Vanadiumoxo–aroylhydrazone complexes: Synthesis,structure and DFT calculations

The aroylhydrazone Schiff base ligands (E)-N’-(2-hydroxybenzylidene)benzohydrazide = H₂L¹, (E)-N’-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)benzohydrazide = H₂L² and = (E)-N’-(5-bromo-2-hydroxybenzylidene)benzohydrazide = H₂L³ gave the vanadium(V)oxo-aroylhydrazone complexes [V^VOL¹(OCH₃)(OHCH₃] (1), [V^VOL²(OCH₃)(OHCH₃]·CH₃OH (2) and [V^VOL³(OCH₃)(OHCH₃] (3) on reaction with vanadium(IV) oxide acetylacetonate. The complexes were characterized by spectroscopic methods in the solid state (IR) and in solution (UV–Vis, ¹H NMR). Single crystal X-ray analysis was performed with 3. In methanol solution six-coordinated V^VOL³(OCH₃)(OHCH₃) was formed. V^IV was oxidized to V^v by aerial oxygen in the synthesis. In the VO₅N coordination sphere the alcohol oxygen lies trans to the oxo oxygen. The general V–O bond length order is oxo < methoxylato < phenoxidic < enolato < alcoholic. The complexes are mononuclear, but intermolecular O–H?N hydrogen bonding affords a zigzag chain. DFT calculations on complex 3 reproduced the geometric parameters, IR and UV–Vis spectroscopic data well in a reasonable range.     

Genesis and Mechanism of Some Cancer Types and an Overview on the Role of Diet and Nutrition in Cancer Prevention

Cancer is a major disease with a high mortality rate worldwide. In many countries, cancer is considered to be the second most common cause of death after cardiovascular disease. The clinical management of cancer continues to be a challenge as conventional treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, have limitations due to their toxicity profiles. Unhealthy lifestyle and poor dietary habits are the key risk factors for cancer; having a healthy diet and lifestyle may minimize the risk. Epidemiological studies have shown that a high fruit and vegetable intake in our regular diet can effectively reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancers due to the high contents of antioxidants and phytochemicals. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that phytochemicals exert significant anticancer effects due to their free radical scavenging capacity potential. There has been extensive research on the protective effects of phytochemicals in different types of cancers. This review attempts to give an overview of the etiology of different types of cancers and assesses the role of phytonutrients in the prevention of cancers, which makes the present review distinct from the others available.     

Heterogeneous Diffusion and Nonlinear Advection in a One-Dimensional Fisher-KPP Problem

The goal of this study is to provide an analysis of a Fisher-KPP non-linear reaction problem with a higher-order diffusion and a non-linear advection. We study the existence and uniqueness of solutions together with asymptotic solutions and positivity conditions. We show the existence of instabilities based on a shooting method approach. Afterwards, we study the existence and uniqueness of solutions as an abstract evolution of a bounded continuous single parametric (t) semigroup. Asymptotic solutions based on a Hamilton–Jacobi equation are then analyzed. Finally, the conditions required to ensure a comparison principle are explored supported by the existence of a positive maximal kernel.     

Ethnobotanical Uses,Phytochemistry, Toxicology,and Pharmacological Properties of Euphorbia neriifolia Linn. against Infectious Diseases: A Comprehensive Review

Medicinal plants have considerable potential as antimicrobial agents due to the presence of secondary metabolites. This comprehensive overview aims to summarize the classification, morphology, and ethnobotanical uses of Euphorbia neriifolia L. and its derived phytochemicals with the recent updates on the pharmacological properties against emerging infectious diseases, mainly focusing on bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections. The data were collected from electronic databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed, Semantic Scholar, ScienceDirect, and SpringerLink by utilizing several keywords like ‘Euphorbia neriifolia’, ‘phytoconstituents’, ‘traditional uses’, ‘ethnopharmacological uses’, ‘infectious diseases’, ‘molecular mechanisms’, ‘COVID-19’, ‘bacterial infection’, ‘viral infection’, etc. The results related to the antimicrobial actions of these plant extracts and their derived phytochemicals were carefully reviewed and summarized. Euphol, monohydroxy triterpene, nerifoliol, taraxerol, β-amyrin, glut-5-(10)-en-1-one, neriifolione, and cycloartenol are the leading secondary metabolites reported in phytochemical investigations. These chemicals have been shown to possess a wide spectrum of biological functions. Different extracts of E. neriifolia exerted antimicrobial activities against various pathogens to different extents. Moreover, major phytoconstituents present in this plant, such as quercetin, rutin, friedelin, taraxerol, epitaraxerol, taraxeryl acetate, 3β-friedelanol, 3β-acetoxy friedelane, 3β-simiarenol, afzelin, 24-methylene cycloarenol, ingenol triacetate, and β-amyrin, showed significant antimicrobial activities against various pathogens that are responsible for emerging infectious diseases. This plant and the phytoconstituents, such as flavonoids, monoterpenoids, diterpenoids, triterpenoids, and alkaloids, have been found to have significant antimicrobial properties. The current evidence suggests that they might be used as leads in the development of more effective drugs to treat emerging infectious diseases, including the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19).     

Involvement of Resveratrol against Brain Cancer: A Combination Strategy with a Pharmaceutical Approach

A brain tumor (BT) is a condition in which there is growth or uncontrolled development of the brain cells, which usually goes unrecognized or is diagnosed at the later stages. Since the mechanism behind BT is not clear, and the various physiological conditions are difficult to diagnose, the success rate of BT is not very high. This is the central issue faced during drug development and clinical trials with almost all types of neurodegenerative disorders. In the first part of this review, we focus on the concept of brain tumors, their barriers, and the types of delivery possible to target the brain cells. Although various treatment methods are available, they all have side effects or toxic effects. Hence, in the second part, a correlation was made between the use of resveratrol, a potent antioxidant, and its advantages for brain diseases. The relationship between brain disease and the blood–brain barrier, multi-drug resistance, and the use of nanomedicine for treating brain disorders is also mentioned. In short, a hypothetical concept is given with a background investigation into the use of combination therapy with resveratrol as an active ingredient, the possible drug delivery, and its formulation-based approach.     

An Evaluation of Antimicrobial,Anticancer, Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Activities of Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized from Leaf Extract of Madhuca longifolia Utilizing Quantitative and Qualitative Methods

In the current decade, nanoparticles are synthesized using solvents that are environmentally friendly. A number of nanoparticles have been synthesized at room temperature using water as a solvent, such as gold (Au) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles. As part of nanotechnology, nanoparticles are synthesized through biological processes. Biological methods are the preferred method for the synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles (AgNPs) as a result of their simple and non-hazardous nature. Nanoparticles of silver are used in a variety of applications, including catalysts, spectrally selective coatings for solar absorption, optical objectives, pharmaceutical constituents, and chemical and biological sensing. Antimicrobial agents are among the top uses of silver nanoparticles. In the current study, silver nanoparticles were biologically manufactured through Madhuca longifolia, and their antibacterial activity against pathogenic microorganisms, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities were assessed. UV-Vis spectroscopy, XRD (X-ray diffraction), transmission electron microscopy, Zeta Potential, and FTIR were used to characterize silver nanoparticles. The current work describes a cheap and environmentally friendly method to synthesize silver nanoparticles from silver nitrate solution by using plant crude extract as a reducing agent.     

Highly-sensitive cholesterol biosensor based on well-crystallized flower-shaped ZnO nanostructures

This paper reports the fabrication of highly-sensitive cholesterol biosensor based on cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) immobilization on well-crystallized flower-shaped ZnO structures composed of perfectly hexagonal-shaped ZnO nanorods grown by low-temperature simple solution process. The fabricated cholesterol biosensors reported a very high and reproducible sensitivity of 61.7 μA μM⁻¹ cm⁻² with a response time less than 5 s and detection limit (based on S/N ratio) of 0.012 μM. The biosensor exhibited a linear dynamic range from 1.0-15.0 μM and correlation coefficient of R = 0.9979. A lower value of apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (K_m^app), of 2.57 mM, exhibited a high affinity between the cholesterol and ChOx immobilized on flower-shaped ZnO structures. Moreover, the effect of pH on ChOx activity on the ZnO modified electrode has also been studied in the range of 5.0-9.0 which exhibited a best enzymatic activity at the pH range of 6.8-7.6. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in which such a very high-sensitivity and low detection limit has been achieved for the cholesterol biosensor by using ZnO nanostructures modified electrodes.