S. K. Mahmood

Bio: S. K. Mahmood is an academic researcher from Osmania University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Quantitative structure–activity relationship & Docking (molecular). The author has an hindex of 10, co-authored 30 publications receiving 379 citations. Previous affiliations of S. K. Mahmood include Nizam College.

Production of PHB and P (3HB-co-3HV) biopolymers by Bacillus megaterium strain OU303A isolated from municipal sewage sludge

Abstract: Bacillus megaterium strain OU303A isolated from municipal sewage sludge was selected for the study of biosynthesis of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and polyhydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate P (HB-co-HV) copolymer. The strain yielded a maximum of 62.43% DCW polymer in the medium containing glycerol as carbon source, which was followed by 58.63% DCW polymer in glucose containing medium. We found that this strain was capable of producing 2.5% hydroxyvalerate copolymer from a single carbon substrate, glucose. The strain showed an increase in the amount of HV monomer content, when the precursor for the copolymer was included in the fermentation medium. The characterization of the biopolymers was carried out using FTIR, GC-MS, H1 NMR and DSC. This is the first report of B. megaterium strain producing HV copolymer, without the addition of any precursor in the fermentation medium.

Production and characterization of PHB from two novel strains of Bacillus spp. isolated from soil and activated sludge

Abstract: The present study reports two bacteria, designated 87I and 112A, which were isolated from soil and activated sludge samples from Hyderabad, India, and that are capable of producing poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB). Based on phenotypical features and genotypic investigations, these microorganisms were identified as Bacillus spp. Their optimal growth occurred between 28 degrees C and 30 degrees C and pH 7. Bacillus sp. 87I yielded a maximum of 70.04% dry cell weight (DCW) PHB in medium containing glucose as carbon source, followed by 55.5% DCW PHB in lactose-containing medium, whereas Bacillus sp. 112A produced a maximum of 67.73% PHB from glucose, 58.5% PHB from sucrose, followed by 50.5% PHB from starch as carbon substrates. The viscosity average molecular mass (M (v)) of the polymers from Bacillus sp. 87I was 513 kDa and from Bacillus sp. 112A was 521 kDa. All the properties of the biopolymers produced by the two strains 87I and 112A were characterized.

A novel Bacillus sp. accumulating poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) from a single carbon substrate.

Abstract: The objective of this paper was to report a bacterium designated as 88D, capable of producing poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) [P (3HB-co-3HV)] copolymer from a single carbon source, which was isolated from a municipal sewage treatment plant in Hyderabad, India. This microorganism, based on the phenotypical features and genotypic investigations, was identified as Bacillus sp. The optimal growth of Bacillus sp. 88D occurred between 28 and 30°C and at pH 7. The strain yielded a maximum of 64.62% dry cell weight (DCW) polymer in the medium containing glucose as carbon source, which was followed by 60.46% DCW polymer in glycerol containing medium. Bacillus sp. 88D produced P (3HB-co-3HV) from glucose or glycerol, when they were used as a single carbon substrate. This bacterium produced polyhydrxybutyrate (PHB) when sodium acetate was used as sole carbon substrate. The viscosity average molecular mass (Mv) of the copolymers ranged from 523 to 627 kDa. The physical, chemical and mechanical properties of the biopolymers were characterized.

Isolation of bacteria producing polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) from municipal sewage sludge

Abstract: Bacterial isolates from sludge samples collected at a local municipal sewage treatment plant were screened for bacteria producing polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). Initially Sudan black B staining was performed to detect lipid cellular inclusions. Lipid-positive isolates were then grown in a nitrogen limitation E2 medium containing 2% (w/v) glucose to promote accumulation of PHA before the subsequent staining with Nile blue A. The positive isolates were quantified initially with a u.v. spectrophotometer, for a very large number of isolates (105) and among them high PHA-producing isolates (15) were selected and were confirmed by gas chromatographic analysis. The GC analysis showed the polymers produced by 13 of the selected isolates to be polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), and the remaining two isolates produced polyhydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate (PHB-co-HV) copolymer. The proportion of the PHA-positive bacterial isolates showed variability in the number of PHA accumulators during various months. The correlation of PHB production with the cell dry weight (CDW) was found to be statistically significant. The metabolism of PHB in these selected 15 isolates was studied using the Nile blue A staining, which showed an initial increase in the fluorescence followed by a decline, on further incubation. All the selected 15 isolates were classified to genus level by studying their morphological and biochemical characteristics. There were seven Bacillus species, three Pseudomonas species, two Alcaligenes species, two Aeromonas species, and one Chromobacterium species.

Microbial Abundance and Degradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soil

Abstract: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of highly lipophilic chemicals that are generally formed during combustion, pyrolysis and pyrosynthesis of organic matter and are present ubiquitously in the urban environment as pollutants in very small quantities. The objective of the present study was to determine the activity of indigenous microbial populations of hazardous waste sites, their degree of adaptation, their ability to degrade toxic PAHs, and to study the potentials of different indigenous microbes to degrade the following selected PAHs from the polluted soil environment. PAHs selected for the study were anthracene, phenanthrene, chrysene, pyrene and fluoranthene. In this study, the indigenous contaminated soil populations were effective in removing the hydrocarbons and returning the soil to productivity. The biodegradation of PAHs in the selected soil was due to PAH degrader present in the bacterial as well as fungal communities. 13 refs., 2 tabs.

Role of computer-aided drug design in modern drug discovery

Abstract: Drug discovery utilizes chemical biology and computational drug design approaches for the efficient identification and optimization of lead compounds. Chemical biology is mostly involved in the elucidation of the biological function of a target and the mechanism of action of a chemical modulator. On the other hand, computer-aided drug design makes use of the structural knowledge of either the target (structure-based) or known ligands with bioactivity (ligand-based) to facilitate the determination of promising candidate drugs. Various virtual screening techniques are now being used by both pharmaceutical companies and academic research groups to reduce the cost and time required for the discovery of a potent drug. Despite the rapid advances in these methods, continuous improvements are critical for future drug discovery tools. Advantages presented by structure-based and ligand-based drug design suggest that their complementary use, as well as their integration with experimental routines, has a powerful impact on rational drug design. In this article, we give an overview of the current computational drug design and their application in integrated rational drug development to aid in the progress of drug discovery research.

Novel Tricyclic Compounds

Abstract: The invention provides a compound of Formula (Ia), (Ib), (Ic), (Id), (Ie), (If), (Ig), (Ih), (Ii), (Ij), (Ik), or (Il) as defined herein, pharmaceutically acceptable salts, pro-drugs, biologically active metabolites, stereoisomers and isomers thereof wherein the variable are defined herein. The compounds of the invention are useful for treating immunological and oncological conditions.