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Sclerotium rolfsii is a necrotrophic, soil-borne pathogenic fungus responsible for serious crop losses worldwide. It is one of the major phytopathogens infecting chilli and causes yield losses ranging from 16 to 80%. Among the various approaches to manage S. rolfsii, biological control is an environmentally acceptable alternative over other chemical methods. In this study, 120 endophytic fungal isolates obtained from a medicinal plant, Nothapodytes nimmoniana were evaluated for their in vitro and in vivo antagonism towards S. rolfsii. Among these, one isolate, Alternaria sp. exhibited 46.62% inhibition against S. rolfsii in dual culture assay on PDA. The inhibition was found to be mediated by the mycotoxin, tenuazonic acid, produced by the endophyte. Pre-germinated chilli seeds treated with mycelial suspension of Alternaria sp. reduced the seedling mortality due to S. rolfsii infection. Pretreatment with the endophyte also enhanced seedling growth and biomass compared to untreated seedlings under greenhouse conditions. These results suggest that the endophytic fungus, Alternaria sp. has potential implication for use as a biocontrol against S. rolfsii as well as for promoting growth of chilli.

A. nilotica (L.) leaf extract was subjected to fractional extraction to isolate potential antioxidant compound ethyl gallate. A. nilotica (L.) leaf extract was fractionated with different solvents and was investigated for antioxidant activity. Based on the results, the pure compound obtained from Fr. Y with low IC50 was further characterized by UV–Vis spectra, IR, 1D, 2D-NMR spectra. Pure ethyl gallate showed 75% antioxidant activity. As ethyl gallate is an approved food additive and an emerging anticancer agent, this paper will be of major importance for the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Landfill gases are produced due to biodegradation of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW) when water comes into contact with buried wastes under prevailing anaerobic conditions. To minimize the percolation of water in landfills, the conventional approaches such as clay capping is still practised in India. As landfill gas extraction system is an expensive technique,'Phytocapping' to mitigate landfill gases and to minimize percolation of water into the landfill can be one of the attractive alternatives. The present study aimed to determine efficiency of a laboratory-scale phytocap in terms of methane emissions, heavy metals' remediation and plant-soil interactions in Indian climatic conditions using six native plants in five planters (30 cm × 30 cm × 25 cm) with 5 kg of MSW. Overall methane oxidation due to vegetation was observed throughout the vegetated planters when compared to non-vegetated planters. Root zone methane concentrations were also monitored for the plant species, with the highest reduction occurring in root zones of Agave sisalana and Bambusa sulfurea and highest trace elements' remediation potential was observed in Brassica juncea and Helianthus annus plants. 96-98% of CH4 oxidation and 85-89% of heavy metals remediation was achieved through the study.

Astaxanthin (3, 3′-dihydroxy-β,β-carotene-4,4′-dione) is a high-value ketocarotenoid synthesized by several species of microalgae, plants, bacteria, and fungi and widely used as a potent antioxidant for human health and also a coloring agent. About six genes ( CrtI , CrtL , CrtO , CrtW , CrtR and CrtZ ) involve in the biosynthesis of astaxanthin. Phylogenetic analysis of astaxanthin biosynthetic pathway genes and their evolutionary rate variations has been studied among major phylogenetic groups of organisms such as plant, algae, and bacteria. The maximum likelihood (ML) algorithm was used in protein coding DNA sequences to infer the evolutionary relationship for the Crt genes among different eukaryotic and prokaryotic lineages. The phylogenetic analysis suggests that evolutionary pattern of Crt genes in eukaryotic and prokaryotic is characterized by even such as lateral gene transfer and gene duplication events. The specific amino acids present in the respective enzymes are the reason for their functional divergence. The dN values indicate that astaxanthin biosynthetic genes are more conserved in plant and algae than in any other bacterial phyla. This study provides the knowledge of individual Crt enzymes in different organisms that helps to increase the production of astaxanthin which is a biologically significant apocarotenoid that has various uses ranging from human health to cosmetic purposes.

