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Sea buckthorn (Hippophae) is in the focus of interest mainly for its positive effects on health of both human and animal organisms. Due to the similarities in vegetative morphology, Hippophae species are often misidentified. Therefore, current study was focused on ITS based sequence characterization of sea buckthorn species and comparative biochemical evaluation for its antioxidant properties. DNA was extracted from leaf samples. Primer pairs K-Lab-SeaBukRhm-ITS1F1- K-Lab-SeaBukRhm-ITS1R1 and K-LabSeaBukTib- ITSF1- K-LabSeaBukTib-ITSR1 were used for PCR amplification. The purified PCR products were outsourced for sequencing. Phylogenetic tree was constructed based on neighbor-joining (NJ) method. Moreover, comparison of antioxidant potential of leaves of two sea buckthorn species (Hippophae rhamnoides and Hippophae tibetana) collected from different regions of Ladakh viz., Stakna, Nubra, DRDO Leh and Zanskar was determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2-azino-bis (3- ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), and Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) by phosphomolybdenum assays. The present investigation led to the differentiation of two sea buckthorn species viz., H. rhamnoides and H. tibetana based on Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region. Moreover, significant variation was observed in antioxidant potential of leaf extracts collected from different regions. Primary ITS sequence analysis was found to be powerful tool for identification and genetic diversity studies in sea buckthorn. Leaves of sea buckthorn have pronounced antioxidant properties and can be used in food, neutraceuticals and pharmaceutical industries etc. The current study will pave the way to discover small bioactive molecules responsible for antioxidant and anticancer properties in sea buckthorn.

A Bowman-Birk protease, i.e., Mucuna pruriens trypsin inhibitor (MPTI), was purified from the seeds by 55.702-fold and revealed a single trypsin inhibitor on a zymogram with a specific activity of 202.31 TIU/mg of protein. On sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) under non-reducing conditions, the protease trypsin inhibitor fraction [i.e., trypsin inhibitor non-reducing (TINR)] exhibited molecular weights of 74 and 37 kDa, and under reducing conditions [i.e., trypsin inhibitor reducing (TIR)], 37 and 18 kDa. TINR-37 revealed protease inhibitor activity on native PAGE and 37 and 18 kDa protein bands on SDS–PAGE. TINR-74 showed peaks corresponding to 18.695, 37.39, 56.085, and 74.78 kDa on ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with electrospray ionization/quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (ESI/QTOF-MS). Similarly, TINR-37 displayed 18.695 and 37.39 kDa peaks. Furthermore, TIR-37 and TIR-18 exhibited peaks corresponding to 37.39 and 18.695 kDa. Multiple peaks observed by the UPLC-ESI/QTOF analysis revealed the multimeric association, confirming the characteristic and functional features of Bowman-Birk inhibitors (BBIs). The multimeric association helps to achieve more stability, thus enhancing their functional efficiency. MPTI was found to be a competitive inhibitor which again suggested that it belongs to the BBI family of inhibitors, displayed an inhibitor constant of 1.3 × 10–6 M, and further demonstrates potent anti-inflammatory activity. The study provided a comprehensive basis for the identification of multimeric associates and their therapeutic potential, which could elaborate the stability and functional efficiency of the MPTI in the native state from M. pruriens.

Triticum aestivum is commonly known as bread wheat is one of the most cultivated crops globally. Due to its increasing demand wheat is the source of many nutritious products including bread, pasta, and noodles which contain different concentrations and kinds of seed storage proteins. In fact, the type and quality of any wheat product are largely controlled by these wheat proteins. Among various unique wheat products, bread is the most consumed product around the world due to its fast availability as compared to other traditional food commodities. The production of highly nutritious and superior quality bread is always a matter of concern because of its increasing industrial demand. Therefore, new and more advanced technologies are currently being applied to improve and enrich the bread having increase nutrients fortified, gluten-free, highly stable with enhancing shelf life, and long-lasting. In review, we focused on bread proteins in relation to improved the quality and nutritional properties of bread using modern technologies. We also describe the recent innovations in processing technologies to improve various quality traits of wheat bread. We also highlight some modern forms of bread that are utilizing in different industries for various purposes and propose future directions.

Refluxing t-butyl carbazate with the corresponding aldehyde in ethanol yielded (E)-tert-butyl 2-((E)-2-methyl-3-phenylallylidene)hydrazinecarboxylate (1) and (E)-t-butyl-2-((E)-3-phenylall ylidene)hydrazine carboxylate (2) in appreciable amounts. The products were identified using spectral data analysis. To confirm the trans-nature of the double bond in the synthesized compound 1, single crystal X-ray analysis was carried out. The trans-nature of double bond in compound 2, which could not be crystallized, was however deduced from the vicinal coupling constant of the two protons involved in the double bond. Single crystal X-ray study unfurled that compound 1 crystallizes in a monoclinic system with P21/c space group. Theoretical calculations of both the compounds was carried out at DFT/B3LYP/6-311G (d, p) level of theory. Theoretically obtained parameters demonstrated good compliance with the experimentally obtained data for compound 1. Molecular Electrostatic Potential Surface (MEPS) and Frontier Molecular Orbital (FMO) analysis were performed for both the compounds. Calculation of HOMO-LUMO energy gap and various other related parameters depicted a similar reactivity behaviour of both the compounds. To unravel the biological target of the compounds, Online Pass Prediction divulged that compounds, 1 and 2 are moderately potent against Mcl-1 enzyme, with Pa value of 0.82 and 0.61 respectively. Molecular docking of 1 and 2 against Mcl-1 protein conferred binding free energy of −6.26 and −3.11 kcal/mol respectively indicating moderate binding efficiency of the compounds.

