Moringa Tree, Gift of Nature: a Review on Nutritional and Industrial Potential.

Purpose of Review: Worldwide occurring Moringa plant is commonly famous as a fruit vegetable, known as drumstick or shevga all over India. The miraculous nutritional potential of the drumstick plant was already proved by worldwide research. But in the common population, it is unknown for the nutritional potential of its leaves. The majority of the population is known it only as a fruit vegetable. The Moringa leaves contain almost all essential nutrients, growth factors, vitamins, amino acids, proteins, minerals, and metals like potassium, iron, and zinc. Besides these, nowadays, plant leaves may be used to prepare various nutritional supplements and medicine. Recent Findings: Besides this, this review takes into account some joint efforts of NASI, Allahabad-funded project to use these Moringa leaves for different formulations and its popularization efforts for malnutrition eradication in tribal, i.e., development of recipes of Moringa leaves that will not only make easy preparations but also help to make habitual use of Moringa leaves today. Summary: This review describes the morphology, occurrence, and distribution of Moringa sp., chemical constitutions of Moringa leaves, its potential as anticancer, antidiabetes, and antimicrobial agent and as a nutritional supplement and the commercial future of various products.

Fluconazole treatment enhances extracellular release of red pigments in the fungus Monascus purpureus.

Traditional methods for the production of food grade pigments from the fungus Monascus spp. mostly rely on submerged fermentation. However, the cell-bound nature and intracellular accumulation of pigments in Monascus spp. is a major hurdle in pigment production by submerged fermentation. The present study focused on the investigation of the effect of the antifungal agent fluconazole on red pigment production from Monascus purpureus (NMCC-PF01). At the optimized concentration of fluconazole (30 µg ml-1), pigment production was found to be enhanced by 88% after 96 h and it remained constant even after further incubation up to 168 h. Ergosterol, a sterol specific to fungi, was also extracted and estimated as a function of fungal growth. The concentration of ergosterol in fluconazole-treated fermentation broth was reduced by 49% as compared to control broth. Thus it could be responsible for facilitating the release of intracellular and cell-bound pigments. Nevertheless, the role of cell transporters in transporting out the red pigments cannot be ignored and deserves further attention. Qualitative analysis of red pigment by thin layer chromatography, UV spectroscopy and mass spectrometric analysis (ESIMS) has confirmed the presence of the well-known pigment rubropunctamine. In addition, this fermentation process produces citrinin-free pigments. This novel approach will be useful to facilitate increased pigment production by the release of intracellular or cell-bound Monascus pigments.

Innovative approach for urease inhibition by Ficus carica extract-fabricated silver nanoparticles: An in vitro study.

In the present study, a rapid, low-cost, and ecofriendly method of stable silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesis using leaves extract of Ficus carica (F. carica), a plant with diverse metabolic consortium, is reported for the first time. An absorption peak at 422 nm in UV-Vis spectroscopy, a spherical shape with an average size of 21 nm in transmission electron microscopy, and crystalline nature in X-ray powder diffraction studies were observed for the synthesized AgNPs. Fourier transform infrared analysis indicated that proteins of F. carica might have a vital role in AgNP synthesis and stabilization. AgNPs were found to inhibit urease, a key enzyme responsible for the survival and pathogenesis of the bacterium, Helicobacter pylori. Inhibition of urease by AgNPs was monitored spectrophotometrically by the evaluation of ammonia release. The urease inhibition potential of AgNPs can be explored in the treatment of H. pylori by preparing novel combinations of standard drugs with AgNPs- or AgNPs-encapsulated drug molecules.

Biofunctionalized silver nanoparticles as a novel colorimetric probe for melamine detection in raw milk.

Nanoparticles have emerged as a promising analytical tool for monitoring food adulteration and safety. In the present study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized using leaves' extract of Jatropha gossypifolia. AgNPs revealed a characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak at 419 nm and have spherical and grain shape with size range between 18 and 30 nm. A selective and rapid method of melamine detection in raw milk was developed with the use of these biofunctionalized AgNPs. The color change, deviation in SPR spectra, and change in the absorption ratio (A500 /A419 ) of AgNPs occurred after an AgNPs-melamine interaction. The detection limit for melamine up to 2 µM (252 ppb) was attained with this method, which is quite lower than safety level recommendations of regulatory bodies demonstrating sensitivity of the method. Dynamicx light scattering and transmission electron microscopy analyses exhibited an increase in hydrodynamic diameter and size of AgNPs after melamine interaction. Melamine sensing by AgNPs was investigated by different physicochemical and thermal analyses.

Plant extract: a promising biomatrix for ecofriendly, controlled synthesis of silver nanoparticles.