The aim of this study was to obtain high-yielding cell cultures of Rubia cordifolia by applying gamma irradiation and subsequently scaling up for anthraquinone production in a bioreactor. Calli cultured on MS medium was irradiated at variable doses between 2 Gy and 30 Gy. The callus cultures that were irradiated at 8 Gy accumulated a maximum alizarin level of 26.86 mg g-1 DW and a purpurin level of 44.85 mg g-1 DW during the M1T4 (fourth sub-cultures after gamma irradiation treatment) subculture, which was 6-fold and 11-fold higher than those of the nonirradiated callus cultures, respectively. Suspension cultures that originated from high-yielding callus cultures irradiated at 8 Gy were scaled up in an 8-L stirred bioreactor equipped with different impellers. The callus cultures in a bioreactor using a helical ribbon for homogenous mixing synthesized 63.58 % more anthraquinones than those in the bioreactor equipped with a Rushton disc turbine. This is the first report on the production of alizarin and purpurin in a bioreactor.

Production of ordinary Portland cement requires huge quantity of natural resources and also releases huge quantity of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Research efforts have been continuing to establish geopolymer as an alternative cementitious material for the replacement of ordinary Portland cement. This paper presents the study to find out the properties of fly ash based geopolymer paste and 28 days compressive strength of geopolymer mortar. Standard consistency, setting time of geopolymer paste has been determined using vicat’s apparatus (according to Indian Standards), which is followed for cement paste, varying the concentration of sodium hydroxide solution from 6 to 16 M. Results indicate higher standard consistency, more time required for setting for fly ash based geopolymer than that of cement paste. Compressive strength of the geopolymer paste and mortar 17 specimens increases with the increase of the concentration of sodium hydroxide solution and decrease beyond 14 M.

Phycoremediation ability of microalgae namely Oscillatoria acuminate and Phormidium irrigum were validated against the heavy metals from tannery effluent of Ranipet industrial area. The microalgae species were cultured in media containing tannery effluent in two different volumes and the parameters like specific growth rate, protein content and antioxidant enzyme activities were estimated. FTIR spectroscopy was carried out to know the sorption sites interaction. The antioxidant enzymes namely superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione (GSH) contents were increased in microalgae species indicating the free radical scavenging mechanism under heavy metal stress. SOD activity was 0.502 and 0.378 units/gram fresh weight, CAT activity was 1.36 and 0.256 units/gram fresh weight, GSH activity was 1.286 and 1.232 units/gram fresh weight respectively in the effluent treated microalgae species. Bio sorption efficiency for Oscillatoria acuminate and Phormidium irrigum was 90% and 80% respectively. FTIR analysis revealed the interaction of microalgae species with chemical groups present in the tannery effluent. From the results, the microalgae Oscillatoria acuminate possess high antioxidant activity and bio sorption efficiency when compared to Phormidium irrigum and hence considered useful in treating heavy metals contaminated effluents.

Prominent microalgal species, namely Anabaena, Oscillatoria, Phormidium, and Spirogyra, were isolated from estuaries polluted with tannery effluents and studied to determine their Cr(VI) bio-sorption potential. The bio-sorption potential was determined by studying the effect of growth, biomass, reduction of Cr(VI) levels, and Cr(VI) absorption by the microalgal species. The respective values for Anabaena, Oscillatora, Phormidium, and Spirogyra compared with the control were as follows: growth in BG 11 medium containing tannery effluent was 53.99, 60.03, 55.76, and 55.85%; the biomass was 60.65, 77.61, 67.16, and 76.01%; the Cr(VI) reduction potential was 70.96, 80.64, 76.12, and 74.83%; and the bio-sorption potential was 75.48, 80.64, 79.35, and 77.41%. The removal of heavy metals by microalgal biomass involves bio-reduction and bio-sorption. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance results revealed the presence of microalgal sorption sites. All four species showed ma...

Natural toxins from plant sources with wide ranges of biological activities reflect the upswing of drug design in the pharmaceutical industry. Rubia cordifolia L. is one of the most important red dye yielding plants. Most of the former researches have focused on the bioactive compounds from the roots of R. cordifolia, while no attention was paid towards the fruits. For the first time, here we report the presence of dibutyl phthalate in the fruits of R. cordifolia. Structural characterization was carried out using Ultraviolet-Visible spectrophotometer (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), gas chromatography-mass spectrophotometer (GC-MS), Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Acute toxicity of the crude ethanolic extracts of the R. cordifolia fruits was examined in Swiss albino mice. No mortality was observed in all treated mice with 100, 500, 1000 mg/kg body weight of crude extract of R. cordifolia fruit and it indicates that the LD50 value is higher than 1000 mg/kg body weight. This study exhibited a significant change in the body weight. Alanine transaminase (ALT), total protein, triglycerides, glucose, and also the histopathological analysis of liver for all treated mice showed difference from the control group. The dibutyl phthalate was further evaluated for the toxicity study through in silico analysis. Together, the results highlighted that the toxic potential of R. cordifolia fruits extracts and also the toxicity profile of the fruit should be essential for the future studies dealing with the long term effect in animals. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 1059-1067, 2016.

