Amyloid ß-Peptide Segment Conjugated Side-Chain Proline-Based Polymers as Potent Inhibitors in Lysozyme Amyloidosis.

Developing effective amyloidosis inhibitors poses a significant challenge due to the dynamic nature of the protein structures, the complex interplay of interfaces in protein-protein interactions, and the irreversible nature of amyloid assembly. The interactions of amyloidogenic polypeptides with other peptides play a pivotal role in modulating amyloidosis and fibril formation. This study presents a novel approach for designing and synthesizing amyloid interaction surfaces using segments derived from the amyloid-promoting sequence of amyloid ß-peptide [VF(Aß(18-19)/FF(Aß(19-20)/LVF(Aß(17-19)/LVFF(Aß(17-20)], where VF, FF, LVF and LVFF stands for valine phenylalanine dipeptide, phenylalanine phenylalanine dipeptide, leucine valine phenylalanine tripeptide and leucine valine phenylalanine phenylalanine tetrapeptide, respectively. These segments are conjugated with side-chain proline-based methacrylate polymers serving as potent lysozyme amyloidosis inhibitors and demonstrating reduced cytotoxicity of amyloid aggregations. Di-, tri-, and tetra-peptide conjugated chain transfer agents (CTAs) were synthesized and used for the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization of tert-butoxycarbonyl (Boc)-proline methacryloyloxyethyl ester (Boc-Pro-HEMA). Deprotection of Boc-groups from the side-chain proline pendants resulted in water-soluble polymers with defined peptide chain ends as peptide-polymer bioconjugates. Among them, the LVFF-conjugated polymer acted as a potent inhibitor with significantly suppressed lysozyme amyloidosis, a finding supported by comprehensive spectroscopic, microscopic, and computational analyses. These results unveil the synergistic effect between the segment-derived amyloid ß-peptide and side-chain proline-based polymers, offering new prospects for targeting lysozyme amyloidosis.

Recent advancements in antimony (Sb) removal from water and wastewater by carbon-based materials: a systematic review.

Antimony (Sb) has been classified as a high-priority contaminant in the environment. Sb contamination resulting from the use of antimony-containing compounds in industry necessitates the development of efficient methods to remove it from water and wastewater. Adsorption is a highly efficient and reliable method for pollutants removal owing to its availability, recyclability, and low cost. Recently, carbonaceous materials and their applications for the removal of Sb from the aqueous matrices have received special attention worldwide. Herein, this review systematically summarizes the occurrence and exposure of Sb in the environment and on human health, respectively. Different carbon-based adsorbents have been classified for the adsorptive removal of Sb and their adsorption characteristics have been delineated. Recent development in the adsorption performance of the adsorbent materials for improving the Sb removal from the aqueous medium has been outlined. Further, to develop an understanding of the effect of different parameters like pH, competitive ions, and dissolved ions for Sb adsorption and subsequent removal have been discussed. A retrospective analysis of literature was conducted to present the adsorption behavior and underlying mechanisms involved in the removal of Sb using various adsorbents. Moreover, this study has identified emerging research gaps and emphasized the need for developing modified/engineered carbonaceous adsorbents to enhance Sb adsorption from various aqueous matrices.

Sustainable utilization of biomass resources for decentralized energy generation and climate change mitigation: A regional case study in India.

Clean energy transition via utilizing biomass resources has been projected as an important climate change mitigation strategy. A vital characteristic of biomass is its localized nature; therefore, bioenergy utilization should follow decentralized planning. Agrarian countries like India can take benefit of its large agricultural biomass waste pool to produce clean renewable energy. However, prior knowledge of spatio-temporal distribution, competing uses, and biomass characteristics are necessary for successful bioenergy planning. This paper assesses biomass resource and its power generation potential at different agro-climatic zone levels in the state of Rajasthan, India considering crop residue biomass (25 different crop residues from 14 crops) and livestock manure (from cattle, buffalo, and poultry). Uncertainties associated with the availability of biomass and the power generation potential are assessed for each agro-climatic zone under different scenarios. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions from biomass-based power generations are also estimated and compared with biomass-equivalent coal power plants. It is observed that the annual biomass power potential of Rajasthan is 3056 MW (2496 MW from crop residues and 560 MW from livestock manure). Scenario analysis suggests that the potential varies from 2445 to 6045 MW under different biomass availability and power plant operating conditions. Annual GHGs emissions due to biomass power generation is 5053 kt CO2eq. Replacing coal-based power with biomass power would result in annual GHGs savings of 11412 kt CO2eq. The paper also discusses various carriers and barriers viz. logistics, institutional, financial and technical in setting up decentralized bioenergy plants. Outcomes of the present study are expected to assist renewable energy planners in India.

