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The present study was conducted to study genomic profile of wild and mutant isolates of local soil fungal isolate Aspergillus flavipes strain for over-production of glucoamylase using RAPD markers. The study involves application of mutational strategies using chemical and physical mutagens on the potent fungal isolate and their screening studies thereafter. The alteration in genetic makeup of the mutant fungal isolate (SSP#16M) with the wild type (SSP#16) was detected and confirmed by RAPD-PCR analysis of genomic DNA. Although various genotypic methods have been used for comparison of Aspergillus species but no comparable data is available for Aspergillus flavipes strain for increased enzyme production. In the study, the mutant fungal isolate designated NA3 (exposed to nitrous acid) showed 3.5 fold improved glucoamylase activity than wild isolate and showed consistency in the production of the enzyme after repeated subcultures. The data for genetic variability was analysed using software Dendro UPGMA wherein the similarity matrix was computed with Jaccard coefficient. This assessment study of mutant isolate of Aspergillus flavipes strain provides potential applicability in starch processing industries.

The world is currently facing a global challenge against neoplastic diseases. Chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, surgery, and radiation therapy are some approaches used to treat cancer. However, these treatments are frequently causing side effects in patients, such as multidrug resistance, fever, weakness, and allergy, among others side effects. As a result, current research has focused on phytochemical compounds isolated from plants to treat deadly cancers. Plants are excellent resources of bioactive molecules, and many natural molecules have exceptional anticancer properties. They produce diverse anticancer derivatives such as alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, pigments, and tannins, which have powerful anticancer activities against various cancer cell lines and animal models. Because of their safety, eco-friendly, and cost-effective nature, research communities have recently focused on various phytochemical bioactive molecules. Ursolic acid (UA) and its derivative compounds have anti-inflammatory, anticancer, apoptosis induction, anti-carcinogenic, and anti-breast cancer proliferation properties. Ursolic acid (UA) can improve the clinical management of human cancer because it inhibits cancer cell viability and proliferation, preventing tumour angiogenesis and metastatic activity. Therefore, the present article focuses on numerous bioactivities of Ursolic acid (UA), which can inhibit cancer cell production, mechanism of action, and modulation of anticancer properties via regulating various cellular processes.

Nowadays, the need of novel biological active compounds is growing as there is remarkable increase in antibiotic resistance developed in microbes. In the present time, the need of new active novel biological molecules is growing as there is remarkable increase in antibiotic resistance. Therefore, the main purpose of this review articles is to introduce endophytic mycoflora that play important role in production of secondary metabolites of pharmaceutical and agriculture interest that fight against various bacterial infections and diseases. According to recent research, endophyte produces antibacterial compounds in the host via an alternative biochemical pathway. Endophytic mycoflora are rich source of metabolites that can be used in the treatment of a variety of bacterial diseases. As a result, the production of novel antibacterial compounds by these microbes can help to reduce the load of compound extraction from plants also helping to reduce plant biodiversity loss. The current review summarizes the biodiversity of endophytic mycoflora, as well as their biological characteristics and host specificity. In addition, describe the pathways involved in the synthesis of antibacterial compounds from these fungi, as well as the mode of transmission and the various types of antibacterial secondary metabolites isolated from endophytic mycoflora.

Endophytes such as bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes are play significant role in the production of bioactive metabolites and plant defence mechanisms. These endophytes develop asymptomatically in the inner tissues and cells of the host plant without causing any symptoms. But studies are ongoing on endophytic fungi, since many of the mycoflora endophytes are unstudied as well as widespread and highly diverse. Endophytic fungi are a large source of different types of metabolites that can be used for the treatment of various types of diseases and manufacture of drugs in the pharmaceutical industries. Recent studies have shown that endophytic fungi, through their alternative biochemical pathway in the host, and produce some anticancer compounds. The production of novel anticancer compounds by endophytic fungi can help to reduce the amount of anticancer compounds extracted from plants and also help to reduce the loss of plant biodiversity. As per observation, every plant examined to date has a flora of at least one endophyte and, in the case of woody plants, more than a hundred species of endophytic fungi may be present in different parts of the plant. Endophytic fungi are the best producer of many bioactive anticancer compounds, such as taxol, podophyllotoxin, camptothecin and their derivatives. The present review focuses on biosynthesis of anticancer bioactive compounds from endophytic fungi. Furthermore, it explains the mechanism of action of the anticancer compounds and their application.

