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Purpose: Among all known human coronaviruses, some viruses (e.g., SARS-CoV-2) cause severe pneumonia or even death. With the regard to its spread and the importance of its rapid identification/treatment, and because pAbs are relatively cheap, able to bind to more sites on antigens and even neutralize them, this study was done for the production and purification of anti-SARS-CoV-2 polyclonal antibodies (pAb) in rats. Methods: Viral antigen purification was performed by PEG/NaCl precipitation. The efficiency of the sucrose cushion method was also investigated to produce a purer antigen. Immunization was done and antibody purification was performed by ammonium sulfate precipitation (33%), dialysis, and ion-exchange chromatography. Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were performed to verify the antibody specificity. All data were analyzed by SPSS software. Results: The results showed that the amount of concentrated virus increased with the increase of PEG concentration. Moreover, the sucrose cushion method increased its purity. Besides, induction of immune response in rats for pAb production with high titers was reached via these antigens and ELISA/western blot results indicated a suitable antibody-antigen interaction. Additionally, it was shown that ion-exchange chromatography could be a suitable technique for IgG purification. Conclusion: Herein, we presented a simple and cheap method for the purification of whole viral particles with relatively high quality. The results verified that these antigens could elicit a good immune response in the rat. The obtained pAbs showed a good specificity toward SARS-CoV-2 antigens. Accordingly, this study proposes a promising method for viral vaccine development. more...

Background & purpose: The remediation of heavy metal manganese from industrial wastewaters has always been a challenging issue for environmental experts. It has been found that different species of microalgae, including Spirulina platensis, can be used in industrial wastewater treatment to remove heavy metals. The main goal of this research is to reduce or remove the heavy metal manganese from the industrial wastewaters of factories by microalgae Spirulina platensis. Materials& Methods: In this research, 8 types of industrial wastewaters were collected from different factories and after the algae reached the logarithmic phase, they were mixed with industrial wastewaters. Then, the concentration of manganese metal, the amount of metal absorption and the percentage of microalgae cleaning efficiency were determined by atomic absorption measurement. Also, cutting enzymes were designed for nucleotide sequencing of α-phycocyanin subunit gene from Spirulina microalgae. Then Clonewin software was used to confirm the primers and the target fragment was placed in the expression vector. Findings: The results of atomic absorption evaluation showed that after exposure of spirulina to industrial wastewater for one hour, a significant decrease in the volume of the heavy metal manganese occurred. Also, the result of the α-phycocyanin subunit gene sequence showed 100% homology with the α-phycocyanin subunit gene sequence in the gene bank. Conclusion: Therefore, Spirulina platensis has the ability to absorb manganese metal in industrial wastewaters from factories, and different expression vectors can be used for homogenization and expression of alpha subunit genes. more...

Background: The use of Spirulina platensis has been expanded in various fields. The main goal of this research is to optimize the growth conditions of this microalgae to reduce costs and increase the benefits of its mass production in seawater. It is also feasible to lessen environmental pollution by producing more spirulina by discovering the best growing conditions for it through the enrichment of Persian Gulf water. Methods: First, the growth conditions of Spirulina platensis were optimized based on three factors: temperature, light, and pH. The temperature factor included four treatments, the light factor included four treatments, and the PH factor included five treatments. Also, Spirulina platensis microalgae were cultured in optimal growth conditions in Persian Gulf water, seawater enriched with 5% Zarrouk, 10% Zarrouk, with urea, and pure Zarrouk culture medium. Findings: The best temperature range for the growth of Spirulina platensis was 27–32 degrees Celsius. Also, the best growth was achieved in 16 hours of light and 8 hours of darkness; for the PH factor, the most appropriate value was determined between 10.72 and 11.47. Also, in the cultivation of Spirulina platensis, optimal conditions for the growth of Spirulina microalgae were obtained in the medium of Zarrouk, urea, 10% Zarrouk, 5% Zarrouk, and seawater, respectively. Conclusion: Therefore, the growth of Spirulina platensis in Persian Gulf water is slow and shows little performance, and by enriching this water with the mentioned factors, the microalgae enter the logarithmic phase faster and show better performance. more...