OBJECTIVE To investigate the antibacterial effect of the crude latex of Argemone ochroleuca (A. ochroleuca) as antibacterial potential against a range of human pathogenic bacteria. METHODS This study was carried out at King Khalid University, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from January to March 2010. Seventeen ml of fresh latex from A. ochroleuca Sweet was collected, and the antibacterial acti...

Two types of beta-1,3-glucanases, AkLam36 and AkLam33 with the molecular masses of 36kDa and 33kDa, respectively, were isolated from the digestive fluid of the common sea hare Aplysia kurodai. AkLam36 was regarded as an endolytic enzyme (EC 3.2.1.6) degrading laminarin and laminarioligosaccharides to laminaritriose, laminaribiose, and glucose, while AkLam33 was regarded as an exolytic enzyme (E...

Specific marine macro algae species abundant at the Portuguese coast (Laminaria hyperborea, Bifurcaria bifurcata, Sargassum muticum and Fucus spiralis) were shown to be effective for removing toxic metals (Cd(II), Zn(II) and Pb(II)) from aqueous solutions. The initial metal concentrations in solution were about 75-100 mg L(-1). The observed biosorption capacities for cadmium, zinc and lead ions...

To test whether macroalgae affect microbial colonizers in close proximity in a phylum-specific fashion, the community richness of planktonic bacteria and fungi was analyzed with selective oligonucleotide probes targeting the Cytophaga/Flavobacterium/Bacteroides (CFB), Alphaproteobacteria and Roseobacter group and the ITS1 region of marine fungi. Naturally occuring planktonic microorganisms were...

Alginates are natural polysaccharides that are extracted from brown seaweeds and widely used for their rheological properties. The central step in the extraction protocol used in the alginate industry is the alkaline extraction, which requires several hours. In this study, a significant decrease in alginate dynamic viscosity was observed after 2 h of alkaline treatment. Intrinsic viscosity and ...