Browsing by Author "Pooja Kumari"

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A Brief Review on Cerium Oxide (CeO2NPs)-Based Scaffolds: Recent Advances in Wound Healing Applications
(MDPI, 2023) Ishita Allu; Ajay Kumar Sahi; Pooja Kumari; Karunya Sakhile; Alina Sionkowska; Shravanya Gundu
The process of wound healing is complex and involves the interaction of multiple cells, each with a distinct role in the inflammatory, proliferative, and remodeling phases. Chronic, nonhealing wounds may result from reduced fibroblast proliferation, angiogenesis, and cellular immunity, often associated with diabetes, hypertension, vascular deficits, immunological inadequacies, and chronic renal disease. Various strategies and methodologies have been explored to develop nanomaterials for wound-healing treatment. Several nanoparticles such as gold, silver, cerium oxide and zinc possess antibacterial properties, stability, and a high surface area that promotes efficient wound healing. In this review article, we investigate the effectiveness of cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2NPs) in wound healing—particularly the effects of reducing inflammation, enhancing hemostasis and proliferation, and scavenging reactive oxygen species. The mechanism enables CeO2NPs to reduce inflammation, modulate the immunological system, and promote angiogenesis and tissue regeneration. In addition, we investigate the efficacy of cerium oxide-based scaffolds in various wound-healing applications for creating a favorable wound-healing environment. Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2NPs) exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative characteristics, enabling them to be ideal wound healing material. Investigations have shown that CeO2NPs can stimulate wound closure, tissue regeneration, and scar reduction. CeO2NPs may also reduce bacterial infections and boost wound-site immunity. However, additional study is needed to determine the safety and efficacy of CeO2NPs in wound healing and their long-term impacts on human health and the environment. The review reveals that CeO2NPs have promising wound-healing properties, but further study is needed to understand their mechanisms of action and ensure their safety and efficacy. © 2023 by the authors.
Addition of two new genera—Marcstadlera gen. nov. and Neoclypeosphaerella gen. nov. (Mycosphaerellaceae)—based on polyphasic evidence
(Frontiers Media SA, 2025) Gargee Singh; Soumyadeep Rajwar; Sahana Khatoon; S. Yadav; Pooja Kumari; Raghvendra Singh; Kamalesh Kumar; Smriti Mall; Paras Nath Singh; S. Saran Kumar; Uwe Braun
During a survey of foliicolous fungi in India, two interesting anamorphic hyphomycetous fungal specimens were collected from infected leaves of Calotropis spp. and Mallotus philippensis. Calotropis spp. produce fascicles of conidiophores from stromata, accompanied by secondary superficial hyphae bearing solitary conidiophores. The specimen on Mallotus philippensis resembled Mycovellosiella, characterized by secondary superficial hyphae bearing micronematous to semi-macronematous, mononematous, unbranched, and aseptate conidiophores. A polyphasic approach—including morphological, cultural, and multilocus phylogenetic analyses (LSU-Rpb2-ITS), coupled with genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition—identified its relationship with cercosporoid fungi within the family Mycosphaerellaceae. The analysis confirmed that these fungal specimens represent distinct lineages without known morphological or DNA sequence counterparts. Consequently, two new genera are proposed: Marcstadlera and Neoclypeosphaerella, with M. malloti comb. nov. and N. calotropidis comb. nov. as their respective type species. Additionally, Clypeosphaerella calotropidis, Clypeosphaerella quasiparkii, and Pseudocercospora malloti are recognized as new synonyms. Several genera in the Mycosphaerellaceae, including Marcstadlera and Neoclypeosphaerella, are monophyletic. The ultrastructure of the conidiogenous loci and hila differs between these two genera. In Marcstadlera, the loci are cylindrical or peg-like, truncate at the apex, while the conidial base is narrowly obconically truncate. In Neoclypeosphaerella, the loci are slightly protuberant and surrounded by a circular rim-like structure, forming a truncated apex with a centrally positioned small apical depression. The conidial base is obconically truncated and also surrounded by a circular rim-like structure. © © 2025 Singh, Rajwar, Khatoon, Yadav, Kumari, Singh, Kumar, Mall, Singh, Kumar and Braun.
