Biotechnology

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Antioxidative and antidiabetic activity and phytochemicals analysis of some selected Sudanese traditional medicinal plants.
(2021) Idris, Almahi Idris Mohamed.; Islam, Shahidul.
This study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties of selected traditional Sudanese medicinal plants (Cyperus rotundus, Nauclea latifolia, and Hibiscus sabdariffa) using in vitro, ex vivo, and in silico experimental models. The crude extracts (ethyl acetate, ethanol, and aqueous) were screened in vitro for their antioxidant activities using ferricreducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and nitric oxide radical (NO) scavenging activities, as well as their carbohydrate digesting enzyme inhibitory activities for antidiabetic evaluation. Subsequently, the extracts were subjected to Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis to elucidate their possible bioactive compounds. Additionally, ex vivo studies was conducted to investigate their capability to promote muscle glucose uptake and suppress glucose absorption in the intestine as well as to analyze antioxidative effects in iron–induced oxidative stress in hepatic tissue. Molecular docking was carried out to determine the probable enzymes' inhibitory mode of action by ligands identified through GC-MS. This study indicates that these traditional Sudanese medicinal plants have remarkable antioxidant and antidiabetic activities, which may help to ameliorate oxidative stress and diabetes. Therefore, these plants may be considered a natural source of bioactive compounds beneficial for human health, particularly for managing diabetes and oxidative stress-related metabolic disorders.
Antioxidative and antidiabetic activity and phytochemicals, analysis of some selected Sudanese traditional medicinal plants.
(2021) Idris, Almahi Mohamed.; Islam, Shahidul.
This study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties of selected traditional Sudanese medicinal plants (Cyperus rotundus, Nauclea latifolia, and Hibiscus sabdariffa) using in vitro, ex vivo, and in silico experimental models. The crude extracts (ethyl acetate, ethanol, and aqueous) were screened in vitro for their antioxidant activities using ferricreducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and nitric oxide radical (NO) scavenging activities, as well as their carbohydrate digesting enzyme inhibitory activities for antidiabetic evaluation. Subsequently, the extracts were subjected to Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis to elucidate their possible bioactive compounds. Additionally, ex vivo studies was conducted to investigate their capability to promote muscle glucose uptake and suppress glucose absorption in the intestine as well as to analyze antioxidative effects in iron–induced oxidative stress in hepatic tissue. Molecular docking was carried out to determine the probable enzymes' inhibitory mode of action by ligands identified through GC-MS. This study indicates that these traditional Sudanese medicinal plants have remarkable antioxidant and antidiabetic activities, which may help to ameliorate oxidative stress and diabetes. Therefore, these plants may be considered a natural source of bioactive compounds beneficial for human health, particularly for managing diabetes and oxidative stress-related metabolic disorders.
Comparative antidiabetic effects and mechanisms of actions of five Chinese and South African indigenous teas.
(2020) Xiao, Xin.; Islam, Shahidul.
The present thesis assessed the in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo anti-oxidative and antidiabetic activities of five teas which are widely consumed in China or South Africa. Three of the selected five teas are from South Africa, namely red rooibos (Aspalathus linearis), green rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) and red honeybush (Cyclopia genistoides) tea. The remaining two from China are jasmine green (Camellia sinensis) and zhengshanxiaozhong (ZSXZ) black tea (Camellia sinensis). The different sequential solvent extracts following increasing polarity index (dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and water) and hot water extract of different teas were evaluated at in vitro and ex vivo conditions for their antioxidant properties, inhibitory potentials on α-glucosidase, α-amylase and pancreatic lipase, effects on ameliorating Fe2+- induced oxidative pancreatic or hepatic injury, as well as the glucose absorption inhibition in small intestine and the glucose uptake stimulation in isolated psoas muscle of rats. Possible bioactive components responsible for the activities of the extracts were identified by using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis or liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis. In vitro and ex vivo tests presented promising antioxidant and antidiabetic activities of these five teas. The red honeybush, jasmine green and green rooibos teas, were further subjected to an in vivo intervention trial in a fructose-streptozotocin (STZ) induced T2D model of Sprague-Dawley rats. Assays were carried out to reveal the effects of these teas on lowering blood glucose level, improving oral glucose tolerance ability, stimulating insulin secretion and hepatic glycogen synthesis and ameliorating some diabetes related parameters such as serum lipid profile, hepatic and renal function tests and calculated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), β-cell function (HOMA-β) from the blood glucose and serum insulin data. Furthermore, in vivo oxidative stress markers such as reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase and catalase activity and lipid peroxidation were analysed in harvested organs (liver, kidney, heart and pancreas). The results of in vivo tests demonstrated that high dose of jasmine green tea showing the best activity followed by the high dose of red honeybush tea, low dose of jasmine green tea, high dose of green rooibos tea, low dose of red honeybush tea, when lowest activity was observed for the low dose green rooibos tea. The results of this study indicated promising anti-T2D properties of the above-mentioned teas. However, further clinical trials are needed to ascertain the results of these in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo studies.
