Procter & Gamble (United Kingdom)
Digital Repository of Archived Publications - Institute for Biological Research Sinisa Stankovic (RADaR)Not a member yet
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Microbial Nanocellulose as an Effective Lactonase Immobilization Matrix for Enhanced Wound Healing
No full textChronic wounds pose a significant challenge due to bacterial biofilm infections and antibiotic resistance. Quorum-quenching enzymes like lactonases offer a promising therapeutic alternative. In this study, bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is investigated as a biocompatible matrix for immobilization of YtnP lactonase, aiming to increase its efficacy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Two methods were employed: covalent cross-linking with glutaraldehyde (BNCL) and coordination with zinc ions (BNCML). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed enzyme-matrix interactions, while differential scanning calorimetry and rheological analyses confirmed the stability of the immobilized enzyme. Both BNCL and BNCML preparations retained their activity when reused ten times and showed no significant loss of function after three months at +4 °C, while the free enzyme lost over 40 % of its initial activity. In a mouse wound model infected with P. aeruginosa, treatment with BNCL reduced the number of neutrophils, NK cells, and pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages, while increasing the number of anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages, which accelerated wound closure compared to untreated controls. In contrast, BNCML had a negative effect on healing. These results highlight BNC as a stable and biocompatible matrix for the immobilization of lactonase, making BNCL a promising infection-inhibiting alternative to conventional antimicrobial therapies for the treatment of chronic wounds
Combining local monitoring data and scientific models to prioritize conservation for European ground squirrel and safeguard grassland habitats
No full textContext: Promoting grassland habitat networks within agricultural landscapes is essential for supporting biodiversity. However, the characteristics of these networks are often poorly documented, making it difficult to prioritize conservation strategies and effectively protect grassland-dependent species.
Objectives We set to identify conservation priorities for (semi)natural grasslands by assessing habitat network characteristics based on a combination of monitoring data and scientific model output for European Ground Squirrel (EGS), a keystone grassland specialist, in agricultural settings of northern Serbia.
Methods: We used the spatially explicit model, LARCH, to determine the current habitat networks and available monitoring data on presence/absence and habitat suitability together with Circuitscape to better understand the characteristics of those networks. The combination of modeling results and monitoring data was used to prioritize conservation measures for each network to support a stable and viable EGS metapopulation.
Results: We identified 15 habitat networks. Our analysis showed that two of these need no interventions, but most of them need a mix of improving habitat quality and connections within and between the networks to support local populations and the metapopulation overall.
Conclusions: Results revealed areas in which spatial adaptation measures (e.g., grassland restoration and corridor development) should be deployed to accommodate the long-term survival of EGS. It might be considered to stop conservation efforts in some abandoned networks as the network characteristics are too poor, and resources should be used to improve habitat networks that are still occupied. Our findings may guide the conservation of (semi)natural grasslands and future sustainable land-use planning in intensively farmed landscapes
Plastic Responses of Iris pumila Functional and Mechanistic Leaf Traits to Experimental Warming
No full textPhenotypic plasticity is an important adaptive strategy that enables plants to respond to environmental changes, particularly temperature fluctuations associated with global warming. In this study, the phenotypic plasticity of Iris pumila leaf traits in response to an elevated temperature (by 1 °C) was investigated under controlled experimental conditions. In particular, we investigated important functional and mechanistic leaf traits: specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), specific leaf water content (SLWC), stomatal density (SD), leaf thickness (LT), and chlorophyll content. The results revealed that an elevated temperature induced trait-specific plastic responses, with mechanistic traits exhibiting greater plasticity than functional traits, reflecting their role in short-term acclimation. SLA and SD increased at higher temperatures, promoting photosynthesis and gas exchange, while reductions in SLWC, LDMC, LT, and chlorophyll content suggest a trade-off in favor of growth and metabolic activity over structural investment. Notably, chlorophyll content exhibited the highest plasticity, emphasizing its crucial role in modulating photosynthetic efficiency under thermal stress. Correlation analyses revealed strong phenotypic integration between leaf traits, with distinct trait relationships emerging under different temperature conditions. These findings suggest that I. pumila employs both rapid physiological adjustments and longer-term structural strategies to cope with thermal stress, with mechanistic traits facilitating rapid adjustments and functional traits maintaining ecological stability
Metabolic profiling of zygotic and somatic embryos of Aesculus flava