Modulating Insulin Aggregation with Charge Variable Cholic Acid-Derived Polymers.

To understand the effect of cholic acid (CA)-based charge variable polymeric architectures on modulating the insulin aggregation process, herein, we have designed side-chain cholate-containing charge variable polymers. Three different types of copolymers from 2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl cholate with anionic or cationic or neutral units have been synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. The effects of these copolymers on the insulin fibrillation process was studied by multiple biophysical approaches including different types of spectroscopic and microscopic analyses. Interestingly, the CA-based cationic polymer (CP-10) was observed to inhibit the insulin fibrillation process in a dose-dependent manner and to act as an effective anti-amyloidogenic agent. Corresponding anionic (AP-10) and neutral (NP-10) copolymers with cholate pendants remained insignificant in controlling the aggregation process. Tyrosine fluorescence assays and Nile red fluorescence measurements demonstrate the role of hydrophobic interaction to explain the inhibitory potencies of CP-10. Furthermore, circular dichroism spectroscopic measurements were carried out to explore the secondary structural changes of insulin fibrils in the presence of cationic polymers with and without cholate moieties. Isothermal titration calorimetry measurements revealed the involvement of electrostatic polar interaction between the CA-based cationic polymer and insulin at different stages of fibrillation. Overall, this work demonstrates the efficacy of the CA-based cationic polymer in controlling the insulin aggregation process and provides a novel dimension to the studies on protein aggregation.

A comprehensive review on enzymatic degradation of the organophosphate pesticide malathion in the environment.

A comprehensive review of available bioremediation technologies for the pesticide malathion is presented. This review article describes the usage and consequences of malathion in the environment, along with a critical discussion on modes of metabolism of malathion as a sole source of carbon, phosphorus, and sulfur for bacteria, and fungi along with the biochemical and molecular aspects involved in its biodegradation. Additionally, the recent approaches of genetic engineering are discussed for the manipulation of important enzymes and microorganisms for enhanced malathion degradation along with the challenges that lie ahead.

Bioassays for toxicological risk assessment of landfill leachate: A review.

Landfilling is the most common solid waste management practice. However, there exist a potential environmental risk to the surface and ground waters due to the possible leaching of contaminants from the landfill leachates. Current municipal solid waste landfill regulatory approaches consider physicochemical characterization of the leachate and do not assess their potential toxicity. However, assessment of toxic effects of the leachates using rapid, sensitive and cost-effective biological assays is more useful in assessing the risks as they measure the overall toxicity of the chemicals in the leachate. Nevertheless, more research is needed to develop an appropriate matrix of bioassays based on their sensitivity to various toxicants in order to evaluate leachate toxicity. There is a need for a multispecies approach using organisms representing different trophic levels so as to understand the potential impacts of leachate on different trophic organisms. The article reviews different bioassays available for assessing the hazard posed by landfill leachates. From the review it appears that there is a need for a multispecies approach to evaluate leachate toxicity.

An integrated approach to study the risk from landfill soil of Delhi: Chemical analyses, in vitro assays and human risk assessment.

