Nanotechnologies for environmental remediation and their ecotoxicological impacts.

Environmental nanoremediation is an emerging technology that aims to rapidly and efficiently remove contaminants from the polluted sites using engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). Inorganic nanoparticles which are generally metallic, silica-based, carbon-based, or polymeric in nature serve to remediate through chemical reactions, filtration, or adsorption. Their greater surface area per unit mass and high reactivity enable them to treat groundwater, wastewater, oilfields, and toxic industrial contaminants. Despite the growing interest in nanotechnological solutions for bioremediation, the environmental and human hazard associated with their use is raising concerns globally. Nanoremediation techniques when compared to conventional remediation solutions show increased effectivity in terms of cost and time; however, the main challenge is the ability of ENMs to remove contaminants from different environmental mediums by safeguarding the ecosystem. ENMs improving the accretion of the pollutant and increasing their bioavailability should be rectified along with the vigilant management of their transfer to the upper levels of the food chain which subsequently causes biomagnification. The ecosystem-centered approach will help monitor the ecotoxicological impacts of nanoremediation considering the safety, sustainability, and proper disposal of ENMs. The environment and human health risk assessment of each novel engineered nanomaterial along with the regulation of life cycle assessment (LCA) tools of ENMs for nanoremediation can help investigate the possible environmental hazard. This review focuses on the currently available nanotechnological methods used for environmental remediation and their potential toxicological impacts on the ecosystem.

Molecular and genetic perspectives of cold tolerance in wheat.

Environmental variation is the most crucial problem as it is causing food insecurity and negatively impacts food availability, utilization, assessment, and stability. Wheat is the largest and extensively cultivated staple food crop for fulfilling global food requirements. Abiotic stresses including salinity, heavy metal toxicity, drought, extreme temperatures, and oxidative stresses being the primary cause of productivity loss are a serious threat to agronomy. Cold stress is a foremost ecological constraint that is extremely influencing plant development, and yield. It is extremely hampering the propagative development of plant life. The structure and function of plant cells depend on the cell's immune system. The stresses due to cold, affect fluid in the plasma membrane and change it into crystals or a solid gel phase. Plants being sessile in nature have evolved progressive systems that permit them to acclimatize the cold stress at the physiological as well as molecular levels. The phenomenon of acclimatisation of plants to cold stress has been investigated for the last 10 years. Studying cold tolerance is critical for extending the adaptability zones of perennial grasses. In the present review, we have elaborated the current improvement of cold tolerance in plants from molecular and physiological viewpoints, such as hormones, the role of the posttranscriptional gene, micro RNAs, ICE-CBF-COR signaling route in cold acclimatization and how they are stimulating the expression of underlying genes encoding osmoregulatory elements and strategies to improve cold tolerance in wheat.

Pharmacoinformatics approaches in the discovery of drug-like antimicrobials of plant origin.

Medicinal plants have served as an important source for addressing the ailments of humans and animals alike. The emergence of advanced technologies in the field of drug discovery and development has helped in isolating various bioactive phytochemicals and developing them as drugs. Owing to their significant pharmacological benefits and minimum adverse effects, they not only serve as good candidates for therapeutics themselves but also help in the identification and development of related drug like molecules against various metabolic and infectious diseases. The ever-increasing diversity, severity and incidence of infectious diseases has resulted in an exaggerated mortality and morbidity levels. Geno-proteomic mutations in microbes, irrational prescribing of antibiotics, antimicrobial resistance and human population explosion, all call for continuous efforts to discover and develop alternated therapeutic options against the microbes. This review article describes the pharmacoinformatics tools and methods which are currently used in the discovery of bioactive phytochemicals, thus making the process more efficient and effective. The pharmacological aspects of the drug discovery and development process have also been reviewed with reference to the in silico activities. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Osmoregulation and its actions during the drought stress in plants.

Drought stress, which causes a decline in quality and quantity of crop yields, has become more accentuated these days due to climatic change. Serious measures need to be taken to increase the tolerance of crop plants to acute drought conditions likely to occur due to global warming. Drought stress causes many physiological and biochemical changes in plants, rendering the maintenance of osmotic adjustment highly crucial. The degree of plant resistance to drought varies with plant species and cultivars, phenological stages of the plant, and the duration of plant exposure to the stress. Osmoregulation in plants under low water potential relies on synthesis and accumulation of osmoprotectants or osmolytes such as soluble proteins, sugars, and sugar alcohols, quaternary ammonium compounds, and amino acids, like proline. This review highlights the role of osmolytes in water-stressed plants and of enzymes entailed in their metabolism. It will be useful, especially for researchers working on the development of drought-resistant crops by using the metabolic-engineering techniques.