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Date pits (DP) are discarded as agricultural waste by-products and used in animals’ supplementation. Data on multi-nutrient milk analysis is still less published to understand the effects of supplementation. Therefore, this research was done to evaluate the effect of DP powder (DPP) cultivars as supplementation on milk yield and quality to lactating Saanen-Boer crossed bred goats for a 12-week trial and to analyse the parameters using chemometrics. The analyses include milk yield, crude protein, fat, lactose and total phenolic content (TPC). The goats (n=24) were grouped into 12 designated cubicles and goats fed with normal daily rations, served as control. Several doses of DPP supplementations were administered against the control. Milk yield was significantly (p < 0.05) affected by DPP cultivars and doses. Significant (p < 0.05) increase in milk yield was registered for goats fed with A20 (59.52%) and M30 (28.24%), respectively compared to control. However, the crude protein (2.71 – 4.33%), fat (2.69 – 5.55%), lactose (4.52 – 9.66 mM) and TPC (0.14 – 0.42 mg/g) of the milk were not affected (p > 0.05) by the cultivar and dose. 3D PCA of the significant highest milk yield (A20 and M30) compared to the control focusing on combination of milk yield, crude protein, fat and TPC was obviously clustered. Hence, milk quality analyses via a multi-nutrient chemometric approach could be a comprehensive method in determining milk as food for food security and sustainability.

Metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) are commonly incorporated in products found in households, industries, and agriculture. The presence of MNPs in the aquatic environment causes damage to living organisms and pollutes the water body rendering it harmful for human consumption. Several studies have been made on the toxicity of MNPs toward microalgae. Most of these studies reported changes in the cellular structure, growth rate, pigments, proteins, and enzymatic activity of microalgae. This review paper focuses on the toxic effects of titanium, zinc, and silver nanoparticles on microalgae in the aquatic environment. A better understanding of the behavior of MNPs in the ecosystem will allow scientists to produce environmentally safe MNPs.

Naurah Nabihah Nasir,1 Mahendran Sekar,2,3 Subban Ravi,4 Ling Shing Wong,5 Sreenivas Patro Sisinthy,6 Siew Hua Gan,2 Vetriselvan Subramaniyan,7 Kumarappan Chidambaram,8 Nur Najihah Izzati Mat Rani,6 M Yasmin Begum,9 Mohankumar Ramar,10 Sher Zaman Safi,11 Siddharthan Selvaraj,12 Senthil Kumar Chinna Maruthu,13 Shivkanya Fuloria,14 Neeraj Kumar Fuloria,14 Pei Teng Lum,1 Sinouvassane Djearamane15 1Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Royal College of Medicine Perak, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Perak, 30450, Malaysia; 2School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, 47500, Malaysia; 3Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Department of Pharmacology, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600077, India; 4Department of Chemistry, Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641021, India; 5Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, INTI International University, Nilai, 71800, Malaysia; 6Faculty of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Royal College of Medicine Perak, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Perak, 30450, Malaysia; 7Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia; 8Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha, 62529, Saudi Arabia; 9Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha, 61421, Saudi Arabia; 10Department of Surgical Research, Rhode Island Hospital, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA; 11Faculty of Medicine, Bioscience and Nursing, MAHSA University, Jenjarom, Selangor, 42610, Malaysia; 12Faculty of Dentistry, AIMST University, Bedong, Kedah, 08100, Malaysia; 13Department of Pharmacology, Karpagam College of Pharmacy, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, 641032, India; 14Faculty of Pharmacy, AIMST University, Bedong, Kedah, 08100, Malaysia; 15Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kampar, Perak, 31900, MalaysiaCorrespondence: Ling Shing Wong, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, INTI International University, Nilai, 71800, Malaysia, Tel +6014 – 3034057, Email lingshing.wong@newinti.edu.my Sinouvassane Djearamane, Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kampar, 31900, Perak, Malaysia, Tel +6016 – 4037685, Email biochsinouvas07@gmail.comAbstract: Streptonigrin is an aminoquinone alkaloid isolated from Streptomyces flocculus and is gaining attention as a drug molecule owing to its potential antitumor and antibiotic effects. It was previously used as an anticancer drug but has been discontinued because of its toxic effects. However, according to the most recent studies, the toxicity of streptonigrin and its structurally modified derivatives has been reduced while maintaining their potential pharmacological action at lower concentrations. To date, many investigations have been conducted on this molecule and its derivatives to determine the most effective molecule with low toxicity to enable new drug discovery. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive review and to discuss the prospects for streptonigrin and its derived compounds, which may boost the molecule as a highly interesting target molecule for new drug design, development and therapy. To complete this review, relevant literature was collected from several scientific databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus and ScienceDirect. Following a complete screening, the obtained information is summarized in the present review to provide a good reference and accelerate the development and utilization of streptonigrin and its derivatives as pharmaceuticals.Graphical Abstract: Keywords: streptonigrin, chemistry, biosynthesis, pharmacology, anticancer, antibacterial

