Search Results (14)

Colored proteins play an important role in synthetic biology research, providing a systematic labeling tool for visualizing microscopic biological activities in vivo. They can exhibit visible colors to the naked eye under natural light, and some of them are well-known fluorescent proteins. Here, several colored proteins were taken into consideration for acting as biocolorants in Escherichia coli, including green fluorescent proteins (eGFP and sfGFP), a red fluorescent protein (mKate2), and three chromoproteins (GfasPurple, AmilCP, and AeBlue). All of them can significantly change the colors of their bacterial colonies. The color of GfasPurple was much more stable after the heat treatments at 65 °C with 75% or 95% ethanol. In addition, several factors commonly occurring under natural conditions that lead to color dissolution, such as heat, ethanol, H₂O₂, vitamin C, acid, and alkali treatments, were further tested on GfasPurple. Visual observation and absorption spectroscopy analysis results showed an excellent tolerance of GfasPurple against these unfriendly conditions. GfasPurple could withstand temperatures of 65 °C for 2 h or 70 °C for 1 h in aqueous solutions, but it fades rapidly in 50% ethanol. The color of GfasPurple is more stable in 80% ethanol than in 50% ethanol, which could be attributed to its poor solubility in high-concentration ethanol. The visible light absorption curves of GfasPurple were basically not affected by physiological concentrations of vitamin C or H₂O₂, but reversible effects of high-concentration H₂O₂ were found. GfasPurple maintains its color within the pH range of 7–11; the chromophore of GfasPurple will suffer irreversible damage when pH is up to thirteen or as low as three. These results suggest that GfasPurple is an excellent biocolorant far beyond its application in prokaryotes. Furthermore, GfasPurple variants created via mutagenesis expanded the color library of chromoproteins, which have a potential value in the color manipulation of living organisms. Full article

The current study proceeded to reduce the environmental hazards spreading worldwide due to synthetic dyes. To overcome these problems, eco-friendly natural dyes are introduced as alternative sources of synthetic dyes. The present study was focused on exploring the bio-colorant of the aqueous and acidic extract of the bark of Melia azedarach L. for the dyeing of both silk and cotton samples. The results of the extraction medium specified that the aqueous extract gave maximum colorant solubility and upon fabric dyeing produced higher color strength in contrast to the acidic medium. The optimization experimentation data showed that excellent color strength of silk fabric was found at 45 min dyeing time duration, in 35:1 mL dye extract, and using 2% salt (NaCl) as an exhausting agent, whereas cotton fabric showed the maximum K/S value at 60 min dyeing time, in a 45:1 mL liquor ratio, and with the use of 2% salt. Bio-mordants produce different shades on both fabrics. Bio-mordanting experiments on silk revealed that pre-mordanting with 2% turmeric and 3% pomegranate, and post-mordanting using 3% turmeric and 2% pomegranate produced a darker shade. In the case of cotton, the pre-mordanted samples with 2% turmeric and 3% pomegranate and the post-mordanted samples with 4% turmeric and 4% pomegranate gave the highest color strengths. All the mordanted samples gave excellent fastness ratings. Overall, it has been found that Bakain bark proved to be an excellent source of tannin. The result of this study showed that it could be a cost-effective and eco-friendly dye source for textile progress. Full article