Sugar alcohols or polyols are derivatives of sugars produced in high amounts during salt or drought (abiotic) stress in plants. A number of sugar alcohols identified in plants include manitol, sorbitol, D-ononitol, pinitol, adonitol, ribitol, glucitol etc., which are classified as cyclic and non-cyclic polyols. Osmoregulation is a phenomenon of regulating constant fluid osmotic pressure in cells through salt and water concentrations during abiotic stress conditions. In plants, abiotic stress induces water loss, and at the same time, they release osmolytes including sugar alcohols which maintains osmoregulation. Sugar alcohols play a crucial role in osmotic adaptations and exert tolerance to salt and drought stress in plants. Due to the importance of sugar alcohols in crop improvement its metaolism, osmotic adaptations and role of transformational studies are discussed in the present chapter.

Plants when exposed to varying level of abiotic stress conditions undergo a large number of changes at the physiological and molecular level that considerably affects their growth and development. Abiotic stresses affect cellular homeostasis and enhance generation of reactive oxygen species which ultimately leads to earlier senescence in plants. In response to stress conditions, plants accumulate enhanced level of osmolytes in coordination with different stress signalling pathways. This chapter discusses interaction of osmolytes and different signalling molecules and their role for survival of plants under stress conditions. Studies related to biosynthesis pathways of osmolytes have helped to identify novel candidate genes that regulate the stress response in plants.

C6H5Se Na+(generated in situ by NaBH4 reduction of (C6H5Se)2) on reaction with 1-(3-chlorophenyl)-4-(3-chloropropyl) piperazinium chloride under N2 atmosphere results in [1-(3-chlorophenyl)-4-(3-phenylseleno propyl) piperazinium chloride] (LH+Cl−) as cream colour solid. Its anion exchange product having the formula [LH+(NO3)-] (1) have been prepared with retention of piperazinium salt character. (LH+Cl−) and its compound 1 are characterized on the basis of physico-chemical and spectral (FT-IR, 1H, 13C, DEPT 135° and 77Se NMR) studies. LH+Cl− crystallizes in the monoclinic system with P21/c space group. [LH+(NO3)-] (1) however crystallizes in an orthorhombic system with space group Pbca at 100 and 120 K respectively. Using DFT-based optimization of structures, bond length, bond angle, HOMO-LUMO energy gaps and molecular electrostatic potential maps (MEP) of LH+Cl− and LH+(NO3)- were theoretically calculated at the B3LYP/6-311G (d, p) level of theory. Experimentally obtained results showed a good correlation with those of the theoretical ones. All the three compounds were screened for their cytotoxic potential using sulphorhodamine B (SRB) cytotoxicity assay against leukemia (THP-1), colon (HCT-116), prostate (PC-3) and human lung (A-549) cancer cell lines. Among the synthesized products, compound LH+(NO3)- was the most active.

C6H5Se-Na+ (generated in-situ by NaBH4 reduction of (C6H5Se)2) on reaction with bromo benzylacetate under N2 atmosphere results in the formation of phenylseleno benzylacetate (L) as viscous oil. Its complexes having the formula [ZnCl2(L)] (1), [CdCl2(L)] (2), [HgCl2(L)] (3) have been prepared. L and its complexes 1–3 were characterized on the basis of physico-chemical and spectral (FT-IR, Mass, 1H, 13C, DEPT 135° and 77Se NMR) studies. Powder XRD diffraction pattern revealed the crystalline nature of ligand and complexes 1–3. Heteroditopic ligand L (Se, O) ligates solely through Se and O in complexes 1–3 and adopts bidentate mode of coordination. Using DFT-based optimization of structures, bond length, bond angle, HOMO-LUMO energy gaps and molecular electrostatic potential maps (MEP) of L and complexes 1–3 were theoretically calculated at the B3LYP/LANL2DZ level of theory. HOMO-LUMO energy gap was calculated which allowed the calculation of relative properties like chemical hardness, chemical inertness, chemical potential, nucleophilicity and electrophilicity index of the synthesized products. Experimentally obtained results (IR and NMR) showed a good correlation with those of the theoretical ones.

C6H5Se−Na+ (generated in situ by NaBH4 reduction of (C6H5Se)2) on reaction with ClC3H6C4H8N2ClC6H5 under N2 atmosphere results in C6H5SeC3H6C4H8N2ClC6H5 (L) as a cream-colored solid. Its 1:...