Muhamad Azrul Amir Yusri,1 Mahendran Sekar,2,3 Ling Shing Wong,4 Siew Hua Gan,2 Subban Ravi,5 Vetriselvan Subramaniyan,6 Nur Najihah Izzati Mat Rani,7 Kumarappan Chidambaram,8 M Yasmin Begum,9 Mohankumar Ramar,10 Sher Zaman Safi,11 Siddharthan Selvaraj,12 Yuan Seng Wu,13 Palanisamy Revathy,14 Shivkanya Fuloria,15 Neeraj Kumar Fuloria,15 Pei Teng Lum,1 Sinouvassane Djearamane16 1Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Royal College of Medicine Perak, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia; 2School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia; 3Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Department of Pharmacology, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, India; 4Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, INTI International University, Nilai, Malaysia; 5Department of Chemistry, Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India; 6Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia; 7Faculty of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Royal College of Medicine Perak, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia; 8Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia; 9Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia; 10Department of Surgical Research, Rhode Island Hospital, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; 11Faculty of Medicine, Bioscience and Nursing, MAHSA University, Bandar Saujana Putra, Jenjarom, Selangor, Malaysia; 12Faculty of Dentistry, AIMST University, Bedong, Kedah, Malaysia; 13Department of Biological Sciences and Centre for Virus and Vaccine Research, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia; 14Department of Computer Applications, Gobi Arts & Science College, Gobichettipalayam, Tamil Nadu, India; 15Faculty of Pharmacy, AIMST University, Bedong, Kedah, Malaysia; 16Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kampar, Perak, MalaysiaCorrespondence: Ling Shing Wong, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, INTI International University, Nilai, Malaysia, Tel +6014 3034057, Email lingshing.wong@newinti.edu.my Sinouvassane Djearamane, Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kampar, Perak, Malaysia, Tel +6016 4037685, Email biochsinouvas07@gmail.comAbstract: Celastrol is a naturally occurring chemical isolated from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f., root extracts widely known for their neuroprotective properties. In this review, we focus on the efficacy of celastrol in mitigating memory impairment (MI) in both in vivo and in vitro models. Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science databases were utilised to locate pertinent literatures that explore the effects of celastrol in the brain, including its pharmacokinetics, bioavailability, behavioral effects and some of the putative mechanisms of action on memory in many MI models. To date, preclinical studies strongly suggest that celastrol is highly effective in enhancing the cognitive performance of MI animal models, particularly in the memory domain, including spatial, recognition, retention and reference memories, via reduction in oxidative stress and attenuation of neuro-inflammation, among others. This review also emphasised the challenges and potential associated enhancement of medication delivery for MI treatment. Additionally, the potential structural alterations and derivatives of celastrol in enhancing its physicochemical and drug-likeness qualities are examined. The current review demonstrated that celastrol can improve cognitive performance and mitigate MI in several preclinical investigations, highlighting its potential as a natural lead molecule for the design and development of a novel neuroprotective medication.Graphical Abstract: Keywords: celastrol, memory impairment, neuroprotection, drug discovery, natural products

Fruit peels are usually disposed of or treated as fertilizer. The peel, however, contains rich nutrients that can be used as a medium for growing microbes. Conventional culture medium is widely used for growing microbes, but the cost is very high and it is not suitable to produce cyanobacterium-based biofuel, biomass, and in other applications. Therefore, this study explores the potential for using fruit peels as a culture medium for Anabaena cylindrica. The fruit peels were dried, homogenized, and filtered to make different concentrations of fruit peel media (5%, 10% and 20%). For comparison, BG-11 medium acted as a positive control whereas deionized water serves as a negative control in this experiment. Growth of A. cylindrica in different types of media was analyzed after cell counting using a hemacytometer and biomass measuring. The cyanobacterial growth rate and biomass production were recorded in different types of fruit peel media with different concentrations. A. cylindrica have greater biomass yield when growing in 20% papaya peel medium and a higher growth rate when growing in 10% pineapple peel media compared to that growing in the BG-11 medium. In other words, the fruit peel media have more potential in growing cyanobacteria than conventional medium.

