A comprehensive review on hazardous aspects and management strategies of electronic waste: Bangladesh perspectives.

Electronic waste (e-waste) contains a variety of electronic components e.g., metals, non-metals, plastics, cables, etc. The excessive generation of e-waste has become a significant concern in the last few decades. The current global e-waste generation is 57.4 million metric tons (MMT) per year. Asia produces the highest amount of e-waste (24.9 MMT) followed by America, Europe, Africa, and Oceania. In Bangladesh, e-waste produces from two sources: its own consumption of electronic devices, which is 0.6 MMT, and imported e-waste from ship breaking yards that is 2.5 MMT in 2021. However, inadequate information on the current state of e-waste generation and management systems in Bangladesh has created a void to establish the future direction for proper handling of e-waste. In this work, the Bangladesh perspective of e-waste has been analyzed. The environmental, health economical forfeiture of e-waste has been discussed. The development of government legislations regarding e-waste have been stated. The establishment of e-waste management has been designed by the life cycle assessment (LCA) and material flow analysis (MFA) models. Moreover, a holistic approach for understanding the possible hazards, the economic feasibility of e-waste processing and viable management models for e-waste in Bangladesh was endeavored in this work to propose systematic future directions and recommendations to improve the current e-waste scenario of Bangladesh.

Stress upregulates 2-arachidonoylglycerol levels in the hypothalamus, midbrain, and hindbrain, and it is sustained by green nut oil supplementation in SAMP8 mice revealed by DESI-MSI.

The endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2AG) is an important modulator of stress responses. Its level in the brain increases in response to stress, but region-specific effects of stress on brain 2AG are not well known yet. Moreover, green nut oil (GNO), oil extracted from the seeds of Plukenetia volubilis has several health benefits, but its effects on brain 2AG levels are unknown. Therefore, we conducted this study to explore the effects of stress and GNO supplementation on 2AG levels in specific brain regions of senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8). In this study, desorption electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry imaging (DESI-MSI) revealed that water-immersion stress for three days significantly increased 2AG levels in several brain regions of SAMP8 mice, including the hypothalamus, midbrain, and hindbrain. No significant change was observed in the relative abundance of brain 2AG in stress given SAMP8 mice after eighteen days of removing stress load compared to control SAMP8 mice. GNO supplementation also increased brain 2AG in SAMP8 mice without stress load. Additionally, GNO supplementation sustained the increased brain 2AG levels in stress given SAMP8 mice after eighteen days of removing stress load. Among all brain regions, a relatively higher accumulation of 2AG was noted in the hypothalamus, midbrain, and hindbrain of GNO-fed SAMP8. Our data explored the potentiality of GNO supplementation to improve brain 2AG levels which might be used to treat anxiety and depressive behaviors.

Organophosphorus insecticides mineralizing endophytic and rhizospheric soil bacterial consortium influence eggplant growth-promotion.

This study was aimed to evaluate eggplant's growth-enhancing activity of chlorpyrifos and diazinon-degrading endophytic and rhizospheric soil bacteria isolated from cauliflower and tomato roots and the rhizospheric soil of rice roots, respectively. The identified endophytes belong to the Acinetobacter, Enterobacter and Klebsiella genera, while rhizospheric soil isolates belong to Pantoea, Acinetobacter, Kosakonia, Morganella, Enterobacter, and Klebsiella genera with species variation and genetic distances. All the strain's consumed 100% (50 mg/5 mL) chlorpyrifos and diazinon after 14 days of exposure, except for Pantoea sp. HSTU-Sny4 (84%) and Kosakonia sp. HSTU-ASn39 (42%). The strain's exhibited N-fixation, P-solubilization, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and ACC-deaminase production capabilities. The individual strain's and consortium treatment enhanced eggplant growth at germination, seedling, vegetative and reproductive stages. Plant growth-promoting genes, e.g., nif-cluster, chemotaxis, phosphates, sulfur, abiotic stress, chemotaxis, biofilm formation and organophosphorus insecticide-degrading genes were annotated in Klebsiella sp. HSTU-Sny5 and Morganella sp. HSTU-ASny43 genomes. Importantly, the mixed consortium supplemented with 40% urea-treated eggplants demonstrated similar growth parameters compared to the 100% urea eggplants. Plenty of insecticide-degrading proteins belonged to HSTU-Sny5 and HSTU-ASny43 strain's and had interacted with 100 different insecticides as confirmed in virtual screening. This research has a significant role in reducing the application of chemical fertilizer and bioremediation of pesticides in agriculture.

