Algae-based approaches for Holistic wastewater management: A low-cost paradigm.

Aquatic algal communities demonstrated their appeal for diverse industrial applications due to their vast availability, ease of harvest, lower production costs, and ability to biosynthesize valuable molecules. Algal biomass is promising because it can multiply in water and on land. Integrated algal systems have a significant advantage in wastewater treatment due to their ability to use phosphorus and nitrogen, simultaneously accumulating heavy metals and toxic substances. Several species of microalgae have adapted to thrive in these harsh environmental circumstances. The potential of algal communities contributes to achieving the United Nations' sustainable development goals in improving aquaculture, combating climate change, reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and providing biomass as a biofuel feedstock. Algal-based biomass processing technology facilitates the development of a circular bio-economy that is both commercially and ecologically viable. An integrated bio-refinery process featuring zero waste discharge could be a sustainable solution. In the current review, we will highlight wastewater management by algal species. In addition, designing and optimizing algal bioreactors for wastewater treatment have also been incorporated.

Spinach-derived boron-doped g-C3N4/TiO2 composites for efficient photo-degradation of methylene blue dye.

Green synthesis of nanoparticles can be beneficial due to their low toxicity, cost-effectiveness, and environment-friendliness. Its synthesis involves the use of eco-friendly and biodegradable materials such as plant extracts, natural products, and microorganisms to reduce the negative environmental impacts of traditional nanoparticle synthesis methods. Herein, Spinacia oleracea leaves are used as a boron source, and a visible light active photo-catalyst is produced. The effect of Co-Catalyst Boron in Graphitic carbon nitride based nanocomposites for methylene blue dye photo-degradation in water is examined. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) was activated by changing the hydrogen potential value while utilizing a typical orange dye as a sensitizer. The graphitic carbon nitride/TiO2 nanocomposites were synthesized through a hydrothermal technique. To improve their performance, Boron used as a co-catalyst and B-doped g-C3N4/TiO2nanocomposites prepared through wet chemical co-percipitate mathod. UV-visible spectroscopy, SEM and FTIR spectroscopy were used to analyze the photocatalyst and boron-doped composites in detail. The photocatalytic performance of pristine photocatalyst CNTx (x = 2%,4%,6%,8%) and B-doped CNTx composites were examined for Methylene Blue degradation in the presence of a light source. The spectroscopy analysis showed that B-doped g-C3N4/TiO2 -8% nano-composites performed better than all other synthesized pristine catalysts and composites in this research. This research has demonstrated that B-doped g-C3N4/TiO2 composites can provide an ideal solution for treating polluted water using visible light as a source to activate these photocatalysts.

Membrane-processed honey samples for pollen characterization with health benefits.

Better processing techniques must be utilized widely due to the rising demand for honey. The most common honey processing techniques are applied to melissopalynomorphs to check the quality and quantity of valuable honey using microporous ultrafiltration membranes. It is essential to have the ability to selectively filter out sugars from honey using ultrafiltration. This study authenticated 24 honey samples using membrane reactors ultrafiltration protocol to describe the pollen spectrum of dominant vegetation. The purpose of this study was also to explore nutritional benefits as well as the active phytochemical constituents of honey samples. Honey samples were collected and labeled Acacia, Eucalyptus, and Ziziphus species based on plant resources provided by local beekeepers. A variety of honeybee flora was collected around the apiaries between 2020 and 2021. Honey analysis revealed that the pollen extraction of 24 bee foraging species belonging to 14 families. The honey membrane technology verified the identities of honey and nectar sources. Also, pollen identified using honey ultrafiltration membranes revealed dominant resources: Acacia spp. (69%), Eucalyptus spp. (52%) and Ziziphus spp. Honey filtration using a membrane technology classified 14 samples as unifloral, represented by six dominant pollen types. The absolute pollen count in the honey sample revealed that 58.33% (n = 14) belong to Maurizio's class I. Scanning ultrasculpturing showed diverse exine patterns: reticulate, psilate, scabrate-verrucate, scabrate-gemmate, granulate, perforate, microechinate, microreticulate, and regulate to fossulate for correct identification of honey pollen types. Honey ultrafiltration should be utilized to validate the botanical sources of honey and trace their biogeographic authenticity. Thus, it is imperative to look at the alternative useful method to identify the botanical origin of filtered honey. It is critical to separate honey from adulteration by a standardized protocol. Membrane technology has yielded significant outcomes in the purification of honey.

