Search

This study investigated the potential effect of cold plasma on reducing residues of pesticides diazinon and chlorpyrifos in apples and cucumbers and its effects on property of products. Two separate concentrations of each pesticide with 500 and 1,000 ppm were prepared and the samples were inoculated by dipping them into the solutions. All samples treated with pesticides were exposed to cold plasma in a monopole cold plasma apparatus (DBD) run at 10 and 13 kV voltages. Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) was used to remove pesticide residues from the samples. Eventually, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to measure the amount of pesticides in the samples. Also, to investigate generated metabolites, extracts were injected into a GC/MS apparatus. In addition, the effects of cold plasma on humidity, tissue hardness, color and the sugar percentage of products were analyzed. The results revealed that treatment of samples with cold plasma considerably reduced pesticide residues without leaving any traces of harmful or toxic substances. Furthermore, it did not have any undesirable effects on the color and texture of the samples. The efficiency of this method increased with higher voltage and longer exposure time. In general, the best results were obtained by the combination of 500 ppm concentration, 10 min exposure and 13 kV voltages. The residues of diazinon were reduced better than the residues of chlorpyrifos. Apples were detoxified much better than cucumbers. Also, cold plasma treatment transformed diazinon and chlorpyrifos pesticides into their less toxic metabolites. The results showed that with increased voltage and longer exposure time, cold plasma caused few changes in moisture and glucose content, texture hardness and color of products. Th ere were no significant difference between treated samples and control in all treatments.

The chemical composition of the volatile fraction obtained by head-space solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME), single drop microextraction (SDME) and the essential oil obtained by cold-press from the peels of C. sinensis cv. valencia were analyzed employing gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The main components were limonene (61.34 %, 68.27 %, 90.50 %), myrcene (17.55 %, 12.35 %, 2.50 %), sabinene (6.50 %, 7.62 %, 0.5 %) and α-pinene (0 %, 6.65 %, 1.4 %) respectively obtained by HS-SPME, SDME and cold-press. Then a quantitative structure-retention relationship (QSRR) study for the prediction of retention indices (RI) of the compounds was developed by application of structural descriptors and the multiple linear regression (MLR) method. Principal components analysis was used to select the training set. A simple model with low standard errors and high correlation coefficients was obtained. The results illustrated that linear techniques such as MLR combined with a successful variable selection procedure are capable of generating an efficient QSRR model for prediction of the retention indices of different compounds. This model, with high statistical significance (R2 train = 0.983, R2 test = 0.970, Q2 LOO = 0.962, Q2 LGO = 0.936, REP(%) = 3.00), could be used adequately for the prediction and description of the retention indices of the volatile compounds.

In this study, an optimized QuEChERS method combined with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) was employed to quantify residue levels. The amount of diazinon pesticide in peach and cherry samples at days after use with the permitted dose of 25 g was 1.66 mg/kg for peach samples and 1.82 mg/kg for cherry samples. The first-order kinetic model describes the loss patterns in all products, with half-lives of 1.8 days for the peach samples and 1.9 days for the cherry samples. Method validation was achieved based on the recovery percentage values obtained from the samples. The inter-day repeatability RSD% (n = 21) for peach and cherry samples was obtained as 13.2% and 15.6%, respectively. The intera-day RSD% (n = 7) for peach and cherry samples was 7.1% and 5.2%, respectively. The recovery values for the analysis of these samples were 92.5-106.2% and 92.0-102.0%, respectively. The proposed UHPLC method could selectively extract diazinon pesticides from peach, and cherry samples. Furthermore, the method employed in this research can be adapted for studying other pesticide compounds with low concentrations in fruits, water, and soil, highlighting the versatility of the method employed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclamen, a popular decorative plant, is commonly found in gardens and pots. Since wild Cyclamen are endangered, a study was conducted to explore the genetic potential of wild Cyclamen, focusing on their morphology and chromosomal diversity among eight accessions. A total of 23 phenotypic-biochemical traits were evaluated along with chromosome counting. The morphological measures showed a humble range of variation, particularly in the number of flowers, peduncle diameter, number of leaves, hypocotyl length, and hypocotyl weight, with the Kordkuy accession being the largest and the Deylaman accession the most seeded. Cyclamen chromosome counting indicated 15 chromosomal levels, implying a significant chromosomal diversity among the accessions, with the Pasand accession exhibiting the highest level of chromosomal diversity (14 chromosomal levels). Furthermore, only the Pasand accession had the greatest chromosomal level (2n=48) among the accessions. By describing the results