Morphoanatomical and Physiological Adaptations of Triticum aestivum L. against Allelopathic Extract of Trianthema portulacastrum L. (Horse purslane).

Weed infestation can be harmful to crop growth and cause severe losses in yield by absorbing nutrients and releasing inhibitory secondary metabolites and thus needs to be controlled for food security. The use of synthetic herbicides is one of the most widely applied methods, but its frequent usage is a serious threat to health and the environment and develops resistance in weeds. Allelopathy is an eco-friendly bio-control method, and Trianthema portulacastrum extracts are known to be effective against various weeds in the crop of Triticum aestivum (wheat), but their effect on the main crop (wheat) is still unknown. The pot experiment was carried out, and various concentrations (30, 60, and 100%) of root and shoot extracts of T. portulacastrum and a synthetic herbicide (Metafin Super) along with control (distilled water) were applied to the wheat plants. Various morphological, physiological, and anatomical parameters were recorded under natural conditions. The objective of this study was to explore the allelopathic impact of T. portulacastrum compared to the synthetic herbicide on the growth of wheat. This study displayed that various growth characteristics of wheat were significantly affected at p ≤ 0.05 by root and shoot water extracts of T. portulacastrum but were less inhibitory as compared to the synthetic herbicide. This inhibition of the growth of wheat was coupled with a significant increase in total free amino acids, K ions, CAT (catalase), proline, epidermal and cortical thickness, and abaxial stomatal density. In addition, a reduction in growth parameters was correlated with a decrease in photosynthetic pigments. This study revealed that the use of T. portulacastrum extracts could be safer than synthetic herbicides for wheat plants and would be beneficial to control weeds in a wheat field.

Morphological and Molecular Characterizations of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Their Influence on Soil Physicochemical Properties and Plant Nutrition.

Pulses are considered a remarkable and stable source of nutrients, which are being presently extensively cultivated and consumed in different parts of the world. Pulses belong to the family Leguminosae and are a rich source of nutrients such as phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) for best growth via symbiotic relationship with bacteria and AMF (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi). The aim of the current study was evaluating the influence of AMF diversity associated with various pulses (French bean, mung bean, kidney bean, peas, soybean, peanuts, and grams). Furthermore, AMF characterization was done using morphological features of spores and sequencing of the rDNA gene, which confirmed the existence of 10 different AMF taxa. Among the different genera, the genus Glomus was observed to be the most dominant with 30% species followed by Gigaspora (22%), Sclerocystis (12%), Acaulospora (8%), Rhizophagus and Septoglomus (7%), Diversispora (5%), and Claroideoglomus, Archaeospora, and Ambispora (3%). Furthermore, soil physicochemical analysis and percentage of AMF colonization results revealed the fact that the phosphorus content (inversely proportional to the AMF diversity) was a determining factor of AMF diversity. The highest amount of available phosphorus (62.825 mg kg-1) in the district Swabi resulted in a low rate of AMF colonization (6.66 ± 11.54%) with a comparatively higher rate of AMF colonization (50.66 ± 1.15%) found in the soil of the district Chitral having a low phosphorus content (17.3 ± 7.6 mg kg-1). Nutrient uptake by pulses including nitrogen (2.4 ± 1.3%), phosphorus (13.5 ± 7.6 mg kg -1), potassium (99.5 ± 25.8 mg kg -1), zinc (1.4 ± 0.5 mg kg -1), moisture (2.3 ± 1.3%), crude fats (5.6 ± 2.8%), ash (4 ± 1.2%), and proteins (13.6 ± 9.01%) determined the fact that AMF species diversity is positively correlated to the plant mineral nutrition. From the current study, it is concluded that AMF inoculation to the soil fields is beneficial to ensure the sustainability and productivity of pulse crops in diverse environmental conditions without polluting the soil.

Optimization of different growth parameters for maximum production of bioactive crude metabolites by Aspergillus fumigatus.