In the present review, two strain improvement strategies viz. transformation system development and inter-specific protoplast fusion for this mushroom are hypothesized. The entomopathogenic medicinal mushroom Cordyceps species has been bestowing health biologically and pharmacologically for years. It harbors a variety of bio-metabolites having far-ranging activities. One of the constituents, cordycepin alone, is involved in a plethora of biochemical and molecular processes. With this interest, the bottlenecks such as excessive harvesting, commercial cultivation, low frequency of artificial stromata formation are still on pace. The genus Cordyceps has characteristic genomic expansion and studies such as identification of mating-type genes, metabolite-producing genes, and strain improvement techniques are in great demand. In order to understand the present demand and current scenario regarding the genus Cordyceps, efforts have been made to elucidate the significance of its major bioactive constituent and underlying wide-spectrum applications. Furthermore, through this review, one may understand the situation and demand of mushroom in the present world. Furthermore, this article would certainly help to maneuver this fungus for developing drugs against dreadful human diseases.

Scavenging free radical potency of cordycepin is the major bioactive segment extricated from Cordyceps species. In some new years, Cordyceps has gotten growing thought inferable from its distinctive restorative/pharmacological tests. This assessment reviews continuous explores on the counter oxidant impacts and the associated analyses of Cordyceps species. The results from our review show that Cordyceps of the cordycepin applies protective effects against hostile to oxidant injury for certain, afflictions including constant obstructive pneumonic infection (COPD), hepatitis, asthma, cerebral paralysis, Parkinson’s illness (PD), coronary course sickness (CAD), Alzheimer illness, respiratory failure, malignancy infection, maturing, waterfalls, and mind brokenness. Cordyceps coordinates the NF-κB, RIP2/Caspase-1, Akt/GSK-3β/p70S6K, TGF-β/Smads, and Nrf2/HO-1 hailing pathways among others of cordycepin. A couple of assessments focusing in on Cordyceps auxiliaries were surveyed and found to down metabolic speed of Cordyceps and augmentation its bioavailability. In addition, cordycepin further developed opposition, prevented the duplication of viral RNA, and covered cytokine storms, therefore proposing its capacity to treat COVID-19 and other viral defilements. From the accumulated and assessed information, this article gives the speculative reason to the clinical usages of cordycepin and inspects the way for future assessments focusing in on expanding the restorative use of Cordyceps species. Cordycepin and its analogs show unfathomable potential as the accompanying new class of against oxidant specialists.

In the natural ecosystem, plants and fungal endophytes exhibit a vivacious symbiotic relationship. Fungal endophytes constitute an extraordinarily diverse collection of fungi persistent in plants for at least a part of their life cycle. Till now this diverse group of fungal endophytes has not been explored much. Irrespective of its enormous diversity only two classes Clavicipitaceae and Nonclavicipitaceous have been reported prominently. Fungi endophytes contain an incredible range of metabolic pathways enabling them to digest most organic matter and synthesize an array of bioactive natural products. The fungal derivatives play a vibrant part in human life and their compounds are the source of drugs for cancer, microbial and viral diseases. The natural compounds can act as a growth inhibitor of plant pathogenic organisms. Fungal endophytes are abundantly enriched sources of natural products that are used in agriculture, pharmaceutical industries and phytoremediation. The role of endophytes in agriculture can be in a myriad of ways ranging from protection of crops from biotic and abiotic stress factors, improving the quality of soil and providing various nutrients to the plants. These endophytic bacteria by various actions make available necessary nutrients which also reduces the application of chemical fertilizers. Due to the ability of endophytes to make secondary metabolites, these can be used as bioreactors to reduce the pressure on the agriculture field. In nutshell, these fungal endophytes can play a vital role in sustainable agriculture.

Globalization is increasingly changing the lifestyle of the people and their aspirations. Colors are desirable and play a large part in human life. The synthetic colors are commonly used in the various food processing, painting, plastics, pharmaceutical, textile, and cosmetics industries, and are more attractive, reliable, and cost-effective compared to natural colors. But the use of different types of artificial colors causes diverse impacts on living beings and their surroundings and these colors are an example of the anthropogenic pollution of Earth. Most of the synthetic colors are prohibited in humans because of their hyperallergenicity, carcinogenicity, and other toxicological issues. After observations of the side effects of synthetic colors, the scientific groups stressed the extraction of isolation and the production of eco-friendly colors from various natural sources, such as plants, fungi, and bacteria. The extraction of natural color or green pigments from the microbes, in particular the fungi, are enormously attractive because they have many advantages over plants and other natural sources in terms of cost-effectiveness, easy accessibility, longevity, labor-efficient, and fast downstream processing. Because of their healthy and eco-friendly nature, these natural colors offer huge potential. Therefore biopigment use in the various dyes sectors is a promising field with high economic values. Through biotechnology we can achieve the idea of green ecology, but the use of these natural colors or pigments is confronted by high costs and changes in shades as the pH changes, and some of these pigments have toxic effects, so toxicology tests are necessary, particularly for food products, before using these pigments.