based on the median, the smallest chromosomal diversity was recorded in the Kordkuy accession. Cyclamen accessions were divided into two main clusters and a single accession. The Kordkuy accession was separated from the other accessions. HCA analysis confirmed the separation of the Kordkuy accession from the other accessions, as expected from its superiority in most morphological traits. The current findings can be used for improving Cyclamen breeding programs as well as evolutionary studies. We suggest more focus on the utilization of wild genetic resources to conserve Cyclamen varieties and strengthen their genetic background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, investigation of one‐pot multicomponent reactions of (1E,6E)‐1,7‐bis(4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxyphenyl)hepta‐1,6‐diene‐3,5‐dione (curcumin), primary amines, and activated acetylenic compounds in an aqueous medium at room temperature in the presence of catalytic amounts of silica‐coated magnetic nanoparticles functionalized by iminodiacetic acid‐copper (Fe3O4@SiO2/IDA‐Cu) was studied which was produced 1,4‐dihydropyridine‐2,3‐dicarboxylate in high yields. The advantages of this procedure were easy separation of products and catalyst, high yields of products, reusability of synthesized catalyst, and good rate of reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, zinc oxide nanoparticles (Zn-NPs) were prepared by the green synthesis method and loaded inside niosomes as a drug release system and their physicochemical and biological properties were determined. Zn-NPs were prepared by the eco-friendly green strategy, the structure, and morphological properties were studied and loaded into niosomes. Subsequently, different formulations of niosomes containing Zn-NPs were prepared and the optimal formulation was used for biological studies. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were used to investigate the morphology and size of nanoparticles. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV–Vis were used to confirm the synthesis of Zn-NPs. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) determined the elemental analysis of the Zn-NPs synthesis solution and the crystalline structure of Zn-NPs was analysed by XRD (X-Ray diffraction). Furthermore, Zn-NPs were loaded inside the niosomes, and their structural characteristics, entrapment efficiency (EE%), the release profile of Zn-NPs, and their stability also were assessed. Moreover, its antimicrobial properties against some microbial pathogens, its effect on the expression of biofilm genes, and its anticancer activity on the breast cancer cell lines were also determined. To study the cytocompatibility, exposure of niosomes against normal HEK-293 cells was carried out. In addition, the impact of niosomes on the expression of genes involved in the apoptosis (Bcl2, Casp3, Casp9, Bax) at the mRNA level was measured. Our findings revealed that the Zn-NPs have a round shape and an average size of 27.60 nm. Meanwhile, UV–Vis, FTIR, and XRD results confirmed the synthesis of Zn-NPs. Also, the EE% and the size of the optimized niosomal formulation were 31.26% and 256.6 ± 12 nm, respectively. The release profile showed that within 24 h, 26% of Zn-NPs were released from niosomes, while in the same period, 99% of free Zn-NPs were released, which indicates the slow release of Zn-NPs from niosomes. Antimicrobial effects exhibited that niosomes containing Zn-NPs had more significant antimicrobial and anti-biofilm effects than Zn-NPs alone, the antimicrobial and anti-biofilm effects increased 2 to 4 times. Cytotoxic effects indicated that when Zn-NPs are loaded into niosomes, the anticancer activity increases compared to Zn-NPs alone and has low cytotoxicity on cancer cells. Niosomes containing ZnNPs increased the apoptosis-related gene expression level and reduced the Bcl2 genes. In general, the results show that niosomes can increase the biological effects of free Zn-NPs and therefore can be a suitable carrier for targeted delivery of Zn-NPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The drying process can preserve herbal products against pathogens and improve their shelf life and quality; however, drying techniques have different effects on the appearance and quality of final products. Accordingly, the present study assessed various drying techniques viz. sunlight, shade, oven (45, 55, and 65 °C), vacuum (45, 55, and 65 °C), and microwave (20, 400, and 600 W) on color and phytochemicals characteristics of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) plants with respect to total phenolic content (TPC), cannabidiol (CBD), and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), chlorophyll (Chl) content, and color properties using multivariate analysis. The results revealed that the highest CBD and THC were observed in plants dried in a microwave at 400 and 600 W, respectively. The TPC reached the highest amount in shade drying conditions and was followed by microwave at 400 W, and oven at 45 °C. Although Chl b mainly remained unchanged, Chl a represented the lower amount by increasing the temperature of drying methods, especially over 65 °C. The lightness (L*) and brightness (b*) of fresh leaves were higher than dried samples, while over 65 °C possessed their minimum amount of L*. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) showed three different clusters were determined as microwaves at 200, 400, and 600 W were placed in a distinguished cluster. Finally, this experiment suggested shade drying or minimum temperatures of the oven and vacuum techniques to reach constant color and phytochemicals, while microwaves can be recommended for CBD and THC, which can be useful in food and pharmacological industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports on the phytochemical analysis and antimicrobial activity evaluation of essential oils extracted from the aerial parts of Cleome khorassanica using both microwave-assisted water distillation (MAHD) and classical hydro distillation (HD). Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry was used to analyze the chemical composition of the essential oils. The main components identified in the MAHD-extracted oil were γ-Cadinene (34.29%) and δ-Cadinene (19.52%), while o-Isopropenyltoluene (46.7%) and Duodecyclic acid (10.96%) were the major components in the HD- extracted oil. The MAHD technique showed higher extraction efficiency in a shorter time than the conventional HD method. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oils was evaluated using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. The results showed that the essential oil and methanolic extract of Cleome khorassanica exhibited significant inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus alternata and Fusarium solani. Gram-positive bacteria and fungi were more susceptible to the essential oil than Gram-negative bacteria. Furthermore, the samples extracted by MAHD demonstrated better antimicrobial activity compared to the HD-extracted oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to identify the chemical compounds present in the essential oil of Cleome rostrata for the first time. C. rostrata belongs to the Cleome genus of the Cleomaceae family. The study was conducted to investigate the phytochemical composition, antimicrobial activity, and antioxidant potential of the aerial parts of C. rostrata. GC-MS analysis identified a total of 39 compounds. The major components of C. rostrata aerial parts were found to be farnesan (10.49%), 4-methyl-dodecan-1-ol (14.07%), 2,7-dimethylnaphthalene (4.81%), phytane (6.05%), and tetradecane, 4-methyl-(4.81%). The methanol extract of the plant was evaluated for its total flavonoid content using the aluminum chloride colorimetric method. The methanol extract of C. rostrata exhibited high total flavonoid content, measuring 18.04 mg/g extract. The methanolic extract also exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against three fungal strains and three Gram-positive bacterial strains. Notably, the highest activity was observed against Aspergillus niger at a concentration of 16 mg/mL. Moreover, the extract demonstrated potent antioxidant activity, as evidenced by its IC50 value of 202.48 µg/L in the DPPH test. These findings highlight the potential of C. rostrata as a source of natural antioxidants and antimicrobial agents with potential applications in food preservation and pharmaceuticals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, new derivatives of spirooxadiazepines were prepared using multicomponent reactions (MCRs) of ninhydrin, secondary amines, Melderum's acid, carbonyl compounds such as aldehyde or ketones and hydrazonoyl chloride in water at room temperature in the presence of baker's yeast as catalyst in good yields. The short time of reaction, high yields of product, and easy separation of them are some advantages of this procedure. Another work in this research is investigation of antioxidant property of some synthesized compounds by diphenyl-picrylhydrazine (DPPH) radical trapping experiment. Presently, bacteria that are not destroyed with drug have generated many problems in the performance of many transferable disease. For this reason, discovering appropriate and new procedures for the dealing with these pathogens are important and recent study have focused on the investigation of the antibacterial effects on the prepared compounds. Green chemistry is the use of a set of principles to reduce or eliminate the use or generation of unsafe materials in the design, fabrication, and applications of chemical products. Among solvents, water is a green solvents and very suitable for performing organic reaction. The present procedure avoids the use of toxic solvent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbal medicines are now in huge prospects in the developing and developed nation for basic health treatment. They are inexpensive and has minimal side effects. Cleome species are one of the potential sources of secondary metabolites which have high medicinal value and huge utility in healthcare development. In this study, in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of essential oils and ethanol extracts from various parts of two cleome species named Cleome brachycarpa (Forssk.) Vahl ex DC. and Cleome quinquenervia DC. were investigated. Antibacterial activities were determined using the MIC method against pathogenic bacteria and fungi responsible for common infections and antioxidant effects were determined by DPPH assays. Essential oils of both plants were performed better antimicrobial activities than their extracts. Also, in two tested plant oils and extracts, the antifungal properties showed better performance than antibacterial effects. In the DPPH radical scavenging assay, C. quinquenervia leaf and C. brachycarpa flower and oils showed the highest activities with IC50 values of 69 and 75 µg/ml, respectively. In the present study, the essential oils obtained by hydro distillation of the organs of C. quinquenervia