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Water and nutrients scarcity are the two major factors for yield reduction in many wheat-producing areas of the world. Drought stress also restricts micronutrient uptake and thus induces micronutrient deficiency. Zinc is the most important micronutrient for abiotic stress tolerance. A field trial was conducted from 2013 to 2015 to study the effect of foliar application of zinc under normal (100% field capacity) and water deficit (60% field capacity) conditions on quantitative and qualitative aspects of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. var. Faisalabad-08). Three Zn levels (0, 0.1%, and 0.2% by using ZnSO4. 7H2O) were foliar sprayed at the vegetative and reproductive stages of wheat. Obtained results revealed that the growth, yield traits, photosynthetic pigments, and WUE were negatively affected by lower water supply. Zinc foliar application did not affect yield under normal irrigation conditions, however, under water deficit foliar application of 0.2% Zn enhanced grain yield to 25–40%. Zinc foliar spray at both vegetative and reproductive stages increased the chlorophyll contents and WUE. Zinc contents of wheat grain were more when 0.1% Zn was sprayed at the reproductive stage or 0.2% Zn at the vegetative stage. Thus, the foliar application of Zn is a promising short-term approach to improve productivity and grain nutrient content in wheat under water deficit stress. Furthermore, the timing and rate of Zn application could be helpful for the efficient use of water for increasing grain yield.

Alkaline stress has been considered a major environmental threat to plant growth and agricultural production. Even though the mechanisms have been characterized in some plants, the information about the alkaline stress-induced defense responses in soybean is insufficient. To identify defense related genes, the transcriptional profiles of soybean seedlings were examined using RNA sequencing under alkaline stress. The results showed that a total of 4603 genes were up-regulated and 1659 were down-regulated compared to expression in control plants. Further, the functional enrichment analysis showed that these differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched in 43 pathways and mainly associated with catalytic activity and binding, metabolic process, cellular process and cell progress. Then, 19 transcription factors from AP2-EREBF, MYB families and isoflavone related genes were chosen and identified to be induced under alkaline stress by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Taken together, our results highlight the differentially expressed genes and identify a set of genes associated with the response to alkaline stress, which findings establish a foundation for further analyses of soybean alkaline stress tolerance mechanisms. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13102818.2021.1976078 .

PABA (p-aminobenzoic acid) is an important substrate for the synthesis of various biological scaffolds. Its pharmacological significance is apparent form the drugs like folic acid and benzocaine, which are used for certain biological disorders. Although, it is not a vitamin but still it is referred as a member of vitamin B. The deficiency of PABA leads to several disorders like erratic white areas of skin, grey hair, fatigue, depression and irritability. Besides its medicinal importance, PABA has been used in the synthesis of various biologically active heterocyclic nuclei like benzimidazoles, azitidinones, thiazolidinones, pyrazoline, etc. This review will describe the applications of PABA in the synthesis of these biologically active nuclei and hence emphasizing its importance as a versatile substrate.

With advancements in the automated industry, electromagnetic inferences (EMI) have been increasing over time, causing major distress among the end-users and affecting electronic appliances. The issue is not new and major work has been done, but unfortunately, the issue has not been fully eliminated. Therefore, this review intends to evaluate the previous carried-out studies on electromagnetic shielding materials with the combination of Graphene@Iron, Graphene@Polymer, Iron@Polymer and Graphene@Iron@Polymer composites in X-band frequency range and above to deal with EMI. VOSviewer was also used to perform the keyword analysis which shows how the studies are interconnected. Based on the carried-out review it was observed that the most preferable materials to deal with EMI are polymer-based composites which showed remarkable results. It is because the polymers are flexible and provide better bonding with other materials. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polyaniline (PANI), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) are effective in the X-band frequency range, and PDMS, epoxy, PVDF and PANI provide good shielding effectiveness above the X-band frequency range. However, still, many new combinations need to be examined as mostly the shielding effectiveness was achieved within the X-band frequency range where much work is required in the higher frequency range.