The release of pollutant such as lead (Pb) from factories, agriculture wastes, and domestic wastes into the environment has threatened the freshwater ecosystem. Therefore, there is a crucial need for a quick and efficient method for early detection of Pb in the aquatic environment. The aim of this study is to determine the changes of physicochemical parameters (pH, conductivity and dissolve oxygen) in the surrounding water body caused by Chlorella vulgaris that were exposed to Pb, as a mean of Pb bio-detection. The microalgae were exposed to different concentrations of Pb (1, 0.1 and 0.01 mg/L) and for each exposure, the physicochemical parameter changes in the surrounding water body were recorded at 0 hour (initial exposure), 1 hour, 2 hours, 6 hours and 24 hours by using the portable multiparameter meter. The results showed that the pH values of the water decreases as the concentration of metal exposure increases. On the other hand, the conductivity and dissolved oxygen showed a decreased in their values as the exposure time increases. This phenomenon could be attributed to the inhibition of the photosynthesis by the C. vulgaris as well as the ability of the algae to accumulate Pb and thus lowering the physicochemical parameters. Therefore, C. vulgaris serves as a good bioindicator for Pb pollution.

Green mussel and crab shells are natural sources of CaCO3, which is widely used as a bioceramic for biomedical applications, although they are commonly disposed of in landfills. The improper disposal of green mussel and crab shells can cause environmental pollution, reducing the quality of life in the community. Many studies have reported the preparation of CaCO3 from green mussels and crab shells. However, there are limited studies comparing the characteristics, including the crystal phase obtained, weight percentage (%) of crystal, crystal size, crystal system, and elemental composition of CaCO3 from green mussel shells, crab shells, and commercial CaCO3. The objective of this research was to compare the calcium carbonate properties formed from green mussel (PMS) and crab (PCS) shells to commercial CaCO3. Green mussel and crab shells were crushed to powder and were calcined at 900 °C for 5 h. Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (PCC) was synthesized from calcined green mussel and crab shells using a solution of 2M HNO3, NH4OH, and CO2 gas. The effect of setting parameters on the synthesized product was analyzed using XRD and SEM-EDX methods. This study shows that the chemical composition of PMS is nearly identical to that of commercial CaCO3, where no contaminants were identified. In contrast, PCS has N components other than Ca, C, and O. Furthermore, the predominance of the vaterite crystal phases in PMS and PCS, with respective weight percentages of 91.2% and 98.9%, provides a benefit for biomaterial applications. The crystallite sizes of vaterite in PMS, PCS, and calcite in commercial CaCO3 are 34 nm, 21 nm, and 15 nm, respectively.

The manufacturing of materials, in conjunction with green technology, emphasises the need to employ renewable resources to ensure long-term sustainability. Re-exploring renewable elements that can be employed as reinforcing materials in polymer composites has been a major endeavour. The research goal is to determine how well palm kernel cake filler (PKCF) performs in reinforced epoxy composites. In this study, PKCF with 100 mesh was mixed with epoxy resin (ER) in various ratios ranging from 10% to 40% by weight. Hand lay-up with an open mould is proposed as a method for fabricating the specimen test. Surface modification of PKCF with varying concentrations of NaOH (5 wt.% and 10 wt.%) will be contrasted with the untreated samples. Using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the effect of alkaline treatment will be examined. The tensile and maximum flexural strength of the untreated PKCF/ER composite were determined in this work, with a 30 wt.% of PKCF having the highest tensile strength of 31.20 MPa and the highest flexural strength of 39.70 MPa. The tensile and flexural strength were reduced to 22.90 MPa and 30.50 MPa, respectively, when the filler loading was raised to 40 wt.%. A 5 wt.% alkali treatment for 1 h improved the composites’ mechanical characteristics. Lastly, an alkali treatment can aid in the resolution of the problem of inadequate matrix and filler interaction. Alkaline treatment is a popular and effective method for reducing the hydroxyl group in fillers and, thus, improving interfacial bonding. Overall, palm kernel cake is a promising material used as a filler in polymer composites.

Improper disposal and spills of spent engine oil into the environment can result in contamination, which eventually affects humans through the food chain. Mycoremediation is an effective and inexpensive alternative to clean up spent engine oil contamination. In recent work, the potential effectiveness of fungi for degrading spent engine oil was confirmed, with the species identified through molecular identification. Fungi that were able to grow in Bushnell Haas Broth supplied with spent engine oil were identified with the potential to utilize spent engine oil as a carbon source. Six species of fungi namely Penicillium simplicissimum, Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus niger, Trichoderma longibrachiatum, Aspergillus ustus, and Aspergillus flavus were successfully identified in this study. Over a course of seven days, P. simplicissimum (21.11 percent) was identified as the most effective fungi in degrading spent engine oil, followed by A. nidulans (17.75 percent), A. niger (15.85 percent), T. longibrachiatum (15.12 percent), A. ustus (15.02 percent), and A. flavus (11.80 percent). As these species of fungi were isolated from the natural environment in Peninsular Malaysia, the potential of using these fungi as mycoremediation of spent engine oil was therefore confirmed.

