Computational exploration of New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase 1 (NDM-1) inhibitory peptides derived from Lacticaseibacillus paracasei HM-1 fermented camel milk Anamika Singh, Pei-Gee Yap, Chee-Yuen Gan, Manvesh Kumar Sihag, Ibrahim Khalifa, Sajid Maqsood, Priti Mudgil, Harsh Panwar Future Foods, 2026 • Camel milk fermented with L. paracasei HM-1 yielded potent antimicrobial peptides. • Fermentates showed strong activity against MDR B. cereus, S. Typhimurium, E. coli , and S. aureus . • LC–MS/MS identified >2000 peptides; 46 showed high predicted bioactivity scores. • Multiple peptides (e.g., AAQNLLACGVALGALR) strongly interacted with NDM-1 active sites. • Docking and MD simulations revealed stable peptide–NDM-1 binding and inhibitory potential. • Lead peptide AAQNLLACGVALGALR displayed highest affinity and stable multi-residue interactions. Silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) necessitates exploring natural antibiotic alternatives like antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). In a similar quest, present study investigated the antimicrobial potential of AMPs derived from Lacticaseibacillus paracasei HM1 fermented camel milk (FCM) proteins against multi drug resistant Bacillus cereus (BC), Staphylococcus aureus (SA), Escherichia coli (EC), and Salmonella Typhimurium (ST). Antibacterial assays suggested potent antibacterial activity of FCM-AMPs against BC (20.0±1.0mm), SA (12.0±0.7mm), EC (14.0±0.5mm), and ST (20.0±0.6mm). Further, identification, and in silico analysis of these AMPs revealed that peptides CCFSSCAMR, KCCFSSCAMR, AAQNLLACGVALGALR, FLPPLQPAVMVPFLQPK, and LLPAPPLLR showed potent interaction and binding with β-lactamase giving insights into their antimicrobial mechanisms. The research findings indicate FCM derived AMPs as potent antibacterial agents targeting both cell membrane and antibiotic degrading enzymes. Going ahead, further validation, safety assessment, and clinical trials will be essential to develop these peptides into effective antimicrobial therapies against AMR pathogens.
Comparative Analysis of Essential Oils and Oleoresins From Seed and Aril of Myristica fragrans Houtt.: Chemical Composition, Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Cytotoxic Activities Vishaldeep Kaur, Sonia Kaushal, Harsh Panwar, Heena New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 2026 This study explores the antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and cytotoxic properties of Myristica fragrans Houtt. from derived nutmeg (seed) and mace (aril) essential oils and ethanolic oleoresins extracted by hydrodistillation and Soxhlet extraction methods, respectively. Chemical profiling using GC–MS/FID identified α ‐terpineol (22.70%) in nutmeg essential oil, β ‐phellandrene (14.14%) in mace essential oil, diethyl phthalate (11.07%) in nutmeg oleoresin, and 4‐carvomenthenol (12.40%) in mace oleoresin as major constituents. Antioxidant activity, evaluated through DPPH, ABTS, NO, FRAP, and metal chelation assays, showed oleoresins, particularly mace oleoresin, to be more potent than essential oils. Mace oleoresin exhibited the strongest anti‐hemolytic effect (IC 50 : 165.11 µgmL −1 ). Anti‐inflammatory assays, i.e., albumin denaturation, protease inhibition, and lipoxygenase inhibition, also confirmed mace oleoresin as the most effective. Cytotoxicity was tested on HT‐29 and LNCaP cancer cell lines using the MTT assay, where mace oleoresin showed dose‐dependent inhibition with IC 50 values of 28.50 µgmL −1 (HT‐29) and 35.50 µg/mL (LNCaP). Its superior bioactivity is attributed to a higher content of oxygenated terpenoids (31.38%), phenylpropanoids (25.73%), and phenolics (12.03%). These findings suggest mace that oleoresin holds promise as a natural alternative to synthetic antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and anticancer agents.
