Applications of nanobodies in plant science and biotechnology.

KEY MESSAGE: Present review summarizes the current applications of nanobodies in plant science and biotechnology, including plant expression of nanobodies, plant biotechnological applications, nanobody-based immunodetection, and nanobody-mediated resistance against plant pathogens. Nanobodies (Nbs) are variable domains of heavy chain-only antibodies (HCAbs) isolated from camelids. In spite of their single domain structure, nanobodies display many unique features, such as small size, high stability, and cryptic epitopes accessibility, which make them ideal for sophisticated applications in plants and animals. In this review, we summarize the current applications of nanobodies in plant science and biotechnology, focusing on nanobody expression in plants, plant biotechnological applications, determination of plant toxins and pathogens, and nanobody-mediated resistance against plant pathogens. Prospects and challenges of nanobody applications in plants are also discussed.

Ultrasonication-assisted synthesis of alcohol-based deep eutectic solvents for extraction of active compounds from ginger.

An ultrasonication-assisted synthesis of alcohol-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs) is described. Several DESs were synthesized simultaneously under the same conditions. The prepared DESs were used for the extraction of gingerols from ginger powder via ultrasonication-assisted extraction. Notably, some of the prepared DESs exhibited superior extraction performance than those in traditional organic solvents. The viscosity of the DESs, which was suggested to be typically lower than 100 mPa*s had a critical effect on extraction performance. However, the higher gingerol contents in the extracts did not translate to higher active antioxidant abilities. The extraction temperature was found to be a key determinant of the antioxidant capability of the extracted gingerols while the use of higher temperatures (>50 °C) induced degradation and loss of phenolic compounds during extraction. Response surface methodology was applied for determining the optimal extraction conditions to achieve maximum antioxidant capacity with suitable gingerol content. All compounds used for the preparation of the DESs in this study have been widely employed in cosmetic and pharmaceutical fields. Therefore, the extracts in these DES solutions can be considered for direct application development without further product isolation.