Microbial polysaccharides produced by marine species play a key role in food and cosmetic industry, as they are nontoxic and biodegradable polymers. This investigation reports the isolation of exopolysaccharide from Bacillus licheniformis Dahb1 and its biomedical applications. Bacillus licheniformis Dahb1 exopolysaccharide (Bl-EPS) was extracted using the ethanol precipitation method and structurally characterized. FTIR and H-NMR pointed out the presence of various functional groups and primary aromatic compounds, respectively. Bl-EPS exhibited strong antioxidant potential confirmed via DPPH radical, reducing power and superoxide anion scavenging assays. Microscopic analysis revealed that the antibiofilm activity of Bl-EPS (75 μg/ml) was higher against Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus vulgaris) bacteria over Gram-positive species (Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus pumilus). Bl-EPS led to biofilm inhibition against Candida albicans when tested at 75 μg/ml. The hemolytic assay showed low cytotoxicity of Bl-EPS at 5 mg/ml. Besides, Bl-EPS achieved LC values < 80 μg/ml against larvae of mosquito vectors Anopheles stephensi and Aedes aegypti. Overall, our findings pointed out the multipurpose bioactivity of Bl-EPS, which deserves further consideration for pharmaceutical, environmental and entomological applications.
Photocatalysis provides excellent potentials for the complete removal of organic pollutants in environmentally friendly ways and sustainable means of technology. It has been noted that under UV-visible light irradiation, nanostructured semiconductor metal oxides photocatalysts can degrade different organic pollutants. Taking into consideration of the photocatalytic activity, the present study deals with the synthesis of cuprous oxide (Cu 2 O) nanoparticles (NPs) by the sonochemical method and characterized for their physicochemical, optical, and photocatalytic properties. The powdered X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed for the cubic phase crystalline structure while the Field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM) supported for the icosahedron morphology. The bandgap of the synthesized Cu 2 O NPs was found to be 2.26 eV, which is the suitable bandgap energy so as to achieve the enhanced photocatalytic degradation efficiency. On testing for the degradation of Malachite green (MG) as a model pollutant, the synthesized Cu 2 O NPs demonstrated a high degradation efficiency under visible light irradiation. The observed results suggest that the synthesized Cu 2 O NPs are attractive photocatalysts for the degradation of toxic organic wastes in the water under visible light. Further investigation confirmed for the photocatalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) into 4-aminophenol (4-AP) under aqueous conditions with visible light.
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