Surface active compounds (SACs) of bacterial origin are amphiphilic heteropolymers that may alter the interaction of gas-liquid, solid-liquid, and immiscible liquids surfaces, decrease the surface and interfacial tensions of liquids, and form stable emulsions. SACs are divided in two main groups: low molecular weight, the biosurfactants, and high molecular weight, the bioemulsifiers. Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in determined levels, provide benefits to the host. They can produce SACs with several properties, such as the emulsification and solubilization of substrates and antimicrobial activity. Here we show that the cell-free supernatant of commercial probiotic strains of Bacillus clausii (formerly Bacillus subtilis), a spore-forming species that can tolerate biliary salts and survive at acid gastric conditions, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus, a lactic acid facultative heterofermentative bacterial species, are able to emulsify apolar fluids including gasoline fuel, suggesting the presence of biomolecules that could be explored for bioremediation. L. rhamnosus also presented antimicrobial activity, whereas Bacillus clausii did not.
Sunflower oil is known for its therapeutic properties and culinary use. It is an important alimentary source of tocopherol and unsaturated fatty acids, and is used especially for wound healing. Studies indicate that it also has antimicrobial potential. The ozonation of oils of vegetable sources has been explored as a way to enhance their therapeutic properties; however, studies that provide evidence of such benefits are still lacking. In the field of veterinary medicine, such data are even more scarce. In this study, the antimicrobial activity of ozonated sunflower oil was compared to that of non-ozonated oil, in an in vitro system. We used clinical isolates of Escherichia coli, obtained from intrauterine lavages of mares with endometritis. Tests were conducted using the minimum inhibitory concentration method. Our data open doors for discussion on the use of sunflower oil, with or without ozone treatment, for therapeutic purposes in veterinary medicine.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.