A convenient and facile synthesis of 4-(3-chlorophenyl)-1-(3-chloropropyl)piperazin-1-ium chloride is accomplished by stirring 1-(3-Chlorophenyl)piperazine hydrochloride with 3-chloropropanal by reductive amination in ethanol. The resulting compound was characterized using spectral data analysis augmented by X-ray. Single crystal analysis depicted that the synthesized compound crystallizes in monoclinic crystal system with P 21/c point group. The structural and electronic properties of the title compound have been calculated at DFT/B3LYP/6-311G (d,p) level of theory. Theoretically obtained parameters were well compared to the experimentally obtained results, showing excellent agreement. Molecular electrostatic potential surface, frontier orbital analysis and vibrational analysis were also carried out. HOMO-LUMO energy gap was calculated which allowed the calculation of relative properties like chemical hardness, chemical inertness, chemical potential, nucleophilicity and electrophilicity index of the synthesized products. Pass prediction was carried out which revealed that the target compound can be active against Prostate specific membrane protein, bearing Pa value of 0.411. Based on Pass, molecular docking studies of compound was carried out against Prostate specific membrane protein. The title compound depicted a binding free energy of −6.3 kcal/mol and is seen to be involved in key bonding interactions which include both alkyl and mixed pi-alkyl hydrophobic interactions: Alkyl hydrophobic interactions: (LEU 259; 4.64 A, LEU 261; 3.79 A), mixed Pi/alkyl hydrophobic interactions: (HIS 552; 4.96 A, HIS 553; 4.64, 5.31 A LEU; 3.45 A) respectively with Prostate specific membrane protein. Target compound was screened for their cytotoxic potential with various cancer cell lines being most effective against prostate. In short, this study reveals the synthesis of a 4-(3-Chlorophenyl)-1-(3-chloropropyl)piperazin-1-ium chloride and exposes its structural, electronic and biological properties, paving way for further research in the field of drug development.

A convenient and facile synthesis of tertiary butyl carbazate based Schiff base compounds is accomplished using an efficient high yielding and reusable H-BETA catalyst in ethanol. The catalyst was prepared and characterised by FT-IR, XRD, DSC-TGA, BET and SEM analysis. The heterogenous catalyst is selective, easily recovered, can be used for up to five times without obvious loss in catalytic activity and is well applicable to gram scale synthesis of these compounds. Resulting Schiff bases were characterised by spectral data analysis. Simple workup procedure, no column chromatography, short reaction time, high yield and reusability of the catalyst are the characteristic features of the developed protocol.

A convenient and facile synthesis of t-butyl-2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)hydrazine carboxylate (1) was accomplished by refluxing t-butyl carbazate with an appropriate aldehyde in ethanol. The resulting compound was characterized using spectral data analysis augmented by X-ray. Single crystal analysis depicted that compound 1 crystallizes in a monoclinic crystal system with P 21/c space group having trans-geometry at the C N bond. The structural and electronic properties of the title compound have been calculated using DFT/B3LYP/6-311G (d,p) level of theory. Theoretically obtained parameters were well compared to the experimentally obtained results which depicted excellent agreement. Molecular electrostatic potential surface, frontier orbital analysis and vibrational analysis were also carried out. HOMO-LUMO energy gap was calculated which allowed the calculation of relative reactivity descriptors like chemical hardness, chemical inertness, chemical potential, nucleophilicity and electrophilicity index of the synthesized product. Pass prediction was carried out which revealed that compound 1 can be highly active against Mcl-1 enzyme, with Pa of 0.544. Based on Pass, molecular docking of compound 1 was carried out against Mcl-1 protein. Compound 1 displayed a binding free energy of −5.22 kcal/mol and inhibition constant of 149.06 μM and 1 depicted only alkyl hydrophobic and mixed pi/alkyl hydrophobic interactions with Mcl-1 enzyme. In short, this study reveals the synthesis of a new schiff base, and unravels the structural, electronic and biological properties of the title compound, paving way for further research in the field of drug development.

Se2−2 (generated insitu by NaBH4 reduction of Se) on reaction with 1-(2-chloroethyl) piperidine hydrochloride under N2 atmosphere resulted in bis(1-(ethyl) piperidine) diselenide (L) as an orange solid. It’s bimetallic complexes having the formula [Zn2Cl4L] (1), [Cd2Cl4L] (2) and [Cd2Br4L] (3) were also synthesized. L and its complexes 1–3 were characterized on the basis of physico-chemical and spectral (FT-IR, Mass, 1H, 13C, DEPT and 77Se NMR) studies. IR spectroscopy revealed that M (II) ions (zinc and cadmium) are coordinated through selenium and nitrogen forming a five membered ring around M (II) ions. Elemental analysis measurement along with 1H, 13C, DEPT and ESI mass data confirmed the tetradentate mode of coordination of the ligand L. Moreover the coordination from selenium atom is also supported by the downfield shift of signal in 77Se NMR spectroscopy. Powder XRD diffraction pattern reveals the crystalline nature of Ligand L and complexes 1–3. Heteroditopic ligand L (N, Se, Se, N) ligates through both selenium and nitrogen atoms to two respective metal halides in complexes 1–3, thus forming bimetallic complexes. Using DFT-based optimization of structures, the HOMO-LUMO energy gaps and molecular electrostatic potential surface of ligand L and complexes 1–3 were theoretically calculated at the B3LYP/LANL2DZ level of theory. These complexes adopt distorted tetrahedral geometry around M (II) ions as revealed by bond angles. HOMO-LUMO energy gap was calculated which allowed the calculation of relative properties like chemical hardness, chemical inertness, chemical potential, nucleophilicity and electrophilicity index of the synthesized products. The experimentally obtained IR and NMR results showed a good correlation with those of the theoretical ones. Ligand L and complex 1–3 displayed significant antibacterial and antifungal activity.

