Applicability of differential fluorescein diacetate and propidium iodide fluorescence staining for monitoring algal growth and viability

Microalgae can be cultivated for producing high-valued products through the production of enzymes to offset the cost of CO_(2) sequestration,providing financial incentives.The viability of algae in the photobioreactor needs to be monitored to ensure biologically active live cells.In this study,we explored a simple fluorometry method for differentiation of live and dead algal cells in photobioreactors by fluorescein diacetate(FDA)and propidium iodide(PI)fluorescence staining.FDA stains fluorescent green to the living cells while PI stains the dead cells,allowing the discrimination of live and dead cells.The method was evaluated using two green algae and two strains of cyanobacteria grown in shake flasks and a continuously stirred photobioreactor.The method was found applicable for Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Synechococcus 7002 but was not applicable for the cultures of Scenedesmus dimorphus and Synechococcus elongatus 7942.We conclude that FDA is a good stain for monitoring live algal cells in photobioreactors but its applicability to individual species of algae must be evaluated.

Synergistic Effect of the Methanolic Extract of Lemongrass and Some Antibiotics to Treat Urinary Tract Bacteria

Some medicinal plants are used traditionally in Saudi Arabia to treat many bacterial infections. Three plants, lemongrass (Oymbopogon citrates), lantana (Lantana cama-ra), and wild olive leaves (Olea europaea) were collected, identified, extracted with either hot water or organic solvents (methanol, diethyl ether, ethyl acetate and n-butanol) to investigate their antibacterial activities against E. coli. The methanol ex-tracts of lemongrass, lantana and olive showed the highest activities against Esherichia coil while aqueous extract exhibited the lowest activities. Thus, the antibacterial activities of the methanolic extract of the three tested plants were determined using agar well diffusion method against some bacterial pathogens, isolated from urine samples. The highest antibacterial activity was recorded for themethanolic extract of lemongrass against all tested bacteria, E. coli, K. pneumoniae, P. aeuroginosa, P. mirabilis, E. faecalis and S. aureus. The tested bacteria differed with regard to their susceptibility to plant extracts. Lemongrass was the most active extract followed by lantana and wild olive extracts. Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the methanolic extract of Lemongrass and some used antibiotics, Erythromycin, Tetracycline, Amoxicillin, Ciprofloxacin and Chloramphenicol were determined usingfluorescein diacetate method. Synergistic effect of the methanolic extract of lemongrass with the previous antibiotics against the tested clinical bacterial isolates was determined and the Fractional inhibitory concentrations (FIC) of different combination of the extract and the antibiotics were determined. FIC index (FICI) was calculated and it was ranged from 0.08 - 0.98. The interaction between the tested plant extract and the tested antibiotics was either synergistic or additive effects and no antagonistic effect was recorded. In conclusion, methanolic extract of lemongrass singly or in combination with some antibiotics can be used to treat pathogenic bacteria that cause urinary tract infections.