improve immunogenicity while maintaining a favorable reactogenicity and safety profile, modern vaccine design must consider factors beyond the choice of target antigen alone. With new vaccine technologies currently emerging, it will be possible to custom-design vaccines for optimal efficacy in groups of people with different response to vaccination. It should be noted that after a rather long period of overwhelming dominance of the number of papers devoted to subunit plague vaccines, materials devoted to the development of live plague vaccines are increasingly being published. In this review, we present our opinion on reasonable tactics of development and application of live, safe and protective human plague vaccines causing sufficient duration of protection and breadth of action against various virulent strains in vaccination studies representing different age, gender and nucleotide polymorphisms of the genes responsible for immune response.

Abstract: Weaning in piglets presents significant physiological and immunological challenges, including gut dysbiosis and increased susceptibility to post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD). Abrupt dietary, environmental, and social changes during this period disrupt the intestinal barrier and microbiota, often necessitating antimicrobial use. Sustainable dietary strategies are critical to addressing these issues while reducing reliance on antimicrobials. Reducing dietary crude protein mitigates the availability of undigested proteins for pathogenic bacteria, lowering harmful byproducts like ammonia and branched-chain fatty acids, which exacerbate dysbiosis. Organic acid supplementation improves gastric acidification, nutrient absorption, and microbial balance, while also serving as an energy-efficient alternative to traditional grain preservation methods. Increasing intestinal butyrate, a key short-chain fatty acid with anti-inflammatory and gut-protective properties, is particularly promising. Butyrate strengthens intestinal barrier integrity by upregulating tight junction proteins, reduces inflammation by modulating cytokine responses, and promotes anaerobic microbial stability. Exogenous butyrate supplementation via salts provides immediate benefits, while endogenous stimulation through prebiotics (e.g., resistant starch) and probiotics promotes sustained butyrate production. These interventions selectively enhance butyrate-producing bacteria such as Roseburia and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, further stabilising the gut microbiota. Integrating these strategies can enhance gut integrity, microbial resilience, and immune responses in weaned piglets. Their combination offers a sustainable, antimicrobial-free approach to improving health and productivity in modern pig production systems.

Abstract: Poyang Lake is the largest freshwater lake in China, which boasts unique hydrological conditions and rich biodiversity. In this study, metagenomics technology was used to sequence the microbial genome of soil samples S1 (sedimentary), S2 (semi-submerged), and S3 (arid) with different water content from the Poyang Lake wetland, the results indicate that three samples have different physicochemical characteristics, their microbial community structure and functional gene distribution are also different, resulting in separate ecological functions. The abundance of typical ANME archaea Candidatus Menthanoperedens and the high abundance of mcrA in S1, mutually demonstrate the prominent role in the methane anaerobic oxidation pathway during the methane cycle. In S2, the advantageous bacterial genus Nitrospira with ammonia oxidation function is validated by a large number of nitrification functional genes (amoA, hao, nxrA), manifesting plays a monumental role in nitrification in the nitrogen cycle. In S3, the dominant bacterial genus Nocardioides confirms a multitude of antibiotic resistance genes, indicating their crucial role in resistance genes and its emphatic research value for microbial resistance issues. The results above have preliminarily proved the indicator of soil microbial communities in predicting wetland ecological functions, which will help to better develop plans for restoring ecological balance and addressing climate change.

Abstract: Herein, we report the presence of a plant paleocommunity dominated by ferns of the family Osmundaceae embedded in siliceous chert blocks from the only known Mesozoic, fossiliferous geothermal deposits, from the La Matilde Formation (Middle-Upper Jurassic), in the Deseado Massif, southern Patagonia, Argentina. A total of 13 blocks sampled in an area of approximately 250 m2, which includes multiple structurally preserved, monotypic, in-situ, rhizomatous stems of Osmundaceae, embedded within their original swampy substrate are documented. Additional Osmundaceae and other ferns, and conifers are present in chert levels adjacent to the previous blocks. This mimics similar monotypic associations of Osmundaceae in high-altitude lagoons in northeastern Argentina in the middle of the Paraná Forest, suggesting that the fern assemblage found occupied similar open spaces in the Jurassic, becoming preserved in analogous configurations. In addition, observation of the preserved fern tissues and surrounding substrate revealed a variety of interacting microorganisms, which are comparable to those that make up the microbiological communities inhabiting modern osmundaceous environments. This finding reveals a case of ecological stasis, where members of the same fern family separated by more than 150 million years formed similar exclusive groupings of individuals in microecosystems of comparable structure and general characteristics.

