Abstract
In this study Bacillus amyloliquefaciens RK3 was isolated from a sugar mill effluent-contaminated soil and utilised to generate a potential polysaccharide with anti-Alzheimer's activity. Traditional and molecular methods were used to validate the strain. The polysaccharide produced by B. amyloliquefaciens RK3 was purified, and the yield was estimated to be 10.35 gL(-1). Following purification, the polysaccharide was structurally and chemically analysed. The structural analysis revealed the polysaccharide consists of alpha-d-mannopyranose (alpha-d-Manp) and beta-d-galactopyranose (beta-d-Galp) monosaccharide units connected through glycosidic linkages (i.e., beta-d-Galp(1 -> 6)beta-d-Galp (1 -> 6)beta-d-Galp(1 -> 2)beta-d-Galp(1 -> 2)[beta-d-Galp(1 -> 6)]beta-d-Galp(1 -> 2)alpha-d-Manp(1 -> 6)alpha-d-Manp (1 -> 6)alpha-d-Manp(1 -> 6)alpha-d-Manp(1 -> 6)alpha-d-Manp). The scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy imaging of polysaccharides emphasise their compactness and branching in the usual tubular heteropolysaccharide structure. The purified exopolysaccharide significantly impacted the plaques formed by the amyloid proteins during Alzheimer's disease. Further, the results also highlighted the potential applicability of exopolysaccharide in various industrial and pharmaceutical applications.