Aspergillus fumigatus is a green echinulate with greenish phialides and 2.5-3 mm conidia. The diverse biological functions of A. fumigatus secondary metabolites make them interesting. The ethyl acetate extract of A. fumigatus was tested for antibacterial activity. Culture media, temperature, incubation and pH were optimized for A. fumigatus growth. Continuous 150rpm agitation incubated the fungus at 28°C for 10 days. Potato Dextrose Broth at 28°C in shaking incubator at pH 04 produced the most biomass and secondary metabolites. Metabolite antibacterial activity was tested. Salmonella flexneri had the greatest zone of inhibition at 100µl (25.66mm) while Staphylococcus aureus had the least (16.33mm). At 75µg/mL, S. flexneri showed 23.66mm activity and S. typhi 14.66mm. At 50µg/mL, S. flexneri was 21.33mm and S. typhi 12.33mmMBC was 0.01µg/µl and MIC50 varied. At 100µg/mL, the metabolites showed antifungal efficacy against Penicillium chrysogenum (26.33mm) but not A. flavus (21.33mm). A. oryzae was significantly inhibited at 75µg/mL (26.33mm) and 50µg/mL (20.33mm). 1000µl demonstrated 100% phytotoxicity, 100µl 60% and 10µl 50%. Bactrocera cucurbitae, Sitotroga cerealella and Callosobruchus maculatus were killed at 150, 100 and 75µl. Metabolites and antibiotics synergized well. Metabolites have alkanes, esters and ethers in their infrared spectra.

Synthesis, characterization and biological investigation of zinc nanoparticles using Acacia modesta Wall. leaves.

The study aimed to synthesize zinc nanoparticles (Zn-NPs) using an aqueous extract derived from Acacia modesta Wall. leaves. Several characterization techniques were employed to confirm the successful formation of zinc nanoparticles. UV-visible spectrophotometry indicated a peak at 374 nm, validating the bioreduction process. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was utilized to analyze the morphology, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to determine particle size and shape, X-ray diffraction (XRD) for crystalline structure analysis, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) for elemental composition and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to identify functional groups. The synthesized Zn-NPs demonstrated remarkable antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (95% inhibition) and moderate antifungal activity against Candida albicans (70% inhibition). In phytotoxicity tests, the Zn-NPs exhibited a 55% reduction in the growth of Lamina minor at the highest dilution (1000 µl). Based on these findings, the study concluded that the green-synthesized Zn-NPs hold great potential as effective antibiotics against pathogenic bacteria and could be utilized in various industrial and agricultural applications.

An Overview on Synthetic 2-Aminothiazole-Based Compounds Associated with Four Biological Activities.

Amongst sulfur- and nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds, the 2-aminothiazole scaffold is one of the characteristic structures in drug development as this essential revelation has several biological activities abiding it to act as an anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent, among other things. Additionally, various 2-aminothiazole-based derivatives as medical drugs have been broadly used to remedy different kinds of diseases with high therapeutic influence, which has led to their wide innovations. Owing to their wide scale of biological activities, their structural variations have produced attention amongst medicinal chemists. The present review highlights the recently synthesized 2-aminothiazole-containing compounds in the last thirteen years (2008-2020). The originality of this proposal is based on the synthetic strategies developed to access the novel 2-aminothiazole derivatives (N-substituted, 3-substituted, 4-substituted, multi-substituted, aryl/alkyl substituents or acyl/other substituents). The literature reports many synthetic pathways of these 2-aminothiazoles associated with four different biological activities (anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities). It is wished that this review will be accommodating for new views in the expedition for rationalistic designs of 2-aminothiazole-based medical synthetic pathways.

Lipid-lowering and hepatoprotective effects of Vitis vinifera dried seeds on paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in rats.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Red grape seeds as functional food are a good source of important bioactive components such as phenolics and antioxidants, which decrease oxidative stress that contributes to the pathogenesis of hepatotoxicity. The current study was conducted in order to evaluate the protective effect of red grape dried seeds (RGDS) on antioxidant properties, lipid metabolism, and liver and kidney functions of rats with paracetamol (750 mg/kg) induced hepatotoxicity. MATERIALS/METHODS: RGDS was added to the basal diet at 5, 10, and 20%. Thirty five adult male rats were assigned to five groups (n = 7) for a six-week feeding period; group (1) normal control, group (2) induced control, groups (3, 4, and 5) fed a diet with RGPS at different levels, 5, 10, and 20%, respectively. At the end of the feeding period, animals' blood and tissues were collected for estimation of serum lipid profile, serum liver, and kidney biomarkers. The protection was measured by detecting lipid peroxidation (LPO), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT) (in liver tissues), and liver histological examination. RESULTS: The results showed a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in levels of serum cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein (LDL-C), and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL-C), with a significant increase in level of high density lipoprotein (HDL-C) for RGDS groups compared to induced control. Rats administered a diet containing RGDS levels produced significant (P < 0.05) hepatoprotection by decreasing the activities of liver enzymes, kidney parameters, and lipid peroxidation, while levels of GSH, SOD, and CAT were increased significantly to near the normal levels. CONCLUSION: The RGDS 20% group was more effective than others against hepatotoxicity of paracetamol, which may be attributed to RGDS total phenols and antioxidant contents, which were 1.438 mg and 1.231 mg, respectively.