In the present study, landfill soil of three municipal solid waste landfill sites of Delhi, India were toxico-chemically analyzed for human risk assessment as inadequate information is available on the possible health effects of the contaminants present in landfill soil. The landfill soil samples were prepared for analyzing heavy metal concentration, organic contaminants and toxicity analysis separately. Composite soil sample collected from three landfill sites were analyzed for heavy metal by ICP-AES. Metal concentration so obtained was below the permissible limit of soil but higher than the set limits for effluent. Some of the persistent organic contaminants like phthalates, benzene derivatives, halogenated aliphatic compounds and PAHs derivatives were detected by scan mode GC-MS. Further, concentration of 17 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in landfill soil of Delhi was evaluated by selective ion monitoring GC-MS in order to ascertain their contamination levels and potential health risk. The concentration of total PAHs in the samples ranged from 192 to 348µg/kg. The maximum concentrations of PAHs were found in Ghazipur landfill site followed by Okhla and Bhalswa landfills. Cancer risk (CR) values of sampling sites were within the acceptable range for adults, adolescents and children (both male and female) suggesting that PAHs present in landfill soil are unlikely to pose any cancer risk for population based on dermal contact, ingestion and inhalation exposure pathways. However, landfill soil organic extract showed significant cytotoxic and genotoxic effects on HepG2 cell line as revealed by MTT and Comet assays respectively. The observed MTT EC50 values ranged from 7.58 to 12.9g SedEq/Lalong with statistically significant DNA damage. Thus, although the soil organic extract contained low concentrations of PAHs with negligible carcinogenic potential, but the mixture of organic pollutants present in soil were found to be toxic enough to affect human health due to their synergistic or additive actions.

Landfill leachate treatment using bacto-algal co-culture: An integrated approach using chemical analyses and toxicological assessment.

The present study aims to evaluate the feasibility of leachate treatment using a synergistic approach by microalgae and bacteria. Leachate from one of the landfill of Northern India showed the presence of various toxic organic contaminants like naphthalene, benzene, phenol and their derivatives, napthols, pesticides, epoxides, phthalates and halogenated organic compounds. ICP-AES analysis revealed high concentrations of Zn, Cr, Fe, Ni, and Pb beyond the maximum permissible limit of discharge. Bacto-algal co-culture was found to be the most efficient in removal of toxic organic contaminants and heavy metals. Further, detoxification efficiency of bacto-algal treatment was evaluated by Methyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay for cytotoxicity and alkaline comet assay for genotoxicity using hepatoma HepG2 cells. Reduction in toxicity was confirmed by an increase in LC50 by 1.9 fold and reduction in Olive Tail Moment by 40.6 fold after 10 days of treatment. Results of the study indicate bioremediation and detoxification potency of bacto-algal co-culture for leachate treatment.

Conversion of locally available materials to biochar and activated carbon for drinking water treatment.

For environmental sustainability and to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs), drinking water treatment must be done at a reasonable cost with minimal environmental impact. Therefore, treating contaminated drinking water requires materials and approaches that are inexpensive, produced locally, and effortlessly. Hence, locally available materials and their derivatives, such as biochar (BC) and activated carbon (AC) were investigated thoroughly. Several researchers and their findings show that the application of locally accessible materials and their derivatives are capable of the adsorptive removal of organic and inorganic contaminants from drinking water. The application of locally available materials such as lignocellulosic materials/waste and its thermo-chemically derived products, including BC and AC were found effective in the treatment of contaminated drinking water. Thus, this review aims to thoroughly examine the latest developments in the use of locally accessible feedstocks for tailoring BC and AC, as well as their features and applications in the treatment of drinking water. We attempted to explain facts related to the potential mechanisms of BC and AC, such as complexation, co-precipitation, electrostatic interaction, and ion exchange to treat water, thereby achieving a risk-free remediation approach to polluted water. Additionally, this research offers guidance on creating efficient household treatment units based on the health risks associated with customized adsorbents and cost-benefit analyses. Lastly, this review work discusses the current obstacles for using locally accessible materials and their thermo-chemically produced by-products to purify drinking water, as well as the necessity for technological interventions.

3D printing of bacterial cellulose for potential wound healing applications: Current trends and prospects.

