Design and Development of Robust, Daylight-Activated, and Rechargeable Biocidal Polymeric Films as Promising Active Food Packaging Materials.

The emerging infectious diseases have created one of the major practical needs to develop active packaging materials with durable antibacterial and antiviral properties for the food industry. To meet this demand, the development of new technologies applicable to food contact surfaces is highly desired but challenging. The recent discovery of the photoactive properties of vitamin K (VK) derivatives has raised great expectations as promising candidates in functional film development due to the generation of biocidal reactive oxygen species (ROS) by these compounds. Inspired by the excellent photoactivity of one of the light-stable VK derivatives, menadione (VK3), under visible daylight irradiation, we demonstrate a protocol for the fabrication of daylight-mediated biocidal packaging materials by incorporating VK3 into a poly (ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) matrix. The VK3 (i.e., 1-5% w/w) incorporated EVA films successfully demonstrated the production of ROS and antibacterial and antiviral performance against Escherichia coli, Listeria innocua, and T7 bacteriophage, respectively, under daylight exposure conditions. The results revealed that the addition of a proper percentage of VK3 significantly enhanced the ROS productivity of the films and created a novel daylight-induced microbial killing performance on the films. The biocidal functions of the films are long-lasting and rechargeable when exposed to light repeatedly, making them a viable contender for replacing currently available conventional packaging films.

Unravelling diversity, drivers, and indicators of soil microbiome of Trillium govanianum, an endangered plant species of the Himalaya.

In an era of global environmental change, conservation of threatened biodiversity and ecosystem restoration are formidable ecological challenges. The forest understory strata and the belowground soil environment including rhizospheric microbial communities, which are crucial for ecosystem functioning and overall forest biodiversity maintenance, have remained understudied. Here, we investigate the soil microbiome of Trillium govanianum - an endangered Himalayan Forest herb, to unravel the underground diversity, drivers, and potential indicators of the microbial community. We collected rhizospheric and bulk soil samples for microbiome and physicochemical analysis at three sites along an elevation gradient (2500-3300 m) in Kashmir Himalaya. Amplicon sequencing of 16 S rRNA and ITS was used to identify the bacterial and fungal soil microorganisms. We found significant differences in the structure and diversity of microbial community (bacterial and fungal) between the rhizosphere and bulk soil along the altitudinal gradient, and noticeable shifts in the nutrient level in dominant microbial phyla associated with T. govanianum. A significant difference between soil physicochemical parameters and increasing altitude suggests that microbial community structure is determined by altitude and soil type. Similarly, the microbial communities showed a significant (P < 0.05) correlation with soil physicochemical variables along the altitudinal gradient. The moisture content in bacterial and total organic carbon in fungal communities showed the most substantial impact on the physiochemical drivers. We also identify potential bacterial and fungal plant growth promoter indicator species in the soil microbiome of T. govanianum. Overall, our findings provide novel research insights that can be pivotal in designing integrated species recovery programs and long-term restoration plans for T. govanianum, with learnings for biodiversity conservation elsewhere.

Properties of galactomannans and their textile-related applications-A concise review.

Galactomannans are reserve carbohydrates in legume plants and are primarily extracted from their seeds. They contain galactose side chains throughout the mannose backbone and have unique features such as emulsifying, thickening, and gelling together with biodegradability, biocompatibility, and non-toxicity, which make them an appealing material. Guar gum and locust bean gum mainly are used in all galactomannan needed applications. Nonetheless, tara gum and fenugreek gum have also attracted considerable attention in recent decades. Despite the increased usage of galactomannans in the textile-related fields in recent years, there is no review article published yet. To fill this gap and to demonstrate the striking and increasing importance of galactomannans, a concise summary of the properties of common galactomannans and their comparisons is given first, followed by an account of recent developments and applications of galactomannans in the textile-related fields. The associated potential opportunities are also provided at the end of this review.

The role of plant-associated rhizobacteria in plant growth, biocontrol and abiotic stress management.

The rhizosphere is the region around the plant roots where maximum microbial activities occur. In the rhizosphere, microorganisms' beneficial and harmful activities affect plant growth and development. The mutualistic rhizospheric bacteria which improve plant growth and health are known as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). They are very important due to their ability to help the plant in diverse ways. PGPR such as Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Azospirillum, Azotobacter, Arthrobacter, Achromobacter, Micrococcus, Enterobacter, Rhizobium, Agrobacterium, Pantoea and Serratia are now very well known. Rhizomicrobiome plays critical roles in nutrient acquisition and assimilation, improved soil texture, secreting and modulating extracellular molecules such as hormones, secondary metabolites, antibiotics and various signal compounds, all leading to the enhancement of plant growth and development. The microbes and compounds they secrete constitute valuable biostimulants and play pivotal roles in modulating plant stress responses. In this review, we highlight the rhizobacteria diversity and cutting-edge findings focusing on the role of a PGPR in plant growth and development. We also discussed the role of PGPR in resisting the adverse effects arising from various abiotic (drought, salinity, heat, heavy metals) stresses.

Lichens as a repository of bioactive compounds: an open window for green therapy against diverse cancers.

Lichens, algae and fungi-based symbiotic associations, are sources of many important secondary metabolites, such as antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, antioxidants, and anticancer agents. Wide range of experiments based on in vivo and in vitro studies revealed that lichens are a rich treasure of anti-cancer compounds. Lichen extracts and isolated lichen compounds can interact with all biological entities currently identified to be responsible for tumor development. The critical ways to control the cancer development include induction of cell cycle arrests, blocking communication of growth factors, activation of anti-tumor immunity, inhibition of tumor-friendly inflammation, inhibition of tumor metastasis, and suppressing chromosome dysfunction. Also, lichen-based compounds induce the killing of cells by the process of apoptosis, autophagy, and necrosis, that inturn positively modulates metabolic networks of cells against uncontrolled cell division. Many lichen-based compounds have proven to possess potential anti-cancer activity against a wide range of cancer cells, either alone or in conjunction with other anti-cancer compounds. This review primarily emphasizes on an updated account of the repository of secondary metabolites reported in lichens. Besides, we discuss the anti-cancer potential and possible mechanism of the most frequently reported secondary metabolites derived from lichens.