Seaweeds as functional ingredient for enhancement of nutritional and sensory attributes of pork nuggets Mayank Goswami, Nitin Mehta, Harsh Panwar, Om Prakash Malav, Jasbir Singh Bedi Nutrition and Food Science, 2025 Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the scope of the addition of seaweed powders for the development of low-salt and fibre-enriched pork nuggets. Design/methodology/approach Three different seaweeds, namely, Kappaphycus alvarezii, Ulva lactuca and Sargassum tenerrimum, were incorporated separately at 3%, 4% and 5% levels to develop low-salt and fibre-enriched pork nuggets. A total of nine treatments (T1–T9) were compared the following incorporation of different percentages of seaweed powder, alongside a control. All the samples were investigated for physico-chemical parameters (pH, cooking yield and emulsion stability), proximate composition, colour, texture profile analysis and sensory characteristics. Findings With the incorporation of seaweed powders, the level of salt to be added was reduced in the formulation. All the treatments had higher (p = 0.05) cooking yield (%) and emulsion stability (%) than the control, along with an increase (p = 0.05) in total dietary fibre (TDF), irrespective of the type of seaweed added. Incorporation of seaweed significantly (p = 0.05) increased the hardness and chewiness of the products. On sensory analysis, out of all the treatments, T2 was found to have the highest scores in terms of various sensory attributes and was also found comparable to control. The study shows that based on physicochemical, proximate and sensory properties, out of all the tried levels, 4% Kappaphycus alvarezii powder can be incorporated for the development of low-salt and fibre-enriched pork nuggets. Practical implications The study highlighted the use of seaweeds as a functional ingredient in development of low-salt, fibre-enriched pork nuggets. It would result in improving yield and key nutritional and sensory attributes with a simultaneous decrease in the level of salt to be added in processing. Further, it would also provide an opportunity to use underutilized nutrient sources, i.e. seaweeds, which will also help in an overall reduction of the cost of developed products. Social implications The technology for developing pork nuggets using seaweed powders is simple and can be easily adopted by small-scale entrepreneurs and processors. The product developed in his study can have a wider consumer base in terms of superior functionality. Originality/value Research on the development of low-salt, fibre-enriched pork nuggets incorporating seaweed powders is very limited. Utilization of seaweeds in meat product formulations represents a promising and innovative approach, aimed at enhancing nutritional profiles while maintaining desirable textural and sensory characteristics. This novel area of study leverages unique functional characteristics of seaweeds, such as high fibre content and natural mineral richness, to create healthier products, which is in consonance with the UN Sustainable Development Goal of Good health and well-being. Exploring the potential of seaweeds aligns with the growing demand for functional meat products alongside addressing consumers’ preference for products with lower sodium content without compromising sensory quality.
Exploring the antimicrobial potential of lactobacilli against early-stage and mature biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Niharika Singh, Rohini Devidas Gulhane, Anamika Singh, Maitri Goel, Pudke Payal Udelal, Vikas Sangwan, Manvesh Kumar Sihag, Gunjan Goel, Harsh Panwar, Anil Kumar Puniya Frontiers in Chemistry, 2025 Bacterial biofilms are dynamic, complex, and very adaptive, and they can cause health problems in both humans and animals while also posing a serious threat to various industries. This study explores the potential of cell-free preparations of lactobacilli isolated from breast milk (HM; n = 11) and infant fecal (IF; n = 15) samples to impact the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. The anti-biofilm activity of three distinct cell-free preparations, namely, untreated cell-free supernatant (CFS), pH-neutralized CFS (N-CFS), and heat-treated CFS (H-CFS), was examined against both early-stage and mature biofilms. The post-incubation strategy examined the impact on mature biofilms, while the co-incubation treatment assessed the impact of CFS on adhesion and initial colonization. Compared to post-incubation treatment (HM3, 67.12%), the CFSs exhibited greater inhibitory activity during co-incubation (IF9, 85.19%). Based on the findings, untreated CFS exhibited the most promising biofilm inactivation, although its activity was not completely lost upon pH neutralization and heat treatment. Treatment with H-CFSs and N-CFSs moderately reduced the population of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa bacterial cells within the biofilm by 40%–60%. Microscopic observations showed that after CFS treatment, the integrity of the biofilm conformation was disrupted. According to principal component analysis (PCA) (significance level at p < 0.05), the most promising anti-biofilm activity against both test pathogens was found in the CFS of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei HM1.
