The modern pharma, food and other industries related to serving human needs are constantly demanding for biologically active substances (BAS) of plant origin. Plant cell suspension cultures (CSCs) have long been considered a replacement for depleting traditional BAS sources—wild, cultivated, and agricultural plants—and hold great promise for biotechnological applications. In particular, Polyscias filicifolia plants, which are valuable sources of oleanane-type glycosides with a promising spectrum of pharmacological activity, should be considered as starting material for the establishment of CSCs. There are limited data on long-term cultivation of Polyscias spp. cell cultures and no data on long-term cultivation of P. filicifolia cell cultures with high productivity of oleanane glycosides. This study presents the research of unique seven-year-old CSC of P. filicifolia, namely the Pf-SH strain. The Pf-SH strain was capable of synthesizing a wide range of oleanane glycosides, and their maximum total content (21.4 mg/g DW) was higher than that in whole plant leaves (13.5 mg/g DW). The oleanane glycoside profiles in P. filicifolia leaves and Pf-SH cells were radically different, with a significant predominance of more glycosylated forms (e.g., polyscioside E) in Pf-SH cells. During five years of Pf-SH cells cultivation in flasks, they retained the ability to synthesize eleven oleanane glycosides, and their ratio remained fairly stable. Changes in the content of glycosides and growth parameters of Pf-SH cells were detected during a 372-day semi-continuous cultivation in a bubble-type bioreactor. The optimal strategy for bioreactor cultivation for maximum accumulation of cellular biomass and target BAS is discussed.
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) directly convert chemical energy into electrical energy via the microbial catalytic oxidation of organic substrates, demonstrating immense potential for simultaneous pollutant degradation and bioenergy recovery. However, their industrialization has long been hindered by bottlenecks like low electron transfer and energy conversion efficiencies, high material costs, and poor large-scale stability. Iron-sulfur minerals, possessing unique electron transfer properties and environmental compatibility, provide an effective solution for the sustainable development of MFCs. Nevertheless, current literature predominantly focuses on their abiotic catalytic oxidation processes, lacking a systematic review of their applications in MFCs. This partially neglects the complex interactions among intrinsic mineral properties, environmental factors, and interfacial microbial dynamics, limiting an in-depth understanding of system efficacy and engineering bottlenecks. Therefore, this paper systematically reviews the research progress on the applications of iron-sulfur minerals in MFCs, elucidating their core mechanisms of action under diverse application forms. Furthermore, it summarizes key factors influencing the power generation performance and pollutant removal efficiency of the system. Finally, this review analyzes the engineering challenges and proposes future research directions, aiming to provide a fundamental reference for promoting both the technical optimization and practical application of iron-sulfur mineral-based MFCs.
Borophene was grown on glass coverslip substrates by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to investigate its effects on fibroblast viability and selected oxidative stress, apoptosis-related, and inflammatory markers. The deposited films were characterized using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and atomic force microscopy. Surface imaging revealed film coverage across the examined regions, and atomic force microscopy indicated a representative thickness of approximately 27 nm. L929 fibroblasts were cultured on borophene-coated glass coverslips, and cellular responses were evaluated after 24 h using the MTT assay, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total oxidant status (TOS), and measurements of BAX, BCL-2, IL-1, and IL-10. Cell viability was 90.84% relative to the control, with no statistically significant difference reported. TAC, TOS, and BAX also showed no statistically significant changes. In contrast, BCL-2 levels increased significantly (P < 0.001), suggesting a potential adaptive or anti-apoptotic response. These findings provide preliminary evidence of limited short-term cytotoxicity under the tested conditions. However, the increased BCL-2 level alone does not establish functional cytoprotection, and further studies are needed to clarify the underlying mechanisms and longer-term biological effects.
