Ghufrana Samin - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Ghufrana Samin

Journal of Water Process Engineering

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, Nov 19, 2011

A pure bacterial culture able to utilize 2fluorophenol (2-FP) as sole carbon and energy source wa... more A pure bacterial culture able to utilize 2fluorophenol (2-FP) as sole carbon and energy source was isolated by selective enrichment from sediments collected from a contaminated site in Northern Portugal. 16S rRNA gene analysis showed that the organism (strain FP1) belongs to the genus Rhodococcus. When grown aerobically on 2-FP, growth kinetics of strain FP1 followed the Luong model. An inhibitory effect of increasing 2-FP concentrations was observed with no growth occurring at 2-FP levels higher than ca. 4 mM. Rhodococcus strain FP1 was able to degrade a range of other organofluorine compounds, including 2-fluorobenzoate, 3-fluorobenzoate, 4-fluorobenzoate, 3-fluorophenol, 4-fluorophenol, 3fluorocatechol, and 4-fluorocatechol, as well as chlorinated compounds such as 2-chlorophenol and 4-chlorophenol. Experiments with cell-free extracts and partially purified enzymes indicated that the first step of 2-fluorophenol metabolism was conversion to 3-fluorocatechol, suggesting an unusual pathway for fluoroaromatic metabolism. To our knowledge, this is the first time that utilization of 2-FP as a growth substrate by a pure bacterial culture is reported.

International Journal of Analytical Chemistry

A novel pressurized flow system for circular thin-layer chromatography (PC-TLC) has been successf... more A novel pressurized flow system for circular thin-layer chromatography (PC-TLC) has been successfully established and employed for the separation of amino acids, dyes, and pigments for safe medical imaging applications. In this system, the mobile phase is applied to a regular TLC plate through the tube and needle of an intravenous infusion set. The needle was fused in a hole underneath the center of the plate, while the second side end of the tube was connected to a microburette containing the solvent. This new assembly proved itself better in terms of separation time (within 5 minutes) and controlled flow of the solvent and horizontal movement of analyte components over chromatograms with better separation and Rf values (glutamine: 0.26, valine: 0.44, phenylalanine: 0.60, chlorophyll a: 0.52, chlorophyll b: 0.43, xanthophyll: 0.18, carotenoid: 0.97, and pheophytin: 0.60) when a number of samples of amino acids, dyes, and pigments were separated by the developed apparatus and the co...

Indian Journal of Economics and Development, 2021

Cereal crops provide essential nutrients and energy in the everyday human diet through direct hum... more Cereal crops provide essential nutrients and energy in the everyday human diet through direct human consumption and meat production since they comprise a major livestock feed. In the current study, the Tornqvist Theil Index was used to compute the total output index, total input index, and total factor productivity index. The Tornqvist Index is exact for the homogenous translog production function that can deliver a second-order approximation to an arbitrary twice differentiable homogenous production function. This study has indicated moderate TFP in wheat (1.45percent), and the contribution of TFP to output growth was high, about 87 percent for wheat in Rajasthan state. The annual compound growth rate of the TFP of barley increased at the rate of 1.65 percent per annum (moderate growth), and the contribution of TFP to output growth was average, at about 63.47. In comparison, the compound growth rate of TFP of annual maize crop increased at 1.80 percent per annum (moderate growth), ...

Morchella Esculenta is one of the expensive mushrooms throughout the globe due to its high nutrit... more Morchella Esculenta is one of the expensive mushrooms throughout the globe due to its high nutritional and medicinal value. Naturally it grown in different locations of Pakistan i.e. Swat, Miandam, Kalam, MalamJabba, Parona, Kokaria, Jambile and Madian etc.Traditionally Morchella esculentais used as medicines in different countries like Japan, China and Malaysia for healing of different diseases and is famous due to its unique flavor and taste.

Mushrooms are utilized globally for purpose of medicine and food and now a days are considered as... more Mushrooms are utilized globally for purpose of medicine and food and now a days are considered as good source of income due to their established world market. Various mushrooms have different nutritional and medicinal values which can be used for curing of health problems. About 14,000 species of mushrooms are known in the world in which 2,000 are safe for utilization of human consumption. Among these mushrooms, one unique mushroom is Auricularia auricular, having jelly like texture and is a renowned source of vitamins, proteins, minerals, fibers, trace elements, having the ability to low cholesterol level. Jelly mushroom is known to possess an anticancer, antitumor, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant, anti inflammatory, anti-HIV and anti-diabetic properties.