Diabetes is a complex metabolic disorder and different environmental toxicants including heavy metals have been involved in diabetes induction. Therefore, assessment of the environmental risk factors and heavy metals induced toxicity have become critical for reducing the consequences of metals pollutants. Previously, we reported heavy metals induced nephrotoxicity in non-diabetic and diabetic rats. Here, we extended our analysis by examining the heavy metals induced organs (heart, kidney, liver, pancreas, and spleen) damage in diabetic and non-diabetic Wistar rats using histopathology and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Following the generation of the diabetic rat model, the animals were exposed to heavy metals including lead (Pb), arsenic (As), manganese (Mn) and cadmium (Cd). Both non-diabetic and diabetic rats were exposed to heavy metals for 30 days and subsequently, the heart, kidney, liver, pancreas and spleen tissues were examined. Heavy metal treatment resulted in irregularly arranged myofibrils and vacuolization in the heart tissue of metal treated groups as evident from hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) staining. The kidney tissue of rats treated with heavy metals showed tubular degeneration, fibrosis, hemorrhage, and vacuolation. The liver of the heavy metals treated rats exhibited cellular degeneration and necrosis. The pancreatic tissue of streptozotocin injected untreated and metal treated rats revealed severe degeneration, necrosis, degranulation, shrinkage, and depression in the islets of Langerhans. Increased red pulp area and congestion were observed in the spleen of the metal mixture treated non-diabetic and diabetic rats. In line with the histological data, the qRT-PCR analysis showed downregulated expression of Bcl2 and upregulation of Caspase-3 in non-diabetic and diabetic metal treated rats as compared to the non-diabetic untreated rats. In conclusion, the present study revealed, diabetic rats are more prone to metal alone as well as metal mixture induced organ damage as compared to non-diabetic rats.

Chickpea is considered among the most important leguminous crops in the world. However, in recent years drought conditions and/or limited availability of water have significantly reduced the production of chickpea. The current study was aimed to understand the legume stress response at the metabolic level for the determination of chickpea genotypes which can resist yield losses and could be cultivated with limited water availability. Here, we have analyzed two genotypes of chickpea, desi and kabuli under rainfed condition using a GC–MS based untargeted metabolomics approach. Results revealed significant differences in several metabolite features including oxalic acid, threonic acid, inositol, maltose and l-proline between studied groups. Accumulation of plant osmoprotectants such as l-proline, sugars and sugar alcohols was higher in desi genotype than kabuli genotype of chickpea when grown under the rainfed condition. Metabolic pathway analysis suggests that the inositol phosphate metabolism was involved in plant defense mechanisms against the limited water availability.

Pesticides, widely used in agricultural fields, eventually washed into surface waters, affecting a wide range of non-target organisms, including marine biota. In order to evaluate the response of two filamentous cyanobacteria isolated from marine environment, Pseudanabaena sp. (MB.1007) and Leptolyngbya sp. (MB.1010) were exposed to different concentration of technical grades (5–100 μg.mL−1) and formulated commercial products (5–500 μg.mL−1) of cypermethrin and deltamethrin. Morphological parameters, growth rates, photosynthetic pigments, carbohydrates, lipids, ash, moisture, and protein contents were estimated. Cypermethrin at concentrations up to 20 μg.mL−1 stimulated growth rates, photosynthetic pigments, and biochemical parameters while deltamethrin showed inhibitory effects. Cypermethrin treated cells exhibited significant survivability as compared to those treated with deltamethrin. Analysis of recovered pesticides from the treated media showed the efficiency of both strains in pyrethroid removal. Pseudanabaena sp. (MB.1007) was found to be more efficient with up to 98.0% for cypermethrin and 99.0% for deltamethrin removal as compare to Leptolyngbya sp. (MB.1010) which showed removal efficiency of 82.0% for cypermethrin and 97.8% for deltamethrin. After removal study, a total of 35 chemical constituents have been identified from four different pooled culture media including 13 hydrocarbons (6, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 31–33 and 35), 8 fatty alcohols and their derivatives (1, 2, 4, 7, 17, 20, 30, and 34), 8 aromatics including 2 phthalates (13 and 24), a fatty ketone (8), a furan (9), a fatty acid ester (23) and a fulvene (26). 3-phenoxy-benzaldehyde (3) and 1-(2-methyl-cyclopropyl)-ethanone (29), the degradation products of cypermethrin and deltamethrin, were also identified from the media exploiting GCMS.