In our daily life, the demand for liquid petroleum products is increasing day by day. Crude oil-derived hydrocarbons, the largest group of environmental pollutants found worldwide, pollute our environments severely. Oil or hydrocarbons cause drastic impacts on living organisms. The many reports about their toxicity emphasize the ultimate need to remove them from marine and terrestrial environments. For cleaning up pollution by these hydrocarbons, bioremediation seems to be the most acceptable and economically justified method. Bioremediation is considered one of the most sustainable cleanup techniques, but its potential has not been fully expressed in the field because it operates too slowly to meet the immediate demands of a given location. The process of bioremediation is carried out by various microorganisms. Therefore, in this review, we present information about methods of oil degradation by such microorganisms as bacteria, fungi, algae, and actinobacteria. These microbes can help degrade oil or hydrocarbons. This review presents the unique characteristics of oil-degrading microbes. In addition, it is a starting point for wider debate about the limitations and possible improvements of currently employed hydrocarbon bioremediation strategies.

Soil remediation is a term that involves a numerous processes designed to get rid of contaminants like hydrocarbons (petroleum and fuel residues), heavy metals, pesticides, cyanides, volatiles, or semi-volatiles from soil. Remediation is required to control the pollution in soil, water, and air that can consequently benefit commercial cultivation or for wild flora and fauna. AM fungi are ubiquitous in soil habitat and form beneficial symbiosis with the roots of angiosperms and other plants. Their life cycle is often obligate in nature. So, use of mycorrhiza in mycoremediation techniques has generated many productive and long needed studies that examine the exact mechanisms that are at work. This chapter includes a review of basic remediation techniques and methods for soils and their limits and benefits for environment. We also discussed the uses of mycorrhiza for phytoremediation processes and observed that more research is needed in order to fully understand the mechanisms of VAM fungi.

Cancer is generally caused by the molecular alterations which lead to specific mutations. Advances in molecular biology have provided an impetus to the study of cancers with valuable prognostic and predictive significance. Over the hindsight various attempts have been undertaken by scientists worldwide, in the management of cancer; where, we have witnessed a number of molecular markers which allow the early detection of cancers and lead to a decrease in its mortality rate. Recent advances in oncology have led to the discovery of cancer markers that has allowed early detection and targeted therapy of tumors. In this context, current review provides a detail outlook on various molecular markers for diagnosis, prognosis and management of therapeutic response in cancer patients.

Nanotechnology has rapidly developed as an important field of modern research, generating most promising applications in electronics and medicine. It involves different approaches for the synthesis and application of nanoparticles having dimension smaller than 100 nm. Nanoparticles are the fundamental building blocks for preparing many nanostructured materials and devices. Therefore, there is an enormous interest in developing safe, cost effective and ecofriendly techniques for synthesis of nanoparticles. Biological synthesis has emerged as an attractive alternative to overcome the side effects accompanied with physical and chemical methods of synthesis. This led to the development of new branch of nanotechnology called “green nanotechnology” or “nanobiotechnology” which combines biological principles with physical and chemical procedures to generate eco-friendly nano-sized particles with specific functions. Various biological entities could be employed for the biosynthesis of nanoparticles including plant, algae, fungi, yeast, bacteria and viruses. Recently, much attention has been given on exploring fungi as potent biofactories for synthesis of silver nanoparticles since they possess numerous bioactive properties which find variety of applications in the field of biomedicine. Its use in the form of effective antimicrobial agent and disinfectant is known since time immemorial. The present chapter emphasize on the richness of endophytic fungal diversity and their role in biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles. It gives detailed overview about the mechanism of synthesis, characterization techniques involved in analysis of silver nanoparticles and biomedical application of silver nanoparticles with special reference to their antimicrobial potential. Key words: Nanobiotechnology, silver nanoparticles, endophytic fungi, antimicrobial potential, eco-friendly.

