Tunable fluorescent carbon dots from biowaste as fluorescence ink and imaging human normal and cancer cells.

Growing global biowaste and its environmental issues challenge the need for converting biowastes into a beneficial product. Among the biowaste, here kiwi fruit (Actinidia Deliciosa) peels are considered for the preparation of carbon dots (CDs). Using a green one-pot hydrothermal-carbonization method, kiwi fruit peels were effectively converted into valuable kiwi fruit peel carbon dots (KFP-CDs). The morphology, physio-chemical and optical properties of as-synthesized KFP-CDs were analyzed using various analytical techniques such as X-ray powder diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Ultraviolet-visible, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The KFP-CDs revealed a homogeneous spherical shape, monodispersed with an average size of 5 nm. The characterization confirms that KFP-CDs have functional groups such as -CN, -COOH, and -OH which are responsible for the easy dispersion of KFP-CDs in aqueous media. Without any preprocessing, KFP-CDs exhibit strong fluorescence upon exposure to UV light. Further, KFP-CDs displayed excitation-dependent fluorescence emission with a good quantum yield of about 18%. Thus by considering the excellent properties of KFP-CDs, KFP-CDs were used as fluorescent ink for drawing and writing without any capping/passivation agent. The pictures and words were instantaneously viewed when exposed to UV light. In addition, KFP-CDs tested for cell imaging in four human cell lines (normal and cancer cells) bestowed excellent biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity, which is important for the safe and long-term development of cellular imaging. The findings imply that KFP-CDs can be utilized as a cell labeling agent for mesenchymal stem cells, breast cancer, and thyroid cancer cells in vitro imaging. Thus, these observations revealed that investigating sustainable resource-based CDs can open up new avenues for tackling environmental issues.

Nano Ag@bioactive microspheres from marine sponge Clathria frondifera: Fabrication, fortification, characterization, anticancer and antibacterial potential evaluation.

Bioresources are attaining much importance in the discovery of drugs and delivering agents. In particular, marine sponges are of great interest due to their metabolites production for the survival in risky environment. The incorporation of silver nanoparticles with marine sponge derived metabolites was reported for the first time. In this work, a facile material has been generated of great efficacy in solving environmental and health issues, as a recipe of silver and marine sponge Clathria frondifera, named as Ag Fortified Sponge spheres (AFS). AFS spheres were successfully synthesized after method optimization, using the various extracts of marine sponge Clathria frondifera as effective reducing agent in Ag (I) to Ag (0) reduction. Bioactive material from marine sponge and AgNP from the reduction of AgNO3 solution stablishing one another and thus AFS spheres were attaining long lifetime along with enhanced antimicrobial activity. The characterization of synthesized AFS and other AgNPs (1-4) has done using FT-IR, PXRD, FESEM, TEM, and UV-vis data. The presence of functional groups such as, Ag-O, and Ag-C stretching bonds in the AFS compounds indicated that it is composed of silver oxides and organo-silver, respectively. The synthesized Ag NPs were found to be spherical like structure with an average size of ∼20 nm. The cytotoxic response of AFS was assessed by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and morphological changes. AFS are exact spherical, micro sized and effective in inhibiting the growth of both gram positive and gram-negative bacteria. Anticancer studies were also carried out and ensued with excellent activity in the HELA cells with potential application in the medical industry.

Greener production of compost from agricultural biomass residues amended with mule dung for agronomic application.

In this study agro-waste (Agwt) was aerobically composted using cow dung (CD) and mule dung (MD). Totally six different sets of compost treatments were prepared, as T1 (Agwt + CD, 1:1), T2 (Agwt + MD, 1:1), T3 (Agwt + CD, 1:3), T4 (Agwt + MD, 1:3), T5 (Agwt + CD, 3:1) and T6 (Agwt + MD, 3:1) in individual containers. All the compost treatments were degraded for 90 days. The organic wastes in the treatment containers were maintained with proper moisture level. All the final composts reached good manural stability and maturity index after 90 days. Among the six treatments, the T2 with Agwt + MD in 1:1 proportion attained a 10:1 C/N ratio and a near neutral pH (7.3). Indigenous microbes isolated and identified from the T2 compost sample showed protease, cellulase, amylase and lipase activities. The germination of Raphanus sativus L. seeds and vigorous plant growth parameters confirmed the non-pathogenic phytotoxic-free nature of finished composts. The radish crops supplied with T2 compost showed healthy tuber growth parameters (16.6 cm width, 35.6 cm length) compared with other treatments. The results from the experiments established that, the composts derived are eco-friendly amendment to plants and it has also improved the soil fertility due to its stability and maturity index. Thus, the present study concluded that composting agricultural crops waste with animal manure, especially mule dung promoted excellent biodegradation of organic complexes. It is a nature friendly solution for the management of solid waste such as agro-wastes utilizing mule dung.

