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The oral antimicrobial and cytotoxic properties of green synthesized novel titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO 2 NPs) using Iranian propolis extracts were investigated on oral bacteria and fibroblast cells. In this study, propolis was sampled, and alcoholic extracts were prepared. The TiO 2 NPs were biosynthesized using propolis extracts. The synthesized TiO 2 NPs were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction analysis, energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic light scattering, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), transmission electron microscope, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, and zeta potential. MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide), minimal inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal concentration, minimum fungicidal concentration, biofilm formation, and degradation tests were studied to clarify the oral antimicrobial properties of green synthesized TiO 2  NPs. According to the FTIR analysis, the propolis extract contained flavonoids and phenolic compounds in addition to TiO 2 NPs. Additionally, UV-Vis revealed that intense bands had formed NPs. EDX spectra and SEM images revealed that the stabilizing agent was in perfect quasi-spherical shapes around 21 nm. An EDX spectrum was used to verify the presence of titanium and oxygen. There were no significant cytotoxicity effects. The antibacterial results showed that Pro1TiO 2 (Khalkhal sample) had better effects than Pro2TiO 2 (Gilan sample) and TiO 2 NPs. The present study presents a new process for synthesizing TiO 2 NPs from propolis extracts with less toxic effects and user-friendly, eco-friendly, and economical materials. Pro1TiO 2 NPs may be considered the best candidate for clinical application., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The halophilic microorganisms living in extreme environments contain high concentrations of carotenoids with notable medical abilities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anticancer effect of carotenoids extracted from native Iranian halophilic microorganisms with the ability to inhibit breast cancer cell line. To begin the study, 40 halophilic strains were cultured, and 8 strains capable of producing pigmented colonies were chosen from those cultured strains. In the next step, from among 8 strains using MTT assay, 1 capable of reducing cell viability of the breast cancer MCF-7 cell line was chosen as a selective strain. The principal carotenoid was characterized using UV-visible, FT-IR spectroscopic, and LC-MASS analyses. Using real time PCR technique, the expression of genes specific for apoptosis, in the presence or absence of carotenoid, was examined. Among all strains, carotenoid extracted from strain A15 had the most potent cytotoxic effect on breast cancer cell line (IC 50  = 0.0645 mg/mL). 16S rRNA gene analysis showed that strain A15 had similarity with Haloarcula hispanica for about 99.5%. According to the analysis results, it could be estimated that the principal carotenoid extracted form Haloarcula sp. A15 was similar to bacterioruberin. Both early and late apoptosis were increased significantly about 10% and 39%, respectively, due to upregulation of CASP3, CASP8, BAX genes expression in MCF-7 cell line. In contrast, the expression of genes MKI67, SOX2 were significantly downregulated in treated MCF-7 cell line. The results of this study showed that Halophilic archaeon strain could be a good candidate for the production of high added-value bacterioruberin due to its possible anticancer properties., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Medicinal mushrooms belonging to Lentinus spp. exhibit significant antibacterial activities, but little attention has been paid to their efficacy against the food-borne pathogen, Bacillus cereus. The present study for the first time quantitatively evaluated the antibacterial activity of different extracts from fruiting bodies of a well-authenticated Iranian native strain of medicinal mushroom, Lentinus tigrinus, against Gram-positive spore-forming bacterium B. cereus. The findings revealed that the acetone extract inhibited the growth of B. cereus at concentrations as low as 31.25 μg/ML, while it had no effect against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus even at 10,000 μg/ML. The rest of the bacteria were also susceptible to the acetone extract at concentrations greater than 5 mg/ML. Antibacterial activities of the methanol-ethyl acetate extract and the hot water extract were significantly weaker than that of the acetone extract, which contained high amounts of total phenols (5.83 ± 0.08 mg GAE/g, dw), while Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) confirmed the presence of functional groups, such as hydroxyl, carbonyl, amide, and amine. Further studies by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed obvious changes in the morphology of B. cereus in response to the acetone extract of L. tigrinus. This study may suggest that L. tigrinus could be a good natural source for isolating and purifying antibacterial compounds against B. cereus.