and C. brachycarpa were analyzed by GC-MS. A total of 48 compounds were identified in C. quinquenervia essential oil and 19 compounds in C. brachycarpa essential oil. The dominant constituents assessed in the essential oil of C. quinquenervia were p- Caryophylline-(I3) (% 29), Dibutyl phthalate (% 13), ß_Element (% 11). In the case of C. brachycarpa, the main components of the total oil were: were Entsandaracopimaradien-3ß-ol (68.02%), Cembrene (6.98%), Juniper camphor (4.2%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, baker's yeast promoted one-pot synthesize of new 1,2,4-triazolpyrimidooxadiazole derivatives in high yields using multicomponent reactions of isatins, guanidine, alkyl bromides, aldehydes and hydrazonoyl chlorides in the presence of baker's yeast as a high performance catalyst in water at room temperature. Investigation of antioxidant ability of synthesized compounds using radical trapping of diphenyl-picrylhydrazine (DPPH) and ferric reduction power experiment is another purpose in this research. Also, the antimicrobial activity of some synthesized compounds proved by employing the disk diffusion test on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. This procedure has some benefits such as short reaction time, product with excellent yields and simple, efficient, inexpensive, and environment-friendly catalyst. Green chemistry is the use of a set of principles to reduce or eliminate the use or generation of unsafe materials in the design, fabrication and applications of chemical products. Among solvents, water is a green solvents and very suitable for performing organic reaction. The present procedure avoids the use of toxic solvent. 1,3,4-Oxadiazoles are a known class of compounds, reported to exhibit antibacterial, antifungal, analgesic and anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, hypoglycemic, and anticancer activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and succinic anhydride-modified CNC from bleached soda bagasse pulp under different parameters were used to remove Cd+2 and Pb+2 heavy metal ions from aqueous solution. The aim was to modify the chemical structure of cellulose nanocrystal using succinic anhydride and to investigate the effect of CNC and succinic anhydride-modified CNC on the adsorption capacity of heavy metal ions. The adsorption parameters included pH (3, 5, 6, and 8), contact time (30, 60, and 90 min), and initial metal ion concentration (40, 120, 200, and 280 ppm). It was found at all pHs that the adsorption capacity of the succinic anhydride-modified CNC adsorbent was much higher than that of the default CNC adsorbent, and this difference was greater at higher pHs. The results showed that the maximum metal ion adsorption was obtained at pH 6 for Pb+2 and Cd+2 ions. Both types of CNC had a higher adsorption capacity for lead ions than cadmium ions. To investigate the kinetic models of adsorption, the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetics model were used. Adsorption on unmodified adsorbent gave a better fit to the Langmuir model than the Freundlich model for both Pb+2 and Cd+2 metals. In addition, the adsorption mechanism was changed by modifying the adsorbent, and then it had better fit to the Freundlich adsorption model. Adsorption of cadmium and lead metals by adsorbents fit better to the pseudo-first-order kinetics model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an attempt to develop the methodologies used for oil spill clean-up, polyurethane sponge was modified by deposition of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles on the surface of the original polyurethane sponge under ultrasonic treatment. The fabrication process was facile and low-cost. The as-prepared magnetic sponge exhibited remarkable features including great porosity, high oil adsorption capacity, hydrophobicity, and reusability. In addition, the magnetic property of the modified sponge facilitated the process of oil-water separation. Indeed, the hydrophobicity of the modified sponge contributed to the adsorption of different types of oil and organic solvent on the sponge surface. The modified sponge exhibited the same characteristic peaks as those of the NiFe2O4 magnetic nanoparticles, ascertaining the formation of the crystalline nickel ferrite nanoparticles. The XRD and FTIR results proved the formation of the composite. FESEM images of the nanocomposite showed a highly porous mulberry-like structure with a rough skeleton. More importantly, the oil and water contact angle measurements proved the hydrophobicity of the modified sponge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparation of pyrazolo pyrimidinone derivatives was performed by using five component reactions of phthalaldehyde, cyanomethylamine, electron deficient acetylenic compounds, isocyanate, hydrazine, and catalytic amounts of ZnO/Fe3O4‐magnetic nanoparticles as a high performance catalyst under ultrasonic conditions at ambient temperature in aquause media at room temperature. It should be mentioned that this catalyst was prepared using Spinacia oleracea water extract. In addition, for investigation of antioxidant ability, radical trapping by DPPH and reducing power of ferric ion experiments was performed. As a result, synthesized compounds show excellent radical trapping by DPPH and good reducing ability of ferric ion. The current procedure has the benefits for instance excellent yield of reaction, green media, and easy separation of product and catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]