Evaluation of the larvicidal potential of Bacillus velezensis strain PHP1601 as a viable biological control agent against selected fly species.
(2024) Ramesar, Danvir Rajesh.; Hunter, Charles Haig.
Flies are one of the most abundant and prevalent insect pests posing a growing threat to various sectors of the economy. In response to this, a study was undertaken to evaluate Bacillus spp. strain PHP1601 as a candidate biocontrol agent against Lucilia cuprina larvae as a proxy for fly species of biocontrol significance. The identity of PHP1601 was confirmed as B. velezensis using MLSA and species-specific PCR. Bioassays demonstrated a larvicidal effect of cell, endospore (102 – 1010 cells/endospores g -1 ) and cell-free supernatant (1 – 30% v w -1 ) treatments on second instar larvae of L. cuprina. Studies were directed to the larvicidal effect of extracellular compounds, namely lipopeptides. Crude lipopeptide extract (CLP) was acquired using organic extraction from Landy broth. Bioassays with CLP extract (5 – 1000 μg g -1 ) resulted in a dose-dependent larvicidal response. Lipopeptides in the CLP extract were purified by TLC and characterised using UPLC ESI-TOF MS. This indicated the presence of iturin, fengycin and surfactin homologues of which, the purified surfactin fraction (Rf 0.91) was the most larvicidal. Bioassays were repeated with commercial surfactin, confirming its larvicidal potency, exhibiting an LC50 of 9.87 μg g -1 at 240 h. Larvae scent choice tests using TSB and MG bioassay medium fermented by PHP1601 showed that resulting VOCs were attractive to fly larvae, which was considered a viable trait of a fly biocontrol agent. CG-MS of the VOCs produced indicated that ketones were the dominant VOC class and, presumably, the major contributor to this larvae attraction effect. Field performance evaluation using pig manure trials demonstrated successful inhibition of several fly species of agricultural and veterinary importance using endospore treatments (105 and 1010 endospores g -1 ) of PHP1601. qPCR and REP-PCR fingerprinting confirmed that PHP1601 could grow in the manure slurries and was amiable to recovery and monitoring. Zebrafish embryo toxicity bioassays of the CLP produced by PHP1601 indicated that they achieved an LC50 of 22.77 µg ml-1, which characterised these metabolites as slightly toxic. Genome mining detected no genes associated with pathogenicity or virulence and presented no apparent pathogenic threat. The investigation demonstrated that B. velezensis PHP1601 is a viable fly biocontrol candidate and constitutes the first report of a B. velezensis antagonist of Brachycera flies.
Genetic analyses of antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes in Enterococcus species isolated from livestock production systems in South Africa.
(2021) Mnguni, Anele Buhle.; Zishiri, Oliver.
Enterococcus species are widely dispersed in the environment this includes soil, water, plants, food and animals. Although Enterococcus constitute mostly as a commensal bacterium; over the past years the bacterium has evolved to cause nosocomial infections. The proliferation of this pathogen is attributed to its ability in successfully transferring antimicrobial and virulence genes using several channels such as mobile genetic elements. This study investigated the prevalence of Enterococcus spp. in small-scale commercial farms in rural South Africa. The dissemination of virulent E. faecium and E. faecalis isolates allied with livestock production in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces was investigated. A total of 276 samples randomly sampled from livestock and their associated environments (feed, soil and water) were screened for Enterococcus spp. using selective media and using DNA molecular methods. E. faecalis and E. faecium prevalence was confirmed by the amplification of the tuf and sodA genes. Sixty-one percent of total presumptive isolates were E. faecalis (n=61) and only 8% (n=8) were identified as E. faecium. The presence of virulence determining factors such as asa1, ccf, cylA, esp, gelE and hyl was screened in all samples that tested positive for Enterococcus species. Presumptive E.faecalis and E. faecium isolates were mostly recovered from Amandawe (KZN). E. faecalis isolates harboured the most virulence genes asa1 (25%; n=), ccf (84%; n=), esp(4%;n= ), gelE (69%; n=) and hyl (12%; n= ). Whilst E. faecium isolates only harboured of asa1(12.5%; n=1), ccf (100%; n=8), gelE (75%;n=6 ) and hyl (25%;n=2). The current study also evaluated the antibiotic resistance profiles and their associated genes in these two species. Antibiotic susceptibility profiles of E. faecium and E. faecalis were assessed using Kirby-Bauer disk-diffusion assay as per the CSLI guidelines. Erythromycin had the highest occurrence of resistant isolates in both species with 75% (n=6) and 54.1% (n=33) respectively. Isolates were least resistant to ampicillin, with 0.03% resistance in E. faecalis and 0% in E. faecium. E. faecalis had the highest prevalence of Multi Drug Resistance (MDR), exhibiting phenotypic resistance to macrolides, aminoglycoside, tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones. TET-CIP-ERY was the most observed antibiotic resistance pattern. Furthermore, the isolates were screened for vanA, vanB, vanC1, vanC2/3, aac(6”)-aph(2”) ,ermA and ermB. The resistance genes that amplified in E. faecalis included vanB (8%;n=5), vanC1 (37%;n=23), vanC2/3 (37%; n=23), ermB (96%;n=58), ermA (8%;n=5) and aac(6”)-aph(2”) (1.6%;n=1). The immense dissemination of E. faecalis that has potentially pathogenic virulent determinants is a cause for concern in livestock production systems. In addition, faecal contamination from livestock poses a threat to the dissemination of virulent strains. The study demonstrated that E. faecium and E. Faecalis isolated from livestock and their associated environment were predominantly resistant to macrolides, glycopeptides, tetracyclines and fluroquinolones. In addition to be the first study in South Africa to document the emergence of inducible vanC determinants in Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci isolates.
