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This experiment investigated the feasibility of using n-butanol with Deccan hemp oil methyl ester derived from Hibiscus cannabinus. Deccan hemp oil, from warm countries like India is an eco-friendly alternative energy source since it is reusable and easy to locate. The Acetone–Butanol–Ethanol (ABE) process made the n-butanol. Further, 60% Deccan hemp oil methyl ester and 40% diesel were mixed and injected directly into the engine’s cylinders. The engine’s performance was evaluated by adding varying quantities of n-butanol (10%, 20%, or 30%) to the intake pipe at various intervals throughout the experiment. The results showed that using pure Deccan hemp oil or its methyl ester was much better for the engine’s performance than regular diesel fuel. This was compared to how well the engine worked when diesel was used. However, the engine ran much better when fed a mix of 60% Deccan hemp oil methyl ester and 40% diesel (B60). Even though it couldn’t compete with diesel engines in speed, this was still the case. The engine was running in dual fuel mode when n-butanol was added to the mixture. This made the carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, and smoke outputs go down. All of these decreases happened without making the engine less able to work. NOx emissions from the B60Bu10 (10% n-butanol share), B60Bu20, and B60Bu30 dual fuel combinations went up by 2.65%, 6%, and 8.9%, respectively, at full load, while smoke emissions went down by 18.33%, 23.75%, and 30.83%, in that order. The study’s results show that adding Deccan hemp oil methyl ester to diesel fuel and injecting n-butanol into a dual-fuel diesel engine could help lower emissions without affecting the engine’s performance.

In order to improve the quality and protect against degradation, kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) seed oil was microencapsulated by using spray drying. The microencapsulated kenaf seed oil (MKSO) was then stored at 65 °C for 24 days, the changes of fatty acids and bioactive compounds were examined every six days. Bulk (unencapsulated) kenaf seed oil was used as a control and was compared to the MKSO. The fatty acids and phytosterols compositions were determined by using gas chromatography, while tocopherols and phenolic acids of microencapsulated kenaf seed oil were determined by using high performance liquid chromatography. The results showed that there was a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in bioactive compounds in kenaf seed oil while the bioactive compounds in MKSO were maintained in a stable condition upon accelerated storage. Microencapsulation was shown to protect kenaf seed oil against oxidation, as well as preventing the degradation and/or loss of bioactive compounds in kenaf seed oil.

Background Reports have implicated diabetes mellitus (DM) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as some of the global persistent health challenges with no lasting solutions, despite of significant inputs of modern-day pharmaceutical firms. This study therefore, aimed to appraise the in vitro antioxidant potential, enzymes inhibitory activities, and as well carry out in silico study on bioactive compounds from polyphenolic-rich extract of Hibiscus cannabinus seed (PEHc). Methods In vitro antioxidant assays were performed on PEHc using standard methods while the identification of phytoconstituents was carried out with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). For the in silico molecular docking using Schrodinger’s Grid-based ligand docking with energetics software, seven target proteins were retrieved from the database ( https://www.rcsb.org/ ). Results HPLC technique identified twelve chemical compounds in PEHc, while antioxidant quantification revealed higher total phenolic contents (243.5 ± 0.71 mg GAE/g) than total flavonoid contents (54.06 ± 0.09 mg QE/g) with a significant ( p  < 0.05) inhibition of ABTS (IC 50  = 218.30 ± 0.87 µg/ml) and 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radicals (IC 50  = 227.79 ± 0.74 µg/ml). In a similar manner, the extract demonstrated a significant ( p  < 0.05) inhibitory activity against α-amylase (IC 50  = 256.88 ± 6.15 µg/ml) and α-glucosidase (IC 50  = 183.19 ± 0.23 µg/ml) as well as acetylcholinesterase (IC 50  = 262.95 ± 1.47 µg/ml) and butyrylcholinesterase (IC 50  = 189.97 ± 0.82 µg/ml), respectively. Furthermore, In silico study showed that hibiscetin (a lead) revealed a very strong binding affinity energies for DPP-4, (PDB ID: 1RWQ) and α-amylase (PDB ID: 1SMD), gamma-tocopherol ( for peptide-1 receptor; PDB ID: 3C59, AChE; PDB ID: 4EY7 and BChE; PDB ID: 7B04), cianidanol for α-glucosidase; PDB ID: 7KBJ and kaempferol for Poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase 1 (PARP-1); PDB ID: 6BHV, respectively. More so, ADMET scores revealed drug-like potentials of the lead compounds identified in PEHc. Conclusion As a result, the findings of this study point to potential drug-able compounds in PEHc that could be useful for the management of DM and AD.

