Zinc oxide nanoparticles from Cassia auriculata flowers showed the potent antimicrobial and in vitro anticancer activity against the osteosarcoma MG-63 cells

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a foremost mesenchymal bone neoplasm and it can occur at any age with survival rate is nearly 2–8 times lesser in elders than in teenagers. The clinical therapies for cancer treatment have gradually becoming outdated because of the developments of nano-medicine and multi-targeted drug-delivery. In this work, we green synthesized the zinc oxide nanoparticles from the Cassia auriculata flower (AS-ZnONPs) extract and evaluated its antimicrobial and in vitro anticancer potential against the OS MG-63 cells. The synthesized AS-ZnONPs were confirmed and characterized by using UV–vis spectroscopy, XRD, FE-SEM, and photoluminescence techniques. The antimicrobial activity of AS-ZnONPs was studied by disc diffusion technique. The viability of AS-ZnONPs treated MG-63 cells were examined by MTT assay. The apoptotic cells in the AS-ZnONPs treated MG-63 cells were assayed by dual staining. The MMP status of AS-ZnONPs treated cells were tested by Rh-123 staining. The cell adhesion assay was performed to detect the anticancer effects of AS-ZnONPs against MG-63 cells. The results of UV–vis spectroscopy, XRD, FE-SEM, and photoluminescence techniques proved the formation of AS-ZnONPs and it has the hexagonal wurtzite structures. AS-ZnONPs displayed the potent antimicrobial activity against the tested microbial strains. The AS-ZnONPs were appreciably inhibited the cell viability of MG-63 cells. The outcomes of fluorescence staining proved that AS-ZnONPs reduced the MMP and prompted the apoptosis in MG-63 cells. In conclusion, our discoveries demonstrated that the formulated AS-ZnONPs has the potent antimicrobial and in vitro anticancer activity against the MG-63 cells. The AS-ZnONPs could be potent chemotherapeutic agent in the future to treat the OS.     

GC/MS and LC/MS Phytochemical Analysis of Vigna unguiculata L. Walp Pod

Vigna unguiculata (L. Walp) or Cowpea pod methanolic extracts phytochemical analysis, total phenolic content (TPC), and secondary metabolite profiling were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis. GC/MS analysis revealed twenty compounds in the extract, while LC/MS analysis identified twenty-four compounds. GC/MS chromatogram analysis suggested the presence of opioid α-N-Normethadol a major constituent found in methanolic extract and fatty acid esters carotenoid is found second major constituent. LC/MS chromatogram and the mass spectral analysis demonstrated the presence of flavonoids, carotenoids, and alkaloids as major phytochemicals. We investigated the antibacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-oxidant activity of pod methanolic extract. The extract was found equally effective against E. coli, S. pyogenes, and P. aeruginosa with MIC 100 μg/mL similar to the standard Ampicillin (MIC 100 μg/mL). C. albicans were found to be most susceptible to Vign unguiculata pods methanolic extract with a MIC of 250 μg/mL. The pod extract showed significant DPPH scavenging activity (IC₅₀=78.38±0.15) which suggests its antioxidant potential.     

Evaluation of transgenic tobacco plants expressing a bacterial Co-Ni transporter for acquisition of cobalt

Phytoremediation is a viable strategy for management of toxic wastes in a large area/volume with low concentrations of toxic elemental pollutants. With increased industrial use of cobalt and its alloys, it has become a major metal contaminant in soils and water bodies surrounding these industries and mining sites with adverse effects on the biota. A bacterial Co-Ni permease was cloned from Rhodopseudomonas palustris and introduced into Nicotiana tabacum to explore its potential for phytoremediation and was found to be specific for cobalt and nickel. The transgenic plants accumulated more cobalt and nickel as compared to control, whereas no significant difference in accumulation of other divalent ions was observed. The transgenic plants were evaluated for cobalt content and showed increased acquisition of cobalt (up to 5 times) as compared to control. The plants were also assessed for accumulation of nickel and found to accumulate up to 2 times more nickel than control. At the same initial concentration of cobalt and nickel, transgenic plant preferentially accumulated cobalt as compared to nickel. The present study is perhaps the first attempt to develop transgenic plants expressing heterologous Co transporter with an improved capacity to uptake cobalt.     

Computational SNP Analysis: Current Approaches and Future Prospects

The computational approaches in determining disease-associated Non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) have evolved very rapidly. Large number of deleterious and disease-associated nsSNP detection tools have been developed in last decade showing high prediction reliability. Despite of all these highly efficient tools, we still lack the accuracy level in determining the genotype–phenotype association of predicted nsSNPs. Furthermore, there are enormous questions that are yet to be computationally compiled before we might talk about the prediction accuracy. Earlier we have incorporated molecular dynamics simulation approaches to foster the accuracy level of computational nsSNP analysis roadmap, which further helped us to determine the changes in the protein phenotype associated with the computationally predicted disease-associated mutation. Here we have discussed on the present scenario of computational nsSNP characterization technique and some of the questions that are crucial for the proper understanding of pathogenicity level for any disease associated mutations.     

Gibberellic Acid Induces Unique Molecular Responses in ‘Thompson Seedless’ Grapes as Revealed by Non-targeted Metabolomics

Journal of Plant Growth Regulation - Compact clusters and small berry size are the major problems associated with the commercialization of table grapes. The application of gibberellic acid 3 (GA3)...