Biological entities as chemical reactors for synthesis of nanomaterials: Progress,challenges and future perspective

Synthesis of nanomaterials is being gained extensive attention in the fields of chemistry, applied physics, catalysis, drug delivery and the most important in diagnosis and therapeutic applications. Recently, many reports have been published on physical and chemical synthesis of magnetic as well as metallic nanoparticles (NPs) with viable surface functionalization, but still there is a dire need of such strategies that can combine synthetic methodology with stable surface modification found in nature. Synthesis of NPs via biological methods is the possible way to solve these barriers. However, systematized summary and outlooks of NPs synthesis via biological entities with various influencing factors e.g. temperature, pH, concentration of reactants and reaction time has rarely been reported. This review will present the distinct advantages of biological synthesis of NPs over physical and chemical methods. It will also highlight the recent progress on synthesis of NPs via various biological systems i.e. plant, fungus, bacteria, and yeast. Furthermore, it will explain various factors that control the size, shape, and morphology of these NPs. Finally, it would present the future perspectives of green chemistry for the development of nano-science and -biotechnology.     

New insights into the transition pathway from nonspecific to specific complex of DNA with Escherichia coli integration host factor

To elucidate the nature of the transition-state ensemble along the reaction pathway from a nonspecific protein-DNA complex to the specific complex, we have carried out measurements of DNA bending/unbending dynamics on a cognate DNA substrate in complex with integration host factor (IHF), an architectural protein from E. coli that bends its cognate site by approximately 180 degrees . We use a laser temperature jump to perturb the IHF-DNA complex and monitor the relaxation kinetics with time-resolved FRET measurements on DNA substrates end-labeled with a FRET pair. Previously, we showed that spontaneous bending/kinking of DNA, from thermal disruption of base-pairing/-stacking interactions, may be the rate-limiting step in the formation of the specific complex (Kuznetsov, S. V.; Sugimura, S.; Vivas, P.; Crothers, D. M.; Ansari, A. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2006, 103, 18515). Here, we probe the effect of varying [KCl], which affects the stability of the complex, on this rate-limiting step. We find that below approximately 250 mM KCl, the observed relaxation kinetics are from the unimolecular bending/unbending of DNA, and the relaxation rate kr is independent of [KCl]. Above approximately 300 mM KCl, dissociation of the IHF-DNA complex becomes significant, and the observed relaxation process includes contributions from the association/dissociation step, with kr decreasing with increasing [KCl]. The DNA bending step occurs with a positive activation enthalpy, despite the large negative enthalpy change reported for the specific IHF-DNA complex (Holbrook, J. A.; Tsodikov, O. V.; Saecker, R. M.; Record, M. T., Jr. J. Mol. Biol. 2001, 310, 379). Our conclusion from these studies is that in the uphill climb to the transition state, the DNA is kinked, but with no release of ions, as indicated by the salt-independent behavior of k(r) at low [KCl]. Any release of ions in the unimolecular process, together with conformational changes in the protein-DNA complex that facilitate favorable interactions and that contribute to the negative enthalpy change, must occur as the system leaves the transition state, downhill to the final complex.     

High-Performance Organic Field-effect Transistors from Functionalized Zinc Meso-Porphyrins

A series of new zinc porphyrins were synthesized, and their charge transport property was tuned by introducing various groups. Triarylamine was introduced to the porphyrin moiety at the meso-position as an electron donor, enhancing the charge carrier mobility. All the synthesized zinc porphyrins are thermally stable with a decomposition temperature over 178 °C. High frontier molecular orbitals levels of these compounds make them stable donor materials. SEM analysis of zinc porphyrins fabricated by spin-coating resulted in diversely self-assembled films. Field-effect transistors were fabricated using bottom-gate/top-contact architecture (BGTC) by solution-processable technique. The higher charge carrier mobility of 5.17 cm²/Vs with on/off of 10⁶ was obtained for trifluoromethyl substituted compound due to better molecular packing. In addition, GIXRD analysis revealed zinc porphyrins films crystalline nature, which supports its better charge carrier mobility. The present investigation has validated that zinc porphyrin building blocks are an attractive candidate for p-channel OFET devices.     

A new curvularin glycoside and its cytotoxic and antibacterial analogues from marine actinomycete Pseudonocardia sp. HS7

Five curvularin macrolides (1–5) were isolated from the cultured broth of marine actinomycete Pseudonocardia sp. HS7 that was obtained from the cloacal aperture of sea cucumber Holothuria moebii. The structures of these isolates were characterized as (11S,15R)-11-hydroxycurvularin (1), (11R,15R)-11-hydroxycurvularin (2), curvularin-7-O-α-D-glucopyranoside (3), trans-dehydrocurvularin (4) and curvularin (5) based on their NMR and HRESIMS data as well as chemical degradation. Compound 3 is a new macrolide with a rare α-D-glucopyranose substituent. Compounds 1–4, 5a and 5c (the acyl products of 5), suppressed the proliferation of all six tested cancer cell lines and 4 is the most active compound with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.59 to 3.39 μM. The 11-hydroxycurvularins 1 and 2 also showed antibacterial activity inhibiting the growth of Escherichia coli.     