The heavy metal ions originating from the various point and nonpoint sources seriously threatening the lotic ecosystem by posing severe health crises to the aquatic organisms of higher trophic levels. The freshwater turtles with delicate body structure and devoid of any hardcovers are prone to higher heavy metal bioaccumulation risks. The present study was conducted to determine heavy metals bioaccumulation in three soft-shelled and hard-shelled freshwater turtle species in Pakistan. We collected the water samples and cadaver turtle bodies at both sites and transported them to the laboratory for heavy metal content evaluation. The skeletal muscles (1 g) and water samples (100 ml) were processed by acid digestion and prepared metals analyses by AAS. The results indicated that the mean concentrations of Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn) and Cadmium (Cd) were significantly lower, while Nickel (Ni), Cobalt (Co), Lead (Pb) and Chromium (Cr) were significantly higher at both sites compared with world health organization (WHO, 2004) standards. Muscles of softshell turtle (Lissemys punctata) showed the maximum bioaccumulation of targeted metals than other two species of hard-shell turtles i.e. Cu (7.61 ± 1.88), Zn (49.17 ± 4.11), Ni (2.77 ± 0.41), Cd (0.21 ± 0.02), Co (3.31 ± 0.43), Pb (4.70 ± 0.62) and Cr (6.09 ± 0.39). The mean concentrations of Cu, Ni, Pb, and Cr were maximum in water and turtle species muscles collected from Trimmu Barrage. In conclusion, the heavy metal loads in water and bioaccumulation patterns in the skeletal muscles of freshwater turtle species illustrated species and location-based variations with overall similar pattern corroborations among the sequence of heavy presence levels.

The process of etiolation contributes significantly to vegetative propagation and root formation of woody plants. However, the molecular interaction pattern of different factors for etiolated adventitious root development in woody plants remains unclear. In the present study, we explored the changes at different etiolation stages of adventitious root formation in Robinia pseudoacacia. Histological and transcriptomic analyses were performed for the etiolated lower portion of hypocotyls to ascertain the adventitious root responses. We found that the dark-treated hypocotyls formed roots earlier than the control. Exogenous application of NAA (0.3 mg/L) stimulated the expressions of about 310 genes. Among these, 155 were upregulated and 155 were downregulated. Moreover, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in multiple pathways, including the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, metabolic pathway, plant hormone signal transduction, starch and sucrose metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and carbon metabolism. These pathways could play a significant role during adventitious root formation in etiolated hypocotyls. The findings of this study can provide novel insights and a foundation for further studies to elucidate the connection between etiolation and adventitious root formation in woody plants.

Alkaline phosphatase (AP) and ecto-5'-nucleotidase (e5'NT) belong to same family that hydrolyze the extracellular nucleotides and ensure the bioavailability of nucleotides and nucleosides at purinergic receptors. During pathophysiological conditions, the over expression of AP and e5'NT lead to an increased production of adenosine that enhance tumor proliferation, invasiveness, neoangiogenesis and disrupts the body antitumor response. As both enzymes are abundantly expressed in above mentioned conditions, therefore it is of great interest to synthesize and develop potent inhibitors of these enzymes that augment the antitumor therapy. Herein we reported the synthesis and biological activity of a new series of chalcone-sulfonamide hybrids (4a-j). These derivatives were then evaluated for their inhibitory potential against two members of ecto-nucleotidase family, e5'NT (human and rat) and APs isozyme (intestinal and tissue nonspecific). Only six derivatives were found to inhibit both human and rat e5'NT enzymes. Compounds 4e and 4d showed maximum inhibition of human and rat e5'NT with an IC50±SEM=0.26±0.01 and 0.33±0.004μM, respectively. Moreover, on APs, these derivatives were identified as the selective inhibitors of calf intestinal AP (c-IAP). The derivative 4a exhibited maximum inhibition of c-IAP with an IC50±SEM=0.12±0.02μM. In conclusion, these chalcone-sulfonamide hybrids exhibited dual inhibition of both family of isozymes but was more selective towards c-IAP enzyme.

We have investigated the protective potential of methanol extract of Iphiona aucheri (IAM) on the expression of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress associated genes and inflammatory genes on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced hepatic toxicity in rats. Hepatic damage markers: aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and bilirubin were elevated while the content of antioxidants: catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in CCl4 treated rats as compared to the control group. The CCl4 intoxication induced a higher expression of glucose-regulated protein 78 kDa (GRP78), X-box-binding protein 1 total (XBP1t), spliced X-box-binding protein 1 (XBP1s), unspliced X-box-binding protein 1 (XBP1u), C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) and genes involved in inflammation and fibrosis: tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), mothers against DPP homolog 3 (SMAD3), alpha skeletal muscle actin (αSMA) and collagen type I alpha 1 chain (COL1A1). The intoxicated rats showed a low expression of the glutamate–cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC), protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) and nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2) like-2 (Nrf2). The administration of IAM to intoxicated rats restored the expression of ER stress, inflammatory, fibrosis and antioxidant genes in a dose dependent manner. Our results indicated that IAM can impede the ER stress and inflammatory genes and it could be a complementary and alternative therapeutic agent for oxidative stress associated disorders.