Phycoremediation is an eco-friendly, emerging and economically feasible technique for the removal of heavy metals from the environment. In this study, the bioremediation potential of the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis was explored by treating it with various concentrations of chromium(VI) (0.01, 0.05 and 0.1 mM) and as well with tannery effluent containing Cr. Arthrospira platensis was grown in Zarrouk's medium (pH 9.5) at room temperature. The effect of Cr(VI) on A. platensis was studied via biochemical parameters (chlorophyll, protein), physicochemical parameters (total solids, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids) and analytical parameters (Fourier transform IR (FTIR), atomic absorption spectroscopy). The results indicated that A. platensis had a maximum adsorption potential of 98.5% and a reduction potential of 73.5% against Cr(VI). The FTIR analysis revealed that there is an interaction of A. platensis with Cr. These findings suggest that A. platensis can be used for phycoremediation of industrial effluents contaminated with Cr(VI).

Arthrospira (Spirulina) belongs to the cyanobacterial family has been reported as a potential bioremediation agent. The bioadsorption potential of Arthrospira species, namely A. indica, A. maxima, and A. platensis, was tested against lead, chromium, and cadmium toxicity under laboratory conditions. Arthrospira species were cultured in Zarrouk’s medium containing lead, chromium, and cadmium with two varying concentrations (0.01 and 0.05mM) and in river water contaminated with tannery effluent containing these heavy metals. Parameters like specific growth rate, total chlorophyll, and total protein contents were analyzed and compared. Specific growth rate,totalchlorophyll,andtotalproteincontentspossessdosedependentdecreasewith increase in concentrations of metals and also in heavy metal contaminated tannery effluent whencomparedwithcontrol.Statisticalanalysisrevealedthatthereisagood correlation between the specific growth rate and protein content in all the species. Atomic absorption spectrometry analysis also revealed that there is a maximum bioadsorption potential of the Arthrospira species. Results indicated that the three Arthrospira species used in this experiment were found to be potential candidates for bioadsorption against lead, chromium, and cadmium.

Biosorption of two chosen heavy metals viz. zinc and nickel were tested with selected strains of Spirulina namely S. indica, S. maxima, and S. platensis under laboratory conditions. The selected cyanobacterial strains were cultured in Zarrouk medium treated with zinc and nickel ions at varying concentrations (0.01, 0.05, and 0.1 mM). Biosorption ability of the selected cyanobacterial strains were evaluated in terms of doubling time, chlorophyll content (Chl A, Chl C) and protein content. Data depict that growth was significantly affected by the concentration of selected metals in the culture medium. At a concentration of 0.1 mM, growth of the strains exhibited poor growth due to heavy metal stress. Maximum growth was exhibited by S. maxima at 0.01 mM zinc (6.9 mg/L) and 0.01 mM nickel (17 mg/L). Results indicate that S. maxima can be used as a potential candidate for bioremediation of the major pollutants (zinc and nickel) in the tannery effluent.

This study was carried out to evaluate the inoculation effects of Achromobacterxylosoxidans AUM54 and Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) on the growth of the medicinal plant Naraveliazeylanica (L.) DC under micropropagation conditions. Results revealed that the micropropagated shoots treated with the combination of endophytic bacterium and IBA promoted shoot growth, root length, number of roots, chlorophyll content, nitrogen content, antioxidant enzymes, and stress tolerance compared with the control plants. A significant increase in shoot fresh and dry weights (64.65 and 8.85 %), root fresh and dry weights (61.65 and 3.91 %), shoot length (30.17 %), root length (28.57 %) and number of roots (276.9 %) was observed in treated plants over controls. Total chlorophyll and nitrogen content of bacterized plants also treated with IBA showed a 48.39 and 116.66 % increase, respectively, compared with controls. A significant increase in peroxidase (22.52 %) and superoxide dismutase levels (48.38 %) and fewer changes in the polyphenol oxidase level were observed in plants treated with A. xylosoxidans AUM54 and IBA. Moreover, stress ethylene levels were reduced by 21.4 and 14.5 % due to bacterization with A. xylosoxidans AUM54 and IBA treatment during postacclimatization and acclimatization stages, respectively. The shoot primordial with application of A. xylosoxidans AUM54 and IBA (1 mg l−1) had increased survivability of N. zeylanica plants by 30 % during the acclimatization stage under greenhouse conditions. From the present study it could be inferred that the association of endophytic bacterium A. xylosoxidans AUM54 and IBA with in vitro shoots of N. zeylanica improved root initiation, promoted plant growth and development under micropropagation conditions, reduced stress ethylene levels, and increased survivability during the postacclimatization stage. Therefore, A. xylosoxidans AUM54 along with IBA treatment can be used as a valuable tool for micropropagation of N. zeylanica and other endangered plants.