Abstract: The introduction of heterologous pathways into microbial cell compartments offers several potential advantages, including increasing enzyme concentrations and reducing competition with native pathways, making this approach attractive to produce complex metabolites like fatty acids and fatty alcohols. However, measuring subcellular concentrations of these metabolites remains technically challenging. Here, we explored 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), readily quantifiable and sharing the same precursors—acetyl-CoA, NADPH, and ATP—with the above-mentioned products, as a reporter metabolite for peroxisomal engineering in the yeast Komagataella phaffii. To this end, the malonyl-CoA reductase pathway for 3-HP production was targeted into the peroxisome of K. phaffii using the PTS1-tagging system, and further tested with different carbon sources. Thereafter, we used compartmentalized 3-HP production as a reporter system to showcase the impact of different strategies aimed at enhancing peroxisomal NADPH pool. Co-overexpression of genes encoding a NADPH-dependent redox shuttle from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (IDP2/IDP3) significantly increased 3-HP yields across all substrates, whereas peroxisomal targeting of the S. cerevisiae NADH kinase Pos5 failed to improve 3-HP production. This study highlights the potential of using peroxisomal 3-HP production as a biosensor for evaluating peroxisomal acetyl-CoA and NAPDH availability by simply quantifying 3-HP, demonstrating its potential for peroxisome-based metabolic engineering in yeast.

Abstract: Polyphenols are known as secondary metabolites, which are crucial bioactive compounds that enhance human health. The identification of polyphenols is generally accomplished with chromatographic methods after the food has been extracted. The extraction methods are fundamental; however, they can be used with any differences, including extractant type according to the food. Polyphenols are mostly found in some foods, including grapes, olives, cherries, and apples. Foods have divergent polyphenols, which differentiate according to the food types. Moreover, they have flavonols, flavanols, flavones, flavanones, isoflavones, and anthocyanins as various subgroups of polyphenols that can change in terms of quantity and quality with several factors, including types, growing region, germination time, and harvest season of food. The consumption of polyphenols is crucial for human health owing to their anti-cancer effect, anti-tumor effect, anti-inflammatory effect, cardiometabolic risk management, antimicrobial effect, immunomodulatory activity, and antioxidant activity. These are given attention by researchers who detect the effects of polyphenol. In the valorization of polyphenols, the consumption dose is also important to effectively benefit from the polyphenols of plant-based foods. Several in vitro and in vivo studies have tested the polyphenols’ digestion ability and preservation ability in gut microbiota and their effect on the microbiota to determine the benefits and effects of polyphenols in several areas. According to these studies, polyphenols can be used to fight against the disease. In addition, divergent applications, including encapsulation and polyphenol coating, are used to stabilize, preserve, and improve the bioaccessibility of the polyphenols. Even though polyphenol-rich foods are consumed for nutrition in daily life, they are also used as nutritional ingredients in the food industry to produce functional foods, and functional foods are enriched with food by-products to enhance their nutritional value, especially in terms of polyphenols. Polyphenols also provide the preservation ability of storage and improve the bioaccessibility of bioactive ingredients in the digestion of functional foods.

Abstract: Silicon (Si) is a well-known plant defense element, often enhancing resistance to herbivory by strengthening cell walls and deterring feeding by external herbivores. However, its impact on internal, endophytic herbivores, such as gall-inducing insects, remains underexplored. This study investigates the role of silicon in Bauhinia brevipes, focusing on its effects on herbivory by insects. We hypothesize that while silicon strengthens plant tissues and reduces feeding by external herbivores, it may have a limited effect on internal feeders, such as gall-inducing insects. Our results demonstrate that silicon accumulation in leaves significantly reduces herbivory by chewing insects but has no direct effect on the occurrence of gall-inducing insects. Silicon content in galled tissues was lower compared to healthy leaves, suggesting that gall-inducing insects may manipulate silicon distribution to mitigate its defensive effects. Our results indicate that hypersensitivity reactions were positively influenced by silicon, highlighting the role of this element in enhancing localized defense mechanisms. Our findings reveal silicon’s tissue-specific roles in plant defense, emphasizing the need for more research on its nuanced interactions with endophytic herbivores and implications for ecological applications. This research contributes to the literature on silicon's multifaceted role in plant-herbivore interactions and its potential applications in sustainable pest management.

Abstract: An actual biological problem is to identify the effect of mycorrhization by fungi of arbuscular mycorrhiza (АМ) on the metabolic profiles of plant roots at the key stages of host plant development. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of Rhizophagus irre-gularis inoculation and/or phosphorus treatment on the root metabolome of Medicago lupulina at the stages from the first leaf to the mature fruit. The assessment of metabolic profiles was performed using GC-MS. 327 metabolites were identified: 26 amino acids, 20 carboxylic acids, 14 fatty acids, 58 sugars, sterols, phenolic compounds, etc. The efficient AM is characterized with upregulation of the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, as well as an increase in the content of phosphates. The level of acids of tricar-boxylic acid cycle were generally lower during mycorrhization. For the first time, the lateral branching initiation stage was shown to have a key importance for the development of efficient AM symbiosis. 14 metabolic markers of the efficient AM symbiosis development were identified. The conclusion is that AM significantly improve plant adaptation to low Pi conditions through metabolic alterations.