Chemometric and trend analysis of water quality of the South Chennai lakes: an integrated environmental study

In order to bring out the nature of the factors influencing lake water composition, multivariate statistical analysis and trend analysis were performed based on the hydrochemical data of the study area, namely, South Chennai. Change in land use pattern and settlements along the banks of the lakes alters the quality and quantity of the surface water. In the present study, the R‐mode factor analysis and cluster analysis were applied to the geochemical parameters of the water to identify the factors affecting the chemical composition of the lake water. Dendograms of both the seasons give three major clusters, reflecting the groups of unpolluted to moderately polluted, polluted, and heavily polluted stations. The movement of stations from one cluster to another clearly brings out the seasonal variation in the chemical composition of the lake water. The complex hydrochemical data of the surface water were interpreted by condensing them into three major factors. Factor score analysis was used successfully to delineate the stations under study and the role of the contributing factors, and the nature of factors responsible for the variation in chemical composition of the water has been clearly brought out. Results of trend analysis using ArcGIS clearly indicate that the trend in water quality is deteriorating at a faster rate in the eastern part of the study area. It is understood that although natural shifts probably can account for some of the variation, it is most likely that human activities play a major role in affecting the water quality on a regional scale. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of 6‐Aryl‐4H‐imidazo[1,2‐b][1,2,4]triazoles and 6‐Aryl‐thiazolo[3,2‐b][1,2,4]triazoles

The cyclization of the derivatives of 3‐aminotriazole, 2‐(5‐substituted 4H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐3‐ylamino)‐1‐arylethanones and 2‐(4H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐3‐ylthio)‐1‐arylethanones to yield 6‐aryl‐4H‐imidazo[1,2‐b][1,2,4]triazoles and 6‐aryl‐thiazolo[3,2‐b][1,2,4]triazoles has been described.     

Synthesis of Biologically Important N‐Heteroaryl‐2‐(heteroarylthio)acetamides

The synthesis of compounds having triazole and selena/thiadiazole rings connected by a chain having sulfur and nitrogen in the link has been described. The resultant N‐heteroaryl‐2‐(heteroarylthio)acetamide may be biologically important as related compounds found application in the inhibition of HIV 1 replications.     

A New Route for the Synthesis of 6‐Substituted [1,2,4]Triazolo[4,3‐a]pyrimidines

A new method of generating the fused heterocyclic system with bridgehead nitrogen, triazolo[4,3‐a]pyrimidine, from 3‐amino‐1,2,4‐triazole and unsaturated halo acids has been described.     

The reaction of 2‐aroyl‐3,3‐bis(alkylsulfanyl)acrylaldehydes and hydroxylamine hydrochloride: Facile synthesis of differently substituted isoxazoles

2‐Aroyl‐3,3‐bis(alkylsulfanyl)acrylaldehyde was utilized for the synthesis of three different isoxazoles by reacting with hydroxylaminehydrochloride. We synthesized differently substituted isoxazoles like (aryl)[5‐(methylsulfanyl)‐4‐isoxazolyl]methanones, 3‐(methylsulfanyl)‐5‐phenyl‐4‐isoxazolecarbonitriles and 5‐aryl‐3‐(methylsulfanyl)‐4‐isoxazolecarbaldehyde oximes in good yields by varying the substratereagent stoichiometry and temperature of the reaction medium.     

Effect of size and shape controlled biogenic synthesis of gold nanoparticles and their mode of interactions against food borne bacterial pathogens

In this study, size and shape controlled biogenic synthesis of gold nanoparticles and their antibacterial activity against food borne bacterial pathogens were investigated. Synthesis of gold nanoparticles was carried out using two medicinally important plants Cucurbita pepo and Malva crispa and the size and shape of the nanoparticles were controlled by altering various parameters in the reaction medium. Results obtained from UV–Vis, FE-SEM, EDS and HR-TEM analyses supported the nanoparticles formation. FT-IR analysis confirmed the presence of biomolecules in the plant leaves extracts responsible for reducing and capping agents. Interestingly, the plant extract synthesized gold nanoparticles showed effective inhibition zone against Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of synthesized gold nanoparticles at 400 μg/ml concentration showed effective inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes. Conductivity of the medium continuously increased during the nanoparticles treatment with food borne bacterial pathogens resulting in indirect indication of the disruption of bacterial cell membranes. In addition, mode of interactions of gold nanoparticles against food borne bacterial pathogens was demonstrated using Bio-TEM analysis which is clear evident for the disruption of bacterial cell membranes.     