Identification of arthropods of forensic importance during cold and warm seasons in KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa.
(2021) Tembe, Danisile.; Mukaratirwa, Samson.
Forensic entomology is the study and use of insects and other arthropods in forensic investigations associated with death, abuse and neglect of both humans and animals. Although there has been an increased interest in forensic entomology and its application in predicting post-mortem interval (PMI) amongst other issues in many developed countries, the results cannot be extrapolated beyond the countries/regions of study since the arthropods species spectra may vary with region and geographical conditions. The present study aimed to determine the arthropod species of forensic importance found during different stages of decomposition of sheep (Ovis aries) and pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) carrion during the warm and cold season in KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. A scoping review was conducted to determine the state of knowledge of forensic entomology research and application in southern Africa. To determine the arthropod species associated with sheep and pig carcass during different stages of decomposition, two medium sized Large-White pigs and two medium sized Merino sheep were humanely killed and used for the cold and warm season. Adult arthropods found on and around the carcasses during different stages of decomposition were collected and identified using combined morphological identification keys and molecular technique based on the mitochondrial gene. The review showed that arthropod species that were found on a decomposing carcass could be useful in the estimation of PMI and provided clues in cases of criminal investigations. The review also confirmed the scarcity of forensic entomology research, and its application in southern Africa. Experimental results from this study showed that dipteran flies from the families Calliphoridae, Muscidae and Sarcophagidae were the first to colonize the sheep and pig carcasses during both warm and cold seasons. These include species of Chrysomya marginalis, Ch. putoria, Ch. albiceps, Ch. chloropyga, Lucilia cuprina, Musca domestica and Sarcophaga calcifera. On the sheep carcasses, Ch. marginalis, Ch. albiceps and M. domestica were the most dominant fly species, contributing 63.2 % of the collected flies in the warm season, and 68.9 % in the cold season. Colonization by coleopterans during the warm season started as early as the fresh stage with Dermestes maculatus, Thanatophilus micans and Onthophagus crassicollis. In the cold season these same beetle species were collected from the bloated stage of the sheep carcass. On the pig carcasses, Ch. marginalis (n = 111), Ch. albiceps (n = 99) and M. domestica (n = 131) were the most abundant species during the warm season. The same species were the most abundant species in the cold season (n = 55), (n = 34) and (n = 81) respectively, although in lower numbers than the warm season. Among the collected Coleoptera species, D. maculatus (n = 112) and N. rufipes (n=62) were the most abundant species found on the carcass during the warm season and the same species were the most abundant species in the cold season (n = 66) and (n = 48) respectively. In the warm season Dermestes maculatus was recorded on the pig carcass during the fresh stage and persisted on the carcass until the last of decomposition. However, in the cold season Dermestes maculatus was first recorded on the carcass during the active stage of decomposition. Molecular analyses confirmed the identification of twelve (12) arthropod taxa collected from both sheep and pig carcasses during the cold season. Results showed that 11/12 arthropod species were common in both sheep and pig carcasses, with exception to Onthophagus sp. and Atherigona soccata species which were unique to sheep and pig carcasses respectively. However, during the warm season, the sheep carcass attracted more (n=13) taxa as compared to the pig carcass. The variation in the arthropod was due to the presence of Onthophagus sp. which was also unique to the sheep carcass during this season. Furthermore, there was an addition of a beetle species Hycleus lunatus, which was collected from both sheep and pig carcasses but unique to the warm season. This study generated important information on the endemic arthropod species that are of forensic importance KwaZulu-Natal province. The arrival time and association of arthropods species with different stages of decomposition during the warm and cold season highlighted their value in estimating the PMI in forensic investigations in the locality of KwaZulu-Natal province. The studied arthropods can potentially be useful in the estimation of PMI and other cases of criminal investigations. The seasonal variations in abundance of both Diptera and Coleoptera in the two seasons seemed to indicate influence of seasons which subsequently influenced temperature. It is recommended that similar studies be conducted at other geographical locations of South Africa with a different ecological system to build a database of dipteran and coleopteran species of forensic importance which are endemic in these areas.
