Honey mediated microwave assisted sol–gel synthesis of stabilized zirconia nanofibers

Aim of the present work is to prepare zirconia nanofibers using microwave assisted sol–gel method. Both honey and microwave powers are employed as structure directing agents to improve the stability and reduce the crystallite size. Honey, acting as capping agent, prevents the particles from hard agglomeration. Soft agglomeration or less agglomeration results in smaller crystallite size that prevents the transformation of tetragonal to monoclinic phase resulting in stabilized tetragonal zirconia (t-ZrO₂). Zirconium oxychloride is used as precursor of zirconium and deionized water as solvent. Effect of microwave powers, in the range of 100–900?W with interval of 200?W, on zirconia stabilization is observed. X-ray diffraction analysis shows the presence of phase pure t-ZrO₂ at low microwave power ~?100?W with crystallite size ~?26?nm. Formation of phase pure t-ZrO₂ at low microwave power is due to the presence of sufficient amount of honey to coat the zirconia crystals. Relatively higher x-ray density has been observed in case of phase pure t-ZrO₂ at 100?W of microwave power. This high density and phase purity reveals the high value of hardness (~?1503?HV). Scanning electron microscopy analysis reveals the formation of well-separated nanofibers without agglomeration at 100?W. These nanofibers are purposed for bone implants and bone grafting. Structural transformation along with hard agglomeration is observed with increase in microwave powers from 500?W to 900?W. FTIR and Raman fundamental tetragonal bands, appearing at 490?cm^?1 and 148?cm^?1, respectively, confirm the formation of t-ZrO₂ at low microwave power. Sample with phase purity exhibits high grain boundary resistance (1.95?MΩ) along with high dielectric constant (~?74) and low tangent loss (at log f?=?4.0). It is worth mentioning here that phase pure t-ZrO₂ at very low microwave power (~100?W) with high density and well-separated nanofibers has been obtained without any post heat treatment.

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Design and synthesis of fluorescent symmetric bis-triazolylated-1,4-dihydropyridines as potent antibreast cancer agents

Herein, we report the synthesis of fluorescent 1,4-dihydropyridine-linked bis-triazoles (2a–2n) through Hantzsch synthesis by the condensation of o/m-chloro-substituted benzaldehyde, ethyl 3-oxo-4(prop-2-yn-1-yloxy)butanoate, and ammonium acetate in the presence of Ba(NO₃)₂ as a catalyst followed by the click reaction of resultant Hantzsch product (1) with various aromatic as well as aliphatic azides. All the synthesized compounds were well characterized by ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, FTIR, and HRMS spectral techniques. Antibreast cancer evaluation of all the synthesized derivatives revealed that the compounds 2f (IC₅₀?=?7?±?0.02?µM) and 2g (IC₅₀?=?5?±?0.03?µM) showed better anticancer activity (lower IC₅₀) than the standard drug tamoxifen (IC₅₀?=?11.2?±?0.01?µM) against breast carcinoma (MDA-MB-231) cell line. The synthesized compounds were also screened against normal human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cell line and found to be nontoxic. The fluorescent nature and cytotoxicity assay of these newly synthesized hybrids recommend their utility in tumor cell imaging.     

Phytochemical screening and in-vitro evaluation of pharmacological activities of peels of Musa sapientum and Carica papaya fruit

Aqueous, absolute and 80% ethanolic extract of fruit peels of Musa sapientum and Carica papaya were investigated for their antibacterial activity, measured by disc diffusion method and antioxidant activity, measured by four different methods. Papaya and banana peels were found to contain terpenoids, tannins, alkaloids, saponins steroid, phenols, fixed oils and fats. 80% ethanolic extract of banana peel was found to contain highest total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and antioxidant activity but in papaya peel, highest TPC and reducing activity was shown by water extract while, TFC and radical scavenging activity was given by 80% ethanolic extract. In banana, water extract showed highest antibacterial activity against tested bacteria while in case of papaya, absolute ethanolic extract showed highest antibacterial activity. The present study revealed that peels of banana and papaya fruits are potentially good source of antioxidant and antibacterial agents.     