Stigma-like structures (SLS) were produced under in vitro conditions. Highest response was observed with half ovaries on G-5 media supplemented with different combinations of phytohormones. The relative quantification through real time PCR for expression of apocarotenoid genes like CsBCH and CsGT-2 revealed that there is increase in expression from callus to SLS development. Expression pattern of CsBCH and CsGT-2 studied in different flower parts revealed highest expression in stigma followed by SLS, style and tepal. Expression of the regulatory genes responsible for biosynthesis of apocarotenoids viz; crocin, picrocrocin and safranal is getting upregulated in SLS in saffron hence revealing that these structures are developmentally closely related to natural stigma.

Polyaniline was modified with zeolite LTL to increase its response towards carbon monoxide. The synthesis was carried out by chemical oxidative polymerization using ammonium peroxydisulfate (NH4)2S2O8 as oxidizing agent. Zeolite LTL and its ion exchanged forms (Na, Fe, Cu and H-form) were converted into composites. The dry mixed composites were subsequently pressed into pellets with a diameter of 12 mm and a nominal thickness of 2 mm, using hydraulic press machine at a pressure of ∼280 Mpa. The carbon monoxide response measurements were performed for various forms of PANI/LTL at various CO concentrations. The response was found to be maximum for PANI/Na-LTL.

Testololactone (10) and testolactone (11) represent aromatase inhibitors containing lactone rings. We previously reported their hemisynthesis from the most common phytosterols, which are highly abundant in nature. Herein, we report the synthesis of their nitrogen congeners: testololactam (3) and testolactam (8). The reaction process involves the conversion of 4-androstene-3,17-dione to its corresponding oxime using hydroxylamine hydrochloride, whose Beckmann rearrangement under acid conditions yielded the desired testololactam (3). However, testolactam (8) was formed by the Beckmann rearrangement of the oxime (7) of 1,4-androstene-3,17-dienone (6). This expeditious reaction scheme may be exploited for the bulk production of testololactam (3) and testolactam (8). Theoretical DFT studies concerning the structural and electronic properties of all the end products were carried out using the Becke three-parameter Lee–Yang–Parr function (B3LYP) and 6-31G(d,p) level of theory. Molecular electrostatic potential map and frontier orbital analysis were carried out. The HOMO–LUMO energy gap was calculated, which allowed the calculation of relative reactivity descriptors like chemical hardness, chemical inertness, chemical potential, nucleophilicity and electrophilicity index of the synthesized products. The molecular docking studies of testololactam (3), testolactam (8) and testololactone (10), with aromatase (CYP19) revealed binding free energies of (ΔGb) = −9.85, −9.62 and −10.14 kcal mol−1 respectively, compared to the standard testolactone (11), a well-known aromatase inhibitor sold under the brand name TESLAC, which exhibited a binding free energy (ΔGb) of −10.29 kcal mol−1 with an inhibition constant Ki of 28.87 nM. The docking study revealed that the nitrogen congeners exhibit a relatively lower but appreciable therapeutic efficiency to be used as aromatase inhibitors.

An unusual quinazoline alkaloid (1) was obtained when 2-aminobenzaldehyde was refluxed with pyrrolidine in ethanol for 12 h. The synthesized compound was characterized using spectral data analysis augmented with X-ray and literature precedent. Single crystal analysis depicted four conformations differing slightly in bond angles and bond lengths. Compound 1 crystallizes in a triclinic crystal system with a P space group having two molecules within the unit cell. The experimentally obtained parameters were compared to those obtained theoretically, which depicted a good agreement. Using the DFT/B3LYP/6-31G (d,p) level of theory, HOMO–LUMO energy gap, molecular electrostatic potential (MEP), vibrational (IR) and NMR analyses were carried out. The HOMO–LUMO energy gap allowed the calculation of chemical hardness, chemical inertness, electronegativity and the electrophilicity index of the molecule, which depicted its potential kinetic stability and reactivity. Prediction of activity spectra of the target compound revealed that compound 1 possesses notable antineoplastic activity with Pa = 0.884. The molecule was therefore evaluated against various cancerous cell lines in an in vitro SRB assay which depicted that compound 1 possesses the highest growth inhibition activity against THP-1 cell lines with an IC50 of 7 μM.

Rosmarinic acid (RA), a bioactive compound isolated from Rosmarinus officinalis exhibits multiple pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory effects. Herein, we report the synthesis of new series of amide analogs of rosmarinic acid along with their antioxidant potential. Highest DPPH scavenging effect was observed in case of (E)-3-(3,4-dihydroxy-phenyl)-1-((4-fluorophenyl)amino)-1-oxopropan-2-yl-3-(3,4dihydroxy phenyl)acrylate (RA-15) displaying an IC50 of 3.19 μg/ml compared to standard ascorbic acid (IC50=4.09 μg/ml). However (E)-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1-((4-hydroxyphenyl)amino)-1-oxopropan-2-yl-3-(3, 4-dihydroxyphenyl)acrylate (RA-10) displayed the highest hydroxy radical scavenging effect exhibiting an IC50 of 8.98 μg/ml compared to standard ascorbic acid (IC50=9.00 μg/ml). This study thus, provides an important aspect with regard to the use of these rosmarinic acid-based antioxidants in food industry as dietary supplements.