Levels of sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), calcium (Ca+2) and magnesium (Mg+2) ions were determined in the root, leaf and petiole of cultivated Sassurea lappa plant collected from Pakistan Forest Institute, Peshawar. The same ions were also analyzed in root (b) of the same plant collected from Koza Gali, Abbottabad as well as in wild plant root (c) of Kashmir hills. Potassium (K+) and sodium (Na+) in the medicinal plant, S. lappa were determined by using flame photometer (Jenway PFP 7) while Ca+2 and Mg+2 contents were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Hitachi Z-800). Significant differences were observed among all the tested samples. However, the highest level of K+ was 1886.45 µMg-1 found in cultivated plant petiole and its lowest concentration was 385.351 µMg-1 observed in shoot derived callus (callus a). Sodium content (Na+) was found higher in shoot callus (callus a) while magnesium (Mg+2) concentration was observed high (109.349 µMg-1) in root (b) collected from Koza Gali, Abbottabad and their lower concentrations were 102 µMg-1 and 47.432 µMg-1 found in petiole and wild plant root (root c) respectively. The lowest concentration was found in case of Ca+2 in comparison of other elements. The levels of all the selected elements were highly varied in the anatomical parts of the same cultivated plant, shoot and root derived calli and between the varied regions plant roots except Ca+2. The overall levels of the elements were found in the order: K+ > Na+ > Mg+2 > Ca+2. Keywords: Saussurea lappa; In vitro culture; Calli; Major elements http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2019.80087

The influence of varying concentrations of tannery wastewater was studied on cotton and brinjal plants. Tannery effluents were provided at 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% concentrations and data for various growth, biochemical and ion attributes were recorded successively at 20, 40 and 60 days after effluent treatments. Plant treated with different effluent exhibited a prominent reduction in growth traits of root and shoot at all three harvests. Maximum inhibition in growth was evident at 50% effluent application followed by 40% and 30% respectively. The increasing effluent concentrations inversely inhibited NRA activity and reduced total soluble proteins in both the plant species. A concentration dependant bioaccumulation of chromium and sodium was recorded while potassium and calcium ions exhibited reduction. Brinjal plants had higher Cr bioaccumulation (at all harvests) compared with cotton plants. In an overall assessment, irrigation with tannery effluents at all concentrations especially at 40% and 50% concentrations were toxic for both cotton and brinjal cultivation and it is further proposed that leather tannery effluent should not the used for irrigation of agricultural fields.

Majority of plants are linked below-ground through common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs). The formation of CMNs between the roots of conspecific and heterospecific plant individuals influences the distribution of limiting nutrients, e.g., nitrogen (N) among the interconnected plants. In various ecosystems, the availability of N is being increased substantially; however, the effect of elevated N on the existence and functionality of CMNs in semi-arid regions of Inner Mongolia remains largely unexplored. Therefore, to verify the development of CMNs and their functionality under increasing N concentration, we incorporated different levels of N fertilizer, i.e., N0 = 0, N1 = 7.06, N2 = 14.12, and N3 = 21.18 mg kg−1, and established Leymus chinensis (L. chinensis) as a donor and the recipient plant in a specially designed portioned root-box. For the establishment of CMNs among the plants, compartments were separated via 37 μm mesh. The 15N isotope tracer technique and microscopic analysis evidenced the presence of CMNs because the extraradical hyphae originated from the donor side and crossed 37 μm mesh of the recipient plant compartment. The 15N recovery was highest at N1 in the donor (18.38%) and recipient (7.89%) plants, while the average transfer rate of 15N to recipient plant was 21–65% with a maximum transfer rate at N2 treatment. The establishment of CMNs significantly improved the donor and recipient plants chlorophyll contents and plant biomass at low N levels. Moreover, the AM fungal extraradical hyphae also released a special kind of protein called glomalin-related soil proteins (GRSPs) that improved the soil structure in terms of mean weight diameter (MWD), thereby improving the soil organic carbon (SOC). Interestingly, the mycorrhizal network had a more profound impact on its neighboring plants than the host plant. In short, the present investigation emphasizes the presence of CMNs in the typical steppe of Inner Mongolia with vital roles in nutrient transfer and improvement of plant growth and soil properties.

