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The release of industrial effluents into fresh water is a major contributor of water contamination. Therefore, it is highly desirable to develop a viable solution to this alarming issue to improve the quality of clean water. To enhance the photocatalytic efficiency and hence utilization ratio of CuO, a series of CuO–FeSe2 composites with different varying contents of FeSe2 were prepared through facile synthetic methods. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive X-rays (EDX) analysis verified that the samples were successfully prepared without any contaminating phases. The average crystallite sizes of CuO and FeSe2 were computed to be 29 and 21 nm respectively. For the CuO–FeSe2 composites, the crystallite sizes varied between 25 and 27 nm. The morphology of CuO was comprised of needle-shaped structures, whereas that of FeSe2 was observed to be flower-shaped structures comprising of irregular crystals. A red shift in the bandgap of CuO–FeSe2 composites was observed with the increase in FeSe2 concentration. The prepared photocatalysts were utilized to evaluate their efficiency under visible light against Rhodamine B (RhB). Among all the prepared composites, CuO–75% FeSe2 revealed a remarkable performance and degraded 96% RhB in 180 min. Rate constants for the degradation of the dye were determined by applying the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aside from their fluorescence sensing capabilities, carbon dots doped with heteroatoms show tremendous promise as nanocarriers for medicinal compounds and as antioxidants. We present a method for producing carbon dots from chitosan and lemon extract (CLCDs) using a one-step hydrothermal coupling synthesis. The as-synthesized CLCDs exhibited remarkable colloidal stability, antioxidant behavior, cytocompatibility, and nanocarrier for drug molecules. The nanoparticles was analyzed using advanced techniques such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fluorescence spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to determine the precise composition of their surface. In order to evaluate the drug transport properties of CLCDs, their surfaces were further modified with anticancer drug compounds. The drug release behavior was studied against physiologically simulated fluids and at different pH environments showing better delayed response in acidic condition. The plausible mechanistic pathways have been confirmed after fitting the results into Higuchi, Weibull and Korsmeyer-Peppas models. The goodness of fit was more than 95% for the Korsmeyer-Peppas model, with the release mechanism supported by anomalous transport. Moreover, the radical scavenging activity of CLCDs was also confirmed at low levels (1 mg/mL) which could be inferred > 85% efficacy against mostly employed testing agents (DPPH, ABTS, and hydroxyl radicals). Thus, the prepared CLCDs could be used as suitable nanovector in payload delivery with prominent antioxidant activity and low toxicity against living cell lines.Graphical Abstract: Aside from their fluorescence sensing capabilities, carbon dots doped with heteroatoms show tremendous promise as nanocarriers for medicinal compounds and as antioxidants. We present a method for producing carbon dots from chitosan and lemon extract (CLCDs) using a one-step hydrothermal coupling synthesis. The as-synthesized CLCDs exhibited remarkable colloidal stability, antioxidant behavior, cytocompatibility, and nanocarrier for drug molecules. The nanoparticles was analyzed using advanced techniques such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fluorescence spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to determine the precise composition of their surface. In order to evaluate the drug transport properties of CLCDs, their surfaces were further modified with anticancer drug compounds. The drug release behavior was studied against physiologically simulated fluids and at different pH environments showing better delayed response in acidic condition. The plausible mechanistic pathways have been confirmed after fitting the results into Higuchi, Weibull and Korsmeyer-Peppas models. The goodness of fit was more than 95% for the Korsmeyer-Peppas model, with the release mechanism supported by anomalous transport. Moreover, the radical scavenging activity of CLCDs was also confirmed at low levels (1 mg/mL) which could be inferred > 85% efficacy against mostly employed testing agents (DPPH, ABTS, and hydroxyl radicals). Thus, the prepared CLCDs could be used as suitable nanovector in payload delivery with prominent antioxidant activity and low toxicity against living cell lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple, sensitive, and stability-indicating high-performance thinlayer chromatography (HPTLC)-densitometric method was developed for the quantification of biomarker naringin in the methanol extracts of stems and leaves of Rumex vesicarius. Chromatography was performed on glass-backed silica gel 60 F254 high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) plates with ethyl acetate-glacial acetic acid-MeOH-H2O (30:10:5:1, v/v) as mobile phase. Scanning and quantification were done at 275 nm. The system was found to give compact spot for naringin at RF = 0.46 ± 0.001. The linear regression analysis data for the calibration plots showed good linear relationship with r² = 0.998 with respect to area in the concentration range of 100-1000 ng. The regression equation of standard was found to be Y = 3.438X + 38.485. Naringin was subjected to acid and alkali hydrolysis, peroxide oxidation, photodegradation, dry heat, moist heat, and ultraviolet (UV) treatment. The drug undergoes complete degradation under acidic treatment and mild degradation under basic and hydrogen peroxide treatment. The degraded products were well-separated from the pure drug. The statistical analysis proves that the developed method for quantification of naringin is reproducible and selective. Due to the ability of the method in separating naringin from other constituents including its degradation products, it can be employed as stability-indicating method for in-process as well as finished products in the market. It is for the first time that authors are reporting a complete stabilityindicating densitometric HPTLC method for the estimation of biomarker naringin in the leaves and stems of R. vesicarius L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple and sensitive high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC)-densitometric method was developed and validated for quantification of β-amyrin in the crude extracts of two species of Maytenus (Maytenus obscura and Maytenus parviflora) grown in Saudi Arabia. HPTLC-densitometry was performed on glass-backed silica gel 60 F254 TLC plates with the binary mobile phase hexane-ethyl acetate (3:1, v/v). The developed plate was derivatized with p-anisaldehyde, then scanned and quantified densitometrically at 550 nm. The system was found to give a compact spot for β-amyrin at RF value of 0.38 ± 0.01. The method was found to be satisfactory in terms of sensitivity, accuracy, precision, and recovery. The content of β-amyrin was estimated as 0.42% ± 0.01% and 0.88% ± 0.01% w/w in M. obscura and M. parviflora, respectively. The developed HPTLC technique can be very useful for the quantification of β-amyrin present in various medicinal plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper-based compounds are promising entities for target-specific next-generation anticancer and NSAIDS therapeutics. In lieu of this, benzimidazole scaffold plays an important role, because of their wide variety of potential functionalizations and coordination modes. Herein, we report three copper complexes 1–3 with benzimidazole-derived scaffolds, a biocompatible molecule, and secondary ligands viz, 1–10-phenanthroline and 2,2′-bipyridyl. All the copper complexes have been designed, synthesized and adequately characterized using various spectroscopic techniques. In-vitro, human serum albumin (HSA) binding was also carried out using fluorescence technique and in-silico molecular modeling studies, which exhibited significant binding affinities of the complexes with HSA. Furthermore, copper complexes 1–3 were tested for biological studies, i.e., anticancer as well as NSAIDS. In vitro cytotoxicity results were carried out on cultured MCF-7 cell lines. To get the insight over the mechanism of action, GSH depletion and change in lipid peroxidation were tested and thus confirmed the role of ROS generation, responsible for the cytotoxicity of the complexes 1–3. Moreover, the copper complexes 1–3 were tested for potential to act as NSAIDS on albino rats and mice in animal studies in-vivo. Additionally, we also predicted the mechanism of action of the copper complexes 1–3 using molecular modeling studies with COX-2 inhibitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]