Spike protein recognizer receptor ACE2 targeted identification of potential natural antiviral drug candidates against SARS-CoV-2.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), also known as peptidyl-dipeptidase A, belongs to the dipeptidyl carboxydipeptidases family has emerged as a potential antiviral drug target against SARS-CoV-2. Most of the ACE2 inhibitors discovered till now are chemical synthesis; suffer from many limitations related to stability and adverse side effects. However, natural, and selective ACE2 inhibitors that possess strong stability and low side effects can be replaced instead of those chemicals' inhibitors. To envisage structurally diverse natural entities as an ACE2 inhibitor with better efficacy, a 3D structure-based-pharmacophore model (SBPM) has been developed and validated by 20 known selective inhibitors with their correspondence 1166 decoy compounds. The validated SBPM has excellent goodness of hit score and good predictive ability, which has been appointed as a query model for further screening of 11,295 natural compounds. The resultant 23 hits compounds with pharmacophore fit score 75.31 to 78.81 were optimized using in-silico ADMET and molecular docking analysis. Four potential natural inhibitory molecules namely D-DOPA (Amb17613565), L-Saccharopine (Amb6600091), D-Phenylalanine (Amb3940754), and L-Mimosine (Amb21855906) have been selected based on their binding affinity (-7.5, -7.1, -7.1, and -7.0 kcal/mol), respectively. Moreover, 250 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations confirmed the structural stability of the ligands within the protein. Additionally, MM/GBSA approach also used to support the stability of molecules to the binding site of the protein that also confirm the stability of the selected four natural compounds. The virtual screening strategy used in this study demonstrated four natural compounds that can be utilized for designing a future class of potential natural ACE2 inhibitor that will block the spike (S) protein dependent entry of SARS-CoV-2 into the host cell.

Natural compounds from Leea macrophylla enhance phagocytosis and promote osteoblasts differentiation by alkaline phosphatase, type 1 collagen, and osteocalcin gene expression.

The current study investigated the immunomodulating and osteoblast differentiation potential of the natural compounds from Leea macrophylla (LMN). Immunomodulatory effects have been investigated by the phagocytosis of Candida albicans using polymorphonuclear neutrophil cells in the in vitro slide method. A bioactivity-guided fractionation technique was used to evaluate the stimulating effect of L. macrophylla methanol extract on osteoblast differentiation using mouse osteoblastic cells. A low dose of LMN was found to stimulate the phagocytic effect better than a higher dose. The natural compounds from L. macrophylla have significantly increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and osteocalcin activities. The LMN promoted the osteoblast differentiation through upregulation of ALP, osteocalcin, and type 1 collagen in a dose-dependent manner. These natural compounds also upregulated ALP, osteocalcin, and type 1 collagen gene expressions. The data suggest that LMN has potential anabolic sequel on bone formation and osteoblast differentiation.

Therapeutic and Mechanistic Approaches of Tridax Procumbens Flavonoids for the Treatment of Osteoporosis.

