Evaluation of oxidative stress, biochemical parameters and in silico markers in different pea accessions in response to drought stress.

KEY MESSAGE: ARG6 and ARG10 pea accessions exhibited better tolerance to drought by keeping drought-associated attributes stable and higher, that is, stable chlorophyll content, high antioxidant activity, and the presence of polymorphic bands with stress-responsive EST-SSR markers. Each year, a significant portion of crops is lost due to various abiotic stresses, and even pea (Pisum sativum) crop growth and yield are severely affected by the challenges posed by drought stress. Drought is a critical factor that limits crop growth and development, and its impact is exacerbated by changes in the magnitude of climatic conditions. Drought induces oxidative stress in plants, leading to the accumulation of high concentrations of reactive oxygen species that damage cell structures and vital functioning of cells. The primary objective was to identify stress-tolerant plants by evaluating different morphological and biochemical attributes, such as biomass, chlorophyll content, relative water content, ascorbate peroxidase (APX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and DPPH scavenging activity, as well as protein, proline, and phenolic content. Our study revealed that pea accessions (ARG6 and ARG10) were more resilient to drought stress as their chlorophyll, relative water, protein, and proline contents increased under drought conditions. Antioxidant enzymes, such as SOD, APX, and DPPH activities, also increased under drought stress in ARG10 and ARG6, suggesting that these accessions could bolster the antioxidant defense system in response to drought stress. Based on putative (cellular, biological, and metabolic) functions, ten EST-SSR primers were selected for the amplification study. Three EST-SSR primers, AUMP06_110, AUMP18_300, and AUMP31_250, were used for ARG6 and ARG10. Based on the correlation between the presence or absence of specific EST-SSR alleles, various physiological and morphological traits, and DPPH scavenging activity, both ARG10 and ARG6 demonstrated resistance to drought stress.

Therapy resistance in prostate cancer: mechanism, signaling and reversal strategies.

Prostate cancer (PC) depicts a major health challenge all over the globe due to its complexities in the treatment and diverse clinical trajectories. Even in the advances in the modern treatment strategies, the spectrum of resistance to the therapies continues to be a significant challenge. This review comprehensively examines the underlying mechanisms of the therapy resistance occurred in PC, focusing on both the tumor microenvironment and the signaling pathways implicated in the resistance. Tumor microenvironment comprises of stromal and epithelial cells, which influences tumor growth, response to therapy and progression. Mechanisms such as microenvironmental epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), anoikis suppression and stimulation of angiogenesis results in therapy resistance. Moreover, dysregulation of signaling pathways including androgen receptor (AR), mammalian target of rapamycin/phosphoinositide 3 kinase/AKT (mTOR/PI3K/AKT), DNA damage repair and Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathways drive therapy resistance by promoting tumor survival and proliferation. Understanding these molecular pathways is important for developing targeted therapeutic interventions which overcomes resistance. In conclusion, a complete grasp of mechanisms and pathways underlying medication resistance in PC is important for the development of individualized treatment plans and enhancements of clinical outcomes. By studying and understanding the complex mechanisms of signaling pathways and microenvironmental factors contributing to therapy resistance, this study focuses and aims to guide the development of innovative therapeutic approaches to effectively overcome the PC progression and improve the survival rate of patients.

Lead toxicity in plants: mechanistic insights into toxicity, physiological responses of plants and mitigation strategies.

Soil toxicity is a major environmental issue that leads to numerous harmful effects on plants and human beings. Every year a huge amount of Pb is dumped into the environment either from natural sources or anthropogenically. Being a heavy metal it is highly toxic and non-biodegradable but remains in the environment for a long time. It is considered a neurotoxic and exerts harmful effects on living beings. In the present review article, investigators have emphasized the side effects of Pb on the plants. Further, the authors have focused on the various sources of Pb in the environment. Investigators have emphasized the various responses including molecular, biochemical, and morphological of plants to the toxic levels of Pb. Further emphasis was given to the effect of elevated levels of Pb on the microbial population in the rhizospheres. Further, emphasized the various remediation strategies for the Pb removal from the soil and water sources.

Selective synergistic effects of oxalic acid and salicylic acid in enhancing amino acid levels and alleviating lead stress in Zea mays L.