Eco-friendly synthesis of pyrimidines and its derivatives: A review on broad spectrum bioactive moiety with huge therapeutic profile

Among all heterocyclic compounds, pyrimidine is of prime interest, exhibit broad spectrum of biological activities, because of its occurrence in deoxyribonucleic acid bases. The bioactive moiety pyrimidine has a voluminous therapeutic profile as it is a vital component of a series of natural composites and chemotherapeutic drugs. Since from last 50–60 years, this motif has been used commendably against bacterial, tuberculosis viral, malarial, fungal, and cancerous contagions. Recently, numerous pyrimidine derivatives were synthesized and discussed here, fused with other heterocyclic moieties, pyrazole, coumarine, triazole, alkenyloxindole, hydrazine and others, were also investigated for their bioactivities. Amid all recently reported compounds, several exhibit potentials against breast cancer cell lines. Intensive research has been performed and is going ahead with distinctive emphasis on antineoplastic potential of pyrimidine. These widespread medicinal attributes impulse scientists to synthesize more and more biologically active pyrimidine composites by following simple and eco-friendly routes.     

Generalizations of the area theorem for meromorphic univalent functions with nonzero pole

In this article, we consider meromorphic univalent functions f in the unit disc of the complex plane having a simple pole at z = α ∈ (0, 1) with nonzero residue b at z = α. In 1969, P.N. Chichra proved an area theorem for such functions. In this note, we generalize this theorem and prove an interesting consequence of this result.     

Structural studies of a novel bioactive benzophenone derivative: (4-Chloro-2-hydroxy-phenyl)-phenyl-methanone

The title compound (4-Chloro-2-hydroxy-phenyl)-phenyl-methanone was synthesized and the product obtained was characterized by spectroscopic techniques, and finally the structure was confirmed by X-ray diffraction studies. The compound crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system with the space group Pbca with unit cell parameters, a = 14.0359(5) Å, b = 6.8084(3) Å, c = 23.1097(8) Å, and Z = 4. The structure exhibits an intramolecular hydrogen bond which closes an S(6) ring. No directional interactions beyond the van der Waals packing contacts were identified in the crystal structure.     

Discovery,Development, and Patent Trends on Molnupiravir: A Prospective Oral Treatment for COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic needs no introduction at present. Only a few treatments are available for this disease, including remdesivir and favipiravir. Accordingly, the pharmaceutical industry is striving to develop new treatments for COVID-19. Molnupiravir, an orally active RdRp inhibitor, is in a phase 3 clinical trial against COVID-19. The objective of this review article is to enlighten the researchers working on COVID-19 about the discovery, recent developments, and patents related to molnupiravir. Molnupiravir was originally developed for the treatment of influenza at Emory University, USA. However, this drug has also demonstrated activity against a variety of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Now it is being jointly developed by Emory University, Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, and Merck to treat COVID-19. The published clinical data indicate a good safety profile, tolerability, and oral bioavailability of molnupiravir in humans. The patient-compliant oral dosage form of molnupiravir may hit the market in the first or second quarter of 2022. The patent data of molnupiravir revealed its granted compound patent and process-related patent applications. We also anticipate patent filing related to oral dosage forms, inhalers, and a combination of molnupiravir with marketed drugs like remdesivir, favipiravir, and baricitinib. The current pandemic demands a patient compliant, safe, tolerable, and orally effective COVID-19 treatment. The authors believe that molnupiravir meets these requirements and is a breakthrough COVID-19 treatment.     