Several advances in skin tissue engineering have been made to restore skin damage, facilitating wound healing. Bacterial cellulose (BC), a naturally occurring polymer, has gained attention as a potential material in wound healing due to its unique physical and biological properties. In recent years, with the advent of 3D bio-printing technology, new avenues have opened for fabricating customized wound dressings and scaffolds for tissue engineering purposes. The existing literature in this field mainly focuses on the ways of modifications of bacterial cellulose to make it printable. Still, the applicability of 3D printed scaffolds for wound healing needs to be explored more. This review article focuses on the current research on using 3D-printed BC for skin regeneration, including its production methods and physical and biological properties, making it a better choice than traditional dressings. Furthermore, it also highlights the limitations and future directions for using BC in wound healing and tissue engineering applications. This review provides a comprehensive and up-to-date exploration of the applications of 3D-printed BC in wound healing, drawing insights from pre-existing studies and emphasizing patient compliance, clinical outcomes, and economic viability.

A review on value-addition to plastic waste towards achieving a circular economy.

Plastic and mixed plastic waste (PW) has received increased worldwide attention owing to its huge rate of production, high persistency in the environment, and unsustainable waste management practices. Therefore, sustainable PW management and upcycling approaches are imperative to achieve the objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Numerous recent studies have shown the application and feasibility of various PW conversion techniques to produce materials with better economic value. Within this framework, the current review provides an in-depth analysis of cutting-edge thermochemical technologies such as pyrolysis, gasification, carbonization, and photocatalysis that can be used to value plastic and mixed PW in order to produce energy and industrial chemicals. Additionally, a thorough examination of the environmental impacts of contemporary PW upcycling techniques and their commercial feasibility through life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economical assessment are provided in this review. Finally, this review emphasizes the opportunities and challenges accompanying with existing PW upcycling techniques and deliver recommendations for future research works.

Ruminal content biochar supplementation for enhanced biomethanation of rice straw: Focusing on biochar characterization and dose optimization.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) of agricultural wastes is a promising approach for energy recovery and crop residue management. However, its recalcitrant chemical structure hinders microbial hydrolysis and reduces biomethane production under AD. Biochar supplementation has been proven to promote the digestibility and biomethanation of lignocellulosic substrates. Therefore, this study investigated the influence of different pyrolysis temperatures (450 °C, 550 °C, and 650 °C) on the physicochemical properties of biochar. Furthermore, the impact of ruminal content biochar supplementation (1 %, 2 %, and 3 %) on the AD of rice straw with rumen fluid as inoculum has been investigated. The ruminal content biochar (RUCB) supplemented reactors showed an increment in biomethane yield and the highest cumulative biomethane yield 243.11 mL/g volatile solids (VS)) was recorded at 2 % RUCB supplementation, followed by 227.12 mL/g VS at 1 % RUCB supplementation and 162.86 mL/g VS at 3 % RUCB supplementation (P > 0.05). Compared to the control reactors (128.68 mL/g VS), RUCB supplemented reactors exhibited 1.88-fold, 1.76-fold, and 1.26-fold increments in biomethane yield due to pH stabilization and facilitation of microbial biofilm formation on the biochar. The correlation analysis showed that biomethane production is positively correlated with VS reduction (R2 = 0.9852). This study proposed a potential strategy to utilize ruminal content waste as a feedstock for biochar production and its application in AD for accelerating the biomethanation of rice straw.

Antioxidant Polymers with Enhanced Neuroprotection Against Insulin Fibrillation.

Lipoic acid (LA) and dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA) are well established antioxidants to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, they are carboxylates with ≈4.7 pKa making them negatively charged at physiological pH (7.4) reducing their passive diffusion through cell membranes. LA is known to be capable of reducing protein fibrillation. Incorporation of LA and especially DHLA in polymer side chains are scarce. Herein, the first examples of the anti-amyloidogenic effect of LA and DHLA incorporated into the side-chain of a block copolymer with a water-soluble poly(polyethylene glycol methyl ether methacrylate) (PPEGMA) segment are presented. The resultant polymers show improved ROS scavenging activity and improved ability to reduce insulin fibrillation compared to free LA and DHLA. Furthermore, the resultant polymers are also capable of disintegrating preformed insulin firbrils. Interestingly, polymers with dihydro-lipoate moieties showed 93% free radical scavenging activity with 91% anti-fibrillating efficacies for insulin protein confirmed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and Thioflavin T (ThT) dye binding study, respectively. Further, the antioxidant polymers increase the cell viability against fibrillar insulin aggregates that may be involved in the etiology of several diseases. Overall, this work reveals that antioxidant polymer-based therapeutic agents can serve as a powerful modulation strategy for developing novel drugs in future against amyloid-related disorders.

