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Azurin, a small molecular weight protein produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and several gram-negative bacteria has received considerable attention because of its potential anti-parasitic, anti-viral and anti-cancer activity. In this study, 437 bp-gene of azurin was amplified and cloned from Pseudomonas aeruginosa VTCC-B-657. This gene was then inserted into the PET22b+ vector and the recombinant plasmid was introduced into Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) by chemical methods. The recombinant strain was checked by polymerase chain reaction method and sequencing analysis. Next, the recombinant azurin (r-Azu) was expressed and purified by Ni2+-ProBondTM resin column. The molecular mass of purified r-Azu was 16 kDa when determined by SDS-PAGE and was 13.88 kDa when determined by LC/MS. Interestingly, the purified r-Azu showed cytostatic activity only on breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA with IC50 of 25.4 and 29.25 μg/ml respectively) but not on normal cells. These results suggest that r-Azu would be a potential candidate for anticancer drugs and deserves further study.

In the pentose phosphate pathway, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase is an enzyme that helps red blood cells patients survive when they come into contact with oxidizing substances like oxygen, chemicals, or drugs. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency is an X-linked recessive genetic disorder brought on by gene mutations. The paper employs the formazan method to examine the prevalence of glucose -6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in persimmons and its demand among different ethnic groups in the North of Vietnam.

In this study, the consortium of filamentous fungi affecting the metal protection of 04 types of grease (GOI/VN grease, salt-tolerant grease AMC-3/VN, PVK/VN grease, Russian PVK grease) was identified. Six steel-covering grease types exhibiting protection against fungal infections were taken for fungal isolation. Seven strains of filamentous fungi were isolated, characterized by colony morphology, analysis of ITS1-5,8S-ITS2 sequences, and abilities to produce extracellular enzymes (protease, amylase, cellulase, lipase). Besides, the influence of filamentous fungi on metal protection was evaluated by measurement of rust portfolio on metal surface after degreasing by using images ImageJ v.1.51 software. Among isolated strains, 07 isolates of filamentous fungi showing varieties in morphological colonies were selected and taxonomically identified as Penicillium chermesinum, Penicillium cuddlyae with over 98% similarity of ITS1-5,8S-ITS2 sequences compared with related ones deposited on GenBank (NCBI). Of those, 02 strains (M1.1 and M4.1) were capable of producing 4 types of extracellular enzymes. When utilizing Image J software to examine the effects of fungal isolates on the protective capabilities of grease covering materials against metal corrosion, rust spots with variable densities between 1.30%-18.66% appearing on the surface of CT5 steel were found to be formed by fungal attacks. The findings in present study therefore provide a fundamental basis for the effects of fungal growth on grease decomposition at the Hoa Lac Thach That/ Ha Noi testing area and further studies on damages caused by fungi to steel-covering greases as well as corrosion of the metal surface.

Prodigiosin (Pg), a secondary metabolism produced by numerous bacterial species, is known as anticancer, antibacterial, antifungal, immunosuppressant, antioxidant, antimalarial properties. Pg has been tested for antitumor activity in many different cancer cell lines but studies in LU-1, KB cell lines, and tumor-bearing mice are still limited. In this study, Serratia marcescens QBN VTCC 910026 strain (GenBank: KX674054.1) was mutated using Ethyl Methanesulfonate (EMS) to increase the production of Pg. One strain known as EMS 5 was capable of increasing prodigiosin biosynthetic yield by 52% when compared to the wild-type strain. Red bacterial pigmented colonies containing Pg were collected from solid media, lysed with acetone, purified with toluene: ethyl acetate at a ratio of 9: 1 (v/v), and then used to evaluate the potential anticancer activity. The purity of Pg was confirmed using a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method which indicated a 98% rate. Pg chemical formula which was determined using 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectroscopy, confirmed as prodigiosin (Pg). Human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7, oropharyngeal cancer KB, and particularly lung cancer LU-1 in vitro were used to test the anticancer activity of purified Pg compound. It showed a strong inhibitory ability in all the cancer cell lines. Furthermore, the isolated Pg had capable of inhibiting tumor growth, the tumor volume decreased by 36.82%, after 28 days. The results indicated that the bacterial prodigiosin from variants Serratia marcescens QBN VTCC 910026 strain is an encouraging fragment suitable for therapeutic applications.