Effects of extremely low-frequency (50 Hz) electromagnetic fields on vital organs of adult Wistar rats and viability of mouse fibroblast cells
(Oxford University Press, 2025) Chandra Kant Singh Tekam; Shreyasi Majumdar; Pooja Kumari; Santosh Kumar Prajapati; Ajay Kumar Sahi; Richa S. Singh; Sairam Krishnamurthy; Sanjeev Kumar Mahto
In recent years, scientific communities have been concerned about the potential health effects of periodic electromagnetic field exposure (≤1 h/d). The objective of our study is to determine the impact of extremely low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields (ELF-PEMF) (1-3 mT, 50 Hz) on mouse fibroblast (red fluorescent protein (RFP)-L929) cells and adult Wistar rats to gain a comprehensive understanding of biological effects. We observed that RFP-L929 exhibits no significant changes in cell proliferation and morphology but mild elevation in aspartate aminotransferases, alanine aminotransferases, total bilirubin, serum creatinine, and creatine kinase-myocardial band levels in ELF-PEMF exposed groups under in vitro and in vivo conditions. However, the histological examination showed no significant alterations in tissue structure and morphologies. Our result suggests that 50-Hz ELF-PEMF exposure (1-3 mT, 50 Hz) with duration (<1 h/d) can trigger mild changes in biochemical parameters, but it is insufficient to induce any pathological alterations. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
Plant-Microbe Symbiosis led synthesis of Bioactive Compounds
(Springer Nature, 2021) Pooja Kumari; Sanjay Kumar; Anupam Patra; Baljinder Singh; Vimal Pandey; Sahil Mehta
Endophytic bacteria reside within plant tissues having mutually symbiotic relationship. They are ubiquitous in nature and known to acclimatize in extreme environmental conditions. Plant-endophyte interaction also helps in signaling and bacterial communication. Apart from the mutual benefits, it imparts to plants it also produces plethora of bioactive compounds of medicinal potential. Secondary metabolites like alkaloids, polyketides, terpenoids, peptides, flavonoids, quinines, and steroids are instances of the array of compounds, the endophytic bacteria produce. These bioactive compounds are known to be effective as antimicrobial, anticancerous, antibiotic, antioxidant, antiviral, etc. With the global burden of increasing drug resistance against diseases and their side effects, natural resources such as endophytes need to be explored further to discover novel bioactive compounds. Furthermore, exploration and characterization of bacterial endophytes from diverse environment conditions producing novel bioactive compounds, have promising applications in medicine, agriculture, and veterinary sciences, enabling us to counter health challenges in ecofriendly manner. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021.
Silk-Based Biomaterials for Designing Bioinspired Microarchitecture for Various Biomedical Applications
(MDPI, 2023) Ajay Kumar Sahi; Shravanya Gundu; Pooja Kumari; Tomasz Klepka; Alina Sionkowska
Biomaterial research has led to revolutionary healthcare advances. Natural biological macromolecules can impact high-performance, multipurpose materials. This has prompted the quest for affordable healthcare solutions, with a focus on renewable biomaterials with a wide variety of applications and ecologically friendly techniques. Imitating their chemical compositions and hierarchical structures, bioinspired based materials have elevated rapidly over the past few decades. Bio-inspired strategies entail extracting fundamental components and reassembling them into programmable biomaterials. This method may improve its processability and modifiability, allowing it to meet the biological application criteria. Silk is a desirable biosourced raw material due to its high mechanical properties, flexibility, bioactive component sequestration, controlled biodegradability, remarkable biocompatibility, and inexpensiveness. Silk regulates temporo-spatial, biochemical and biophysical reactions. Extracellular biophysical factors regulate cellular destiny dynamically. This review examines the bioinspired structural and functional properties of silk material based scaffolds. We explored silk types, chemical composition, architecture, mechanical properties, topography, and 3D geometry to unlock the body’s innate regenerative potential, keeping in mind the novel biophysical properties of silk in film, fiber, and other potential forms, coupled with facile chemical changes, and its ability to match functional requirements for specific tissues. © 2023 by the authors.
The Occurrence of Plant Growth-Promoting Fungus, Trichoderma harzianum in the Nests of Seed-Harvester Ant, Trichomyrmex scabriceps
(Springer, 2024) Pooja Kumari; Neelkamal Rastogi
As ecosystem engineers, ant colonies are known to enhance soil fertility. In the present study, we investigated the plant growth-promoting (PGP) fungi associated with the seed-harvester ant, Trichomyrmex scabriceps ant colonies. The fungal colonies were isolated from both the ant nest debris and nest chamber soil, with control soil (without ant colonies) for reference. In-vitro PGP biochemical studies, such as phosphate solubilization, indole acetic acid and siderophore synthesis, and antagonistic activity by using a dual culture assay against the fungal pathogen Sclerotium rolfsii, were used to screen the isolated fungal strains. The fungal strains with all the positive PGP characteristics were assessed for their plant defence enzyme activity and in-vitro plant growth by using the seed bio-priming assays. The results showed that only a single isolate from the nest chamber soil exhibited all the PGP characteristics, with 93% biocontrol potential. Seed bio-priming assay with the isolate resulted in a significantly higher plant biomass and increase in the defence enzymes, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and peroxidase. Further molecular identification by ITS sequence analysis revealed that the ant nest chamber soil-associated PGP fungus (MNB02) had more than 98% sequence similarity to Trichoderma harzianum. The presence of T. harzianum in the nests of T. scabriceps might have significant implications not only in providing protection to the stored seeds but also in enhancement of soil fertility and plant growth in areas inhabited by this seed-harvester ant species. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The National Academy of Sciences, India 2023.