Phytohormones are key-regulators mediating environmental stress-responses and are the potential candidates for genetic manipulation to obtain abiotic stress tolerant crops. Plant stress responses occur through various signal transduction networks involving transcription factors regulating abscisic acid (ABA) signaling. The transcriptional regulation can occur in both ABA dependent manner via ABA-responsive element binding factors (ABF), MYC and MYB transcription factors and in an ABA-independent manner via drought-responsive element-binding factors (DREB). The transcript accumulation of RD29A gene is reported to be regulated in both ABA-dependent and ABA-independent manner and plays a vital role is stress tolerance. ABA is a quintessential messenger implicated in abiotic stress response in plants and synchronizes the expression of stress responsive proteins that play a major role in accumulation of compatible osmolytes, synthesis of Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins, dehydrins and other protective proteins. The foremost function of ABA is in the regulation of plant water balance and osmotic stress tolerance. In response to stress conditions, ABA is synthesized in different organs and initiates a cascade of signal transduction pathways that regulate an array of defense mechanisms against stress including regulation of stomatal aperture and expression of genes imparting resistance to environmental stresses. Among various transcription factors DREB2A/2B, AREB1, RD22BP1 and MYC/MYB regulate the ABA-responsive gene expression by interacting with their corresponding cis-acting elements viz. DRE/CRT(A/GCCGAC), ABRE (PyACGTGGC) and MYCRS(CANNTG)/MYBRS (C/TAACNA/G), respectively. These cis-acting elements have a role in inducing ABA dependent expression in plants under stress. cis-Elements such as ABA-responsive element (ABRE) are present upstream of the ABA-dependent stress responsive genes, that have a core sequence (PYACGTGGC) along with one or two coupling elements (CE) also found upstream of stress-responsive genes. ABA-regulated (ABR), ABA-dependent (ABD), VP1-dependent (VPD), VP1 and ABA-dependent (VAA), VP1 or ABA-dependent (VOA) are the five classes of ABA dependent gene promoters having ACTG flanking motifs and are known to be activated in response to plant stress. The ABRE-binding (AREB) proteins or ABRE-binding factors (ABFs) encode bZIP transcription factors among which AREB1/ABF2, AREB2/ABF4 and ABF3 are induced by dehydration, high salinity or ABA treatment in vegetative tissues, and are involved in enhanced drought stress tolerance. Present review is an attempt to discuss the role of transcription factors that regulate ABA signal transduction in response to abiotic stress.

Iron (Fe) is a heavy metal mineral element required for various diverse and vital activities of plants. It is one of the principal micronutrients of all plants. However, its threshold value in plants increases by diverse anthropogenic and natural sources, which results in the inhibition of plant growth and development. This inhibition is due to excess Fe availability, in the soil environment, leading to direct or indirect Fe toxicity. This toxicity, as well as the opposite, i.e., iron deficiency, results in disturbance of basic plant metabolism due to disruption in the rate of uptake and translocation of other essential and beneficial mineral nutrient elements. Since other key nutrients and excess Fe compete, in root rhizosphere(s), for the same membrane-localized channels and transporter proteins, one observes development of deficiency symptoms for those nutrients. The use of exogenous elicitors, such as plant growth regulators (PGRs) in the optimization of mineral nutrient status under Fe stress, has been shown not only to minimize excess Fe inside plant tissues, but also to alleviate Fe-induced toxic effects by enhancing antioxidant defense systems, biochemical reactions, and other important morpho-physiological activities in plants. In the present review, we critically discuss the effects of Fe stress (excess/deficiency) in plants. A special attention has been paid on signalling cross talk of Fe with PGRs and the crucial role played by some of the PGRs in overcoming Fe-induced adverse effects.

Using a click chemistry approach, a series of gallic-acid-1-phenyl-1H-[1,2,3]triazol-4-ylmethyl esters was synthesized to develop more effective antioxidants. The results of DPPH screening indicate that few of the synthesized analogs display better antioxidant effect compared to the standards. Among all, compounds, 9 and 20 displayed highest DPPH radical scavenging effect with IC50 values as low as 6.4±0.2 and 7.9±0.4 µM respectively, compared to the standard ascorbic acid (IC50=12±0.8 µM) and gallic acid (IC50=9.0±0.6 µM). Compound 10 also displayed a potent antioxidant effect with IC50 of 10.80±0.4 µM. This study provides an important aspect with regard to the use of these gallic-acid based synthetic antioxidants in food industry as dietary supplements.

Diverse 11R,13-dihydroamino and 1,10β-epoxy-11R,13-dihydroamino analogs of ludartin were synthesized using a highly diastereoselective Michael addition and epoxidation reaction. The semisynthetic analogs were characterized using rigorous spectral data analysis. All the compounds were subjected to sulphorhodamine B cytotoxicity screening against a panel of three breast cancer cells, viz., T47D, MCF-7, and MDA-MB 231. Among the synthesized analogs, compounds 11, 19, and 20 proved to be active against the breast cancer cell lines. Compound 11 represents an epoxy analog of arglabin (5), which is a noteworthy and clinically significant antitumor agent and exhibited an IC50s of 0.75 µM and 1.20 µM against MCF-7 and MDA MB-231 cell lines, respectively. Compounds 19 and 20 displayed selectivity among the three breast cancer cell lines and were active against MCF-7 cell lines only displaying IC50s of 1.00 and 1.21 µM, respectively. This study provides initial structure-activity relationship data on ludartin and its analogs against breast cancer cell lines based on the previous literature reports of ludartin as an aromatase inhibitor.

