Acceleration of Adventitious Shoots by Interaction Between Exogenous Hormone and Adenine Sulphate in Althaea Officinalis L.

In the current study attempts were made to investigate the effects of three different phases of callus induction followed by adventitious regeneration from leaf segments (central and lateral vein). Callus induction was observed in Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) medium supplemented with 15.0 μM 2,4-dichloro phenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D). Adventitious shoot buds formation was achieved on MS medium supplemented with 7.5 μM 2,4-D and 20.0 μM AdS in liquid medium as it induced 19.2?±?0.58 buds in central vein explants. Addition of different growth regulators (cytokinins—6-benzyladenine, kinetin and 2-isopentenyl adenine alone or in combination with auxins—indole-3-acetic acid, indole-3-butyric acid and α-naphthalene acetic acid, improved the shoot regeneration efficiency, in which 5.0 μM 6-benzyl adenine along with 0.25 μM α-naphthalene acetic acid was shown to be the most effective medium for maximum shoot regeneration (81.3 %) with 24.6 number of shoots and 4.4?±?0.08 cm shoot length per explant. Leaf culture of central veins led to better shoot formation capacity in comparison to lateral vein. Rooting was readily achieved on the differentiated shoots on 1/2 MS medium augmented with 20.0 μM indole-3-butyric acid. The plants were successfully hardened off in sterile soilrite followed by their establishment in garden soil with 80 % survival rate.     

1,2-Bis-(2-benzimidazolyl)-1,2-ethanediol and 1,4-bis-(2-benzimidazolyl)-1,2,3,4-butanetetraol PdCl2 complexes

The 1,2-bis-(2-benzimidazolyl)-1,2-ethanediol (EH₂) and 1,4-bis-(2-benzimidazolyl)-1,2,3,4-butanetetraol (TH₄) ligands form 4-coordinate mono- and bi-metallic complexes with PdCl₂, respectively. In Pd(EH₂)Cl₂ the ligand acts as a bidentate through two of the nitrogen atoms. On the other hand, in Pd₂(TH₄)Cl₄ the ligand coordinates to two palladium atoms through both bis-benzimidazole nitrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms of the hydroxy groups, forming two different isomers. The complexes were characterised by analytical data, magnetic susceptibility, molar conductivity, and also by i.r., ¹H- and ¹³C-n.m.r. spectra.     

Synthesis of 2-Aminopyrimidine Derivatives and Their Evaluation as β-Glucuronidase Inhibitors: In Vitro and In Silico Studies

Currently the discovery and development of potent β-glucuronidase inhibitors is an active area of research due to the observation that increased activity of this enzyme is associated with many pathological conditions, such as colon cancer, renal diseases, and infections of the urinary tract. In this study, twenty-seven 2-aminopyrimidine derivatives 1–27 were synthesized by fusion of 2-amino-4,6-dichloropyrimidine with a variety of amines in the presence of triethylamine without using any solvent and catalyst, in good to excellent yields. All synthesized compounds were characterized by EI-MS, HREI-MS and NMR spectroscopy. Compounds 1–27 were then evaluated for their β-glucuronidase inhibitory activity, and among them, compound 24 (IC₅₀ = 2.8 ± 0.10 µM) showed an activity much superior to standard D-saccharic acid 1,4-lactone (IC₅₀ = 45.75 ± 2.16 µM). To predict the binding mode of the substrate and β-glucuronidase, in silico study was performed. Conclusively, this study has identified a potent β-glucuronidase inhibitor that deserves to be further studied for the development of pharmaceutical products.     

Phytochemical Analysis and Understanding the Antioxidant and Anticancer Properties of Methanol Extract from Litsea glutinosa: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies

Litsea glutinosa (L. glutinosa) is considered an evidence-based medicinal plant for the treatment of cancer, the leading cause of death worldwide. In our study, the in vitro antioxidant and in vivo anticancer properties of an essential ethno-medicinal plant, L. glutinosa, were examined using non-toxic doses and a phytochemical analysis was executed using gas-chromatography–mass-spectrometry. The in vitro antioxidant study of the L. glutinosa methanolic extract (LGBME) revealed a concentration-dependent antioxidant property. The bark extract showed promising antioxidant effects in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The strongest antioxidant activity was demonstrated at the maximum concentration (50 µg/mL). The IC₅₀ values of the LGBME and BHT were 5.51 and 5.01 µg/mL, respectively. At the same concentration, the total antioxidant capacity of the LGBME was 0.161 µg/mL and the ferric reducing antioxidant power assay result of the LGBME was 1.783 µg/mL. In the cytotoxicity study, the LD₅₀ of the LGBME and gallic acid were 24.93 µg/mL and 7.23 µg/mL, respectively. In the in vivo anticancer-activity studies, the LGBME, particularly at a dose of 150 mg/kg/bw, showed significant cell-growth inhibition, decreased tumor weight, increased mean survival rate, and upregulated the reduced hematological parameters in EAC (Ehrlich’s ascites carcinoma)-induced Swiss albino mice. The highest cell-growth inhibition, 85.76%, was observed with the dose of 150 mg/kg/bw. Furthermore, the upregulation of pro-apoptotic genes (p53, Bax) and the downregulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 were observed. In conclusion, LGBME extract has several bioactive phytoconstituents, which confirms the antioxidant and anticancer properties of L. glutinosa.     

Synthesis and characterisation of 1,3-bis(2-benzimidazyl)-2-thiapropane, 1,5-bis(2-benzimidazyl)-3-thiapentane ligands and their PdCl2 complexes

The 1,3-bis(2-benzimidazyl)-2-thiapropane (TP₂) and 1,5-bis(2-benzimidazyl)-3-thiapentane (TP₃) ligands form 5-coordinate square pyramidal monometallic complexes with PdCl₂. In both complexes the ligands act as chelating tridentate, through two of the nitrogen atoms in the imidazole ring and the sulphur atom of the bridging group. The ligands and complexes were characterised by analytical data and by modern spectroscopic methods such as FT-Raman, i.r., ¹H and ¹³C-n.m.r. spectra.     

Process optimisation for the biosynthesis of cellulase by Bacillus PC-BC6 and its mutant derivative Bacillus N3 using submerged fermentation

This study deals with optimisation of cultural conditions for enhanced production of cellulase by Bacillus PC-BC6 and its mutant derivative Bacillus N3. Influence of different variables including incubation time, temperature, inoculum size, pH, nitrogen sources and metal ions has been studied. The optimum conditions for cellulase production were incubation period of 72 h, inoculum size 4% incubation temperature 37°C, pH 7, 0.25% ammonium sulphate, 0.2% peptone as inorganic and organic nitrogen source in case of Bacillus PC-BC6. In case of mutant Bacillus N3, optimal conditions were incubation period of 48 h, incubation temperature 37°C, inoculum size 3%, pH 7, 0.2% ammonium chloride and 0.15% yeast extract. Presence of MnSO₄ and CaCl₂ enhances the enzyme production by Bacillus PC-BC6 and mutant Bacillus N3, respectively. This study was innovative and successful in producing cellulase economically by using cheap indigenous substrate Saccharum spontaneum.     

Polymerization of SU-8 under irradiation stimulated by temperature increase

X-ray irradiation of thick polymer layers (a deep X-ray lithography procedure) results in a temperature distribution over the exposed area. The induced inhomogeneous temperature increase can reach several tens of degrees and it affects direct SU-8 polymerization depending on the microstructure size and area.     

Ion population fraction calculations using improved screened hydrogenic model with l-splitting

Ion population fraction(IPF) calculations are very important to understand the radiative spectrum emitted from the hot dense matter. IPF calculations require detailed knowledge of all the ions and correlation interactions between the electrons of an ion which are present in a plasma environment. The average atom models, e.g., screened hydrogenic model with l-splitting(SHML), now have the capabilities for such calculations and are becoming more popular for in line plasma calculations. In our previous work [Ali A, Shabbir Naz G, Shahzad M S, Kouser R, Rehman A and Nasim M H 2018 High Energy Density Phys. 26 48], we have improved the continuum lowering model and included the exchange and correlation effects in SHML. This study presents the calculation of IPF using classical theory of fluctuation for our improved screened hydrogenic model with l-splitting(I-SHML) under local thermodynamic equilibrium conditions for iron and aluminum plasma over a wide range of densities and temperatures. We have compared our results with other models and have found a very good agreement among them.