Microbial community dynamics and their relationships with organic and metal pollutants of sugarcane molasses-based distillery wastewater sludge.

Distillery sludge is a major source of aquatic pollution, but little is known about their microbial community and their association with the organic and metal pollutants. Sugarcane molasses-based distillery is an important industry in India, although the waste is usually treated prior to disposal, the treatment is often inadequate. The adverse effects of the organic and metal pollutants in sugarcane molasses-based distillery sludge on the microbial biodiversity and abundance in the disposal site have not been elucidated. This study aims to address this gap of knowledge. Samples were collected from the discharge point, 1 and 2 km downstream (D1, D2, and D3, respectively) of a sugarcane distillery in Uttar Pradesh, India, and their physico-chemical properties characterised. Using QIIME, taxonomic assignment for the V3 and V4 hypervariable regions of 16 S rRNA was performed. The phyla Proteobacteria (28-39%), Firmicutes (20-28%), Bacteriodetes (9-10%), Actinobacteria (5-10%), Tenericutes (1-9%) and Patescibacteria (2%) were the predominant bacteria in all three sites. Euryechaeota, were detected in sites D1 and D2 (1-2%) but absent in D3. Spirochaetes (5%), Sinergistetes (2%) and Cloacimonetes (1%) were only detected in samples from site D1. Shannon, Simpson, Chao1, and Observed-species indices indicated that site D1 (10.18, 0.0013, 36706.55 and 45653.84, respectively) has higher bacterial diversity and richness than D2 (6.66, 0.0001, 25987.71 and 49655.89, respectively) and D3 (8.31, 0.002, 30345.53 and 30654.88, respectively), suggesting the organic and metal pollutants provided the stressors to favour the survival of microbial community that can biodegrade and detoxify them in the distillery sludge. This study confirmed that the treatment of the distillery waste was not sufficiently effective and provided new metagenomic information on its impact on the surrounding microbial community. It also offered new insights into potential bioremediation candidates.

Kinetically modelled approach of xanthan production using different carbon sources: A study on molecular weight and rheological properties of xanthan.

The present study emphasizes improving the overall yield, productivity and quality of xanthan by Xanthomonas campestris using different carbon sources via optimizing the fermentation media and kinetic modelling work. After optimization, six carbon sources and one nitrogen source were selected for xanthan production in 5 L bioreactor. Kinetic modelling was applied to assess the experimental fermentation data and to check its influence on scale-up production. In this work, xanthan production reached 40.65 g/L with a growth-associated rate constant (α) of 2.831, and highest specific growth rate (µm) of 0.37/h while using maltose as the sole carbon source. Furthermore, rheological properties were determined, and Herschel-Bulkley model was employed to assess the experimental data. Interestingly, xanthan obtained from sucrose and glucose showed the highest yield stress (τ0) of 12.50 ± 0.31 and 7.17 ± 0.21. Moreover, the highest xanthan molecular weight of 3.53 × 107 and 3.25 × 107 g/mol were also found with sucrose and glucose. At last, the proposed mechanism of sugar metabolism and xanthan biosynthesis pathway were described. Conclusively, maltose appeared as the best carbon source for maximum xanthan production: while sucrose and glucose gave qualitatively best results. In short, this systematically modelled approach maximizes the potential output and provides a solid base for continuous cultivation of xanthan at large-scale production.

Persicaria lapathifolia Essential Oil: Chemical Constituents, Antioxidant Activity, and Allelopathic Effect on the Weed Echinochloa colona.