The genus Iris is diverse both in the abundance of secondary metabolities as well as the biological activities. The rhizomes of Iris hookeriana exhibit significant anthelminthic activity against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep. Although Iris hookeriana has been a subject of the study of so many phytochemical studies, yet we report some constituents for the first time from this plant using a different isolation approach. This manuscript presents the isolation, antimicrobial and antioxidant evaluation of bioactive principles from Iris hookeriana. LC-MS guided isolation technique was applied for the separation of target constituents. The isolates were characterised by spectral techniques and subjected to antioxidant evaluation by DPPH assay. Four compounds; resveratrol, resveratroloside, junipeginin C and isorhamnetin-3-O-neohesperidoside were isolated for the first time along with 3 known compounds viz piceid, irigenin and iridin from I. hookeriana using this approach. The antioxidant activity screening of the isolates revealed that all the 4 constituents isolated for the first time, have strong antioxidant potential with IC50 of 14.0 µg/ml (resveratroloside), 19.7 µg/ml (junipeginen C), 12.8 µg/ml (resveratrol) and 19.8 µg/ml (isorhamnetin-3-O-neohesperodoside). So it can be safely concluded that LC-MS guided isolation of chemical compounds from Iris hookeriana has furnished 4 antioxidant constituents. Thus Iris hookeriana can act as as a good source of wonder molecule resveratrol and its 2 glycosides, resveratrolside and piceid which upon hydrolysis can be converted into the parent drug resveratrol.

Abiotic stresses including drought, salinity, heat, cold, flooding, and ultraviolet radiation causes crop losses worldwide. In recent times, preventing these crop losses and producing more food and feed to meet the demands of ever-increasing human populations have gained unprecedented importance. However, the proportion of agricultural lands facing multiple abiotic stresses is expected only to rise under a changing global climate fueled by anthropogenic activities. Identifying the mechanisms developed and deployed by plants to counteract abiotic stresses and maintain their growth and survival under harsh conditions thus holds great significance. Recent investigations have shown that phytohormones, including the classical auxins, cytokinins, ethylene, and gibberellins, and newer members including brassinosteroids, jasmonates, and strigolactones may prove to be important metabolic engineering targets for producing abiotic stress-tolerant crop plants. In this review, we summarize and critically assess the roles that phytohormones play in plant growth and development and abiotic stress tolerance, besides their engineering for conferring abiotic stress tolerance in transgenic crops. We also describe recent successes in identifying the roles of phytohormones under stressful conditions. We conclude by describing the recent progress and future prospects including limitations and challenges of phytohormone engineering for inducing abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants.

Low temperature is a noteworthy risk that limits development, advancement and distribution, causing the plant harm and harvest misfortunes. Plants react to cold stress through a process known as cold acclimation, which is a complex process involving changes at different dimensions that incorporate physiological and biochemical modifications, modifications in gene expression and changes in convergences of proteins and metabolites. Perception of cold stress by cell layers results in initiation of cold-responsive genes and transcription factors that help combat cold stress. Transcriptional reactions to cold are guided by both abscisic acid (ABA) dependent and independent pathways that regulate the expression of cold-responsive (COR) genes and in this way changing protein and metabolite homeostasis. Recent advances in the field of genomics, proteomics and metabolomics have led to new findings that have enlarged our comprehension of this perplexing wonder. Here, we examine the different parts of cold stress reactions in plants to build up an all-encompassing comprehension in the field of stress-intervened flagging.

Abiotic stress is currently being realized as one of the most ubiquitous and potential threats to human existence which results in the overwhelming consequences to human health as well as agricultural systems. Different types of abiotic stresses viz., salt stress, heavy metal stress, water stress, temperature stress, and chilling stress are the major constraints to sustainable agriculture causing numerous direct and indirect effects on plants thereby affecting the quality and productivity of different plants in one way or the other. However, plants possess a range of potential cellular mechanisms that help them in overcoming the devastating stressful effects. Plant elicitors, certain endogenous and exogenous organic and inorganic compounds, play a vital role in helping the plant to mitigate the stress-induced changes by modulating an array of processes at cellular and molecular levels. Among the different elicitors employed during stressful conditions, abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and nitric oxide (NO) have proven promising. This chapter will summarize the role of these elicitors during stressful environments. In addition, some of the signaling aspects through which the cell metabolism is modulated by these elicitors have also been discussed. Lastly, a brief cross talk mechanism of some of these exogenous elicitors during these environmental perturbations has also been covered. The collected literature indicates that the manipulation of these selected elicitors might also be an effective way to confer abiotic stress tolerance in different crop plants.