Homeostasis of bone is closely regulated by the balanced activities between the bone resorbing activity of osteoclast cells and bone-forming ability of osteoblast cells. Multinucleated osteoclasts degrade bone matrix and involve in the dynamic bone remodelling in coordination with osteoblasts. Disruption of this regulatory balance between these cells or any imbalance in bone remodelling caused by a higher rate of resorption over construction of bone results in a decrease of bone matrix including bone mineral density (BMD). These osteoclast-dominant effects result in a higher risk of bone crack and joint demolition in several bone-related diseases, including osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Tridax procumbens is a very interesting perennial plant and its secondary metabolites called here T. procumbens flavonoids (TPFs) are well-known phytochemical agents owing to various therapeutic practices such as anti-inflammatory, anti-anaemic and anti-diabetic actions. This review designed to focus the systematic convention concerning the medicinal property and mechanism of actions of TPFs for the management of bone-related diseases. Based on the current literature, the review offers evidence-based information of TPFs for basic researchers and clinicians for the prevention and treatment of bone related diseases, including osteoporosis. It also emphasizes the medical significance for more research to comprehend the cellular signalling pathways of TPFs for the regulation of bone remodelling and discusses the possible promising ethnobotanical resource that can convey the preclinical and clinical clues to develop the next generation therapeutic agents for the treatment of bonerelated disorders.

Analysis of potential anti-aging beverage Pru, a traditional Cuban refreshment, by desorption electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry and FTICR tandem mass spectrometry.

Aging has been established as a major risk factor for prevalent diseases and hence, the development of anti-aging medicines is of great importance. Recently, herbal fermented beverages have emerged as a promising source of potential anti-aging drug. Pru, a traditional Cuban refreshment produced by decoction and fermentation of multispecies plants with sugar, has been consumed for many years and is claimed to have multiple medicinal properties. Besides the traditional method, Pru is also manufactured industrially. The present study analyzed the major components of both traditional Pru (TP) and industrial Pru (IP) to reveal their potential application in promoting the health span. We performed desorption electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) and acquired mass spectra by scanning over the 50-1200 m/z range in both positive and negative ion modes. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) was performed for validating the compound assignments. Three important compounds were identified by comparing the MS and MS/MS spectra with reported literature and the online database. One of the identified compounds, gluconic acid, was found to be the most abundant shared metabolite between TP and IP whereas the other two compounds, magnoflorine and levan were exclusively detected in TP. The present study is the first report of component profiling in Cuban traditional and industrial Pru using DESI-MS and FTICR MS/MS, and reveals the potential application of Pru as a health-promoting agent.

Identification of Celastramycin as a Novel Therapeutic Agent for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

RATIONALE: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by enhanced proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) accompanying increased production of inflammatory factors and adaptation of the mitochondrial metabolism to a hyperproliferative state. However, all the drugs in clinical use target pulmonary vascular dilatation, which may not be effective for patients with advanced PAH. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to discover a novel drug for PAH that inhibits PASMC proliferation. METHODS AND RESULTS: We screened 5562 compounds from original library using high-throughput screening system to discover compounds which inhibit proliferation of PASMCs from patients with PAH (PAH-PASMCs). We found that celastramycin, a benzoyl pyrrole-type compound originally found in a bacteria extract, inhibited the proliferation of PAH-PASMCs in a dose-dependent manner with relatively small effects on PASMCs from healthy donors. Then, we made 25 analogs of celastramycin and selected the lead compound, which significantly inhibited cell proliferation of PAH-PASMCs and reduced cytosolic reactive oxygen species levels. Mechanistic analysis demonstrated that celastramycin reduced the protein levels of HIF-1α (hypoxia-inducible factor 1α), which impairs aerobic metabolism, and κB (nuclear factor-κB), which induces proinflammatory signals, in PAH-PASMCs, leading to reduced secretion of inflammatory cytokine. Importantly, celastramycin treatment reduced reactive oxygen species levels in PAH-PASMCs with increased protein levels of Nrf2 (nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2), a master regulator of cellular response against oxidative stress. Furthermore, celastramycin treatment improved mitochondrial energy metabolism with recovered mitochondrial network formation in PAH-PASMCs. Moreover, these celastramycin-mediated effects were regulated by ZFC3H1 (zinc finger C3H1 domain-containing protein), a binding partner of celastramycin. Finally, celastramycin treatment ameliorated pulmonary hypertension in 3 experimental animal models, accompanied by reduced inflammatory changes in the lungs. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that celastramycin ameliorates pulmonary hypertension, reducing excessive proliferation of PAH-PASMCs with less inflammation and reactive oxygen species levels, and recovered mitochondrial energy metabolism. Thus, celastramycin is a novel drug for PAH that targets antiproliferative effects on PAH-PASMCs.