The exploration of new green, ecofriendly bioactive compounds has attracted the attention of researchers and scientists worldwide to avoid the harmful effects of chemically synthesized compounds. Persicaria lapathifolia has been reported to have various bioactive compounds, while its essential oil (EO) has not been determined yet. The current work dealt with the first description of the chemical composition of the EO from the aerial parts of P. lapathifolia, along with studying its free radical scavenging activity and herbicidal effect on the weed Echinochloa colona. Twenty-one volatile compounds were identified via GC-MS analysis. Nonterpenoids were the main components, with a relative concentration of 58.69%, in addition to terpenoids (37.86%) and carotenoid-derived compounds (1.75%). n-dodecanal (22.61%), α-humulene (11.29%), 2,4-dimethylicosane (8.97%), 2E-hexenoic acid (8.04%), γ-nonalactone (3.51%), and limonene (3.09%) were characterized as main compounds. The extracted EO exhibited substantial allelopathic activity against the germination, seedling root, and shoot growth of the weed E. colona in a dose-dependent manner, showing IC50 values of 77.27, 60.84, and 33.80 mg L-1, respectively. In addition, the P. lapathifolia EO showed substantial antioxidant activity compared to ascorbic acid as a standard antioxidant. The EO attained IC50 values of 159.69 and 230.43 mg L-1, for DPPH and ABTS, respectively, while ascorbic acid exhibited IC50 values 47.49 and 56.68 mg L-1, respectively. The present results showed that the emergent leafy stems of aquatic plants such as P. lapathifolia have considerably low content of the EO, which exhibited substantial activities such as antioxidant and allelopathic activities. Further study is recommended to evaluate the effects of various environmental and climatic conditions on the production and composition of the EOs of P. lapathifolia.

Effects of ocean acidification on the growth and biochemical composition of a green alga (Ulva fasciata) and its associated microbiota.

In marine ecosystems, fluctuations in surface-seawater carbon dioxide (CO2), significantly influence the whole metabolism of marine algae, especially during the early stages of macroalgal development. In this study, the response of the green alga Ulva fasciata for elevating ocean acidification was investigated using four levels of pCO2 ~ 280, 550, 750 and 1050 µatm. Maximum growth rate (6.6% day-1), protein (32.43 %DW) and pigment (2.9 mg/g) accumulation were observed at pCO2-550 with an increase of ~2-fold compared to control. On the other hand, lipid and carbohydrate contents recorded their maximum production (4.23 and 46.96 %DW, respectively) at pCO2-750 while control showed 3.70 and 42.37 %DW, respectively. SDS-PAGE showed the presence of unique bands in response to pCO2, especially at 550 µatm. Dominant associated bacteria was shifted from Halomonas hydrothermalis of control to Vibrio toranzoniae at pCO2-1050. These findings suggest that ocean acidification at 550 µatm might impose noticeable effects on growth, protein, pigments, and protein profile of U. fasciata, which could be a good source for fish farming. While, pCO2-750 was recommended for energetic purpose, due to its high lipid and carbohydrate contents.

Biodegradation competence of Streptomyces toxytricini D2 isolated from leaves surface of the hybrid cotton crop against ß cypermethrin.

The frequent application of ß cypermethrin in farming activity, causing severe soil and water contamination. Thus, finding a suitable microbial agent to degrade the toxic pesticide into less or nontoxic components is vital. Hence, ß cypermethrin-resistant predominant bacteria from the pesticide-exposed surface of cotton leaves were isolated and optimized the growth conditions required for the significant degradation of ß cypermethrin. Six dominant bacterial cultures were isolated from pesticide exposed cotton leaf samples, and among them, COL3 showed better tolerance to 6% of ß cypermethrin than others. This COL3 was identified as Streptomyces toxytricini D2 through the 16S rRNA analysis. The suitable growth requirements of S. toxytricini D2 were optimized with various essential growth parameters to degrade ß cypermethrin and the results showed that a significant degradation of ß cypermethrin was observed at 35 °C, pH 8.0, 1.5% of inoculum, and nutritional factors like glycerol (20 mg L-1), ammonium sulfate (15 mg L-1), and calcium phosphates (10 mg L-1) were served as better carbon, nitrogen, and phosphate sources respectively. The degradation percentage and half-life of ß cypermethrin were calculated as 80.71 ± 1.17% and 48.15 h respectively by S. toxytricini D2. The GC-MS analysis results showed that S. toxytricini D2 effectively degraded the ß cypermethrin into 5 components such as methyl salicylate, phenol, phthalic acid, 3-phenoxy benzaldehyde, and 3-PBA. This is the first report, revealed that the S. toxytricini D2 belongs to the Actinobacteria has the potential to degrade the ß cypermethrin into less or nontoxic metabolites under optimized conditions.

