Synthetic thermally reversible gel systems. V

Differential thermal analysis has been used to study the fusion of aqueous thermally reversible gels of gelatin and polyacrylylglycinamide (PAG). In the case of gelatin gels, endotherms close to the melting point are readily observed and these are sometimes preceeded by a small exothermic heat of gel reorganization. Calculations are presented to show that breaking of the gelatin gel network requires only a small fraction of the observed endothermic heat of fusion and that most of the heat is required for melting larger crystallites within gelatin aggregates and for perhaps a helix → coil transition. Failure to observe endotherms by DTA over the known temperature range of fusion of PAG gels is consistent with prior measurements and conclusions. The noncrystallinity of PAG gels and soluble aggregates together with a heat of crosslinking of only ?5 to ?10 kcal/mole of crosslinks places the heat of fusion of PAG gels outside the lower limits of DTA sensitivity.     

Analysis of selected pesticides and alkylphenols in human cord blood by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer

A total of seven pesticides and eight alkylphenols were monitored using this method for the determination of their trace levels in human cord blood. The pesticides are lindane, diazinon, α-endosulfan, β-endosulfan, endosulfan sulfate, chlorpyrifos and endrin; while the alkylphenols are 4-n-butylphenol, 4-n-pentylphenol, 4-n-hexylphenol, 4-t-octylphenol, 4-n-heptylphenol, nonylphenol, 4-n-octylphenol and bisphenol A. The pesticides and alkylphenols in the cord blood samples were extracted with solid phase extraction IST C18 cartridges and analyzed by selected ion monitoring mode using quadrapole detector in Shimadzu QP-5000 gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. Trace levels of pesticide and alkylphenols in the range of non-detectable to 15.17 ng ml⁻¹, were detected in the human cord blood samples. This technique of monitoring the levels of endocrine-disruptors in blood samples is consistent, reliable and cost effective while reducing wastage of time and solvents.     

Synthesis of steroidal thiadiazoles from steroidal ketones

Syntheses of steroidal heterocycles containing a five-membered N,S- heterocycle attached at the 6,7 positions of the B ring are reported. 5Alpha-cholestane-6-one (1), its 3beta-acetoxy- (2) and 3beta-chloro- (3) analogues reacted with semicarbazide and aqueous sodium acetate in refluxing ethanol to yield 5alpha-cholestan-6-one-semicarbazone 1a and its 3-beta-acetoxy and 3beta-chloro derivatives 2a and 3a, respectively. The reactions of 1a, 2a and 3a with thionyl chloride in dichloromethane at low temperature afforded the cyclized thiadiazole 4 and its 3beta-acetoxy- and 3beta-chloro analogues 5 and 6 in good yields.     

Biomedical and Antioxidant Potentialities in Chilli: Perspectives and Way Forward

Worldwide, since ages and nowadays, traditional medicine is well known, owing to its biodiversity, which immensely contributed to the advancement and development of complementary and alternative medicines. There is a wide range of spices, herbs, and trees known for their medicinal uses. Chilli peppers, a vegetable cum spice crop, are bestowed with natural bioactive compounds, flavonoids, capsaicinoids, phytochemicals, phytonutrients, and pharmacologically active compounds with potential health benefits. Such compounds manifest their functionality over solo-treatment by operating in synergy and consortium. Co-action of these compounds and nutrients make them potentially effective against coagulation, obesity, diabetes, inflammation, dreadful diseases, such as cancer, and microbial diseases, alongside having good anti-oxidants with scavenging ability to free radicals and oxygen. In recent times, capsaicinoids especially capsaicin can ameliorate important viral diseases, such as SARS-CoV-2. In addition, capsaicin provides an ability to chilli peppers to ramify as topical agents in pain-relief and also benefitting man as a potential effective anesthetic agent. Such phytochemicals involved not only make them useful and a much economical substitute to wonder/artificial drugs but can be exploited as obscene drugs for the production of novel stuffs. The responsibility of the TRPV1 receptor in association with capsaicin in mitigating chronic diseases has also been justified in this study. Nonetheless, medicinal studies pertaining to consumption of chilli peppers are limited and demand confirmation of the findings from animal studies. In this artifact, an effort has been made to address in an accessible format the nutritional and biomedical perspectives of chilli pepper, which could precisely upgrade and enrich our pharmaceutical industries towards human well-being.     

Iron Oxide Nanoparticle-Based Ferro-Nanofluids for Advanced Technological Applications

Iron oxide nanoparticle (ION)-based ferro-nanofluids (FNs) have been used for different technological applications owing to their excellent magneto-rheological properties. A comprehensive overview of the current advancement of FNs based on IONs for various engineering applications is unquestionably necessary. Hence, in this review article, various important advanced technological applications of ION-based FNs concerning different engineering fields are critically summarized. The chemical engineering applications are mainly focused on mass transfer processes. Similarly, the electrical and electronics engineering applications are mainly focused on magnetic field sensors, FN-based temperature sensors and tilt sensors, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and on-chip components, actuators, and cooling for electronic devices and photovoltaic thermal systems. On the other hand, environmental engineering applications encompass water and air purification. Moreover, mechanical engineering or magneto-rheological applications include dampers and sealings. This review article provides up-to-date information related to the technological advancements and emerging trends in ION-based FN research concerning various engineering fields, as well as discusses the challenges and future perspectives.     

Curcumin and Its Derivatives Induce Apoptosis in Human Cancer Cells by Mobilizing and Redox Cycling Genomic Copper Ions

Turmeric spice contains curcuminoids, which are polyphenolic compounds found in the Curcuma longa plant’s rhizome. This class of molecules includes curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin. Using prostate cancer cell lines PC3, LNCaP, DU145, and C42B, we show that curcuminoids inhibit cell proliferation (measured by MTT assay) and induce apoptosis-like cell death (measured by DNA/histone ELISA). A copper chelator (neocuproine) and reactive oxygen species scavengers (thiourea for hydroxyl radical, superoxide dismutase for superoxide anion, and catalase for hydrogen peroxide) significantly inhibit this reaction, thus demonstrating that intracellular copper reacts with curcuminoids in cancer cells to cause DNA damage via ROS generation. We further show that copper-supplemented media sensitize normal breast epithelial cells (MCF-10A) to curcumin-mediated growth inhibition, as determined by decreased cell proliferation. Copper supplementation results in increased expression of copper transporters CTR1 and ATP7A in MCF-10A cells, which is attenuated by the addition of curcumin in the medium. We propose that the copper-mediated, ROS-induced mechanism of selective cell death of cancer cells may in part explain the anticancer effects of curcuminoids.     

Palm Raceme as a Promising Biomass Precursor for Activated Carbon to Promote Lipase Activity with the Aid of Eutectic Solvents

This study concerns the role of activated carbon (AC) from palm raceme as a support material for the enhancement of lipase-catalyzed reactions in an aqueous solution, with deep eutectic solvent (DES) as a co-solvent. The effects of carbonization temperature, impregnation ratio, and carbonization time on lipase activity were studied. The activities of Amano lipase from Burkholderia cepacia (AML) and lipase from the porcine pancreas (PPL) were used to investigate the optimum conditions for AC preparation. The results showed that AC has more interaction with PPL and effectively provides greater enzymatic activity compared with AML. The optimum treatment conditions of AC samples that yield the highest enzymatic activity were 0.5 (NaOH (g)/palm raceme (g)), 150 min, and a carbonization temperature of 400 °C. DES was prepared from alanine/sodium hydroxide and used with AC for the further enhancement of enzymatic activity. Kinetic studies demonstrated that the activity of PPL was enhanced with the immobilization of AC in a DES medium.     

Storage Stability of Antioxidant in Milk Products Fermented with Selected Kefir Grain Microflora

The aim of the study was to assess the antioxidant potential of goat’s milk and whey from goat’s milk fermented with selected bacteria strains from kefir grain (L. plantarum, L. fermentum, L. rhamnosus and L. acidophilus) with regard to fermented cow’s milk with the same bacteria strains. The assessment of antioxidant potential was made by ABTS, DPPH, TPC and FRAP methods. The work also assessed metabolic activity of tested lactic acid bacteria using measurement of electrical impedance changes in the growing medium. The highest values describing the antioxidant potential were found for fermented milk by L. acidophilus. It was also found that the time of cooling storage causes significantly increasing the antioxidant potential of most analyzed samples. Metabolic activity of tested lactic acid bacteria was the highest for cow’s milk. The course of curves for goat’s milk and whey from goat’s milk was similar, which confirms the differences between cow and goat milk.     

Development and Characterization of Novel Biopolymer Derived from Abelmoschus esculentus L. Extract and Its Antidiabetic Potential

Abelmoschus esculentus (Okra) is an important vegetable crop, widely cultivated around the world due to its high nutritional significance along with several health benefits. Different parts of okra including its mucilage have been currently studied for its role in various therapeutic applications. Therefore, we aimed to develop and characterize the okra mucilage biopolymer (OMB) for its physicochemical properties as well as to evaluate its in vitro antidiabetic activity. The characterization of OMB using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) revealed that okra mucilage containing polysaccharides lies in the bandwidth of 3279 and 1030 cm⁻¹, which constitutes the fingerprint region of the spectrum. In addition, physicochemical parameters such as percentage yield, percentage solubility, and swelling index were found to be 2.66%, 96.9%, and 5, respectively. A mineral analysis of newly developed biopolymers showed a substantial amount of calcium (412 mg/100 g), potassium (418 mg/100 g), phosphorus (60 mg/100 g), iron (47 mg/100 g), zinc (16 mg/100 g), and sodium (9 mg/100 g). The significant antidiabetic potential of OMB was demonstrated using α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzyme inhibitory assay. Further investigations are required to explore the newly developed biopolymer for its toxicity, efficacy, and its possible utilization in food, nutraceutical, as well as pharmaceutical industries.