Effective role of tannic acid in the fabrication of hydrophobic, oleophilic, antibacterial, boron nitride/chlorobutyl rubber nanocomposite for reusable protective clothing and oil-water separation

Boron Nitride (h-BN) possesses unique qualities like increased thermal conductivity, non-toxic nature, and environmental friendliness; hence, it is a good reinforcing agent for chlorobutyl rubber (CIIR). Tannic acid (TA) holds excellent bio-functional properties and is considered as an exceptional bio-exfoliating agent. Hence, in this study, we have utilized the bio-exfoliating ability of TA to exfoliate h-BN and evaluate its efficiency in reinforcing the CIIR matrix. Results demonstrate the exceptional role of tannic acid in imparting multifunctionality to chlorobutyl rubber. CIIR matrix introduced with h-BN:TA (h-BN:TA/CIIR) display excellent mechanical performance due to the reinforcing effect shown by excess TA in addition to the exfoliating effect. In addition, h-BN:TA/CIIR composite exhibited superior antimicrobial activity against S. aureus. The retention of thermal decontamination efficiency of the composites with increase in the number of cycles ensures their promising application in the field of reusable gloves and chemical protective clothing. The exfoliated filler created a tortuous path inside the matrix which prevents the permeation of solvent. Hence the work intends to synergize the hydrophobic nature of h-BN, exfoliating capacity of TA and the barrier abilities of CIIR for the adsorption of oil from oil-water mixture and portrays the future of the trio in water purification.

Ligand-protected nanoclusters and their role in agriculture, sensing and allied applications

Nano biotechnology, when coupled with green chemistry, can revolutionize human life because of the vast opportunities and benefits it can offer to the quality of human life. Luminescent metal nanoclusters (NCs) have recently developed as a potential research area with applications in different areas like medical, imaging, sensing etc. Recently these new candidates have proved to be beneficial in the food supply chain enabling controlled release of nutrients, pesticides and as nanosensors for the detection of contaminants and play roles in healthy food storage and maintaining food quality. An assortment of nanomaterials has been employed for these applications and reviews have been published on the use of nanotechnology in agriculture. Ligand-protected metal nanoclusters are a distinctive class of small organic-inorganic nanostructures that garnered immense research interest in recent years owing to their stability at specific "magic size" compositions along with tunable properties that make them promising candidates for a wide range of nanotechnology-based applications. This review tries to consolidate the recent developments in the area of ligand-protected nanoclusters in connection with the detection of pesticides, food contaminants, heavy metal ions and plant growth monitoring for healthy agricultural practices. Its antimicrobial activity to manage the microbial contamination is highlighted. The review also throws light on the various perspectives by which food production and allied areas will be transformed in future.

Production and characterization of biosurfactant produced by a novel Pseudomonas sp. 2B

Biosurfactant-producing bacteria were isolated from terrestrial samples collected in areas contaminated with petroleum compounds. Isolates were screened for biosurfactant production using Cetyl Tri Ammonium Bromide (CTAB)-Methylene blue agar selection medium and the qualitative drop-collapse test. An efficient bacterial strain was selected based on rapid drop collapse activity and highest biosurfactant production. The biochemical characteristics and partial sequenced 16S rRNA gene of isolate, 2B, identified the bacterium as Pseudomonas sp. Five different low cost carbon substrates were evaluated for their effect on biosurfactant production. The maximum biosurfactant synthesis (4.97 g/L) occurred at 96 h when the cells were grown on modified PPGAS medium containing 1% (v/v) molasses at 30 °C and 150 rpm. The cell free broth containing the biosurfactant could reduce the surface tension to 30.14 mN/m. The surface active compound showed emulsifying activity against a variety of hydrocarbons and achieved a maximum emulsion index of 84% for sunflower oil. Compositional analysis of the biosurfactant reveals that the extracted biosurfactant was a glycolipid type, which was composed of high percentages of lipid (∼65%, w/w) and carbohydrate (∼32%, w/w). Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum of extracted biosurfactant indicates the presence of carboxyl, hydroxyl and methoxyl functional groups. The mass spectra (MS) shows that dirhamnolipid (l-rhamnopyranosyl-l-rhamnopyranosyl-3-hydroxydecanoyl-3-hydroxydecanoate, Rha-Rha-C(10)-C(10)) was detected in abundance with the predominant congener monorhamnolipid (l-rhamnopyranosyl-β-hydroxydecanoyl-β-hydroxydecanoate, Rha-C(10)-C(10)). The crude oil recovery studies using the biosurfactant produced by Pseudomonas sp. 2B suggested its potential application in microbial enhanced oil recovery and bioremediation.

Association between protein bound sialic acid and high sensitivity C-reactive protein in prehypertension: a possible indication of underlying cardiovascular risk

The global burden posed by cardiovascular disease due to a rising incidence of known risk factors like essential hypertension underlines an urgent need to identify other potential risk factors like dyslipidemia, elevated levels of high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP), Apo-B, and sialic acid in prehypertensive subjects. This study sought to examine the possible alteration in the levels of hsCRP, plasma protein bound sialic acid, and other lipid risk factors and the possible interactions among these parameters in prehypertensive subjects. Forty prehypertensive and 34 normotensive male subjects were enrolled in the study. Lipid profile, hsCRP, Apo-B, sialic acid, and lipid risk ratios were estimated in both the groups. There was no significant difference between fasting glucose and BMI in either group. The levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, direct LDL-cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol, and Apo-B were significantly increased in prehypertensive subjects compared with controls. The risk ratios calculated as direct LDL-cholesterol/Apo-B, total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol, non-HDL-cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol were significantly elevated in prehypertensive subjects. There was also a significant increase in hsCRP and protein bound sialic acid in prehypertensive subjects in comparison with normotensive subjects. Correlation analysis revealed a significant association between the protein bound sialic acid with hsCRP, LDL cholesterol, and LDL-C/Apo-B. The findings of the present study suggest that in prehypertension, there is an association between protein bound sialic acid and hsCRP that reflects the clustering of cardiovascular risk factors in these subjects.