Contemporary Drift in Emerging Micro(nano)plastics Removal and Upcycling Technologies from Municipal Wastewater Sludge: Strategic Innovations and Prospects.

Purpose of Review: Annually, huge amounts of microplastics (MPs) are added to farmlands through sewage sludge (SS)/biosolid applications as a fertilizer. Most research emphasizes the enormity of the problem and demonstrates the fate, impacts, and toxicity of MPs during SS treatment processes and land applications. None has addressed the management strategies. To address the gaps, the current review evaluates the performance analysis of conventional and advanced sludge treatment methods in eliminating MPs from sludge. Recent Findings: The review uncovers that the occurrence and characteristics of MPs in SS are highly governed by factors such as population density, speed and level of urbanization, citizens' daily habits, and treatment units in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Furthermore, conventional sludge treatment processes are ineffective in eliminating MPs from SS and are accountable for the increased small-sized MPs or micro(nano)plastics (MNPs) along with altered surface morphology facilitating more co-contaminant adsorption. Simultaneously, MPs can influence the operation of these treatment processes depending on their size, type, shape, and concentration. The review reveals that research to develop advanced technology to remove MPs efficiently from SS is still at a nascent stage. Summary: This review provides a comprehensive analysis of MPs in the SS, by corroborating state-of-the-knowledge, on different aspects, including the global occurrence of MPs in WWTP sludge, impacts of different conventional sludge treatment processes on MPs and vice versa, and efficiency of advanced sludge treatment and upcycling technologies to eliminate MPs, which will facilitate the development of mitigation measures from the systematic and holistic level.

Valorization potential of pine needle waste biomass: recent trends and future perspectives.

Pines play a significant role in forest biodiversity globally and generate huge forest litter. Dry pine needles due to low ignition temperature and high frictional force with the ground catch fire quickly. Annual forest fires in the northern states of India greatly impact the Indian economy besides causing huge loss to biodiversity, livelihood, and environment. Pine needles are also considered unfit for fodder consumption due to presence of tannins. Although the presence of softwood lignin in pine needles makes it difficult to degrade easily, the presence of holocellulose (68.5%) containing 45-51% cellulose makes this biomass a potential substrate to be used in pulp-making industries for low-grade paper sheets. The good fiber length of pine needles (1.3-1.4 mm) with a diameter of 30-32 µm, maybe considered important property for paper making. The use of pine needles in the pharmaceutical and food industries are due to the presence of secondary metabolites (α-pinene, ß-pinene, caryophyllene etc.). The various other potential applications of pine needles are for producing bio-ethanol (yield, 3.98%; purity, 94%), biogas (yield, 23.1 L kg-1), smokeless briquettes (calorific value, 18.77 MJ kg-1), biochar (calorific value, 25.6 MJ kg-1), bio-composites (tensile strength, 21-60 MPa), and bio-pesticides. This paper comprehensively reviews the current applications of pine needles along with its future prospective applications that can have the dual advantage of providing employment opportunities to the people along with environmental protection.

Enhanced lignin degradation of paddy straw and pine needle biomass by combinatorial approach of chemical treatment and fungal enzymes for pulp making.

Paddy straw (PS) and pine needles (PN) are one of the challenging biomasses in terms of disposal and compost making due to their high silica and tannin contents. Particulate air pollution, loss of biodiversity and respiratory impairments are some of disastrous outcomes caused by burning. However, high percentage of cellulose and hemicellulose makes them potential substrate for paper and pulp industries. The main aim of work was to study and utilize a combinatorial approach of weak chemical treatment and lignin degrading fungal species as agents of effective production of lignin modifying enzymes (LME's) for lignin depolymerisation from the biomasses. Phanerochaete chrysosporium was found to be the best degrader of lignin (47.11 % in PS + PN in 28 days) with maximum LME's production between 10th-17th days. Efficient lignin degradation in the PS and PN biomass will aid further application in pulp production supporting the transition to a circular economy in a greener way.

