Evaluation of antibacterial activity, in-vitro cytotoxicity and catalytic activity of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles using leaf extracts of Leea macrophylla.

Nanotechnology has become a cutting-edge field of research that has emerged as an interdisciplinary research area and contributes to almost every field of science. With the increasing demand for sustainable greener products, attention has recently been focused on green nanotechnology. This study manifested the aptitude of Leea macrophylla (LM) leaf extract, fortified with phytochemicals, to biosynthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for the first time. As soon as the AgNPs were biosynthesized, they immediately changed color, and the distinctive surface plasmon resonance (SPR) occurred at 420 nm in the Ultraviolet-Visible spectrum, proving that the biosynthesis had been successful. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to examine the phytochemicals present in the LM leaf extract, those are accountable for the formation and stabilization of AgNPs. The Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) revealed the formation of quasi spherical silver nanoparticles with an average diameter of 22.77 nm. Synthesized nanoparticles were further characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron microscope (FESEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The production of AgNPs with high metal content from LM leaf extract exhibited encouraging results. The LM leaf extract mediated silver nanoparticles evinced significant antibacterial and catalytic activities. The cytotoxicity effects of biosynthesized AgNPs were tested on brine shrimps.

Analysis of bioactive compounds present in different crude extracts of Benincasa hispida and Cucurbita moschata seeds by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Plant seeds are the resources of many different bioactive components. The chemical composition of the different crude extracts from Benincasa hispida (White pumpkin) and Cucurbita moschata (Pumpkin) seeds with three different polarity-based solvents (n-hexane, n-hexane-chloroform (2:1), and methanol) was analyzed to identify the biologically active compounds. Each of the extracts was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Different extracts of targeted seeds showed different biologically active compounds that have different pharmacological potentialities. 9, 12-Octadecadienoic acid (ZZ) was the most potent bioactive compound present in three different extracts of both B. hispida and C. moschata. Another bioactive compound comparatively low percentage present in both plants was n-hexadecanoic acid. Other major pharmacologically active compounds present in both plants were 9- Octadecenoic acid (Z)-, methyl ester, and 9, 12-Octadecadienoic acid methyl ester (E, E). Besides these compounds, a few more biologically active compounds were present in the two plants separately. The findings of this study support the use of these seeds in modern functional foods, nutraceuticals, and medicinal purposes, and the whole seeds would give better health benefits rather than use any extract. Although further pharmacological examinations should be carried out to conclude the medicinal application of the seeds of these two plants as well as to understand the mechanism of the potential health benefits.

Facile acid fermentation extraction of silkworm pupae oil and evaluation of its physical and chemical properties for utilization as edible oil.

Considering the increasing demand for edible oil in recent times, their price in the world market is becoming skyrocketing. In this research, we produced cost-effective edible oil from desilked silkworm pupae (Bombyx mori) applying a facile acid fermentation process, for the first time. The extraction was performed using two different types of organic acids, 3% of each acetic and citric acid. The yield of the extracted oil was 3.52 ± 0.23% from fresh silkworm pupae. The produced oil was then characterized physically and chemically to know its suitability to be used as edible oil. The oil was found with a low peroxide and acid value of 4.82 meq/kg and 1.35 mg KOH/g oil, respectively, and comprised of different fatty acids, in which palmitic acid (32.04%) and oleic acid (34.62%) were in large portions among the total fatty acids. Additionally, the extracted oil included linoleic, α-linolenic, and dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid which have health benefits. The oil was rich with minerals such as Iron, Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, and Phosphorus with a negligible concentration of toxic elements such as Manganese, Cobalt, Nickel, Copper, Lead, Cadmium, Chromium, Arsenic, and Silver, indicating a good nutritive value of the extracted oil. Overall, the outcomes of all the characterizations showed that the extracted oil could be used as good edible oil and the corresponding acid fermentation extraction process has the potential to be used as an effective oil extraction method for silkworm pupae.