A New Spectrophotometric Method for Determination of Selenium in Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Preparations after Preconcentration with Cloud Point Extraction

A simple, rapid, and sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of trace amounts of selenium (IV) was described. In this method, all selenium spices reduced to selenium (IV) using 6 M HCl. Cloud point extraction was applied as a preconcentration method for spectrophotometric determination of selenium (IV) in aqueous solution. The proposed method is based on the complexation of Selenium (IV) with dithizone at pH < 1 in micellar medium (Triton X-100). After complexation with dithizone, the analyte was quantitatively extracted to the surfactant-rich phase by centrifugation and diluted to 5 mL with methanol. Since the absorption maxima of the complex (424 nm) and dithizone (434 nm) overlap, hence, the corrected absorbance, Acorr, was used to overcome the problem. With regard to the preconcentration, the tested parameters were the pH of the extraction, the concentration of the surfactant, the concentration of dithizone, and equilibration temperature and time. The detection limit is 4.4 ng mL−1; the relative standard deviation for six replicate measurements is 2.18% for 50 ng mL−1 of selenium. The procedure was applied successfully to the determination of selenium in two kinds of pharmaceutical samples

Investigating the physicochemical, sensory and microbial properties of plant-based protein products (meat-free burgers) formulated using various Vicia ervilia (L.) Willd. protein isolates

The present study investigated the effect of using various protein isolates of Vicia ervilia (L.) Willd. (Bitter vetch; Family: Fabaceae) in formulating plant burgers on physicochemical, sensory and microbial properties of the resulting plant-based protein products. The results indicated that the plant-based protein products in the formulation of which protein isolates produced based on salt extraction methods were used, had higher rates of protein, fat and oil. On the contrary, they had lower rates of carbohydrate and moisture in contrast to the plant-based protein products formulated using protein isolates produced based on isoelectric precipitation methods. The reason for the high amount of fat and protein in these treatments can be attributed to the isolates’ production conditions, high amount of oil diffused from the product in contrast to low oil retention and absorption capacity and low level of the measured moisture in comparison with the high protein content. In the current century, due to the uneven human population growth as well as the limited growth of animal resources, the debate about protein deficiency is particularly important in developing societies. Efforts for finding abundant and cheap herbal sources of protein have led to various researches regarding the use of some such less-known legumes in developing countries. In this regard, different protein isolates of Vicia ervilia have been used in the formulation of vegetable burgers to produce a new, inexpensive and productive plant protein product in the food industry

Biological applications of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles through the utilization of plant extracts

Widespread uses of metallic nanoparticles, especially silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in biology, pharmaceuticals, and medicine lead to the development of biosynthesis methods that are in turn utilized to prepare these nanoparticles. Among the biosynthesis methods, which are used to prepare nanoparticles, the plant-mediated methods have gained great attention due to several advantages such as cost-effectiveness, availability, eco-friendliness and nontoxicity of plants. Moreover, plant extracts are rich in different compounds which act as inhibitory and capping agents. For these reasons, plant-mediated methods can be potentially used for large-scale production of nanoparticles with different properties. The present article focuses on plant-mediated AgNPs using various plants and their biological applications such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective and antilarvicidic properties

Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Extract of Oak Fruit Hull (Jaft): Synthesis and In Vitro Cytotoxic Effect on MCF-7 Cells

A green synthetic approach by using oak fruit hull (Jaft) extract for preparation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was developed and optimized. Parameters affecting the synthesis of AgNPs, such as temperature, extract pH, and concentration of extract (ratio of plant sample to extraction solvent), were investigated and optimized. Optimum conditions for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles are as follows: Ag+ concentration, 1 mM; extract concentration, 40 g/L (4% w/v); pH = 9 and temperature, 45°C. Biosynthesized silver nanoparticles were characterized using UV-visible absorption spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). TEM and DLS analyses have shown the synthesized AgNPs were predominantly spherical in shape with an average size of 40 nm. The cytotoxic activity of the synthesized AgNPs and Jaft extract containing AgNPs against human breast cancer cell (MCF-7) was investigated and the half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) were found to be 50 and 0.04 μg/mL at 24 h incubation, respectively. This eco-friendly and cost-effective synthesis method can be potentially used for large-scale production of silver nanoparticles

Study of the removal of metronidazole from aqueous solutions using Electro/ Fenton process and graphite and iron electrodes

Background : The indiscriminate consumption of antibiotics and their discharge into the environment have created serious complications. Therefore, it is necessary to remove these contaminants from the aquatic environment.&nbsp; The antibiotic Metronidazole is a contaminant that should be eliminated from the environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of the Electro-Fenton advanced oxidation process for the removal of metronidazole from aqueous solution. Materials and Methods: This research method was experimental and bench scale. The influence of factors such as solution pH, reaction time, the initial concentration of metronidazole, electric current, and hydrogen peroxide concentration on the removal efficiency were investigated. &nbsp;Results: In this study, the dose of hydrogen peroxide, electric current, and reaction time had a positive effect on metronidazole removal efficiency, while the initial concentration of metronidazole had a negative effect. The optimal values of variable for the removal of more than 99% metronidazole were: pH =7, current 30v, reaction time 40min, dose of hydrogen peroxide 0.02 mol/l and the initial concentration of metronidazole 10mg/l. Conclusion: The Electro-Fenton process can effectively remove metronidazole from aquatic solutions in environmentally convenient conditions. This process can be used as an efficient method for removing other persistent pollutants from the environment

Correction to: Evaluation of four rhizobacteria on tomato growth and suppression of root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne javanica under greenhouse conditions, a pilot study

Following publication of the original article (Sohrabi et al. 2018), these errors were highlighted by the authors

Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Activity of Alkaloid Extracts of Four Papaver Species

Background and Aim: The use of bioactive compounds of medicinal plants in prevention, control and treatment of human diseases has a long history. Most of plant bioactive compounds have highly complex chemical structures, and their chemical syntheses are often uneconomical. Moreover, their production is still dependent on plants. Plants of Papaveraceae family contain a variety of bioactive compounds that have many uses in traditional and modern medicine. In the present study, we evaluated the antimicrobial activity of alkaloid extracts of four plant species of Papaveraceae family against some human pathogens. Materials and Methods: Crude alkaloid compounds of Papaver macrostomum, Roemeria refracta, Papaver somniferum and Glaucium grandiflorum plants were extracted using cain method.  The antimicrobial activity of plant alkaloid extracts against Pseudomonas aeroginosa PTCC 1310, Listeria monocytogenes PTCC 1297, Staphylococcus aureus PTCC 1189, Klebsiella pneumoniae PTCC 1290 and Candida albicans PTCC 5027 pathogens were assessed using agar diffusion method. Results: The results of this study indicated that the alkaloid extracts of tested plants were effective against fungal and bacterial pathogens. All plant alkaloid extracts exhibited more inhibitory effect against fungal pathogen than the bacterial pathogens. Comparison of MIC and MBC values for bacterial pathogens revealed that all plant alkaloid extracts showed more inhibitory effects against the gram-positive bacteria than gram-negative bacterial pathogens. The results also showed that the alkaloid extracts of R. refracta have stronger inhibitory effect against fungal and bacterial pathogens compared with other plants. Conclusion: The antimicrobial compounds present in the plant species of Papaveraceae family are suitable candidates to produce new antibiotics. The results of this study demonstrated that antimicrobial compound in R. refracta plant could be used in the treatment of infectious diseases caused by C. albicans and S. aureus pathogens