The TIFY family is a group of novel plant-specific transcription factors involved in plant development, signal transduction, and responses to stress and hormones. TIFY genes have been found and functionally characterized in a number of plant species. However, there is no information about this family in warm-season grass plants. The current study identified 24 TIFY genes in Eremochloa ophiuroides, a well-known perennial warm-season grass species with a high tolerance to aluminum toxicity and good adaptability to the barren acidic soils. All of the 24 EoTIFYs were unevenly located on six out of nine chromosomes and could be classified into two subfamilies (ZIM/ZML and JAZ), consisting of 3 and 21 genes, respectively, with the JAZ subfamily being further divided into five subgroups (JAZ I to JAZ V). The amino acids of 24 EoTIFYs showed apparent differences between the two subfamilies based on the analysis of gene structures and conserved motifs. MCScanX analysis revealed the tandem duplication and segmental duplication of several EoTIFY genes occurred during E. ophiuroides genome evolution. Syntenic analyses of TIFY genes between E. ophiuroides and other five plant species (including A. thaliana, O. sativa, B. distachyon, S. biocolor, and S. italica) provided valuable clues for understanding the potential evolution of the EoTIFY family. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that EoTIFY genes exhibited different spatial expression patterns in different tissues. In addition, the expressions of EoTIFY genes were highly induced by MeJA and all of the EoTIFY family members except for EoJAZ2 displayed upregulated expression by MeJA. Ten EoTIFY genes (EoZML1, EoZML1, EoJAZ1, EoJAZ3, EoJAZ5, EoJAZ6, EoJAZ8, EoJAZ9, EoJAZ10, and EoJAZ21) were observed to be highly expressed under both exogenous MeJA treatment and aluminum stress, respectively. These results suggest that EoTIFY genes play a role in the JA-regulated pathway of plant growth and aluminum resistance as well. The results of this study laid a foundation for further understanding the function of TIFY genes in E. ophiuroides, and provided useful information for future aluminum tolerance related breeding and gene function research in warm-season grass plants. Full article

Microbial pigments have many structures and functions with excellent characteristics, such as being biodegradable, non-toxic, and ecologically friendly, constituting an important source of pigments. Industrial production presents a bottleneck in production cost that restricts large-scale commercialization. However, microbial pigments are progressively gaining popularity because of their health advantages. The development of metabolic engineering and cost reduction of the bioprocess using industry by-products opened possibilities for cost and quality improvements in all production phases. We are thus addressing several points related to microbial pigments, including the major classes and structures found, the advantages of use, the biotechnological applications in different industrial sectors, their characteristics, and their impacts on the environment and society. Full article

Synthetic dyes and colourants have been the mainstay of the pigment industry for decades. Researchers are eager to find a more environment friendly and non-toxic substitute because these synthetic dyes have a negative impact on the environment and people’s health. Microbial pigments might be an alternative to synthetic pigments. Microbial pigments are categorized as secondary metabolites and are mainly produced due to impaired metabolism under stressful conditions. These pigments have vibrant shades and possess nutritional and therapeutic properties compared to synthetic pigment. Microbial pigments are now widely used within the pharmaceuticals, food, paints, and textile industries. The pharmaceutical industries currently use bacterial pigments as a medicine alternative for cancer and many other bacterial infections. Their growing popularity is a result of their low cost, biodegradable, non-carcinogenic, and environmentally beneficial attributes. This audit article has made an effort to take an in-depth look into the existing uses of bacterial pigments in the food and pharmaceutical industries and project their potential future applications. Full article

The coloring behavior of santalin, a natural reddish-brown dye derived from sandalwood, has been investigated in this work for the dyeing of silk fabrics while being heated in MW radiation. Microwave (MW) radiation up to 5 min has been employed to isolate colorant (Santalin) from red sandalwood (Ptrecarpus santalinus) in selected medium, and bio-mordants in competing with salts as chemical-mordants have been included. Statistical analysis was made and dyeing variables were selected for getting dark shades though mordants. MW treatment for 3 min. to both extract and fabric was selected and mild dyeing conditions were optimized statistically to get dark shades. On applying chemical mordants, selected amount of salts of Al⁺³, Fe⁺² and T.A. before and after dyeing, has given good results. Comparatively, selected extracts of plant based sources have shown colorfast shades of high strength. The MW radiation has excellent potential to extract dye form plants using optimum medium through less time and energy, and the application of plant extracts along with sustainable salts have developed colorfast shades. Full article

As a part of an ongoing interest in identifying environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic dyes and in using liquid CO₂ as a waterless medium for applying the resulting colorants to textiles, our attention turned to yellow-to-red biocolorants produced by Cortinarius sanguineus fungus. The three principal target anthraquinone colorants (emodin, dermocybin, and dermorubin) were isolated from the fungal bodies using a liquid–liquid separation method and characterized using 700 MHz NMR and high-resolution mass spectral analyses. Following structure confirmations, the three colorants were examined for dyeing synthetic polyester (PET) textile fibers in supercritical CO₂. We found that all three biocolorants were suitable for dyeing PET fibers using this technology, and our attention then turned to determining their toxicological properties. As emodin has shown mutagenic potential in previous studies, we concentrated our present toxicity studies on dermocybin and dermorubin. Both colorants were non-mutagenic, presented low cellular toxicity, and did not induce skin sensitization. Taken together, our results indicate that dermocybin and dermorubin possess the technical and toxicological properties needed for consideration as synthetic dye alternatives under conditions that are free of wastewater production. Full article

