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Various reactive species which are either radicals or non radicals formed during normal metabolic processes. Oxidative stress has been identified as a major causative factor in the development and progression of several life threatening diseases, including neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disease, Antioxidants play a vital role in preventing or delaying oxidation and scavenging free radicals. Plants have been used as exogenous antioxidants from several years. In this contest, the rhizome extracts of two important medicinal plants Curcuma amada Roxb and Zingiber officinale Rosc were investigated for antioxidant properties and phytochemical constituents. Antioxidant capacity of different solvent extracts of these plants was estimated by scavenging diphenyl picryl hydrazyl (DPPH), nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen peroxide. The petroleum ether and alcohol extracts of Curcuma amada showed stronger antioxidant activity with IC50 values of 26-30µg/ml and 25-29µg/ml, respectively in all the methods while methanol extract showed moderate activity, while petroleum ether and ethanol extracts Zingiber officinale reported good scavenging activity in all the three methods with IC50 ranging from 25-30µg/ml except hydroxyl radical scavenging method. Petroleum ether extracts of both the test plants exhibited good inhibition of free radicals generated by DPPH, hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide when compared to standard ascorbic acid. The phenolic substances are commonly present in all the studied extracts. Among the two medicinal plants tested, Zingiber officinale has better scavenging activity in all the performed methods followed by Curcuma amada. In the present study, potent antioxidant activity of Zingiber officinale and Curcuma amada extracts leads to scientific validation of these plants. A natural substance which is a part of daily diet and nutritional supplement with antioxidant property constitutes a new source of herbal drug.

New Cobalt(II) and Nickel(II) metal complexes of 2-aminothiazole (ATZ) and benzoate ion (BEN) ligands were synthesized under microwave irradiation. The empirical formulae and the structure of the complexes have been deduced from CHN analysis, electrical conductance, magnetic moment, electronic (DRS method), Infra Red spectra, TGA analysis, cyclic voltammetry and powder-XRD techniques. The low electrical conductance values indicate that the complexes are non-electrolyte (1:0) type. The electronic spectra and the magnetic moment indicate the structures of the complexes are found to be octahedral geometry. Infra Red spectra illustrate that 2-aminothiazole and benzoate ion is bonded to the metal ion in a monodentate approach. The antifungal activities of ligands and their cobalt(II) and nickel(II) metal complexes were studied aligned with the few microorganisms by agar - well diffusion method at 100,200 and 400 conc. µg/ml concentration. The prepared cobalt(II) and nickel(II) metal complexes show prospective action against the tested fungi as compared to free 2-aminothiazole ligand. The free radical scavenging action of the prepared complexes and the ligand has been resolute by measuring their interface with the stable free radical DPPH. The complexes have larger antioxidant activity as compared to the free ligand. DNA-binding properties have been calculated by fluorescence-emissions method. The obtained results suggest that the complexes powerfully bind to DNA because of metal complexes are well-known to speed up the drug action and the capability of healing agent which can repeatedly be enhanced leading coordination with a metal ion.

Objectives: 2-aminobenzonitrile is used as the starting materials for the synthesis of many biologically active compounds. The main objective of the study was to synthesize, characterization and biological evaluation of a binuclear bridged Cr(III) complex containing 2-aminobenzonitrile (N,Ndonor) and octanoate ion (OC) as ligands. Methods: This study formulated, the required mole ratio of 2-aminobenzonitrile in methanol and sodium octanoate in ethanol were added to the chromium chloride in methanol followed by microwave irradiation for few seconds after each addition by using microwave oven and the precipitate was filtered off, washed with 1:1 ethanol: water and characterized by various spectral studies and biological significance. Results: The resulted complex was investigated by the help of elemental analysis, molar conductance, magnetic moment, electronic spectra, FT-IR, cyclic voltammetry, thermal analysis and powder-XRD techniques. The spectral data’s indicates that the geometry of the complex is octahedral. The antimicrobial activities of ligands and their Cr(III) complex were studied by agar-well diffusion method. The free radical scavenging activity of the complex and the ligands has been determined by measuring their interaction with the stable free radical DPPH. DNA-binding properties have been studied by fluorescence-emission method. Conclusion: The formulated Cr(III) complex showed moderate and potential activity against the tested bacteria, enhanced activity against the fungi and larger antioxidant activity as compared to the free ligands. The DNA binding study result suggests that the complex strongly binds to DNA.

Background Green plants are found to be an effective reservoir for bioactive molecules and can provide appreciable sources of antimicrobial agents. Antibacterial activity of solvent extracts of Euphorbia cotinifolia leaves was tested by agar cup diffusion and broth microdilution methods against some common human pathogenic bacteria viz., Bacillus cereus, Klebsiella pneumonia, Enterobacter aerogenes, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and Salmonella typhi. The methanol extract of Euphorbia cotinifolia was subjected to a silica gel column, leading to the isolation of a bioactive compound 1. The structure of compounds was elucidated by spectroscopic techniques and assessed for their antibacterial activity against several human pathogenic bacteria. Results The inhibition zone ranged against some common human pathogenic bacteria was 15.25–19.50 mm, 13.50–19.25 mm, 12–18.50 mm, 15–20 mm, and 13–19 mm for ECMF1, ECMF2, ECMF3, compounds 1, respectively. The MIC was found to be in the range 91–729 μg/ml for the fractions. The inhibition range was recorded between 12–19 and 10–14 mm for methanol and ethyl acetate extracts, respectively. K. pneumoniae, E. aerogenes, and B. subtilis were highly susceptible to methanol extract with the maximum inhibition zone of 19 mm. The MIC of the compound 1 against human pathogens was 78–833 μg/ml. Conclusion The present study results suggest that tested plant extracts have moderate to potent antibacterial activity due to the occurrence of phenols and flavonoids in the extracts. The defensive property of natural antibacterials is mainly due to the presence of these major groups, vitamins, phenols, flavonoids, and carotenoids. In the present study, biologically active diterpene was isolated and the structures of the new diterpenoids isolated from E. cotinifolia were closely related to an ingenol ester.

The new mononuclear neutral metal complexes of the type [M(L)2(H2O)nXn] (where n= 0,1,2…; X= Cl; ½ SO4; CH3COO; Br) by using the metal(II/III) salts {M = Cu(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Pd(II) and Ru(III)} with the Clomiphene citrate (L) were synthesized. The ligand and its complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared, ESR, 1H-NMR, electronic spectral studies and magnetic susceptibility measurement, which reveals that L acts as a monodentate ligand. They simultaneously give Thermogravimetric and Differential Thermal Analysis patterns of the complexes recorded at heating rate of 10 °C min-1. The antimicrobial activity of ligand and its metal complexes were evaluated against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria.

Starting with cow dung, a mixed culture capable of producing biogas by the anaerobic digestion of castor cake (oil expelled) has been isolated and stabilized. The biogas so produced contains small quantities of ethane, propane and butane in addition to methane and carbon dioxide which are the major constituents. This suggests that the mixed culture contains organisms hitherto unisolated and unidentified which are capable of synthesizing these hydrocarbons through the mediation of the alkyl derivatives of coenzyme M.