In these times electricity is big trouble of problem facing by the world. Therefore, there is necessitating for the property basis of energy that is employed for as bio-electricity. Many of the scientists and researchers are trying to find out the sustainable energy generates with the help of plant microbial fuel cell. Plant microbial fuel cell (P-MFCs) could be feasibility technology approach of bio-electricity generation which is mutualism interaction of the plants along with their rhizospheric bacteria. In the present study, Plant-microbial fuel cell was observed in grass e-table evaluated in term of bioelectricity generation from Cynodon dactylon (Dooba Ghas). This e-table was connected with electrode and different condition (physical and chemical) to detect the change in bioelectric potential. It was found that maximum voltage generated among all the conditions was 4.24 ±2V at 15 days by using Cynodon dactylon through P-MFCs. The potential difference generated through P-MFCs was measured using a multimeter. The generation of bioelectricity was observed under different conditions like exposure to light and shade condition measured for voltage was found to be significantly different parameters. The maximum recorded under light and shade conditions were 3.82 ±2 V and 4.25 ±2 V respectively at 15 days of incubation.

Natural drugs play extensive role and are the basis of traditional systems for cure and treatment of diseases. Entomopathogenic fungi Cordyceps Spp. are one of the unique and valuable sources of bioactive compounds which help in treatment of various diseases like nervous disorders, cardiovascular diseases, tumors, ageing, hypo-sexuality, etc. A significant decrease in natural production of Cordyceps Spp. has been observed in the last few decades from protected biosphere reserves, due to thorough and illegal harvesting. This compels the necessity of artificial cultivation and strain improvement strategies. For identifying improved strains of the fungi, different methods using antifungal agents, UV irradiation and antibiotic compound have been carried out for effective selection systems. The two fungi did not show any marker when treated with UV-irradiated conidia for ammonia assimilation. Further when these isolates were treated with some antifungal agents, again no remarkable marker was found against any antifungal agents. Consecutively, an antibiotic hygromycin was also tested against the isolates. The gradient decrease in radial growth was observed on increasing the concentration of antibiotic from 200 to 900 μg/ml showing a radial zone of 15mm to 4mm in Cordyceps sinensis. While the isolate Cordyceps militaris is found to be highly susceptible showing no growth in any of the concentrations of hygromycin. This may be the evidence for the presence of selectable marker gene hph in the isolates and can be used as a selectable marker tool for selection in the strain improvement of Cordyceps Spp.

Endophytic mycoflora are ubiquitous organisms residing in the internal tissues of the plants, at least for a portion of their lives without causing apparent symptoms of infection. Endophytes serve as rich source of novel natural compounds with a wide-spectrum of biologically active agents. The review reveals the significance of endophytic mycoflora from plants as a source of bioactive organic compounds. The bioactive compounds produced by endophytic fungi originate from PKS/NRPS biosynthetic pathways. These compounds belong to diverse structural groups such as alkaloids, benzopyranones, chinones, cytochalasines, depsipeptides, enniatines, flavonoids, furandiones, isocumarines, peptides, polyketones, phenols, quinols, terpenoids, tetralones and xanthones and are characterized by NMR, mass spectrometry, X-ray crystallography etc. Endophytes therefore, represent a chemical reservoir for array of new compounds which are anti-cancerous, anti-microbial, anti-diabetic, anti-oxidant, anti-parasitical, anti-viral, anti-mycobacterium, anti-insecticidal, anti-malarial, anti-biotic and immunosuppressive & immunomodulatory agents and also other compounds used in pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. This paper mainly focuses on the exploration of novel and useful compounds from endophytic mycoflora, the study of their role in cure of diseases and the recent scenario of screening approach for novel drugs and their pharmacological interest.

Hormones are a class of molecules, which mediate their effects by regulating a variety of signalling pathways. Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine), a pineal gland hormone, is one among the categories of compounds having various therapeutic and pharmacological effects. Melatonin has many intracellular as well as extracellular targets including apoptosis, metastasis, angiogenesis and inflammatory pathways. Gene-profile studies have further established its antagonist effect on the various genes involved in the tumour progression, neurodegeneration and ageing. It has also been known to reduce the toxicity induced by chemotherapeutic agents in advanced stages of tumour. The present review extensively describes the molecular interactions of melatonin with various recognized cellular targets, which may lead the scientific community to propose novel therapeutic strategies.

Ailanthus excelsa Roxb. is one of the most important plant which has a specific place in Ayurveda and phytotherapy. The tribal people generally used this plant for anthelminthic, anti-fertility, rejuvenation and anti-malarial against Plasmodium falciparum. In the present study total four endophytic fungi were isolated from the leaves of medicinal plant Ailanthus excelsa for the production of antibacterial bioactive compounds against five pathogenic bacterial strains. Various cultural conditions like Media, pH, Temperature and incubation period was also optimized for the maximum production of antibacterial bioactive compounds from the potent fungus. After each optimizing step, the extracts were tested for antibacterial activity by agar well diffusion method and the best condition was selected for further process.

