Potential therapeutic effect of Chrysopogon zizanioides (Vetiver) as an anti-inflammatory agent

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Vetiver has a broad history of traditional medicinal uses, but only a handful of research article has reported its utility in treating diseases. But...     

Uncurtaining the pivotal role of ABC transporters in diabetes mellitus

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The metabolic disorders are the edge points for the initiation of various diseases. These disorders comprised of several diseases including diabetes,...     

Probing and understanding interaction of Eu(III) with γ- alumina in presenceof malonic acid

Radionuclide migration in aquatic environment is influenced by its sorption onto colloids/mineral oxides and the presence of organic complexing anions. With a view to understand the sorption of trivalent actinides by mineral oxides in presence of organic acid, in the present study, Eu(III), malonic acid (MA) and γ-alumina are considered as representatives of trivalent actinides, low molecular weight natural occurring organic acid and aluminol sites, respectively. The influence of MA on sorption of Eu(III) by γ-alumina was elucidated by batch sorption, spectroscopic techniques and surface complexation modeling, for the first time. Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopic studies of MA sorbed on γ-alumina revealed the presence of two inner-sphere surface complexes. Batch sorption for binary (alumina-Eu(III)) and ternary (alumina-Eu(III)-MA) systems were investigated as a function of pH, Eu(III) concentration and sequential addition of Eu(III)/MA. The pH edge for Eu(III) sorption shifts to higher pH with increasing Eu(III) concentration. In ternary systems, Eu(III) sorption is significantly enhanced at pH < 4.5. Eu(III) speciation on γ-alumina is independent of addition sequence of Eu(III)/MA. Time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy of Eu(III) sorbed on γ-alumina exhibited two surface species, XOEu²⁺ and (YO)₂Eu⁺. The enhancement in I₆₁₆/I₅₉₂ and lifetime for ternary systems, as compared to binary system, at low pH, indicates the participation of Eu-MA complexes in the formation of surface species in ternary systems. The diffuse layer model has been employed to successfully model the experimental sorption profiles of binary and ternary systems, using code FITEQL 4.0, by considering the surface species identified by spectroscopic techniques.     

Desulfurization of dibenzothiophene（DBT） by a novel strain Lysinibacillus sphaericus DMT-7 isolated from diesel contaminated soil

A new bacterial strain DMT-7 capable of selectively desulfurizing dibenzothiophene (DBT) was isolated from diesel contaminated soil. The DMT-7 was characterized and identified as Lysinibacillus sphaericus DMT-7 (NCBI GenBank Accession No. GQ496620) using 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis. The desulfurized product of DBT, 2-hydroxybiphenyl (2HBP), was identified and confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography analysis and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy analysis respectively. The desulfurization kinetics revealed that DMT-7 started desulfurization of DBT into 2HBP after the lag phase of 24 hr, exponentially increasing the accumulation of 2HBP up to 15 days leading to approximately 60% desulfurization of the DBT. However, further growth resulted into DBT degradation. The induced culture of DMT-7 showed shorter lag phase of 6 hr and early onset of stationary phase within 10 days for desulfurization as compared to that of non-induced culture clearly indicating the inducibility of the desulfurization pathway of DMT-7. In addition, Lysinibacillus sphaericus DMT-7 also possess the ability to utilize broad range of substrates as sole source of sulfur such as benzothiophene, 3,4-benzo DBT, 4,6-dimethyl DBT, and 4,6-dibutyl DBT. Therefore, Lysinibacillus sphaericus DMT-7 could serve as model system for efficient biodesulfurization of diesel and petrol.     

Influence of selected insecticides on phosphatase activity in groundnut (Arachis hypogeae L.) soils

Selected insecticides, Chloropyrifos, Dichlorovos, Methyl parathion, Phorate and Methomyl, at concentrations ranging from 0 to 10 kg ha(-1) were tested for their non-target effects towards activity of phosphatases in two soils. In soil samples receiving 2.5 kg ha(-1) of the insecticides Dichlorovos, Phorate and Methomyl and also in soil samples receiving 5.0 kg ha(-1) of the insecticides, Chloropyrifos and Methyl parathion, the activity of phosphatase was significantly more at 20 days period of incubation and decreased progressively with increasing period of incubation.     

Distribution and correlation of radon and uranium and associated hydrogeochemical processes in alluvial aquifers of northwest India

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The spatial and vertical distributions of radon and uranium are evaluated in relation to the hydrogeology, geomorphology, and hydrochemistry of...     

The geoenvironmental cycle of cadmium: a case study

Amidst the hue and cry about anthropogenic sources of pollution, there are regions in the world facing silent metal discharges purely due to geochemical factors. The present investigation relates to such a situation and deals with the non-anthropogenic discharge of cadmium into the local environment. The phosphorite rocks of the Roorkee area of India contain cadmium and, particularly as these are used in the manufacture of superphosphate, the rocks could lead to the large-scale disbursement of cadmium into the open environment. The area under study has soil rich in cadmium-containing minerals, as a result of which water is likely to leach out mobile cadmium and the ground water and crops could become contaminated. This is evident from the high values of cadmium in the tap water and food samples in the area. The Ganga and the Yamuna, the two major rivers traversing the area that originate in the central crystalline rocks of the Himalayas, show high cadmium values at Rishikesh and Dakpathar. Moreover, the sediments of these rivers have cadmium in easily bioavailable form. Food samples and milk analysed from the area show, in some cases, cadmium levels above the safety limits. This high exposure to cadmium is probably causing ailments so far unreported.     

Focus on Multi-targeted Role of Curcumin: a Boon in Therapeutic Paradigm

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Curcumin is a polyphenolic compound that exhibited good anticancer potential against different types of cancers through its multi-targeted effect like...