Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease, characterized by progressive loss of memory which is associated with other cognitive deficits. The two protein structures in the brain i.e. ...neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques are considered to hamper the normal cognitive activity of the brain. There are various therapeutic interpolations under investigation to thwart and treat AD. Secretases inhibitors are important agents that inhibit the development of senile plaques. β-secretase (BACE) inhibitors are in lime light for the drug development of AD. BACE initiates the production of Aβ, so its inhibition provides a valid target for the AD. BACE inhibitors viz. LY2811376, LY2886721, E2609 are in different phases of clinical trials. However, chemical study of MK8931 was discontinued due to lack of chances of finding a positive clinical effect.
The review incorporates exhaustive literature reports on secretase inhibitors, γ-secretase modulators (GSMs) and α-secretase enhancers. The recent studies on the natural products as GSMs have also been included.
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•Summarizes exhaustive literature reports on secretase inhibitors, γ-secretase modulators (GSMs) and α-secretase enhancers.•Highlights recent studies on the natural products as GSMs.•Incorporates the update on β-secretase (BACE) inhibitors in clinical trials.
By the year 2050, the world’s population is predicted to have grown to around 9–10 billion people. The food demand in many countries continues to increase with population growth. Various abiotic ...stresses such as temperature, soil salinity and moisture all have an impact on plant growth and development at all levels of plant growth, including the overall plant, tissue cell, and even sub-cellular level. These abiotic stresses directly harm plants by causing protein denaturation and aggregation as well as increased fluidity of membrane lipids. In addition to direct effects, indirect damage also includes protein synthesis inhibition, protein breakdown, and membranous loss in chloroplasts and mitochondria. Abiotic stress during the reproductive stage results in flower drop, pollen sterility, pollen tube deformation, ovule abortion, and reduced yield. Plant nutrition is one of the most effective ways of reducing abiotic stress in agricultural crops. In this paper, we have discussed the effectiveness of different nutrients for alleviating abiotic stress. The roles of primary nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium), secondary nutrients (calcium, magnesium and sulphur), micronutrients (zinc, boron, iron and copper), and beneficial nutrients (cobalt, selenium and silicon) in alleviating abiotic stress in crop plants are discussed.
Karyotype data, male meiosis and pollen fertility of endangered Phlomoides superba (Royle ex Benth.) Kamelin & Makhm., a plant of much medicinal, veterinary and ornamental value was studied. This ...study is the first report of karyotype and detailed male meiosis in the species. The species exist at the diploid level with 2n=22 chromosomes. The cells were stained with acetocarmine and a standard squash technique was followed to study karyotype and male meiosis in the species. The chromosomes size shows a gradual decrease from 5.25 to 3.42 µm with karyotype formula 2n=16m+6sm. P. superba shows an abnormal meiotic course with anomalies such as early and late disjunction, chromatin stickiness, formation of laggards, chromatin bridges, etc. affecting approximately 17.78% of the total PMCs undergoing the process of reduction division. However, high pollen fertility was seen despite such abnormalities.
The structural and electrical properties of chemical-solution-deposited Bi1−xSmxFeO3 (x=0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.075, 0.1) thin films on Pt/Ti/SiOx/Si (100) substrates were investigated. Films up to 5at.% ...Sm exhibited a single perovskite phase with rhombohedral structure, whereas films with 7.5 and 10at.% Sm exhibited a distorted orthorhombic crystal structure. Atomic force microscopy of the films showed homogeneous and smooth surface. Films with 7.5at.% Sm exhibited significant reduction in leakage current in the high electric field region and improved breakdown characteristic. The polarization vs. electric field (P–E) hysteresis loops were recorded in a 100nm thick film with 3V coercive voltages. Moreover, well saturated P–E hysteresis loops with high polarization (80μC/cm2) and low coercive field (300kV/cm) were also recorded in 100nm thick films with low coercive voltage (5V). The Sm-substitution in BiFeO3 improved the fatigue endurance with no significant degradation in polarization even after 108 fatigue cycles. These results demonstrate that Sm-substituted BifeO3 films have potential for application in low voltage operational device.
► The electrical properties of Sm-substituted BiFeO3 thin films are investigated. ► Leakage current reduced and improved breakdown characteristic. ► Polarization-electric field hysteresis loops recorded with 3V coercive voltages. ► Improved fatigue endurance with no significant degradation in Pr after 108cycles. ► These films have potential for applications in low voltage operational devices.
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•Plant protein research demands knowledge of protein fractions and pre-treatments.•Transition towards physical extraction results in sustainable protein processing.•Advanced protein ...modifications need more research on toxicity.•Physical modifications dominate, improving protein solubility and functionality.•Future research to focus on detoxifying novel proteins for safe human consumption.
Plant-based proteins offer sustainable and nutritious alternatives to animal proteins with their techno-functional attributes influencing product quality and designer food development. Due to the inherent complexities of plant proteins, proper extraction and modifications are vital for their effective utilization. This review highlights the emerging sources of plant-based proteins, and the recent statistics of the techniques employed for pretreatment, extraction, and modifications. The pretreatment, extraction and modification approach to modify plant proteins have been classified, addressed, and the recent applications of such methodologies are duly indicated. Furthermore, this study furnishes novel perspectives regarding the potential impacts of emerging technologies on the intricate dynamics of plant proteins. A thorough review of 100 articles (2018–2024) shows the researchers’ keen interest in investigating novel plant proteins and how they can be used; seeds being the main source for protein extraction, followed by legumes. Use of by-products as a protein source is increasing rapidly, which is noteworthy. Protein studies still lack knowledge on protein fraction, antinutrients, and pretreatments. The use of physical methods and their combination with other techniques are increasing for effective and environmentally friendly extraction and modification of plant proteins. Several studies explore the effect of protein changes on their function and nutrition, especially with a goal of replacing ingredients with plant proteins that have improved or enhanced qualities. However, the next step is to investigate the sophisticated modification methods for deeper insights into food safety and toxicity.
Herein, the heterostructure rGO-WO3 was hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by HRTEM (high-resolution transmission electron microscopy), FESEM (field emission scanning electron microscopy), ...XRD (X-ray diffraction), FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), XPS (X-ray photoelectron microscopy), nitrogen physisorption isotherm, Raman, TGA (thermogravimetric analysis) and zeta potential techniques. The HRTEM and FESEM images of the synthesized nanostructure revealed the successful loading of WO3 nanorods on the surface of rGO nanosheets. The prepared heterostructure was utilized as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of a third-generation fluoroquinolone antibiotic, i.e., levofloxacin (LVX), from water. The adsorption equilibrium data were appropriately described by a Langmuir isotherm model. The prepared rGO-WO3 heterostructure exhibited a Langmuir adsorption capacity of 73.05 mg/g. The kinetics of LVX adsorption followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The adsorption of LVX onto the rGO-WO3 heterostructure was spontaneous and exothermic in nature. Electrostatic interactions were found to have played a significant role in the adsorption of LVX onto the rGO-WO3 heterostructure. Thus, the prepared rGO-WO3 heterostructure is a highly promising material for the removal of emerging contaminants from aqueous solution.
Cancer, characterized by uncontrolled malignant neoplasm, is a leading cause of death in both advanced and emerging countries. Although, ample drugs are accessible in the market to intervene with ...tumor progression, none are totally effective and safe. Natural anthraquinone (AQ) equivalents such as emodin, aloe-emodin, alchemix and many synthetic analogs extend their antitumor activity on different targets including telomerase, topoisomerases, kinases, matrix metalloproteinases, DNA and different phases of cell lines. Nano drug delivery strategies are advanced tools which deliver drugs into tumor cells with minimum drug leakage to normal cells. This review delineates the way AQ derivatives are binding on these targets by abolishing tumor cells to produce anticancer activity and purview of nanoformulations related to AQ analogs.
