Evaluation of antihypertensive activity and molecular docking analysis of Padina boergesenii extract.

INTRODUCTION: Antihypertensive drugs that are chemically synthesized usually tend to initiate different health complications. The quest for bioactive molecules to create novel medicines has focused on Marine resources like seaweeds. These molecules can furnish a positive probability for patients to gain benefits from these natural substances. METHODS: This study aims to identify phytoconstituents present in brown seaweed-Padina boergesenii. Five different solvents were used to prepare extracts and their antioxidant activity as well as antihypertensive activity was evaluated. Phytoconstituents were identified using LC-MS/MS, and subjected to molecular interaction against ACE enzyme. RESULTS: The 70% ethanolic extract exhibited the highest total phenolic content (TPC), significant radical scavenging activity and concentration dependent Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibition activity. LC-MS/MS analysis confirmed the presence of bioactive compounds from which 7,8 dihydroxycoumarin had the highest affinity against ACE enzyme in molecular docking study. CONCLUSION: These findings advocate that Padina boergesenii can be a potential source for developing novel antihypertensive therapeutic drug(s) and could pave the way for evolving effective and safe remedies from natural resources.

Bioelectrochemical behaviour of a sequentially added biocatalytic coculture in a microbial fuel cell.

Bacterial isolates Pseudomonas aeruginosa BR, Alcaligenes faecalis SW and Escherichia coli EC from a microbial fuel cell (MFC) were cocultured with each other. The isolates were added in a specific sequence one after the other (two cultures in one reactor). The study helped us conceptualise the synergistic and antagonistic behaviour of bacterial isolates and also emphasised the sequence in which a culture can be introduced in an anode chamber. The coculture conditions were evaluated on the basis of redox activity, electron transfer rate, columbic efficiency, and internal resistances. A good syntropy in terms of power production was found between P. aeruginosa BR and E. coli EC that recorded a power generation of 207.593 ± 1.705 µW/m2 . The addition of any culture in any sequence affected the performance of P. aeruginosa BR. This culture when added as a secondary culture in the reactor enhanced the performance of that reactor. The sequence of addition of a culture in a reactor affected the performance in the combinations of (a) P. aeruginosa BR and A. faecalis SW and (b) A. faecalis SW and E. coli EC.

Synergistic growth of Bacillus and Pseudomonas and its degradation potential on pretreated polypropylene.

This study investigated biodegradation of physically pretreated polypropylene (PP) by using two different combinations of microorganisms, namely, Bacillus flexus + Pseudomonas azotoformans(B1) and B. flexus + B. subtilis(B2), for a period of 12 months. The growth rate of (B1) was found to be high throughout the study period, and reached a maximum of 1 × 10(14) colony-forming units (CFU)/mL. At the end of the experiment, the polymers become hydrophilic. Carbonyl indices showed that ultraviolet (UV)-treated polymers started degrading faster than the thermally treated PP. The thermogravimetric analysis also revealed that UV-treated PP exposed to the B. flexus + P. azotoformans combination for 1 year exhibited maximum degradation (22.7%). The gravimetric weight loss method showed 1.95% weight loss followed by 1.45% with B. flexus + B. subtilis. The changes in the carbonyl indices of the polymer through Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis also support the degradation.

Nyctanthes arbor-tristis alkaloids activates p53 independent cell death receptor and necroptosis pathways in HepG2 cells.

Nyctanthes arbor-tristis is a traditional medicinal plant with potential anti-cancer properties. In this study, crude and alkaloid extracts were prepared from different parts of the plant, and their cytotoxicity was evaluated on four different cancer cell lines. The alkaloid extracts from the leaf and fruit showed promising results, with the HepG2 cell line exhibiting significant cytotoxicity. The promising extracts were further studied for their apoptotic potential using various methods, including DNA fragmentation, TUNEL, Caspase-3 activity, Giemsa, and Hoechst staining. Our results indicated that the fruit extract had the highest apoptotic potential, with clear nuclear condensation, fragmentation, and apoptotic bodies observed. We also investigated the alteration of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio both at the mRNA and protein levels. Our results showed a significant upregulation of the Bax gene and downregulation of the Bcl-2 gene for the fruit alkaloid extract. This indicates that the phenomenon of cell death expression might be following a p53-independent extrinsic pathway and Bax-activated caspase-independent AIF-mediated necroptosis in the HepG2 cancer cell line. Overall, our findings suggest that Nyctanthes arbor-tristis has potential as a therapeutic option for cancer treatment. The alkaloid extracts from the leaf and fruit may hold promise as a source of bioactive compounds for further development into anti-cancer agents. Further studies are needed to explore the underlying mechanisms of their cytotoxic and apoptotic effects and to evaluate their safety and efficacy in animal models and clinical trials.

Biological modification in air-cathode microbial fuel cell: Effect on oxygen diffusion, current generation and wastewater degradation.

Oxygen diffusion in the anodic chamber is the major limitation of air-cathode microbial fuel cell (MFC) design. To address this drawback, the application of microbial (Escherichia coli EC) patch on cathode was tested. Pseudomonas aeruginosa BR was used as exoelectrogen during the study. The MFC reactor with a patch had a better electron transfer rate, degraded 94.64% of synthetic wastewater (BRSyW) and its current generation was increased by 95.66%. The maximum power density recorded for BRSyW was 259.34 ± 7.28 mW/m2. Application of patch in real wastewater (BR + Sludge) condition registered 63.18% of wastewater degradation, increment in current generation (59.71%) and decreased the charge transfer and ohmic resistances by 97.95% and 97.01% respectively. Apart from hindering oxygen diffusion and better current generation, this simple design also worked as a two-step degradation system. Thus, such MFC reactor is a potential candidate for wastewater management and green energy generation.

Physico-chemical and biological treatment strategies for converting municipal wastewater and its residue to resources.

An increase in urbanization and industrialization has not only contributed to an improvement in the lifestyle of people, but it has also contributed to a surge in the generation of wastewater. To date, conventional physico-chemical and biological treatment methods are widely used for the treatment of wastewater. However, the efficient operation of these systems require substantial operation and maintenance costs, and the application of novel technologies for the treatment and disposal of sludge/residues. This review paper focuses on the application of different treatment options such as chemical, catalyst-based, thermochemical and biological processes for wastewater or sludge treatment and membrane-based technologies (i.e. pressure-driven and non-pressure driven) for the separation of the recovered products from wastewater and its residues. As evident from the literature, a wide variety of treatment and resource recovery options are possible, both from wastewater and its residues; however, the lack of planning and selecting the most appropriate design (treatment train) to scale up from pilot to the field scale has limited its practical application. The economic feasibility of the selected technologies was critically analyzed and the future research prospects of resource recovery from wastewater have been outlined in this review.