Krothapalli Raja Surya Sambasiva Rao

Plumbagin is an important naphthoquinone with potent anticancer properties besides multitudinous uses in healthcare. It is produced in a limited number of species and families but mostly in the roots of Plumbaginaceae family members. The biosynthetic pathway and the genes that regulate plumbagin synthesis are not completely known, but details of these are being revealed. Several species, including Plumbago, Drosera, and others, are being uprooted for the extraction of plumbagin by pharmaceutical industries, leading to the destruction of natural habitats. The pharmaceutical industry is therefore facing an acute shortage of plant material. This necessitates enhancing the accumulation of plumbagin using suspensions and hairy roots to meet market demands. Many factors, such as the aggregate size of the inoculum, stability of the culture, and the sequential effects of elicitors, immobilization, and permeabilization, have been demonstrated to act synergistically and markedly augment plumbagin accumulation. Hairy root cultures can be used for the large-scale production, growth, and plumbagin accumulation, and the exploration of their efficacy is now imperative. The secretion of compounds into the spent medium and their in situ adsorption via resin has remarkable potential, but this has not been thoroughly exploited. Improvements in the quality of biomass, selection of cell lines, and production of plumbagin in bioreactors have thus far been sporadic, and these parameters need to be further exploited. In this review, we report the advances made relating to the importance of stable cell line selection for the accumulation of compounds in long-term cultures, hairy root cultures for the accumulation of plumbagin, and its semicontinuous production via total cell recycling in different types of bioreactors. Such advances might pave the way for industrial exploitation. The steps in the biosynthetic pathway that are currently understood might also aid us in isolating the relevant genes in order to examine the effects of their overexpression or heterologous downregulation or to edit the genome using CRISPR-Cas9 technology in order to enhance the accumulation of plumbagin. Its potential as an anticancer molecule and its mode of action have been amply demonstrated, but plumbagin has not been exploited in clinics due to its insolubility in water and its highly lipophilic nature. Plumbagin-loaded nanoemulsions, plumbagin–silver, or albumin nanoparticle formulations can overcome these problems relating to its solubility and are currently being tried to improve its bioavailability and antiproliferative activities, as discussed in the current paper.

Background: In the rapid growing and busy world, the hidden hunger for the micronutrients, vitamins and protein is increasing on a high rate. Among which retinol is the key vitamin which cannot be synthesized by the humans and need to be supplied in the form of carotenoids. Methods: The present study focused in screening the best maize line with high carotenoid content. Carotenoid content was tested and quantified using HPLC. ε-LCY gene and β-HYD 3 were used to screen the best maize line. Result: Among 8 maize lines tested, 5732 showed high carotenoid content i.e., 24.47 mg/g when tested using conventional UV spectrophotometer studies. Quantification of individual carotenoid component was done by HPLC which showed lutein 7.548 mg/g, zeaxanthin 3.21 mg/g, b-cryptoxanthin 5.691 mg/g and b- carotene 8.455 mg/g were recorded in 5732 maize cultivars. Molecular screening using ε-LCY gene and β-HYD 3 revealed 5732 as the best carotenoid maize line with high carotenoid favorable alleles which can be further used for the inbreeding programs.

Maize is one of the world’s mostly cultivated crops which are consumed by the humans. The quality of maize protein is a vital factor in combating human malnutrition, a problem that is rapidly increasing among children. This study focuses on enhancing maize's protein quality by increasing lysine and tryptophan concentrations while reducing zein content. Seventeen in-house maize lines were analyzed for key biochemical characteristics. Among these, the CML161 line stood out, with a total protein content of 11.831%. The tryptophan and lysine contents in CML161 were 0.68% and 3.3%, respectively. Additionally, the total starch content in CML161 was found to be 37.8%. The endosperm modification test showed 100% opaqueness in the CML161 variety. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that CML161 contains a quality protein content of 5.74%, making it a promising candidate for further studies aimed at addressing malnutrition.

