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"Kumar, Ashwani"
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The Toxicological Mechanisms of Environmental Soot (Black Carbon) and Carbon Black: Focus on Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Pathways
The environmental soot and carbon blacks (CBs) cause many diseases in humans, but their underlying mechanisms of toxicity are still poorly understood. Both are formed after the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons but differ in their constituents and percent carbon contents. For the first time, \"Sir Percival Pott\" described soot as a carcinogen, which was subsequently confirmed by many others. The existing data suggest three main types of diseases due to soot and CB exposures: cancer, respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular dysfunctions. Experimental models revealed the involvement of oxidative stress, DNA methylation, formation of DNA adducts, and Aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation as the key mechanisms of soot- and CB-induced cancers. Metals including Si, Fe, Mn, Ti, and Co in soot also contribute in the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated DNA damage. Mechanistically, ROS-induced DNA damage is further enhanced by eosinophils and neutrophils
halide (Cl
and Br
) dependent DNA adducts formation. The activation of pulmonary dendritic cells, T helper type 2 cells, and mast cells is crucial mediators in the pathology of soot- or CB-induced respiratory disease. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were also found to modulate T cells functions in respiratory diseases. Particularly, telomerase reverse transcriptase was found to play the critical role in soot- and CB-induced cardiovascular dysfunctions. In this review, we propose integrated mechanisms of soot- and CB-induced toxicity emphasizing the role of inflammatory mediators and oxidative stress. We also suggest use of antioxidants and PUFAs as protective strategies against soot- and CB-induced disorders.
Journal Article
They changed the world : Crick & Watson
\"Although the groundwork for [DNA] discovery had already been laid out, it was Watson and Crick's derivation of the three-dimensional, double-helical model for the structure of DNA that solved the final piece of the puzzle and won them the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962\"--Back cover.
BOOK
Nanoscale Self-Assembly for Therapeutic Delivery
Self-assembly is the process of association of individual units of a material into highly arranged/ordered structures/patterns. It imparts unique properties to both inorganic and organic structures, so generated, via non-covalent interactions. Currently, self-assembled nanomaterials are finding a wide variety of applications in the area of nanotechnology, imaging techniques, biosensors, biomedical sciences, etc., due to its simplicity, spontaneity, scalability, versatility, and inexpensiveness. Self-assembly of amphiphiles into nanostructures (micelles, vesicles, and hydrogels) happens due to various physical interactions. Recent advancements in the area of drug delivery have opened up newer avenues to develop novel drug delivery systems (DDSs) and self-assembled nanostructures have shown their tremendous potential to be used as facile and efficient materials for this purpose. The main objective of the projected review is to provide readers a concise and straightforward knowledge of basic concepts of supramolecular self-assembly process and how these highly functionalized and efficient nanomaterials can be useful in biomedical applications. Approaches for the self-assembly have been discussed for the fabrication of nanostructures. Advantages and limitations of these systems along with the parameters that are to be taken into consideration while designing a therapeutic delivery vehicle have also been outlined. In this review, various macro- and small-molecule-based systems have been elaborated. Besides, a section on DNA nanostructures as intelligent materials for future applications is also included.
Journal Article
Halophytes as new model plant species for salt tolerance strategies
Soil salinity is becoming a growing issue nowadays, severely affecting the world’s most productive agricultural landscapes. With intersecting and competitive challenges of shrinking agricultural lands and increasing demand for food, there is an emerging need to build resilience for adaptation to anticipated climate change and land degradation. This necessitates the deep decoding of a gene pool of crop plant wild relatives which can be accomplished through salt-tolerant species, such as halophytes, in order to reveal the underlying regulatory mechanisms. Halophytes are generally defined as plants able to survive and complete their life cycle in highly saline environments of at least 200-500 mM of salt solution. The primary criterion for identifying salt-tolerant grasses (STGs) includes the presence of salt glands on the leaf surface and the Na + exclusion mechanism since the interaction and replacement of Na + and K + greatly determines the survivability of STGs in saline environments. During the last decades or so, various salt-tolerant grasses/halophytes have been explored for the mining of salt-tolerant genes and testing their efficacy to improve the limit of salt tolerance in crop plants. Still, the utility of halophytes is limited due to the non-availability of any model halophytic plant system as well as the lack of complete genomic information. To date, although Arabidopsis ( Arabidopsis thaliana ) and salt cress ( Thellungiella halophila ) are being used as model plants in most salt tolerance studies, these plants are short-lived and can tolerate salinity for a shorter duration only. Thus, identifying the unique genes for salt tolerance pathways in halophytes and their introgression in a related cereal genome for better tolerance to salinity is the need of the hour. Modern technologies including RNA sequencing and genome-wide mapping along with advanced bioinformatics programs have advanced the decoding of the whole genetic information of plants and the development of probable algorithms to correlate stress tolerance limit and yield potential. Hence, this article has been compiled to explore the naturally occurring halophytes as potential model plant species for abiotic stress tolerance and to further breed crop plants to enhance salt tolerance through genomic and molecular tools.