Antimicrobial Surgical Sutures: Recent Developments and Strategies

Surgical sutures are probably the most widely used medical devices in healthcare applications for wound closure. During their application, sutures may be exposed to microorganisms present in the environment leading to bacterial biofilm formation, and thereon to surgical site infections. The physicochemical characteristics of the polymeric substrate play a major role in directing the behavior of the suture in a biological milieu. In such a context, it is necessary to develop sutures which actively repel and inhibit bacterial adherence and colonization on their surfaces. Drug eluting sutures have been proposed as a solution to this dilemma. Currently, bioactive agents (natural or synthetic) are being incorporated in polymeric materials via various methods including blending and compounding, surface functionalization and conjugation, and coating to render antimicrobial surgical sutures. However, each of these methods has its own pros and cons. Depending upon the nature of the substrate, an appropriate processing technique has to be chosen. In this article, we review the recent state-of-the-art developments and strategies in antimicrobial surgical suture fabrication. The efficacy and mechanism of these sutures in controlling infection is critically analyzed. However, such bioactive agent incorporated sutures have to be tested in clinically randomized trials to accurately gauze their applicability in a surgical setting. Presently, very few antimicrobial surgical sutures are available commercially. Therefore, there is a great scope for market development in this area.     

Pregnane‐Type Steroidal Alkaloids of Sarcococca saligna: a New Class of Cholinesterase Inhibitors

Phytochemical investigation of Sarcococca saligna by extensive bioassay‐guided fractionation resulted in the isolation of the pregnane‐type steroidal alkaloids 1 – 15 , i.e. of the five new compounds 1 – 5 and the ten known alkaloids 6 – 15 . The structures of the new alkaloids salignenamide C ( 1 ), salignenamide D ( 2 ), 2β‐hydroxyepipachysamine D ( 3 ), salignenamide E ( 4 ), and salignenamide F ( 5 ) were elucidated with the help of modern spectroscopic techniques, while the known alkaloids axillarine C ( 6 ), axillarine F ( 7 ), sarcorine ( 8 ), N³‐demethylsaracodine ( 9 ), saligcinnamide ( 10 ), salignenamide A ( 11 ), vaganine A ( 12 ), axillaridine A ( 13 ), sarsalignone ( 14 ), and sarsalignenone ( 15 ) were identified by comparing their spectral data with those reported earlier. Inhibition of electric‐eel acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7) and horse‐serum butyrylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.8) by alkaloids 1 – 15 were investigated. These new cholinesterase inhibitors may act as potential leads in the discovery of clinically useful inhibitors for nervous‐system disorders, particularly by reducing memory deficiency in Alzheimer's disease patients by potentiating and effecting the cholinergic transmission process. These compounds were found to inhibit both enzymes in a concentration‐dependent fashion with the IC₅₀ values ranging from 5.21–227.92 μM against acetylcholinesterase and 2.18–38.36 μM against butyrylcholinesterase.     

Investigations of Viscous Dissipation in Stagnation Point Flow Past a Stretchable Riga Wall: Modern Analysis of Heat Transport

This article scrutinizes the features of viscous dissipation in the stagnation point flow past through a linearly stretched Riga wall by implementing Cattaneo-Christov heat flux model. Viscous dissipation is carried out in Cattaneo-Christov diffusion analysis for the first time in this letter. As a result of Cattaneo-Christov model, some extra terms of viscous dissipation are appeared in the energy equation. These extra terms of viscous dissipation are missing in the literature. On the utilization of suitable transformations, the equations governing the problem are reduced under the boundary layer approximation into the non-linear and dimensionless ordinary differential equations. Convergent approach is utilized to solve the dimensionless governing equations. The solution thus acquired is used to highlight the effects of emerging parameters on velocity distribution and fluid's temperature through the graphs. Features of the drag force (or skin friction co-efficient) are graphically interpreted. It is noticed that the presence of modified Hartman number helps to reduce the fluid's temperature but enhances the velocity profile. Further an enlargement in the value of thermal time relaxation parameter helps to decrease the temperature distribution.     

Cu(OTf)2/Cu-catalyzed four-component reaction: a facile synthesis of α-alkoxytriazoles via click chemistry

Aldehyde, alcohol, azide, and alkyne undergo smooth coupling by means of acetal formation, azidation, and a subsequent ‘click reaction’ in the presence of copper(II) triflate and copper metal in acetonitrile to furnish α-alkoxy-1,2,3-triazoles in good yields. The method provides a convenient route to prepare a wide range of triazoles in a one-pot operation via a four-component reaction.     

Analysis of Heat and Mass Transfer in a Vertical Annular Porous Cylinder Using FEM

The present study is intended to study heat and mass transfer in a vertical annular cylinder embedded with saturated porous medium. The inner surface of cylinder is maintained at uniform wall temperature and uniform wall concentration. The governing partial differential equations are non-dimensionalised and solved by using finite element method (FEM). The porous medium is discritised using triangular elements with uneven element size. Large number of smaller-sized elements are placed near the walls of the annulus to capture the smallest variation in solution parameters. The results are reported for both aiding and opposing flows. The effects of various non-dimensional numbers such as buoyancy ratio, Lewis number, Rayleigh number, aspect ratio, etc on heat and mass transfer are discussed. The temperature and concentration profiles are presented.     

Energy Bounds for Static Spherically Symmetric Spacetime in f(R,G) Gravity

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate energy bounds in the context of f(R,G) gravity. To meet this aim, we choose static spherically symmetric spacetime in f(R,G) gravity to develop the field equations. We select three different models of f(R,G) gravity, which are thoroughly discussed in the literature. Firstly, the inequalities are formulated using energy bounds and then viability of the considered models are checked respectively. Graphical analysis show that specific f(R,G) gravity models are satisfied under suitable values of model parameters. It is shown that in a certain case energy bounds are satisfied expect SEC, which supports the late time acceleration expansion of unverse.