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International Journal of Molecular... Apr 2022One- or two-carbon (C1 or C2) compounds have been considered attractive substrates because they are inexpensive and abundant. Methanol and ethanol are representative C1...
One- or two-carbon (C1 or C2) compounds have been considered attractive substrates because they are inexpensive and abundant. Methanol and ethanol are representative C1 and C2 compounds, which can be used as bio-renewable platform feedstocks for the biotechnological production of value-added natural chemicals. Methanol-derived formaldehyde and ethanol-derived acetaldehyde can be converted to 3-hydroxypropanal (3-HPA) via aldol condensation. 3-HPA is used in food preservation and as a precursor for 3-hydroxypropionic acid and 1,3-propanediol that are starting materials for manufacturing biocompatible plastic and polytrimethylene terephthalate. In this study, 3-HPA was biosynthesized from formaldehyde and acetaldehyde using deoxyribose-5-phosphate aldolase from (DERA) and cloned and expressed in for 3-HPA production. Under optimum conditions, DERA produced 7 mM 3-HPA from 25 mM substrate (formaldehyde and acetaldehyde) for 60 min with 520 mg/L/h productivity. To demonstrate the one-pot 3-HPA production from methanol and ethanol, we used methanol dehydrogenase from (MDH) and DERA. One-pot 3-HPA production via aldol condensation of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde from methanol and ethanol, respectively, was investigated under optimized reaction conditions. This is the first report on 3-HPA production from inexpensive alcohol substrates (methanol and ethanol) by cascade reaction using DERA and MDH.
Topics: Acetaldehyde; Escherichia coli; Ethanol; Formaldehyde; Methanol
PubMed: 35409349
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073990 -
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Sep 2020Industrial methanol production converts methane from natural gas into methanol through a multistep chemical process. Biological methane-to-methanol conversion under...
Industrial methanol production converts methane from natural gas into methanol through a multistep chemical process. Biological methane-to-methanol conversion under moderate conditions and using biogas would be more environmentally friendly. Methanotrophs, bacteria that use methane as an energy source, convert methane into methanol in a single step catalyzed by the enzyme methane monooxygenase, but inhibition of methanol dehydrogenase, which catalyzes the subsequent conversion of methanol into formaldehyde, is a major challenge. In this study, we used the thermoacidophilic methanotroph "" SolV for biological methanol production. This bacterium possesses a XoxF-type methanol dehydrogenase that is dependent on rare earth elements for activity. By using a cultivation medium nearly devoid of lanthanides, we reduced methanol dehydrogenase activity and obtained a continuous methanol-producing microbial culture. The methanol production rate and conversion efficiency were growth-rate dependent. A maximal conversion efficiency of 63% mol methanol produced per mol methane consumed was obtained at a relatively high growth rate, with a methanol production rate of 0.88 mmol/g (dry weight)/h. This study demonstrates that methanotrophs can be used for continuous methanol production. Full-scale application will require additional increases in the titer, production rate, and efficiency, which can be achieved by further decreasing the lanthanide concentration through the use of increased biomass concentrations and novel reactor designs to supply sufficient gases, including methane, oxygen, and hydrogen. The production of methanol, an important chemical, is completely dependent on natural gas. The current multistep chemical process uses high temperature and pressure to convert methane in natural gas to methanol. In this study, we used the methanotroph "" SolV to achieve continuous methanol production from methane as the substrate. The production rate was highly dependent on the growth rate of this microorganism, and high conversion efficiencies were obtained. Using microorganisms for the production of methanol might enable the use of more sustainable sources of methane, such as biogas, rather than natural gas.
Topics: Methane; Methanol; Verrucomicrobia
PubMed: 32631865
DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01188-20 -
ACS Sensors Aug 2022Methanol is a major volatile organic compound (VOC) emitted from plants. Methanol emission reflects indirect plant defense against insects, promotes cell-to-cell...
