First report of Mortierella wolfii causing fungal keratitis from a tertiary eye hospital in India

A young 33 year old male presented with non-resolving corneal infiltrate for 2 month duration in the right eye. KOH/ Calcoflour wet mount revealed sparsely septate fungal hyphae. Post therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty 3 doses of intracameral voriconazole(100μg/0.1ml) was administered suspecting recurrence. Fungal culture revealed non sporulating mould on SDA. PCR based DNA sequencing targeting the ITS region identified the fungal isolate as Mortierella wolfii (M. wolfii) belonging to zygomycetes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of human fungal keratitis caused by M. wolfii.     

深黄被孢霉菌粉营养价值和调节血脂作用的研究

目的 :　分析深黄被孢霉菌粉 (菌粉 ,Mortierella isabellina)的一般营养成分及其对大鼠脂代谢紊乱的预防和调节作用。方法 :　菌粉一般营养成分分析按食品常规分析方法。对大鼠脂代谢紊乱的预防试验采用高脂饲料加不同剂量菌粉喂养 1 0 d;对脂代谢紊乱的调节试验先建立大鼠高脂血模型 ,再以不同剂量菌粉饲喂 30 d。结果 :　菌粉含有 2 0 %的蛋白质和超过 5 0 %的油脂 ,蛋白质中必需氨基酸含量非常丰富 ,而油脂中含有很高的亚油酸和亚麻酸等必需脂肪酸 ;菌粉还含有较高的有益微量元素和维生素 E。以 0 .6和 1 .2 g/( kg· d)剂量饲喂大鼠可有效预防 TG、VLDL- C升高 ;以 0 .6、1 .2、2 .4g/( kg· d)三个剂量饲喂的高血脂大鼠的 TG、TC及 VLDL- C都有极显著的下降 ,2 .4g/kg和 1 .2 g/kg剂量组大鼠的 LDL- C也有显著的下降 ,2 .4g/kg剂量组大鼠的 HDL- C水平还有显著的上升。结论 :　菌粉能有效地预防高脂血症 ,对大鼠脂代谢紊乱具有显著的调节作用。     

冬虫夏草菌发酵滤液多糖的组分分析

对冬虫夏草蝙蝠蛾被孢霉的发酵滤液多糖进行组分分析和含量测定。纸层析和气相色谱的结果表明虫草菌滤液多糖含有葡萄糖,甘露糖和半乳糖。并采用内标法测定它们的含量和摩尔比。     

蝙蝠蛾被孢霉菌丝体多糖体内抗肿瘤及免疫活性研究

目的:观察蝙蝠蛾被孢霉菌丝体多糖(CPSM)对荷瘤小鼠抑瘤及免疫功能的影响。方法:应用水提醇沉法从蝙蝠蛾被孢霉虫草菌丝体(CSM)中获得CPSM,将荷瘤小鼠分组并灌胃不同剂量CPSM(11、33、100 mg/(kg.d))10d,观察药物抗肿瘤及免疫增强的作用。结果:CPSM33 mg/(kg.d)CPSM对H22荷瘤小鼠有明显的抑瘤作用,抑瘤率为43.49%,且能促进小鼠的胸腺指数和脾指数。33、100 mg/(kg.d)剂量能显著提高小鼠的血清溶血素水平(P<0.01),增强小鼠的碳粒廓清能力(P<0.05)。结论:蝙蝠蛾被孢霉菌丝体多糖能明显抑制H22肝癌,并调节机体体液免疫功能,促进巨噬细胞的吞噬能力。     

蝙蝠娥被孢霉多糖抗肿瘤和免疫功能研究

从蝙蝠娥被孢霉液体发酵的菌丝体中,采用热水提取,65%乙醇沉淀,DEAE-52和G-100分子筛分离、纯化得到了一个组分均一的天然多糖—蝙蝠娥被孢霉多糖(CPSM,Cordyceps Polysaccharides of Mortierella hepiali),其由甘露糖、葡萄糖和半乳糖3种单糖组成。体内实验表明,该多糖对小鼠移植瘤有明显抑制生长作用,但是在体外实验中对人肺癌细胞株A549、人肝癌细胞株Hep-G2、急性粒细胞白血病细胞株HL-60均没有表现出细胞毒作用。推测该CPSM是通过调节小鼠免疫系统的功能达到抑制移植瘤生长作用的。对移植瘤小鼠进行了T、B淋巴细胞增殖和NK细胞活性的实验表明灌胃给与多糖的小鼠组T、B淋巴细胞的增殖明显快于正常组,NK细胞活性大于正常组。而CPSM在体外对于小鼠腹腔巨噬细胞同样具有活化功能,增强巨噬细胞NO的分泌。     

Safety evaluation of arachidonic acid rich Mortierella alpina biomass in albino rats—A subchronic study

Safety evaluation of arachidonic acid rich Mortierella alpina biomass was carried out in Wistar rats by acute and subchronic oral toxicity studies. A preliminary acute toxicity study revealed that the biomass was safe at acute doses and that the LD50 exceeded 5000 mg/kg BW, the highest dose used in the study. In subchronic study, rats were fed diet containing 0, 2500, 5000, 10,000, 20,000 and 30,000 mg/kg, M. alpina biomass for a period of 13 weeks. Results indicated that biomass fortification had a positive influence on growth with no overt toxic effects on the survival, food consumption and body weight gain throughout the treatment interlude. The statistically significant changes in relative organ weights, serum biochemical and hematological indices in M. alpina fed groups’ viz., higher relative weights of spleen, liver, brain and ovary in females, reduced hemoglobin concentration in males, elevated WBC counts at highest dose, reduction in serum triglycerides and increased alkaline phosphatase activity were not concomitant with pertinent histopathological changes and hence toxicologically inconsequential. No microscopic or macroscopic lesions attributable to the treatment were manifested in the experimental groups. The results of the present study strongly advocate the safety of M. alpina biomass in rats at levels used in the study.     

Enantioselective Synthesis and Pharmacological Evaluation of a New Type of Verapamil Analog with Hypotensive and Calcium Antagonist Activities

Purpose. The syntheses and evaluation for cardiovascular activity in the rat of both enantiomers of a verapamil analog in which the cyano group has been replaced by hydroxyl. Methods. ( + )- and (–)--[3-[[2-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]methylamino]propyl]-3, 4-dimethoxy--(l-methyl ethyl)benzyl alcohol were prepared from chiral sulfoxides produced by microbial biotransformations using Mortierella isabellina ATCC 42613 or Helminthsporium species NRRL 4671, and were examined for hypotensive and calcium antagonist activity using anaesthetized normotensive rats and isolated rat aorta and atria. Results. The analogs showed a pharmacological profile similar to that exhibited by verapamil, possessing a remarkable hypotensive activity, accompanied by a significant bradycardia, in anaesthetized normotensive rats. In vitro, these analogs displayed clear inhibitory effects: in isolated rat aorta they inhibited, in a concentration-dependent fashion, the contractions and ⁴⁵Ca²⁺ uptake induced by norepinephrine and high KC1, and in isolated rat atria the analogs considerably decreased the rate of contraction (negative chronotropic effects). No significant differences between the quantitative cardiovascular effects produced by the two enantiomers of the verapamil analogs were observed. Conclusions. The results suggest that, like that of verapamil, the cardiovascular activity exhibited by the new compounds seems to be due, at least in part, to a blockage of transmembrane calcium channels present in vascular smooth muscle cells.