Journal Article
Agronomic biofortification of food crops: An emerging opportunity for global food and nutritional security
Fortification of food with mineral micronutrients and micronutrient supplementation occupied the center stage during the two-year-long Corona Pandemic, highlighting the urgent need to focus on micronutrition. Focus has also been intensified on the biofortification (natural assimilation) of mineral micronutrients into food crops using various techniques like agronomic, genetic, or transgenic. Agronomic biofortification is a time-tested method and has been found useful in the fortification of several nutrients in several crops, yet the nutrient use and uptake efficiency of crops has been noted to vary due to different growing conditions like soil type, crop management, fertilizer type, etc. Agronomic biofortification can be an important tool in achieving nutritional security and its importance has recently increased because of climate change related issues, and pandemics such as COVID-19. The introduction of high specialty fertilizers like nano-fertilizers, chelated fertilizers, and water-soluble fertilizers that have high nutrient uptake efficiency and better nutrient translocation to the consumable parts of a crop plant has further improved the effectiveness of agronomic biofortification. Several new agronomic biofortification techniques like nutripriming, foliar application, soilless activation, and mechanized application techniques have further increased the relevance of agronomic biofortification. These new technological advances, along with an increased realization of mineral micronutrient nutrition have reinforced the relevance of agronomic biofortification for global food and nutritional security. The review highlights the advances made in the field of agronomic biofortification via the improved new fertilizer forms, and the emerging techniques that achieve better micronutrient use efficiency of crop plants.
Journal Article
Major Phytochemicals: Recent Advances in Health Benefits and Extraction Method
- European Regional Development Fund - grant [ RESEARCH–CREATE-INNOVATE (project code: T1EDK-3816) ]. - Open access charge of this article was funded by the Open Access Fund (TAD-2022-11816) of Atatürk University, Türkiye.
Journal Article
Photosynthetic Response of Plants Under Different Abiotic Stresses: A Review
Plants encounter various abiotic stresses due to their sessile nature which include heavy metals, salt, drought, nutrient deficiency, light intensity, pesticide contamination, as well as extreme temperatures. These stresses impose major constraints limiting crop production and food security worldwide. Abiotic stresses primarily reduce the photosynthetic efficiency of plants, due to their negative consequences on chlorophyll biosynthesis, performance of the photosystems, electron transport mechanisms, gas exchange parameters, and many others. A better understanding of the photochemistry of plants under these abiotic stresses can help in the development of pragmatic interventions for managing these stresses. Interestingly, in this review, we provide an overview of insight into different mechanisms affecting the photosynthetic ability of plants in relation to these abiotic factors. The present review describes how different abiotic stresses can pose deleterious impacts on plant photosynthetic machinery including cellular membranes, cell division and cell elongation, biosynthesis of photosynthetic pigments, as well as electron transport chain. It is important to understand the detrimental impacts of various abiotic stresses for better stress management because a comprehensive understanding of plant responses has pragmatic implication for remedies and management.
Journal Article
The looming threat of profenofos organophosphate and microbes in action for their sustainable degradation
Organophosphates are the most extensively used class of pesticides to deal with increasing pest diversity and produce more on limited terrestrial areas to feed the ever-expanding global population. Profenofos, an organophosphate group of non-systematic insecticides and acaricides, is used to combat aphids, cotton bollworms, tobacco budworms, beet armyworms, spider mites, and lygus bugs. Profenofos was inducted into the system as a replacement for chlorpyrifos due to its lower toxicity and half-life. It has become a significant environmental concern due to its widespread presence. It accumulates in various environmental components, contaminating food, water, and air. As a neurotoxic poison, it inhibits acetylcholinesterase receptor activity, leading to dizziness, paralysis, and pest death. It also affects other eukaryotes, such as pollinators, birds, mammals, and invertebrates, affecting ecosystem functioning. Microbes directly expose themselves to profenofos and adapt to these toxic compounds over time. Microbes use these toxic compounds as carbon and energy sources and it is a sustainable and economical method to eliminate profenofos from the environment. This article explores the studies and developments in the bioremediation of profenofos, its impact on plants, pollinators, and humans, and the policies and laws related to pesticide regulation. The goal is to raise awareness about the global threat of profenofos and the role of policymakers in managing pesticide mismanagement.
Journal Article
A Naphthoquinoline-Dione-Based Cu2+ Sensing Probe with Visible Color Change and Fluorescence Quenching in an Aqueous Organic Solution
Copper metal ions (Cu2+) are widely used in various industries, and their salts are used as supplementary components in agriculture and medicine. As this metal ion is associated with various health issues, it is necessary to detect and monitor it in environmental and biological samples. In the present report, we synthesized a naphthoquinoline-dione-based probe 1 containing three ester groups to investigate its ability to detect metal ions in an aqueous solution. Among various metal ions, probe 1 showed a vivid color change from yellow to colorless in the presence of Cu2+, as observed by the naked eye. The ratiometric method using the absorbance ratio (A413/A476) resulted in a limit of detection (LOD) of 1 µM for Cu2+. In addition, the intense yellow-green fluorescence was quenched upon the addition of Cu2+, resulting in a calculated LOD of 5 nM. Thus, probe 1 has the potential for dual response toward Cu2+ detection through color change and fluorescence quenching. 1H-NMR investigation and density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate 1:1 binding of the metal ion to the small cavity of the probe comprising four functional groups: the carbonyl group of the amide (O), the amino group (N), and two t-butyl ester groups (O). When adsorbed onto various solid surfaces, such as cotton, silica, and filter paper, the probe showed effective detection of Cu2+ via fluorescence quenching. Probe 1 was also useful for Cu2+ sensing in environmental samples (sea and drain water) and biological samples (live HeLa cells).
Journal Article