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Satureja montana extracts: The impact of temperature in microwave-assisted extraction
No full textAromatic plants of the Lamiaceae family are valuable food and medicinal sources due to their
antioxidant, antimicrobial, antispasmodic, expectorant, carminative, antiulcer, stimulant,
anticancer, anti-proliferative, and diuretic effects. In the present study, Satureja montana herba
was evaluated as a source of antioxidant polyphenol components, which were extracted by the
application of a microwave reactor. Microwave-assisted extraction has become a good alternative
extraction procedure in comparison to traditional techniques due to its high efficiency, faster
kinetics, and reduced extraction medium consumption. Optimization of the extraction was carried
out by varying the extraction temperature (60-200°C) in 50% ethanol, at a 1:40 solid-to-solvent
ratio for 150 s. The extraction efficiency was expressed in terms of total polyphenol content (TPC),
total flavonoid content (TFC), and DPPH radical scavenging capacity (expressed as the IC50, the
concentration of the extract requires to neutralize 50% of free radicals). The highest TPC was
recorded in the extract prepared at 160°C (1.77±0.14 mg gallic acid equivalent - GAE/g), while
the highest TFC was in the extract obtained at 180°C (0.39±0.01 mg catechin equivalent - CE/g).
Also, the level of polyphenol yield was correlated with free radical scavenging activity and the
IC50 value was the lowest (the highest antioxidant activity, 5.30±0.21 mg/mL) in the sample with
the highest TPC. This study revealed that polyphenol and flavonoid yields and antioxidant
potential of S. montana extracts were significantly affected by the temperature in the microwaveassisted
extraction.BeCELS 2025: Belgrade Conference for Early-Career Life Scientists, taking place on Friday, September 5, 2025, at the Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering (IMGGE) in Belgrad
Agmatine modulates metabolism and redox status in Lps-stimulated BV-2 microglia
No full textMicroglia, the resident immune cells of the central nervous system, adopt a pro-inflammatory
phenotype in response to harmful stimuli, promoting neuroinflammation. This process involves
metabolic reprogramming from oxidative phosphorylation to aerobic glycolysis, and its
dysregulation is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and increased
production of pro-inflammatory mediators, contributing to the pathology of neurodegenerative
diseases. In this study, we investigated the potential of agmatine to modulate inflammationinduced
metabolic and oxidative disturbances in murine BV-2 microglial cells stimulated with
lipopolysaccharide (Lps) as an in vitro model of neuroinflammation. Gene and protein expression
analyses, measurements of lactate release, ATP levels, mitochondrial membrane potential and
superoxide production, as well as tests for oxidative and nitrosative stress, were performed. Lps
induced glycolytic shift via PI3K/Akt/mTOR/HIF-1α signalling, impaired mitochondrial function,
and increased oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokine release. Agmatine suppressed
mTOR/HIF-1α signalling, reduced lactate and pro-inflammatory mediators production, and
preserved mitochondrial function. Agmatine increased intracellular ATP under both control and
inflammatory conditions, decreased inducible nitric oxide synthase and xanthine oxidase activity,
reduced superoxide production and lipid peroxidation, and enhanced antioxidant defence through
Nrf2 activation, glutathione upregulation, and increased antioxidant enzyme activity. These effects
were accompanied by decreased NF-κB activity and a phenotypic shift towards an antiinflammatory
state, characterised by increased expression of anti -inflammatory markers arginase
1, mannose receptor, and heme oxygenase-1 and decreased release of pro-inflammatory cytokines
tumour necrosis factor, interleukin-1β, and interleukin-6. These results suggest that agmatine
modulates microglial metabolism and redox status in Lps-stimulated cells, promoting their
polarisation towards an anti-inflammatory phenotype.BeCELS 2025: Belgrade Conference for Early-Career Life Scientists, taking place on Friday, September 5, 2025, at the Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering (IMGGE) in Belgrad
Production and characterization of a LEA4 protein from the resurrection plant Ramonda serbica Panč.