No full textThe zygotic embryos (ZE) of Aesculus species are a rich source of health-promoting phytochemicals used in the pharmaceutical industry and traditional medicine. However, the yield of the seeds decreases due to various stresses and the seeds contain high levels of heavy metals as they are mostly collected from trees grown as ornamentals in urban environments. Plant tissue culture is a promising alternative for the production of plant specialized metabolites, thus somatic embryos (SE) could serve as a suitable source of these phytochemicals. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to establish a metabolic profile of A. flava ZE (isolated from ripe fruits) and SE at different developmental stages. The SE were obtained from embryogenic suspensions with high proliferation and SE regeneration rates. LC/MS characterisation of the ethanolic extracts revealed 117 metabolites: benzoic and cinnamic acid derivatives, flavan-3-ols, procyanidins, flavonoids and saponins. Whereas the SE at early developmental stages contained mainly flavonoids and ZE saponins, the SE at the cotyledonary stage (CSE) contained both, but also a considerable amount of flavan-3-ols and procyanidins. In addition, new saponins and aescin derivatives were detected in ZE and CSE. Thus, CSE obtained from suspension cultures are a good source of a number of valuable phytochemicals, including the most appreciated aescin derivatives. This is the first report on the metabolic profiling of A. flava ZE and SE.Book of Abstracts: 3rd Conference of COST Action CA21157: Trees for the future: Cloning and beyond; 2025 May 12-14; Coimbra, Portugal. Coimbra, Portugal: Center for Plant Ecology of the Department of Life Sciences of the University; 2025. p. 100
Optimization of Extraction Conditions for Phenolic Compounds from Potato Tubers: LC-MS Phenolic Profile as a Powerful Tool to Assess the Genotypes, Vegetation Period, and Production Systems of Potato
No full textFive different extraction methods were assessed to select an optimal procedure for extracting the phenolic antioxidants from potato tubers. Total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity were determined for each type of extraction. In total, 144 samples of four potato varieties from three production systems, over a period of three years, were analyzed. The results show that TPC and RSA tests can be used as parameters for differentiating potato parts and variety and to distinguish the samples depending on ripening time and the production system. Higher values of TPC and RSA were observed in samples from the organic cultivation system compared to integral and conventional cultivation in the same cultivar. Finally, by the employment of UHPLC-LTQ Orbitrap XL, fifty-nine phenolic compounds were identified. It was concluded that the phenolic profile is a powerful tool for confirming botanical origin, distinguishing between genotypes, and distinguishing various production systems of potato
Antioxidative and antiinflammatory effects of agmatine pretreatment on lipopolysaccharide-induced activation of murine microglial cell line
No full textMikroglija predstavlja rezidentne imunske ćelije CNS-a koje se u prisustvu štetnih signala aktiviraju u pravcu proinflamacijskog fenotipa i pokreću neuroinflamaciju. Ovu aktivaciju prati metaboličko reprogramiranje sa oksidativne fosforilacije ka aerobnoj glikolizi. Kako narušavanje regulacije mikroglijske aktivacije vodi ka njenoj hroničnoj aktivaciji koja je kroz porast inflamacijskih medijatora i oksidativnog stresa povezana sa razvojem neurodegenerativnih bolesti, cilj ove disertacije bio je ispitivanje potencijala agmatina da moduliše proinflamacijsku polarizaciju mikroglije delovanjem na njen energetski metabolizam. U BV-2 ćelijskoj liniji mikroglije pokazano je da agmatin inhibira Lps-om indukovanu PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalizaciju, čime smanjuje nivo hipoksijom indukovanog faktora-1α, ekspresiju proglikolitičkih gena i produkciju laktata. Istovremeno štiti mitohondrije očuvanjem njihovog membranskog potencijala i smanjenjem produkcije mitohondrijskog superoksida, čime ostvaruje antiapoptotski efekat u uslovima inflamacije. Uz to, povećava nivo unutarćelijskog ATP-a u kontrolnim uslovima, kao i tokom inflamacije. Agmatin suzbija nitrozativni i oksidativni stres izazvan Lps-om smanjujući aktivnost inducibilne azot-oksid-sintaze i ksantin-oksidaze, produkciju superoksida i lipidnu peroksidaciju, uz aktivaciju Nrf2 puta, povećanje sadržaja glutationa i aktivnost antioksidativnih enzima. Agmatin inhibira NF-κB čime smanjuje ekspresiju proinflamacijskih posrednika, dok povećava ekspresiju antiinflamacijskih markera, što ukazuje na repolarizaciju mikroglije prema antiinflamacijskom fenotipu. Rezultati ove studije ukazuju da agmatin moduliše metabolizam mikroglije aktivirane Lps-om, doprinoseći očuvanju redoks ravnoteže i njenoj polarizaciji prema antiinflamacijskom fenotipu.Microglia are resident immune cells of the CNS that are activated towards a proinflammatory phenotype in response to harmful signals and trigger neuroinflammation. This activation is accompanied by a metabolic reprogramming from oxidative phosphorylation to aerobic glycolysis. Since dysregulated microglial activation leads to their chronic activation, which is associated with neurodegenerative diseases through increased inflammatory mediators and oxidative stress, this dissertation aimed to investigate the potential of agmatine to modulate the proinflammatory polarisation of microglia by targeting their energy metabolism. In the BV-2 microglial cell line, agmatine inhibits Lps-induced PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling, thereby reducing levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, proglycolytic gene expression and lactate production. Agmatine protects mitochondria by preserving membrane potential and reducing mitochondrial superoxide, thereby exerting antiapoptotic effects under inflammatory conditions. In addition, agmatine increases cellular ATP levels in control conditions, as well as during inflammation. It suppresses Lps-induced nitrosative and oxidative stress by reducing inducible nitric oxide synthase and xanthine oxidase activity, superoxide production and lipid peroxidation, while activating the Nrf2 pathway and increasing glutathione levels and antioxidant enzyme activity. Agmatine inhibits NF-κB, reducing the expression of proinflammatory mediators while enhancing antiinflammatory markers, indicating microglial repolarization towards an antiinflammatory phenotype. The results of this study suggest that agmatine modulates metabolism in Lps-activated microglia, contributing to the maintenance of redox balance and their polarisation towards an antiinflammatory phenotype
