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This study aimed to evaluate the anti-cancerous effect of molybdenum disulfide nanoflowers (MoS2-NFs) and berberine (BRB) in N-nitroso-N-methyl urea (NMU)-induced breast cancer in female rats. MoS2-NFs were synthesized using a one-step hydrothermal method, and their structural and morphological properties were characterized using PXRD, FESEM, XPS, BET, and Raman analysis. Computational studies further confirmed our experimental findings. Breast tumors were induced in rats by four doses of NMU (50 mg/kg) at an interval of 3 weeks. Oxidative stress markers, DNA fragmentation, mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes, hormonal profiles, and inflammatory mediators were evaluated for chemo-preventive characteristics of MoS2-NF. Results of our study showed that MoS2-NFs (3 and 10 mg/kg) and BRB (10 mg/kg) significantly decreased the weight of the mammary gland and enhanced the antioxidant effect. Similarly, reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels showed the anti-cancerous potential of MoS2 NFs at 3 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, and BRB 10 mg/kg, which was further confirmed by histopathological studies and DNA fragmentation proportion. Estrogen and progesterone levels significantly declined in combination treatment groups, whereas individual drug treatment groups also showed satisfactory results. Similarly, reduction in levels of IL-6, TNF-alpha, and kappa b in all treatment groups indicated test agent efficacy against inflammation and tumor infection. Furthermore, all mitochondrial respiratory complexes, particularly complex I and II + III, activated significantly after individual test substances treatment as compared to combinatory effect, while citrate synthase showed marked efficacy in combination treatment. In conclusion, MoS2 NFs and BRB showed attribution of anti-tumor potential towards mammary gland carcinoma. However, further studies are needed to assess its safety and efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A one-step, facile and scalable hydrothermal route was employed to synthesize molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanoflowers (NFs) for use in the photodegradation of Congo red (CR) dye. The phase purity, morphology, and structural features of the produced mesoporous MoS2-NFs were examined using PXRD, FESEM, EDX, XPS, BET, Raman and UV-visible DRS techniques. The nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms display a clear H3-type of hysteresis loop at P/Po of 0.8–1.0, which affords an insight into the mesoporous nature of the MoS2 NFs with a pore diameter of 1.5 to 40 nm. The mesoporous MoS2 NFs showed excellent CR degradation activity under solar light irradiation with a Kapp of 0.76 × 10−2 min−1. Importantly, the results showed a notable impact of reaction media on the degradation of CR suggesting that pH 7 is a favorable medium for this particular catalytic reaction. A kinetic study has illustrated that photodegradation of CR follows pseudo-first order kinetics. This work illustrates that mesoporous MoS2 NFs can be used as an efficient photocatalyst for the degradation of highly toxic and hazardous organic dyes in environmental remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), is a toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic species. We report here the semiconductor-based, photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) to trivalent chromium, Cr(III), using CdS nanorods (NRs) as the photocatalyst under visible light illumination. The CdS NRs were synthesized by a facile and scalable solvothermal method in which ethylenediamine acts as solvent and morphology controller. The CdS NRs produced were studied by PXRD, Raman, FESEM, EDX, XPS, PL, UV-visible DRS and BET techniques in order to investigate their structural, morphological and optical properties, as well as their porosity. The photoreduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) under visible light illumination was performed under a variety of conditions, i.e., varying the irradiation time, pH, substrate concentration, and the amount of photocatalyst. The maximum photoreduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) (99%) was achieved using 60 min of irradiation under acidic conditions (pH 4). The excellent photoreduction ability of the CdS NRs can be attributed to their rod-like structure together with their small particle size, large surface area, and clean surfaces. These properties enhanced separation of the photo-generated electron-hole pairs, which was confirmed by the XRD, BET, and PL measurements. In addition, the results of a kinetic study indicated that the photoreduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) follows a pseudo-first-order kinetic model. A possible mechanism for the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) is also proposed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indoor air pollutants comprise both polar and non-polar volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Indoor potted plants are well known for their innate ability to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) by detoxification of indoor air pollutants. In this study, a combination of two different plant species comprising a C3 plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) and a crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plant (Sansevieria trifasciata) was used to remove polar and non-polar VOCs and minimize CO2 emission from the chamber. Z. zamiifolia and S. trifasciata, when combined, were able to remove more than 95% of pollutants within 48 h and could do so for six consecutive pollutant's exposure cycles. The CO2 concentration was reduced from 410 down to 160 ppm inside the chamber. Our results showed that using plant growth medium rather than soil had a positive effect on decreasing CO2. We also re-affirmed the role of formaldehyde dehydrogenase in the detoxification and metabolism of formaldehyde and that exposure of plants to pollutants enhances the activity of this enzyme in the shoots of both Z. zamiifolia and S. trifasciata. Overall, a mixed plant of Z. zamiifolia and S. trifasciata was more efficient at removing mixed pollutants and reducing CO2 than individual plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indoor air pollution is of increasing concern for human health. Amongst the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found indoors, formaldehyde and toluene are two toxic compounds. Indoor plants have an innate capability to remediate indoor airborne pollutants. Zamioculcas zamiifolia is an ornamental plant local to Thailand reported to be very efficient for VOC removal. Indole acetic acid (IAA) was applied to shoots and roots of Z. zamiifolia to enhance the capability for removing a toluene and formaldehyde mixture. We found that 5 μM of exogenous IAA can enhance Z. zamiifolia efficiency about 20% and 40% for toluene and formaldehyde, respectively, after plant was exposed to initial toluene-formaldehyde mixture concentration 20 ppm (1:1) for 3 cycles (156 h). We found that 5 μM of exogenous IAA had a positive effect on the stomatal aperture opening and stomatal conductance. However, 10 μM of exogenous IAA had a negative effect on the opening of stomatal aperture, and thus initially decreased that remediating ability of Z. zamiifolia for formaldehyde and toluene. We investigated the formaldehyde dehydrogenase activity in shoots of Z. zamiifolia and found significantly enhanced FDH activity in plants supplied with exogenous IAA. We concluded that exogenous IAA in optimum amounts could enhance the mitigating ability of indoor plants for airborne air pollutants. However, our research indicated that the application of IAA to roots could have a negative effect on the remediating ability of Z. zamiifolia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of wheat grain can impact the farmer's income and also affect human health. The interaction between the planting time and genetic information indicated a significant effect. Determining correct planting time that can exploit the result of interaction between genotypes and atmosphere that enhance the production and grain quality. The main objective of this study was to choose the more suitable planting dates that maximize the wheat production and quality of wheat grain in cotton-wheat cropping system at different locations. Four wheat cultivars were planted at November 10th, 20th, December 1st, and December 10th at three different cottonwheat system growing districts, i.e., Bahawalpur, Khanewal, and Multan during both years. Late sown crop December 10th recorded maximum protein content (16.32%), starch contents (55.24%), and gluten content (34.19%) while early sown crop showed maximum moisture content (23.33%). Cultivar ASS-2011 demonstrated maximum protein content (13.47%), moisture content (10.73%), and starch content (55.09% and gluten content (33.66%). Year-II recorded the maximum protein content 11.95% moisture content 13.91%, starch content (53.89%), and gluten content 4.90% as compared 1st year in case of wheat crop. Wheat cultivar AAS-2011 showed best results regarding quality attributes in case of the late sown condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contamination of water with organic dyes is a major environmental concern as it causes serious life-threatening environmental problems. The present research was designed to evaluate the potential of three different natural inorganic clays (NICs) i.e., Pakistani bentonite clay (PB), bentonite purchased from Alfa Aesar (BT), and Turkish red mud (RM) for malachite green (MG) dye removal from an aqueous solution. Various analytical techniques, namely X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area measurement (BET), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), were used to investigate the physicochemical properties of the NICs samples. The effect of adsorption operational parameters such as contact time, aqueous phase pH, dye concentration, and amount of NICs on the adsorption behavior of MG onto NICs samples were investigated under the batch adsorption system. The equilibrium and kinetic inspection reflected the best description of MG adsorption behavior by the Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-first-order kinetic model, respectively. The results indicated that the adsorption was favorable at higher pH. The maximum adsorption capacities calculated by Langmuir isotherm for PB, BT, and RM were found to be 243.90 mg/g, 188.68 mg/g, and 172.41 mg/g, respectively. It can be concluded that natural inorganic clays with a higher surface area can be used as an effective adsorbent material to remove the MG dye from an aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]