Background: Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (IPSC) Technology is the most advanced research as it offers an attractive alternative for establishing patient-specific IPSCs to recapitulate phenotypes of not only monogenic diseases (viz. Thalassaemia, Sickle cell anemia, Haemophilia, Tay-Sachs disease), but also late-onset polygenic diseases (viz. Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia). Over the hindsight, numerous studies of the past and current scientists have led to the production, maturation and understanding of induced pluripotent stem cell technology and its use in basic and clinical research. Methods: A systematic search of peer-reviewed scientific literature and clinical trials in public databases were carried out to summarize the evidence on the use of IPSC. Results: 202 papers were studied which discussed the use of patient-derived iPSC models in drug toxicity screening and discovery. Furthermore, their use as disease models was also studied signifying the versatility of iPSC lines. Conclusions: Through this review, we briefly describe the advent of iPSC technology, where we comprehensively cover the generation of iPSCs and their characterization along with their prospective applications using IPSC banks in disease modeling and drug screening. Key words: iPSC, reprogramming, transcription factors, pluripotency, therapy, disease modeling, drug discovery.

The growing commercialization all over the world has led to a boost in the widespread use of chemical pesticides for crop protection in agricultural fields. It has not only contributed to an increase in food production, but its toxic and non-biodegradable character has also resulted in adverse effects on environment and nontarget organisms. Moreover, most of the pests have developed resistance against them. These drawbacks of conventional pesticides have led to an increase in the need for the search of some novel, non-harmful, eco-friendly pesticides. Natural pest control materials commonly known as biocontrol agents are the most promising of them. Biocontrol agents include macroorganisms as well as microorganisms. The microorganisms used are bacteria, fungi, viruses, nematodes and protozoan. The exploitation of these natural and renewable resources is essential for a successful biocontrol strategy. The present review focuses on the use of fungi as potential biocontrol agent for insect pest management. Different fungal formulations and metabolites that have been successfully implemented for pest control and some of the recent patents in this field are also discussed here.

The current research focuses on the isolation of bioactive compounds from the natural sources which have immense potential for pharmaceutical value. Pharmaceutical biology perceives plants as a unique resource of potentially precious remedial bioactive metabolites. But due to slow growth and harvest of endangerd plants species pose a threat and inbalance in the biodiversity of plants. However, most of the plant species occur on the earth to be a reservoir of vast numbers of endophytic microorganisms like bacteria, actinomycetes, and fungi that play an imperative role in the production of novel secondary metabolites for the defense of host and can be utilized for treatment of a number of ailments. Search for isolation and characterization of different plant-associated fungal origin novel bioactive metabolites are given an immense attention to global investigators. The endophytic fungi are an enormous manufacturer of bioactive compounds which can be widely used in the medical, agricultural, and industrial application. Therefore, there is a need to isolate, identify, and characterize these bioactive compounds from the endophytic fungi. Further, research on the biology of endophytes is also required to saturate at the molecular level for a better understanding of host–endophyte interactions and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites thereby. Modern technologies have opened new avenue on endophytic research as natural “warehouse” with very little has been able to tap from this source so far and among the reported natural bioactive metabolites. Thus, there is more research and studies on these groups of endophytic microorganisms are required. The collaboration among chemists and mycologists are needed to comprehend the biology of endophytic fungi and may help to learn the different pathways involved in synthesis of bioactive compounds, and the ecology of the organisms will help to understand the optimization parameters of the organism for the maximum metabolites production, and mycologist will have the chance to increase further imminence into the multifarious diversity of endophytic fungal species. The present review is made on endophytic fungi, biosynthetic pathways responsible for the production of novel bioactive compounds from these microorganisms and their applications.

With the recent emergence of novel technologies, the field of biomarker discovery has been the subject of intense research and activity. Major advances in cancer control will be greatly aided by early detection for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in its pre-invasive state. Cancer being a diverse disease involves alterations in three classes of genes viz. (proto) oncogenes, tumour suppressor genes and DNA repair genes offering a wide variety of opportunities for the development of biomarkers. The emergence of innovative technologies in genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and imaging allows researchers to facilitate inclusive analysis of cancer cells. These approaches have already demonstrated its power to discriminate cancer cells from normal cells and to identify specific genetic elements involved in cancer progression. Cancer evolves via manifold pathways and is a culmination of a variety of genetic, molecular and clinical events. In the past few years, several reports have led to identification of novel cancer signatures via high throughput biology. Current review gives an overview of the bioinformatics tools, cancer database and available software package tools and further summarizes about different strategies involved in Omics research (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics) for the development of cancer biomarkers. We also discuss about the current and emerging biomarkers in breast cancer with fundamental insight into different markers used in breast cancer detection. In addition, we focus upon the systematic integration of various omic data for accelerating cancer biomarker discovery with evidence based cancer management. The above strategies may lead to significant improvement in cancer screening, prognosis and management of therapeutic response in cancer patients.

