A novel approach for preferential recovery of Sr from (Sr, Th)O<SUB>2</SUB>

Quantitative leaching of Sr from homogeneous and calcined (Th,Sr) O2 in dilute perchloric acid medium suggests the possibility of reducing the hazardousness of discharged nuclear fuel by separation of 90Sr, a prominent fission product at dissolution stage itself rather than the conventional approach of its recovery from high level nuclear waste. Apart from mitigating the radiotoxicity of the nuclear waste, recovered 90Sr can be employed as a compact heat source and as parent radionuclide for 90Y (used in therapy radiopharmaceuticals), provided it can be made available at desired high purity. Leaching behavior of few other fission products was also investigated to quantify their contamination in leached Sr. Feasibility of employing extraction chromatography using Sr selective resin was explored in perchloric acid medium. In this context, the distribution coefficients of 85Sr(II), Th (IV), Zr(IV), Y(III), Pd(II) as well as 152Eu(III) and 137Cs (I) were determined under varying nitric acid/perchloric acid concentration and under varying loading conditions of metal ions. Perchloric acid medium appears better than nitric acid medium for preferential leaching of Sr from (Th,Sr)O2 as well as for uptake of Sr by Sr selective chromatographic resin

Bioactivity and In Silico Studies of Isoquinoline and Related Alkaloids as Promising Antiviral Agents: An Insight

Viruses are widely recognized as the primary cause of infectious diseases around the world. The ongoing global pandemic due to the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 further added fuel to the fire. The development of therapeutics becomes very difficult as viruses can mutate their genome to become more complex and resistant. Medicinal plants and phytocompounds could be alternative options. Isoquinoline and their related alkaloids are naturally occurring compounds that interfere with multiple pathways including nuclear factor-κB, mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular-signal-regulated kinase, and inhibition of Ca2+-mediated fusion. These pathways play a crucial role in viral replication. Thus, the major goal of this study is to comprehend the function of various isoquinoline and related alkaloids in viral infections by examining their potential mechanisms of action, structure-activity relationships (SAR), in silico (particularly for SARS-CoV-2), in vitro and in vivo studies. The current advancements in isoquinoline and related alkaloids as discussed in the present review could facilitate an in-depth understanding of their role in the drug discovery process

Wound Healing Activity of a Novel Formulation SKRIN via Induction of Cell Cycle Progression and Inhibition of PCNA–p21 Complex Interaction Leading to Cell Survival and Proliferation

The process of wound healing is a dynamic event that starts with inflammation, proliferation, and cell migration of various types of fibroblast cells. Therefore, identification of potential molecules which may increase the wound healing capacity of fibroblast cells is crucial. A novel hydroalcoholic formulation of belladonna (SKRIN), was developed and characterized by GC-MS/MS, DLS, TEM, and AFM and was found to contain atropine and scopolamine exhibit in aggregated nanosized particles. SKRIN-mediated fibroblast cell survival was elucidated in the presence of H2O2 by MTT and flow cytometry based assays. With an EC50 of 4.41 μg/mL, SKRIN treatment showed significant increase in cell survival that was evident from a 1.11-fold increase (p < 0.0122) in the live cell population and 4.21-fold (p < 0.0001) and 2.59-fold (p < 0.0001) reductions in the early and late apoptotic cell populations, respectively. SKRIN-mediated wound healing was measured by cell scratch assay and cell cycle analysis. During the wound closure phenomenon, SKRIN increases repairing fibroblast cell proliferation by 1.24-fold (p = 0.0481) and increases the count of G2/M phase cells by 1.76-fold (p = 0.0002) which was confirmed by increased PCNA and reduced p21 protein expressions probably mediated by molecular interactions of PCNA–p21 complex with alkaloids present in SKRIN. Relative gene expression analysis further showed that SKRIN increases the PI3K, Akt, and NF-κB expression. Our data suggests that SKRIN exhibits wound healing property by increasing cell survival and repairing fibroblast proliferation via activation of the PI3K–Akt–NF-κB pathway probably mediated by inhibition of PCNA–p21 complex interaction