Plant and yeast consortium for efficient remediation of dyes and effluents: a biochemical and toxicological study.

Textile effluent carries a range of dyes that may be recalcitrant and resistant to biodegradation. A unique consortium of the Fimbristylis dichotoma and Saccharomyces cerevisiae is exploited for the biodegradation of an azo dye Rubine GFL and actual textile effluent. This consortium enhances the rate of biodegradation of Rubine GFL and actual textile effluent with an excellent rate of biodegradation of 92% for Rubine GFL and 68% for actual textile effluent when compared to the individual one within 96 h. Speedy decolorization of Rubine GFL and actual textile effluent was observed due to the induction of oxido-reductive enzymes of the FD-SC consortium. Along with the significant reduction in the values of COD, BOD, ADMI, TSS, and TDS with 70, 64, 65, 41, and 52%, respectively, in experimental sets treated with FD-SC consortium. The biodegradation of Rubine GFL was confirmed with UV-Vis spectroscopy at the preliminary level, and then, metabolites formed after degradation were detected and identified by FTIR, HPLC, and GC-MS techniques. Also, decolorization of the dye was observed in the sections of the root cortex of Fimbristylis dichotoma. The toxicity of dye and metabolites formed after degradation was assessed by seed germination and bacterial count assay, where increased germination % and bacterial count from 31×107CFUs to 92 × 107 CFUs reflect the nontoxic nature of metabolites. Furthermore, the nontoxic nature of metabolites was confirmed by fish toxicity on Cirrhinus mrigala showed normal structures of fish gills and liver in the groups treated with FD-SC consortium proving the better tactic for biodegradation of dyes and textile effluent.

Thermoresponsive Pluronic based microgels for controlled release of curcumin against breast cancer cell line.

We developed here stimuli responsive curcumin loaded microgels based on Pluronic F-127. These microgels were prepared using coupling reaction between the amine modified Pluronic and EDTA. The microgel exhibited the affinity for hydrophobic drug, curcumin and showed pH as well as temperature-dependent release. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity study demonstrated dose-dependent inhibition of MDA-MB-231 cell growth with the most effective IC50 value (3.8 ±â€¯0.2 µg mL-1 after 24 h). Based on these findings, the fabricated curcumin loaded microgels offered additional advantages over conventional drug therapies for treatment of cancer.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Cytotoxicity of Novel Coumarin Peptide Alcohol Derivatives.

BACKGROUND: Coumarins are naturally occurring biologically active heterocyclic molecules endowed with a wide range of biological properties, including antibacterial, antifungal, and antitumor activities. OBJECTIVE: The present work was aimed to synthesize new coumarin-containing compounds and to investigate their cytotoxic activity. METHODS: Coumarin peptide and coumarin amino alcohols were prepared by treating epoxidecontaining coumarin derivatives with suitable aromatic amines and peptides in trifluoroethanol as a solvent at 50°C. These derivatives were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity on three different cell lines: HeLa, MDA-MB-231 and L-132. Cell viability was determined by MTT (3-(4,5- dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. RESULTS: A new protocol was developed for the synthesis of thirteen novel coumarin peptide and coumarin amino alcohol derivatives. Among the tested compounds, three derivatives showed significant activity against all the tested cell lines. Docking studies indicated favorable interactions of the disubstituted peptide coumarin derivatives with the Asp 351 and Thr 347 amino acids at the active site of the human estrogen receptor. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the synthesized compounds may be promising candidates in the research of new antitumor compounds.

In vitro toxicological evaluation of ionic liquids and development of effective bioremediation process for their removal.