In vitro therapeutic evaluation of nanoliposome loaded with Xyloglucans polysaccharides from Tamarindus flower extract.

Nanoparticles are interesting area of research developed for several diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Tamarind flower extract is rich in Xyloglucan, a starch like polysaccharide which promotes proliferation and various application areas like drug-delivery technology. In recent years researchers are evaluating nanoliposome using in vitro and in vivo studies to discover their biomedical applications. Considering the importance and feasibility of nanoliposome, the present study is focused on synthesis of liposomes via biological method. The biological molecules of Tamarindus indica flower were used for the synthesis of nanoliposome. The synthesized Tamarindus indica flower extract lipid nanoparticles (TifeLiNPs) loaded with xyloglucans were characterized and evaluated for therapeutic applications (antibacterial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities) under in vitro condition. UV-Vis spectral analysis revealed the emission of peak at 232 nm. Further, the chemical characterization using FTIR revealed the presence of components in the functional group. EDX analysis exhibited the presence of O, Na, P and Cl, while DLS confirmed bilayer formation of xyloglucan and liposomes with uniform size (70-80 nm) and spherical shape. The Physicochemical characterization of tamarind flower extract for its chemical composition revealed the presence of carbohydrates, alkaloids, terpenoids, glycosides, saponins, tannins and flavonoids in confirmatory test. Presence of carbohydrate polymers such as rhamnose, arabinose, galactose, glucose and xylose revealed using high performance anion exchange (HPAE) chromatography under basic conditions on an ion chromatographic system were measured using Pulsed Amperometric Detection (PAD). The synthesized nanoliposome evaluated against Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria showed potential antibacterial activity. TifeLiNPs demonstrated significant in vitro antioxidant potential, antidiabetic, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activity. Overall, the present study exhibited the potential application of TifeLiNPs for biomedical purposes.

Vincamine, a safe natural alkaloid, represents a novel anticancer agent.

Vincamine, a well-known plant alkaloid, has been used as a dietary supplement and as a peripheral vasodilator to combat aging in humans. In this study, for the very first time, we demonstrated that vincamine can function as an anticancer agent in a human alveolar basal epithelial cell line A549 (IC50 = 309.7 µM). The anticancer potential of vincamine in A549 cells was assessed by molecular assays to determine cell viability, generation of intracellular ROS, nuclear condensation, caspase-3 activity and inhibition, and change in mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). In silico studies predicted that the anti-proliferative potential of vincamine is enhanced by its interaction with the apoptotic protein caspase-3, and that this interaction is driven by two hydrogen bonds and has a high free energy of binding (-5.64 kcal/mol) with an estimated association constant (Ka) of 73.67 µM. We found that vincamine stimulated caspase-3-dependent apoptosis and lowered mitochondrial membrane potential, which ultimately led to cytochrome C release. Vincamine was also found to quench hydroxyl free radicals and deplete iron ions in cancer cells. As a dietary supplement, vincamine is almost non-toxic in BEAS-2B and 3T3-L1 cells. Therefore, we propose that vincamine represents a safe anticancer agent in lung cancer cells. Its role in other cancers has yet to be explored.

Bioremediation characteristics, influencing factors of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) removal by using non-indigenous Paracoccus sp.

The marine bacterium able to consume DDT as the nutrient source was isolated from sea water which was identified as Paracoccus sp. DDT-21 based on 16 S rDNA gene sequence and Gram negative rod, obligate aerobic, non-motile biochemical characteristics. The isolate can degrade over 80% of the DDT, at a concentration of 50 mg/L in MSM in 72 h. Time and pollutant (DDT) dependent growth studies indicated that the isolate Paracoccus sp., DDT-21 significantly degrade the DDT and tolerates under DDT stress up to 50 mg/L. The DDT degradation capability of the strain Paracoccus sp. DDT-21 was found to be 5 ˃ 10 ˃ 15 ˃ 25 ˃ 50 mg/L DDT. The high concentrations (75 and 100 mg/L) of DDT showed significant decrease in DDT degradation. The optimal DDT degradation (∼90.0%) was observed at 6 g/L of yeast extract, 6% of glucose in pH 7.0 at 35 °C with 72 h of incubation as constant. Furthermore, four metabolites were observed by GC-MS analysis such as, DDE, DDD, DDMU, and DDA. The obtained results indicate that the isolate Paracoccus sp. DDT-21 is a promising candidate for the removal and/or detoxification of DDT in the environment.