The presence of anthraquinones gives many plants of the Rubiaceae commercial importance. The root of Oldenlandia umbellata L. (Indian madder) is a source of natural dyes. In the present study, successful protocols have been developed for rapid root development and dye production from in vitro raised normal roots. For rapid root development, organogenic calli were subcultured onto MS medium supplemented with various concentrations of NAA (1-naphthaleneacetic acid) (0.15–1.0 mg/l) with CM (coconut milk) (0.2–0.6%). The best root development (47.3 per calli) as well as response (100%) was obtained in the MS medium supplemented with 0.7 mg/l NAA and 0.4%CM. The dye obtained from in vitro raised normal roots was analyzed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC), high performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), spectrophotometric quantification followed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The in vitro roots represented 338.84 μg/ml AE (alizarin equivalence) of anthraquinones, whereas the in vivo roots were found to possess 361 μg/ml AE. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on anthraquinone dye production from O. umbellata which enhances the production of fresh pigment and through in vitro culture allows harvest throughout the year.

In the present study, free radical scavenging, cytotoxic, and hemolytic activities of the polyphenolic compound ethyl gallate isolated from ethanol extract of Acacia nilotica Wild. Ex. Del. leaves were determined. The free radical-scavenging activities of the ethyl gallate were demonstrated in several in vitro assays in order to evaluate the possible antioxidant mechanism. The results revealed ethyl gallate as hydrogen donor, metal chelator, and free radical scavenger. Ethyl gallate was effective in scavenging 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and the IC₅₀ value was lower than all the positive controls used in this study. Deoxyribose degradation assay revealed that ethyl gallate had more iron-chelating ability than the direct hydroxyl radical-scavenging ability. The results of the cytotoxic study revealed that the compound was moderately active and IC₅₀ value was found to be100 μg/mL for Vero cell lines and 72 μg/mL for Hela cell lines. The compound possessed no hemolytic activity against rat and human erythrocytes revealing its cytotoxic mechanism and nontoxicity. The results from this work will provide an important information for the food and pharmacological industries with respect to the use of the compound as an antioxidant and a health-related drug.Antioxidant from plant sources is safe to use, as compared to synthetic products. It also can be used as a supplement to alleviate most of the diseases because of its free radical-scavenging activity.

Oldenlandia umbellata L., commonly known as “Indian madder”, is an ancient Indian herb valued as a source of red color dye and various medicinal products. In this study, successful protocols have been developed for induction of somatic embryogenesis and organogenesis in O. umbellata. Emerging young leaves, shoot apices, and stems were used as explants, grown on Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with various auxins, including indole acetic acid, indole butyric acid, napthaleneacetic acid (NAA), and 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, each at levels ranging between 0.1 and 0.5 mg/l, cytokinins, including benzyladenine (BA) and kinetin, each at concentration ranging between 0.5 and 5 mg/l, with and without coconut milk (CM) at levels of 0.5–5%. For callus induction, NAA at 2.5 mg/l was optimal; while, for rapid embryogenic callus induction, 0.2 mg/l NAA, 0.5 mg/l BA, and 0.1% CM induced the highest frequency (95.86%). Shoots developed upon transfer of embryogenic calli to MS medium containing 1.5 mg/l BA, 0.3 mg/l NAA and 1% CM. For root induction, 0.3 mg/l NAA and 1.0% CM promoted highest and earliest rooting.