SYBR Green based duplex real-time PCR assays for molecular detection of tick-borne haemoparasites of dogs from Northern India Harkirat Singh, M. Padmaja, Aparna M. Thomas, Harsh Panwar, Nasrul I. Shaikh, Jyoti, Nirbhay K. Singh Journal of Veterinary Parasitology, 2024 Concurrent haemoparasitic tick-borne infections like babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and hepatozoonosis may occur in dogs following exposure to brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus. In the present study, SYBR Green based duplex real-time PCR assays were evaluated to detect the infections with Babesia gibsoni, B. vogeli, Ehrlichia canis and Hepatozoon canis from selected north Indian states (Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh) and union territories (Jammu and Kashmir and New Delhi). Evaluation of 343 blood samples by microscopy revealed the incidence of B. gibsoni, B. vogeli, E. canis and H. canis as 4.4%, 0.3%, 0.3% and 0.6%, respectively. However, the incidence rates for the respective parasites by duplex real-time PCR assays were 17.2%, 0.6%, 0.6% and 17.8%, along with co-infections infections of B. gibsoni and H. canis (4.4%), B. gibsoni and B. vogeli (0.3%) and B. gibsoni, B. vogeli and H. canis (0.3%). The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of duplex real-time PCR assays, as compared to microscopy, for detection of B. gibsoni, B. vogeli, E. canis and H. canis ranged as 2.5%-100.0% and 78.26%-99.99%, respectively. The strength of agreement between the two tests for detection of these parasites ranged from ?slight? to ?substantial? by kappa value statistics and the data was statistically significant. A statistically significant association was recorded by duplex real-time PCR assays for incidence of B. gibsoni (age and location) and H. canis (age, location and season) as associated risk factors. These in-house validated PCR assays, after wider studies and validation from other regions of India, offer a great potential for detection and monitoring the response of treatment therapies for these haemoparasites under field conditions.
Isolation of quinic acid from dropped Citrus reticulata Blanco fruits: its derivatization, antibacterial potential, docking studies, and ADMET profiling Heena, Sonia Kaushal, Vishaldeep Kaur, Harsh Panwar, Purshotam Sharma, Raman Jangra Frontiers in Chemistry, 2024 Citrus reticulata dropped fruits are generally discarded as waste, causing environmental pollution and losses to farmers. In the present study, column chromatography has been used to isolate quinic acid (1,3,4,5-tetrahydroxycyclohexane-1-carboxylic acid) from the ethyl acetate fraction of a methanol extract of citrus fruits dropped in April. Quinic acid is a ubiquitous plant metabolite found in various plants and microorganisms. It is an important precursor in the biosynthesis of aromatic natural compounds. It was further derivatized into 3,4-o-isopropylidenequinic acid 1,5-lactone (QA1), 1,3,4,5-tetraacetoxycyclohexylaceticanhydride (QA2), and cyclohexane-1,2,3,5-tetraone (QA3). These compounds were further tested for their antibacterial potential against the foodborne pathogens Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus spp., Yersinia enterocolitica, and Escherichia coli. QA1 exhibited maximum antibacterial potential (minimum inhibitory concentration; 80–120 μg/mL). QA1 revealed synergistic behavior with streptomycin against all the tested bacterial strains having a fractional inhibitory concentration index ranging from 0.29 to 0.37. It also caused a significant increase in cell constituent release in all the tested bacteria compared to the control, along with prominent biofilm reduction. The results obtained were further checked with computational studies that revealed the best docking score of QA1 (−6.30 kcal/mol, −5.8 kcal/mol, and −4.70 kcal/mol) against β-lactamase, DNA gyrase, and transpeptidase, respectively. The absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) analysis revealed that the drug-like properties of QA1 had an ideal toxicity profile, making it a suitable candidate for the development of antimicrobial drugs.
Biodegradation potential of indigenous Bacillus strains isolated from oil and sludge contaminated sites Asian Journal of Microbiology Biotechnology and Environmental Sciences, 2013