The present study deals with the cyto-genotoxicological impact of ionic liquids, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide, trihexyl tetradecylphosphonium dicyanamide, 1-decyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, benzyldimethyltetradecylammonium chloride, and 1-butyl-4-methylpyridinium chloride, on animal cells and their biodegradation. The long alkyl chain containing ionic liquids were found to be more toxic whereas benzene functional group in benzyldimethyltetradecylammonium chloride enhances its toxicity. Aerobic bacterial granules, a bacterial consortium, were developed that have promising ability to break down these organic pollutants. These aerobic bacterial granules have been applied for the biodegradation of ionic liquids. The biological oxygen demand (5 days) and chemical oxygen demand parameters confirmed that the biodegradation was solely due to aerobic bacterial granules which further decreased the time period needed for regular biodegradation by biological oxygen demand (28 days). The high resolution mass spectrometry analysis further approved that the degradation of ionic liquids was mainly via removal of the methyl group. Elevated N-demethylase enzyme activity supports the ionic liquids degradation which may be occurring through demethylation mechanism. The amplicon sequencing of aerobic bacterial granules gives insight into the involvement of the bacterial community in the biodegradation process.

Click chemistry based multicomponent approach in the synthesis of spirochromenocarbazole tethered 1,2,3-triazoles as potential anticancer agents.

A series of spirochromenocarbazole tethered 1,2,3-triazoles were synthesized via click chemistry based one-pot, five component reaction between N-propargyl isatins, malononitrile, 4-hydroxycarbazole, aralkyl halides and sodium azide using cellulose supported CuI nanoparticles (Cell-CuI NPs) as the heterogeneous catalyst. Antiproliferative activity of all the synthesized compounds was investigated against panel of cancer cell lines such as MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, HeLa, PANC-1, A-549, and THP-1. Many of the synthesized compounds exhibited good anti-proliferative activity against breast (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) and cervical (HeLa) cancer cells with IC50 values less than 10 µM. In case of MCF-7 cells, among the nine compounds that showed good anti-proliferative activity, compounds 6f and 6j were found to be highly potent (IC50 = 2.13 µM and 4.80 µM, respectively). In case of MDA-MB-231, three compounds (6k, 6j and 6s) showed antiproliferative activity amongst which 6k was the most potent one (IC50 = 3.78 µM). On the other hand, in cervical cancer HeLa cells, compounds 6b, 6g, 6s and 6u showed excellent antiproliferative activity (IC50 = 4.05, 3.54, 3.83, 3.35 µM, respectively). All the compounds were found to be nontoxic to the human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). AO and EtBr staining and fluorescence microscopy studies of the active compounds (IC50 < 5 µM) suggested that these compounds induce cell death by apoptosis.

Assessment of arsenic oxidation potential of Microvirga indica S-MI1b sp. nov. in heavy metal polluted environment.

Arsenic oxidizing α-proteobacterial strain Microvirga indica S-MI1b sp. nov. was isolated from metal industry soil and has the ability to oxidize 15 mM of arsenite [As(III)] completely in 39 h. The strain S-MI1b resists to different heavy metals and it oxidizes arsenite in presence of Li, Pb, Hg, Sb(III), Cd, Cr(VI), Ni, and exhibited growth inhibitory effect in presence of Hg, Cu, and Cd at higher concentration. The morphology of Microvirga indica S-MI1b changed in presence of heavy metals however there was no accumulation of As(III) in the cells. The study showed that Microvirga indica S-MI1b can oxidize arsenite at broad pH ranges from 4.0 to 9.0 with optimum at pH 7.0. The kinetic studies of arsenite oxidation by strain S-MI1b signified that it has greater affinity towards As(III). The arsenite oxidase activity of cells grown in presence of Li and Cr(VI) supported the cell culture studies. This is first report on biotransformation of arsenite by Microvirga genus and also arsenite oxidation in presence of heavy metals.

Microvirga indica sp. nov., an arsenite-oxidizing Alphaproteobacterium, isolated from metal industry waste soil.