Given the important ecological role of estuaries and implications of microplastics (MPs) in ecosystems, we assessed the occurrence, abundance, size, and polymer types of MPs present in the sediments of the Qarasu estuary in 2019. MPs were extracted from sediments by density separation, after which they were detected under a stereomicroscope and considered according to shape, size and color. Identification was implemented using Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The abundance and size of MPs in the samples ranged between 40 and 460 particles/kg and 200-5000 μm, respectively. The dominant shape of MPs was fiber (72%), followed by fragment (26%) and film (2%). Black and white were the most abundant colors with 48% and 29%, respectively. In total, 4 MPs polymers including polypropylene (33%), polyethylene (24%), polyamide (21%), and polystyrene (14%) were identified. Results from PCA showed that stations with a high abundance of microplastics had a significant correlation with the amount of clay., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study investigated the removal of an organic drug called ibuprofen from the wastewater containing this drug. Iron oxide supported on modified Iranian clinoptilolite was used as the photocatalyst in the presence of the light of a solar lamp. XRD, SEM, EDAX, and FT-IR analyses were performed to detect the prepared photocatalyst. The results of photocatalytic identification analyses proved the suitable loading of iron oxide supported on modified Iranian clinoptilolite. This study investigated the effect of initial concentration of ibuprofen (5-25 mg/L), photocatalyst concentration (100-300 mg/L), and process time (10-240 min) on the removal from ibuprofen from wastewater containing this drug. The experiments were performed in a setup in the presence of a solar lamp with a flux of 300 W/m 2 . The results indicated that with the initial ibuprofen concentration of 25 mg/L, photocatalyst concentration of 300 mg/L, and time of 210 min, the highest percentage of ibuprofen removal and ibuprofen adsorbed on the catalyst were 99.80% and 83.17 mg/g, respectively. Kinetic modeling was then performed using the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model, and a quasi-first-order kinetic model showed a good agreement with the results obtained. Finally, the recovery of the photocatalyst was investigated, and the results showed that under optimal conditions about 91% of ibuprofen was removed after five re-uses of the photocatalyst., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

This investigation was aimed to identify microplastics in the sediment and mudskipper fish (Periophthalmus waltoni) in mangrove forests in southern Iran. Sediments and mudskipper samples were collected at high, mid, and low tidal points of five stations. A total of 2657 plastic particles in different size, color, shape, and genera were identified from sediment samples and 15 microplastic were isolated from mudskippers. The highest and lowest abundance of isolated microplastics from sediments was observed in mangrove forests of Bidkhoun (urban area) and Bordkhon, respectively while no microplastics were found in the fish tissue in those stations. The black (60%) and white (7%) color microplastics in the mudskipper had the highest and the lowest frequency. The highest and lowest polymers in mangrove forest sediments were corresponded to polystyrene (26%) and polycarbonate (3%), respectively. Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques were used to identify the type of the polymer. Most of the microplastics found were made of polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate. The type of studied area and texture of sediment separately affected the frequency of microplastic and mesoplastic (P-value <0.05) in the sediment samples. The abundance of microplastics in the sediment samples of the Bidkhoun mangrove forest was higher than other studied stations due to proximity to urban and industrial areas. The findings of this study raised concerns about microplastic pollution in the mangrove forests of southern Iran, a threat to the ecosystem and public health, which requires careful actions to prevent and diminish its adverse effects., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Frequency, distribution, color, and types of microplastics (<5 mm) in water and sediment of Chabahar Bay in southeastern Iran was investigated in 10 stations. Density of microplastics in water samples was between 86 and 362 particles/L (average density 218 ± 17 particle/L). In the sediment, microplastic density was between 112 and 468 particles/L (average density of 262 ± 17 particle/kg). The highest concentrations of microplastics were in stations adjacent to urban, commercial, recreational, and fishing sites. The most abundant forms in surface water and sediment were fragments (42.34%) and fibers (32.22%). Highest frequency colors were black, transparent, and white, respectively. A fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer was used to determine micro plastic composition. Polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate and nylon were detected. Polyethylene, a common packaging material made up 38% of the total polymers. Polyethylene terephthalate, used in clothing, liquid and food containers was found at 29% of the total microplastics., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Microplastic particles (<5 mm), which are an emerging threat, are commonly found in marine ecosystems worldwide. This study investigated the effect of different types of coastal land use on microplastic frequency and distribution on the coastline of Bandar Abbas city; this study used a large sample compared to that used in other studies conducted in this region. The average number of microplastics was determined as 3252 ± 2766 microplastics/m 2 (±SD). ATR FT-IR spectroscopy showed that the dominant microplastic particles are expanded polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, and polyethylene. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference in microplastic contamination levels between the urban and nonuse beaches. This shows that heavily urbanized areas and human activities have significant effects on the dispersion and frequency of microplastics in the coastal areas of Bandar Abbas. Periodical coast-based cleanup and studies on microplastic pollution and their fluxes by comprehensive sampling are mostly recommended for the Persian Gulf coastline., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Current study aimed to evaluate the microplastics abundance in the surface waters of Chabahar Bay for the first time. 21 neuston net water samples were collected from 7 stations. Microplastics were visually counted by stereomicroscope, sorted into 4 size categories, 4 shape categories, and identified by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Density of microplastics varied from 0.07 ± 0.03 to 1.14 ± 0.27 with an average density of 0.49 ± 0.43 particle·m -3 . Microplastics were mostly found in the shape of fibers. 69% of analyzed particles were polyethylene and polypropylene. Main colors of the collected microplastics were white, blue and red. The results showed that the largest number of microplastics was found at station near populated area. Therefore, it can be concluded that, there is a pressing-need to investigate the distribution of microplastics in sediments and biota of this Bay as well as their effects on marine life and human health., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Natural clinoptilolite tuff was mechanically converted to micro (MCP) and nano (NCP) particles. The MCP and NCP powders were respectively modified with hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (HDTMA) and dithizone (DTZ). The raw and modified samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformation infra red (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and thermogravimetry (TG) and used for the removal of Pb(II) from aqueous solution. The results confirm that both ion exchange and complexation processes are responsible for removal of Pb(II) cations in the modified samples, while Pb(II) cations were only removed via an ion exchange process by the raw clinoptilolite. In this sorbent, the anionic removal property of surfactant modified zeolites (SMZs) changed to cationic removal property by an additional modification step. The best removal efficiency was observed by NCP-HDTMA-DTZ at the following experimental conditions: C(Pb(II)): 800 mg L(-1), HDTMA dosage: 0.2 mol L(-1), DTZ dosage: 5 mmol L(-1), contact time of DTZ with NCP-HDTMA: 1800 min and contact time of the sorbent with Pb(II): 360 min. The NCP-HDTMA-DTZ sorbent showed good efficiency for the removal of lead in the presence of different multivalent cations. Adsorption isotherms of Pb(II) ions obey the Langmuir equation that indicate the monolayer sorption of Pb(II). The adsorption kinetics based on the pseudo-second-order rate equation indicates that the rate limiting step involving a chemical reaction. The negative ΔH and ΔG indicate an exothermic and spontaneous process., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Acinetobacter baumannii is an important source of infections in intensive care units (ICUs) of our hospitals in Kerman, Iran and the most frequently isolated strains produce biofilm. There is a little information about role of iron (Fe) levels on acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) production and biofilm formation in this microorganism. In the present study, we investigated the influence of iron-III limitation on AHL, siderophore, catechol and virulence factors in the biofilm forming clinical strains of A. baumannii. A total of 65 non-duplicated multidrug resistance (MDR) strains of A. baumannii were isolated from patients in ICUs of 2 hospitals in Kerman, Iran. Antibiotic susceptibility, siderophore and other iron chelators, hemolysis, cell twitching motility, capsule, gelatinase and DNase were studied. Presence of quorum sensing, LuxI and LuxR genes was detected by multiplex-PCR. AHL activity quantified by colorimetric method and the functional groups were determined by Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FT-IR). Biofilm formation was detected by microtiter plate technique. All of the isolates were resistant to third generation of cephalosporins, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, tetracycline, whereas, 78% and 81% were resistant to amikacin and carbapenems, respectively. The siderophore activity was highest at 20 μM Fe(3+) (70%); however, it decreased to 45% as concentration of Fe(3+) increased to 80 μM. Furthermore, screening of the isolates for LuxI and LuxR genes showed that presence of both genes required in the isolates with high AHL activity. FT-IR analysis indicated C=O bond of the lactone ring and primary amides. Significantly, a higher amount of AHL (70%) was detected in the presence of low concentration of iron-III (20 μM); as iron concentration increased to 80 μM, the AHL activity was reduced to 40% (P ≤ 0.05). All the isolates exhibited twitching motility and had a capsule. No any gelatinase or DNase activity was detected. Quantification of the biofilm formation introduced 23 isolates with efficient attachment to microplate wells and strong biofilm. We found that both the AHL production and biofilm formation were regulated by iron concentration in a dose dependent manner. These findings provide evidence that iron limitation plays an important regulatory role in AHL and siderophore production resulting in strong or weak biofilm, thereby helping the organism to persist in less available micronutrient environment.