A series of aromatic/aliphatic ferroceneyl-esters (E1–E10) was synthesized by condensation of 4-ferrocenyl benzoic acid (FB) with various alcohols (A1–A10). Structural elucidation of these esters was carried out by FT-IR, 1HNMR and UV–visible spectroscopic studies. Single crystal X-ray analysis was used to investigate solid state structure of E1, E4 and E8. DFT calculations were carried out at hybrid B3LYP level of theory using Density Gauss Double-Zeta with polarization functions full-electron basis sets to support the experimental data. Calculated structural parameters and FTIR vibrational frequencies of the optimized geometries were congruent to the experimental data. The interaction of the esters with double stranded chicken blood DNA was studied by cyclic voltammetry and absorption spectroscopic methods. Negative potential shift in cyclic voltammetric and the hyperchromic shift in UV–vis spectroscopy suggested external interaction (groove binding). Interaction of ferrocenyl esters with DNA were found electrostatic in nature. Free energies of ferrocenyl esters-DNA complexes indicated spontaneity of their binding.

A range of 3-alkynylated 3-deoxy-estrones were prepared by Sonogashira reactions and transformed into estrone derived diones and quinoxalines. The alkynylated estrones and their derivatives exhibit significant biological activity as alkaline phosphatase inhibitors. The mode of action was illustrated based on docking studies.

Two phenol based esters phenyl benzoate (OE1) and 1-naphthyl benzoate (OE2) were synthesized from phenol/1-naphthol and benzoyl chloride respectively. The structural elucidation of the synthesized compounds was accomplished by spectroscopic studies (FTIR, 1H NMR & GC-MS) and single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate) free radical and hydrogen peroxide activities were performed to evaluate the antioxidant capabilities of the synthesized esters. The compounds (OE1 & OE2) showed DPPH scavenging activity in concentration dependent manner with IC50 values 605.6 μM and 1138.7 μM correspondingly. Similarly, in hydrogen peroxide assay, OE1 and OE2 exhibited moderate activity with IC50 values 1510.2 μM and 1069.4 μM respectively. Molecular docking of the compounds was carried out to predict their antioxidant binding mechanism against target protein using the MOE suite. The structure−activity relationship analysis showed that replacing the phenyl ring by naphthyl significantly influences their activity. Geometrical studies of the compounds have been performed by both semi-empirical and DFT methods; results reveal an excellent convergence of experimental and theoretical structural parameters. A detailed bonding investigation of each compound has been performed by NBO and Bader’s AIM analysis to obtain inter and intramolecular interactions.

The present study was conducted to examine the nephrotoxic effects of heavy metals including lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), arsenic (As), and cadmium (Cd) in diabetic and non-diabetic Wistar rats. Animals were exposed to heavy metals for 30 days, Pb was injected as lead acetate (C4H6O4Pb), Mn was injected as manganese chloride (MnCl2), Cd was injected as cadmium chloride (CdCl2), and As was administered orally to rats in the form of sodium arsenite (AsO2Na). Results showed that metal deposition trends in tissues were Pb > As > Cd > Mn and the urinary metal levels were Pb > Cd > As > Mn. Diabetic metal alone, as well as metal mixture-treated groups, showed decreased urinary metal levels as compared with non-diabetic metal alone and metal mixture-treated groups. Both diabetic- and non-diabetic metal mixture-treated groups revealed an increasing trend of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine. In addition, heavy metal treatments resulted in elevated malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the kidney tissue while decreased levels of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione (GHS) were observed in the kidney tissue in comparison with the control group. The histological analysis of the kidney tissues showed tubular degeneration, fibrosis, and vacuolation as a result of heavy metal exposure. The present study revealed that co-exposure of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Mn, As) induced more nephrotoxicity as compared with the metal alone treatment. Moreover, diabetic Wistar rats are more prone to kidney damage as a result of heavy metal exposure.