Despite advancements in healthcare facilities for diagnosis and treatment, cancer remains the leading cause of death worldwide. As prevention is always better than cure, efficient strategies are needed in order to deal with the menace of cancer. The use of phytochemicals as adjuvant chemotherapeutic agents in heterogeneous human carcinomas like breast, colon, lung, ovary, and prostate cancers has shown an upward trend during the last decade or so. Flavonoids are well-known products of plant derivatives that are reportedly documented to be therapeutically active phytochemicals against many diseases encompassing malignancies, inflammatory disorders (cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disorder), and oxidative stress. The current review focuses on two key flavonols, fisetin and quercetin, known for their potential pharmacological relevance. Also, efforts have been made to bring together most of the concrete studies pertaining to the bioactive potential of fisetin and quercetin, especially in the modulation of a range of cancer signaling pathways. Further emphasis has also been made to highlight the molecular action of quercetin and fisetin so that one could explore cancer initiation pathways and progression, which could be helpful in designing effective treatment strategies.

All organisms are protected by their immune system but occasionally this system overreacts leading to allergic and inflammatory reactions in the body. These reactions are the starting points of various diseases like asthma, eczema and urticaria etc. They involve activation of T cells, release of histamines, toxic chemicals from mast cells and eosinophils respectively. Several chemically and naturally synthesized therapeutic agents are available for the treatment of these immunological diseases. The present review provides a detailed account of mechanism of allergic and inflammatory reactions, its types and various treatment strategies with a special focus on some recent patents in this field.

Trypsin inhibitors (TI) have crucial functions in plant defense against pests, and recent studies reveal their diversity in stress response. Disease and herbivore infestations are harmful to plant growth, but the response of TI in Cicer arietinum (L.) in Central India has been less studied. In the present study, we partially characterized the TI from Cicer arietinum (L.) seeds and evaluated its insecticidal potential against Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner). A 20 kDa trypsin inhibitor was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation and chromatographies with Sephadex G-100 and diethylaminoethyl cellulose (DEAE-cellulose-52) ion-exchange column. TI assay categorized 17 cultivars in three groups: with high (more than 70%), intermediate (16-70%) and very low (0-15%) TI activity. Moreover, results from the TI activity coincided with herbivore attack studies carried out in J.N.K.V.V. fields earlier. Together, our results suggest that the presence of TI triggers a signal that leads the dynamics of stress response and, in turn, regulates pest resistance in plants. Feeding experiments conducted with 5th instar larvae suggested dose-dependent decrease for both the larval weight and the survival of the larva.

Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceris (Foc) is one of the most important fungal pathogens of chickpea and is regarded as a constant threat in tropical and subtropical countries. In order to correlate Fusarium wilt resistance/susceptibility in Cicer arietinum to the presence or absence of trypsin inhibitor (TI) in the crude extract, trypsin inhibitory assay (TIA) and in vitro activity of TI against Foc were studied. In the present study, a 20 kDa trypsin inhibitor was purified from Fusarium wilt resistant cultivar (viz. JG 2001-12) by ammonium sulfate precipitation, dialysis and chromatographies with Sephadex G-100 and Diethyl aminoethyl cellulose (DEAE-cellulose-52) ion-exchange column. Results of pathogenecity assay were found to be in correlation to the trypsin inhibitor assay where the Fusarium wilt resistant cultivar showed high trypsin inhibitory activity (99%) in the presence of trypsin enzyme using both natural and synthetic substrates. Preliminary studies using crude extracts of JG 2001-12 showed a decrease in radial growth of Foc. A 45%-82% reduction in conidium germination at 20 μg&middotmL-1 Cicer arietinum trypsin inhibitor (CaTI) concentration was observed, thereby, indicating the use of CaTI in suppression of pathogen and in its deployment through transgenic plants for the management of Fusarium wilt.

The growing demand for reducing chemical inputs in agriculture and increased resistance to insecticides have provided great impetus to the development of alternative forms of insect-pest control. Myco-biocontrol offers an attractive alternative to the use of chemical pesticides. Myco-biocontrol agents are naturally occurring organisms which are perceived as less damaging to the environment. Their mode of action appears little complex which makes it highly unlikely that resistance could be developed to a biopesticide. Past research has shown some promise of the use of fungi as a selective pesticide. The current paper updates us about the recent progress in the field of myco-biocontrol of insect pests and their possible mechanism of action to further enhance our understanding about the biological control of insect pests.