No full textRamonda serbica Panč., an ancient resurrection plant, exhibits remarkable tolerance to prolonged
desiccation and ability to reestablish metabolic activity shortly upon rehydration. A crucial
component of this desiccation tolerance is the accumulation of protective late embryogenesis
abundant proteins (LEAPs). These intrinsically disordered proteins are thought to play a key role
during dehydration by preserving the native conformations of cellular proteins and membranes.
Comparative transcriptomic and proteomic studies have identified LEA4 family proteins as the
predominant group of desiccation-responsive LEAPs.
A member of the LEA4 protein family group – RsLEA305 labeled with His-tag was recombinantly
produced in E. coli BL21(DE3) and purified using immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography.
The sequence of the protein was validated by Western blot and mass spectrometry. Purified
LEA305 was structurally characterized using circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD) and dynamic
light scattering was used to determine hydrodynamic radius. CD analysis was performed under
different conditions including various pH levels to simulate the environments of diverse
organelles, in the presence of lipid mimetic detergent (SDS) to simulate interaction with the
membrane and in the presence of 2,2,2-Trifluoroethanol (TFE) to imitate the conditions of
desiccation. CD analysis revealed that RsLEA305 is mostly disordered under physiological
conditions and at different pH levels, but adapts an α-helical structure in the presence of SDS and
TFE. This structure changes validate the assumption that the protein undergoes conformational
rearrangements under dehydration, facilitating its protective functions in the plant cell.BeCELS 2025: Belgrade Conference for Early-Career Life Scientists, taking place on Friday, September 5, 2025, at the Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering (IMGGE) in Belgrad
The potential of using sludge from wastewater treatment plants in agriculture and construction sector
No full textThe use of artifical fertilizers in agriculture is an integral part of the modern world, which leads to
dependence on non-renewable sources of resources. Also, the increase in demand for construction
materials requires finding new renewable sources. Sludge is produced in wastewater treatment
plants as a by-product, and the main components of sludge are organic matter, macronutrients (N,
P, K), micronutrients (Fe, Zn, Cu), which makes it suitable for use in agriculture. However, in
addition t-o useful components, sludge can contain heavy metals, bacteria, pathogens, and other
residues that can contaminate the soil, which would have a negative impact on the environment.
In order for the sludge to be safely applied, it is necessary to stabilize it. One of the technologies
is anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digestion of sludge is a process in which organic matter is
converted into simple soluble compounds, while removing heavy metals and pathogens from
sludge in the absence of oxygen. The final product is biogas that can be used at the plant or for
other purposes, thus strengthening the energy sector. Additionally, sewage sludge ash is produced
by the incineration of sludge. The major components of sewage sludge ash are SiO2, CaO, Al2O3,
P2O5, Fe2O3. It also shows pozzolanic activity, which makes it suitable for use in cement -based
materials. Sewage sludge ash is rich in phosphorus, which can be extracted in the form of artificial
fertilizer struvite. The recuperation of nutrients and the application of sludge is in accordance with
the principles of the circular economy.BeCELS 2025: Belgrade Conference for Early-Career Life Scientists, taking place on Friday, September 5, 2025, at the Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering (IMGGE) in Belgrad
Degradation of Synthetic and Natural Textile Materials Using Streptomyces Strains: Model Compost and Genome Exploration for Potential Plastic-Degrading Enzymes
No full textThe files in this dataset are related to the study exploring the biodegradation potential of
selected Streptomyces strains, on synthetic and natural textile materials in model compost. The tested
synthetic materials are polyamide (PA), and polyamide-polyurethane blend (PA-PU), and the natural
material is cotton (CO). The best candidate for PA and PA-PU is Streptomyces sp. BPS43, which showed
increased degradation after 12 months in augmented compost, compared to the nonaugmented
control. The best candidate for CO material is Streptomyces sp.NP10, which showed increased
degradation after 60 days in augmented compost. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)
spectra presented show the changes in the chemical structures of the materials, after the degradation.