Microbial Drug Resistance, 2021

The multidrug resistance (MDR) Escherichia coli having Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) ge... more The multidrug resistance (MDR) Escherichia coli having Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) genes and the capacity to create a biofilm acts as a major reduction in the therapeutic effectiveness of antimicrobials. In search of a novel nanocarrier (NC) for targeted delivery of antibiotics, carbon dots (CDs) coated calcium carbonate nanocarriers (CCNC) from organic chicken eggshells conjugated with levofloxacin (Lvx) were synthesized. Our main objectives were to explore the antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and NC potential of CDs coated CaCO3 Nanocarrier conjugated with levofloxacin (CD-CCNC-Lvx) to combat biofilm-producing MDR ESBL E. coli of urinary tract infection origin. The synthesized NC system was physiochemically characterized, validating the synthesis of CCNC and CD-CCNC-Lvx with a particle size of 56 and 14 nm, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed rod shape morphology. X-ray diffraction results discovered crystalline and dispersed nanoparticles. In vitro release drug kinetics illustrated sustained release of Lvx. NC system exhibited strong antibacterial and antibiofilm potential against E. coli with a noticeable low minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). MIC of CCNC was found to be 30 ± 0.1 μg/mL and CD-CCNC-Lvx was 20 ± 0.1 μg/mL for MDR ESBL-producing E. coli. The synergistic effect of NC upon conjugation with Lvx showed incredible activity with 30 mm zone of inhibition and 68% biofilm inhibition. Flow cytometry analysis revealed treated E. coli cells showed 58.69% reduction in cell viability. SEM images of treated bacterial cells showed morphological changes, which were also confirmed by our flow cytometry findings leading to cell membrane damage in E. coli. NC system also downregulated the blaCTX-M gene in E. coli. The hemolytic analysis proved biocompatibility with human red blood cells (RBCs). It is concluded that CCNC has the potential to be used as NC for target delivery of antibiotics and may combat toxicity of antibiotics as the inhibition of E. coli was noticed at low MIC concentration.

Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology, 2015

A study was conducted to evaluate growth, yield and biochemical response of Pleurotus Sajor-Caju ... more A study was conducted to evaluate growth, yield and biochemical response of Pleurotus Sajor-Caju mushroom grown on sorghum straw enriched cotton waste growing substrate in Medicinal and Mushroom Lab, Institute of Horticultural Sciences (IHS), University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. Two substrates (cotton waste and sorghum straw) were used alone and with different combinations. Experiments consisted of five treatments T 0 (100% Cotton Waste), T 1 (100% Sorghum Straw), T 2 (75% Sorghum Straw + 25% Cotton Waste), T 3 (50% Sorghum Straw + 50% Cotton Waste) and T 4 (25% Sorghum Straw + 75% Cotton Waste). Data concerning time taken for spawn run initiation, mycelial growth completion, pinheads initiation, total number of pinheads, time required to harvest 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd flush, fresh weight of 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd flush harvested, total yield, pH, total soluble solids, acidity, ascorbic acid contents, total nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium contents, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars...

Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2016

Plant physiology, morphology and biochemistry are genetically controlled by a large set of genes.... more Plant physiology, morphology and biochemistry are genetically controlled by a large set of genes. Expression of these genes is influenced by a number of factors, internal as well as external, including stage of plant development, diseases, drought, salinity, cold, and many others (Yoshioka et al., 2003; Zhang et al., 2001). Some genes are activated or suppressed by a specific stress factor while, many genes respond to more than one stimulus (Kariola et al., 2006). These genes can be classified, on the basis of their expression patterns and/or their responsiveness to environmental stressors, in different groups viz., responsive to dehydration (RD), cold regulated (COR), cold inducible (KIN), lowtemperature induced (LTI), early responsive to dehydration (ERD), salt overly sensitive (SOS), dehydration-responsive element-binding proteins (DREBs) and many more (Shinozaki and Yamaguchi-Shinozaki, 2007; Mahajan and Tuteja, 2005). Among these genes, ERDs have emerged as a new class or group...

Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology, 2018

The utilization of agro-industrial waste materials for production of mushrooms has become a cruci... more The utilization of agro-industrial waste materials for production of mushrooms has become a crucial research precedence recently. Pleurotus eryngii is considered one of the most famous mushrooms because of nutraceutical and high nutritional value. Therefore, a study was conducted in Medicinal and Mushroom Lab to evaluate the morphological attributes of king oyster mushroom against cotton waste (CW) and citrus peel (CP) based substrates. CW alone and its different combinations with CP i.e. T0: CW (100 %), T1: CW (98%) + CP (2%), T2: CW (96%) + CP (4%), T3: CW (94%) + CP (6%), T4: CW (92%) + CP (8%) and T5: CW (90%) + CP (10%) were used in experiment. The experiment was conducted by applying 2-factor factorial under completely randomized design with 5 replications. Different morphological attributes viz. spawn running and mycelium growth initiation, duration to complete mycelium growth (days), pinhead development, pinheads/bag, duration to complete flushes (1st,2nd, 3rd), mushroom fre...

Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology, 2018

King oyster (Pleurotus eryngii) mushroom is a palatable mushroom with high commercial potential d... more King oyster (Pleurotus eryngii) mushroom is a palatable mushroom with high commercial potential due to relative ease of its growing technology, less cost of production and better yield potential, making it popular throughout the world. Therefore, an experiment was set up to assess the efficacy of different agro-wastes [cotton waste (CW) and fenugreek straw (FS)] on the morphology, yield and nutritional components of two strains (Pleurotus eryngii P9 strain and Pleurotus eryngii P10 strain) of Pleurotus eryngii. Studied indicators regarding time for pinhead formation, fruiting body development, biological efficiency and yield of both strains were significantly affected by different formulations of substrates. Substrates with 100 % CW exhibited maximum number of pinheads, yield and biological efficiency for both strains of king oyster as compared to other substrates alone or in mixture. This experiment indicates the possibility of Pleurotus eryngii cultivation on cotton waste and fenu...

1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP) is a toxic compound that is recalcitrant to biodegradation in the en... more 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP) is a toxic compound that is recalcitrant to biodegradation in the environment. Attempts to isolate TCP-degrading organisms using enrichment cultivation have failed. A potential biodegradation pathway starts with hydrolytic dehalogenation to 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol (DCP), followed by oxidative metabolism. To obtain a practically applicable TCPdegrading organism, we introduced an engineered haloalkane dehalogenase with improved TCP degradation activity into the DCP-degrading bacterium Pseudomonas putida MC4. For this purpose, the dehalogenase gene (dhaA31) was cloned behind the constitutive dhlA promoter and was introduced into the genome of strain MC4 using a transposon delivery system. The transposon-located antibiotic resistance marker was subsequently removed using a resolvase step. Growth of the resulting engineered bacterium, P. putida MC4-5222, on TCP was indeed observed, and all organic chlorine was released as chloride. A packed-bed reactor with immobilized cells of strain MC4-5222 degraded >95% of influent TCP (0.33 mM) under continuous-flow conditions, with stoichiometric release of inorganic chloride. The results demonstrate the successful use of a laboratory-evolved dehalogenase and genetic engineering to produce an effective, plasmid-free, and stable whole-cell biocatalyst for the aerobic bioremediation of a recalcitrant chlorinated hydrocarbon.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2012

ABSTRACTAPseudomonas putidastrain (MC4) that can utilize 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol (DCP) and severa... more ABSTRACTAPseudomonas putidastrain (MC4) that can utilize 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol (DCP) and several aliphatic haloacids and haloalcohols as sole carbon and energy source for growth was isolated from contaminated soil. Degradation of DCP was found to start with oxidation and concomitant dehalogenation catalyzed by a 72-kDa monomeric protein (DppA) that was isolated from cell lysate. ThedppAgene was cloned from a cosmid library and appeared to encode a protein equipped with a signal peptide and that possessed high similarity to quinohemoprotein alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs), particularly ADH IIB and ADH IIG fromPseudomonas putidaHK. This novel dehalogenating dehydrogenase has a broad substrate range, encompassing a number of nonhalogenated alcohols and haloalcohols. With DCP, DppA exhibited akcatof 17 s−1.1H nuclear magnetic resonance experiments indicated that DCP oxidation by DppA in the presence of 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol (DCPIP) and potassium ferricyanide [K3Fe(CN)6] yielded 2...

1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP) is a toxic compound that is recalcitrant to biodegradation in the en... more 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP) is a toxic compound that is recalcitrant to biodegradation in the environment. Attempts to isolate TCP-degrading organisms using enrichment cultivation have failed. A potential biodegradation pathway starts with hydrolytic dehalogenation to 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol (DCP), followed by oxidative metabolism. To obtain a practically applicable TCPdegrading organism, we introduced an engineered haloalkane dehalogenase with improved TCP degradation activity into the DCP-degrading bacterium Pseudomonas putida MC4. For this purpose, the dehalogenase gene (dhaA31) was cloned behind the constitutive dhlA promoter and was introduced into the genome of strain MC4 using a transposon delivery system. The transposon-located antibiotic resistance marker was subsequently removed using a resolvase step. Growth of the resulting engineered bacterium, P. putida MC4-5222, on TCP was indeed observed, and all organic chlorine was released as chloride. A packed-bed reactor with immobilized cells of strain MC4-5222 degraded >95% of influent TCP (0.33 mM) under continuous-flow conditions, with stoichiometric release of inorganic chloride. The results demonstrate the successful use of a laboratory-evolved dehalogenase and genetic engineering to produce an effective, plasmid-free, and stable whole-cell biocatalyst for the aerobic bioremediation of a recalcitrant chlorinated hydrocarbon.