Arsenic exposure, a global issue originating from polluted groundwater, is a significant health threat due to its environmental and human health effects. This exposure leads to numerous illnesses (insulin resistance, cancer, bronchitis, asthma, neurodegenerative disorders, liver and kidney dysfunction, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases), posing significant risks to overall health and economic and social welfare, particularly in underdeveloped nations. Arsenic-related health issues are caused by many factors, including the formation of reactive oxygen species, oxidative damage, inflammation, DNA damage, proteinopathies, apoptosis, and dysregulation of cell signaling pathways. Chelation therapy is the most common method for detoxifying arsenic, but it has been linked to harmful effects such as hepatotoxicity and neurotoxicity. Indigenous plant-based drugs have been shown to effectively relieve arsenic-mediated toxicity without causing adverse effects. These phytochemicals aid in the elimination of As from biological systems, making them more effective than the conventional therapeutic agents. This review provides an overview of the toxic effects of arsenic and discusses available therapeutic strategies, emphasizing the protective and detoxifying activities of phytochemicals and herbal drugs against arsenic. This information could help to identify new prophylactic and therapeutic formulations against arsenic-induced toxicity.

As a lead compound, natural compounds have undergone extensive research in different enterprises. Since they might also have other adverse effects, determining their toxicity is crucial. Computational methods can circumvent the main challenges associated with assessing the toxicity of substances using in vivo and in vitro techniques, including time, money, labor, and the use of animal models. Although Parkia timoriana (PT) has a significant economic potential, its exploitation has yet to be thoroughly explored in terms of its toxicity and food safety. In PT seed pod extracts, 61 phytocompounds with a predominance of alkaloids, flavonoids, and terpenoids were identified using GC-MS and LC-MS/MS analysis. Utilizing the TEST, OECD QSAR toolkit, VEGA-HUB, Toxtree, and PASS tools, phytocompounds from PT were assessed for toxicity, food safety risk assessment, and biological activity. The phytochemicals were tested on multiple species, including Daphnia magna, Pimephales promelas, Tetrahymena pyriformis, and rats, to determine their toxicity using the QSAR-TEST tool. For aquatic and mammalian organisms, the phytocompounds from PT were shown to be hazardous in the following four hierarchical orders: i) P. promelas>T. pyriformis>D. magna>R. norvegicus, ii) P. promelas>D. magna>T. pyriformis>R. norvegicus, iii) D. magna> P. promelas>T. pyriformis>R. norvegicus, and T. pyriformis>P. promelas>D. magna>R. norvegicus. Despite being non-bioaccumulative, non-mutagenic, and non-carcinogenic in nature, the majority of phytocompounds were developmental toxins. More than half of the phytochemicals derived from PT were highly toxic (Cramer oral toxicity) and manifested negative side effects (with a lower NOAEL value).Most of the substances did not exhibit organ toxicity in the repeated dose toxicity test, were bioavailable, metabolized by cytochrome-P450 pathway, and were excreted from the body. PASS predicted that the examined phytoconstituents from PT were to demonstrate a wide range of anti-oxidant, free radical scavenger, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-fungal, anti-neoplastic, antibacterial, and anti-protozoal activities. For the purpose of exploring drug discovery, additional research of the phytocompounds on in vivo models is advised.

In the current scenario of medical sciences, homeopathy, the most popular system of therapy, is recognized as one of the components of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) across the world. Despite, a long debate is continuing whether homeopathy is just a placebo or more than it, homeopathy has been considered to be safe and cost-effectiveness therapeutic modality. A number of human ailments ranging from common to serious have been treated with homeopathy. However, selection of appropriate medicines against a disease is cumbersome task as total spectrum of symptoms of a patient guides this process. Available data suggest that homeopathy has potency not only to treat various types of cancers but also to reduce the side effects caused by standard therapeutic modalities like chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery. Although homeopathy has been widely used for management of cancers, its efficacy is still under question. In the present review, the anti-cancer effect of various homeopathic drugs against different kinds of cancers has been discussed and future course of action has also been suggested.

Yellow mosaic virus (YMV) causes one of the most severe of biotic stresses in Vignas, an important group of pulse crops. The viral disease is transmitted through the white fly, Bemicia tabaci, and the yield of the plant is affected drastically. YMV resistant genotype PU-31 was identified in the field within a large population of susceptible genotype lines. PU-31 was crossed with LBG-402, LBG-645 and LBG-685 and raised F₁, F₂ and F₃ progenies. The different generations were phenotyped for YMV-reaction. Resistance to YMV disease governed by two dominant genes acting in complementary fashion, YMV-resistance was revealed from F₂ segregation ratio of 9: 7 (Resistant: Susceptible), which was confirmed by the segregation ratio of the F₃ families. This is the first report of YMVresistance controlled by only complimentary gene action.