FTIR spectra of CO showcased substantial disintegration, confirmed by the decrease and absence of
characteristic peaks. FTIR spectra of PA remained unchanged after 12 months, which could be explained
by a small weight loss detected for the material, while FTIR spectra of PA-PU did show a small decrease
in characteristic peaks. Genome analysis confirmed that the Streptomyces sp. BPS43 is a good candidate
with 6 polyamides and 8 polyurethanases. Overall, all the results highlighted show the perspective of
Streptomyces genus in aiding the degradation of both synthetic and natural textiles.readme.txt (6.229Kb)***Dataset contents*** CO FTIR spectra.png (7.124Mb)
FTIR CO-Control.csv (93.65Kb)
FTIR CO-Model Compost.csv (93.65Kb)
FTIR CO-NP10.csv (93.65Kb)
FTIR PA_PU-BPS43.csv (93.63Kb)
FTIR PA_PU-Control.csv (93.65Kb)
FTIR PA_PU-Control.csv (93.65Kb)
FTIR PA_PU-Model Compost.csv (100.9Kb)
FTIR PA-BPS43.csv (100.9Kb)
FTIR PA-Control.csv (100.9Kb)
FTIR PA-Model Compost.csv (100.9Kb)
PA_PA-PU FTIR spectra.png (7.192Mb)File readme.txt (6.229KbKb) is under licence public domain CC0Dataset for: Janković, V., Pantelić, B., Ponjavić, M., Marković, D., Radetić, M., Nikodinović-Runić, J.,& Ilić-Tomić, T.. (2025). Degradation of Synthetic and Natural Textile Materials Using Streptomyces Strains: Model Compost and Genome Exploration for Potential Plastic-Degrading Enzymes. in Microorganisms
MDPI., 13(8), 1800.[ https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13081800
ASSESSMENT OF ACUTE EXPOSURE TO ENERGY DRINKS AND THEIR MAJOR COMPOUNDS (CAFFEINE AND TAURINE) ON FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF NT2- DERIVED NEURONS AND ASTROCYTES
No full textIn recent years, energy drink consumption has notably increased among children and youth, with a
growing trend of their combined use with alcohol. Studying the effects of those drinks on neural cells in
vitro is a crucial step before considering their potential impact on the human brain. Retinoic acid-induced
neural differentiation of pluripotent embryonal carcinoma NT2/D1 cells represents a valuable model of
human in vitro neurogenesis, widely used for neurotoxicity studies on terminally differentiated NT2-
derived neurons (NT2-N) and astrocytes (NT2-A). In this study, we investigated the effects of acute
exposure to energy drinks and their major compounds—caffeine and taurine—with and without ethanol
on the mature human neurons and astrocytes. Our results showed that NT2-N cells were more sensitive
to acute treatment than NT2/A, observed as a slight reduction in cell viability following combined
treatment with caffeine and taurine, as well as with an energy drink. In contrast, NT2-A viability remained
unaffected by all treatments. Furthermore, all treatments led to elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS)
levels in NT2-A, whereas NT2-N showed a differential response: caffeine and taurine (with and without
ethanol) increased ROS production, while energy drinks (with and without ethanol) reduced ROS levels.
Analysis of glutamate transporters (EAAT2 and EAAT1) expression patterns revealed that all
treatments—except for energy drink combined with ethanol—significantly downregulated expression of
these transporters in NT2-A. Intracellular glutamate levels remained unchanged across all treatment
conditions. These findings emphasize how different types of human neural cells uniquely respond to
acute exposure to energy drinks and their key compounds. Further research should focus on testing the
effects of acute treatment in a co-culture system of neurons and astrocytes to better understand their
responses and potential synergistic interactions.4TH CONGRESS OF GENETICISTS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA WITH
INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION
2ND - 4TH OCTOBER 2025, BANJA LUKA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVIN
Analysis of COMT-211 and AMPD3-206 transcripts in lung cancer
No full textBackground: Lung cancer (LC) is often diagnosed at advanced stages, and there is an urgent need to develop new
tools for early disease detection and management strategies. Recent pan-cancer transcriptome analysis has revealed
increased expression of COMT-211 and AMPD3-206 transcripts in malignant compared to non-malignant lung tissue.