Journal of Food Process Engineering, 2016

In the past years, research has been focused on biodegradable materials to replace petroleum base... more In the past years, research has been focused on biodegradable materials to replace petroleum based plastics for food packaging application. For this purpose, biopolymers are considered the most promising material because of their biodegradable nature and long shelf life properties like resistance to chemical or enzymatic reactions. Starch is renewable, cheap, and abundantly available biopolymer. However, the intermolecular forces and hydrogen bonds in starch resist it to be processed as a thermoplastic material. To overcome this issue, different plasticizers are used to have deformable thermoplastic material called thermoplastic starches (TPSs). A plasticizer enhances the flexibility, the process stability of starch below the degradation temperature. Plasticizer lowers the glass transition temperature (Tg). TPS is very promising among the biobased materials available for the production of biodegradable plastic. TPS have some limitations; bad mechanical properties and water sensitivity. Starch absorbs water under higher relative humidity. This work will provide an outline about the research that has been done on TPS during last 15 years as biodegradable food packaging material. Practical Applications The basic role of food packaging material is to make it cost effective that satisfies industry requirements and consumer desires, and provide protection from three major classes of external influences: chemical, biological, and physical, e.g., such as exposure to gases, barrier to microorganisms, or from mechanical damage, respectively. These external influences may damage the quality of the food and shelf life. For this motive, starch has become the most preferred option among the verified classes of synthetic and natural materials. Retrogradation of starch chains in presence of water make it impossible to be use as packaging material. To overcome this issue, Starch has been plasticized with water and low molecular weight additive that can interact with its backbone by hydrogen bonding to produce thermoplastic starch (TPS). The objective of this review is to summarize numerous studies related to interaction of plasticizers and starch for the production of biodegradable TPS food packaging materials.

Op veel plaatsen in de bodem zitten vervuilende stoffen die veelal afkomstig zijn van (oude) fabr... more Op veel plaatsen in de bodem zitten vervuilende stoffen die veelal afkomstig zijn van (oude) fabrieken, tankstations, vuilstortplaatsen of landbouwbedrijven. Op deze plaatsen is in het verleden met slecht afbreekbare stoffen gewerkt die soms ook een bedreiging voor de volksgezondheid vormen. Er zijn verschillende bodem-vervuilende stoffen bekend, maar de belangrijkste bodemvervuilers zijn oude bestrijdingsmiddelen, zware metalen, cyaniden, aromatische koolwaterstoffen en gechloreerde koolwaterstoffen. De verbinding 1,2,3-trichloropropaan (TCP) behoort tot de laatste groep en wordt gezien als een bodem- en watervervuiler die op steeds meer plaatsen in Europa en de Verenigde Staten wordt aangetroffen. TCP vormt een ernstige bedreiging voor de volksgezondheid mede omdat het waarschijnlijk kankerverwekkend is en bovendien is deze verbinding zeer lastig afbreekbaar. Het doel van dit proefschrift, zoals beschreven in hoofdstuk 2-5, is gericht op de microbiele afbraak van TCP tot onschadel...

Crystals

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Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Crystals

To improve the efficacy of existing classes of antibiotics (ciprofloxacin), allow dose reduction,... more To improve the efficacy of existing classes of antibiotics (ciprofloxacin), allow dose reduction, and minimize related toxicity, this study was executed because new target-oriented livestock antimicrobials are greatly needed to battle infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains. The present study aims to green synthesize a biocompatible nanohybrid of ciprofloxacin (CIP)-Ag/TiO2/chitosan (CS). Silver and titanium nanoparticles were green synthesized using Moringa concanensis leaves extract. The incorporation of silver (Ag) nanoparticles onto the surface of titanium oxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) was done by the wet chemical impregnation method, while the encapsulation of chitosan (CS) around Ag/TiO2 conjugated with ciprofloxacin (CIP) was done by the ionic gelation method. The synthesized nanohybrid (CIP-Ag/TiO2/CS) was characterized using standard techniques. The antibacterial potential, killing kinetics, cytotoxicity, drug release profile, and minimum inhibitory concentra...