A potent multifunctional MnS/Ag-polyvinylpyrrolidone nanocomposite for enhanced detection of Hg2+ from aqueous samples and its photocatalytic and antibacterial applications.

The development of nanotechnology for hazardous heavy metal detection with nanoparticles (NPs) created an interest for the preparation of MnS/Ag nanocomposite. Here, MnS/Ag-polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) nanocomposite was developed for the detection of mercury. The prepared composite was analyzed using particle size analyzer, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, zetasizer, high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The λmax of MnS/Ag-PVP nanocomposite was observed at 404 nm. The particle size was determined to be 21 ± 1.7 nm and the surface charge was -31.19 ± 3 mV. The brownish yellow colour of the nanocomposite changed into colourless when Hg2+ was added. The different metal ions present with the analyte did not show any interference on detection of Hg2+. The MnS/Ag-PVP nanocomposite incorporated paper and gel exhibited visual detection of Hg2+ from aqueous sample. There was an excellent linearity (y = -0.0015x + 0.8744) found in plot of 20 to 100 nM Hg2+ concentrations versus absorbance at 404 nm and the LOD was calculated to be 16 nM. The probe was applied to quantify Hg2+ from spiked environmental sample and the results were further confirmed with atomic absorption spectrophotometric analysis. Hence, the investigation suggests that the present probe could efficiently detect and quantify Hg2+ at nano molar level. In addition, the study suggests that MnS/Ag-PVP nanocomposite exhibit multifunctional property including efficient photocatalytic and antimicrobial activity. The antibacterial activity was evaluated against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria.

Antimicrobial and synergistic effect of Moroccan native Argania spinosa essential oil for modulating of antibiotics resistance.

In this study, the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil (EO) extracted from leaves of the Moroccan endemic plant Argania spinosa were investigated for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. In addition, the EO antimicrobial activity was evaluated in combination with two known antibiotics (ciprofloxacin and fluconazole), in order to ascertain possible synergistic effects. The chemical composition analyzed by GC/MS showed that A. spinosa EO was characterised by the abundance of geranyl acetate (19.18%), methyleugenol (10.98%), linalyl acetate (10.59%) and eucalyptol (8.49%), and monoterpene hydrocarbons was the major class. EO showed an antimicrobial potential against all tested microorganisms. The highest activity was recorded against Gram positive bacteria and yeasts with MICs ranging from 7.75 to 15.5 mg/mL and from 3.88 to 7.75 mg/mL, respectively. The Gram negative bacteria were the most resistant with MICs of 31 mg/mL. The mixture of EO at sub-inhibitory concentrations with conventional drugs exhibited a significant decrease in their individual MICs from 4 to 32 fold. The highest level of synergy was observed for ciprofloxacin against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. Despite the antimicrobial activity of A. spinosa EO is weak, the results of the current study suggest a potential synergy between EO and antibiotics in the goal to modulate drug resistance.

Diacerein protects rats with liver ischemia/reperfusion damage: Down-regulation of TLR4/ NFκ-B signaling pathway.

PURPOSE: Liver ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is an inescapable problem. Diacerein, a chondro-protective drug, has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Its effect on liver I/R injury has not yet been fully clarified. Therefore, the current study aimed to detect its hepatic protective effect with the explanation of possible underlying mechanisms. METHODS: Adult male albino rats were assigned to 4 groups: sham group, diacerein pretreated sham group, I/R non-treated group, and I/R diacerein pretreated group. Serum liver enzymes, hepatic tissue oxidative stress parameters, inflammatory biomarkers mainly Toll-like receptors-4 (TLR4), and liver fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) levels were determined. Histopathological examination of liver tissues and immunohistochemical studies of heat shock protein 70, nuclear factor-kappa B, and Cluster of Differentiation 68 were also done. RESULTS: Diacerein pretreatment has the ability to restore the hepatic I/R damaging effect, proved by the reduction of serum liver enzymes, the decrease of the oxidative stress and hepatic inflammation via down-regulation of TLR4/ NFκ-B signaling pathway together with the restoration of L-FABP level and improvement of the histopathological and immunohistochemical study findings in the hepatic tissue. CONCLUSION: These results suggested the hepatoprotective effect of diacerein relies on its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects reducing TLR4/ NFκ-B signaling pathway.

