Browsing by Author "Bechan Sharma"

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Biomedical applications of green synthesized nanoparticles
(Springer Singapore, 2020) Reetika Singh; Priyanka Tiwari; Nishi Kumari; Bechan Sharma
Nanotechnology is an emerging field in the area of interdisciplinary research. Nanoparticle research is inevitable today due to its wide applications. So many chemical and physical methods have been used for nanoparticles synthesis. Many of these methods exert huge adverse environmental effects, need technical expertise, and high cost. Therefore, there is urgency to establish a trustworthy low-cost technology for nanoparticles synthesis. This method involving biological materials named plants, microorganisms, enzymes, etc. may be best eco-friendly alternatives. Synthesis of nanoparticles with plant extracts is additional beneficial over the other biological processes. The plant extracts are acting as reducing agent for nanoparticles synthesis. Moreover, plant-mediated nanoparticles synthesis is a single-step method for biosynthesis process. It is cost-effective, environmentally conducive, and safe for human therapeutic applications. Various plant materials such as extracts of fruits, leaves, roots, fruit peels, callus, etc. have been considered suitable agent for the synthesis of silver, gold, platinum, titanium, and other nanoparticles in different sizes and shapes. Biomedical applications of nanoparticles include antimicrobial, antifungal, immunomodulatory, and anticancer agents. More plant extracts or drugs can be loaded because of the lesser size and enormous surface area of nanoparticles, and hence it may act as appropriate vehicle for the drug delivery. The competence of absorption of drugs and upsurge in apoptosis of abnormal cells could be possible by using nanoparticles. Recently, some research reports have indicated the therapeutic efficacy of green synthesized nanoparticles against leishmaniasis and tuberculosis. In the future, nanoparticles practice may exposed a new vistas for healthcare and disease management. © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020.
Biophysical and in-silico studies on the structure-function relationship of Brugia malayi protein disulfide isomerase
(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2024) Pawan Kumar Doharey; Pravesh Verma; Amit Dubey; Sudhir Kumar Singh; Manish Kumar; Timir Tripathi; Mona Alonazi; Nikhat Jamal Siddiqi; Bechan Sharma
Human Lymphatic filariasis is caused by parasitic nematodes Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and Brugia timori. Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), a redox-active enzyme, helps to form and isomerize the disulfide bonds, thereby acting as a chaperone. Such activity is essential for activating many essential enzymes and functional proteins. Brugia malayi protein disulfide isomerase (BmPDI) is crucial for parasite survival and an important drug target. Here, we used a combination of spectroscopic and computational analysis to study the structural and functional changes in the BmPDI during unfolding. Tryptophan fluorescence data revealed two well-separated transitions during the unfolding process, suggesting that the unfolding of the BmPDI is non-cooperative. The binding of the fluorescence probe 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonic acid dye (ANS) validated the results obtained by the pH unfolding. The dynamics of molecular simulation performed at different pH conditions revealed the structural basis of BmPDI unfolding. Detailed analysis suggested that under different pH, both the global structure and the conformational dynamics of the active site residues were differentially altered. Our multiparametric study reveals the differential dynamics and collective motions of BmPDI unfolding, providing insights into its structure-function relationship. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Conifers phytochemicals: A valuable forest with therapeutic potential
(MDPI AG, 2021) Kanchan Bhardwaj; Ana Sanches Silva; Maria Atanassova; Rohit Sharma; Eugenie Nepovimova; Kamil Musilek; Ruchi Sharma; Mousa A. Alghuthaymi; Daljeet Singh Dhanjal; Marcello Nicoletti; Bechan Sharma; Navneet Kumar Upadhyay; Natália Cruz-Martins; Prerna Bhardwaj; Kamil Kuča
Conifers have long been recognized for their therapeutic potential in different disorders. Alkaloids, terpenes and polyphenols are the most abundant naturally occurring phytochemicals in these plants. Here, we provide an overview of the phytochemistry and related commercial products obtained from conifers. The pharmacological actions of different phytochemicals present in conifers against bacterial and fungal infections, cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are also reviewed. Data obtained from experimental and clinical studies performed to date clearly underline that such compounds exert promising antioxidant effects, being able to inhibit cell damage, cancer growth, inflammation and the onset of neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, an attempt has been made with the intent to highlight the importance of conifer-derived extracts for pharmacological purposes, with the support of relevant in vitro and in vivo experimental data. In short, this review comprehends the information published to date related to conifers’ phytochemicals and illustrates their potential role as drugs. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Expression of procaspase 3 and activated caspase 3 and its relevance in hormone-responsive gallbladder carcinoma chemotherapy
(2013) Sanjeev Kumar Maurya; Mallika Tewari; Bechan Sharma; Hari Shanker Shukla
Background/Aims: The higher incidence of gallbladder cancer (GBC) in females has been accredited to the involvement of hormones. The clinical implications of sex hormone receptors in GBC are well established. Cysteine proteases (such as caspase-3-9, etc.) are known to play a central role in the apoptotic pathway. Of these, the downstream enzyme caspase-3 is often activated in the apoptotic path-way. The aim of this work was to examine the status of apoptosis (which directly correlated with the level of active caspase-3) in hormone-responsive GBC. Methods: We used 10 androgen receptor (AR)-positive, 14 estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, 12 HER/neu-positive, eight triple positive, and 10 triple negative malignant GBC human tissue samples. We isolated the total cellular protein from tumor tissues and carried out Western blotting using antipro-caspase-3 and anti-activated caspase-3 antibodies. Results: ER and HER/neu-positive GBC exhibited high caspase-3 activity and low procaspase-3 activity, whereas AR-positive GBC showed no significant level of apoptosis. We also evaluated the apoptosis status of triple positive GBC and triple negative GBC, and found significant apoptosis in triple positive GBC. Conclusions: The results indicate that ER and HER/neu-positive GBCs had active apoptosis, whereas AR-positive GBC was highly resistant to apoptosis. © 2013 The Korean Association of Internal Medicine.
