Shivayogeeswar Eshwarappa Neelagund

Globally, the textile industry remains one of the largest consumers of dyes, accounting for more than 75% of total synthetic dyes. This was primarily driven by the surge in polyester and other synt...

Current research interest in the Rubiaceae family plants, remarks the pharmacological potential of underutilized species, including Psydrax, known for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. In spite of 37 Psydrax species hold ethnomedicinal value for treating ailments such as diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, and infections. Research on specific species like Psydrax umbellata known to be still untouched part. Despite its traditional medicinal uses, studies on P. umbellata's pharmacological and chemical properties are limited. Which provides scope for novel drug exploration and biodiversity conservation. This species, like other Psydrax members, is rich in bioactive compounds such as alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, and tannins, which contribute to its therapeutic potential. However, comprehensive investigations into its chemical composition, pharmacological effects, and safety are needed to validate its medicinal claims. This review envisages the significance of advancing research on P. umbellata, with implications for biodiversity preservation and the development of new pharmacological agents.

Amylases are crucial hydrolytic enzymes with wide industrial relevance, particularly in food processing, textiles, paper manufacturing, and biofuel production (Gupta et al., 2003; Ray et al., 2015). Among them, α-amylase is distinguished by its capacity to cleave internal α-1,4-glycosidic linkages in starch, enabling rapid saccharification under mild conditions (Pandey et al., 2000). This study aimed to isolate and characterize α-amylase-producing bacteria from rhizosphere soils of Shivamogga District, Karnataka—a region within the Western Ghats known for its rich microbial diversity and endemism (Singh et al., 2016; Jaiswal et al., 2020). Using serial dilution, starch agar screening, and Gram staining, 25 bacterial isolates were obtained, with six demonstrating starch hydrolysis through clear halo zones. The highest enzyme-producing isolates (SSCMBSAR3 and SSCMBSAR5) were identified as Gram-positive bacilli, likely belonging to the Bacillus genus, corroborating their reputation as prolific amylase producers (Gupta et al., 2003; Ajayi & Fagade, 2006). One Gram-negative coccus (SSCMBSAR2) also exhibited notable activity, highlighting underexplored microbial groups like Neisseria and Pseudomonas (Madigan et al., 2017). Quantitative enzyme assays using the DNS method (Miller, 1959; Chi et al., 2009) revealed peak α-amylase activity at 48 hours of incubation and optimal substrate concentration at 400 mg starch, followed by substrate inhibition at higher concentrations—demonstrating a bell-shaped kinetic profile consistent with Michaelis-Menten dynamics (Segel, 1993). The co-detection of protease activity indicates a need for further purification or genetic modifications to eliminate non-specific enzymes (Haq et al., 2010). This study underscores the rhizosphere as a fertile bioprospecting niche and affirms the industrial potential of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative soil bacteria in enzyme biotechnology.

Organophosphorus pesticides are extensively used in the agricultural sector to kill insects, worms, and other pests. Many people may be poisoned by chlorpyrifos either accidentally or intentionally, including accidental, suicidal, and homicidal poisoning cases in India. The effect of chlorpyrifos on human health depends on factors such as the time, amount and frequency of exposure, the individual’s health, and certain environmental conditions. The main objective of this investigation is to identify the post-mortem biological sample that shows the longest detection window, enabling precise chlorpyrifos detection in cases of acute poisoning with varying survival durations. Our research focuses on the detection and distribution of chlorpyrifos in cases of acute poisoning using a simple liquid–liquid extraction and GC–MS/MS analysis. We validated the method, which proved to be effective and reliable. Upon examining various organs, we detected the presence of chlorpyrifos in the stomach tissue, liver tissue, kidney tissue, and blood samples of individuals who consumed chlorpyrifos and passed away immediately, as well as in those who survived for the first 3 days following ingestion. Analysing urine, blood, and liver tissue from individuals who survived for 3 days provided more precise results compared to stomach tissue. Additionally, urine samples played a crucial role in detecting chlorpyrifos in individuals who survived for 4 and 5 days. A blood sample is the most suitable post-mortem biological sample for detecting chlorpyrifos in individuals who survived for a duration of 2 to 4 days. This finding highlights the significance of analysing urine as a valuable sample type, particularly in determining the presence of chlorpyrifos in cases where individuals have survived for a long period of time before their demise. The experimental data and information provided in this study will serve as a valuable resource for forensic toxicologists.