This study aimed to analyze the expression of COMT-211 and AMPD3-206 in LC using in silico and in vitro approaches
to evaluate their potential as biomarkers for disease detection.
Material and Methods: The coding potential, subcellular localization, and secondary structure of the transcripts were
predicted using available online tools. The UCSC Xena Browser platform was utilized to compare transcript expression
levels between malignant and non-malignant lung tissue samples, incorporating data from the GTEx and TCGA datasets.
Relative expression levels of COMT-211 and AMPD3-206 were quantified by qRT-PCR in the following lung cell lines:
malignant A549 and CRL2066, and non-malignant BEAS-2B.
Results: COMT-211 and AMPD3-206 were predicted to be non-coding transcripts (with coding probabilities of 3.5%
and 39.1%, respectively), predominantly localized in the cytoplasm, with COMT-211 showing a more stable secondary
structure than AMPD3. The results from the Xena Browser platform indicated a significantly increased expression of
both transcripts in primary tumor tissues compared to adjacent non-tumor tissues of patients with LC, as well as to
normal lung tissues of healthy individuals. While the expression of AMPD3-206 was similar between adjacent nontumor
tissues of patients with LC and lung tissues of healthy individuals, a significant increase in the expression of
COMT-211 was observed in adjacent non-tumor tissues of patients with LC. Although COMT-211 was detected in all
analyzed lung cell lines, its expression was extremely low. In contrast, the expression of AMPD3-206 was higher, but no
significant differences were observed between the cell lines (p>0.05).
Conclusions: COMT-211 and AMPD3-206 transcripts may represent long non-coding RNAs. The upregulation of COMT-
211 in both tumor and adjacent non-tumor tissues, along with its structural stability, suggests its potential as an early
marker of tumor-associated changes or the tumor microenvironment. In contrast, AMPD3-206 shows expression
patterns consistent with a tumor-cell origin. Further studies are needed to clarify their origin and biomarker potential
in lung cancer
POLYGENIC RISK SCORE AND GENETIC MARKERS IN ALCOHOL-RELATED CIRRHOSIS
No full textPurpose: A minority of excess alcohol drinkers
develop cirrhosis. Variants in patatin-like
phospholipase domain-containing protein 3 gene
(PNPLA3) and transmembrane 6 superfamily
member 2 gene (TM6SF2) were previously
identified as associated with alcohol-related
cirrhosis (ALC). Aim of our study was to analyse
variants in PNPLA3 and TM6SF2 genes and to
develop and assess polygenic risk scores (PRS)
for early risk stratification of excess alcohol
drinkers at the most significant risk of developing
ALC.
Methods: We enrolled 118 patients with ALC
and 131 control subjects who were either
abstainers or consumers of low levels of alcohol
without evidence of liver disease. Genotyping
was performed using PCR-RFLP and PRS based
on independent allelic effect size estimates were computed from genotyped genetic loci and
compared across the groups.
Summary of results: The development of ALC
was associated with CG and GG PNPLA3
genotypes (P<0.001) and CT genotype of
TM6SF2 (P=0.007). Patients with cirrhosis had
significantly higher mean PRS than controls
(0.32 vs. 0.167, adjusted p =1.8e-07). The odds
ratios (ORs) and (95% CIs) between the group
with the highest PRS score compared with the
reference group were 6.707; 3.313-13.581,
P<0.001. In ALC patients the PNPLA3 rs738409
and TM6SF2 rs58542926 variants were
associated with an increased risk for ALC
development. Additionally, PRS derived from
these two variants facilitates risk stratification
and may support earlier clinical interventions.Book of abstract: 15th Balkan congress of human genetics and 3rd Alpe Adria meeting of human genetics, 9 - 11 October 2025, Rikli Balance Hotel ,Bled, Sloveni
Beneficial interaction of Paraburkholderia phytofirmans PsJN with Arabidopsis thaliana: macro effects and communication on a nanoscale
No full textFungal pathogens are major contributors to crop yield losses, posing a serious threat to global
agriculture. Beneficial microbes offer a sustainable, eco-friendly solution.