Antinociceptive and Anxiolytic and Sedative Effects of Methanol Extract of Anisomeles indica: An Experimental Assessment in Mice and Computer Aided Models.

Anisomeles indica (L.) kuntze is widely used in folk medicine against various disorders including allergy, sores, inflammation, and fever. This research investigated the antinociceptive, anxiolytic and sedative effects of A. indica methanol extract. The antinociceptive activity was assessed with the acetic acid-induced writhing test and formalin-induced flicking test while sedative effects with open field and hole cross tests and anxiolytic effects with elevated plus maze (EPM) and thiopental-induced sleeping time tests were assayed. Computer aided (pass prediction, docking) analyses were undertaken to find out the best-fit phytoconstituent of total 14 isolated compounds of this plant for aforesaid effects. Acetic acid treated mice taking different concentrations of extract (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) displayed reduced the writhing number. In the formalin-induced test, extract minimized the paw licking time of mice during the first phase and the second phase significantly. The open field and hole-cross tests were noticed with a dose-dependent reduction of locomotor activity. The EPM test demonstrated an increase of time spent percentage in open arms. Methanol extract potentiated the effect of thiopental-induced hypnosis in lesser extent comparing with Diazepam. The results may account for the use of A. indica as an alternative treatment of antinociception and neuropharmacological abnormalities with further intensive studies. The compound, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid was found to be most effective in computer aided models.

Cardioprotective effect of Amaranthus tricolor extract in isoprenaline induced myocardial damage in ovariectomized rats.

Red spinach (Amaranthus tricolor) has been reported to possess many benefits and medicinal properties and used as a part of traditional medicine in Ayurveda and Siddha. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of Amaranthus tricolor on isoproterenol-induced oxidative stress, fibrosis, and myocardial damage in ovariectomized rats. Ovariectomy surgery was conducted to remove both ovaries from the rats. After recovery, rats were administered with ISO subcutaneously (50 mg/kg) twice a week and were treated with ethanolic extracts of A. tricolor. This investigation showed that the level of oxidative stress markers was significantly increased while the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity decreased in ISO administered ovariectomized rats. A. tricolor extract and atenolol treatment prevented the rise of malondialdehyde, nitric oxide and advanced protein oxidation product. Moreover, elevated activities of AST, ALT, and CK-MB enzymes were also lowered by both atenolol and A. tricolor treatment. Increased uric acid and creatinine levels were also normalized by atenolol, and A. Tricolor treatment in ISO administered ovariectomized rats. ISO-induced ovariectomized rats also showed massive inflammatory cell infiltration, fibrosis and iron deposition in heart compared to sham rats. Atenolol and A. tricolor treatment prevented the inflammatory cells infiltration, fibrosis, and iron deposition. These results suggest that A. tricolor treatment may protect against ISO administered myocardial infarction in ovariectomized rats probably by preventing inflammation, oxidative stress, and fibrosis. Further research is warranted to examine molecular mechanism of cardioprotective effect of A. tricolor.

Tridax procumbens flavonoids: a prospective bioactive compound increased osteoblast differentiation and trabecular bone formation.

