Search

Pesticides are considered predominant organic pollutants because they are widespread in many ecosystems. Pesticide residues can degrade chemically, physically, and biochemically in nature, but, because of their high stability and, in some cases, water solubility, they continue to persist in the environment. Pesticides have been eliminated from contaminated waters using a variety of methods that fall under the categories of biological, chemical, physical, and physicochemical remediation processes from various types of matrices, including water and soil. Due to their excellent qualities as adsorbents and pesticide transporters, the use of natural soil components such as clays, iron oxides, or humic acid has recently attracted growing interest. Clays have several advantages over other adsorbents, including large specific surface areas due to their small particle size, low cost, and widespread availability. Clay minerals have a great capacity for adsorption due to Coulombic forces and, attributable to their large surface area, van der Waals forces. This review describes historical, current, and emerging techniques and materials to remove the pesticides diuron, carbaryl, and alachlor using clays as adsorbents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The microRNAs (miRs) secreted by the trophectoderm (TE) cells have recently been implicated in the conceptus‐endometrial cross talk during implantation and placentation. These miRs modulate various cellular processes during conception and throughout the pregnancy by regulating the gene expression in the foetal and maternal tissues. Objectives: This study was undertaken to elucidate the function of TE secreted miRNAs in the maternal‐foetal cross‐talk during implantation/placentation in buffalo. Methods: The in vitro produced blastocysts were cultured on a cumulus feeder layer for 21 days. The relative expression profiles of a selected panel of miRs was generated using the spent media collected on Days 0, 7, 12, 16, and 21. A custom‐designed mirVana™ miRNA mimic was used to transfect the endometrial epithelial cells (EECs) in order to determine the role of miRNA exhibiting highest expression on Days 21 and 21. Results: The expression of miR‐1246 (p < 0.001) and let‐7b (p < 0.01) was found to be significantly higher on Day 21 of TE culture in comparison to the control (Day 0). This elevated expression indicated the involvement of these miRs in the maternal‐foetal cross‐talk. Interestingly, after the transfection of EECs with miRNA mimic for miR‐1246 (a novel molecule vis‐à‐vis implantation), the expression of beta‐catenin and mucin1 in these cells was found to be significantly (p < 0.05) downregulated vis‐à‐vis the control, that is, the IFN‐τ primed EECs (before transfection). Conclusions: The TE secreted miR‐1246 appeared to lower the expression of the endometrial receptivity genes (mucin1 and beta‐catenin) which apparently assists the endometrium in preparing for placentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ethnomedicinal practices of Marma indigenous community of Bangladesh is considered rich. This study aimed to compile their medicinal plant usage to get fresh insights into newer ethnobotanical uses. Ethnomedicinal information was collected through open‐ended/semi structured techniques following field interview, plant interview and market survey from key informants. Documented data was further analyzed using different quantitative indices. The Jaccard index was also calculated to show the degree of similarity with previous studies conducted in Bangladesh and abroad. A total of 196 plants from 75 families belonging to 164 genera were documented in the survey. Gastrointestinal disorders epitomized the foremost complaints sort with the use of 72 plant species, followed by pain and inflammation (63 species). Leaves (42.8%) were the principal source of medication while trees were the major plant type used in the ethnobotanical practice. The original application of ethnomedicinal plants within our study was compared with 44 previous ethnomedicinal research studies and the Jaccard index (JI) ranged from 0.78 to 46.78. The highest similarity within the country was recorded with studies from the Bandarban district while the lowest was from the northern region. Similarly, the highest similarity with reports from neighboring countries was with Chanduali district of UP, India and the lowest with FATA, Pakistan. Importantly, our literature study exhibited that this study recorded 23 species with new ethnomedicinal uses. The Marma community still depends on plants to treat different complaints/diseases. This compilation may provide a future resource for further phytochemical and pharmacological studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of N‐substituted amines is one of the key transformations in synthetic chemistry and chemical industry, because amines are ubiquitous in the syntheses of agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, flavorings, fragrances, and advanced materials. In order to realize the clean and economic synthesis of N‐substituted amines, several aspects should be concerned. 