This study investigates the effect of microencapsulation (via co-extrusion technology using high methoxyl pectin-enhanced alginate as a shell formulation) on the storage stability and antioxidant properties of kenaf seed oil. Microencapsulated kenaf seed oil (MKSO) and unencapsulated oil were stored at 25 °C for 28 days and at 65 °C for 24 days. The oils were then subjected to stability and quality evaluation based on peroxide, p -anisidine, and total oxidation values, conjugated diene and triene levels, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, free fatty acids, total phenolic content, and the radical scavenging activity assays of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid). The results showed that there was a significant increase ( p  < 0.05) in oxidation and a significant decrease ( p  < 0.05) of antioxidant activity in the unencapsulated oil while oxidation changes generally occurred more slowly in MKSO. It was demonstrated that the current microencapsulation method is a feasible approach to enhance oxidative stability of kenaf seed oil.

The WRKY transcription factors (TFs) are among the most diverse TF families of plants. They are implicated in various processes related to plant growth and stress response. Kenaf ( Hibiscus cannabinus L.), an important fiber crop, has many applications, including the phytoremediation of saline-alkaline soil. However, the roles of WRKY TFs in kenaf are rarely studied. In the present study, 46 kenaf WRKY genes were genome-widely identified and characterized by gene structure, phylogeny and expression pattern analysis. Furthermore, the HcWRKY44 gene was functionally characterized in Arabidopsis under salinity and drought stresses. HcWRKY44 is a nuclear-localized protein that is positively induced by salinity and drought, with roots showing maximum accumulation of its transcripts. Under NaCl and abscisic acid (ABA) stress conditions, plants overexpressing HcWRKY44 had higher germination rates, better root growth and increased survival than control plants; however, it did not improve the ability to withstand drought stress. Moreover, ABA signaling genes ( ABI1 , ABI2 , and ABI5 ), ABA-responsive genes ( ABF4 , RD29B , COR15A , COR47 , and RD22 ), stress-related genes ( STZ , P5CS , and KIN1 ), and ionic homeostasis-related genes ( SOS1 , AHA1 , AHA2 , and HKT1 ) were positively induced in HcWRKY44 transgenic plants under NaCl treatment. These results suggest that HcWRKY44 improved plant’s tolerance to salt stress but not osmotic stress through an ABA-mediated pathway. In summary, this study provides provided comprehensive information about HcWRKY genes and revealed that HcWRKY44 is involved in salinity tolerance and ABA signaling.

Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic trace element that occurs in large quantities in agricultural soils. The cultivation of industrial crops with high phytoremediation potential, such as kenaf, could effectively reduce soil Cd contamination, but the mechanisms of toxicity, tolerance, and detoxification remain unclear. In this study, the effects of different Cd concentrations (0, 100, 250, and 400 µM) on growth, biomass, Cd uptake, physiological parameters, metabolites and gene expression response of kenaf were investigated in a hydroponic experiment. The results showed that Cd stress significantly altered the ability of kenaf to accumulate and transport Cd; increased the activity of hydrogen peroxide (H O ), superoxide anion (O ), and malondialdehyde (MDA); reduced the activities of superoxide dismutase SOD) and catalase (CAT); and decreased the content of photosynthetic pigments, resulting in significant changes in growth and biomass production. Exposure to Cd was found to have a detrimental effect on the ascorbate-glutathione (AsA-GSH) cycle in the roots, whereas it resulted in an elevation in AsA levels and a reduction in GSH levels in the leaves. The increased content of cell wall polysaccharides under Cd stress could contribute to Cd retention in roots and limited Cd transport to above-ground plant tissues. Metabolomic analyses revealed that alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, ABC transporter, and carbon metabolism were the major metabolic pathways associated with Cd stress tolerance. Cd stress increased gene expression of and in roots, which resulted in kenaf roots accumulating high Cd concentrations. This study extends our knowledge of the factors regulating the response of kenaf to Cd stress. This work provided a physiological and metabolomic perspective on the mechanism controlling the response of kenaf to Cd stress.

The use of intergeneric grafting has been reported as an alternative to manage root-knot nematodes in okra, but the compatibility for grafting has only been tested in a few okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) cultivars. The kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is resistant to root-knot nematode species and is a potential rootstock for okra. The objective was to study the compatibility of kenaf as rootstock with okra cultivars. It was used a completely randomized design, in factorial scheme 3x10, with five repetitions. The compatibility was assessed by measuring several vegetative characteristics. All cultivars are compatible for grafting with kenaf as rootstock. Grafting onto kenaf may be an option to control root-knot nematodes.