Here we first found that GsERF71, an ERF factor from wild soybean could increase plant alkaline stress tolerance by up-regulating H+-ATPase and by modifing the accumulation of Auxin. Alkaline soils are widely distributed all over the world and greatly limit plant growth and development. In our previous transcriptome analyses, we have identified several ERF (ethylene-responsive factor) genes that responded strongly to bicarbonate stress in the roots of wild soybean G07256 (Glycine soja). In this study, we cloned and functionally characterized one of the genes, GsERF71. When expressed in epidermal cells of onion, GsERF71 localized to the nucleus. It can activate the reporters in yeast cells, and the C-terminus of 170 amino acids is essential for its transactivation activity. Yeast one-hybrid and EMSA assays indicated that GsERF71 specifically binds to the cis-acting elements of the GCC-box, suggesting that GsERF71 may participate in the regulation of transcription of the relevant biotic and abiotic stress-related genes. Furthermore, transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing GsERF71 showed significantly higher tolerance to bicarbonate stress generated by NaHCO3 or KHCO3 than the wild type (WT) plants, i.e., the transgenic plants had greener leaves, longer roots, higher total chlorophyll contents and lower MDA contents. qRT-PCR and rhizosphere acidification assays indicated that the expression level and activity of H+-ATPase (AHA2) were enhanced in the transgenic plants under alkaline stress. Further analysis indicated that the expression of auxin biosynthetic genes and IAA contents were altered to a lower extent in the roots of transgenic plants than WT plants under alkaline stress in a short-term. Together, our data suggest that GsERF71 enhances the tolerance to alkaline stress by up-regulating the expression levels of H+-ATPase and by modifying auxin accumulation in transgenic plants.

In the present study, the nuclear factor-Y subunit B (GmNFYB1) gene, induced by abscisic acid (ABA), 8% polyethylene-glycol (PEG) 6000, and NaCl, was cloned from soybean. GmNFYB1 is located in the ...

Owing to the biological importance of cyclic sulfonamides (sultams), herein we report a new, facile and cost-effective method for the synthesis of sultams that makes use of a reaction between dansyl amide and easily accessible benzaldehydes under mildly acidic conditions. All compounds were obtained in good yields (69-96%). Consequently a series of cyclic sulfonamides (7a-7n) was synthesized and characterized using FTIR, MS and NMR spectroscopy, crystal structure of compound 7b has also been determined. All compounds were evaluated for their potential to inhibit alkaline phosphatase (bTNAP and bIAP). All compounds were found to be excellent inhibitors of bTNAP with IC50 values in lower micro-molar range (0.11-6.63μM). Most of the compounds were selective inhibitors of bTNAP over bIAP. Only six compounds were found to be active against bIAP (IC50 values in the range 0.38-3.48μM). Molecular docking studies were carried out to identify and rationalize the structural elements necessary for efficient AP inhibition.

A series of isonicotinohydrazide derivatives was synthesized and tested against recombinant human and rat ecto-5'-nucleotidases (h-e5'NT and r-e5'NT) and alkaline phosphatase isozymes including both bovine tissue-non-specific alkaline phosphatase (b-TNAP) and tissue-specific calf intestinal alkaline phosphatase (c-IAP). These enzymes are implicated in vascular calcifications, hypophosphatasia, solid tumors, and cancers, such as colon, lung, breast, pancreas, and ovary. All tested compounds were active against both enzymes. The most potent inhibitor of h-e5'NT was derivative (E)-N'-(1-(3-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)ethylidene)isonicotinohydrazide (3j), whereas derivative (E)-N'-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)isonicotinohydrazide (3g) exhibited significant inhibitory activity against r-e5'NT. In addition, the derivative (E)-N'-(4'-chlorobenzylidene)isonicotinohydrazide (3a) was most potent inhibitor against calf intestinal alkaline phosphatase and the derivative (E)-N'-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)isonicotinohydrazide (3g) was found to be most potent inhibitor of bovine tissue-non-specific alkaline phosphatase. Furthermore, putative binding modes of potent compounds against e5'NT (human and rat e5'NT) and AP (including b-TNAP and c-IAP) were determined computationally.

