These findings suggested that ginger supplementation suppresses obesity induced by a high fat diet and it might be a promising adjuvant therapy for the treatment of obesity and its complications.

Low dimensional semiconductor quantum dots (<10 nm) have received great attention for potential use in biomedical applications (diagnosis and therapy) for which larger nanoparticles (>10 nm) are not suitable. Here, we demonstrate a green, biogenic synthesis route for making CdS quantum dots (QDs) with 2-5 nm particle size using tea leaf extract (Camellia sinensis) as a toxic-free particle stabilizing agent. We have explored the biological activity of these CdS QDs in different applications, namely; a) antibacterial activity b) bioimaging and c) apoptosis of lung cancer cells. The antibacterial activity of the CdS QDs has been studied against different types of bacteria growth, showing that CdS QDs effectively inhibit the bacterial growth and exhibit cytotoxicity towards A549 cancer cells when compared to a control (no QD treatment). We have compared this cytotoxicity effect on A549 cancer cells with a standard drug, cisplatin, showing comparable results. Additionally, these CdS QDs produce high contrast fluorescence images of A549 cancer cells indicating a strong interaction with the cancer cell. To further understand the role of CdS QDs in bioimaging and cytotoxicity effect in A549 cells, fluorescence emission and flow cytometry analysis were carried out. The fluorescence emission of CdS QDs were recorded with λexc= 410 nm, showing concentration dependence fluorescence emission centered at 670 nm. From the flow cytometry analysis, it is confirmed that the CdS QDs are arresting the A549 cell growth at the S phase of cell cycle, inhibiting further growth of lung cancer cell. The multifunctional advantages of Camellia sinensis extract mediated green CdS QDs will be of widespread interest in implementing in-vivo based bioimaging and therapeutic cancer treatment applications.

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From the results it can be concluded that the leaves extracts of S. xanthocarpum can be a potential candidate in treating the hyperglycemic conditions and suits to be an agent to reduce oxidative stress.

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The synthesis of metal nanoparticles is an emerging area of advanced research and technology with potential application in plant protection. In the current study, with an eco-friendly approach, a convenient method was adopted, where copper nanoparticles are biosynthesised extracellularly by using Streptomyces griseus. Further, the existence of nanoparticles was confirmed by UVÀvisible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy characterisation. We assessed the field effectiveness of copper nanoparticles through soil application in P. hypolateritia infested tea plants. In response to seven different treatments, carbendazim exhibited superior control followed by nanocopper at 2.5 ppm dosage. However, maximum leaf yield was observed in plants treated with nanocopper. In addition, nanocopper-treated plants showed improved soil macronutrients considerably when compared to bulk copper and carbendazim treated plants. In addition, there was trivial variation in population dynamics of microbes noted in plants treated with nanocopper. These encouraging results confirmed that nanocopper could act as an efficient novel fungicide which may be used for the management of red root-rot disease in tea plantations.

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