A novel Gram-stain-negative bacterium, strain S-MI1bT, belonging to the genus Microvirga was isolated from a metal industry waste soil sample in Pirangut village, Pune District, Maharashtra, India. Cells were non-spore-forming, small rod-shapes, motile and strictly aerobic with light-pink colonies. The strain grew in 0-7.0 % (w/v) NaCl and at 25-45 °C, with optimal growth at 40 °C. The predominant fatty acids detected were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω7c and/or C18 : 1 ω6c) and C19 : 0 cyclo ω8c. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was Q-10. The G+C content was 67.2 mol% and DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain S-MI1bTand Microvirga subterranea DSM 14364T and Microvirgaaerophila 5420S-12T were 53.9 and 54.8 %, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis, based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, indicated that strain S-MI1bT is a member of the genus Microvirga, with greatest sequence similarities of 97.7 and 97.4 % with M. subterranea DSM 14364T and M.aerophila 5420S-12T, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed that strain S-MI1bT forms a clade with the type strain of M. subterranea DSM 14364T, and was readily distinguishable from it due to various phenotypic characteristics. The combination of genotypic and phenotypic data suggests that the isolate represents a novel species of the genus Microvirga, for which the name Microvirga indica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is S-MI1bT (=NCIM-5595T=KACC 18792T=BCRC 80972T).

Evaluation of risk assessment of new industrial pollutant, ionic liquids on environmental living systems.

Ionic liquids (ILs) are much known for their promising alternative for volatile solvents in industries and gained popularity as a greener solvent, however industrial effluent discharge containing ILs are also increasing. There is a scarcity of information on the toxicity of ILs; the present study will explore different facts about their harmfulness. The toxic effects of five different ILs: [C4MIM]Br, [Hx3PC14]N(CN)2, [C10MIM]BF4, [BTDA]Cl and [C4MPY]Cl were analysed on bacteria, fungi, plant and animal cells. Both Gram positive and negative bacteria were found to be more susceptible to [C10MIM]BF4 and [BTDA]Cl than [C4MIM]Br, [Hx3PC14]N(CN)2 and [C4MPY]Cl, whereas fungi revealed quite a resistance to all ILs. All ILs were toxic towards Triticum aestivum affecting their roots and shoots, however [C10MIM]BF4 and [BTDA]Cl were more toxic amongst them. Studies on Allium cepa described their toxic behaviour at the genetic level by altering cell division and nuclear material. Furthermore, studies on human red blood cells described by % haemolysis in which [Hx3PC14]N(CN)2 and [BTDA]Cl exhibited higher toxicity at very lower concentrations. While the genotoxic effect on blood lymphocytes exerted by [Hx3PC14]N(CN)2, [C10MIM]BF4 and [BTDA]Cl confirmed their toxic effects on human cells.

Simultaneous decolorization of reactive Orange M2R dye and reduction of chromate by Lysinibacillus sp. KMK-A.

Azo dyes constitute the largest and diverse group of dyes, widely used in number of industries that are contributing toward organic and inorganic load of effluent treatment. In the present study, Lysinibacillus sp. KMK-A was able to effectively decolorize Orange M2R dye up to 2000 mg l(-1) (Vmax of 19.6 mg l(-1) h(-1) and Km of 439 mg l(-1)) and reduce Cr(VI) up to 250 mg l(-1) (Vmax of 3.6 mg l(-1) h(-1) and Km 28.3 mg l(-1)). It also has an ability of simultaneous decolorization of Orange M2R dye (200-1000 mg l(-1)) with reduction of Cr(VI) (50-200 mg l(-1)). Significant reduction in total organic carbon content, chemical and biological oxygen demand along with spectroscopic and chromatographic analysis confirmed the biotransformation of Orange M2R. Involvement of enzymes namely azoreductase and chromate reductase was observed during biotransformation. The phyto and geno toxicity studies demonstrated that metabolites of dye degradation were non-toxic. Higher tolerance with simultaneous decolorization and detoxification of azo dyes in presence of Cr(VI) makes Lysinibacillus sp. KMK-A, a potential candidate for eco-friendly remediation of metal contaminated dye effluents.