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The major drawbacks of biofuel production at the commercial level are its low yield, non-availability of feedstock, feedback inhibition, presence of inhibitory pathways in various organisms, and biofuel intolerance of organisms. The present review focuses on the implications of the CRISPR-Cas9 mediated gene editing tool to alter the genome of bacteria, algae, fungi, and higher plants for efficient biofuel production. Gene knockout and gene cassette insertions employing CRISPR-Cas9 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Kluyveromyces marxianus have resulted in enhanced production of bioethanol and 2-Phenyl ethanol in these organisms, respectively. Genomes of several bacterial strains were also modified to enhance ethanol and butanol production in them. CRISPR-Cas9 modification of microalgae has demonstrated improved total lipid content, a prerequisite for biofuel production. All over, CRISPR-Cas9 has emerged as a tool of choice for engineering the genome and metabolic pathways of organisms for producing industrial biofuel. In plant-based biofuel production, the biosynthetic pathways of lignin interfere with the satisfactory release of fermentable sugars thus hampering efficient biofuel production. CRISPR-Cas9 has shown a promising role in reducing lignin content in various plants including barley, switchgrass, and rice straw.

The incidence of obesity and over bodyweight is emerging as a major health concern. Obesity is a complex metabolic disease with multiple pathophysiological clinical conditions as comorbidities are associated with obesity such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disorders, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, some cancers, and inflammation-based clinical conditions. In obese individuals, adipocyte cells increased the expression of leptin, angiotensin, adipocytokines, plasminogen activators, and C-reactive protein. Currently, options for treatment and lifestyle behaviors interventions are limited, and keeping a healthy lifestyle is challenging. Various types of phytochemicals have been investigated for antiobesity potential. Here, we discuss pathophysiology and signaling pathways in obesity, epigenetic regulations, regulatory mechanism, functional ingredients in natural antiobesity products, and therapeutic application of phytochemicals in obesity.

The most severe clinical manifestations of the horrifying COVID-19 disease, that claimed millions of lives during the pandemic time, were Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), Coagulopathies, septic shock leading eventually to death. ARDS was a consequence of Cytokine storm. The viral SARS-COV2infection lead to avalanche of cytokines and eicosanoids causing “cytokine storm” and “eicosanoid storm.” Cytokine storm is one of the macrophage-derived inflammatory responses triggered by binding of virus particles to ACE2 receptors of alveolar macrophages, arise mainly due to over production of various pro-inflammatory mediators like cytokines, e.g., interleukin (IL)-1, IL-2, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- α, causing pulmonary edema, acute respiratory distress, and multi-organ failure. Cytokine storm was regarded as the predictor of severity of the disease and was deemed one of the causes of the high mortality rates due to the COVID-19. The basis of cytokine storm is imbalanced switching between an inflammation increasing - pro-inflammatory (M1) and an inflammation regulating-anti-inflammatory (M2) forms of alveolar macrophages which further deteriorates if opportunistic secondary bacterial infections prevail in the lungs. Lack of sufficient knowledge regarding the virus and its influence on co-morbidities, clinical treatment of the diseases included exorbitant use of antibiotics to mitigate secondary bacterial infections, which led to the unwarranted development of multidrug resistance (MDR) among the population across the globe. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) needs to be addressed from various perspectives as it may deprive future generations of the basic health immunity. Specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) are generated from the stereoselective enzymatic conversions of essential fatty acids that serve as immune resolvents in controlling acute inflammatory responses. SPMs facilitate the clearance of injured tissue and cell debris, the removal of pathogens, and augment the concentration of anti-inflammatory lipid mediators. The SPMs, e.g., lipoxins, protectins, and resolvins have been implicated in exerting inhibitory influence on with cytokine storm. Experimental evidence suggests that SPMS lower antibiotic requirement. Therefore, in this review potential roles of SPMs in enhancing macrophage polarization, triggering immunological functions, hastening inflammation resolution, subsiding cytokine storm and decreasing antibiotic requirement that can reduce AMR load are discussed.

Kojic acid (KA) is a secondary metabolite which is secreted by several aspergillus species. It is a multi-functional skeleton from which many derivatives can be synthesised and applied in various areas of biotechnology. KA grafting on synthesised magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and chitosan tri-polyphosphate (chitosan-TPP) nanoparticles was successfully done and characterised by Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy. It was observed that amino propyl triethoxy silane-coated MNPs and chitosan-TPP nanoparticles enhanced the antibacterial activity of KA against both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The organic constitution and significant antibacterial activity of KA-chitosan-TPP nanoparticles can be applicable in the field of medical biotechnology.

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The bioplastics and biodegradable plastics represent the special class of plastics which are produced by using biological processes and are biodegradable in nature. The manufacturing of bioplastic is different in comparison to biodegradable plastics. The biodegradable plastics are ecofriendly in nature and hence leave no waste. They are manufactured from the mixture of biopolymer and bioplasticizer.The biodegradable plastics suffers from certain weakness such as low water resistance, weak tensile strength etc. which can be improved using Electrospun technology. Comparatively the plastics are very toxic in nature when subjected to heat .The plasticizers such as Phthalate leaches from the plastic surface upon heating and it is a proven carcinogen. The recent studies on bioplastics focuses upon the food grade bioplastic packaging.The replacement of plastic with bioplastic in near future is strictly possible by controlling the cost of production.