Methanol is a major volatile organic compound (VOC) emitted from plants. Methanol emission reflects indirect plant defense against insects, promotes cell-to-cell communication, and adapts plants to various environmental stresses. This paper reports a wearable plant sensor that can monitor methanol emission directly on the leaf of a plant under field conditions with low cost, high portability, and easy installation and use. The sensor technology eliminates the need for complex sampling, expensive instruments, and skilled operators for conventional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The sensor uses a composite of conducting polymer microcrystallites and platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs). The conducting poly(2-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole) or poly(ATD) provides a high electrocatalytic activity with redox behavior. The modification of poly(ATD) with catalytic PtNPs enables efficient electrochemical oxidation of methanol at a specific potential. The advantages of poly(ATD) and PtNPs are synergized for high sensitivity and selectivity of the sensor for detecting methanol emissions with a sub-ppm limit of detection. Further, the infusion of a polymer electrolyte into the porous electrode of the sensor enables an all-solid-state VOC sensor. The sensor is integrated into a miniature gas collection chamber and capped with a hydrophobic gas diffusion membrane to minimize the influence of environmental humidity on the sensor performance. The sensor is installed on the leaf surface. In situ detection shows a difference in methanol emission between the lower and upper leaves of greenhouse maize plants. Further, under field conditions, the sensor reveals a noticeable difference in methanol emission concentration between two genotypes (Mo17 and B73 inbred lines) of maize plants. Therefore, the sensor will provide a promising new means of directly monitoring volatile emission of plants, which is a physiological phenotype as a function of genes and environment.
Topics: Metal Nanoparticles; Methanol; Plants; Platinum; Polymers; Volatile Organic Compounds; Wearable Electronic Devices
PubMed: 35939805
DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.2c00834 -
ACS Sensors Jan 2019Detection of methanol is a significant segment for body health and work safety in the production of chemical industry. However, there hardly exists highly selective...
Detection of methanol is a significant segment for body health and work safety in the production of chemical industry. However, there hardly exists highly selective methanol detection system with green environment for vapor or liquid adaptability, as well as large linear relationship. A facile wearable vapor/liquid amphibious electrochemical sensor for monitoring methanol has been carried out for the first time in this Article. This wearable methanol sensor was fabricated by using a simple screen-printing technology for accomplishing a microdevice platform, showing good linear relationship, high selectivity (multiple volatile chemical compounds), reliable repeatability, good stability, and excellent stretching and bending performance (nitrile glove-based sensor) without pretreatment or adding any polymers into inks. Owing to its good environmental adaptability of vapor or liquid and various sensing behaviors (high sensitivity and wide linear range) by being modified with different content of platinum catalyst, this methanol sensor would have tremendous potential application for environmental monitoring on smart wearable devices when employed based on various platforms (such as PET, cotton, and nitrile gloves).
Topics: Cotton Fiber; Electrochemical Techniques; Electrodes; Gases; Gloves, Protective; Methanol; Oxidation-Reduction; Platinum; Wearable Electronic Devices
PubMed: 30584759
DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.8b01111 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Jul 2022Methanol, naturally present in small quantities in the distillation of alcoholic beverages, can lead to serious health problems. When it exceeds a certain concentration,...
Methanol, naturally present in small quantities in the distillation of alcoholic beverages, can lead to serious health problems. When it exceeds a certain concentration, it causes blindness, organ failure, and even death if not recognized in time. Analytical techniques such as chromatography are used to detect dangerous concentrations of methanol, which are very accurate but also expensive, cumbersome, and time-consuming. Therefore, a gas sensor that is inexpensive and portable and capable of distinguishing methanol from ethanol would be very useful. Here, we present a resistive gas sensor, based on tin oxide nanowires, that works in a thermal gradient. By combining responses at various temperatures and using machine learning algorithms (PCA, SVM, LDA), the device can distinguish methanol from ethanol in a wide range of concentrations (1-100 ppm) in both dry air and under different humidity conditions (25-75% RH). The proposed sensor, which is small and inexpensive, demonstrates the ability to distinguish methanol from ethanol at different concentrations and could be developed both to detect the adulteration of alcoholic beverages and to quickly recognize methanol poisoning.