Investigation on growth,optical, thermal,mechanical and dielectric studies of Benzimidazolium L-aspartate NLO crystal

The organic salt of Benzimidazolium L-aspartate (BLA) has been synthesised and single crystals were grown by slow evaporation solution growth technique at room temperature using water as the solvent. The grown crystal was subjected to single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and confirmed it belongs to monoclinic crystal system with space group P2₁/c. The crystalline perfection was studied using High resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD). The functional groups were analysed by FT-IR analysis. The optical transmittance and the lower cut-off wavelength of the BLA crystal have been identified by UV-Vis study. The thermal stability of the title crystal was investigated by TGA/DTA analyses. The Vickers microhardness analysis was carried out to study the mechanical strength of the crystal. The dielectric response of the crystal was studied in the frequency range 100 to 5 MHz at different temperatures. The surface morphology of the grown BLA crystal was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The second harmonic generation efficiency was measured in comparison with KDP by employing Kurtz Perry Powder method.     

Ameliorative Effect of Ocimum forskolei Benth on Diabetic,Apoptotic, and Adipogenic Biomarkers of Diabetic Rats and 3T3-L1 Fibroblasts Assisted by In Silico Approach

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a complicated condition that is accompanied by a plethora of metabolic symptoms, including disturbed serum glucose and lipid profiles. Several herbs are reputed as traditional medicine to improve DM. The current study was designed to explore the chemical composition and possible ameliorative effects of Ocimum forskolei on blood glucose and lipid profile in high-fat diet/streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and in 3T3-L1 cell lines as a first report of its bioactivity. Histopathological study of pancreatic and adipose tissues was performed in control and treatment groups, along with quantification of glucose and lipid profiles and the assessment of NF-κB, cleaved caspase-3, BAX, and BCL2 markers in rat pancreatic tissue. Glucose uptake, adipogenic markers, DGAT1, CEBP/α, and PPARγ levels were evaluated in the 3T3-L1 cell line. Hesperidin was isolated from total methanol extract (TME). TME and hesperidin significantly controlled the glucose and lipid profile in DM rats. Glibenclamide was used as a positive control. Histopathological assessment showed that TME and hesperidin averted necrosis and infiltration in pancreatic tissues, and led to a substantial improvement in the cellular structure of adipose tissue. TME and hesperidin distinctly diminished the mRNA and protein expression of NF-κB, cleaved caspase-3, and BAX, and increased BCL2 expression (reflecting its protective and antiapoptotic actions). Interestingly, TME and hesperidin reduced glucose uptake and oxidative lipid accumulation in the 3T3-L1 cell line. TME and hesperidin reduced DGAT1, CEBP/α, and PPARγ mRNA and protein expression in 3T3-L1 cells. Moreover, docking studies supported the results via deep interaction of hesperidin with the tested biomarkers. Taken together, the current study demonstrates Ocimum forskolei and hesperidin as possible candidates for treating diabetes mellitus.     

Reduction of the concentration difference of proteins in biological liquids using a library of combinatorial ligands

The discovery of polypeptides and proteins with relevance to a particular biological state is complicated by their vast number and concentration range in most biological mixtures. Depletion methodologies are frequently used to remove the most abundant species; however, this removal not only fails significantly to enrich trace proteins, it may also nonspecifically deplete them due to their interactions with the removed high-abundance proteins. Here we report a simple-to-use methodology that reduces the protein concentration range of a complex mixture like whole serum through the simultaneous dilution of high-abundance proteins and the concentration of low-abundance proteins. This methodology utilizes solid-phase ligand libraries of immense diversity, generated by "split, couple, recombine" combinatorial chemistry, that are used for affinity-based binding to the proteins of a given mixture. With a controlled sample-to-ligand ratio it is possible to modulate the relative concentration of proteins such that many peptides or proteins that are undetectable by classical analytical methods become easily accessible. The reduction in the dynamic range of unfractionated serum is specifically described along with treatment of other proteomes such as extracts from Escherichia coli, chicken egg white and cell culture supernatant. Mono- and bi-dimensional electrophoresis (1-DE and 2-DE respectively) and surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS) technology demonstrate the reduction in protein concentration range. Combining this approach with additional fractionation methods further increased the number of detectable species.