Fungitoxicity of lyophilized and spray-dried garlic extracts

Among the compounds discussed for anti-microbial and anti-fungal use allicin (allylthiosulfinate, diallyl disulfide-S-monoxide), an active ingredient of garlic, has attracted considerable attention. The objective of this study is to determine the antifungal activity of a local garlic ecotype (Voghiera) extracts against different pathogens. Primary screening was carried out by the agar plates technique using ethanol garlic extract at four final concentrations against the following organisms: Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus spp., Colletotrichum acutatum, Didymella bryoniae, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium avenaceum, Fusarium gramineareum, Gliocladium roseum 47, Pythium splendens, Rhizoctonia solani, Sclerotium rolfsii, Stemphylium vesicarium, Trichoderma longibranchiatum, and Botrytis cinerea. Secondary screening was carried out using a lyophilized and a spray-dried preparation at different concentrations against the organisms selected for the high inhibition garlic effect in the primary screening and compared with the commercial fungicides mancozeb and iprodione. The best results were observed for the spray-dried garlic compound that showed a good fungicidal activity at the concentration of 1.5 g/10 mL while lyophilized garlic at the same concentration exhibithed less inhibition activity against the four fungi analyzed in the second screening.     

Content and bioconcentration factors of mercury by Parasol Mushroom Macrolepiota procera

The carpophores of Parasol Mushroom and underlying soil substrate collected from several unpolluted and spatially distant sites across Poland were examined to know content and bioconcentration potential of mercury by this species. The total mercury content of the caps of Parasol Mushroom for the particular sites ranged from 1.1 ± 1.0 to 8.4 ± 7.4 μ g/g dry matter (total range from 0.05 to 22 μ g/g dm), while in the stalks were from 0.53 ± 0.27 to 6.8 ± 7.1 μ g/g dm (total range from 0.078 to 20 μ g/g dm). A top soil layer (0–10 cm) showed baseline mercury concentration from 0.022 ± 0.011 to 0.36 ± 0.16 μ g/g dm (total range from 0.010 to 0.54 μg/g dm). Parasol Mushroom is an effective mercury accumulator in the carpophores and bioconcentration factor (BCF) values of this element in the caps and depending on the sampling site ranged from 16 ± 6 to 220 ± 110 (total range from 0.52 to 470), while for the stalks were from 7.6 ± 2.6 to 130 ± 96 (total range from 0.52 to 340). It seems reasonable to state that tolerance (maximum allowable concentration) of the total mercury in a single cap of Parasol Mushroom at unpolluted areas should not exceed 25 μ g/g dm. A value greater then 25 μ g/g dm will imply an elevated content due to site pollution problems. Nevertheless, knowledge on highly toxic methylmercury content and its fraction in the total mercury content of Parasol Mushroom is lacking.     

Bioconcentration potential and contamination with mercury of pantropical mushroom Macrocybe gigantea

The mushroom Macrocybe gigantea collected from the native stands in the Yunnan Province of China can be considered a species that efficiently bioconcentrates mercury (Hg) because the values of the bioconcentration factor (BCF) calculated for this element were well above unity, i.e., for caps, the BCF ranged from 4.8 to 24 and, for stipes, from 3.6 to 18. The Hg content of the composite samples of caps of the fruit bodies collected in the wild ranged from 0.48 to 1.78 mg kg^?1 dry matter and of stipes from 0.36 to 1.70 mg kg^?1 dry matter, whereas 0.37 and 0.25 mg kg^?1 dry matter were observed for farmed specimens. M. gigantea, because of a large biomass of the fruit bodies that emerge in a cluster, is an important food item in Yunnan, but knowledge on mineral composition and content of this species is largely absent. This study estimated the lifetime average daily dose intake of Hg through mushroom as well as the incremental lifetime cancer risk and non-cancer health hazard to consumers of this mushroom.     