The present study deals with isolation and characterization of copper oxide nanoparticles resistant Pseudomonas strains that were isolated from the soil collected from mining and refining sites of Sarcheshmeh copper mine in the Kerman Province of Iran. The three isolates were selected based on high level of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) resistance. The isolates were authentically identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens CuO-1, Pseudomonas fluorescens CuO-2 and Pseudomonas sp. CuO-3 by morphological, biochemical and 16S rDNA gene sequencing analysis. The growth pattern of these isolates with all the studied CuO NPs concentrations was similar to that of control (without CuO NPs) indicating that CuO NPs would not affect the growth of isolated strains. A reduction in the amount of exopolysaccharides was observed after CuO NPs-P. fluorescens CuO-1 culture supernatant interaction. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) peaks for the exopolysaccharides extracted from the bacterial culture supernatant and the interacted CuO NPs were almost similar. The exopolysaccharide capping of the CuO NPs was confirmed by FT-IR and X-ray diffraction analysis. The study of bacterial exopolysaccharides capped CuO NPs with E. coli PTCC 1338 and S. aureus PTCC 1113 showed less toxicity compared to uncoated CuO NPs. Our study suggests that the capping of nanoparticles by bacterially produced exopolysaccharides serve as the probable mechanism of tolerance.

In this work an Iranian natural clinoptilolite tuff was pre-treated and changed to the micro (MCP) and nano (NCP) particles by mechanical method. Modification of micro and nano particles and also their Ni-exchanged forms were done by dimethylglyoxime (DMG). The raw and modified samples were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, BET, TG-DTG and energy dispersive analysis X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX). Removal of Ni(II) by modified and unmodified samples was investigated in batch procedure. It was found that NCP-DMG has higher capacity for removal of Ni(II). The effects of analytical parameters such as pH, dose of DMG, concentration of nickel solution, contact time and selectivity were studied and the optimal operation parameters were found as follows: pHPZC: 7.6, CNi(II): 0.01 M, contact time: 360 min and DMG dosage: 5mM. The results of selectivity experiments showed that the modified zeolite has a good selectivity for nickel in the presence of different multivalent cations. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were adopted to describe the adsorption isotherms. Adsorption isotherms of Ni(II) ions could be best modelled by Langmuir equation, that indicate the monolayer sorption of Ni(II). Comparison of two kinetic models indicates that the adsorption kinetic can be well described by the pseudo-second-order rate equation that indicates that the rate limiting step for the process involves chemical reaction. The negative ΔH and ΔG indicate an exothermic and spontaneously process. The negative ΔS indicates that the adsorption of nickel cations from solution occurs with lower amount ion replacement, thus chemisorptions due to complex formation are dominant process in nickel removal., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Molecular structures in feed protein influence its digestive behavior, availability and utilization. From a nutritive point of view, stage of maturity and cutting time are important factors affecting nutrient profiles and availability of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) hay in ruminants. The objectives of this study were to determine protein molecular structures by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and their relationship with nutrient profiles and availability in ruminants of alfalfa hay cut at early bud, late bud and early flower stages and in afternoon and morning., Results: With advancing maturity, molecular structure ratios of α-helix:β-sheets decreased, while amide I:amide II increased (P ≤ 0.05). Alfalfa cutting in afternoon versus morning increased protein structure α-helix:β-sheets and α-helix:others ratios (P < 0.05) and tended to decrease the proportion of β-sheets (P = 0.09). Positive correlations were found for α-helix:β-sheet ratio (R ≥ 0.60; P < 0.05) with intermediately degradable protein (PB2) and ruminal degradability