Protective effects of lupeol against mancozeb-induced genotoxicity in cultured human lymphocytes.

BACKGROUND: Lup-20(29)-en-3H-ol (Lupeol), a dietary pentacyclic triterpenoid has been shown to possess multiple medicinal activities including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-carcinogenic effects. Mancozeb is a widely used broad-spectrum fungicide with well-known carcinogenic hazards in rodents. PURPOSE: The present study has been designed to investigate the protective effects of lupeol against mancozeb-induced genotoxicity and apoptosis in cultured human lymphocytes (CHLs). METHODS: The genotoxic effect of mancozeb was evaluated by chromosomal aberration and micronucleus assays. The cell cycle kinetics and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was measured by flow cytometry. The levels of anti-oxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation (LPO) were estimated by enzymatic assays. The localization of p65NF-κB was measured by immunocytochemical analysis. The differential expression of genes associated with genotoxicity was measured by qRT-PCR. RESULTS: Mancozeb exposure (5µg/ml) for 24h caused significant induction of chromosomal aberrations (CAs) and micronuclei (MN) formation in CHLs. Pre-and post-treatment (25 and 50µg/ml) of lupeol for 24h significantly (p<0.05) reduced the frequency of CAs and MN induction, in a dose-dependent manner in mancozeb treated CHLs. Concomitantly, lupeol pre-treatment for 24h significantly increased the levels of anti-oxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase and decreased ROS generation and LPO. Additionally, lupeol pre-treatment significantly reduced mancozeb-induced apoptosis as shown by Sub-G1 peak analysis and annexin V-PI assay, in a dose dependent manner. Moreover, pre-treatment with lupeol attenuated mancozeb-induced NF-κB activation in CHLs. Furthermore, the results of qRT-PCR showed that lupeol pre-treatment significantly (p<0.05) decreased mancozeb-induced expression of DNA damage (p53, MDM2, COX-2, GADD45α and p21) and increased expression of DNA repair responsive genes (hOGG1 and XRCC1) in CHLs. CONCLUSION: Taken together, our findings suggest that lupeol could attenuate mancozeb-induced oxidative stress, which in turn could inhibit NF-κB activation and thus provide protection against mancozeb-induced genotoxicity and apoptosis. So, lupeol could be used as a potent anti-oxidant regimen against pesticide induced genotoxicity in agricultural farm workers.

Effect of high-dose zinc supplementation with oral hypoglycemic agents on glycemic control and inflammation in type-2 diabetic nephropathy patients.

OBJECTIVE: The study aims to evaluate the effect of zinc sulfate on markers of glycemic control, lipid profile and inflammation in type-2 diabetes with microalbuminuria patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Type-2 diabetes with microalbuminuria patients on oral hypoglycemic agents (OHA) and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors were selected and divided into 2 groups: One group (n = 27) continued with OHA alone, second group (n = 27) was on OHA and in addition 50 mg elemental zinc as zinc sulphate supplementation for 12 weeks. Fasting, post-prandial blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, lipid profiles, inflammatory marker hs-CRP and urine microalbumin were measured. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in biochemical status among groups at baseline. After receiving zinc, the mean fasting blood glucose (FBS), post-prandial blood glucose (PPBS) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were decreased significantly (P = 0.0001). Significant decrease was observed in TG (P = 0.002) and VLDL-cholesterol (P = 0.002), whereas there was no significant decrease in TC and LDL-cholesterol. The high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was significantly (P = 0.0001) increased from baseline. Zinc supplementation had significant effects in decreasing serum hs-CRP from 10.51 ± 1.68 mg/L to 7.75 ± 1.56 mg/L (P = 0.0001) and microalbumin level from 146.87 ± 30.83 mg/day to 80.70 ± 33.99 mg/day (P = 0.0001). There were no significant changes in the levels of all these parameters in OHA group. CONCLUSION: Our results conclude that supplementation of zinc improved the effectiveness of OHA and may be beneficial in decreasing blood glucose, TG, urinary albumin excretion and inflammation in diabetic nephropathy patients and thus reducing the risk of complications.