Topics: Alcoholic Beverages; Ethanol; Machine Learning; Methanol; Nanowires
PubMed: 35898057
DOI: 10.3390/s22155554 -
Parasites & Vectors Jul 2023Helminth infections are an important public health problem in humans and have an even greater impact on domestic animal and livestock welfare. Current readouts for...
BACKGROUND
Helminth infections are an important public health problem in humans and have an even greater impact on domestic animal and livestock welfare. Current readouts for anthelmintic drug screening assays are stage development, migration, or motility that can be subjective, laborious, and low in throughput. The aim of this study was to apply and optimize a fluorometric technique using resazurin for evaluating changes in the metabolic activity of Ascaris suum third-stage larvae (L3), a parasite of high economic relevance in swine.
METHODS
Ascaris suum L3 were mechanically hatched from 6- to 8-week embryonated and sucrose-gradient-enriched eggs. Resazurin dye and A. suum L3 were titrated in 96-well microtiter plates, and resazurin reduction activity was assessed by fluorometry after 24 h of incubation. Fluorescence microscopy was used to localize the resazurin reduction site within the larvae. Finally, we exposed A. suum L3 to various stress conditions including heat, methanol, and anthelmintics, and investigated their impact on larval metabolism through resazurin reduction activity.
RESULTS
We show that the non-fluorescent dye resazurin is reduced inside vital A. suum L3 to fluorescent resorufin and released into the culture media. Optimal assay parameters are 100-1000 L3 per well, a resazurin concentration of 7.5 µg/ml, and incubation at 37 °C/5% CO for 24 h. An intact L2 sheath around the L3 of A. suum completely prevents the uptake of resazurin, while in unsheathed L3, the most intense fluorescence signal is observed along the larval midgut. L3 exposed to methanol or heat show a gradually decreased resazurin reduction activity. In addition, 24 h exposure to ivermectin at 0.625 µM, mebendazole at 5 µM, and thiabendazole from 10 to 100 µM significantly decreased larval metabolic activity by 55%, 73%, and 70% to 89%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
Together, our results show that both metabolic stressors and anthelmintic drugs significantly and reproducibly reduce the resazurin reduction activity of A. suum L3, making the proposed assay a sensitive and easy-to-use method to evaluate metabolic activity of A. suum L3 in vitro.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Swine; Ascaris suum; Methanol; Anthelmintics; Xanthenes; Ascariasis; Larva
PubMed: 37468906
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05871-5 -
Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy =... Jul 2020Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasiteTrypanosoma cruzi, has no effective treatment available. On the other hand, microalgae are aquatic organisms that...
INTRODUCTION
Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasiteTrypanosoma cruzi, has no effective treatment available. On the other hand, microalgae are aquatic organisms that constitute an interesting reservoir of biologically active metabolites. Moreover, some species of green and red algae present anti-protozoan activity. Our aim was to study the antiparasitic effects of aqueous, methanolic and ethanolic extracts from different microalgae.
METHODS AND RESULTS
Our results show that the methanolic extracts of S. obliquus and T. suecica as well as the ethanolic extracts of C. reinhardtii and T. suecica present trypanocidal activity on the infective extracellular trypomastigotes and intracellular amastigotes. In addition, the ethanolic extract of C. reinhardtii potentiates the activity of the conventional antichagasic drug nifurtimox. In order to identify some potential compounds with trypanocidal activity, we performed a phytochemical screening analyzing the presence of phenolic compounds, pigments and terpenoids.
CONCLUSION
The different microalgae extracts, particularly the ethanolic extract ofC. reinhardtii, are promising potential candidates for the development of future natural antichagasic drugs.
Topics: Animals; Chagas Disease; Chlorocebus aethiops; Ethanol; Methanol; Microalgae; Trypanocidal Agents; Trypanosoma cruzi; Vero Cells
PubMed: 32371317
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2020.110178 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2023The purpose of this work was to investigate, for the first time to our knowledge, the chemical composition and bioactivity of methanolic extracts (roots, stems, leaves,...