Senescence is a plant developmental process that encompasses the synchronized degradation of macromolecules and the relocation of nutrients out of the tissue into the rest of the developing organs of the plant. It is a kind of programmed cell death phase that occurs as the last stage of leaf development. Leaf senescence is one of the prime yield-limiting traits in agronomic crops, which reduces the nutritional value of most of the crops. While the plants undergo different developmental phases, they also have to cope with wide-spectrum internal and external stresses; hence, the capability to acclimatize to the metabolic and environmental deviations is crucial for endurance. This process leads to the imbalanced equilibrium between oxidative and antioxidative capacities of the plant, which creates a characteristic oxidative environment resulting in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and their more toxic derivatives, which damage vital cellular components. A range of developmental and environmental signals lead to leaf senescence, catalyzed by multiple, cross-linking pathways, many of which overlay with oxidative stress-response signals. The concurrent strategic studies of oxidative stress and leaf senescence have provided significant information that can be utilized for the improvement of both qualitative and quantitative crop yield. This perception has made it possible to design a path for the manipulation of leaf senescence for agricultural improvement via a number of strategies, such as manipulations of plant hormonal system, in-leaf senescence-specific transcription factors, and translation initiation factors. Hence, genetic-, proteomic-, or transcriptomic-level manipulation for attaining controlled leaf senescing and a less harmful oxidative environment is considered to be a precise operation for the betterment of plants (especially crops). This chapter summarizes the latest progress on the signaling role of ROS during the senescing phase and manipulative strategies to control the oxidative stress-senescence-induced damage in plants.

Abiotic stress is the major limiting factor for the steady decline in global crop production. The situation is further aggravated by decrease in arable land and changes in annual rainfall patterns due to population explosion. Plants have gradually evolved strategies to counter these environmental cues. Among the major adaptive stress responses, osmotic adjustment by accumulation of osmoprotectants (proline, glycine betaine, polyamines, and sugars) has been found to be effective in improving plant stress physiology. Failure of conventional breeding and recent advances in the field of genetic engineering persuaded researchers in developing stress tolerant cultivars. In this regard, extensive research has been conducted in unraveling the biosynthetic pathways of these osmolytes as well as their regulation. Overexpression of the core biosynthetic enzymes in major crops has enhanced the accumulation of respective osmolytes as well as improved plant stress tolerance and crop productivity. This prompted scientists worldwide to engineer transgenic plants accumulating these compatible solutes under stress-inducible as well as tissue-specific regulation. The present review focuses on plant stress signaling, the physiological role and regulation of these osmolytes in response to abiotic stress, and highlights the successful transgenic crops developed to date.

Plants grow in an environment of abiotic stresses such as drought, high light (HL) intensity, heat, salinity, metal/metalloid, or a combination of these environmental stresses requires a delicate balance between energy production and consumption, to mention normal energy. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), a by-product of aerobic metabolism, are key signaling molecules which play a significant role in plants’ responses to myriad of abiotic and biotic stresses. ROS initially evidenced as only damaging factors in plants further were found to play an important role in numerous signaling pathways that mediate plants’ acclimatory and defense responses. The production and scavenging of ROS are accomplished in various cellular compartments such as the apoplast, cell membrane, mitochondria, chloroplasts, peroxisomes, and endoplasmic reticulum. Under abiotic stresses, an imbalance between ROS biosynthesis and scavenging and elimination in favor of biosynthesis with certain consequences for plant cell physiology has been termed as “oxidative stress.” Regulation of redox environment and ROS signals via the cross talk of ROS with various signaling agents within plants’ cell requires a high degree of coordination in different cellular compartments. In this present chapter, we provide an update on ROS generation, scavenging, and redox signaling in the context of plant abiotic stress tolerance. Unraveling destabilizing and stabilizing factors of ROS homeostasis and signaling in plants under biotic and abiotic stress environment may provide a detailed exploration of ROS/antioxidative signature-related kinetics that can help in designing new and sustainable innovative ways and means for (a) mounting proper acclimation response, (b) monitoring/increasing overall plants’ fitness in improving health and productivity of plants under the influence of various stress conditions, and (c) identification and characterization of new targets and key regulator ROS-signaling transduction pathways which may provide excellent future candidates for breeding/engineering stress-resilient crop plants.

Being sessile organisms, plants face several environmental perturbations throughout their life cycle and have therefore developed an array of responses and adaptive mechanisms to various abiotic stress conditions for survival and growth. One of the vital adaptive mechanisms is stimulated synthesis and accumulation of small organic molecules, known as compatible solutes/osmolytes for maintaining the cellular integrity and help cells to function normally under stressed conditions. These multifunctional biochemical entities most commonly include the betaines (b-alanine betaine, glycine betaine, proline betaine), sugars (glucose, fructose, fructan, raffinose, trehalose), sulfonium compounds (choline sulfate, dimethyl sulfonium propionate), polyols (mannitol, glycerol, sorbitol, initol), polyamines (spermine, spermidine, putrescine) and amino acids (proline, glutamine). Owing to their significance in maintaining normal cellular functions under harsh conditions, they have emerged as potent targets for genetic manipulations for engineering abiotic stress tolerance in major crop plants. This chapter is an attempt to provide an update on different classes of compatible solutes, their differential accumulation and roles under abiotic stress conditions and transgenic technologies implemented to improve abiotic stress tolerance in plants through engineering compatible solutes biosynthetic pathways.