The objective of this investigation was to concentrate betalains, phenolics, and antioxidants from the extract of peel and flesh of beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.). Thin-film composite reverse osmosis (RO) membrane composed of the thick polyamide barrier layer, microporous polysulfone interlayer, and polyester support web was used in membrane module. In a later exercise, thermo-instability of betalain color compounds was investigated with different temperatures. After the filtration of the aqueous extract of flesh, betacyanins, betaxanthins, and total betalains were increased by 5.2, 6.1, and 5.5 times, respectively. Likewise, the mentioned bioactive compounds were increased by 3.7, 4.9, and 4.2 times after filtration of the aqueous extract of peel. The amounts of total betalains measured in the final flesh extract were two times lower (14.33 ± 0.15 mg·g⁻¹ dm) compared to the peel concentrate (30.02 ± 0.28 mg·g⁻¹ dm). The superior amount of phenolic was shown in the final flesh extract (34.47 ± 0.19 mg GAE·g⁻¹ dm) compared to peel extract (12.74 ± 0.42 mg GAE·g⁻¹ dm). The antioxidant activity in final beetroot peel extract and flesh extract were 24.65 ± 1.42 mg ASE·g⁻¹ dm and 11.6 ± 0.1 mg ASE·g⁻¹ dm, respectively. The recovery of thermo-sensitive bio-colorants was achieved by membrane filtration with the least thermal degradation. Full article

The growing environmental spreading of food synthetic dyes and bio-colors have the potential for altering organisms’ redox states. Here, three model species for aquatic pollution trials, Cucumis sativus seeds, Artemia salina cysts, and Danio rerio embryos, were short-term exposed to a fixed concentration of the artificial red E124, and two red bio-colors, cochineal E120, and vegan red (VEGR). In the animal models, we evaluated the total reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the susceptibility to in vitro oxidative stress, and in C. sativus, H₂O₂ production and antioxidant capacity. We also measured organismal performance indices (routine oxygen consumption in the animal models, dark oxygen consumption, and photosynthetic efficiency in C. sativus). In C. sativus, only E124 increased ROS and affected dark oxygen consumption and photosynthetic efficiency, while all dyes enhanced the antioxidant defenses. In the A. salina nauplii, all dyes increased ROS, while E120 and E124 reduced the susceptibility to oxidative stress. In D. rerio, treatments did not affect ROS content, and reduced oxidative stress susceptibility. Our data show that red food dyes affect the redox state of the developing organisms, in which ROS plays a significant role. We suggest a potentially toxic role for red food dyes with environmentally relevant consequences. Full article

The aerial parts of the Argy Worm Wood (AWW) plant have been used in different Chinese foods as a colorant and a taste enhancer for a long time. Despite its application as a food colorant, it has rarely been considered for the coloration of textiles. Keeping in mind the variation in color strength due to the change in phytochemical contents by seasonal change and other variables, the extraction of AWW aerial parts was optimized using the Taguchi method. Optimization was performed on the basis of total phytochemical contents (phenols, flavonoids, and tannins) in the extracted solutions. For this purpose, two different solvent systems, namely sodium hydroxide/water (NaOH/water) and ethanol/water (EtOH/water), were applied through a simple aqueous extraction method at varying levels of solvent concentration, and extraction temperature and duration. Maximum phytochemicals yield of 21.96% was obtained using NaOH/water system with 9 g/L NaOH/water at 85 °C for 20 min and 25.5% with 75% aqueous ethanol at 85 °C for 40 min. Optimized extracts were characterized by UV-Vis and FTIR spectrophotometry, which showed the presence of multiple phytochemicals in the extracts. The dyeing temperature and time were also optimized. Dyed cotton fabrics showed medium to high colorfastness to washing and excellent antibacterial and UV radiation absorption properties. The effect of pre-mordanting with salts of iron and copper was also studied on the color fastness properties. Cotton fabrics dyed with two different solvent system extracts displayed various shades of brown with NaOH/water, and green with aqueous ethanol with and without pre-mordanting. The present study provides the textile industry with a promising source of functional bio-colorant and a value-adding approach for the AWW plant industry. Full article