The present investigation deals with designing of savlon loaded blend hydrogels (termed cryogels) of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and alginate by repeated freeze–thaw method and their characterization by SEM and FTIR techniques. The FTIR spectra clearly reveal that savlon loaded alginate and PVA blends are bonded together through hydrogen bonding. The SEM analysis suggests that cryogels show a well defined porous morphology. The prepared cryogels were also investigated for swelling and deswelling behaviors. The results reveal that both the swelling and deswelling processes greatly depend on the chemical composition of the cryogels, number of freeze–thaw cycles and pH and temperature of the swelling bath. The savlon loaded blends were also investigated for their in vitro blood compatibility and antibacterial activity.

Objective: The main purpose of the present study was to isolate the endophytic fungi from Tridax procumbens L. and evaluate their antibacterial activity at different concentration of compatible solvents extracted metabolites against the test pathogenic bacterial strain, as well as the molecular characterization of potent endophytic fungal isolate that showed the maximum antibacterial activity.Methods: The endophytic fungi were isolated from the different parts of the collected T. procumbens plant. Screening of endophytic fungi for the antibacterial activity was scrutinized against five pathogenic bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Salmonella typhimurium using agar well diffusion method. After screening, the metabolite of the potent fungal isolate was extracted using different solvents by solvent-solvent extraction procedure and observed their antibacterial activity. For molecular identification of the fungi, the DNA was extracted, quantified, and amplified using two oligonucleotide primers ITS4 and ITS6 in polymerase chain reaction.Results: In the present study, five endophytic fungi were isolated from medicinal plant T. procumbens and screened for their antibacterial activity against E. coli (22.60±0.32 mm), S. typhimurium (19.26±0.23 mm), S. pyogenes (16.36±0.18 mm), K. pneumoniae (14.26±0.54 mm), and B. subtilis (14.43±0.27 mm) bacterial strain. The endophytic fungal strain A. japonicus isolated from T. procumbens was showed the significant antibacterial activity against the pathogenic bacteria. The morphological identification of all the isolated endophytic fungi was observed on the basis of their macroscopic and microscopic characteristics, and the molecular identification of the potent fungal strain was observed through 18s rRNA sequence analysis. Using solvent-solvent extraction technique, different solvent residues of the potent fungal metabolite were extracted in benzene, n-,butanol and toluene. The n-butanol solvent extract exhibited a maximum zone of inhibition against the test bacterial strains.Conclusion: The present study reveals that the endophytic fungi serve as a potential source for the production of effective bioactive compounds.

Traditional taxonomy of hyphomycetes has been based on conidial morphology and development. In order to confirm species level for the detection and identification of the entomopathogenic fungus, we analysed the species-specific fingerprints to investigate molecular characteristics within isolates of six species and to resolve morphologically atypical isolates. The extent of fingerprint profile observed by RAPD was sufficient to confirm the species level of all the isolates. The genetic similarity among morphologically identified isolates of each species was considerably higher, allowing us to conclude that all the isolates are of same species. These results establish a molecular framework for further taxonomic, phylogenetic and comparative biological investigations.

We report here that, during periodical surveys of insects inhabiting diverse habitats for the collection of entomopathogenic fungi; a large number of isolates were recovered belonging to seven species, from various regions of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh forest areas and agricultural fields. The most common entomopathogenic fungi such as Beauveria bassiana, Nomuraea rileyi, Paecilomyces farinosus and Paecilomyces fumosoroseus were found to infect various insect hosts species naturally viz. Hyblaea puera, Eutectona machaeralis, Diachrysia orichalcea, Spodoptera litura, and few new insect hosts of these fungal pathogens among Indian insect population were collected for the first time from Central India, such as beetles of Agrilus species, hairy caterpillars of Lymantria species. The isolation, identification, maintenance and pathogenicity assay of these isolates was performed prior to deposition in culture collection center.