Preparation, Spectroscopic Characterization, Theoretical Investigations, and In Vitro Anticancer Activity of Cd(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), and Cu(II) Complexes of 4(3H)-Quinazolinone-Derived Schiff Base.

Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of a new Schiff base ligand 3-[[(E)-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-methylidene]amino]-2-methyl-quinazolin-4(3H)-one (HAMQ) and its Cd(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), and Cu(II) complexes (C1-C4). The ligand HAMQ was synthesized by reacting 3-hydroxybenzaldehyde and 3-amino-2-methyl-4(3H)-quinazolinone in a 1:1 molar ratio. The structure of the ligand and its complexes (C1-C4) were evaluated using ultraviolet (UV)-visible (Vis) light spectroscopy, 1H-NMR, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, MS, elemental analysis, conductance data, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The characterization results suggested that the bidentate ligand, HAMQ, coordinated to the metal center through the lactum oxygen and the azomethine nitrogen. Moreover, all the metal complexes were analyzed using powder X-ray diffraction studies, which revealed that all of them belong to a triclinic crystal system. The research was supplemented by density functional theory (DFT) studies on the IR and UV-Vis spectra, as well as the chemical reactivity of the HAMQ and its four metallic derivatives making use of conceptual density functional theory (CDFT) by means of KID (Koopmans in DFT) methodology. The synthesized complexes displayed significant in vitro anticancer activity against human cancer cell lines (HeLa and HCT-115).

Effects of Olive Leaf Extracts as Natural Preservative on Retailed Poultry Meat Quality.

Poultry meat is commonly marketed at refrigerated temperatures (2-5 °C). The major concern for retailers and consumers is the quality and safety of refrigerated poultry meat. During the chilling period, poultry meat undergoes too many undesirable changes due to microbial growth that leads to spoilage and economic loss. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the effects of olive leaf extracts (OLE) used at three concentrations (0.25, 0.5, and 1%) on the sensory attributes, as well as the chemical and microbiological quality of raw poultry meat stored at 4 ± 1 °C for 15 days. The results revealed that the OLE addition reduced microbial growth successfully, and maintained the chemical quality and sensory attributes of poultry meat. Moreover, OLE extended the shelf-life of the poultry meat that held under proper refrigeration conditions up to 15 days compared to the control group, that was completely spoiled by the sixth day of storage. This study concludes that OLE could be used both as a natural antioxidant and an antimicrobial preservative for chilled poultry meat held at refrigerated temperature.

Histomorphological and Redox Delineations in the Testis and Epididymis of Albino Rats Fed with Green-Synthesized Cellulose.

It has also become increasingly necessary to diversify the production of cellulose for biomedical applications. In this study, cellulose-green-synthesized from Sesamum indicum (GSC)-was administered orally to rats for 14 days as follows: control, 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg GSC. The impact of GSC on the antioxidant status and histomorphology of the testes and epididymis were studied. GSC had no effects on organ weights and organosomatic indices. In the testes, GSC caused nonsignificant changes in superoxide dismutase, catalase, reduced glutathione and nitric oxide levels, whereas it significantly decreased glutathione peroxidase and malondialdehyde levels. In the epididymis, GSC significantly decreased superoxide dismutase and nitric oxide levels, but caused a significant increase in glutathione peroxidase and reduced glutathione levels. Furthermore, at ×200 magnification, testicular morphology appeared normal at all doses, however, extravasation of the germinal epithelium of the epididymis was observed at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg GSC. Conversely, at ×400 magnification, spermatogenic arrest (testes) and chromatolytic alterations (epididymis) were observed at the higher doses (200 and 400 mg/kg GSC). This study reports on the effect of green-synthesized cellulose on testicular and epididymal histology and redox status and further extends the frontiers of research on cellulose.