Green biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using leaf extract of carissa carandas l. And their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity against human pathogenic bacteria
(MDPI AG, 2021) Reetika Singh; Christophe Hano; Gopal Nath; Bechan Sharma
Carissa carandas L. is traditionally used as antibacterial medicine and accumulates many antioxidant phytochemicals. Here, we expand this traditional usage with the green biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) achieved using a Carissa carandas L. leaf extract as a reducing and cap-ping agent. The green synthesis of AgNPs reaction was carried out using 1mM silver nitrate and leaf extract. The effect of temperature on the synthesis of AgNPs was examined using room temperature (25 °C) and 60 °C. The silver nanoparticles were formed in one hour by stirring at room tem-perature. In this case, a yellowish brown colour was developed. The successful formation of silver nanoparticles was confirmed by UV–Vis, Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The characteristic peaks of the UV‐vis spectrum and XRD confirmed the synthesis of AgNPs. The biosynthesised AgNPs showed potential antioxidant activity through DPPH assay. These AgNPs also exhibited potential antibacterial activity against human pathogenic bacteria. The results were compared with the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the plant extract, and clearly suggest that the green biosynthesized AgNPs can constitute an effective antioxidant and antibacterial agent. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
In silico study indicates antimalarials as direct inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2-RNA dependent RNA polymerase
(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2022) Pawan Kumar Doharey; Vishal Singh; Mallikarjuna Rao Gedda; Amaresh Kumar Sahoo; Pritish Kumar Varadwaj; Bechan Sharma
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic. RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) is the key component of the replication or transcription machinery of coronavirus. Therefore SARS-CoV-2-RdRp has been chosen as an important target for the development of antiviral drug(s). During the early pandemic of the COVID-19, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine were suggested by the researchers for the prevention or treatment of SARS-CoV-2. In our study, the antimalarial compounds have been screened and docked against SARS-CoV-2-RdRp (PDB ID: 7BTF), and it was observed that the antimalarials chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, and amodiaquine exhibit good affinity. Since the crystal structure of SARS-CoV-2-RdRp with its substrate is not available, poliovirus-RdRp crystal structure co-crystallized with its substrate ATP (PDB ID: 2ILY) was used as a reference structure. The superimposition of SARS-CoV-2-RdRp and poliovirus-RdRp structures showed that the active sites of both of the RdRps superimposed very well. The amino acid residues involved in the binding of ATP in the case of poliovirus-RdRp and residues involved in binding with the antimalarial compounds with SARS-CoV-2-RdRp were compared. In both cases, the conserved residues were found to be involved in establishing the interactions. The MMGBSA and molecular dynamic simulation studies were performed to strengthen our docking results. Further residues involved in binding of antimalarials with SARS-CoV-2-RdRp were compared with the residues involved in the SARS-CoV-2-RdRp complexed with remdesivir [PDB ID: 7BV2]. It was observed that co-crystallized remdesivir and docked antimalarials bind in the same pocket of SARS-CoV-2 -RdRp. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma. © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Optimization of eco-friendly novel amendments for sustainable utilization of Fly ash based on growth performance, hormones, antioxidant, and heavy metal translocation in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) plant
(Elsevier Ltd, 2021) Sudhir K. Upadhyay; Mustaqeem Ahmad; Abhishek K. Srivastava; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash; Bechan Sharma
The present study has focused on the evaluation of the maximum amount of flyash (FA) utilization augmentation in the acidic soil (pH 6.1) with the manure during the growth performance and impact of toxic heavy metals under the pot experiment. The 15 days pre-incubated 40% FA treated combination (T16) significantly (P < 0.05) influenced growth performance of chickpea plant after 60 days. The dry weight as well as the contents of N, P, and K increased from 38.8 to 78.53%, 118 to 86%, 148 to 115%, and 95.8 to 95%, respectively, over control in T15 combination after 30 and 60 days. T15 and T16 both treatments induced a significant rise in IAA and GB from 76 to 75.5% and 50%–45%, respectively, after 60 days. The significant increase in the activities of SOD, APX, CAT, and GR with 47%, 56%, 42%, and 28%, respectively, over control was observed in T16 treated combination after 60 days. The significant (P < 0.05) influence in the antioxidant activities, levels of GB, Proline, TSS, and RS were observed across the treatments and durations. The levels of BCF and TF both were <1 in T16 treated plants for toxic heavy metals (Pb, Mo, Cd, and Al), which indicated a negligible extent of translocation from root to shoot and shoot to edible parts in the plants. The results demonstrated that 40% FA supplementation with manure could induce the growth of chickpea in slightly acidic soil and reduce the translocation of toxic metals in the edible parts of the plant. © 2020
