Neeta Raj Sharma

Comparative assessment for hyperaccumulatory and phytoremediation capability of three wild weeds

Abstract The composition and the organization of soil are changing rapidly by the diverged mankind activities, leading to the contamination of environment. Several methods are employed to clean up the environment from these kinds of contaminants, but most of them are costly and ineffective to yield optimum results. Phytoremediation is a natural green technology, which is eco-friendly for the removal of toxic metals from the polluted environment. Phytoremediation is a cost-effective technique through which the cleanup of contaminated soil laced with heavy metals is performed by wild weeds and small herbal plants. The phytoremediation technique provides a promising tool for hyperaccumulation of heavy metals; arsenic, lead, mercury, copper, chromium, and nickel, etc., by the wild weeds and that has been discussed here in detail in case of Cannabissativa, Solanum nigrum and Rorippa globosa. In general, weeds that have the intrinsic capacity to accumulate metals into their shoots and roots, have the ability to form phytochelates and formation of stable compound with ions. This behavior of accumulation along with chelate and stable compound formation is utilized as a tool for phytoremediation activity.

Biological methods for textile dye removal from wastewater: A review

ABSTRACT The textile sector is 14% of total industrial production in India and contributes to about 4% of the gross domestic product and earns about 27% of Indias total foreign exchange. Worldwide, up to 10,000 dyes are available and their annual production is above 7 × 105 metric tons, which are being used not only in textile sector but also applied in paper, food and pharmaceutical industries. Textile industries in India have been consuming more than 100 L of water to process 1 kg of textiles, and have contributed heavily in polluting surface and ground water resources in many regions of the country. The toxic and carcinogenic effect of untreated textile effluent is well understood. The decolorization and detoxification of industrial dye effluents is most important aspect and is major concern to meet environmental regulations. This paper presents a review of literature on the significance of bioremediation technologies over other physico-chemical methods for efficient removal of textile dyes from industrial waste effluents to improve the fragile ecosystems in different regions of the world. The present review paper (a) symbolizes the applications of existing conventional physical and chemical approaches for the decolorization/degradation of textile dyes, (b) describes their merits and demerits, (c) emphasizes on the existing literature on microbial decolorization of textile dyes precisely by using bacteria (aerobic and anaerobic conditions), fungi and algae, and (d) involvement of various enzymes from different biological sources for the decolorization of various textile dyes and their mechanism of action. Over the years, researchers have developed several bioremediation technologies to treat textile effluents, but little effort has been made to put the entire literature review of these technologies in one refereed paper, our review paper is an attempt to compile the existing information on various treatment technologies of textile effluent, so that these technologies can be shared widely for site specific situations.

Identification of prognostic and susceptibility markers in chronic myeloid leukemia using next generation sequencing

Background Incidence of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is continuously increasing and expected to reach 100,000 patients every year by 2030. Though the discovery of Imatinib Mesylate (IM) has brought a paradigm shift in CML treatment, 20% patients show resistance to this tyrosine kinase inhibiter (TKI). Therefore, it is important to identify markers, which can predict the occurrence and prognosis of CML. Clinical Exome Sequencing, panel of more than 4800 genes, was performed in CML patients to identify prognostic and susceptibility markers in CML. Methods Enrolled CML patients (n=18) were segregated as IM responders (n=10) and IM failures (n=8) as per European Leukemia Net (ELN), 2013 guidelines. Healthy controls (n=5) were also enrolled. DNA from blood of subjects was subjected to Next Generation Sequencing. Rare mutations present in one patient group and absent in another group were considered as prognostic markers, whereas mutations present in more than 50% patients were considered as susceptibility markers. Result Mutations in genes associated with cancer related functions were found in different patient groups. Four variants: rs116201358, rs4014596, rs52897880 and rs2274329 in C8A, UNC93B1, APOH and CA6 genes, respectively, were present in IM responders; whereas rs4945 in MFGE8 was present in IM failures. Mutations in HLA-DRB1 (rs17878951), HLA-DRB5 (rs137863146), RPHN2 (rs193179333), CYP2F1 (rs116958555), KCNJ12 (rs76684759) and FUT3 (rs151218854) were present as susceptibility markers. Conclusion The potential genetic markers discovered in this study can help in predicting response to IM as frontline therapy. Susceptibility markers may also be used as panel for individuals prone to have CML.

Antibacterial, Antioxidant analysis of Phytochemical Extracts derived from seeds of Syzygium cumini L. against Pathogenic Bacteria

Syzygium cumini is a tropical fruit tree of great economic importance. The fruit is commonly known as jamun (Hindi), java plum, black plum, jambul and Indian blackberry. It is a large, evergreen widely distributed forest tree of India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Australia which is also cultivated for its edible fruits. The tree was introduced from India and tropical Asia to southern Africa for its edible and attractive fruits. S. cumini tree has proved to have medicinal properties against a number of diseases it has a high economic value for the application in the medicinal field its extract contain compound like flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, steroids, phenols, saponins, terpenoid, cardiac glycosides and tannins as the chemical class present in the extracts. In current research study, phytochemical extracts derived from seed of S. cumini for antimicrobial analysis and to explore its potential applications to develop green drug and as an alternative to antibiotics available to cure diseases without side effects. Phytochemical extracts were obtained by using water, methanol and acetone and various tests were performed to evaluate the presence of alkaloids and flavnoids with standard protocol; then biochemical characterization of these extracts were analyzed by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to evaluate the phytoconstiutents present in extracts. Then phytochemical extracts derived from seed extracts were examined for antimicrobial effects against various gram positive (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus) and gram negative bacteria (Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella enteric, E.coli) by disc diffusion method. After incubation period of 24 hrs at 370C zone of inhibition was measured and compared with standard antibiotic chloromphenicol and gentamycin. Antioxidant analysis was determined on the basis of the scavenging effect on the stable DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical activity and heavy metal absorption was also analyzed to detect the potential uses of these extracts as antioxidant. Methanolic extracts have shown more potent antimicrobial effects than water and acetone derived extracts. Terpenoids are well known for their antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anti-neoplastic activities, triterpenes and terpenoids have already been isolated. Saponins are reported to have antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and haemolytic, hepatoprotective and anti- ulcer activities. Findings in current research studies can be implemented to develop green drug and nanoparticles for antimicrobial, anti-diabetic purposes and various immunomodulation studies to improve immunity of an individual.