Integrated biorefinery development for pomegranate peel: Prospects for the production of fuel, chemicals and bioactive molecules.

Current experimental evidence has revealed that pomegranate peel is a significant source of essential bio compounds, and many of them can be transformed into valorized products. Pomegranate peel can also be used as feedstock to produce fuels and biochemicals. We herein review this pomegranate peel conversion technology and the prospective valorized product that can be synthesized from this frequently disposed fruit waste. The review also discusses its usage as a carbon substrate to synthesize bioactive compounds like phenolics, flavonoids and its use in enzyme biosynthesis. Based on reported experimental evidence, it is apparent that pomegranate peel has a large number of applications, and therefore, the development of an integrated biorefinery concept to use pomegranate peel will aid in effectively utilizing its significant advantages. The biorefinery method displays a promising approach for efficiently using pomegranate peel; nevertheless, further studies should be needed in this area.

Hypericum japonicum: a Double-Headed Sword to Combat Vector Control and Cancer.

Mosquito control with naturally derived herbal insecticides has gained much momentum, with the increased insecticide resistance of vectors and the multiple infectious diseases spread by them. Yet, recent studies also suggest that mosquitoes could probably transmit some cancerous cells or cancer-causing viruses from one individual to another between their blood meals. The current research thus focused on the screening and characterization of novel plants with both mosquitocidal and anticancerous properties. Accordingly, different solvent extracts of Hypericum japonicum, a key plant in Chinese medicine, were screened for its larvicidal efficacy using the fourth instar larvae of Aedes aegypti (major vector of Dengue and chikungunya). Methanolic extracts of the plant showed effective larvicidal property with LC50 7.37 ppm and LC9011.59 ppm values. The anticancerous property of the plant extract was also evaluated by in vitro cytotoxicity assay against Daltons Lymphoma Ascites (DLA) cells. The results indicated that H. japonicum plant extracts at very low concentrations of LC500.95 ppm and LC901.85 ppm were potent cytotoxic agents. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first and the foremost report of Hypericum japonicum as a potent mosquitocidal and anticancerous agent. Identification and characterization of such plant-derived bioactive plants thus could serve as a double-headed sword against the spread of infectious diseases and cancer.