1) The application of alkyl halides as alkylation reagents should be replaced by alcohol and alkane; 2) the employment of amines as nitrogen sources can be replaced by nitrobenzene, nitrile and ammonia; 3) the application of environmentally benign and low‐cost starting materials, such as CO2, HCHO, biomass resources, for the nitrogen‐containing chemicals synthesis should be established; and 4) economic, green and efficient catalyst should be developed for the above transformations. In this account, we describe our results in the clean and economic synthesis of N‐substituted amines with amine, ammonia, nitrobenzene or nitrile as nitrogen sources and alcohol, alkane or CO2, HCHO, CO, and biomass resources as alkylation or carbonylation reagents. What is the most favorite and original chemistry developed in your research group? Efficient and economic heterogeneous catalyst for catalytic amination. How do you get into this specific field? Could you please share some experiences with our readers? I got my introduction to fine chemical synthesis with heterogeneous catalyst during the post‐graduate and post‐doctor periods. Till now, the clean and economic synthesis of some fine chemicals still remains a big problem in China. Therefore, our group has been concentrating on catalyst design and preparation for amination since 11 years ago. Typically, we want to explore some novel catalyst systems to bridge the heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis. What is the most important personality for scientific research? I think the originality and creativity are very important for the scientific research. What are your hobbies? What's your favorite book(s)? Reading and walking. I like to read history books. How do you keep balance between research and family? Although it is difficult, I try to keep a balance between research and family. Who influences you mostly in your life? My Ph.D. supervisor, Prof. Youquan Deng, and postdoctoral collaborating advisor, Prof. Matthias Beller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies demonstrated the wide pharmacological properties of extracts and essential oils (EOs) prepared from Euphorbia species. In the present study, the chemical composition and biological activities of EOs from three different Euphorbia species were evaluated using in vitro methods. A total of 29, 33 and 42 constituents were identified in the EOs of E hirta, E convolvuloides and E heterophylla, respectively. The EOs exhibited in vitro radical scavenging potential in the ABTS assay (2.89‐21.50 mg/g). Additionally, an inhibitory effect on acetylcholinesterase (4.23‐5.12 mg/g) was detected. Besides, remarkable tyrosinase inhibition was reported by the EOs (95.24‐113.74 mg/g). Molecular docking was also performed to elucidate the binding interactions between selected EO components and enzymes. Phytol and geranyl‐(E)‐acetone had a good binding with tyrosinase in the molecular docking. This study highlighted the promising pharmacological profiles of these EOs as natural sources of antioxidants as well as cholinesterase and tyrosinase inhibitors that could be further explored in the management of human ailments in food and pharmaceutical industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, electrochemically reduced graphene oxide‐carbon nanotube (multi‐walled) nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode (ErGO‐CNT/GCE) has been investigated for direct electrochemical determination of nitrofurantoin (NFT), which is the prime drug used in the treatment of urinary tract infection. Surface of ErGO‐CNT/GCE has shown leafy flake‐like layers on the nanowire bed of CNTs, promising porous surface structure with enhanced surface area. ErGO‐CNT/GCE showed high peak current along with low overpotential in sensing NFT. In differential pulse voltammetry studies, the low detection limit is 20 nM. Steady state current ‐ time analyses carried out in buffer and serum samples resulted a low‐detection‐limit of 1.87 nM with the analysis time of mere 5 s. Practical application of the fabricated sensor for NFT determination in serum samples has been demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new isopimarane diterpenes, 1α-hydroxy-14α-methoxyisopimara-8(9),15-diene (7) and 1α,14α-dihydroxyisopimara-8(9),15-diene (9) and eight known isopimarane diterpenes including (-)-sandaracopimaradiene (1), 6β-acetoxysandaracopimaradiene-9α-ol (2), sandaracopimaradiene-7β,9α-diol (3), sandaracopimaradiene-1α,9α-diol (4), 6β-acetoxysandaracopimaradiene-9α-ol-1-one (5), 6β-acetoxysandaracopimaradiene-1α,9α-diol (6), 6β,14α-dihydroxyisopimara-8(9),15-diene (8), and 6β,14β-dihydroxyisopimara-8(9),15-diene (10) were isolated from hexane fraction of Kaempferia galanga ethanol extract. Compounds 5, 6, 8, and 9 exerted the good anti-inflammatory effect on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated nitric oxide production from RAW264.7 cells with IC50 of 11.2, 7.7, 14.3, and 12.1 μM, respectively. These four compounds inhibited nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA expression. Compounds 5 and 6 also suppressed cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) mRNA expression; in addition, compound 6 had mild inhibitory effect on TNF-α mRNA. Among these compounds, 5 dramatically inhibited iNOS and COX-2 mRNA expression. The influential structures were proposed to be oxygen substitute at C-1, C-6, and α-OH at C-14. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, the simultaneous quantification, dissipation, risk assessment, half‐life period and method validation of carbendazim and triazophos by high‐performance liquid chromatography has been described. The developed method was validated as per the sante guidelines 2017. All calibration curves showed a good linear relationship (r > 0.99) within test range. Precision was assessed by intra‐ and inter‐day tests with relative standard deviations less than 5%. Recovery was observed within acceptable limit. The residue level of carbendazim and triazophos residues were observed upto the third day and reached below the detection limit on green pea on the fifth day after treatment with carbendazim and triazophos formulation at recommended dosages. Based on the findings, waiting period of 5 days is recommended for consumption of green pea. The presented study would be helpful for safe usage of carbendazim and triazophos on green pea and to prevent any health risk to consumers. The developed method is simple, easy, sensitive and repeatable with a short run time, and can be extended for residues based standardisation of pesticide formulations containing green pea and its use in pesticide industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Plants and fungi are seemingly inexhaustible sources of interesting natural products with remarkable structural and biological diversity. One of the most important groups is the terpenes, ubiquitous natural products that are generated by 2 now well‐established biosynthetic pathways: the older mevalonate and the more recently discovered 1‐deoxyxylulose‐5‐phosphate. Among the diterpenes, the pimarane diterpenes are a very representative subgroup with several and interesting biological activities resulting from different functional group modifications. In this review, we outline the method of their structure determination, mainly spectroscopic results, their absolute configuration, and structure‐activity relationships, were reported, as well as the mode of action for selected examples from plants, marine organisms, and fungi. The pimarane, isopimarane, and ent‐pimarane diterpenes covered in this review have a wide range of biological activities including antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, phytotoxic, phytoalexin, cytotoxicity, and antispasmodic and relaxant effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methylated flavonoids are an important type of natural flavonoid derivative with potentially multiple health benefits; among other things, they have improved bioavailability compared with flavonoid precursors. Flavonoids have been documented to have broad bioactivities, such as anticancer, immunomodulation, and antioxidant activities, that can be elevated, to a certain extent, by methylation. Understanding the structure, bioactivity, and bioavailability of methylated flavonoids, therefore, is an interesting topic with broad potential applications. Though methylated flavonoids are widely present in plants, their levels are usually low. Because developing efficient techniques to produce these chemicals would likely be beneficial, we provide an overview of their chemical and biological synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are reported to be present everywhere. Poor and developing areas in the world have received great attention to NTDs. Drug resistance, safety profile, and various challenges stimulate the search for alternative medications. Plant-based drugs are viewed with great interest, as they are believed to be devoid of side effects. Diterpenes, a family of essential oils, have showed attractive biological effects. A systematic review of the literature was carried out to summarize available evidences of diterpenes against NTDs. For this, databases were searched using specific search terms. Among the 2338 collected reports, a total of 181 articles were included in this review. Of them, 148 dealt with investigations using single organisms, and 33 used multiple organisms. No mechanisms of action were reported in the case of 164 reports. A total of 93.92% were related to nonclinical studies, and 4.42% and 1.66% dealt with preclinical and clinical studies, respectively. The review displays that many diterpenes are effective upon Chagas disease, chikungunya, echinococcosis, dengue, leishmaniasis, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, malaria, schistosomiasis, and tuberculosis. Indeed, diterpenes are amazing drug candidates against NTDs. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The effect of Calotropis gigantea latex (CGLX) on human mammary carcinoma cells is not well established. We present the results of this drug activity at total population and single cell level. CGLX inhibited the growth of MCF7 cancer cells at lower IC50 concentration (17 µL/mL). Microscopy of IC50 drug treated cells at 24 hr confirming the appearance of morphological characteristics of apoptotic and necrotic cells, associated with 70% of DNA damage. FACS analysis confirmed that, 10 and 20% of the disruption of cellular mitochondrial nature by at 24 and 48 h, respectively. Microscopic image analysis of total population level proved that MMP changes were statistically significant with P values. The cell to cell variation was confirmed by functional heterogeneity analysis which proves that CGLX was able to induce the apoptosis without the contribution of mitochondria. We conclude that CGLX inhibits cell proliferation, survival, and heterogeneity of pathways in human mammary carcinoma cells. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 30: 724-734, 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endosulfan is a widely used pesticide despite its extreme toxicity to a variety of taxa and its worldwide ban. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the acute and chronic toxicity of endosulfan on the embryonic-larval development of the common South American toad Rhinella arenarum. The results showed that lethal and sublethal effects increased with concentration and exposure time. The sensitivity to endosulfan increased during the larval period, the complete operculum stage (S.25) being the most sensitive (504-h median lethal concentration [LC50] = 0.01 mg endosulfan/L; 10% lethal concentration [LC10] = 0.004 mg endosulfan/L). Endosulfan exposure caused morphological abnormalities such as general underdevelopment, edema, gill malformations, and cellular dissociation as well as neurotoxicity. Our results also showed that larvae exposed to concentrations of 0.005 mg endosulfan/L and 0.01 mg endosulfan/L completed metamorphosis earlier than controls, but with underdevelopment. The 240-h teratogenic index was 6.13, implying a high risk for embryos to be malformed in the absence of significant embryonic lethality. Because the hazard quotients for chronic exposure were over 1, the level of concern value and toxicity endpoints obtained in the present study for R. arenarum occurred at concentrations lower than the levels of endosulfan reported in the environment, this pesticide should be considered a potential risk for this species. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:875-881. © 2013 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RATIONALE For the qualification and quantification of antioxidants (aromatic amines and sterically hindered phenols), most of them applied as lubricant additives, two ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) electrospray ionization mass spectrometric methods applying the positive and negative ion mode have been developed for lubricant design and engineering thus allowing e.g. the study of the degradation of lubricants. METHODS Based on the different chemical properties of the two groups of antioxidants, two methods offering a fast separation (10 min) without prior derivatization were developed. In order to reach these requirements, UHPLC was coupled with an LTQ Orbitrap hybrid tandem mass spectrometer with positive and negative ion electrospray ionization for simultaneous detection of spectra from UHPLC-high-resolution (HR)-MS (full scan mode) and UHPLC-low-resolution linear ion trap MS2 (LITMS2), which we term UHPLC/HRMS-LITMS2. RESULTS All 20 analytes investigated could be qualified by an UHPLC/HRMS-LITMS2 approach consisting of simultaneous UHPLC/HRMS (elemental composition) and UHPLC/LITMS2 (diagnostic product ions) according to EC guidelines. Quantification was based on an UHPLC/LITMS2 approach due to increased sensitivity and selectivity compared to UHPLC/HRMS. Absolute quantification was only feasible for seven analytes with well-specified purity of references whereas relative quantification was obtainable for another nine antioxidants. All of them showed good standard deviation and repeatability. CONCLUSIONS The combined methods allow qualitative and quantitative determination of a wide variety of different antioxidants including aminic/phenolic compounds applied in lubricant engineering. These data show that the developed methods will be versatile tools for further research on identification and characterization of the thermo-oxidative degradation products of antioxidants in lubricants. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study describes the antimicrobial activity of five pimarane-type diterpenes obtained by fungal biotransformation against several nosocomial multidrug-resistant bacteria. Among the investigated metabolites, ent-8(14),15-pimaradien-3β-ol was the most active compound, with very promising minimal inhibitory concentration values (between 8.0 and 25.0 µg mL−1). Time-kill assays using this metabolite against Staphylococcus aureus (HCRP180) revealed that this compound exerted its bactericidal effect within 24 h at all the evaluated concentrations (8.0, 16.0, and 24.0 µg mL−1). When this metabolite was associated with vancomycin at their minimal bactericidal concentration values, the resulting combination was able to drastically reduce the number of viable strains of S. aureus within the first 6 h, compared with these chemicals alone. The checkerboard assays conducted against this microorganism did not evidence any synergistic effects when this same combination was employed. In conclusion, our results point out that ent-8(14),15-pimaradien-3β-ol is an important metabolite in the search for new effective antimicrobial agents. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Several nitrofuran drugs have been prohibited for use in food producing animals due to their carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. However, one of the nitrofurans, nifuroxazide, is still used as a veterinary drug in some countries. This study was conducted to investigate the residue depletion of nifuroxazide in broiler chicken. Chickens were fed with dietary feeds containing 50 mg kg−1 of nifuroxazide for seven consecutive days. Liver, kidney, muscle and plasma samples were collected at different withdrawal periods, and the residues of parent nifuroxazide and its acid-hydrolysable side chain, 4-hydroxybenzhydrazide ( HBH), in these samples were determined. Results Nifuroxazide was metabolised in vivo and its metabolite HBH was formed. Parent nifuroxazide was not detectable in these samples after 14 days of cessation. HBH was detectable in these samples even after 28 days of cessation and the total HBH residues were higher than 1.0 ng g−1. Furthermore, the residue level of tissue bound HBH was much higher than that of free HBH. Conclusion The tissue-bound HBH could be used as a marker to monitor the residue of nifuroxazide in chicken and the best target tissue should be liver. This is the first paper reporting the residue depletion of nifuroxazide in chicken.© 2012 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terpenes are the largest group of phytochemicals that exhibit diverse functions in mediating antagonistic and beneficial interactions in, and among, organisms. For many years the abundance and distribution of terpenoid compounds in plants have benefitted both nature and human civilization. Jatropha species, belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae, are a rich source of terpenoid compounds. Among the terpenes, diterpenoid compounds have dominated the research area in Jatropha species with respect to their novel chemical structures and medicinal values. The present review describes the chemistry and biological activities of an array of Jatropha diterpenes. The diterpenes isolated from Jatropha species belongs to rhamnofolane, daphnane, lathyrane, tigliane, dinorditerpene, deoxy preussomerin and pimarane skeletal structures. Among the 68 diterpenes collated in this review, the biological activity of compounds varied distinctly-the majority of the diterpenes exhibited cytotoxic, antitumor and antimicrobial activities in vitro. To name a few, jatrophone, spruceanol and jatrophatrione exhibited antitumor properties against P338 lymphocytic leukemia and japodagrol against KB carcinoma cells. Whereas, curcusone B exhibited anti-invasive effects against cholangiocarcinoma cells. The phorbol esters ( Jatropha factor C1- C6) and Jatropherol exhibited insect deterrent/cytotoxic properties. Many diterpenes (jatrophalactam, faveline derivatives, multifolone, curcusone, jatrophone derivatives etc.) showed in-vitro cytotoxic activity, while japodagrin, jatrogrossidione derivatives and jatropholone derivatives exhibited antimicrobial activities. Jatropha diterpenoids having a wide spectrum of bioactivity could form lead compounds or could be used as templates for the synthesis of new compounds with better biological activity for utilization in the pharmaceutical industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review of the literature published in 2007 deals with the issues related to the presence of pesticides and herbicides in the environment, mainly in soil, sediment, surface water, and groundwater. The review is divided into nine sections, including analytical methods, toxicology, monitoring, ecology, fate and transport, modeling, risk assessment, management and minimization, and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most active low molecular weight compounds from higher plants against Candida species are compiled from a database of antimicrobials (Amicbase) to find out new hints on their mechanism of action. The selected compounds possess strong inhibitory activities in vitro against Candida species either in the agar diffusion test, bioautography, agar dilution test, serial dilution test, or activity in the vapour phase. The test conditions are listed thoroughly and aspects of the different methods and recent developments in the testing of anticandidal drugs are discussed. The anticandidal spectra of drugs, antiseptics, and disinfectants licensed on the major markets are given for comparision of activities with compounds from natural sources. So far known mechanisms of action are described and some new structure-activity relationships are deduced from relationships between biological activities and chemical and physical parameters. Main specific targets of natural anticandidals are the ergosterol pathway, respiratory chain, and chitin biosynthesis. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Med Res Rev [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]