This is an original study focus on ERF gene response to alkaline stress. GsERF6 functions as transcription factor and significantly enhanced plant tolerance to bicarbonate (HCO 3 − ) in transgenic Arabidopsis . Alkaline stress is one of the most harmful, but little studied environmental factors, which negatively affects plant growth, development and yield. The cause of alkaline stress is mainly due to the damaging consequence of high concentration of the bicarbonate ion, high-pH, and osmotic shock to plants. The AP2/ERF family genes encode plant-specific transcription factors involved in diverse environmental stresses. However, little is known about their physiological functions, especially in alkaline stress responses. In this study, we functionally characterized a novel ERF subfamily gene, GsERF6 from alkaline-tolerant wild soybean (Glycine soja). In wild soybean, GsERF6 was rapidly induced by NaHCO3 treatment, and its overexpression in Arabidopsis enhanced transgenic plant tolerance to NaHCO3 challenge. Interestingly, GsERF6 transgenic lines also displayed increased tolerance to KHCO3 treatment, but not to high pH stress, implicating that GsERF6 may participate specifically in bicarbonate stress responses. We also found that GsERF6 overexpression up-regulated the transcription levels of bicarbonate-stress-inducible genes such as NADP-ME, H +-Ppase and H +-ATPase, as well as downstream stress-tolerant genes such as RD29A, COR47 and KINI. GsERF6 overexpression and NaHCO3 stress also altered the expression patterns of plant hormone synthesis and hormone-responsive genes. Conjointly, our results suggested that GsERF6 is a positive regulator of plant alkaline stress by increasing bicarbonate ionic resistance specifically, providing a new insight into the regulation of gene expression under alkaline conditions.

A biodegradable organic alkaline salt (trisodium nitrilotriacetate) was used in the batch process of dyeing cotton fabrics with fiber-reactive dyes replacing the conventionally used inorganic salt, sodium chloride, and inorganic alkali, sodium carbonate. The comparative dyeing results were evaluated for color yield, colorfastness, and total dissolved substances (TDS) content of the effluent. Variables affecting dyeing results such as salt/alkali concentration, dye fixation temperature and time were studied. The color yield and colorfastness of the dyed fabrics using trisodium nitrilotriacetate were very similar to those obtained using inorganic salt and inorganic alkali. The reduction in TDS content of the dyeing effluent, when using trisodium nitrilotriacetate, finally supported the aim of the work.

Adsorption is an environmental friendly process for removal and/or recovery of heavy metals from wastewater. In recent years, it has been substantiated as a popular technique to treat industrial waste effluents, with significant advantages. In this work, batchwise removal of chromium (III) ions from water by Polyalthia longifolia leaves was studied as a function of adsorbent dose, pH, contact time, and agitation speed. Surface characteristics of the leaves were evaluated by recording IR spectra. The Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin adsorption isotherms were employed to explain the sorption process. It was found that one gram of leaves can remove 1.87 mg of trivalent chromium when working at pH 3.0. It has been concluded that Polyalthia longifolia leaves can be used as cost-effective and benign adsorbents for removal of Cr(III) ions from wastewater.

In the molecule of the title compound, C20H17NP+·Cl−, the coordination around the P atom is slightly distorted tetrahedral. In the crystal structure, intermolecular C—H...N and C—H...Cl hydrogen bonds link the molecules. There is a π–π contact between the phenyl rings [centroid–centroid distance = 3.702 (3) Å].

Foliage and tuber fresh matter and chlorophyll content in cvs. Atom alue, Multa, Kufri, Desiree and Patrones were decreased with the increase in soil acidity. However, tuberization was enhanced at pH 5.5 and decreased significantly at pH 4.5 in all cultivars tested. At pH 4.5 the specific mass of all the cultivars was slightly increased. The highest content of reducing sugars and proteins was found at pH 5.5. No definite pattern was observed in total glycoalkaloids content under different acidic range.

Uniform porous anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane has been synthesized by two-step anodization for fabricating tungsten trioxide (WO3) nanowires. Under assayed conditions, uniform porous structure of alumina (Al2O3) membrane with long range ordered hexagonal arrangements of nanopores was achieved. The self-assembled template possesses pores of internal diameter of 50 nm and interpore distance (dint) of 80 nm with a thickness of about 80 µm, i.e., used for fabrication of nanostructures. WO3 nanowires have been fabricated by simple electroless deposition method inside Al2O3 nanopores. SEM images show tungsten trioxide nanowire with internal diameter of about 50 nm, similar to porous diameter of AAO template. XRD results showed that nanowires exist in cubic crystalline state with minor proportion of monoclinic phase.