丛枝菌根真菌对不同含盐量湿地土壤中芦苇生长的影响

采用温室盆栽实验的方法,研究接种Claroideoglomus etunicatum(CE)、Rhizophagus intraradices(RI)、Funneliformis mosseae(FM)和Glomus versiforme(GV)对非盐渍化和盐渍化湿地土壤上芦苇(Phragmites australis)菌根侵染率、生物量、矿质营养吸收、C∶N∶P生态化学计量比和Na+、Cl-含量的影响,旨在为我国湿地生态系统的生态恢复和盐碱化修复提供理论依据和技术支持.结果表明,在2种湿地土壤上4种AM真菌的平均菌根侵染率为2.5%~38%,接种CE的侵染率显著高于其它接种处理;盐渍化湿地土壤上芦苇菌根侵染率与非盐渍化湿地土壤间无显著性差异,非盐渍化湿地土壤芦苇生物量、矿质营养元素的吸收显著高于盐渍化湿地土壤,而Na+和Cl-的含量显著低于盐渍化湿地土壤.对于非盐渍化湿地土壤,接种GV处理显著增加了芦苇地上部的干重,促进了芦苇地上部对N、P、K、Ca和Mg等5种营养元素的吸收,接种GV和RI则显著促进了芦苇根部对P和K的吸收;4种接种处理显著降低了芦苇地上部N∶P,接种FM和GV显著降低了根部C∶N和C∶P;4种接种处理也显著降低了芦苇地上部Cl-的含量,接种RI处理显著降低了芦苇地上部Na+的含量.对于盐渍化湿地土壤,4种接种处理对芦苇生物量、矿质营养吸收和Na+、Cl-的含量均没有显著性影响.结果也表明,AM真菌对于不同含盐量湿地土壤芦苇生长的影响表现出不同的菌根效应,在非盐渍化湿地土壤上对芦苇生长的有益作用明显好于盐渍化湿地土壤.应结合相应的技术措施进一步通过野外实地实验筛选接种效果好的AM真菌菌种,探讨菌根技术对不同含盐量湿地土壤上芦苇生长的实际作用.     

丛枝菌根真菌(AMF)对铯胁迫宿根高粱生长及根际土壤酶的影响

通过盆栽试验研究了接种透光球囊霉(Glomus diaphanum)、摩西球囊霉(Glomus mosseae)、地表球囊霉(Glomus versiforme)及幼套球囊霉(Glomus etunicatum)等4种丛枝菌根真菌(AMF)对铯污染下宿根高粱生长及根际土壤酶活性的影响.结果表明,与未接种对照相比,接种AMF处理均显著增加了宿根高粱的株高和根长,同时增强了过氧化氢酶、蔗糖酶活性及根系活力(P0.05),且以接种G.etunicatum增强效果最好,上述酶活性和根系活力分别相当于对照的1.11、2.25和4.04倍,而接种Glomus diaphanum最显著增强了酸性磷酸酶活性,使其提高了24.53 mg·g-1·d-1·FW(P0.05),宿根高粱对铯的耐性指数均高于对照,说明AMF在一定程度上能缓解铯污染胁迫对根际土壤酶的抑制作用,进而减轻核素铯对植物的毒害;接种AMF处理显著抑制了脲酶活性,表明脲酶可作为反应土壤核素铯污染的一个有效指标.同时也表明AMF有效地增强了宿根高粱对核素铯的耐性能力.     

Molecular diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi at a large-scale antimony mining area in southern China

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi(AMF) have great potential for assisting heavy metal hyperaccumulators in the remediation of contaminated soils. However, little information is available about the community composition of AMF under natural conditions in soils contaminated by antimony(Sb). The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics of AMF molecular diversity, and to explore the effects of Sb content and soil properties on the AMF community structure in an Sb mining area. Four Sb mine spoils and one adjacent reference area were selected from around the Xikuangshan mine in southern China. The association of AMF molecular diversity and community composition with the rhizosphere soils of the dominant plant species was studied by Polymerase Chain Reaction-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis(PCR-DGGE). Results from all five studied sites showed that the diversity of AMF decreased with increasing Sb concentration. Principal component analysis(PCA) indicated that the AMF community structure was markedly different among these groups. Further redundancy analysis(RDA) showed that Sb contamination was the dominating factor influencing the AMF community structure in the Sb mine area. However, the multivariate analysis showed that, apart from the soil Sb content, extractable nitrogen content and organic matter content also attributed to AMF sequence distribution type. Some AMF sequences were only found in the highly contaminated area and these might be ideal candidates for improving phytoremediation efficiency in Sb mining regions. Gene sequencing analysis revealed that most species were affiliated with Glomus, suggesting that Glomus was the dominant AMF genus in the studied Sb mining area.     