Investigating the role of small RNAS in transcriptome regulation of genetically diverse clinical strains of mycobacterium tuberculosis.
(2021) Govender, Divenita.; Mvubu, Nontobeko Eunice.
Tuberculosis (TB), caused by the human adapted members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), is a threat to global health. Understanding the regulatory network of the MTBC members may reveal novel vaccine candidates and drug targets. The small RNAs (sRNAs) have only recently been investigated for their role in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) transcriptome regulation with none being explored in clinical strains or within the MTBC lineages. The present study aimed to investigate the regulatory role of sRNAs on the M. tb transcriptome in a lineage-specific manner, with emphasis on the clinical strains most prevalent in South Africa. In silico whole genome sequence alignment of strains belonging to the eight MTBC lineages was performed to identify sRNAs containing lineage-specific mutations and their respective potential targets. To elucidate transcriptome regulation in clinical strains of M. tb belonging to the Beijing and F15/LAM4/KZN lineages, mRNA and sRNA sequencing were performed followed by Hisat-Ballgown Bioinformatics analysis to identify novel sRNAs and their respective targets. The sRNAs discovered from sRNA sequencing were confirmed through real time qPCR. The in silico data revealed several sRNAs that may play a role in transcriptome regulation at a lineage-specific level, such as those involved in macrophage entry, lipid biosynthesis pathway, adaptation mechanisms during antibiotic exposure, and environmental stress. They may also be able to disrupt genes that are detrimental and restore functions to those that are beneficial. The mutated and consensus sRNAs were identified to target the same function, but one pathway may be more efficient than the other. Novel sRNAs were discovered from sRNA sequencing of the Beijing and F15/LAM4/KZN clinical strains, with their predicted targets absent from the mRNA sequencing results, indicating these sRNAs may elicit an inhibitory function. Real time-PCR analysis revealed significant fold change differences between the clinical strains belonging to the Beijing, F15/LAM4/KZN, F11 and Unique families suggesting an underlying regulation of these transcripts at a family level. This data could explain the underlying phenotypic differences observed within the MTBC and understanding of the regulatory function of these sRNAs, may identify novel alternative strategies in the fight against M. tb.
Recombinant expression and enzymatic characterisation of Trypanosoma vivax cathepsin L-like protease (TviCATL) for single chain variable fragment antibody production.
(2022) Ramjeawon, Bhavana Roshenlal.; Coetzer, Theresa Helen Taillefer.