Journal of Water Process Engineering

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, Nov 19, 2011

A pure bacterial culture able to utilize 2fluorophenol (2-FP) as sole carbon and energy source wa... more A pure bacterial culture able to utilize 2fluorophenol (2-FP) as sole carbon and energy source was isolated by selective enrichment from sediments collected from a contaminated site in Northern Portugal. 16S rRNA gene analysis showed that the organism (strain FP1) belongs to the genus Rhodococcus. When grown aerobically on 2-FP, growth kinetics of strain FP1 followed the Luong model. An inhibitory effect of increasing 2-FP concentrations was observed with no growth occurring at 2-FP levels higher than ca. 4 mM. Rhodococcus strain FP1 was able to degrade a range of other organofluorine compounds, including 2-fluorobenzoate, 3-fluorobenzoate, 4-fluorobenzoate, 3-fluorophenol, 4-fluorophenol, 3fluorocatechol, and 4-fluorocatechol, as well as chlorinated compounds such as 2-chlorophenol and 4-chlorophenol. Experiments with cell-free extracts and partially purified enzymes indicated that the first step of 2-fluorophenol metabolism was conversion to 3-fluorocatechol, suggesting an unusual pathway for fluoroaromatic metabolism. To our knowledge, this is the first time that utilization of 2-FP as a growth substrate by a pure bacterial culture is reported.

International Journal of Analytical Chemistry

A novel pressurized flow system for circular thin-layer chromatography (PC-TLC) has been successf... more A novel pressurized flow system for circular thin-layer chromatography (PC-TLC) has been successfully established and employed for the separation of amino acids, dyes, and pigments for safe medical imaging applications. In this system, the mobile phase is applied to a regular TLC plate through the tube and needle of an intravenous infusion set. The needle was fused in a hole underneath the center of the plate, while the second side end of the tube was connected to a microburette containing the solvent. This new assembly proved itself better in terms of separation time (within 5 minutes) and controlled flow of the solvent and horizontal movement of analyte components over chromatograms with better separation and Rf values (glutamine: 0.26, valine: 0.44, phenylalanine: 0.60, chlorophyll a: 0.52, chlorophyll b: 0.43, xanthophyll: 0.18, carotenoid: 0.97, and pheophytin: 0.60) when a number of samples of amino acids, dyes, and pigments were separated by the developed apparatus and the co...

Indian Journal of Economics and Development, 2021

Cereal crops provide essential nutrients and energy in the everyday human diet through direct hum... more Cereal crops provide essential nutrients and energy in the everyday human diet through direct human consumption and meat production since they comprise a major livestock feed. In the current study, the Tornqvist Theil Index was used to compute the total output index, total input index, and total factor productivity index. The Tornqvist Index is exact for the homogenous translog production function that can deliver a second-order approximation to an arbitrary twice differentiable homogenous production function. This study has indicated moderate TFP in wheat (1.45percent), and the contribution of TFP to output growth was high, about 87 percent for wheat in Rajasthan state. The annual compound growth rate of the TFP of barley increased at the rate of 1.65 percent per annum (moderate growth), and the contribution of TFP to output growth was average, at about 63.47. In comparison, the compound growth rate of TFP of annual maize crop increased at 1.80 percent per annum (moderate growth), ...

Morchella Esculenta is one of the expensive mushrooms throughout the globe due to its high nutrit... more Morchella Esculenta is one of the expensive mushrooms throughout the globe due to its high nutritional and medicinal value. Naturally it grown in different locations of Pakistan i.e. Swat, Miandam, Kalam, MalamJabba, Parona, Kokaria, Jambile and Madian etc.Traditionally Morchella esculentais used as medicines in different countries like Japan, China and Malaysia for healing of different diseases and is famous due to its unique flavor and taste.

Mushrooms are utilized globally for purpose of medicine and food and now a days are considered as... more Mushrooms are utilized globally for purpose of medicine and food and now a days are considered as good source of income due to their established world market. Various mushrooms have different nutritional and medicinal values which can be used for curing of health problems. About 14,000 species of mushrooms are known in the world in which 2,000 are safe for utilization of human consumption. Among these mushrooms, one unique mushroom is Auricularia auricular, having jelly like texture and is a renowned source of vitamins, proteins, minerals, fibers, trace elements, having the ability to low cholesterol level. Jelly mushroom is known to possess an anticancer, antitumor, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant, anti inflammatory, anti-HIV and anti-diabetic properties.