and intestinal protein supply, and all these parameters correlated negatively with amide I:amide II ratio (R ≤ -0.62; P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Protein molecular structures in alfalfa hay changed with advancing maturity and during the day and these protein structures affected predicted nutrient availability of alfalfa hay in ruminants., (© 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Rice husk (RH) is a very effective natural adsorbent for fast removal of heavy metal cations from water solutions. Application of RH for removal of some heavy metal ions, such as Ni, Zn, Mn, Co, Cu, Pb and Cd from water solutions has been studied and different maximum adsorption capacities and a variety of optimized conditions were reported in the literature. In this work, the efficiency of RH harvested from different climatic regions was studied. For this proposal, different RH samples were collected from three different climatic regions of Iran (nominated as RH1 to RH3); their removal efficiencies of heavy metal cations of Ni(2+), Cu(2+) and Cd(2+) were investigated and compared. The adsorption data at optimum conditions could be assessed well by both Langmuir and Freundlich models. Statistical analysis of the results of adsorption isotherms showed that different RH samples have different efficiencies in uptake of these heavy metal ions. The RH samples were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Boehm titration, which indicated that amounts of functional groups differed between RHs that are grown in different climatic conditions.

The aim of this study is to isolate and characterize (226)Ra biosorbing indigenous bacterial strains from soils and hot-springs containing high concentrations of (226)Ra by using biochemical and molecular approaches. Fifteen bacteria were isolated and their phylogenetic affiliations were determined based on their 16S rRNA gene and the two most relevant hypervariable regions of this gene; V3 and V6 analysis. A pigmented Serratia sp. ZF03 strain isolated from the water with (226)Ra content of 50471 mBq l(-1), caused 70% removal of (226)Ra at a radioactivity level of 50 Bq ml(-1), after 5 min and 75-80% in equilibrium time of 1 h, depending on the particular biosorption system and experimental conditions studied. The biosorption equilibrium was described by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. Kinetic studies indicated that the biosorption follows pseudo-second-order kinetics. Effect of different physico-chemical parameters on (226)Ra sorption, FTIR, SEM and TEM analysis were also investigated., (2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A bacterial strain was isolated and cultured from the oil excavation areas in tropical zone in southern Iran. It was affiliated with Pseudomonas. The biochemical characteristics and partial sequenced 16S rRNA gene of isolate, MR01, was identical to those of cultured representatives of the species Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This bacterium was able to produce a type of biosurfactant with excessive foam-forming properties. Compositional analysis revealed that the extracted biosurfactant was composed of high percentages lipid ( approximately 65%, w/w) and carbohydrate ( approximately 30%, w/w) in addition to a minor fraction of protein ( approximately 4%, w/w). The best production of 2.1g/l was obtained when the cells were grown on minimal salt medium containing 1.2% (w/v) glucose and 0.1% (w/v) ammonium sulfate supplemented with 0.1% (w/v) isoleucine at 37 degrees C and 180rpm after 2 days. The optimum biosurfactant production pH value was found to be 8.0. The MR01 could reduce surface tension to 28mN/m and emulsified hexadecane up to E24 approximately 70. The results obtained from time course study indicated that the surface tension reduction and emulsification potential was increased in the same way to cell growth. However, maximum biosurfactant production occurred and established in the stationary growth phase (after 84h). Fourier Transform Infrared spectrum of extracted biosurfactant indicates the presence of carboxyl, amine, hydroxyl and methoxyl functional groups. Thermogram of biosurfactant demonstrated three sharp endothermic peaks placing between 200 and 280 degrees C. The core holder flooding experiments demonstrated that the oil recovery efficiencies varied from 23.7% to 27.1% of residual oil.