Humans and animals in sub-Saharan Africa are at risk of African trypanosomiasis (AT), caused by tsetse fly-transmitted protozoan blood parasites of the Trypanosoma genus. Animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT), or nagana, is caused by T. brucei, T. congolense and T. vivax and negatively impacts livestock farming and consequently the economy of the continent. Since AAT occurs in rural areas, affordable rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and drugs are required. Diagnostic tests focus on antibody detection; however, antigen detection is more favorable since anti-trypanosome antibodies persist in blood for years following recovery. Due to the parasite’s defense by antigenic variation, development of a vaccine is unlikely. Molecules that are essential for parasite survival, such as peptidases, are currently being targeted for diagnosis and chemotherapy. A cathepsin-L-like cysteine protease from T. vivax, TviCATL, is released by dying parasites in the host bloodstream and was shown to be a diagnostic target for detecting host antibodies. To achieve diagnosis of current infections, detection of TviCATL is being explored. The overall aim of this study was to enzymatically characterise TviCATL; and to study the interaction of antibodies against the TviCATL antigen which could be used as a chemotherapeutic drug for the diagnosis of T. vivax infections. The protease, TviCATL, was recombinantly expressed in E. coli using the pET-28a expression vector and purified using a nickel chelate affinity column. The resulting 47 kDa protein was identified using western blot and was shown to hydrolyse H-D-Ala-Leu-Lys-AMC and was inhibited by bestatin and E-64 and had optimal activity between pH 6.5 and 7.5. The crossreactivity between TviCATL and antibodies produced against other Trypanosoma spp cysteine proteases was evaluated in western blots, and results confirmed cross-reactivity. In addition, chicken anti-TviCATL antibodies were able to detect TviCATL in TviCATL-spiked bovine serum. The production of antibodies using the Nkuku® phage library was employed as an alternative to the animal-based antibody production and single-chain variable fragment (scFvs) antibodies were selected by panning against the TviCATL antigen. After four rounds of panning, TviCATL-scFvs binders were enriched and four clones gave the highest signal when evaluated using a monospecific ELISA. Due to the low values obtained, optimisation of panning is necessary for improved results. Optimisation of recombinant expression and purification of the identified scFvs for use in a sandwich ELISA were explored to this end. This study showed that TviCATL is a promising chemotherapeutic and diagnostic target for African animal trypanosomiasis.
The role of MMP-14 and MMP-2 in mediating myoblast fusion.
(2016) Nkosi, Mthokozisi Siphesihle.; Niesler, Carola Ulrike.
Satellite cells are muscle precursor cells that have the ability to self-renew, proliferate and differentiate into myoblasts that eventually elongate and fuse to form myotubes which are vital for regeneration and repair of muscle. Satellite cells reside in a niche, between the sarcolemma of the muscle fiber and the basal lamina, which consists of mostly collagen IV, proteoglycans and laminin. Matrigel is a gelatinous protein mixture that consists primarily of collagen IV and laminin and therefore resembles the basal lamina. Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) are zinc endopeptidases, proteolytic peptidases which break peptide bonds within their substrates. MMP-14 (membrane bound) also known as membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) is one of the major matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) involved in muscle repair and regeneration, together with MMP-2 (secreted). MMP-2 is a secreted gelatinase A, which is activated by MMP-14. MMP-2 is also known to be activated by nitric oxide (NO), therefore allowing active MMP-2 to release growth factors such as Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) from the extracellular matrix (ECM). There are two forms of MMP-2, intracellular MMP-2 and extracellular (secreted) MMP-2. Secreted MMP-2 contains a peptide signal that helps direct it outside the cell, while intracellular MMP-2 lacks this feature and is therefore retained within the cell. Intracellular MMP-2 activity is known to be a major cause of muscular atrophy. Secreted MMP-2 is known to degrade ECM components, facilitating satellite cell mobility and release of growth factors such as HGF, aiding in muscle regeneration. MMP-2 can cleave collagen IV due to the presence of a fibronectin-like domain within its catalytic domain; this is not the case with MMP-14. MMP-14 and MMP-2 together degrade collagens, fibronectin, laminin-2/4 and other adhesion molecules. This clears the path for the myoblast to align and fuse to form myotubes which then finally align to form mature muscle fibers. The levels of MMP-14 and MMP-2 must be regulated; low levels can cause muscular dystrophy. The current study analysed expression levels, activity and role of MMP-14 and MMP-2 in C2C12 myoblast differentiation. C2C12 myoblasts first proliferated (Day 0), then aligned and elongated (Days 1-2) and then finally fused into myotubes (Days 3-5) during differentiation. MMP-14 and MMP-2 protein levels were high during the elongation period and also during fusion of C2C12 myoblasts. MMP-14 was localised at the focal adhesions, where actin filaments terminate during myoblast proliferation and fusion. ii Inhibition of MMPs using BB94 (10 µM) was observed to significantly reduce C2C12 myoblasts fusion. Secreted MMP-2 seems to play a vital role in the C2C12 differentiation, as activity was seen during myogenesis; when neutralised with an antibody, an 18% decrease in fusion was observed. Matrigel promoted an increase of MMP-2 expression within the cell during fusion (day 5 of differentiation), while no intracellular MMP-2 protein was observed at day 2 of differentiation. Levels of secreted MMP-2 increased significantly from day 2 to day 5 of differentiation; however, the presence of Matrigel significantly reduced levels of secreted MMP-2 detected in conditioned media at day 5 compared to uncoated conditions. The decrease is, in part, due to the fact that MMP-2 was found to bind to Matrigel. In conclusion, MMP-14 and MMP-2 play an important role in C2C12 myoblast elongation and fusion. This study provides further insight into the role of MMPs in myogenesis and lays the foundation for future work.

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