International Journal of Biotechnology for Wellness Industries 

About: International Journal of Biotechnology for Wellness Industries is an academic journal published by Lifescience Global. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Fermentation & Chlorella vulgaris. It has an ISSN identifier of 1927-3037. Over the lifetime, 131 publications have been published receiving 1368 citations. The journal is also known as: IJBWI.

Applications of Polyhydroxyalkanoates in the Medical Industry

Abstract: The bio-based, biodegradable family of polymers, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), is an attractive candidate for an environmentally friendly replacement of petroleum-based plastics in many applications. In the past decade, many groups have examined the biodegradability and biocompatibility of PHA in cell culture systems or in an animal host. Findings suggest that PHA is a suitable material for fabrication of resorbable medical devices, such as sutures, meshes, implants, and tissue engineering scaffolds. The degradation kinetics of some PHA polymers is also suggestive of drug release applications. In this review, we examine the progress, potential applications, challenges and outlook in the medical polyhydroxyalkanoate field.

Cell-Based Assays in High-Throughput Screening for Drug Discovery

Abstract: Drug screening is a long and costly process confronted with low productivity and challenges in using animals, which limit the discovery of new drugs. To improve drug screening efficacy and minimize animal testing, recent efforts have been dedicated to developing cell-based high throughput screening (HTS) platforms that can provide more relevant in vivo biological information than biochemical assays and thus reduce the number of animal tests and accelerate the drug discovery process. Today, cell-based assays are used in more than half of all high-throughput drug screenings for target validation and ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination and toxicity) in the early stage of drug discovery. In this review, we discuss the uses of different types of cells and cell culture systems, including 2D, 3D and perfusion cell cultures, in cell-based HTS for drug discovery. Optical and electrochemical methods for online, non-invasive detection and quantification of cells or cellular activities are discussed. Recent progresses and applications of 3D cultures and microfluidic systems for cell-based HTS are also discussed, followed with several successful examples of using cell-based HTS in commercial development of new drugs. Finally, a brief discussion on potential applications of cell-based HTS for screening phytochemicals and herbal medicines is provided in this review.

MarA, SoxS and Rob of Escherichia coli - Global regulators of multidrug resistance, virulence and stress response.

Abstract: Bacteria have a great capacity for adjusting their metabolism in response to environmental changes by linking extracellular stimuli to the regulation of genes by transcription factors. By working in a co-operative manner, transcription factors provide a rapid response to external threats, allowing the bacteria to survive. This review will focus on transcription factors MarA, SoxS and Rob in Escherichia coli, three members of the AraC family of proteins. These homologous proteins exemplify the ability to respond to multiple threats such as oxidative stress, drugs and toxic compounds, acidic pH, and host antimicrobial peptides. MarA, SoxS and Rob recognize similar DNA sequences in the promoter region of more than 40 regulatory target genes. As their regulons overlap, a finely tuned adaptive response allows E. coli to survive in the presence of different assaults in a co-ordinated manner. These regulators are well conserved amongst Enterobacteriaceae and due to their broad involvement in bacterial adaptation in the host, have recently been explored as targets to develop new anti-virulence agents. The regulators are also being examined for their roles in novel technologies such as biofuel production.

Usefulness of Bioindicators and Biomarkers in Pollution Biomonitoring

Abstract: We have different possibilities and tools to assess the impact of pollution on marine ecosystems. The ecotoxicological approaches are based on the use of biomonitors and biomarkers. They aim to study the effect of toxic chemicals on the biological organisms especially at the population, community and ecosystem levels. The ultimate goal of ecotoxicology is to be able to predict the effects of pollution so that the most efficient and effective action to prevent or remediate any detrimental effect. In order to assess the impact of anthropogenic activities on the aquatic ecosystem and to insure compliance with regulation or guidelines, we use biomonitoring. This kind of approach is based on the use of biological responses in order to assess anthropogenic changes in the environment. Biomonitoring involves the use of indicator species such as filter feeding mollusk bivalves. These organisms tend to accumulate pollutants in their tissues without showing any apparent detrimental effect. Moreover, they could reflect the real bio available fraction of the pollutant. In order to have an early warning system predicting the pollution effects even at low levels, biomarkers were extensively studied. Some of them were validated in both field and in vivo conditions. In the present paper, the usefulness of bioindicators and biomarkers in pollution monitoring are discussed. An overview of results from case studies dealing with in situ, in vivo and transplantation experiments is presented.

Investigating the Effects of Several Parameters on the Growth of Chlorella vulgaris Using Taguchi's Experimental Approach

Abstract: Algae are part of photosynthetic organisms that play an important role in the aquatics nutrition. Like plants, algae need water, light and CO 2 to grow. Using Taguchi’s experimental approach (5 factors in four levels with 16 runs), effects of several parameters (NaCl, sodium bicarbonate and iron concentrations as well as light and temperature) on the growth of Chlorella vulgaris was studied. Increasing the concentrations of NaCl and sodium bicarbonate resulted in corresponding decreases in the growth of C. vulgaris . Media with 30.0g l -1 NaCl did not indicate any algal growth. Also, with 9.0 g l -1 sodium bicarbonate, biomass production was decreased. Chlorella vulgaris showed different growing behaviors at the various concentrations of iron (Fe +2 ) and at the different temperatures of this study . Maximum biomass production (approximately 3.56 g dry matter) was obtained at the 0.0 g l -1 sodium bicarbonate, 10.0g l -1 NaCl, 18.0 µmol l -1 iron and at 30±2 °C. Yellow and blue lights increased the algal growth. Analysis of variance showed that salinity (i.e., the NaCl concentration) had the highest impact on the biomass production.