Oxidative stress has been implicated in deadly lifestyle diseases, and antioxidants from plant sources are the primary option in the treatment regime. Kenaf seeds are the storehouse of potential natural antioxidant phytoconstituents. Perhaps, none of the studies documented the phytoconstituents and their antioxidant potential from Kenaf seed coat so far. Thus, the current study focuses on exploring the protective effect of Kenaf Seed Coat Ethanol Extract (KSCEE) against sodium nitrite and diclofenac-induced oxidative stress in vitro (red blood cell and platelets model) and in vivo (female Sprague Dawely rat’s model) along with the antithrombotic activity. The infrared spectrophotometry data showed the heterogeneous functional groups (CH, OH, C = C, C = C–C) and aromatic rings. Reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry chromatogram of KSCEE also evidenced the presence of several phytochemicals. KSCEE displayed about 76% of DPPH scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 34.94 µg/ml. KSCEE significantly (***p < 0.001) normalized the stress markers such as lipid peroxidation, protein carbonyl content, superoxide dismutase, and catalase in sodium nitrite and diclofenac-induced oxidative stress in RBC, platelets, liver, kidney, and small intestine, respectively. Furthermore, KSCEE was found to protect the diclofenac-induced tissue destruction of the liver, kidney, and small intestine obtained from seven groups of female Sprague Dawely rats. KSCEE delayed the clotting time of platelet-rich plasma and platelet-poor plasma and activated partial thromboplastin time, suggesting its anticoagulant property. In addition, KSCEE also exhibited antiplatelet activity by inhibiting both adenosine diphosphate and epinephrine-induced platelet aggregation. In conclusion, KSCEE ameliorates the sodium nitrite and diclofenac-induced oxidative stress in red blood cells, platelets, and experimental animals along with antithrombotic properties.

Digested sludge wasted by tanneries is rich in nutrients and trace elements however, the presence of toxic metals restricts their use in agriculture. The present study explores the possible application of tannery sludge amendment for the cultivation of an energy crop, Hibiscus cannabinus. The toxicity of various sludge amendments (25, 50, 75, and 100%, w/w) was examined during early seedling growth, followed by metal accumulation potential by performing pot experiments. Chemical characterization revealed the presence of Cr (709.6), Cu (366.43), Ni (74.6), Cd (132.71), Pb (454.8) μg.g-1 in tannery sludge beside N (2.1%), P 3.8 & K 316.96 (kg.hec-1.) respectively. Germination of H. cannabinus exposed to sludge extracts ranged between 80 to 95%; Relative seed germination, 81.33 to 84.43%. Relative root growth, 0.9 to 1.16 cm; and germination index, 95 to 110%. It was found that sludge extracts have not caused adverse effects on seed germination and early seedling growth. Heavy metal accumulation was observed as follows: Ni (3.37, 2.38, 1.46 & 0.90 mg.kg-1) > Pb (10.59, 10.15, 5.26, & 2.84 mg.kg-1) > Cu (2.34, 2.24, 0.97 & 0.24 mg.kg-1) > Cd (2.31, 1.19, 1.33 & 1.12 mg.kg-1) > Cr (1458, 1136.12, 601.73 & 211.6 mg.kg-1) in 100, 75, 50, & 25% sludge amended soil, respectively. The bio-concentration pattern of metals was found to be in the order of root > leaf > stem. The findings of the present study give direction for the eco-friendly and cost-effective management of tannery sludge. Further, H. cannabinus can be used for the restoration of metal-contaminated agricultural land, however, results need to be corroborated with field trials.

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is an environmentally friendly, multipurpose fiber crop suitable for osmotic stress tolerance studies. However, the mechanisms of tolerance remain largely unknown. Here, we identified a stress-responsive HcWRKY50 gene from kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) and studied its function and tolerance under drought stress. HcWRKY50 is a nuclear-localized protein. The overexpression of HcWRKY50 in Arabidopsis showed higher drought tolerance, exhibiting increased root length and lateral root number, and reduced stomatal density compared with the control lines. The seed germination and seedling growth of HcWRKY50 transgenic plants showed less sensitivity to ABA but they became more sensitive to ABA in their stomatal aperture. Furthermore, qRT-PCR analysis revealed that HcWRKY50 regulated ABA signaling by promoting the expression of several key ABA-responsive and stress-responsive genes such as RD29B and COR47 in transgenic lines. Taken together, this study demonstrated that the kenaf transcription factor HcWRKY50 regulates seed germination and seedling growth and improves drought stress tolerance via an ABA signaling pathway.