New organoruthenium metallates containing ferrocenecarboxalidine thiosemicarbazones and their nucleic acid/albumin binding and in vitro cytotoxicity

A string of four new hetero binuclear Ru(III) complexes of ferrocenecarboxaldehyde-4(N)-substituted thiosemicarbazones were synthesized and characterized by various spectral (infrared, ultraviolet–visible, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) and High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HR-MS) techniques. The binding abilities of the ligands/complexes with nucleic acid (calf thymus DNA, CT-DNA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were analyzed by absorption and emission titration methods. The complexes exhibited better DNA binding affinity than their parent ligands. The interaction with CT-DNA was found to be intercalative and with BSA static quenching mechanism was observed. All the synthesized Ru(III) complexes were subjected to study their in vitro cytotoxicity against MCF-7 (human breast cancer) and HT-29 (human colon cancer) cell lines. Among the four complexes, complex 3 [RuCp (FF-etsc)PPh₃]Cl exhibited the highest cytotoxicity in MCF-7 cells and complex 4 [RuCp (FF-ptsc)PPh₃]Cl was the most active on HT-29 cells.     

Sulfonated rGO from waste dry cell graphite rod and its hybrid with PANI as electrode for supercapacitor

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Development of high-performance energy storage devices is a vital research area to meet the present-day energy demand. In the work carried toward the...     

In vitro evaluation of antiproliferative effect of ethyl gallate against human oral squamous carcinoma cell line KB

Although some polyphenols are known to possess anticancer activity against different cancer cell lines through induction of apoptosis, the mode of antiproliferative effect of ethyl gallate against human oral squamous carcinoma cell line KB was not studied until now. Therefore, the antiproliferative effect of ethyl gallate was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay in comparison with the reference drug paclitaxel. Generation of reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial membrane potential loss, DNA damage and apoptosis were determined using 2,7-diacetyldichlorofluorescein fluorescence, uptake of rhodamine-123 by mitochondria, comet assay and acridine orange/ethidium bromide dual-dye staining method. Both ethyl gallate and paclitaxel exhibited cytotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner. The 50% inhibitory concentration for ethyl gallate was 30 and 20 μg/mL for paclitaxel. A volume of 50 μg/mL of ethyl gallate was found to be significantly effective (P < 0.05) in controlling the cancer cell proliferation leading to acute apoptosis.     

Visual detection of Al ions using conjugated copolymer-ATP supramolecular complex

A colorimetric Al³⁺ sensor based on fluorescence recovery of a conjugated copolymer-ATP complex is proposed. An optimized ratio of two polythiophene (PT) monomers is utilized to synthesize copolymer (CP) that yielded maximized colorimetric response for Al³⁺ in deionized (DI) and tap water. The electrostatic disassembly of CP-ATP upon addition of Al³⁺ led to an evident visual color change. The lowest concentration of Al³⁺ for naked eye observation is around 4 μM, which is below the threshold levels in drinking water according to European Economic Community (EEC) standard. Besides, the proposed assay showed a similar response to Al³⁺ in tap water. The proposed methodology showed selective and sensitive detection for Al³⁺ in analytically relevant concentration ranges without involving sophisticated instrumentation, illustrating the applicability for on-site drinking water monitoring.     

Biosynthesis of TiO2 Nanoparticles Using Edible Mushroom (Pleurotus djamor) Extract: Mosquito Larvicidal,Histopathological, Antibacterial and Anticancer Effect

Journal of Cluster Science - The titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) were synthesized by the aqueous extract from P. djamor. The UV–Vis spectrum of TiO2NPs showed maximum absorption at...     

Effect of ionic liquid on dielectric, mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes/polychloroprene rubber composites

This paper focuses on the influence of ionic liquid on carbon nanotube based elastomeric composites. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are modified using an ionic liquid at room temperature, 1-butyl 3-methyl imidazolium bis (trifluoromethylsulphonyl) imide (BMI) and modified MWCNTs exhibit physical (cation–π/π–π) interaction with BMI. The polychloroprene rubber (CR) composites are prepared using unmodified and BMI modified MWCNTs. The presence of BMI not only increases the alternating current (AC) electrical conductivity and polarisability of the composites but also improves the state of dispersion of the tubes as observed from dielectric spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy respectively. In addition to the hydrodynamic reinforcement, the formation of improved filler–filler networks is reflected in the dynamic storage modulus (E′) for modified MWCNTs/CR composites in amplitude sweep measurement upon increasing the proportion of BMI. Hardness and mechanical properties are also studied for the composites as a function of BMI.     