Transgenic Artemisia dubia WALL showed altered phytochemistry and pharmacology

The rol genes have been shown to enhance the production of secondary metabolites in plants. This report examines the effect of trans-genes (rol ABC) on possible high production of biologically important phytochemicals and enhanced pharmacological activities. Three transgenic lines (1, 2 and 3) of Artemisia dubia WALL (transformed with Agrobacterium tumefaciens harboring rol ABC genes) were subjected to phytochemical analysis and pharmacological studies. A great variation in phytochemistry and the pharmacological activities was observed not only between the transgenic and non-transgenic control plants but also among the transgenic lines itself. Comparative chemical profile obtained via HPLC, TLC and spectrophotometry showed high degree of variations in the quantity of phytochemicals. An increased production of total flavonoids (71.1% in transgenic line 2) and total phenolics (110.8% in transgenic line 1), increase in caffeic acid and catechin and a decrease in gallic acid content in the extracts of transformed plants compared to the untransformed control plants was decreased. In case of pharmacological activities, moderate to high level increase in antimicrobial (antibacterial and antifungal) activities, cytotoxicity (14.1%), antitumor (29%) and antioxidant activities (23.9%) was observed (in transgenic line 2). In general all the three transgenic lines under study showed improvement in their pharmacological activities in the order of transgenic line 2 > 1 > 3 > control. The implication of these findings will help to meet the increasing demand of pharmacologically important compounds.     

Scarlet Flax Linum grandiflorum (L.) In Vitro Cultures as a New Source of Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Lignans

In vitro cultures of scarlet flax (Linum grandiflorum L.), an important ornamental flax, have been established as a new possible valuable resource of lignans and neolignans for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory applications. The callogenic potential at different concentrations of α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and thidiazuron (TDZ), alone or in combinations, was evaluated using both L. grandiflorum hypocotyl and cotyledon explants. A higher callus induction frequency was observed on NAA than TDZ, especially for hypocotyl explants, with a maximum frequency (i.e., 95.2%) on 1.0 mg/L of NAA. The presence of NAA (1.0 mg/L) in conjunction with TDZ tended to increase the frequency of callogenesis relative to TDZ alone, but never reached the values observed with NAA alone, thereby indicating the lack of synergy between these two plant growth regulators (PGRs). Similarly, in terms of biomass, NAA was more effective than TDZ, with a maximum accumulation of biomass registered for medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/L of NAA using hypocotyls as initial explants (DW: 13.1 g). However, for biomass, a synergy between the two PGRs was observed, particularly for cotyledon-derived explants and for the lowest concentrations of TDZ. The influence of these two PGRs on callogenesis and biomass is discussed. The HPLC analysis confirmed the presence of lignans (secoisolariciresinol (SECO) and lariciresinol (LARI) and neolignan (dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol [DCA]) naturally accumulated in their glycoside forms. Furthermore, the antioxidant activities performed for both hypocotyl- and cotyledon-derived cultures were also found maximal (DPPH: 89.5%, FRAP 866: µM TEAC, ABTS: 456 µM TEAC) in hypocotyl-derived callus cultures as compared with callus obtained from cotyledon explants. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory activities revealed high inhibition (COX-1: 47.4% and COX-2: 51.1%) for extract of hypocotyl-derived callus cultures at 2.5 mg/L TDZ. The anti-inflammatory action against COX-1 and COX-2 was supported by the IC₅₀ values. This report provides a viable approach for enhanced biomass accumulation and efficient production of (neo)lignans in L. grandiflorum callus cultures.     

A novel antimicrobial triterpenic acid from the leaves of Ficus benjamina (var. comosa)

The chloroform extract of the leaves of Ficus benjamina (var. comosa) (Moraceae) afforded a new triterpenic acid named as (9,11), (18,19)-disecoolean-12-en-28-oic acid (1) along with β-amyrin (2). Their structures were established on the basis of chemical and physical evidences (IR, ¹H NMR, and MS data). The compound 1 exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against Salmonella typhimurium (MTCC-98), Candida albicans (IAO-109), Staphylococcus aureus (IAO-SA-22), Escherichia coli (K-12) and low activity against Aspergillus niger (lab isolate ICAR) and Aspergillus brassicola.