Biodiversity Conservation Through Urban Green Spaces: A Case Study of Gujarat University Campus in Ahmedabad

The present study deals with the phytodiversity of Gujarat University campus and the surrounding region which forms an important green space in the urban environment of Ahmedabad city in Gujarat state, India. The extensive field surveys were carried out in the vast study area during 2004 to 2006 covering four different seasons viz. summer, winter, monsoon and spring to cover annual, biennial and perennial plants. A total of 451 species of flowering plants belonging to 338 genera and 101 families were recorded in the study area. Along with these three pteridophytes, two gymnosperms and the algae and fungi group appearing mostly in the monsoon season were also recorded in the study. Among the flowering plants, the herbs were found to be dominant, indicating they favored the climatic factors like less rainfall and high temperature in the study area. Raunkier’s biological life forms revealed the dominance of therophytes and phanerophytes, indicating ‘Thero-Phanerophytic’ phytoclimate in the region. The urban green spaces with such rich plant diversity need to be conserved, especially with the help of the local population, in order to maintain a good environment and biodiversity, thereby improving the overall quality of life

Genetic Modification of Plants: An Emerging Technology

Genetically modified (GM) plants can be created by adding specific DNA sequences obtained from the same plant species or different species. Which aims to achieve higher yields, disease and pest resistance, herbicide tolerance, production of antibodies, and other pharmaceutical molecules by manipulating gene expression to alter the protein properties. Insect resistant plants reduce the damage caused by pests and diseases. Herbicide glyphosate or glufosinate-tolerant GM plants gave promising results in combating weed. The properties of plants such as metal uptake, transport, accumulation, and detoxification of organic pollutants can be enhanced by genetically manipulating the fast-grown and introducing the responsible gene from the hyper accumulative species. GM plants can be used to produce cost-efficient and manageable drugs, vaccine, and biopharmaceuticals, if certain limitations are to be considered such as quality of final products, techniques for extraction and processing of biopharmaceuticals, and biosafety. Despite all these benefits, its adverse effects on the environment and human health have always been a matter of concern. The main limitation includes a horizontal transfer of the transgene to other species which may code for the specific antibiotic and herbicide resistance. It might be the possible transmission of resistance from the food products to the whole human population via intestinal bacteria. To address this several methods, need to be adopted to either keep away or eliminate marker genes from the transformed plants before growing in the field. Many scientists have come up with strategies to generate marker-free transgenic plants to give us safe and reliable GM technology

Genetic Modification of Plants: An Emerging Technology

Genetically modified (GM) plants can be created by adding specific DNA sequences obtained from the same plant species or different species. Which aims to achieve higher yields, disease and pest resistance, herbicide tolerance, production of antibodies, and other pharmaceutical molecules by manipulating gene expression to alter the protein properties. Insect resistant plants reduce the damage caused by pests and diseases. Herbicide glyphosate or glufosinate-tolerant GM plants gave promising results in combating weed. The properties of plants such as metal uptake, transport, accumulation, and detoxification of organic pollutants can be enhanced by genetically manipulating the fast-grown and introducing the responsible gene from the hyper accumulative species. GM plants can be used to produce cost-efficient and manageable drugs, vaccine, and biopharmaceuticals, if certain limitations are to be considered such as quality of final products, techniques for extraction and processing of biopharmaceuticals, and biosafety. Despite all these benefits, its adverse effects on the environment and human health have always been a matter of concern. The main limitation includes a horizontal transfer of the transgene to other species which may code for the specific antibiotic and herbicide resistance. It might be the possible transmission of resistance from the food products to the whole human population via intestinal bacteria. To address this several methods, need to be adopted to either keep away or eliminate marker genes from the transformed plants before growing in the field. Many scientists have come up with strategies to generate marker-free transgenic plants to give us safe and reliable GM technology

Evaluation of extraction techniques and solvents for phytochemical screening, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek) seeds

565-577The mung bean (Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek), belonging to Leguminoseae family, is major short-seasoned legume grown in tropical and subtropical regions, mainly during the Kharif and summer seasons. Present investigation aimed to check the effects of different extraction techniques and solvents on FTIR spectrophotometric analysis and quantitative profiling of phenols and flavonoids, followed by an assessment of the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of mung bean seeds. Methanolic extracts of seeds obtained through Soxhlet extraction, maceration and ultrasonication were subjected to solvent-aided fractionation using the separation funnel method. The extractive yield of obtained fractions ranged from 2.86 to 59.85%. The results indicated maximum yield in aqueous fractions, followed by butanol and hexane fractions, while the lowest in ethyl acetate and chloroform fractions. The phenolic content, flavonoid content and FRAP values in the different fractions varied from 16.32±1.67 to 56.82±0.88 mg of GAE/g, 38.21±0.07 to 149.95±0.53 mg QE/g, and 41.54±0.56 to 104.81±0.48 mg Fe (II) E/g, respectively. Phenolics were higher in non-polar fractions, while flavonoids and FRAP values were higher in polar fractions. Pearson correlation displayed a strong correlation between TFC and FRAP assay. The antimicrobial activity revealed Staphylococcus aureus as the most susceptible, followed by Bacillus subtilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae; conversely, Pseudomonas sp. was shown to be most resistant with no inhibition activity. Overall, ethyl acetate fractions from all the extraction techniques presented the best results against tested microbial samples. PCA analysis presented significant discrimination among solvents and extraction techniques. Mung beans can be used as nutraceuticals pharmaceuticals and functional foods

In vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of Sterculia urens Roxb. root extract and its bioactive phytoconstituents evaluation

AbstractBackgroundThe plantSterculia urensRoxb. of Malvaceae family is comparatively understudied. GenusSterculiais widely recognized by its phytomedicinal and ethnomedicinal attributes. The study is aimed to evaluate the qualitative analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), thin layer chromatography (TLC), total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the crude hydro-methanolic extract ofS. urensroot.ResultsThe antioxidant activity, antimicrobial assay for clinical isolates, and TPC were measured by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging activity, agar well diffusion method, and Folin–Ciocalteu assay respectively. Hydro-methanolic extract confirmed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, phenols, saponins, steroids, and glycosides as primary and secondary metabolites, which was later confirmed by TLC. FT-IR spectroscopy revealed the presence of alkanes, alkenes, alkyl halides, halogen compounds, primary alcohol, tertiary alcohol, aldehyde, aromatic amine, secondary amines, amide group, and carboxylic acid. The crude extract was composed of a significant quantity of total phenolic content with 705 ± 0.40 mg GAE/g. Synergistically, the IC50value of the crude extract and ascorbic acid was found to be 27.055 μg/ml and 37.244 μg/ml, respectively, which suggests that root extract possesses strong antioxidant properties. The majority of the microbial strains exhibited varying degrees of sensitivity to the root extract with a notable inhibitory effect againstEscherichia coli,Klebsiella pneumoniae, andPenicillium glaucum.ConclusionThe findings of this analysis suggest that the hydro-methanolic extract fromS. urensroot exhibit antioxidant activity quantified by its ability to scavenge DPPH; antimicrobial activity displayed appreciable microbial sensitivity. These properties are associated with the presence of high phenolic content, different secondary metabolites, and their functional groups. The results are suggestive thatS. urensroot is rich in bioactive compounds, which serve as a novel natural source for potential therapeutic applications.Graphical abstract</jats:sec

A CRITICAL REVIEW ON PHARMACOLOGICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF DAIDZEIN

Medicinal plants have proved to be of great importance since long back as they are traditionally used to make plant-derived medicines that are a good alternative to synthetic chemicals. Daidzein is one such chemical compound that belongs to the group of isoflavones and is obtained from leguminous plants, especially soy plants. Daidzein is structurally similar to human hormone estrogen due to which is also called a phytoestrogen. Daidzein is an isoflavone compound that is mostly found in glycosylated form in plants while in humans it is found in free form in the bloodstream. It is clinically used in treatment of variety of cancers. It has become quite successful in treating ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and thyroid cancer. Daidzein also possess some exquisite properties such as anti-inflammatory properties, anti-oxidant properties, and neuroprotective properties. In this paper mechanical properties of daidzein are also discussed in which daidzein has been proved as an excellent wood adhesive agent for industrial purpose. Also, daidzein is used as flame retardant and is doing good in dietary supplementations. Daidzein can be important for further pharmaceutical and industrial applications.</jats:p

THIRD GENERATION BIODIESEL: A POTENTIAL SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SOURCE FROM MICROALGAE

Biofuel production from renewable sources is generally considered to be one of the most sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels, and a viable means of sustainability for the environment and the economy. Because of their rapid growth rate, CO2 fixation ability and high lipid production efficiency, microalgae are currently being promoted as an ideal third generation biofuel feedstock; they also do not compete with food or feed crops, and can be grown on non-arable soil. Biofuels can be generated in combination with flue gas CO2 mitigation, wastewater treatment and high value production. Seawater can be used to achieve microalgal farming employing microalgal organisms as the source. To be a realistic option, a biofuel must have few features such as net energy gain, eco-friendly, economically efficient and implementable in large volumes without affecting resources demand. In this study we present an overview of the use of microalgae for the production of biodiesel, including its cultivation, harvesting, and processing. Further it is suggested that biodiesel is an effective renewable substitute for petroleum diesel. KEYWORDS: Biodiesel, Biofuels, Carbon emission, Microalgae</jats:p