Relationships of Prodiginins Mechanisms and Molecular Structures to their Antiproliferative Effects.

The Prodiginins (PGs) natural pigments are secondary metabolites produced by a broad spectrum of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, notably by species within the Serratia and Streptomyces genera. These compounds exhibit diverse and potent biological activities, including anticancer, immunosuppressive, antimicrobial, antimalarial, and antiviral effects. Structurally, PGs share a common tripyrrolic core but possess variable side chains and undergo cyclization, resulting in structural diversity. Studies have investigated their antiproliferative effects on various cancer cell lines, with some PGs advancing to clinical trials for cancer treatment. This review aims to illuminate the molecular mechanisms underlying PG-induced apoptosis in cancer cells and explore the structure-activity relationships pertinent to their anticancer properties. Such insights may serve as a foundation for further research in anticancer drug development, potentially leading to the creation of novel, targeted therapies based on PGs or their derivatives.

High extraction and excellent anti-UV and anti-oxidant proprieties of lignin from Reseda Luteola L. waste by organosolv process.

Lignin is an abundant natural biopolymer found in plant cell walls. Lignin can come from tinctorial plants, whose residual biomass after dye extraction was typically discarded as waste. The main objective of this study was to extract lignin from the residual biomass of Reseda luteola L. using an organosolv process and to optimize the extraction conditions. The extracted lignin was characterized, and its potential applications as an antimicrobial, anti-oxidant, and anti-UV agent were investigated. Response surface methodology based on a Box-Behnken design was employed to optimize the lignin extraction conditions (organic acid concentration, material-to-liquid ratio, extraction time). The extracted lignin was comprehensively characterized using NMR, FTIR, XRD, SEM-EDX, TGA, DSC, and UV-Vis techniques. The optimal extraction conditions yielded a remarkably high lignin recovery of 62.41 % from the plant waste, which was rarely achieved for non-wood plants in previous works. The extracted lignin exhibited excellent thermal stability and radical scavenging anti-oxidant activity but no significant antimicrobial effects. Treating wool fabrics with lignin nanoparticles substantially enhanced UV protection from the "good" to "excellent" category based on the UPF rating. This sustainable valorization approach converted abundant tinctorial plant waste into high-purity lignin with promising anti-oxidant and UV-blocking properties suitable for various applications.

Multifunctional Cross-Linked Shrimp Waste-Derived Chitosan/MgAl-LDH Composite for Removal of As(V) from Wastewater and Antibacterial Activity.

This work synthesized a novel chitosan-loaded MgAl-LDH (LDH = layered double hyroxide) nanocomposite, which was physicochemically characterized, and its performance in As(V) removal and antimicrobial activity was evaluated. Chitosan-loaded MgAl-LDH nanocomposite (CsC@MgAl-LDH) was prepared using cross-linked natural chitosan from shrimp waste and modified by Mg-Al. The main mechanisms predominating the separation of As(V) were elucidated. The characteristic changes confirming MgAl-LDH modification with chitosan were analyzed through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis-differential thermal analysis, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurements. Porosity and the increased surface area play an important role in arsenic adsorption and microbial activity. Adsorption kinetics follows the general order statistically confirmed by Bayesian Information Criterion differences. To understand the adsorption process, Langmuir, Freundlich, and Liu isotherms were studied at three different temperatures. It was found that Liu's isotherm model was the best-fitted model. CsC@MgAl-LDH showed the maximum adsorption capacity of 69.29 mg g-1 toward arsenic at 60 °C. It was observed that the adsorption capacity of the material rose with the increase in temperature. The spontaneous behavior and endothermic nature of adsorption was confirmed by the thermodynamic parameters study. Minimal change in percentage removal was observed with coexisting ions. The regeneration of material and adsorption-desorption cycles revealed that the adsorbent is economically efficient. The nanocomposite was very effective against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilus.