Nanoparticle-mediated dsRNA delivery for precision insect pest control: a comprehensive review

Nanoparticle-based delivery systems have emerged as powerful tools in the field of pest management, offering precise and effective means of delivering double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), a potent agent for pest control through RNA interference (RNAi). This comprehensive review aims to evaluate and compare various types of nanoparticles for their suitability in dsRNA delivery for pest management applications. The review begins by examining the unique properties and advantages of different nanoparticle materials, including clay, chitosan, liposomes, carbon, gold and silica. Each material's ability to protect dsRNA from degradation and its potential for targeted delivery to pests are assessed. Furthermore, this review delves into the surface modification strategies employed to enhance dsRNA delivery efficiency. Functionalization with oligonucleotides, lipids, polymers, proteins and peptides is discussed in detail, highlighting their role in improving stability, cellular uptake, and specificity of dsRNA delivery.This review also provides valuable guidance on choosing the most suitable nanoparticle-based system for delivering dsRNA effectively and sustainably in pest management. Moreover, it identifies existing knowledge gaps and proposes potential research directions aimed at enhancing pest control strategies through the utilization of nanoparticles and dsRNA.

Electrocoagulation using Ti/Ti for the remediation and reuse of aqueous Dispersive Blue-79

The entire ecology is contaminated by the synthetic dyes that are widely utilised in the textile industries. They can be handled using a variety of technologies, but an eco-friendly method called electrocoagulation has been used to prevent additional contamination. Textile wastewater containing disperse dyes are successfully treated in Electrocoagulation (EC) utilizing Al, Fe, and Stainless Steel (SS), but it is not cost effective, also the treated water contains certain mg/L of the metals used, along with dye components, which obstructs the reuse of the same. The effects of initial pH, applied voltage, dye concentration, supporting electrolyte, and treatment time on the colour removal efficiency (CRE) and consumption of energy were examined in EC process followed by activated charcoal filtration (hybrid process) with a monopolar Ti/Ti electrode on the remediation of aqueous solution of Dispersive Blue-79 (dye 3G). The maximum CREobtained was 99.4%, chemical oxygen demand (COD) 93%, and biological oxygen demand (BOD) 85%, under the following optimized operating conditions, applied voltage 15 V, pH = 7, concentration of dye, electrolyte 110 mg/L, 0.2 g/L and time = 15 min. The overall operating cost for the treatment of aqueous dye 3G was 0.455US/m3. The mechanism of EC was studied using XPS analysis in the sludge obtained. For the purpose of the reuse, FTIR, AAS, and ICP-OES analysis were done and compared with the aqueous dye 3G, after EC and hybrid process to ensure the maximum removal of the degraded dye components and metal. ICP-OES results showed that there were no traces of metal in the treated aqueous dye 3G using this method. Throughout the study, the experimental outcomes indicated that the hybrid process upgraded the quality of the treated aqueous dye 3G.

Initiation of Apoptotic Pathway by the Cell-Free Supernatant Synthesized from Weissella cibaria Through In-Silico and In-Vitro Methods

Globally, colorectal cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer. Even though multiple treatments such as surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy are available, the adverse effects caused in patients seem remarkable. Therefore, the current work was deliberated to prepare the metabolites (cell-free supernatant-CFS) from Weissella cibaria RK-3-1 to conduct in-silico and in-vitro-based anticancer assays. First, the active biomolecules present in the CFS were screened using a GC-MS analyzer. In addition, in-silico-based pharmacokinetic and docking studies were performed to confirm the anticancer potential of metabolites. In-silico results suggested that the bioactive compounds such as filicinic acid, dibutyl phthalate, and 4H-pyran-4-one,2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl present in CFS possessed significant molecular docking interactions with anticancer hub proteins. Furthermore, in-vitro results displayed the inhibition of cell proliferation in HT-29 cells at an IC50 value of 22.5 ± 1.3 µg/ml with the least significant effect on HEK-293 cell lines. Moreover, bacterial metabolites-controlled cell proliferation during the cell cycle's synthesis phase (S). Furthermore, the gene expression results confirm the increased expression of Bad, Bax, Bcl2, caspase-3, and cytochrome-C genes involved in the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. Hence, our findings from the in-silico and the in-vitro study confirm the anticancer potential of cell free-supernatant synthesized by W. cibaria.

Geochemical characterisation and geostatistical evaluation of groundwater suitability: a case study in Perambalur District, Tamil Nadu, India

Groundwater is a naturally occurring potential source for drinking, irrigation, agricultural and industrial purposes. The population growth and accelerated development of industries and agriculture activity degrade groundwater quality. The groundwater quality of an area was determined by the physical and chemical parameters, influenced by geology, soil, land use, land cover and anthropogenic activities. Perambalur district in Tamil Nadu has been selected as a study area with a total geographical area of around 1757 km². In the study area, groundwater quality decreases due to the usage of chemical fertilisers and pesticides in agricultural land and mining activities. So, the hydrogeochemical assessment will help to determine the groundwater suitability for drinking. Forty-eight groundwater samples were collected from the study area during the pre-monsoon (July 2021) and post-monsoon season (January 2022). Samples were analysed using the standard methods prescribed by the American Public Health Association for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, carbonate, bicarbonate, chloride, sulphate, nitrate and fluoride. The spatial distribution of major physiochemical parameters is mapped using the inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation technique. The evaluation of hydrochemical facies from piper plots revealed that the major cation and anion were in the order of Ca²⁺  > Mg²⁺  > Na⁺  > K⁺ and Cl^-  > HCO₃^-  > SO₄^2-  > NO₃^- in both seasons, respectively. Further, the plot explains the presence of both permanent and temporary hardness in the groundwater. The evaluation of hydrochemical facies from the piper plot emphasises that the reverse ion exchange controls groundwater chemistry. The assessment of chloro-alkaline indices reveals that the sodium and potassium in groundwater get substituted with magnesium and calcium in the parent rock, which determines the groundwater composition. The values of saturation indices reveal that calcite and dolomite are supersaturated and tend to precipitate. From principal component analysis, the principal components have an eigenvalue of more than 1, containing 79.8% and 79.2% in the total variance in pre-monsoon and post-monsoon, respectively. Most physiochemical parameters like TDS, EC, Na⁺, Mg²⁺, Cl^- and SO₄² - have strong positive loading and are responsible for the changes in groundwater chemistry. Finally, the calculation of the water quality index identified that groundwater quality in post-monsoon tends to decline compared to pre-monsoon.