BACKGROUND: The Tridax procumbens extracts (TPE) are known for their ethno-medicinal properties to increase osteogenic functioning in mesenchymal stem cells. Recently, we found that the T. procumbens flavonoids (TPF) significantly suppressed the RANKL-induced osteoclasts differentiation and bone resorption. The TPF also promoted osteoblasts differentiation and bone formation demonstrated by increasing bone formation markers in cultured mouse primary osteoblasts. However, the effects of the TPF on in vivo bone formation remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of the TPF on in vivo bone formation, injected the TPF (20 mg/kg) twice a day in the low calcium diet mice and killed them after 21 day. Radiographic and histomorphometric analyses were performed on the dissected bones to determine the anabolic effects of the TPF. RESULTS: Bone mineral density and bone mineral content of the TPF-treated mice were significantly increased compared to the control mice. Bone formation-related indices like osteoblast number, osteoblast surface, bone volume, mineralizing surface, mineral apposition rate and bone formation rate were significantly increased in the TPF-treated mice compared to the control mice. CONCLUSION: Our findings point towards the stimulation of bone formation by TPF, suggested that the TPF could be a potential natural anabolic agent to treat patients with bone loss-associated diseases such as osteoporosis.

Anti-inflammatory, anti-diarrheal, thrombolytic and cytotoxic activities of an ornamental medicinal plant: Persicaria orientalis.

BACKGROUND: Persicaria orientalis, an ornamental medicinal plant, has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases. Although the plant is reported to have some important pharmacological effects, many medicinal values remain unidentified. Our objective was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory, anti-diarrheal, thrombolytic, and cytotoxic properties of the methanol extract of P. orientalis leaves (Po-MeOH). METHODS: Anti-inflammatory activity was measured by the inhibition of hypotonicity-induced human red blood cell hemolysis and albumin denaturation technique in vitro of Po-MeOH. Diarrheal episodes were examined in mice with castor oil-induced diarrhea. The clot lysis and brine shrimp lethality bioassay in vitro were used to evaluate the thrombolytic and cytotoxic activities of the plant extract, respectively. RESULTS: Using in vitro anti-inflammatory models, the results demonstrated that Po-MeOH at the five different dose ranges from 31.25 to 500 µg/mL significantly (p<0.05) protected (0.98%-50.71%) the erythrocyte membrane against lysis induced by hypotonic medium solution and protein denaturation (38.27%-79.22%) of bovine albumin, respectively. The extract exhibited a significant reduction of severity (75.17%) of castor oil-induced diarrhea in mice at the highest dose of 400 mg/kg compared to loperamide (82.06%) at 5 mg/kg. Po-MeOH also showed 33.14% clot lytic activity in the thrombolytic test and cytotoxicity with LC50 value 58.91 µg/mL in the brine shrimp bioassay. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that Po-MeOH has significant anti-inflammatory and anti-diarrheal effects along with moderate thrombolytic and lower cytotoxic properties that may warrant the further exploration.

Tridax procumbens flavonoids promote osteoblast differentiation and bone formation.

BACKGROUND: Tridax procumbens flavonoids (TPFs) are well known for their medicinal properties among local natives. Besides traditionally used for dropsy, anemia, arthritis, gout, asthma, ulcer, piles, and urinary problems, it is also used in treating gastric problems, body pain, and rheumatic pains of joints. TPFs have been reported to increase osteogenic functioning in mesenchymal stem cells. Our previous study showed that TPFs were significantly suppressed the RANKL-induced differentiation of osteoclasts and bone resorption. However, the effects of TPFs to promote osteoblasts differentiation and bone formation remain unclear. TPFs were isolated from Tridax procumbens and investigated for their effects on osteoblasts differentiation and bone formation by using primary mouse calvarial osteoblasts. RESULTS: TPFs promoted osteoblast differentiation in a dose-dependent manner demonstrated by up-regulation of alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin. TPFs also upregulated osteoblast differentiation related genes, including osteocalcin, osterix, and Runx2 in primary osteoblasts. TPFs treated primary osteoblast cells showed significant upregulation of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) including Bmp-2, Bmp-4, and Bmp-7. Addition of noggin, a BMP specific-antagonist, inhibited TPFs induced upregulation of the osteocalcin, osterix, and Runx2. CONCLUSION: Our findings point towards the induction of osteoblast differentiation by TPFs and suggested that TPFs could be a potential anabolic agent to treat patients with bone loss-associated diseases such as osteoporosis.