The purpose of this work was to investigate, for the first time to our knowledge, the chemical composition and bioactivity of methanolic extracts (roots, stems, leaves, and flowers) from (L.) Chevall. that grows wild in northern Morocco (the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region). The phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined by spectrophotometer methods, and the composition of derivatized methanolic extracts from using --bis(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antioxidant activity was carried out by applying the 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) tests. The micro-dilution technique was chosen to investigate the antimicrobial activity of methanolic extracts against two bacterial strains and three fungal species. The results showed that the values of total phenolic and flavonoid contents were found to be higher in flower extracts (30.55 ± 0.85 mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g of dried weight (DW) and 26.00 ±1.34 mg of quercetin equivalents (QE)/g DW, respectively). Other groups of chemical compounds were revealed by GC-MS, such as carbohydrates (27.25-64.87%), fatty acids (1.58-9.08%), organic acids (11.81-18.82%), and amino acids (1.26-7.10%). Root and flower methanolic extracts showed the highest antioxidant activity using ABTS (39.49 mg of Trolox equivalents (TE)/g DW) and DPPH (36.23 mg TE/g DW), respectively. A positive correlation between antioxidant activity and polyphenol and flavonoid amounts was found. Antibacterial tests showed that the best activity was presented by the leaf extract against (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) = minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) = 20 mg/mL) and (MIC of 30 mg/mL and MBC of 35 mg/mL). was more sensitive to the extracts compared to . All extracts showed antifungal activity against , with the best efficacy reported by the flower and leaf extracts (MIC = 1.25 mg/mL and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) = 2.5 mg/mL). In general, extracts of appeared less effective against and .
Topics: Plant Extracts; Antioxidants; Staphylococcus aureus; Escherichia coli; Morocco; Flavonoids; Phenols; Methanol
PubMed: 37049958
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28073196 -
Food Chemistry May 2016Sulforaphene, a natural compound, has been investigated as a potential anticancer agent. However, the stability of sulforaphene, in various solvents, and its degradation...
Sulforaphene, a natural compound, has been investigated as a potential anticancer agent. However, the stability of sulforaphene, in various solvents, and its degradation pathway have not been appropriately reported. This instability impairs the preparation process, the biological evaluation experiments, and the applications of sulforaphene. In this study, the stability of sulforaphene stored at 26°C was investigated in each of the following six solvents: two kinds of protic solvents (methanol and ethanol) and four kinds of aprotic solvents (acetonitrile, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and acetone). Sulforaphene was found to be stable in aprotic solvents and unstable in the protic solvents. The degradation products of sulforaphene in protic solvents (methanol and ethanol) were purified by the preparative HPLC and identified by ESI/MS and NMR ((1)H NMR). The degradation pathways of sulforaphene in methanol and ethanol were proposed. It was found that sulforaphene was degraded into two kinds of structural isomer in alcohols.
Topics: Acetonitriles; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Drug Stability; Ethanol; Isomerism; Isothiocyanates; Methanol; Solvents
PubMed: 26775975
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2015.12.018 -
ChemSusChem Feb 2016Methanol is a sustainable source of liquid fuels and one of the most useful organic chemicals. To date, most of the work in this area has focused on the direct... (Review)
Review
Methanol is a sustainable source of liquid fuels and one of the most useful organic chemicals. To date, most of the work in this area has focused on the direct hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol. However, this process requires high operating temperatures (200-250 °C), which limits the theoretical yield of methanol. Thus, it is desirable to find a new strategy for the efficient conversion of CO2 to methanol at relatively low reaction temperatures. This Minireview seeks to outline the recent advances on the indirect hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol. Much emphasis is placed on discussing specific systems, including hydrogenation of CO2 derivatives (organic carbonates, carbamates, formates, cyclic carbonates, etc.) and cascade reactions, with the aim of critically highlighting both the achievements and remaining challenges associated with this field.
Topics: Carbon Dioxide; Hydrogen; Hydrogenation; Methanol; X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy
PubMed: 26692565
DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201501013