No abstract

The development of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) inhibitors is considered to have therapeutic potential in diabetic complications inhibiting the loss of the biomolecular function. In the present study, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) were synthesized from aqueous leaf extract of Morus indica and were characterized by various techniques such as ultraviolet (UV)-Vis spectroscopy, Powder X-Ray Diffraction (PXRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Further, the inhibition of AGEs formation after exposure to ZnO-NPs was investigated by in-vitro, in-vivo, and molecular docking studies. Biochemical and histopathological changes after exposure to ZnO-NPs were also studied in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. ZnO-NPs showed an absorption peak at 359 nm with a purity of 92.62% and ~6–12 nm in size, which is characteristic of nanoparticles. The images of SEM showed agglomeration of smaller ZnO-NPs and EDS authenticating that the synthesized nanoparticles were without impurities. The biosynthesized ZnO-NPs showed significant inhibition in the formation of AGEs. The particles were effective against methylglyoxal (MGO) mediated glycation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) by inhibiting the formation of AGEs, which was dose-dependent. Further, the presence of MGO resulted in complete damage of biconcave red blood corpuscles (RBCs) to an irregular shape, whereas the morphological changes were prevented when they were treated with ZnO-NPs leading to the prevention of complications caused due to glycation. The administration of ZnO-NPs (100 mg Kg−1) in streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetic rats reversed hyperglycemia and significantly improved hepatic enzymes level and renal functionality, also the histopathological studies revealed restoration of kidney and liver damage nearer to normal conditions. Molecular docking of BSA with ZnO-NPs confirms that masking of lysine and arginine residues is one of the possible mechanisms responsible for the potent antiglycation activity of ZnO-NPs. The findings strongly suggest scope for exploring the therapeutic potential of diabetes-related complications.

The efficacy of cyazofamid was tested against pearl millet downy mildew disease caused by Sclerospora graminicola Schroet. Significant inhibition of sporangial sporulation, zoospore release and motility was observed at 0.3 mg mL(-1), and this concentration also provided good fungicidal activity under in vitro conditions. Under glasshouse conditions, none of the concentrations tested, either 0.01-2 mg mL(-1) as seed treatment or 1-10 mg mL(-1) by foliar application, was found to be phytotoxic. The effect of cyazofamid was tested by seed treatment alone, seed treatment followed by foliar application and foliar application alone. Seed treatment with cyazofamid offered only 19.7% disease control, but seed treatment followed by a single foliar application to diseased plants provided good control over disease, seed treatment with two foliar applications was significantly superior and foliar application alone showed a high level of activity, with 10 mg mL(-1) giving 97.9% disease control. Lack of systemic activity of cyazofamid was evident, root treatment giving disease levels on a par with the untreated control. The fungicide exhibited strong curative activity, but only moderate translaminar activity, with only marginal (34.8%) disease control after treatment of the adaxial leaf surface at 10 mg mL(-1). Loss of cyazofamid activity over time was very low, indicating stable residual and rainfastness activity. These results indicate that cyazofamid has a high potential to be an effective fungicide for the control of downy mildew disease of pearl millet.

A total of twenty two rhizospheric fungi were isolated from different rhizosphere soil of healthy crop plants of Mysore, Karnataka, India and tested for their efficacy to solubilize phosphates in PKV medium. Among the isolates, Penicillium sp. RFUOM 14 solubilized phosphates by producing clear halo zone around the colony. Further, Penicillium sp. RFUOM 14 inducers were treated for different crop plants and observed that the treatments enhanced seed germination and seedling vigor. Among the treatments, conidial suspension treated for 6 h showed maximum of 85.75 %, 80 % and 83 % of seed germination and seedling vigor 985.25, 523 and 673.5 in pearl millet, brinjal and tomato, respectively.

Boerhaavia diffusa L. is widely used for its ethno-medicinal properties. The present study assessed the antibacterial activity of endophytic fungi harbored in this plant. The endophytic fungi isolated belonged to various genera like Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Colletotrichum, Curvularia, Fusarium, Pestalotiopsis and Zygorhynchus and the overall colonization frequency of endophytic fungi was found to be 24%. Among the isolated fungi Aspergillus fumigatus, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, Fusarium sp. and Zygorhynchus sp. showed antibacterial activity in preliminary screening against one or all the test bacteria. Further, after fermentation, the ethyl acetate extracts of the selected endophytic fungi displayed variable antibacterial activity with maximum 54.75 mm and a minimum 27.50 mm zone of inhibition against test bacteria in disc diffusion assay. The lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 0.156 mg ml -1 in the broth dilution assay against a B. subtilis, S. typhi and Staph. aureus, while it was 0.312 mg ml -1 against E. coli which was offered by the ethyl acetate extracts of A. fumigatus.