Vanda roxburghii: an experimental evaluation of antinociceptive properties of a traditional epiphytic medicinal orchid in animal models.

BACKGROUND: Ethnopharmacological approach has explored several leads from plant sources to identify potential new drugs for various diseases including pain. Vanda roxburghii R. Br., an epiphytic orchid is widely distributed throughout Bangladesh. The root of this plant has a folkloric reputation to treat inflammations, fever, dyspepsia, bronchitis, hiccough, piles, snake bites, and diseases of the nervous system. In this study therefore, we aimed to investigate antinociceptive and cytotoxic properties of the extracts from the root of V. roxburghii. METHODS: Dried powder of aerial root of V. roxburghii was extracted with methanol (VRM) and the resultant was fractionated into petroleum ether (VRP), chloroform (VRC), ethyl acetate (VRE), and residual aqueous fraction (VRA). The antinociceptive effect of the extracts was evaluated in mice using acetic acid-induced writhing, formalin injection, and hot plate tests. The brine shrimp lethality bioassay in vitro was used to evaluate cytotoxic activity of the plant extracts. RESULTS: In the acetic acid-induced writhing test, mice treated with different fractions (12.5, 25, and 50 mg/kg, i.p.) exhibited reduced number of writhing. Amongst, VRE showed the highest activity at all three concentrations (43.65, 71.34, and 80.23%, respectively) in a dose-dependent manner. Secondly, VRC (12.5, 25, and 50 mg/kg, i.p.) displayed the highest reduction of paw licking time in mice during the first phase of the formalin test (by 15.00, 37.05, and 56.44%, respectively) as well as during the second phase of the test (by 20.55, 49.08, and 59.81%, respectively). In hot plate test, VRE treatment at doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg both increased the highest latency time after 30 min. All fractions showed lower cytotoxicity compared with the standard drug vincristine sulfate in the brine shrimp bioassay. CONCLUSION: Overall studies suggest that the root of V. roxburghii is effective as a potent analgesic with lower toxicity. Our findings support previous claims of traditional uses of V. roxburghii in different inflammatory disorders.

Trace elements in two staple cereals (rice and wheat) and associated health risk implications in Bangladesh.

Concentrations of fourteen trace elements (Cd, As, Pb, Cr, Ni, Zn, Se, Cu, Mo, Mn, Sb, Ba, V and Ag) in the composite samples of most frequently consumed two staple foods, i.e. rice and wheat (collected from 30 different agroecological zones for the first time in Bangladesh) were measured by ICP-MS. The mean concentrations (mg/kg fresh weight) of Cd, As, Pb, Cr, Ni, Zn, Se, Cu, Mo, Mn, Sb, Ba, V and Ag were found as 0.088, 0.321, 0.713, 0.183, 0.213, 13.178, 0.0256, 1.985, 0.102, 4.654, 0.0033, 0.144, 0.081 and 0.007 and 0.011, 0.281, 0.221, 0.352, 0.145, 15.472, 0.245, 1.894, 0.209, 22.077, 0.0012, 3.712, 0.023 and 0.0013 in rice and wheat samples, respectively. Dietary risk of human health (non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks) was assessed by USEPA deterministic approaches. Total target hazard quotient (THQ) values for As and Pb were higher than 1, suggesting that people would experience significant health risks from consuming rice and wheat. However, the THQ of other metals were all less than 1. Also, the estimation showed that the target carcinogenic risk (TR) of As and Pb exceeded the accepted risk level of 1 × 10(-6). Moreover, concerning the nutritional requirements of essential elements for a sound health, the recommended doses for the daily intake of Mn was conveniently supplied by the studied cereals; however, Cr, Zn, Se, Cu and Mo were below the recommend daily allowances (RDAs). Thus, the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk of As and Pb with lower supplementation of essential elements via staple foods for Bangladeshi people is a matter of concern.