Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants-Nile Blue, Methylene Blue, and Bentazon Herbicide-Using NiO-ZnO Nanocomposite.

Water pollution poses a significant threat to both human health and ecosystem integrity. Chemical pollutants such as dyes and pesticides affect the water quality and endanger aquatic life. Among the methods for water purification from organic pollutants, photodegradation is certainly a valid technique to decrease such contaminants. In this work, pristine NiO, ZnO, and NiO-ZnO photocatalysts were synthesized by the homogeneous co-precipitation method. X-ray diffraction confirms the formation of a photocatalyst consisting of ZnO (Hexagonal) and NiO (Cubic) structures. The crystalline size was calculated by the Scherrer formula, which is 19 nm for the NiO-ZnO photocatalyst. The band gap measurements of the prepared samples were obtained using the Tauc Plot, equation which is 2.93 eV, 3.35 eV and 2.63 eV for NiO, ZnO, and NiO-ZnO photocatalysts, respectively. The photocatalytic performance of NiO-ZnO nanocomposite was evaluated through the degradation of Methylene Blue and Nile Blue dyes under sunlight, and Bentazon herbicide under a UV light. Photocatalyst degradation efficiency was 95% and 97% for Methylene Blue and Nile Blue in 220 min under sunlight while a degradation of 70% for Bentazon after 100 min under UV light source was found.

An insight into the hepatoprotective role of Velpatasvir and Sofosbuvir per se and in combination against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats.

Hepatitis C is a global health issue. Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) induces fibrosis by redox reactions, which involve the deposition of collagen in extracellular matrix (ECM). This study aimed to examine the antifibrotic effect of direct-acting antivirals; Sofosbuvir and Velpatasvir, per se and in combination against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced fibrosis in rats. Carbon tetrachloride (intraperitoneal; 0.5 ml/kg) twice weekly for six weeks was used to induce hepatic fibrosis in rats. After two weeks of CCl4, oral administration of Sofosbuvir (20 mg/kg/d) and Velpatasvir (10 mg/kg/d) was administered to rats for the last four weeks. Liver function tests (LFTs), renal function tests (RFTs), oxidative stress markers, and the levels of TNF-a, NF-κB, and IL-6 were measured through ELISA and western blotting at the end of the study. CCl4 significantly ameliorated the values of RFTs, LFTs and lipid profiles in the diseased group, which were normalized by the SOF and VEL both alone and in combination. These drugs produced potent antioxidant effects by significantly increasing antioxidant enzymes. From the histopathology of hepatic tissues of rats treated with drugs, the antifibrotic effect was further manifested, which showed suppression of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in treated rats, as compared to the disease control group. The antifibrotic effect was further demonstrated by significantly decreasing the levels of TNF-a, NF-κB and IL-6 in serum and hepatic tissues of treated rats as compared to the disease control group. Sofosbuvir and Velpatasvir alone and in combination showed marked inhibition of fibrosis in the CCl4-induced non-HCV rat model, which was mediated by decreased levels of TNF-a/NF-κB and the IL-6 signaling pathway. Thus, it can be concluded that Sofosbuvir and Velpatasvir might have an antifibrotic effect that appears to be independent of their antiviral activity.

Sunlight-induced photocatalytic degradation of various dyes and bacterial inactivation using CuO-MgO-ZnO nanocomposite.

Novel tri-phase CuO-MgO-ZnO nanocomposite was prepared using the co-precipitation technique and investigated its physical properties using characterization techniques including XRD, FTIR, Raman, IV, UV-vis, PL, and SEM. The application of grown CuO-MgO-ZnO nanocomposite for the degradation of various dyes under sunlight and antibacterial activity against different bacteria were studied. The XRD confirmed the existence of diffraction peaks related to CuO (monoclinic), MgO (cubic), and ZnO (hexagonal) with CuO phase 40%, MgO 24%, and ZnO 36%. The optical energy gap of nanocomposite was 2.9 eV, which made it an efficient catalyst under sunlight. Raman and FTIR spectra have further confirmed the formation of the nanocomposite. SEM images revealed agglomerated rod-shaped morphology. EDX results showed the atomic percentage of a constituent element in this order Cu>Zn>Mg. PL results demonstrate the presence of intrinsic defects. The photocatalytic activity against methylene blue (MB), methyl orange (MO), rhodamine-B (RhB), cresol red (CR), and P-nitroaniline (P-Nitro) dyes has shown the excellent degradation efficiencies 88.5%, 93.5%, 75.9%, 98.8%, and 98.6% at 5 ppm dye concentration and 82.6%, 83.6%, 64.3%, 93.1%, and 94.3% at 10 ppm dye concentration in 100 min, respectively, under sunlight illumination. The higher degradation is due to the generation of superoxide and hydroxyl radicals. The recyclability test showed the reusability of catalyst up to the 5th cycle. The antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus Vulgaris, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria with the zone of inhibition 30, 31, 30, 30, and 30 mm, respectively, was achieved.