Indigenous communities across the globe, especially in rural areas, consume locally available plants known as Traditional Food Plants (TFPs) for their nutritional and health-related needs. Recent ...research shows that many TFPs are highly nutritious as they contain health beneficial metabolites, vitamins, mineral elements and other nutrients. Excessive reliance on the mainstream staple crops has its own disadvantages. Traditional food plants are nowadays considered important crops of the future and can act as supplementary foods for the burgeoning global population. They can also act as emergency foods in situations such as COVID-19 and in times of other pandemics. The current situation necessitates locally available alternative nutritious TFPs for sustainable food production. To increase the cultivation or improve the traits in TFPs, it is essential to understand the molecular basis of the genes that regulate some important traits such as nutritional components and resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses. The integrated use of modern omics and gene editing technologies provide great opportunities to better understand the genetic and molecular basis of superior nutrient content, climate-resilient traits and adaptation to local agroclimatic zones. Recently, realizing the importance and benefits of TFPs, scientists have shown interest in the prospection and sequencing of TFPs for their improvements, cultivation and mainstreaming. Integrated omics such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and ionomics are successfully used in plants and have provided a comprehensive understanding of gene-protein-metabolite networks. Combined use of omics and editing tools has led to successful editing of beneficial traits in several TFPs. This suggests that there is ample scope for improvement of TFPs for sustainable food production. In this article, we highlight the importance, scope and progress towards improvement of TFPs for valuable traits by integrated use of omics and gene editing techniques.
In recent years, evacuated tube solar water heaters (ETSWH) have become popular due to their efficiency and low maintenance based on trends in India's solar thermal market. Numerous studies have ...focused on improving system performance. In the scientific literature, there is a lack of information on the selection of appropriate fin material and the benefits associated with it. The thermal efficiency (ηt) of ETSWH is directly impacted by the choice of fin material. In this context, the goal of this study was to assess the impact of copper and aluminum using fin material as well as the inclination angle on ETSWH's ηt. The experiments are conducted for mass flow rate (mwt) varying from 2 to 5l/h. With a mwt of 2l/h, the highest outlet temperature of 55°C was recorded, while the highest ηt was found at 41.2°C with a mwt of 5l/h. At all mwt, copper fin is more efficient than aluminum fin due to their superior thermal conductivity. Among the considered inclination angles, at an inclination angle of 30°, the efficiency of ETSWH is found to be optimal. ETSWH with a copper fin attains (ηt = 58.57%), which is more significant than the case when the aluminum fin is used (ηt = 51.50%).
Herein, MoS₂-ZnO heterostructure nanorods were hydrothermally synthesized and characterized in detail using several compositional, optical, and morphological techniques. The comprehensive ...characterizations show that the synthesized MoS₂/ZnO heterostructure nanorods were composed of wurtzite hexagonal phase of ZnO and rhombohedral phase of MoS₂. The synthesized MoS₂/ZnO heterostructure nanorods were used as a potent photocatalyst for the decomposition of methylene blue (MB) dye under natural sunlight. The prepared MoS₂/ZnO heterostructure nanorods exhibited ~97% removal of MB in the reaction time of 20 min with the catalyst amount of 0.15 g/L. The kinetic study revealed that the photocatalytic removal of MB was found to be in accordance with pseudo first-order reaction kinetics with an obtained rate constant of 0.16262 min
. The tremendous photocatalytic performance of MoS₂-ZnO heterostructure nanorods could be accredited to an effective charge transportation and inhibition in the recombination of photo-excited charge carriers at an interfacial heterojunction. The contribution of active species towards the decomposition of MB using MoS₂-ZnO heterostructure nanorods was confirmed from scavenger study and terephthalic acid fluorescence technique.
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