空调病房真菌气溶胶浓度及粒径分布特征

医院室内空气真菌污染会影响医护人员、病人及陪护人员的健康,其影响程度不仅与空气真菌的种类和浓度有关,还与真菌气溶胶粒径及分布特征有关,不同粒径的真菌气溶胶影响人体健康的作用机制不同.本研究对重庆某综合医院的普通病房进行空气真菌取样,系统分析了病房空气真菌浓度、种属及粒径分布特征.通过分析实验数据,发现病房空气真菌浓度与病人患病类型及人员密度无关,主要影响因素为温湿度与季节变化.冬夏各科室病房真菌粒径分布特征大致呈正态分布,粒径的百分比从Ⅰ级~Ⅲ级各级所占比例逐渐增大,Ⅲ级~Ⅴ级所占比例总体最大,Ⅴ级~Ⅵ级所占比例逐渐降低.冬夏不同科室病房的空气真菌孢子中值直径没有显著差异,真菌孢子的中值直径小于3.19μm.病房冬夏优势菌属基本相同,主要为青霉属、曲霉属及交链孢霉属,与其它建筑相比并无显著性差异.因此,病房空调系统设计应提高对粒径为1.1~4.7μm真菌孢子的过滤效率,病房的日常卫生维护与空调系统运行管理时应有针对性地选择适宜的抑菌除菌方法和设备.     

接种白腐菌堆肥修复五氯酚污染的土壤

采用4组堆肥装置A、B、C、D,分别往五氯酚污染土壤中不加外来菌、加入固定化黄孢原毛平革菌(Phanerochaete chrysosporium)、加入游离黄孢原毛平革菌及暴露在空气中不做任何处理.对其进行对比研究,探讨了利用堆肥的方法对五氯酚污染土壤进行生物修复的可行性.结果说明,添加黄孢原毛平革菌进行堆肥修复其效果要好于不加菌的效果,经过60d的堆肥,PCP基本得到降解,降解率都达到了94%以上,其中固定化菌又优于游离菌,固定化菌在第9d对PCP的降解率就达到了50%.此外,通过分析种子发芽率,有机质,微生物量碳等多项指标可以看出各组堆肥的腐熟情况都比较理想,为黄孢原毛平革菌降解五氯酚的过程提供了良好的外部环境,使土壤修复与堆肥能较好地结合起来.     

Biodegradation of Methoxychlor and Its Metabolites by the White Rot Fungus Stereum hirsutum Related to the Inactivation of Estrogenic Activity

The white rot fungus Stereum hirsutum was used to degrade methoxychlor [2,2,2-trichloro-1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)ethane] in culture and the degraded products were extensively determined. The estrogenic activity of the degraded products of methoxychlor was examined using cell proliferation and pS2 gene expression assays in MCF-7 cells. S. hirsutum showed high resistance to methoxychlor 100 ppm, and the mycelial growth was fully completed within 8 days of incubation at 30°C. Methoxychlor in liquid culture medium was gradually converted into 2,2-dichloro-1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)ethane, 2,2-dichloro-1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)ethylene, 2-chloro-1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl) ethane, 2-chloro-1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl) ethylene, and 1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)ethylene, indicating that methoxychlor is dominantly degraded by dechlorination and dehydrogenation. MCF-7 cells were demonstrated to proliferate actively at the 10^?5 M concentration of methoxychlor. However, cell proliferation was significantly inhibited by the incubation with methoxychlor culture media containing S. hirsutum. In addition, the expression level of pS2 mRNA was increased at the concentration (10^?5 M) of methoxychlor. The reductive effect of S. hirsutum for methoxychlor was clear but not significant as in the proliferation assay.     

Screening of wood rotting fungi potentially useful for the degradation of organic pollutants

Many papers have shown that white rot fungi can degrade aromatic pollutants under laboratory conditions, but few report field scale trials. Here we report the first steps in the development of a remediation system for Greek conditions. A review of the available organochlorine compound pollution information in Greece is presented. White rot fungi isolated from sites in Greece have been screened for growth rate and ligninolytic activity, using decolourisation of the dye Poly R-478 as an indicator of enzyme activity. Use of white rot fungi under field conditions in Greece will require bioaugmentation to be effective at high temperatures and low water activity for much of the year. The most potent strains have been selected under a range of conditions and have been challenged with priority pollutants to determine their degradative ability under laboratory conditions and subsequently ex situ in soil.