Microbial Drug Resistance, 2021

The multidrug resistance (MDR) Escherichia coli having Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) ge... more The multidrug resistance (MDR) Escherichia coli having Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) genes and the capacity to create a biofilm acts as a major reduction in the therapeutic effectiveness of antimicrobials. In search of a novel nanocarrier (NC) for targeted delivery of antibiotics, carbon dots (CDs) coated calcium carbonate nanocarriers (CCNC) from organic chicken eggshells conjugated with levofloxacin (Lvx) were synthesized. Our main objectives were to explore the antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and NC potential of CDs coated CaCO3 Nanocarrier conjugated with levofloxacin (CD-CCNC-Lvx) to combat biofilm-producing MDR ESBL E. coli of urinary tract infection origin. The synthesized NC system was physiochemically characterized, validating the synthesis of CCNC and CD-CCNC-Lvx with a particle size of 56 and 14 nm, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed rod shape morphology. X-ray diffraction results discovered crystalline and dispersed nanoparticles. In vitro release drug kinetics illustrated sustained release of Lvx. NC system exhibited strong antibacterial and antibiofilm potential against E. coli with a noticeable low minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). MIC of CCNC was found to be 30 ± 0.1 μg/mL and CD-CCNC-Lvx was 20 ± 0.1 μg/mL for MDR ESBL-producing E. coli. The synergistic effect of NC upon conjugation with Lvx showed incredible activity with 30 mm zone of inhibition and 68% biofilm inhibition. Flow cytometry analysis revealed treated E. coli cells showed 58.69% reduction in cell viability. SEM images of treated bacterial cells showed morphological changes, which were also confirmed by our flow cytometry findings leading to cell membrane damage in E. coli. NC system also downregulated the blaCTX-M gene in E. coli. The hemolytic analysis proved biocompatibility with human red blood cells (RBCs). It is concluded that CCNC has the potential to be used as NC for target delivery of antibiotics and may combat toxicity of antibiotics as the inhibition of E. coli was noticed at low MIC concentration.

Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology, 2015

A study was conducted to evaluate growth, yield and biochemical response of Pleurotus Sajor-Caju ... more A study was conducted to evaluate growth, yield and biochemical response of Pleurotus Sajor-Caju mushroom grown on sorghum straw enriched cotton waste growing substrate in Medicinal and Mushroom Lab, Institute of Horticultural Sciences (IHS), University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. Two substrates (cotton waste and sorghum straw) were used alone and with different combinations. Experiments consisted of five treatments T 0 (100% Cotton Waste), T 1 (100% Sorghum Straw), T 2 (75% Sorghum Straw + 25% Cotton Waste), T 3 (50% Sorghum Straw + 50% Cotton Waste) and T 4 (25% Sorghum Straw + 75% Cotton Waste). Data concerning time taken for spawn run initiation, mycelial growth completion, pinheads initiation, total number of pinheads, time required to harvest 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd flush, fresh weight of 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd flush harvested, total yield, pH, total soluble solids, acidity, ascorbic acid contents, total nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium contents, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars...

Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2016

Plant physiology, morphology and biochemistry are genetically controlled by a large set of genes.... more Plant physiology, morphology and biochemistry are genetically controlled by a large set of genes. Expression of these genes is influenced by a number of factors, internal as well as external, including stage of plant development, diseases, drought, salinity, cold, and many others (Yoshioka et al., 2003; Zhang et al., 2001). Some genes are activated or suppressed by a specific stress factor while, many genes respond to more than one stimulus (Kariola et al., 2006). These genes can be classified, on the basis of their expression patterns and/or their responsiveness to environmental stressors, in different groups viz., responsive to dehydration (RD), cold regulated (COR), cold inducible (KIN), lowtemperature induced (LTI), early responsive to dehydration (ERD), salt overly sensitive (SOS), dehydration-responsive element-binding proteins (DREBs) and many more (Shinozaki and Yamaguchi-Shinozaki, 2007; Mahajan and Tuteja, 2005). Among these genes, ERDs have emerged as a new class or group...

Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology, 2018

The utilization of agro-industrial waste materials for production of mushrooms has become a cruci... more The utilization of agro-industrial waste materials for production of mushrooms has become a crucial research precedence recently. Pleurotus eryngii is considered one of the most famous mushrooms because of nutraceutical and high nutritional value. Therefore, a study was conducted in Medicinal and Mushroom Lab to evaluate the morphological attributes of king oyster mushroom against cotton waste (CW) and citrus peel (CP) based substrates. CW alone and its different combinations with CP i.e. T0: CW (100 %), T1: CW (98%) + CP (2%), T2: CW (96%) + CP (4%), T3: CW (94%) + CP (6%), T4: CW (92%) + CP (8%) and T5: CW (90%) + CP (10%) were used in experiment. The experiment was conducted by applying 2-factor factorial under completely randomized design with 5 replications. Different morphological attributes viz. spawn running and mycelium growth initiation, duration to complete mycelium growth (days), pinhead development, pinheads/bag, duration to complete flushes (1st,2nd, 3rd), mushroom fre...

Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology, 2018

King oyster (Pleurotus eryngii) mushroom is a palatable mushroom with high commercial potential d... more King oyster (Pleurotus eryngii) mushroom is a palatable mushroom with high commercial potential due to relative ease of its growing technology, less cost of production and better yield potential, making it popular throughout the world. Therefore, an experiment was set up to assess the efficacy of different agro-wastes [cotton waste (CW) and fenugreek straw (FS)] on the morphology, yield and nutritional components of two strains (Pleurotus eryngii P9 strain and Pleurotus eryngii P10 strain) of Pleurotus eryngii. Studied indicators regarding time for pinhead formation, fruiting body development, biological efficiency and yield of both strains were significantly affected by different formulations of substrates. Substrates with 100 % CW exhibited maximum number of pinheads, yield and biological efficiency for both strains of king oyster as compared to other substrates alone or in mixture. This experiment indicates the possibility of Pleurotus eryngii cultivation on cotton waste and fenu...

1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP) is a toxic compound that is recalcitrant to biodegradation in the en... more 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP) is a toxic compound that is recalcitrant to biodegradation in the environment. Attempts to isolate TCP-degrading organisms using enrichment cultivation have failed. A potential biodegradation pathway starts with hydrolytic dehalogenation to 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol (DCP), followed by oxidative metabolism. To obtain a practically applicable TCPdegrading organism, we introduced an engineered haloalkane dehalogenase with improved TCP degradation activity into the DCP-degrading bacterium Pseudomonas putida MC4. For this purpose, the dehalogenase gene (dhaA31) was cloned behind the constitutive dhlA promoter and was introduced into the genome of strain MC4 using a transposon delivery system. The transposon-located antibiotic resistance marker was subsequently removed using a resolvase step. Growth of the resulting engineered bacterium, P. putida MC4-5222, on TCP was indeed observed, and all organic chlorine was released as chloride. A packed-bed reactor with immobilized cells of strain MC4-5222 degraded >95% of influent TCP (0.33 mM) under continuous-flow conditions, with stoichiometric release of inorganic chloride. The results demonstrate the successful use of a laboratory-evolved dehalogenase and genetic engineering to produce an effective, plasmid-free, and stable whole-cell biocatalyst for the aerobic bioremediation of a recalcitrant chlorinated hydrocarbon.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2012

ABSTRACTAPseudomonas putidastrain (MC4) that can utilize 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol (DCP) and severa... more ABSTRACTAPseudomonas putidastrain (MC4) that can utilize 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol (DCP) and several aliphatic haloacids and haloalcohols as sole carbon and energy source for growth was isolated from contaminated soil. Degradation of DCP was found to start with oxidation and concomitant dehalogenation catalyzed by a 72-kDa monomeric protein (DppA) that was isolated from cell lysate. ThedppAgene was cloned from a cosmid library and appeared to encode a protein equipped with a signal peptide and that possessed high similarity to quinohemoprotein alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs), particularly ADH IIB and ADH IIG fromPseudomonas putidaHK. This novel dehalogenating dehydrogenase has a broad substrate range, encompassing a number of nonhalogenated alcohols and haloalcohols. With DCP, DppA exhibited akcatof 17 s−1.1H nuclear magnetic resonance experiments indicated that DCP oxidation by DppA in the presence of 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol (DCPIP) and potassium ferricyanide [K3Fe(CN)6] yielded 2...

1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP) is a toxic compound that is recalcitrant to biodegradation in the en... more 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP) is a toxic compound that is recalcitrant to biodegradation in the environment. Attempts to isolate TCP-degrading organisms using enrichment cultivation have failed. A potential biodegradation pathway starts with hydrolytic dehalogenation to 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol (DCP), followed by oxidative metabolism. To obtain a practically applicable TCPdegrading organism, we introduced an engineered haloalkane dehalogenase with improved TCP degradation activity into the DCP-degrading bacterium Pseudomonas putida MC4. For this purpose, the dehalogenase gene (dhaA31) was cloned behind the constitutive dhlA promoter and was introduced into the genome of strain MC4 using a transposon delivery system. The transposon-located antibiotic resistance marker was subsequently removed using a resolvase step. Growth of the resulting engineered bacterium, P. putida MC4-5222, on TCP was indeed observed, and all organic chlorine was released as chloride. A packed-bed reactor with immobilized cells of strain MC4-5222 degraded >95% of influent TCP (0.33 mM) under continuous-flow conditions, with stoichiometric release of inorganic chloride. The results demonstrate the successful use of a laboratory-evolved dehalogenase and genetic engineering to produce an effective, plasmid-free, and stable whole-cell biocatalyst for the aerobic bioremediation of a recalcitrant chlorinated hydrocarbon.