Introduction and Aim: Worldwide, mosquitoes are the main vectors of many deadly diseases like malaria, dengue, chikungunya, etc., Anopheles stephensi mosquito which transmits malaria whereas dengue is transmitted mainly by mosquito Aedes aegypti. Current controlling methods such as chemical or microbial pesticides, repellents, biological control agents against mosquito larvae are not so effective. The leading cause of death worldwide is cancer. Nanotechnology can provide alternative effective methods for malaria, dengue and cancer control, diagnosis and treatment. This study investigated the biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) from Acacia sinuata seed extract and their mosquito larvicidal potential was tested against Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi larvae. The cytotoxic activity of NPs was also analyzed against human cancer cell lines osteosarcoma (MG-63) and colon adenocarcinoma (Caco-2). Materials and Methods: The biosynthesized NPs were confirmed and characterized by conventional techniques UV- visible spectroscopy, FTIR, XRD, HR-TEM, EDX and SAED. Results: The XRD demonstrated the NPs were face-centred, cubic, and crystalline in nature, EDX study confirmed elemental analysis of gold, SAED illustrated the crystalline nature. The HR-TEM studies revealed NPs shape which were mostly spherical and average size of 5.38nm-8.86nm. Third instar larvae of Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi, were susceptible to the larvicidal effects of AuNPs. The synthesized NPs showed a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect against the Caco-2 and MG-63 cell lines, with IC50 (inhibitory concentrations) of 21.31± 0.15 ug/ml and 86.78± 0.23 ug/ml, respectively. Conclusion: These findings reveal that biosynthesized AuNPs have substantial larvicidal and anticancer properties, suggesting they could be used in mosquito control and cancer treatment.

BmNPV belongs to the genus AlphaBaculovirus and is an arthropod-specific virus that infects the commercial sericulture insect B. mori. BmNPV was identified in the virus family Baculoviridae and has a large, circular, double-stranded DNA genome of 128.4 kb expressing 143 proteins. Many viruses are studied because of their damaging effects, the study of Baculoviruses was triggered by their potential utility to control insect pests. Later, the utility of Baculoviruses as expression vectors was evidenced, and a new research area emerged. We are attempting to investigate the genomic diversity of BmNPV from different locations in the southern Indian states, as it is one of the leading parts that have embraced sericulture on a large scale. The genome analysis of BmNPV provides additional data that may help to understand Baculovirus evolution and adaptations to their hosts. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of the relationships between the 4 B. mori Baculoviruses. Sequencing of BmNPV's whole genome from different isolates followed by mutational analysis would reveal information about the functional role of important viral genes, which can be demonstrated with the help of In silico bioinformatics models. This resulted in the presence of SNPs and INDELS in the most important genes of BmNPV, which may lead to further changes in the gene products.

BACKGROUND: Accumulation of industrial dyes in wastewater creates not only environmental problems, but also medical and aesthetic problems. Removal of synthetic dyes from contaminated hot textile industrial discharge is a fundamental issue. Herein, the microbial decolorization of azo dyes amaranth RI and fast red E was studied. The decolorization process was studied in terms of various physicochemical and analytical parameters.RESULTS: The azo dye decolorization efficiency was improved with beef extract and maltose as nitrogen and carbon sources, respectively. At 55 °C, Geobacillus thermoleovorans KNG 112 showed the maximum decolorization for both amaranth RI and fast red E at pH 7 and 8, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectral analysis revealed the formation of amide, nitrosamine, aromatic and carbonyl compounds, alkyne, alkane, alcohol and alkyl halide groups after dye decolorization. Mixed dye (amaranth RI and fast red E) decolorization resulted in formation of various alkyl acetals, amines (nitrosamines, secondary and tertiary amines) azo groups and alkyl chloride. Furthermore, phytotoxic effect of azo dyes on the germination of fenugreek and green gram showed no inhibitory effects; however, more and rapid germination compared to the control group was observed.CONCLUSIONS: The results lead to the conclusion that the optimization of G. thermoleovorans KNG 112 for removal of azo dyes could have applications in decontamination of hot industrial discharges. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).