Utilizing olive leaves as a rich source of multifunctional bioactive compounds to fight oxidative stress, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and cancer using in vitro, in silico, and bioinformatics techniques
No full textOlive leaves are of significant interest in traditional medicine and in the development of functional
nutraceuticals. In this study, the leaves of four olive varieties (Halhali, arbequina, gemlik, karamani) were utilized to examine and compare the chemical composition and biological activities, particularly their role in enzyme inhibition, cancer prevention, and apoptosis induction. Results showed that among the tested varieties analyzed, Gemlik (77.79 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g) and halhali (76.03 mg GAE/g) exhibited the phenolic contents while arbequina had the highest flavonoid content (36.51 mg rutin equivalent (RE)/g). Similarly, these two varieties of extracts recorded strong antioxidant activity
in several assays. Gemlik (2.70 mg galantamine equivalent (GALAE)/g) and arbequina (2.59 mg GALAE/g) demonstrated the highest acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition. The results of MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide)) assay showed arbequina provided the highest cytotoxic effect against HeLa cells (IC50 value: 60.59 μg/ml) and annexin-V/PI staining confirmed the inducing of apoptosis by arbequina in HeLa cells. In conclusion, the studied olive varieties of leaf extracts appeared to have more potential as a health supplement rich in natural antioxidants and merit further
intensive study
Agrobacterium-mediated transient overexpression and silencing of geraniolsynthase in Nepeta nuda L. seedlings
No full textMetabolome of Nepeta nuda L. is characterized by the prevalence of iridoid monoterpenoids, which are major contributors to its diverse biological
activities. One of the key enzymes involved in the iridoid biosynthesis is geraniol synthase (GES), catalyzing the conversion of geranyl pyrophosphate
to geraniol, the primary precursor of all iridoid compounds. The goal of this
study was to examine the effects of both overexpression and silencing of
GES on overall iridoid content in N. nuda seedlings. Transcriptome mining
of N. nuda identified GES coding sequence, which was subsequently cloned
into an expression vector using the Plant MoClo toolkit. The optimal segment of NnGES cds for RNAi was identified using pssRNAit online tool and
then cloned into a pRNAi-GG vector. Both constructs were transformed into
Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404, which was used for agroinfiltration of N. nuda seedlings. Leaves of transformed seedlings were collected one
week following agroinfiltration and their methanol extracts were subjected
to quantification of major iridoids by UHPLC/DAD/(±)HESI-MS2 instrument.
The results suggest that NnGES overexpression led to a significant increase
while its silencing resulted in a significant decrease of iridoid content. The
most affected metabolite in both cases was nepetanudoside A, the predominant iridoid in N. nuda seedlings. Our findings are marking NnGES as a keypoint in iridoid biosynthesis, highlighting its potential as a valuable biotechnological target for manipulating iridoid production in N. nuda.Book of abstracts: The 6th International conference on natural product utilization: from plants to pharmacy shelf; 2025 May 27-30; Bansko, Bulgaria. 2025; p. 211
Amphibians in ecotoxicology: Recent advances across diverse regions
No full textOver the past decade, amphibians have increasingly been used as model organisms to study a variety of environmental factors and contaminants, along with their effects at different developmental stages. Significant advancements, such as the standardization of research techniques, the development of specific biomarkers, and the introduction of new species for experimental purposes, have greatly enhanced the field of amphibian ecotoxicology. This review discusses recent advancements in ecotoxicological studies on amphibians, with particular emphasis on species from South America, methodological aspects, and the latest effect assessments of metals, pesticides, and other emerging pollutants (micro/nanoplastics, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products)
Redox Metabolism in Ecophysiology and Evolution, 2nd Edition
No full textThe ability of organisms to regulate the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), manage pro-oxidant activity, and make use of redox pathways has significantly influenced their evolution. Redox signaling is mediated by reactive species, redox-sensitive transcription factors, and redox-sensitive proteins, all forming an interconnected network of signaling pathways. These pathways play crucial roles in various essential processes in aerobic organisms. Furthermore, changes in oxidative status in response to unpredictable or fluctuating environmental conditions have been linked to alterations in life-history traits such as growth, reproduction, and longevity. Therefore, the plasticity of the oxidative stress response may be vital in determining whether organisms survive, adapt, or thrive in daily/seasonally changing environments