Phytochemical Profiling of Microalgae Euglena tuba and Its Anticancer Activity in Dalton’s Lymphoma Cells
(Bioscience Research Institute, 2022) Swati Prabha Gupta; Nikhat Jamal Siddiqi; Haseeb A. Khan; Salman H. Alrokayan; Abdullah S. Alhomida; Rishi Kant Singh; Praveen Kumar Verma; Sandeep Kumar; Arbind Acharya; Bechan Sharma
Introduction: Natural phytochemicals are considered safe to use as therapeutic agents. There is a growing trend toward exploring anticancer effects of crude algal extracts or their active ingredients. Euglena tuba, a microalga, contains excellent antioxidant potential. However, the anticancer property of E. tuba has not been explored. This study investigates the chemical profiling as well as antitumor property of methanolic extract of E. tuba (ETME) against Dalton’s lymphoma (DL) cells. Materials and Methods: E. tuba, procured from northern part of India, was extracted in 70% methanol, dried at room temperature, and stored at –20 ◦C for future use. A freshly prepared aqueous solution of ETME of different concentrations was employed into each experiment. The ETME mediated anti-tumor response in Dalton’s lymphoma was evaluated in the inbred populations of BALB/c (H2d) strain of mice of either sex at 8–12 weeks of age. The cytotoxicity of ETME in cancer cells, effects on morphology of cell and nucleus, alteration in the mitochondrial membrane potential, and level of expression of proapoptotic proteins (Bcl-2, cyt C, Bax and p53) were done using known procedures. Results: The ETME contained high content of total alkaloids (96.02 ± 3.30 mg/100 mg), flavonoids (15.77 ± 2.38 mg/100 mg), carbohydrate (12.71 ± 0.59 mg/100 mg), ascorbic acid (12.48 ± 2.59 mg/100 mg), and phenolics (0.94 ± 0.05 mg/100 mg). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis indicated the presence of 23 phytochemicals with known anticancer properties. DL cells treated with ETME exhibited significant and concentration dependent cytotoxicity. Florescent microscopy and flow cytometry of ETME treated DL cells indicated significant repair in cellular morphology and decreased mitochondrial potential, respectively. Western blot analysis displayed up-regulation of proapoptotic proteins (Bax, Cyt-c, p53) and down regulation of anti-apoptotic protein (Bcl2) in DL cells treated with ETME. Conclusions: The findings of this study clearly indicated that the anticancer property of ETME was mediated via reduction in mitochondrial potential and induction of apoptotic mechanism. Further studies are warranted to explore the anticancer activities of active ingredients present in this microalga of pharmaceutical importance. Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s).
Root Exudates: Mechanistic Insight of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria for Sustainable Crop Production
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2022) Sudhir K. Upadhyay; Abhishek K. Srivastava; Vishnu D. Rajput; Prabhat K. Chauhan; Ali Asger Bhojiya; Devendra Jain; Gyaneshwer Chaubey; Padmanabh Dwivedi; Bechan Sharma; Tatiana Minkina
The breaking silence between the plant roots and microorganisms in the rhizosphere affects plant growth and physiology by impacting biochemical, molecular, nutritional, and edaphic factors. The components of the root exudates are associated with the microbial population, notably, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). The information accessible to date demonstrates that PGPR is specific to the plant's roots. However, inadequate information is accessible for developing bio-inoculation/bio-fertilizers for the crop in concern, with satisfactory results at the field level. There is a need to explore the perfect candidate PGPR to meet the need for plant growth and yield. The functions of PGPR and their chemotaxis mobility toward the plant root are triggered by the cluster of genes induced by the components of root exudates. Some reports have indicated the benefit of root exudates in plant growth and productivity, yet a methodical examination of rhizosecretion and its consequences in phytoremediation have not been made. In the light of the afore-mentioned facts, in the present review, the mechanistic insight and recent updates on the specific PGPR recruitment to improve crop production at the field level are methodically addressed. Copyright © 2022 Upadhyay, Srivastava, Rajput, Chauhan, Bhojiya, Jain, Chaubey, Dwivedi, Sharma and Minkina.
The small heat shock protein Hsp27: Present understanding and future prospects
(Elsevier Ltd, 2017) Manish Kumar Singh; Bechan Sharma; Pramod K. Tiwari
Heat shock proteins are important for maintaining protein homeostasis and cell survival. Among different classes of highly conserved Hsps, low molecular weight Hsps (sHsps) have significant place, particularly Hsp27, whose role has been demonstrated in wide range of biological processes, including development, immunity, diseases and therapy. In this review, the structure and functions of Hsp27 and related genes, their role in different cellular processes as well as in stress tolerance, is highlighted. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd