Purification and Characterization of Gum-Derived Polysaccharides of Moringa oleifera and Azadirachta indica and Their Applications as Plant Stimulants and Bio-Pesticidal Agents

Plant gums are bio-organic substances that are derived from the barks of trees. They are biodegradable and non-adverse complex polysaccharides that have been gaining usage in recent years due to a number of advantages they contribute to various applications. In this study, gum was collected from Moringa oleifera and Azadirachta indica trees, then dried and powdered. Characterizations of gum polysaccharides were performed using TLC, GC-MS, NMR, etc., and sugar molecules such as glucose and xylose were found to be present. Effects of the gums on Abelmoschus esculentus growth were observed through root growth, shoot growth, and biomass content. The exposure of the seeds to the plant gums led to bio stimulation in the growth of the plants. Poor quality soil was exposed to the gum polysaccharide, where the polysaccharide was found to improve soil quality, which was observed through soil analysis and SEM analysis of soil porosity and structure. Furthermore, the plant gums were also found to have bio-pesticidal activity against mealybugs, which showed certain interstitial damage evident through histopathological analysis.     

Synthesis and protein degradation capacity of photoactivated enediynes

[structure: see text] The viability of proteins as targets of thermally and photoactivated enediynes has been confirmed at the molecular level. Model studies using a labeled substrate confirmed the efficacy of atom transfer from diyl radicals produced from enediynes to form captodatively stabilized carbon centered aminoacyl radicals, which then undergo either fragmentation or dimerization. To exploit this finding, a family of enediynes was developed using an intramolecular coupling strategy. Derivatives were prepared and used to target specific proteins, showing good correlation between affinity and photoinduced protein degrading activity. The findings have potential applications in the design of artificial chemical proteases and add to our understanding of the mechanism of action of the clinically important enediyne antitumor antibiotics.     

Design and Development of Ultrafast Sinapic Acid Sensor Based on Electrochemically Nanotuned Gold Nanoparticles and Solvothermally Reduced Graphene Oxide

We report for the first time sinapic acid (SA) sensing based on nanocomposite comprising electrochemically tuned gold nanoparticles (EAuNPs) and solvothermally reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The synthesized EAuNPs, rGO, and EAuNPs‐rGO nanocomposite were characterized using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), particle size analysis, and Raman spectroscopy. A proof‐of‐concept electrochemical sensor for SA was developed based on synthesized EAuNPs‐rGO nanocomposite, which was characterized by electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The developed sensor detected SA with a linear dynamic range (LDR) between 20 μM and 200 μM and detection limit (DL) of 33.43 (±0.21) nM (RSD<3.32 %). To show the useful purpose of the sensor probe in clinical applications, SA was detected in human urine samples, which showed the percentage recovery between 82.6 % and 92.8 %. Interferences due to various molecules such as L‐cystine, glycine, alanine, serum albumin, uric acid, citric acid, ascorbic acid, and urea were tested. Long‐term stability of the sensor probe was examined, which was found to be stable up to 6 weeks. The sensor fabricated using EAuNPs‐rGO nanocomposite has many attractive features such as; simplicity, rapidity, and label‐free detection; hence, it could be a method of choice for SA detection in various matrices.