Eight rice lines viz. CNA 8983, IAC-1732, IAC-1733, IAC-1748, IAC-1736, IAC-201, Volano and Arborea were evaluated in greenhouse for resistance against the leaf blast disease caused by Magnoparthe gracea. Lines CNA 8983, IAC 1732, IAC 1733 and IAC 1748 showed satisfactory resistance against the blast fungus while IAC 1736 and IAC 201 were intermediate and Volano and Arborea susceptible. All lines did not have lipoxygenase activity increased by methyljasmonic acid, however enzyme activity showed a positive relationship with resistance.Oito linhagens de arroz (CNA 8983, IAC-1732, IAC-1733, IAC-1748, IAC-1736, IAC-201, Volano e Arborea) foram avaliadas em casa de vegetação para a resistência contra a brusone causada por Magnoparthe gracea. As linhagens CNA 8983, IAC 1732, IAC 1733 e IAC 1748 foram satisfatoriamente resistentes contra o fungo; IAC 1736 e IAC 201 foram intermediárias e Volano e Arbórea, suscetíveis. Em todas as linhagens não ocorreu atividade de lipoxigenase aumentada pela exposição ao ácido metiljasmônico, no entanto, a atividade enzimática mostrou correlação positiva com a resistência.

Cordycepin, an active ingredient in the insect fungus Cordyceps militaris, is in a category of compounds that exhibit significant therapeutic activity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of cordycepin on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle in A549 human lung cancer cells. MTT assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of cordycepin on A549 cell growth. Apoptotic effect was observed using cell morphology, DAPI staining, and DNA fragmentation studies. Flow cytometry (FCM) analysis was used to analyze cell cycle status after cordycepin treatment. Furthermore, apoptosis was assayed using annexin V-Alexa Fluor 488. Results of MTT assay showed that cordycepin significantly inhibited cell proliferation with an IC50 value of 64 µg/mL. The number of rounding-up cells increased with cordycepin treatment and changes in cellular morphology were seen. In DNA fragmentation studies, a typical ladder pattern was observed on agarose gel and formation of apoptotic bodies was further confirmed using DAPI staining. The FCM analysis of cordycepin-treated cells showed that apoptosis rate increased with the increase in dosage. In conclusion, cordycepin induces apoptosis in A549 human lung cancer cell line and could be a potential therapeutic candidate for lung cancer treatment.

Metal oxide nanoparticles (MO-NPs) are the multidisciplinary nano-scaled molecules which are being used in the diagnosis and treatment of the challenging diseases including cancer. Evidence suggest that antimicrobial formulations in the form of MO-NPs can be possibly used as effective antimicrobial agents. In addition, MO-NPs are known to target various cellular signaling pathways associated with apoptosis, angiogenesis, metastasis and inflammation of cancer. In combination with other chemotherapeutic/anticancer agents, MO-NPs not only increase their bioavailability and efficacy but also lower down the requirement of active dosages. To date, to our knowledge there is no single comprehensive report on cellular and molecular interactions of MO-NPs which have been well elaborated in this review. Also we highlight various action mechanisms through which MO-NPs act as antimicrobial, anticancer, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents.

Pilocarpine is an imidazol alkaloid exclusively found in Pilocarpus genus and P. microphyllus accumulates its highest content in the leaves. There is no report in the literature on the variability of the pilocarpine content in this genus. A population of 20 genotypes of P. microphyllus from the state of Maranhão, Brazil, was analyzed for Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers and pilocarpine content. Although it was not possible to establish any correlation between these features, the absence or presence of some markers could indicate in some genotypes a possible association with the content of the alkaloid. Pilocarpina é um alcalóide imidazólico encontrado exclusivamente em plantas do gênero Pilocarpus, sendo que as folhas de P. microphyllus acumulam o maior conteúdo deste alcalóide. Não há na literatura nenhum relato sobre a variabilidade do conteúdo de pilocarpina nesse gênero. Uma população de 20 plantas de P. microphyllus do estado do Maranhão, Brasil, foi analisada por marcadores Aplicação de DNA polimórfico randomica (RAPD) e quanto ao conteúdo de pilocarpina. Apesar de não ter sido possível estabelecer uma associação entre as variáveis estudadas, a ausência ou a presença de alguns loci marcadores em certos genótipos puderam ser associados ao teor do alcalóide.

Forty-eight isolates of indigenous strains of Beauveria bassiana from various insect hosts collected from Central India were characterised by employing protease zymography and RAPD analysis. Results of protease zymographic profiles were reproducible and significant enough to contribute to the biochemical diversity of this species. RAPD analysis revealed the presence of high level of genetic diversity and indicated that 0–66% significant differences has evolved between these isolates. The sets of amplified bands showing identical pattern to others were grouped at 100% similarity level. A wide range in the value (0.25–1.00) of Jaccard similarity coefficient was observed among all the isolates. The grouping of the indigenous strains, obtained from numerical analysis of these data, appears to be related to the host specificity in B. bassiana. Clear groups were seen for strains isolated from Lepidopteran and Coleopteran insect hosts.