Quercetin Caused Redox Homeostasis Imbalance and Activated the Kynurenine Pathway (Running Title: Quercetin Caused Oxidative Stress).

The search for new and better antimicrobial therapy is a continuous effort. Quercetin is a polyphenol with promising antimicrobial properties. However, the understanding of its antimicrobial mechanism is limited. In this study, we investigated the biochemical mechanistic action of quercetin as an antibacterial compound. Isolates of Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Staphylococcus aureus were initially exposed to quercetin for antibacterial evaluation. Subsequently, S. aureus (Gram-positive) and E. coli (Gram-negative) cells were exposed to quercetin with or without ascorbic acid, and cells were harvested for selected biochemical assays. These assays included redox homeostasis (lipid peroxidation, total thiol, total antioxidant capacity), nitric oxide, and kynurenine concentration as well as DNA fragmentation. The results revealed that quercetin caused lipid peroxidation in the bacterial isolates. Lipid peroxidation may indicate ensuing oxidative stress resulting from quercetin treatment. Furthermore, tryptophan degradation to kynurenine was activated by quercetin in S. aureus but not in E. coli, suggesting that local L-tryptophan concentration might become limiting for bacterial growth. These findings, considered together, may indicate that quercetin restricts bacterial growth by promoting oxidative cellular stress, as well as by reducing the local L-tryptophan availability by activating the kynurenine pathway, thus contributing to our understanding of the molecular mechanism of the antimicrobial action of quercetin.

Preparation of Ag-cellulose nanocomposite for the selective detection and quantification of mercury at nanomolar level and the evaluation of its photocatalytic performance.

Mercury is a toxic heavy metal that reaches to the water bodies mainly by coal burning, mining and petrol refining. The study was focused to investigate the application of Ag-cellulose nanocomposite to detect and quantify mercury colorimetrically. The Ag-cellulose nanocomposite was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, particle size analyzer and zetasizer. The study identified that the presence of other metal ions did not interfere with the detection of Hg2+ ion by the probe. The prepared Ag-cellulose nanocomposite-phenylalanine conjugate incorporated paper strip showed an excellent result in Hg2+ detection. The Ag-cellulose nanocomposite was used to quantify the unknown concentration of mercury on real sample (environmental sample) and it was found to be highly accurate by confirming with atomic absorption spectrophotometric analysis. The Ag-cellulose nanocomposite showed effective detection at 45 °C, pH 9 and 0.1% of salinity. The Ag-cellulose nanocomposite showed efficient photocatalytic performance under visible light irradiation. The half-life period of MB by Ag-cellulose nanocomposite under visible light was determined to be 90 min. The study suggests the application of prepared probe in photocatalysis and the detection of Hg2+ from various environmental samples.

Highly selective and sensitive tool for the detection of Hg(II) using 3-(Trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate functionalized Ag-Ce nanocomposite from real water sample.

Mercury and its derivates cause distinct toxicity and it is detrimental to the ecosystem where the excessive concentration contributes towards the environmental pollutants. The current study reported a colorimetric method for the detection of Hg(II) ion with high specificity and selectivity using Ag-Ce nanocomposite (NC) functionalized by 3-(Trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate. The synthesized Ag-Ce NC was characterized by using double beam UV-visible spectrophotometer, zeta sizer, EDS, TEM, FT-IR, XRD and particle size analyzer. The synthesized particle possessed an average particle size of 27 ±â€¯1 nm and zeta potential of -39.32 ±â€¯3 mV. The brownish yellow colored Ag-Ce NC changed to colorless in presence of Hg(II) where the colorimetric detection was extremely specific and superior towards Hg(II) ion on comparing the tests with other metal ions. An excellent linear correlation was observed between absorbance (395 nm) and Hg(II) concentrations (1 nM-10 µM) (R2 = 0.988) with LOD of 0.03 nM. A cotton swab based probe was prepared for selective, elegant and low cost colorimetric method to detect Hg(II). The parametric study was performed for optimizing the suitable condition. The colorimetric probe developed by this study for Hg(II) detection using Ag-Ce NC shows excellent practical applicability.