Use of surfactant in aniline polymerization with TiO2 to PANI-TiO2 for supercapacitor performance

Polyaniline sulphate salt titanium dioxide composite (PANI-H₂SO₄·TiO₂) was synthesized by chemical in situ polymerization of aniline in the presence of TiO₂. The effect of anionic surfactant (sodium lauryl sulphate) in this reaction was also assessed. During the polymerization reaction, sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) is converted to dodecyl hydrogen sulphate (DHS) in the presence of acidic medium and gets doped onto polyaniline along with sulphuric acid dopant, i.e. formation of polyaniline-sulphate-dodecyl hydrogen sulphate-titanium dioxide composite (PANI-H₂SO₄-DHS·TiO₂). In the PANI-H₂SO₄-DHS·TiO₂ composite, the presence of DHS is confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) and TiO₂ is confirmed by XRD and EDAX results. In PANI-H₂SO₄-DHS·TiO₂ system, the nanoparticle of TiO₂ (10–20 nm) is uniformly embedded on nanofibres (20–60 nm) of PANI-H₂SO₄-DHS, and some part of PANI-H₂SO₄-DHS·TiO₂ forms core–shell morphology, wherein TiO₂ is in core and PANI-H₂SO₄-DHS in shell forms. Stability of PANI-H₂SO₄-DHS increases due to the incorporation of stable TiO₂. Utility of PANI-TiO₂ composite was carried out in supercapacitor cell system by performing cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic techniques in 1 M H₂SO₄ solution. Very low values of solution resistance, charge transfer resistance and time constant are obtained between 0.2 and 0.6 V. Initial specific capacitance values for the cell carried out at low and high current densities are found to be 280 and 205 F g^?1, respectively, and after 1,700 charge–discharge cycles, its retention in the specific capacitance values is found to be the same (65–66 %) with coulombic efficiency of 98–100 %. A capacitor can work even at a high discharge rate. The efficiency of oxidizing and doping power increases with the use of a surfactant. Moreover, the use of a long chain surfactant dopant containing polyaniline as an electrode material plays an important role to increase the performance of the supercapacitor by allowing the electrolyte to easily enter and come out from PANI electrodes.     

Multiobjective Optimization of Fabrication Parameters of Jute Fiber/Polyester Composites with Egg Shell Powder and Nanoclay Filler

In the present study, a model is presented to optimize the fabrication parameters of natural fiber reinforced polyester matrix composites with dual fillers. In particular, jute fiber mat was chosen as reinforcement and eggshell powder (ESP) and montmorillonite nanoclay (NC) were selected as fillers. The weight per square meter (GSM) of the fiber, the weight percentage of ESP and NC have been chosen as independent variables and the influence of these variables on tensile, flexural and impact strength of the composite has been inspected. The permutations of the different combinations of factors are intended to accomplish higher interfacial strength with the lowest possible number of tested specimens. The experiments were designed by the Taguchi strategy and a novel multi-objective optimization technique named COPRAS (COmplex PRoportional ASsessment of alternatives) was used to determine the optimal parameter combinations. Affirmation tests were performed with the optimal parameter settings and the mechanical properties were evaluated and compared. Experimental results show that fiber GSM and eggshell powder content are significant variables that improve mechanical strength, while the nanoclay appears less important.     

The study of the changes in the thermal properties of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Labeo rohita</Emphasis> bones due to arsenic exposure

The paper presents the changes in the thermal properties of control, arsenic exposed and DMSA treated Labeo rohita bones by using thermo analytical techniques. The result shows that the mass loss due to the thermal decomposition occurs in three distinct steps due to loss of water, organic and inorganic materials. The arsenic exposed bones present a different thermal behaviour compared to the control bones. The residue masses are increased due to arsenic exposure, while the DMSA treatment reduces the residue mass level. These thermal characteristics can be used as a qualitative method to check the metal accumulation in samples.