Uses of plants extracts are found to be more advantageous over chemical, physical and microbial (bacterial, fungal, algal) methods for silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesis. In phytonanosynthesis, biochemical diversity of plant extract, non-pathogenicity, low cost and flexibility in reaction parameters are accounted for high rate of AgNPs production with different shape, size and applications. At the same time, care has to be taken to select suitable phytofactory for AgNPs synthesis based on certain parameters such as easy availability, large-scale nanosynthesis potential and non-toxic nature of plant extract. This review focuses on synthesis of AgNPs with particular emphasis on biological synthesis using plant extracts. Some points have been given on selection of plant extract for AgNPs synthesis and case studies on AgNPs synthesis using different plant extracts. Reaction parameters contributing to higher yield of nanoparticles are presented here. Synthesis mechanisms and overview of present and future applications of plant-extract-synthesized AgNPs are also discussed here. Limitations associated with use of AgNPs are summarised in the present review.

Amoebicidal activity of phytosynthesized silver nanoparticles and their in vitro cytotoxicity to human cells.

Acanthamoeba causes infections in humans and other animals and it is important to develop treatment therapies. Jatropha curcas, Jatropha gossypifolia and Euphorbia milii plant extracts synthesized stable silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) that were relatively stable. Amoebicidal activity of J. gossypifolia, J. curcas and E. milii leaf extracts showed little effect on viability of Acanthamoeba castellanii trophozoites. Plant-synthesized AgNPs showed higher amoebicidal activity. AgNPs synthesized by J. gossypifolia extract were able to kill 74-27% of the trophozoites at concentrations of 25-1.56 µg mL(-1) . AgNPs were nontoxic at minimum inhibitory concentration with peripheral blood mononuclear cells. These results suggest biologically synthesized nanoparticles as an alternative candidate for treatment of Acanthamoeba infections.

Bioefficacy of Plumbago zeylanica (Plumbaginaceae) and Cestrum nocturnum (Solanaceae) plant extracts against Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicide) and nontarget fish Poecilia reticulata.

In a search for natural products that could be used to control the vectors of tropical diseases, extracts of medicinal plants Plumbago zeylanica and Cestrum nocturnum have been tested for larvicidal activity against second, third, and fourth instar larvae of Aedes aegypti. The LC(50) values of all the extracts in different solvents of both the plants were less than 50 ppm (15.40-38.50 ppm) against all tested larval instars. Plant extracts also affected the life cycle of A. aegypti by inhibition of pupal development and adult emergence with increasing concentrations. The larvicidal stability of the extracts at five constant temperatures (19°C, 22°C, 25°C, 28°C, and 31°C) evaluated against fourth instar larvae revealed that toxicity of both plant extracts increases with increase in temperature. Toxicity studies carried out against fish species Poecilia reticulata, the most common nontarget organism in the habitats of A. aegypti, showed almost nil to meager toxicity at LC(50) and LC(90) doses of the plant extracts. The qualitative analysis of crude extracts of P. Zeylanica and C. nocturnum revealed the presence of bioactive phytochemicals with predominance of plumbagin in P. zeylanica and saponins in C. nocturnum. Partially purified plumbagin from P. zeylanica and saponins from C. nocturnum were obtained, and their presence was confirmed by thin-layer chromatography and biochemical tests. The bioassay experiment of partially purified secondary metabolites showed potent mosquito larvicidal activity against the fourth instar larval form. Therefore, this study explored the safer and effective potential of plant extracts against vector responsible for diseases of public health importance.

Bioflocculant exopolysaccharide production by Azotobacter indicus using flower extract of Madhuca latifolia L.

Efficacy of Azotobacter indicus ATCC 9540 strain for production exopolysaccharide (EPS) bioflocculant was investigated. Mahua flower extract (Madhuca latifolia L), a natural substrate at the concentration of 20 g L(-1), gave maximum recovery of EPS followed by sucrose and mannitol as compared to other carbon sources after 172 h. Yeast extract was found to be the most effective nitrogen source as compared to beef extract, sodium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, casein hydrolysate, and urea for the production of EPS. EPS production was increased in presence of nitrogen (5.51 g L(-1)) as compared to nitrogen-free medium (3.51 g L(-1)), and fermentation time was also reduced by 28 h. Maximum EPS production (6.10 g L(-1)) was found in the presence of 20 g L(-1) flower extract and 0.5 g L(-1) yeast extract containing Ashby's media with 180 rpm at 30 degrees C at 144 h, under controlled conditions in 2.5 L fermenter using optimized medium. The isolated EPS showed cation-dependent flocculating activity. Concentration of EPS played an important role in bioflocculating activity which increased in a concentration-dependent manner up to a certain limit, with the maximum flocculation of 72% at 500 mg L(-1) concentration but remained almost static after this concentration. Extracted polymer was characterized by different chemical tests, FT-IR spectroscopy, and TLC which showed presence of uronic acids, O-acetyl groups, and Orcinol with suggestive indication of alginate like polymer. This study suggests that use of M. latifolia L. flowers can be a potential alternative bioresource for production of exopolysaccharide.