Insulin fibril inhibition using glycopolymeric nanoassemblies.

To address the obstacles in insulin protein homeostasis leading to the formation of neurotoxic amyloid plaques associated with different diseases, herein we have synthesized block copolymers using the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization method, composed of tert-butoxycarbonyl (Boc) protected leucine and acetyl (Ac) protected glucose pendant moieties, respectively. Selective or dual deprotection of Boc- and Ac-groups from leucine and/or glucose moieties resulted in amphiphilic polymers, which self-assembled into nanoaggregates in aqueous medium, confirmed by critical aggregation concentration (CAC) determination, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These glycopolymeric nanoassemblies were used to study the inhibition rates of insulin fibrillation and were found to impede the fibrillation of the insulin protein. Using several biophysical techniques, we observed that hydrophobic, electrostatic, and hydrogen bonding interactions were responsible for binding the insulin monomer/oligomer with various glycopolymeric aggregates, inhibiting insulin fibrillation. Tyrosine (Tyr) and Nile red (NR) fluorescence measurements manifested the hydrophobic interactions, whereas temperature-dependent fluorescence and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) measurements revealed respectively the hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions involved in the inhibition process of insulin amyloid formation. Molecular dynamics simulations further confirmed the involvement of different interactions among polymer-protein residues in averting the fibrillation process.

Biomimicry of ruminant digestion strategies for accelerating lignocellulose bioconversion in anaerobic digestion.

Biomimicking ruminant digestion strategies (RDSs) into anaerobic digestion (AD) enables efficient bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass. Understanding RDSs is essential to translate their features into designing and developing bioprocesses and bioreactors. Here, we discuss insights into recently developed bioinspired bioprocesses, bioreactors, and future AD systems based on RDSs.

Permeation of flavonoid loaded human serum albumin nanoparticles across model membrane bilayers.

The rapid growth in the applications of nanoparticles (NPs) in biomedical and pharmaceutical fields requires an understanding of the interactions with the lipid bilayer membrane for further in vivo studies. Zwitterionic 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC), negatively charged 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-l-serine (DOPS) and positively charged 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE) have been used to prepare model lipid membranes and the ability of flavonoid loaded nanoparticles to cross the membranes investigated. The lipid vesicles have been prepared by a freeze-thaw method followed by an extrusion technique and characterised by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The synthesized model lipid membranes exhibited a bilayer spherical type of morphology with an average diameter of less than 150 nm. A calcein leakage assay and fluorescence anisotropy measurement indicated that the membranes are permeable to the flavonoid (fisetin/morin/epicatechin) loaded human serum albumin nanoparticles. This implies that drug/compound encapsulated nanoparticles are able to effectively cross the lipid bilayer thus permitting the design and development of new compounds that may be encapsulated for safe and potential use in biomedical applications.

A review on advances in removal of endocrine disrupting compounds from aquatic matrices: Future perspectives on utilization of agri-waste based adsorbents.

In the recent past, a class of emerging contaminants particularly endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in the aquatic environment have gained a lot of attention. This is due to their toxic behaviour, affecting endocrine activities in humans as well as among aquatic animals. Presently, there are no regulations and discharge limits for EDCs to preclude their negative impact. Furthermore, the conventional treatment processes fail to remove EDCs efficiently. This necessitates the need for more research aimed at development of advanced alternative treatment methods which are economical, efficient, and sustainable. This paper focusses on the occurrence, fate, toxicity, and various treatment processes for removal of EDCs. The treatment processes (physical, chemical, biological and hybrid) have been comprehensively studied highlighting their advantages and disadvantages. Additionally, the use of agri-waste based adsorption technologies has been reviewed. The aim of this review article is to understand the prospect of application of agri-waste based adsorbents for efficient removal of EDCs. Interestingly, research findings have indicated that the use of these low-cost and abundantly available agri-waste based adsorbents can efficiently remove the EDCs. Furthermore, the challenges and future perspectives on the use of agri-waste based adsorbents have been discussed.