Ethno-pharmacological relevance The underground parts of Aquilegia fragrans are traditionally used for the treatment of wounds and various inflammatory diseases like bovine mastitis. However, there are no reports on the phytochemical characterization and antibacterial studies of A . fragrans. Aim of the study To isolate compounds from the methanol extract of the underground parts of A . fragrans and determine their antibacterial activity against the pathogens of bovine mastitis. The study was undertaken in order to scientifically validate the traditional use of A . fragrans . Materials and methods Five compounds were isolated from the methanol extract of the underground parts of A . fragrans using silica gel column chromatography. Structural elucidation of the isolated compounds was done using spectral data analysis and comparison with literature. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for the qualitative and quantitative determination of isolated compounds in the crude methanol extract. The methanol extract and isolated compounds were evaluated for antibacterial activities against mastitis pathogens using broth micro-dilution technique. Results The five isolated compounds were identified as (1) 2, 4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid methyl ester (2) β-sitosterol (3) Aquilegiolide (4) Glochidionolactone-A and (5) Magnoflorine. A quick and sensitive HPLC method was developed for the first time for qualitative and quantitative determination of four isolated marker compounds from A . fragrans. The crude methanol extract and compound 5 exhibited weak antibacterial activities that varied between the bacterial species (MIC=500–3000 µg/ml). Conclusions The above results show that the crude methanol extract and isolated compounds from A . fragrans exhibit weak antibacterial activities. Further phytochemical and pharmacological studies are required for proper scientific validation of the folk use of this plant species in the treatment of various inflammatory diseases like bovine mastitis.

This article presents the isolation, quantification and antioxidant evaluation of bioactive principles from Epimedium elatum. LC-MS guided isolation technique was applied for the separation of target constituents. Three isolates; magnoflorine, chrysin and dibenzylideneacetone (DBA) were isolated for the first time from E. elatum using LC-MS guided isolation method. Nine natural products, viz. icariin, epimedoside A, epimedin A, epimedin B, epimedin C, ikarisoside C, baohuoside II, magnoflorine and chrysin were simultaneously quantified by reverse phase HPLC-UV-DAD method. The HPLC method was validated in terms of precision and accuracy. Excellent specificity and linearity within test ranges for all standard calibration curves having regression coefficient of different linear equations in the range of 0.9966-0.9999 were observed. Relative recovery rates varied between 98.09±0.44 and 105.34±1.89% with relative standard deviation of less than 3%. This modified HPLC method is in accordance with yinyanghuo. All the 10 isolated constituents were screened for DPPH radical scavenging activity. Dibenzylideneacetone (DBA) turned out to be the most potent isolate with IC(50) of 4.32 μM.

Sclareol, a promising anticancer labdane diterpene, was isolated from Salvia sclarea. Keeping the basic stereochemistry-rich framework of the molecule intact, a method for the synthesis of novel sclareol analogues was designed using palladium(II)-catalyzed oxidative Heck coupling reaction in order to study their structure-activity relationship. Both sclareol and its derivatives showed an interesting cytotoxicity profile, with 15-(4-fluorophenyl)sclareol (SS-12) as the most potent analogue, having IC50 = 0.082 μM against PC-3 cells. It was found that SS-12 commonly interacts with Bcl-2 and Beclin 1 BH3 domain proteins and enhances autophagic flux by modulating autophagy-related proteins. Moreover, inhibition of autophagy by autophagy inhibitors protected against SS-12-induced apoptosis. Finally, SS-12 effectively suppressed tumor growth in vivo in Ehrlich's ascitic and solid Sarcoma-180 mouse models.

Using β-sitosterol and stigmasterol as precursor materials, a concise and efficient hemisynthesis of aromatase inhibitors: testololactone and testolactone was accomplished in a well-established reaction scheme. It involves highly effective Oppaneur oxidation of both β-sitosterol as well as stigmasterol to generate the required enone moiety in ring 'A' of the desired steroid system. The Oppaneur oxidation products of both β-sitosterol and stigmasterol were then subjected to oxidative cleavage of the side chain to produce 4-androstene-3,17-dione. Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of 4-androstene-3,17-dione using m-CPBA yielded testololactone. Dehydrogenation of 4-androstene-3,17-dione using phenylselenyl chloride in ethyl acetate followed by selenoxide elimination with H2O2 in dichloromethane furnished androstenedienone. Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of the resulting androstenedienone yielded the desired testolactone (overall yield 33%). This expeditious reaction scheme may be exploited for the bulk production of aromatase inhibitors (especially testolactone marketed under the brand name Teslac) from the most abundant and naturally occurring phytosterols like β-sitosterol.

Tea (Camellia sinensis) plants are continuously exposed to a wide range of biotic and abiotic stresses. Being a perennial monoculture crop, tea relatively provides a favorable niche for more than 1000 arthropod pests and numerous disease-causing microorganisms. Abiotic stress factors such as drought, temperature, waterlogging, salinity, and nutrient stress considerably constrain the growth, productivity, and quality of tea plants. At present, global climatic changes have made notable impact in tea with a decline in its productivity. The main biotic and abiotic stresses that affect tea plants in the field are being extensively studied. Each stress elicits a complex molecular cascade starting from perception of stress to initiation of signal transduction and its manifestation in cellular and metabolic level. Construction of genetic map, by application of conventional molecular marker technologies, has been difficult in tea due to the problems of self-incompatibility, the absence of pure inbreed lines, high heterozygosity, 15 pairs of chromosomes, and large genome size. However, novel approaches such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have successfully helped in identification of several candidate genes which are responsible for biotic and abiotic stress regulation in different plants. It has accelerated the process of large-scale single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) discovery and genotyping in tea, thus, facilitating the construction of high-density genetic maps. The landmark tea whole genome will lead to identification and mapping of quantitative trait loci related to agronomical important traits underlying biotic and abiotic stress. It will also aid in comparative genomic analysis, marker-assisted selection, and map-based cloning for developing stress-tolerant tea plants.