Journal of Food Process Engineering, 2016

In the past years, research has been focused on biodegradable materials to replace petroleum base... more In the past years, research has been focused on biodegradable materials to replace petroleum based plastics for food packaging application. For this purpose, biopolymers are considered the most promising material because of their biodegradable nature and long shelf life properties like resistance to chemical or enzymatic reactions. Starch is renewable, cheap, and abundantly available biopolymer. However, the intermolecular forces and hydrogen bonds in starch resist it to be processed as a thermoplastic material. To overcome this issue, different plasticizers are used to have deformable thermoplastic material called thermoplastic starches (TPSs). A plasticizer enhances the flexibility, the process stability of starch below the degradation temperature. Plasticizer lowers the glass transition temperature (Tg). TPS is very promising among the biobased materials available for the production of biodegradable plastic. TPS have some limitations; bad mechanical properties and water sensitivity. Starch absorbs water under higher relative humidity. This work will provide an outline about the research that has been done on TPS during last 15 years as biodegradable food packaging material. Practical Applications The basic role of food packaging material is to make it cost effective that satisfies industry requirements and consumer desires, and provide protection from three major classes of external influences: chemical, biological, and physical, e.g., such as exposure to gases, barrier to microorganisms, or from mechanical damage, respectively. These external influences may damage the quality of the food and shelf life. For this motive, starch has become the most preferred option among the verified classes of synthetic and natural materials. Retrogradation of starch chains in presence of water make it impossible to be use as packaging material. To overcome this issue, Starch has been plasticized with water and low molecular weight additive that can interact with its backbone by hydrogen bonding to produce thermoplastic starch (TPS). The objective of this review is to summarize numerous studies related to interaction of plasticizers and starch for the production of biodegradable TPS food packaging materials.

Op veel plaatsen in de bodem zitten vervuilende stoffen die veelal afkomstig zijn van (oude) fabr... more Op veel plaatsen in de bodem zitten vervuilende stoffen die veelal afkomstig zijn van (oude) fabrieken, tankstations, vuilstortplaatsen of landbouwbedrijven. Op deze plaatsen is in het verleden met slecht afbreekbare stoffen gewerkt die soms ook een bedreiging voor de volksgezondheid vormen. Er zijn verschillende bodem-vervuilende stoffen bekend, maar de belangrijkste bodemvervuilers zijn oude bestrijdingsmiddelen, zware metalen, cyaniden, aromatische koolwaterstoffen en gechloreerde koolwaterstoffen. De verbinding 1,2,3-trichloropropaan (TCP) behoort tot de laatste groep en wordt gezien als een bodem- en watervervuiler die op steeds meer plaatsen in Europa en de Verenigde Staten wordt aangetroffen. TCP vormt een ernstige bedreiging voor de volksgezondheid mede omdat het waarschijnlijk kankerverwekkend is en bovendien is deze verbinding zeer lastig afbreekbaar. Het doel van dit proefschrift, zoals beschreven in hoofdstuk 2-5, is gericht op de microbiele afbraak van TCP tot onschadel...

Crystals

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Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Crystals

To improve the efficacy of existing classes of antibiotics (ciprofloxacin), allow dose reduction,... more To improve the efficacy of existing classes of antibiotics (ciprofloxacin), allow dose reduction, and minimize related toxicity, this study was executed because new target-oriented livestock antimicrobials are greatly needed to battle infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains. The present study aims to green synthesize a biocompatible nanohybrid of ciprofloxacin (CIP)-Ag/TiO2/chitosan (CS). Silver and titanium nanoparticles were green synthesized using Moringa concanensis leaves extract. The incorporation of silver (Ag) nanoparticles onto the surface of titanium oxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) was done by the wet chemical impregnation method, while the encapsulation of chitosan (CS) around Ag/TiO2 conjugated with ciprofloxacin (CIP) was done by the ionic gelation method. The synthesized nanohybrid (CIP-Ag/TiO2/CS) was characterized using standard techniques. The antibacterial potential, killing kinetics, cytotoxicity, drug release profile, and minimum inhibitory concentra...