Browsing by Author "Surya Pratap"

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Application of Mathematical Modelling and Statistical Approaches to Boost the Industrial Application of Plant Volatiles
(Springer Nature, 2023) Surya Pratap; Horesh Kumar
Plant volatiles possess inherent biological properties with potent industrial application in diverse field such as agriculture, medicine, and food sector. However, the complex chemical profile and biological activities of plant volatile are often influenced by several intrinsic and extrinsic parameter such as extraction methods, temperature, moisture, relative humidity, pH, water activity (aw), and oxidation reduction potential of substrates. Hence, the exploration of optimized conditions to enhance the effectiveness of volatile oils could boost the industrial application of plant volatiles. This chapter deals with the use of mathematical modelling approaches in combination with the experimental design strategies to optimize the intrinsic and extrinsic environmental factors to boost biological activities of plant volatiles. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2024.
Improved antimicrobial efficacy of copper-engineered zirconium oxide nanoparticles against some foodborne bacterial strains, synthesised via a facile hydrothermal method
(Elsevier B.V., 2025) Surya Pratap; Sundeep Kumar; Horesh Kumar
In the present study, zirconium oxide nanoparticles (ZrO2 NPs) and copper-engineered zirconium oxide nanoparticles (Cu-ZrO2 NPs) were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal approach, followed by calcination at 700 °C for 3 hrs. Further, ZrO2 NPs and Cu-ZrO2 NPs were characterized by using UV–Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–Vis DRS), X- ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) experimental tools. After analysing the UV–Vis DRS spectrum, the calculated band gap from Tauc's plot was found to be ∼4.5 eV (undoped ZrO2 NPs) and ∼3.12 eV (Cu-ZrO2 NPs). The XRD spectra of ZrO2 NPs and Cu-ZrO2 NPs exhibit crystallinity and contain mixed phases, i.e., tetragonal and monoclinic. The nanoparticles show a near-spherical shape with particle size ∼17 nm (ZrO2 NPs) to ∼12 nm (Cu-ZrO2 NPs), having substantial distortion under SEM and TEM images. The Muller-Hinton agar well diffusion method and colorimetric method of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) process were adopted for the analysis of antibacterial activity. Cu-ZrO2 NPs exhibit a well-behaved antibacterial activity as compared to the pristine ZrO2 NPs against the Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacterial strain. Findings in the present article suggest that hydrothermally synthesized Cu-ZrO2 NPs exhibit better effectiveness and sensitivity towards selected foodborne bacterial strains such as E. coli, Salmonella enterica, Bacillus cereus, and Shigella flexneri, in comparison to pristine ZrO2 NPs, thereby highlighting their significant potential for biomedical applications. © 2025
Investigation of impact of antimony (Sb) nanoparticles incorporation on structural, dielectric, and electrical properties of Se76-xGe14As10Sbx (x = 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12) glasses
(Elsevier Ltd, 2025) Vijay Pratap; Surya Pratap; Devanand Gupta; Horesh Kumar
Chalcogenide glasses of composition Se76-xGe14As10Sbx (x = 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 %) were prepared using Sb nanoparticles by traditional melt quenching procedure. Structural analysis reveals that Sb forms bonds with Se at lower atm.%, however, at higher atm.%, other heteropolar bonds are also formed. Their dielectric properties and a.c. conductivity were studied in the frequency range of 20.20 – 1010.10 kHz and the temperature range of 300 – 345 K, respectively. A temperature and frequency dependence of the dielectric constant was observed, indicating orientation polarization in the system. The dielectric constant increases with the incorporation of Sb nanoparticles. However, a slight decrease is noticed for x = 12. The variations in dielectric loss with temperature and frequency were explained by polaron hopping of charge carriers and conduction loss, as per the Elliot and Shimakawa hypothesis. The a.c. conductivity was found to be ∼ 10−4 (Ω-m)−1 for prepared alloys. The conduction mechanism shows a change from Correlated Barrier Hopping (CBH) to the Non-Overlapping Polaron Tunneling (NSPT) at a particular temperature for all the alloys. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.
