Nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit distinct features compared to traditional physico-chemical synthesis and they have many applications in a wide range of fields of life sciences such as surface coating agents, catalysts, food packaging, corrosion protection, environmental remediation, electronics, biomedical and antimicrobial. Green-synthesized metal NPs, mainly from plant sources, have gained a lot of attention due to their intrinsic characteristics like eco-friendliness, rapidity and cost-effectiveness. In this study, zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs have been synthesized employing an aqueous leaf extract of Pelargonium odoratissimum (L.) as a reducing agent; subsequently, the biosynthesized ZnO NPs were characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). Moreover, aqueous plant leaf extract was subjected to both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Antioxidant activity of ZnO NPs was assessed by DPPH assay, with varying concentrations of ZnO NPs, which revealed scavenging activity with IC50 = 28.11 μg mL−1. Furthermore, the anti-bacterial efficacy of the green synthesized ZnO NPs against four foodborne pathogenic bacterial strains was examined using the disk diffusion assay, and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 8095), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC10662) and Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) were found to be the most sensitive against biosynthesized ZnO NPs, whereas the least sensitivity was shown by Bacillus cereus (ATCC 13753). The anti-inflammatory effect was also evaluated for both ZnO NPs and the aqueous leaf extract of P. odoratissimum through the human red blood cells (HRBC) membrane stabilization method (MSM) in vitro models which includes hypotonicity-induced hemolysis. A maximum membrane stabilization of ZnO NPs was found to be 95.6% at a dose of 1000 μg mL−1 compared with the standard indomethacin. The results demonstrated that leaf extract of P. odoratissimum is suitable for synthesizing ZnO NPs, with antioxidant, antibacterial as well as superior anti-inflammatory activity by improving the membrane stability of lysosome cells, which have physiological properties similar to erythrocyte membrane cells and have no hemolytic activity. Overall, this study provides biosynthesized ZnO NPs that can be used as a safe alternative to synthetic substances as well as a potential candidate for antioxidants, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory uses in the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries.
In salt-affected soils, more than one approach should be adopted for minimizing the salinity impacts and enhancing the land productivity. The most effective practices in crop management under saline soil are choosing the plant type and variety and exploiting the best nutrient tactics. Under two soil salinity levels (3.54 and 9.28 dS m−1), representing low and high salinity, respectively), two sugar beet cultivars (Romulus and Francesca) were fertilized with three potassium (K) rates (48, 96, and 144 kg K ha−1), in addition to the check treatment (0 kg K ha−1). During two seasons of 2018/2019 and 2019/2020, treatments were distributed in a split-split plot design based on a randomized complete block arrangement with three replicates. Several physio-biochemical and agronomic traits, as well as leaf mineral contents and juice quality, were assessed. Briefly, findings illustrated that K at a rate of 144 kg ha−1 enhanced cell membrane stability, relative water content, and performance index by 1.17, 1.01, and 2.73 times, respectively, in high salinity soil, compared to low salinity × no K addition. Under high salinity, the addition of 48 and 144 kg K ha−1 recorded the highest values of total phenolic content and total antioxidant activity, respectively. In high salinity soil, K supplying (144 kg ha−1) caused the maximum improvements in gross and white sugar content with a decrease of 42.0% in sodium content and an increase of 35.9% in root yield ha−1. Romulus cultivar fertilized with 144 kg K ha−1 had the maximum relative water content, Fv/Fm, and performance index. Francesca cultivar with 144 kg K ha−1 was the potent combination for increasing total soluble sugars, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and total antioxidant activity. Romulus cultivar fertilized with 144 kg K ha−1 was the best practice for improving all agronomic traits of sugar beet. It could be concluded that a high potassium rate, i.e., 144 kg K ha−1, reduced the injury ionic impacts of saline soils along with improving the genetic makeup of sugar beet cultivars, expressed in sugar yield and quality. However, all other attempts for reclamation of the saline soil should be adopted for increasing the potentiality of K fertilizer and enhancing gene expressions of different sugar beet varieties.
Phytochemicals are gaining interest as a new source of natural pharmaceuticals to replace synthetic ones, which are controlled owing to potential health hazards and toxicity. A comparison of extract yield, phenolic, flavonoid content and antioxidant activity in various extraction methods were studied. Extraction with different solvent polarity including chloroform (CF), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), acetone (AC), methanol (MeOH), and distilled water (DW) was prepared using maceration extraction (ME), one of the traditional methods and two methods of recent extraction techniques also known as "Green Extraction" techniques, ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction (UASE) and microwave-assisted solvent extraction (MASE). The antioxidant activity of the extracts was measured using the DPPH method of the antioxidant assay. Higher phenolic (194.3±1.5 and 191.7±0.4, respectively) were found in the methanolic leaf extracts in the case of MASE and UASE than maceration extraction (ME). Meanwhile, DW extract showed the highest flavonoids (174.3±1.0 and 167.4±1.0, respectively) contents by using UASE and MASE followed by methanolic extract (140.1±0.6 and 136.6±1.1, respectively) compared with the conventional extraction technique. The extraction techniques, as well as the solvent polarity and time of extraction, influenced extract yield, total phenolic and flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity.
Rosa gallica var. aegyptiaca is a species of flowering plant belonging to the Rosaceae family that plays an important role as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of specific types of cancer, microbial infections, and diabetes mellitus. This work presents the first report on the evaluation of the antioxidant and antimicrobial potential along with the phytochemical analysis of Rosa gallica var. aegyptiaca leaves. Five leaf extracts of hexane, chloroform, methanol, hydromethanol 80%, and water were prepared. Assessment of antioxidant activity was carried out via DPPH radical scavenging assay. Antimicrobial activity against five foodborne pathogenic bacteria—including Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella enteritidis—and the fungus Candida albicans, was examined using the disc diffusion method. Total phenolic content and total flavonoid content were determined using the Folin–Ciocalteu reagent and aluminum chloride methods, respectively. Isolation, identification, and quantification of phenolic compounds were performed using HPLC-DAD analysis. Amongst the five leaf extracts that were investigated, hydromethanol 80% extract possessed the highest extraction yield, antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and antimicrobial activity against all tested microbial strains. Moreover, this extract furnished six active phenolic compounds: gallic acid (1), (+) catechin (2), chlorogenic acid (3), (–) epicatechin (4), quercetin-3-O-α-d-(glucopyranoside) (5), and quercetin (6). This study provides an alternative utilization of R. gallica var. aegyptiaca leaves as a readily accessible source of natural antioxidants and antimicrobials in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
One of the major challenges facing modern biochemical and biomedical technologies are finding molecular tools for diagnosis and detection of genetic diseases. In this connection, several classes of oligonucleotides have been developed that can recognize and bind to DNA and RNA with high affinity and sequence selectivity and withstand enzymatic degradation by proteases and nucleases; however, few can traverse the cell membrane on their own. One such promising class of nucleic acid mimics developed in the last two decades which showed good results in vitro, are the peptide nucleic acids (PNAs). New chiral α- and γ-peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA) submonomer with methyl substituents in pseudopeptide backbone were synthesized via Mitsunobu reaction. The α-(R)-/γ-(S)-configuration of the chiral centres will ensure the preorganization of the PNA oligomer into a right-handed helix. The results obtained showed that Boc/Fmoc-submonomer compatible with Boc-protocol PNAs solid-phase synthesis on an MBHA resin. We synthesized simple and efficient α-R-, γ-S-disubstituted PNA submonomer based on L-Ala and D-Ala with the construction of the intermediate pseudopeptide moiety by Mitsunobu reaction for subsequent use in the Boc-Protocol of solid phase PNA synthesis.
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