No abstract

The effect of L-carnitine on serum lipids was studied in rats with experimentally-induced atherosclerosis. L-Carnitine at a dose of 300 mg/kg body weight was given intraperitoneally for 7 days after the induction of atherosclerosis. Carnitine caused a significant reduction in the levels of serum cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids, and free fatty acids and elicited a significant increase in HDL cholesterol. The significant reduction observed in the LDL/HDL ratio is prominent from the therapeutic point of view in the treatment against hypercholesterolemia in experimental atherosclerosis.

In the current study, biodiesel properties of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) derived from fats of four gamma-irradiated mutants (Cl801, Cl802 Cl803 & Cl804) and wild type (ClWT) of Chlorella sp. KM504965 were determined and compared with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), European Norm (EN) and Indian standards (IS). Maximum concentration of saturated fatty acids (62.69%), monounsaturated fatty acids (36.29%) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (15.49%) recorded in ClWT, Cl801 and Cl803 respectively. The kinematic viscosity of Cl801 (4.88 mm2s -1), Cl802 (4.90 mm2s -1), Cl803 (4.73 mm2s -1), Cl804 (4.88 mm2s -1) and ClWT (4.92 mm2s -1) fits with ASTM, EN and IS. The density of Cl801 (0.83 gcm-3), Cl802 (0.84 gcm-3), Cl803 (0.78 gcm-3), Cl804 (0.80 gcm-3) and ClWT (0.81 gcm-3) was slightly lower than the standard limits (0.86 – 0.90 gcm-3). The high heating value of Cl801 (37.62 MJKg-1), Cl802 (38.15 MJKg-1), Cl803 (34.93 MJKg-1), Cl804 (36.44 MJKg-1) and ClWT (36.99 MJKg-1) were in accordance with ASTM standards. The iodine value was 47.38 mgI2 100g-1 (Cl801), 52.18 mgI2 100g-1 Volume xxx | Issue xxxx | 2 (Cl802), 50.87 mgI2100g-1 (Cl803), 47.04 mgI2100g-1 (Cl804), and 27.45 mgI2100g -1 (ClWT). The oxidative stability was 10.78 h (Cl801), 6.60 h (Cl802), 6.44 h (Cl803), 9.06 h (Cl804) and 39.83 h (ClWT). The cetane number of Cl801 (63.3), Cl802 (61.80), Cl803 (62.16), Cl804 (64.99) and ClWT (68.7) was greater than the standard values (61 to 65). It is concluded that the biodiesel from mutants could comply IS, ASTM, and EN and equivalent with biodiesel from vegetable oil.

No abstract

Halophytic plants can tolerate a high level of salinity through several morphological and physiological adaptations along with the presence of salt tolerant rhizo-microbiome. These microbes release phytohormones which aid in alleviating salinity stress and improve nutrient availability. The isolation and identification of such halophilic PGPRs can be useful in developing bio-inoculants for improving the salt tolerance and productivity of non-halophytic plants under saline conditions. In this study, salt-tolerant bacteria with multiple plant growth promoting characteristics were isolated from the rhizosphere of a predominant halophyte, Sesuvium portulacastrum grown in the coastal and paper mill effluent irrigated soils. Among the isolates, nine halotolerant rhizobacterial strains that were able to grow profusely at a salinity level of 5% NaCl were screened. These isolates were found to have multiple plant growth promoting (PGP) traits, especially 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase activity (0.32–1.18  μM of α-ketobutyrate released mg−1 of protein h−1) and indole acetic acid (9.4–22.8  μg mL−1). The halotolerant PGPR inoculation had the potential to improve salt tolerance in Vigna mungo L. which was reflected in significantly (p < 0.05) higher germination percentage (89%) compared to un-inoculated seeds (65%) under 2% NaCl. Similarly, shoot length (8.9–14.6 cm) and vigor index (792–1785) were also higher in inoculated seeds. The strains compatible with each other were used for the preparation of two bioformulations and these microbial consortia were tested for their efficacy in salt stress alleviation of Vigna mungo L. under pot study. The inoculation improved the photosynthetic rate (12%), chlorophyll content (22%), shoot length (5.7%) and grain yield (33%) in Vigna mungo L. The enzymatic activity of catalase and superoxide dismutase were found to be lower (7.0 and 1.5%, respectively) in inoculated plants. These results revealed that halotolerant PGPR isolated from S. portulacastrum can be a cost-effective and ecologically sustainable method to improve crop productivity under high saline conditions.