According to International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), most of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) known as genotoxic human carcinogen and mutagenic. PAHs represent as poorly degradable pollutants that exist in soils, sediments, surface water and atmosphere. A simple, rapid and sensitive extraction method termed modified Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction (DLLME) using green solvent was developed to determine PAHs in vegetable samples namely radish, cabbage and cucumber prior to Gas Chromatography Flame Ionization Detection (GC–FID). The extraction method is based on replacing chlorinated organic extraction solvent in the conventional DLLME with low toxic solvent, 1-bromo-3-methylbutane without using dispersive solvent. Several experimental factors such as type and volume of extraction solvents, extraction time, confirmation of 12 PAHs by GC-MS, recovery percentages on vegetable samples and the comparative analysis with conventional DLLME were carried out. Both DLLME were successfully extracted 12 types of PAHs. In modified DLLME, the recoveries of the analytes obtained were in a range of 72.72 – 88.07 % with RSD value below 7.5 % which is comparable to the conventional DLLME. The use of microliter of low toxic extraction solvent without addition of dispersive solvent caused the method is economic and environmental friendly which is fulfill the current requirement, green chemistry based analytical method.

EnvironmentAsia, 11, 1

Whole cell biosensors always face the challenge of low stability of biological components and short storage life. This paper reports the effects of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) immobilization on a whole cell fluorescence biosensor for the detection of heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Cd), and pesticides (dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), and chlorpyrifos). The biosensor was produced by entrapping the cyanobacterium Anabaena torulosa on a cellulose membrane, followed by applying a layer of pHEMA, and attaching it to a well. The well was then fixed to an optical probe which was connected to a fluorescence spectrophotometer and an electronic reader. The optimization of the biosensor using several factors such as amount of HEMA and drying temperature were undertaken. The detection limits of biosensor without pHEMA for Cu, Cd, Pb, 2,4-D and chlorpyrifos were 1.195, 0.027, 0.0100, 0.025 and 0.025 µg/L respectively. The presence of pHEMA increased the limits of detection to 1.410, 0.250, 0.500, 0.235 and 0.117 µg/L respectively. pHEMA is known to enhance the reproducibility of the biosensor with average relative standard deviation (RSD) of ±1.76% for all the pollutants tested, 48% better than the biosensor without pHEMA (RSD = ±3.73%). In storability test with Cu 5 µg/L, the biosensor with pHEMA performed 11.5% better than the test without pHEMA on day-10 and 5.2% better on day-25. pHEMA is therefore a good candidate to be used in whole cell biosensors as it increases reproducibility and enhances biosensor storability.

Photosynthesis is one of the most prominent bioenergetics processes, where the energy from the sun is trapped and converted into carbohydrates. The process occurs in autotrophic organisms, such as plants, algae, and cyanobacteria not only producing O 2 through light reaction, but fixes CO 2 to produce carbohydrates in dark reaction [1]. Tapping on 1% of the total light energy from the sun that reaches earth, photosynthesis fuels the energy needed by living organisms on earth. First step in photosynthesis, the light from the sun is captured by chlorophyll and other photosynthetic pigments. When the light is absorbed, electrons are promoted to higher orbital, thus increases the possibility of these electrons to be transferred to other acceptors. The moving of electrons from one acceptor to another is a continuous oxidation-reduction chain reaction, which at the end, the energy received from the light is converted into chemical energy- carbohydrate. However, not all the energy captured by photosynthetic pigments is channeled into carbohydrate synthesis. A portion of the energy is converted to heat and been released into environment [2] on the other hand a small amount of energy dissipated in the form of fluorescence emission. All the channels that the photosynthetic organisms used to dissipate the energy absorbed from the sun affect each other e.g. reduce in photosynthesis might causes the increase of fluorescence emission [3]. The presence of heavy metals interferes photosynthesis pathway through several mechanisms [4-7]. Although a few heavy metals e.g. Cu and Zn are required in low concentration to maintain the normal metabolism of the photosynthetic organisms, the inhibition of photosynthesis is obvious at high concentration of heavy metals. The inhibition of photosynthesis can be indicated by reduce in oxygen production and the increase in fluorescence emission. Both of these physiological changes have been utilized by scientists as indicators of the presence of heavy metals in environment [8-12]. These biological integrated indicators are commonly being referred as biosensor. Biosensor is defined as analytical tools combining biological component, transducer, and reader together [13]. The biological components ranges from cells to biological molecules e.g. amino acids and deoxyribonucleic acids, which responses to specific target compounds, with the transducers responsible to translate the biological responses to electronic signal that can be captured and displayed through the readers. To date, several cell-based biosensors has been developed, with the interference of bioenergetics in photosynthesis has been utilized as signal-generating parameter. Nevertheless, the connection of photosynthesis to the sensing application has become one of the important stepping stones in the exploration to use other bioenergetics pathways to serve the sensing purposes.