Lead is one of the major environmental pollutants which is highly toxic to plants and living beings. The current investigation thoroughly evaluated the synergistic effects of oxalic acid (OA) and salicylic acid (SA) on Zea mays L. plants subjected to varying durations (15, 30, 30, and 45 days) of lead (Pb) stress. Besides, the effects of oxalic acid (OA) combined with salicylic acid (SA) for different amino acids at various periods of Pb stress were also investigated on Zea mays L. The soil was treated with lead nitrate Pb (NO3)2 (0.5 mM) to induce Pb stress while the stressed plants were further treated using oxalic acid (25 mg/L), salicylic acid (25 mg/L), and their combination OA + SA (25 mg/L each). Measurements of protein content, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, guaiacol peroxidase (GPOX) activity, catalase (CAT) activity, GSH content, and Pb concentration in maize leaves were done during this study. MDA levels increased by 71% under Pb stress, while protein content decreased by 56%, GSH content by 35%, and CAT activity by 46%. After treatment with SA, OA, and OA+SA, there was a significant reversal of these damages, with the OA+SA combination showing the highest improvement. Specifically, OA+SA treatment led to a 45% increase in protein content and a 39% reduction in MDA levels compared to Pb treatment alone. Moreover, amino acid concentrations increased by 68% under the Pb+OA+SA treatment, reflecting the most significant recovery (p < 0.0001).

Deployment of in-silico analysis to reveal the antibacterial profiles of Allium sativum against Aeromonas hydrophila.

The key challenges in aquaculture are the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in fish cultivation due to the frequent use of antibiotics. Over the past three decades, this led to a major threat in the persistence of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Aeromonas hydrophila is a Gram-negative bacterium, a common causative agent of motile bacterial septicemia in fisheries. Combining these two key factors of the presented narrative, the essential type II topoisomerase enzyme 'DNA gyrase' (encoded by the gyrA and gyrB genes) as a potential drug target in Aeromonas hydrophila was taken, retrieve its sequence from UniProtKB (Id-A0KKQ2), constructs the 3-D structure using SWISS-MODEL (in absence of the experimental structure), and performs an in-silico screening of selected drug-like compounds (25 antibacterial phytochemicals) most of which are bioactive compounds of A. sativum through molecular docking. Quercetin a derivative of A. sativum was observed as a more potent drug molecule than other studied molecules based on ligand binding energy as docking score -7.812, showed highly encouraging results, supported by a study using structural dynamics of the receptor-ligand complex for a duration of 100 ns by Molecular Dynamic Simulations and confirm binding stability with MM-GBSA calculations. This study also provides theoretical grounds for drug discovery against other pathogenic bacteria posing threats to the ecosystem. Switching to herbal products is the best way to combat the plurality of problems to avoid seen or unseen post-treatment side effects.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Hippophae rhamnoides L. (sea buckthorn) mediated green synthesis of copper nanoparticles and their application in anticancer activity.

Green synthesis of nanoparticles has drawn huge attention in the last decade due to their eco-friendly, biocompatible nature. Phyto-assisted synthesis of metallic nanoparticles is widespread in the field of nanomedicine, especially for antimicrobial and anticancer activity. Here in the present research work, investigators have used the stem extract of the Himalayan plant Hippophae rhamnoides L, for the synthesis of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs). The synthesized of CuNPs were analyzed by using sophisticated instruments, i.e., Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The size of the synthesized CuNPs was varying from 38 nm to 94 nm which were mainly spherical in shape. Further, the potential of the synthesized CuNPs was evaluated as an anticancer agent on the Hela cell lines, by performing an MTT assay. In the MTT assay, a concentration-dependent activity of CuNPs demonstrated the lower cell viability at 100 µg/mL and IC50 value at 48 µg/mL of HeLa cancer cell lines. In addition to this, apoptosis activity was evaluated by reactive oxygen species (ROS), DAPI (4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) staining, Annexin V, and Propidium iodide (PI) staining, wherein the maximum ROS production was at a dose of 100 µg per mL of CuNPs with a higher intensity of green fluorescence. In both DAPI and PI staining, maximum nuclear condensation was observed with 100 µg/mL of CuNPs against HeLa cell lines.

Synergistic Effect of Graphene Oxide Coated Nanotised Apigenin with Paclitaxel (GO-NA/PTX): A ROS Dependent Mitochondrial Mediated Apoptosis in Ovarian Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is most lethal among all gynecologic malignancies. Paclitaxel (PTX) is well used chemotherapeutic regimen for cancer control; however its undesired toxicity has been a matter of concern for clinicians. Here, we used the graphene oxide coated nanotised apigenin (GO-NA) to enhance the efficacy of paclitaxel. OBJECTIVE: The combined use of paclitaxel (PTX) and nanotised apigenin (NA) may reduce the PTX dose and increase the efficacy. METHODS: GO and GO-Apigenin was prepared by modified Hummers method and the nanoparticles were characterized by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. SKOV-3 cells were treated by DMSO, Group I (Control)-McCoy's 5A Medium, Group II-Paclitaxel (5nM), Group III- Nanotised Apigenin (GO-NA-10µM), Group IV- Paclitaxel (5nM) + GO-NA (10µM). Cell viability and IC-50 value were determined by MTT assay, synergism by Compusyn software, ROS by DCFH-DA assay, SOD activity by kit and MMP were examined by JC-1 and mitotracker/DAPI staining, cell cycle by flow cytometry, mRNA and protein level by Real Time-PCR and Western blot respectively Results: Results showed that GO-NA-PTX enhanced the anti-proliferative effect in synergistic manner as compare to GO-NA and PTX alone. GO-NA-PTX significantly suppressed the SOD activity, promotes the ROS accumulation, mitochondrial depolarization, DNA integrity and cell cycle arrest collectively accord the apoptosis. Results of immunocytochemistry, RT-PCR and western blot showed up-regulation of caspase-3, Bax, and down-regulation of Bcl-2. CONCLUSION: The combination of PTX with GO-NA produces synergistic effects in SKOV-3 cells via the modulation of pro and anti-apoptotic gene and may reduce side effects of PTX.

Viscoelastic properties of dynamically asymmetric binary fluids under shear flow.

We study theoretically the viscoelastic properties of sheared binary fluids that have strong dynamical asymmetry between the two components. The dynamical asymmetry arises due to asymmetry between the viscoelastic stresses, particularly the bulk stress. Our calculations are based on the two-fluid model that incorporates the asymmetric stress distribution. We simulate the phase separation process under an externally imposed shear and compare the asymmetric case with the usual phase separation under shear flow without viscoelastic effects. We also simulate the behavior of phase-separated stable morphologies under applied shear and compute the stress relaxation.

Comparative anticancer potential of clove (Syzygium aromaticum)--an Indian spice--against cancer cell lines of various anatomical origin.

Spices, active ingredients of Indian cooking, may play important roles in prevention and treatment of various cancers. The objective of the present study is to compare the in vitro anticancer activities of three different extracts of Clove (Syzygium aromaticum L), a commonly used spice and food flavouring agent, against different kinds of cancer cell lines of various anatomical derivations. Water, ethanol and oil extracts were screened for anti proliferative activity against HeLa (cervical cancer), MCF-7 (ER + ve) and MDA-MB-231 (ER - ve) breast cancer, DU-145 prostate cancer and TE-13 esophageal cancer cell lines, along with normal human peripheral blood lymphocytes. Inhibition of cell proliferation was assessed using MTT assay as a vital stain. In the examined five cancer cell lines, the extracts showed different patterns of cell growth inhibition activity, with the oil extract having maximal cytotoxic activity. Morphological analysis and DAPI staining showed cytotoxicity to be a result of cell disruption with subsequent membrane rupture. Maximum cell death and apoptotic cell demise occurred in TE-13 cells within 24 hours by clove oil at 300 µl/ml with 80% cell death whereas DU-145 cells showed minimal cell death. At the same time, no significant cytotoxicity was found in human PBMC's at the same dose.

Cytotoxic potential of Indian spices (extracts) against esophageal squamous carcinoma cells.

Diet is one of the important factors in cancer etiology and prevention. The Indian diet is particularly interesting in its many unique dietary constituents, including spices like chili pepper, cloves, black pepper and black cumin, that have promise as chemopreventive agents. The objective of the present study was to compare the in vitro anticancer activities of aqueous and ethanolic extracts against the TE-13 (esophageal squamous cell carcinoma) cell line. All extracts showed cytotoxic activity but aqueous extracts were found to be more potent than alcoholic extracts. Morphological analysis, DAPI staining and DNA fragmentation assays showed maximum cell death and apoptotic cell demise (88%) to occur within 24 hours with an aqueous extract of chili pepper at 300 µl/ml.