Lactic acid is the meekest hydroxyl carboxylic acid (2-hydroxy propionic acid) which is a colorless, odorless, hygroscopic, organic compound with no toxic effect, a very inevitable and versatile ...chemical used in the Food, cosmetics, textile, and pharmaceutical industries for very long years. Lactic acid was produced as non-racemic when specific microbial strains were used; therefore, microbial fermentation gained more attention. Albeit the substratum used for the microbial fermentation price is much exorbitant. Wherefore, identifying the best and cheap substrates is a bottleneck for the scientific community. Sugarcane molasses is the best source of components for microbial growth and cheap raw material for Lactic acid fermentation. This study produced sustainable lactic acid from sugarcane molasses by the Bacillus amyloliquefaciens J2V2AA strain with a higher production of 178 gm/L/24 h. The produced lactic acid was characterized and analyzed by UV-Visible Spectrum, FTIR Spectrum, TLC, and HPLC.
Human utilization of natural resources acts as a main driver in altering the ecosystem service and functions. Apart from indirect influence, these human activities also tempt for the behavioral shift ...in insects especially in honey bees. The foraging behavior of honey bees from the natural floral resources to the man-made food sources eventually degrade the ecosystem’s services and cause declining of the honey bee population. Understanding this foraging behavior of bees could help in opting for viable conservation measures for honey bees. In order to understand the influence of human utilization of natural resources on the foraging behavior of bees and its negative impacts on the bee population, the study was carried out in the sites where humans collect palm sap. Palm sap collectors used different containers (mud pots and pet bottles) to collect the palm sap from
Borassus flabellifer.
The number of containers per tree, volume of palm sap per container/tree, bee visiting frequency, and bee mortality per container/tree were measured at different ecosystems. Palm saps were collected freshly and volatile compounds of samples were identified using FT-IR and GC-MS analysis. The identified volatile compounds were used to study the interaction between volatile compounds and odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) of honey bees for understanding the foraging behavior of bees using in silico approach. Our results clearly showed that bee visitation frequency was directly correlated (0.94) with bee mortality in palm sap in different study sites. The average number of bee mortality was recorded as 491.2 ± 23.48 bees per container/tree/day. GC-MS analyses revealed the presence of 35 volatile compounds in collected palm sap from different study sites. Furthermore, molecular docking studies were performed for all 35 palm volatile compounds OBPs of honey bees to analyze their binding affinities. Docking studies showed that 1-methylbutylmandelate and 6-(hydroxymethyl)-1,4,4-trimethylbicyclo 3.1.0 hexan-2-ol have high binding affinity with OBP residues of bees. These volatile compounds might act as an attractant for bee populations for their foraging behavior. Based on this study, we conclude that human utilization of palm sap has created new ecological niches which highly alters the foraging behavior of bees and results in declining bee populations.
Elaeocarpus venustus
is an endemic as well as endangered tree species habitated in the wet evergreen forests of Southern Western Ghats (SWG), India. Due to insufficient natural regeneration, low ...seedling tendency, and prevailing anthropogenic disturbances, their distribution has been shrinking in their native environment. Towards conserving this endangered species, we have attempted to propagate
E.
venustus in its habitat by adopting vegetative propagation techniques of cutting and air layering through growth hormones. Significant growth has been observed by providing 2 mM concentration of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) for both cutting and air layering. Higher rooting response has been observed through cutting and air layering techniques during monsoon periods. Based on the results of the study, we suggest that the cutting and air layering techniques can be employed as promising strategies towards the in situ conservation and promotion of
Elaeocarpus venustus
tree species as well as other endangered species in Western Ghats.
Graphical abstract
A cobalt(III) complex, Co(L)Cl (complex 1, where L = 1,8-N,N-bis{(3-formyl-2-hydroxy-5-methyl)benzyl}-1,4,8,11-tetraaza-5,5,7,12,12,14-hexamethylcyclotetradecane) with distorted octahedral ...geometry has been synthesized and characterized using various spectroscopic techniques. The structure of the ligand has remarkably rich hydrogen intermolecular interactions such as H···H, H···C/C···H, and H···O/O···H that vary with the presence of the metal ion, and the structure of complex 1 has Cl···H interactions; this result has been proved by Hirshfeld surface and two-dimensional (2D) fingerprint maps analyses. The complex exhibits a quasi-reversible Co(III)/Co(II) redox couple with E 1/2 = −0.76 V. Calf thymus DNA (CT DNA) binding abilities of the ligand and complex 1 were confirmed by spectroscopic and electrochemical analyses. According to absorption studies, the ligand and complex 1 bind to CT DNA via intercalative binding mode, with intrinsic binding strengths of 1.41 × 103 and 8.64 × 103 M–1, respectively. A gel electrophoresis assay shows that complex 1 promotes the pUC19 DNA cleavage under dark and light irradiation conditions. Complex 1 has superior antimicrobial activity than the ligand. The cytotoxicity of complex 1 was tested against MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells with values of IC50 of 1.369 μg mL–1 in the dark and 0.9034 μg mL–1 after light irradiation. Besides, cell morphological studies confirmed the morphological changes with AO/EB dual staining, reactive oxygen species (ROS) staining, mitochondria staining, and Hoechst staining on MDA-MB-231 cancer cells by fluorescence microscopy. Complex 1 was found to be a potent antiproliferative agent against MDA-MB-231 cells, and it can induce mitochondrial-mediated and caspase-dependent apoptosis with activation of downregulated caspases. The biotoxicity assay of complex 1 on the development of Artemia nauplii was evaluated at an IC50 value of 200 μg mL–1 and with excellent biocompatibility.
SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) spreads and develops quickly worldwide as a new global crisis which has left deep socio-economic damage and massive human mortality. This virus accounts for the ongoing outbreak ...and forces an urgent need to improve antiviral therapeutics and targeted diagnosing tools. Researchers have been working to find a new drug to combat the virus since the outbreak started in late 2019, but there are currently no successful drugs to control the SARS-CoV-2, which makes the situation riskier. Very recently, new variant of SARS-CoV-2 is identified in many countries which make the situation very critical. No successful treatment has yet been shown although enormous international commitment to combat this pandemic and the start of different clinical trials. Nanomedicine has outstanding potential to solve several specific health issues, like viruses, which are regarded a significant medical issue. In this review, we presented an up-to-date drug design strategy against SARS-CoV-2, including the development of novel drugs and repurposed product potentials were useful, and successful drugs discovery is a constant requirement. The use of nanomaterials in treatment against SARS-CoV-2 and their use as carriers for the transport of the most frequently used antiviral therapeutics are discussed systematically here. We also addressed the possibilities of practical applications of nanoparticles to give the status of COVID-19 antiviral systems.
Fossil fuel energy depletion and removal of environmental wastes are big problem in many countries. Some of the wastes contain a considerable amount of protein and carbon compounds; little ...concentration is given to utilizing or recycling these wastes in a technological way for production of renewable energy. Feathers are generated in large amounts as waste at commercial poultry processing plant, reaching millions of tons per year worldwide. Feathers are rich in keratin protein. In this work, keratin was degraded and the degraded effluent was evaluated for biohydrogen production by anaerobic (dark fermentation) process. The keratin degrading microorganisms were isolated from the soil sample where the feather wastes were disposed using minimal media with prepared keratin powder. The isolates were named as KHAD1, KHAD2 and KHAD3. The isolates were identified as Serratia marcescens KHAD1 (MH422128), Bacillus subtilis KHAD2 (MH422129) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa KHAD3 (MH422009) based on their 16S rRNA sequencing. The isolates were screened for biodegradability of keratin protein and higher biodegrading potential microorganism such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa KHAD3. The optimization studies for biohydrogen production using isolates in keratin degraded effluent at various pH (1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 & 11). The maximum biohydrogen production was obtained at pH 11 (210 ml/L) by Pseudomonas aeruginosa KHAD3. Keywords: Biohydrogen, Keratin biodegradation, poultry waste, chicken feather, Dark fermentation.
Fossil fuels are going out of stock as a result of population and industrial growth, and the uptake of fossil fuels has also affected the atmosphere, causing pollution and other defects. Over the ...past few years, researchers focused on fuels from renewable sources that are unharmful to humans and the Earth’s atmosphere. Constructing lucrative and highly competent electrocatalysts is still a challenging task in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity. In this study, we have synthesized Fe2O3 with N- and S-doped reduced graphene oxide (rGO) via the co-precipitation technique subsequent to the annealing procedure. The formation of rhombohedral phase Fe2O3 spherical nanoparticles on N- and S-doped rGO has been examined. The introduction of N- and S-doped rGO has not only reduced the agglomeration of the particles and particle size but also facilitated the electronic structure. As a result, the Fe2O3/N- and S-doped rGO nanocomposite requires only 250 mV to attain 10 mA/cm2 and the Tafel slope value of 115 mV/dec in an alkaline medium. With the benefit of the presence of N- and S-doped graphene sheets, charge-transfer resistance of Fe2O3/N and S rGO was lower in 24.9 Ω and also exhibited a large electrochemical surface area of 110 cm2. Therefore, our findings suggest that iron oxide decorated in a carbon matrix could efficiently enhance the OER activity to accomplish alkaline water splitting.
Microalgae being consumed for a very long time by various people due to their high nutritional value. Several microalgae used in the commercial applications are either in the form of pastes (or dry ...algae powders depending up on their applications) or as extracts. Predominantly algae pastes are used as protein supplement in animal nutrition and aquaculture industry to feed larval fishes, shrimps, bivalves etc. But, the dry form which includes powders and flakes has various applications extending from food, nutraceutical to feed industry. Aquaculture feed such as Nannochloropsis and Tetraselmis are utilized in the form of freeze-dried cubes or as pastes. Spirulina and Chlorella are being used for a very long time and it has abundant proteins, β-carotene, chlorophyll, antioxidants, minerals and other essential nutrients which are also processed into tablets. Similarly, Haematococcus and Dunaliella powder are used to extract bioactive components for pharmaceutical usage and cosmetic industry. Text mining tools were applied on microalgae articles published between 2006 and 2016 to review the usage of microalgal pastes and powders being used in food science area. This article is aimed to understand the lacunae of research and commercialized technologies in between microalgal paste and powder.
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