The ability of Paraburkholderia phytofirmans PsJN to attenuate Botrytis cinerea disease
symptoms in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves was tested and confirmed in plants grown either in
soil or in hydroponic
gene expression associated to stress responses, particularly those in the ethylene signaling
pathway. Before infection, PsJN triggered changes in gene expression related to abiotic stress,
plant-microbe interactions, and induced systemic resistance (ISR). In the roots, it suppressed
genes linked to immune signaling, likely to facilitate colonization and mutualism. In contrast,
the expression of defense-related genes, including ethylene-related genes, was elevated in the
resistance to future pathogen attacks.
The interaction between plants and the associated bacteria is multifaceted, and one of the
emerging but still poorly understood players in this interkingdom communication are
extracellular vesicles (EVs). To investigate the interaction of outer membrane vesicles
(OMVs), EVs produced by Gram-negative bacteria, with plant cells, we isolated OMVs
produced by P. phytofirmans PsJN and monitored their interaction with A. thaliana roots.
Using OMVs labelled with a fluorescent lipid binding dye and confocal laser scanning
microscopy (CLMS), we showed that PsJN-OMVs interact directly with the root hairs and
epidermal cells of A. thaliana. Given the essential role of root hairs in nutrient absorption and
microbial interactions, further research is necessary to understand how OMVs may help plants
to distinguish between beneficial and pathogenic bacteria and to form mutualistic relationships.Book of abstract: 6th Plant Microbiome Symposium, Hotel Antequera, in Antequera, Spain, 3-7 of November 202
Uporedna analiza bioloških aktivnosti divljih i kultivisanih biljaka vrste Helichrysum italicum
No full textVrsta Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don (Compositae), smilje, visoko je cijenjena biljka u
tradicionalnoj medicini Balkana, gdje se koristi u obliku čajeva, tinktura i melema za liječenje
kožnih oboljenja, rana, respiratornih i probavnih tegoba, te upala. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je
uporedno ispitivanje antioksidativnih, antidijabetičkih i antiinflamatornih svojstava lista i
nadzemnog dijela u fazi cvijetanja divljih i kultivisanih biljaka vrste H. italicum, kao i
određivanje koncentracije ukupnih fenolnih jedinjenja. Antioksidativna aktivnost etanolnih
ekstrakata određena je spektrofotometrijskim metodama zasnovanim na sposobnosti doniranja
elektrona i redukciji metala, antidijabetička kao sposobnost inhibicije aktivnosti α-amilaze i α-
glukozidaze, a antiinflamatorna kao sposobnost inhibicije denaturacije proteina. Etanolni
ekstrakti divljih biljaka vrste H. italicum sadržavali su znatno veću koncentraciju fenolnih
jedinjenja u listu (746 ± 9 mg/gDW) i nadzemnom dijelu (513 ± 8 mg/gDW) u odnosu na
kultivisane biljke. Uzorci divljih biljaka pokazali su veći ukupni antioksidativni kapacitet, kao
i izraženiju antidijabetičku i antiinflamatornu aktivnost, dok je sposobnost redukcije prelaznih
metala bila slična kod obje grupe. Intenzivnija sinteza fenolnih jedinjenja kod H. italicum iz
prirodnih staništa doprinosi jačoj biološkoj aktivnosti te ukazuje na moguću primjenu u
fitoterapiji.Zbornik sažetaka: V simpozijum biologa i ekologa Republike
Srpske sa međunarodnim učešćem - SBERS 2025 Prirodnomatematički
fakultet, Univerzitet u Banjoj Luci, 13-15. novembar
202