Nanofabrication of citronellal with chitosan biopolymer to boost its efficacy against aflatoxin B1 and Aspergillus flavus mediated biodeterioration of active ingredient of Piper longum
(Elsevier Ltd, 2024) Akshay Kumar; Tanya Singh Raghuvanshi; Surya Pratap; Horesh Kumar; Bhanu Prakash
The study reports the efficacy of nanofabricated citronellal inside the chitosan biopolymer (Ne[sbnd]Cn) against Aspergillus flavus growth, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) production, and active ingredient biodeterioration (Piperine) in Piper longum L. The prepared Ne[sbnd]Cn was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The results revealed that the Ne[sbnd]Cn exhibited distantly improved antifungal (1.25 μL/mL) and AFB1 inhibition (1.0 μL/mL) compared to free Cn. The perturbances in membrane function, mitochondrial membrane potential, antioxidant defense system, and regulatory genes (Ver-1 and Nor-1) of AFB1 biosynthesis were reported as probable modes of action of Ne[sbnd]Cn. The Ne[sbnd]Cn (1.25 μL/mL) effectively protects the P. longum from A. flavus (78.8%), AFB1 contamination (100%), and deterioration of Piperine (62.39%), thus demonstrating its potential as a promising novel antifungal agent for food preservation. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd
Optimization and mechanistic investigations on antifungal and aflatoxin B 1 inhibitory potential of nanoencapsulated plant-based bioactive compounds
(Elsevier B.V., 2019) Akshay Kumar; Anupam Kujur; Amrita Yadav; Surya Pratap; Bhanu Prakash
Aflatoxin B 1 contamination in the food commodities gains considerable attention due to its mutagenic, carcinogenic, teratogenic, hepatotoxic, and immunosuppressive properties. The study explored the antifungal and aflatoxin B 1 inhibitory potential of novel synergistic formulation based on the combination of eugenol, menthol, and t-anethole (EMT) using mixture design assay. The developed formulation (EMT; 1:1:4) exhibited enhanced antimicrobial activity against eleven food-borne molds species and aflatoxin B 1 production by Aspergillus flavus (EC-03). Further, the nanoencapsulation of the developed formulation (Ne-EMT) was prepared and characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The mechanism of toxicity of Ne-EMT was related to decrease in ergosterol, ions leakage, carbon-source utilization, and impairment in anti-oxidative defence system such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and the ratio of reduced glutathione (GSH) to oxidized glutathione (GSSG) in A. flavus. Molecular docking results showed that the test compounds efficiently interact with targeted genes ver-1 and omt-A (regulatory gene of aflatoxin B 1 biosynthesis). Further, Ne-EMT effectively preserved the organoleptic property of the model food system (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.), strengthens its efficacy as the plant-based antimicrobial agent. © 2019
Study on pH dependent ON/OFF fluorescent switching behaviour of hydrothermally synthesised vanadium disulphide quantum dots (VS2-QDs)
(Elsevier B.V., 2024) Surya Pratap; Vijay Pratap; Sundeep Kumar; Horesh Kumar
It is fascinating to design and develop an inorganic quantum dot (QDs) which exhibit luminescence features with ion concentration, temperature, and pH sensitivity dependence. Vanadium disulphide (VS2) belongs to the family of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), and is extensively studied owing to its layered characteristics features in sensing and filtrations technology, however, its fluorescence features have not been well studied so far. The current work describes a widely adopted eco-friendly hydrothermal approach for the synthesis of VS2-QDs. The average size of particles was determined to be ∼10 nm by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Zetasizer analysis. The synthetic approach adopted here facilitates in situ functionalization of QDs, which results in their high stability in aqueous medium and enhanced sensitivity towards their surroundings. As most of the QDs show the sensitivity towards pH, a thorough investigation of VS2 QDs for their pH dependent photoluminescence has been carried out. The VS2-QDs were discovered to exhibit a remarkable luminescence intensity that was found to be about 11 times higher in basic conditions (pH ∼ 13, QY = ∼4.80 %) as compared to that in acidic conditions (pH ∼ 1, QY = ∼1.10 %). The root cause of this ON/OFF florescence flipping may be related to the functional groups (such as −SO4 2−, −NH2, OH−, etc.) attached over the surface of QDs, acid etching, and protonation–deprotonation process. This paper highlights the pH dependent switching behaviour of VS2-QDs that could offer valuable information for designing a futuristic pH-based device for biomedical applications. © 2024
Synthesis and Study of pH Independent L-Cysteine Capped Zirconium Oxide Quantum Dots as a Potential Bio-Imaging Probe Using HeLa Cells
(Springer, 2025) Surya Pratap; Himanshu Meena; Shashi Kant Sharma; Vijay Kumar Sonkar; Sundeep Kumar; Horesh Kumar
Here we propose an eco-friendly hydrothermal approach to synthesise fluorescent L-cysteine capped zirconium oxide quantum dots (L-Cys-ZrO2 QDs). The UV–Vis absorption, PL-emission, pH independence, size, functional group attached over surface QDs, binding energy, and stability of QDs in aqueous solvent were systematically studied. The TEM results revealed the mean particle size ∼5.7 nm of QDs. The synthesised QDs have UV–Vis absorption peaks at 320 nm, 265 nm, and 245 nm with PL emission from 360 nm to 500 nm and have a quantum yield ∼3.6%. The functional groups attached over surface of QDs such as –CO, -NH2, SO4−− etc. were confirmed by FT-IR spectrum which were supported by XPS spectrum analysis. An in-vitro optical bio-imaging method was employed, focusing on cancer cell line such as HeLa Cells as a model cell. Cytotoxicity is analysed using MTT assay showing that QDs are biocompatible in nature. The photoluminescence properties of the synthesized L-Cys-ZrO2 QDs were examined on the HeLa cells under green laser. The quantum dots proved to be effective labels for bioimaging as evidenced by strong emission when observed under a confocal fluorescence microscope by green laser. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2025.
The ayurvedic treatment of neurodegenerative diseases
(Apple Academic Press, 2017) Susan Westfall; Surya Pratap
Ancient medical practices provide novel paradigms to understand chronic neurodegenerative diseases due to their unique outlook of disease pathology. Ayurveda is the ancient medical wisdom of India that gives novel and powerful insights for the preemptive and therapeutic treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Ayurveda describes the disease pathology as being derived from the accumulation of vata or air in the brain. In general, treatments include both internal and external practices and herbal therapies to reduce the amount of air in the body in addition to stimulating the central nervous system (medhya rasayanas). There are also traditional formulations composed of several herbs whose combined action against various aspects of the disease pathology effectively rescues the symptoms of the disease. Due to the failure of modern allopathic medicine to effectively treat chronic neurodegenerative diseases, many people are turning to alternative natural therapies. It has been shown that natural therapies are equally or more effective than modern medicines with a longer efficacy and zero side effects. The following summarizes the latest research on a battery of Ayurvedic herbs that were traditionally used in the treatment of Parkinsons, Alzheimers and Huntingtons disease and the potential these herbs have to become modern therapies. © 2017 by Apple Academic Press, Inc.