White rice is an important staple food globally. It is a rich source of energy but is low in dietary phenolic antioxidants. This current research aimed at providing scientific evidence for an alternative rice dish that has increased phenolic-antioxidant health-promoting potential by combining white rice with red cowpea beans and cooking with dye sorghum leaves hydrothermal extract, as a source of natural colorant. Boiled white rice and the rice–cowpea–sorghum extract dish were freeze-dried, and the free and bound phenolic compounds of raw and cooked samples were extracted. Phenolic composition, total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activities (measured by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging capacity, Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity methods) of the raw and cooked samples were determined. Combining white rice with cowpea seeds and sorghum leaves extract significantly (p < 0.0001) increased the TPC and antioxidant activities of the rice due to the higher TPC and antioxidant activities of cowpea and sorghum leaves. Although boiling caused substantial losses of flavonoids and anthocyanins in the rice–cowpea–sorghum extract composite meal, the resulting dish had higher TPC and antioxidant activities than boiled white rice. Compositing white rice with phenolic-rich pulses can be an innovative approach to providing alternative healthy rice dishes to consumers. Full article

A brief technical and economic insight into producing the water-soluble yellow colorant limocitrol 3-O-6″-[3-hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl)])-β-d-glucopyranoside from waste lemon peel via simple solid–liquid extraction in aqueous ethanol or via hydrodynamic cavitation of waste lemon peel in water shows that the biocolorant can be obtained with multiple technical and economic advantages. Coupled with the simplicity and sustainability of the extraction processes suggested, the high chemical and physical stability of this polymethoxylated flavonol and the health benefits of citrus flavonoids support industrialization of this new bioeconomy production. Full article

Lung surfactant is a complex mixture of phospholipids and specific proteins but its role in the pathogenesis of interstitial lung diseases is not established. Herein, we analyzed the effects of three representative phospholipid components, that is, dipalmitoilphosphatidylcoline (DPPC), phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), on collagen expression, apoptosis and Ca²⁺ signaling in normal human lung fibroblasts (NHLF) and probed their effect in an experimental model of lung fibrosis. Collagen expression was measured with RT-PCR, apoptosis was measured by using either the APOPercentage assay kit (Biocolor Ltd., Northern Ireland, UK) or the Caspase-Glo 3/7 assay (Promega, Madison, WI, USA) and Ca²⁺ signaling by conventional epifluorescence imaging. The effect in vivo was tested in bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis in mice. DPPC and PG did not affect collagen expression, which was downregulated by PE. Furthermore, PE promoted apoptosis and induced a dose-dependent Ca²⁺ signal. PE-induced Ca²⁺ signal and apoptosis were both blocked by phospholipase C, endoplasmic reticulum pump and store-operated Ca²⁺ entry inhibition. PE-induced decrease in collagen expression was attenuated by blocking phospholipase C. Finally, surfactant enriched with PE and PE itself attenuated bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis and decreased the soluble collagen concentration in mice lungs. This study demonstrates that PE strongly contributes to the surfactant-induced inhibition of collagen expression in NHLF through a Ca²⁺ signal and that early administration of Beractant enriched with PE diminishes lung fibrosis in vivo. Full article

Natural products have been believed to be a promising source to obtain ecological dyes and pigments. Plant polyphenol is a kind of significant natural compound, and tea provides a rich source of polyphenols. In this study, biocolorant derived from phenolic compounds was generated based on laccase-catalyzed oxidative polymerization, and eco-dyeing of silk and wool fabrics with pigments derived from tea was investigated under the influence of pH variation. This work demonstrated that the dyeing property was better under acidic conditions compared to alkalinity, and fixation rate was the best when pH value was 3. Furthermore, breaking strength of dyed fabrics sharply reduced under the condition of pH 11. Eventually, the dyeing method was an eco-friendly process, which was based on bioconversion, and no mordant was added during the process of dyeing. Full article