The present study was carried out with the tannery effluent contaminated with heavy metals collected from Ambur industrial area to determine the phycoremediation potential of Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis. Two different concentrations (50 and 100 %) of heavy metals containing tannery effluent treated with A. platensis were analysed for growth, absorption spectra, biochemical properties and antioxidant enzyme activity levels. The effluent treatments revealed dose-dependent decrease in the levels of A. platensis growth (65.37 % for 50 % effluent and 49.32 % for 100 % effluent), chlorophyll content (97.43 % for 50 % effluent and 71.05 % for 100 % effluent) and total protein content (82.63 % for 50 % effluent and 62.10 % for 100 % effluent) that leads to the reduction of total solids, total dissolved solids and total suspended solids. A. platensis with lower effluent concentration was effective than at higher concentration. Treatment with the effluent also resulted in increased activity levels of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (14.58 units/g fresh weight for 50 % and 24.57 units/g fresh weight for 100 %) and catalase (0.963 units/g fresh weight for 50 % and 1.263 units/g fresh weight for 100 %). Furthermore, heavy metal content was determined using atomic absorption spectrometry. These results indicated that A. platensis has the ability to combat heavy metal stress by the induction of antioxidant enzymes demonstrating its potential usefulness in phycoremediation of tannery effluent.

In this communication a comprehensive study of the dielectric properties of human breast milk at microwave frequencies is reported. The samples are collected at weekly intervals following child birth. Measurements are made at the S-band of microwave frequency employing the rectangular cavity perturbation technique. The dielectric constants of the breast milk samples are found to increase as weeks elapse, which is attributed to the reduced fat content and increased lactose concentration. The conductivity of the breast milk samples is similarly found to increase due to the increased dilution.

This article reports a new in vitro bile analysis based on the measurement of the dielectric properties at microwave frequencies. The measurements were made using rectangular cavity perturbation technique at the S-band of microwave frequency with the different sam- ples of bile obtained from healthy persons as well as from patients. It is observed that an appreciable change in the dielectric properties of pa- tient's samples with the normal healthy samples and these measurements were in good agreement with clinical analysis. These results prove an alternative in-vitro method of detecting bile abnormalities based on the measurement of the dielectric properties of bile samples using micro- waves without surgical procedure. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 101-103, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop. 24021 Bile is a bitter, yellow or green alkaline fluid secreted by hepato- cytes and its constituents are water, cholesterol, bile pigments, bicarbonate ions, and bile salts. It is stored in the gallbladder between meals and while eating is discharged into the duodenum. The gall bladder absorbs the water and electrolytes concentrating it between the meals and when the chyme enters the small intes- tine, it excretes waste and aids the process of digestion of lipids. Cholesterol is also released with the bile. The human liver can produce close t o1lo fbile per day depending on the body size. Cholelithiasis is known as gallstones which are formed in the gallbladder due to variation in concentration of bile constituents. Choledocholithiasis is the presence of gallstones in the common bile duct (1). Cholestatic jaundice is caused by thickened bile or bile plugs in the small biliary passages of the liver. These situa- tions can lead to the gall bladder rupture or form an abscess which leads to a life-threatening infection of the liver requires medical emergency, the endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedure, or surgical treatment. This article reports a comprehensive study of the dielectric properties of human bile at microwave frequencies. The samples were collected from healthy persons and people ailing from cholelithiasis, choledocholithiasis, and cholestatic jaundice. The measurement of the dielectric prop- erties of bile helps to identify the healthy condition as well as diseased condition as there is significant variation in the dielectric properties. Biological effects of microwaves and the application of micro- waves in medicine are developing areas of research (2). The nonionizing microwave radiation interacts with tissues and obtains a large dielectric contrast according to their water content. Thus

Oldenlandia umbellata L., commonly known as 'chay root', belongs to the family Rubiaceae and is one of the unexplored dye-yielding plants. The roots from this plant are the sources of red dye. Extraction protocol and dye characterisation have not been completely studied so far in this plant. Hence, in this article we have used UV spectrophotometry, thin layer chromatography, GC-MS, high-performance liquid chromatography and NMR to identify the five major colouring compounds, including 1,2,3-trimethoxyanthraquinone, 1,3-dimethoxy-2-hydroxyanthraquinone, 1,2-dimethoxyanthraquinone, 1-methoxy-2-hydroxyanthraquinone and 1,2-dihydroxyanthraquinone. It showed application feasibility as a new pH indicator.