Water contaminated with heavy metals constitutes an important threat. This threat is a real problem with a negative impact in some developing countries where untreated industrial effluents are used for irrigation. The present study examines heavy metals in wastewater-irrigated vegetables (apple gourd, spinach, cauliflower, sponge gourd, and coriander) water, and soil from Chenab Nagar, Chiniot, Pakistan. In particular, the metals quantified were cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and manganese (Mn). Among them, Cr and Co in crops irrigated -wastewater exceeded the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). In contrast, Ni, Cu, Pb, and Mn concentrations were in line with WHO standards. Compared with the limits established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), all the study vegetables presented higher (thus unsafe) concentrations of Cd (0.38 to 1.205 mg/Kg). There were also unsafe concentrations of Cr in coriander, sponge gourd, and cauliflower. Pb was found at an unsafe concentration (0.59 mg/Kg) in cauliflower. Conversely, Ni and Mn concentrations were below the maximum permissible limits by WHO, and FAO in all of the analyzed samples. The contamination load index (CLI) in soil, bioconcentration factor (BCF) in plants, daily intake of metals (DIM), and health risk index (HRI) have also been evaluated to estimate the potential risk to human health in that area. We have found an important risk of transitions of Pb, Cd, Cr, and Co from water/soil to the edible part of the plant. The highest HRI value associated with Cd (6.10–13.85) followed by Cr (1.25–7.67) for all vegetable samples presented them as high health risk metal contaminants. If the issue is not addressed, consumption of wastewater-irrigated vegetables will continue posing a health risk.

In recent years, electrospinning has emerged as a promising technique for the preparation of nanofibers with unique properties like flexibility, high porosity and high surface area. In the context of nanodelivery systems, polymer-based nanofibers have become promising carriers of drugs and bioactive compounds ensuring their sustained release and targeted delivery. In this study, neem extract-loaded nanofibers were developed as sustained delivery systems using the electrospinning method. The chitosan, alginate and polyethylene oxide were used as the polymeric matrix for loading of aqueous extract of neem leaves. The prepared nanofibers NF1, NF2 and NF3 carrying 2%, 4% and 6% extract respectively were characterized using SEM, FTIR, XRD and TGA. Further, the as-prepared nanocomposites exhibited a high degree of swelling and dual-phase release of phytoconstituents. Moreover, the developed controlled delivery systems were tested for antifungal and antioxidant potential. Importantly, the bioactivities of the prepared nanofibers could be improved further by using organic extracts which are generally enriched with phytoconstituents. Herein, we selected biodegradable and mucoadhesive biopolymers and an aqueous extract of neem for the development of controlled-delivery nanofibers by electrospinning through a sustainable and cleaner production process. Thus, the prepared biocompatible nanofibrous systems with biphasic release profile could be employed for biomedical applications including wound dressing, soft tissue scaffolds and as transdermal carriers.

Single-nitrogen containing saturated cyclic amines are an important part of both natural and synthetic bioactive compounds. A number of methodologies have been developed for the synthesis of aziridines, azetidines, pyrrolidines, piperidines, azepanes and azocanes. This review highlights some facile and green synthetic routes for the synthesis of unsubstituted, multisubstituted and highly functionalized saturated cyclic amines including one-pot, microwave assisted, metal-free, solvent-free and in aqueous media.

Medicinal plants are used to control and remediate oxidative stress related diseases caused by free radicals. Thus, these plants find their use as remedy. Moringa oleifera is an extremely valued plant for its medicinal properties. Herein, two indigenously produced accessions of Moringa oleifera seeds [originated from Multan (M‐Mln) and India (PKM1)] were investigated for their antioxidant properties by 2.2‐Diphenyl‐1picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, total phenolics content and total flavonoids content. The presence of various phenolics as well as flavonoids was further confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography. Moreover, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy detected the presence of various functional groups. In conclusion, these findings revealed that the methanol extract of M‐Mln variety seeds showed high antioxidant potential, having IC50 value of 84 μg/ml. While, hexane extract of PKM1 showed least activity. The methanol extract of M‐Mln was found to show highest total phenolics content as 33.83 ± 1.19 mg GAE/g. The methanol extract of M‐Mln was found to show highest total flavonoids content as 76.07 ± 1.10 mg CAE/g. The hexane extract of PKM1 was found to show least total flavonoids content as 22.47 ± 1.70 mg CAE/g. The detection of phenolics (ferulic acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, coumaric acid, and gallic acid) as well as flavonoids (catechin and quercetin) revealed the potential of methanol extracts of both varieties as a good source of antioxidants. The results indicated the importance of seed extracts in the treatment of oxidative stress related diseases. In future, the use of natural antioxidants will prevent the progression of diseases.

The plant biomass and agro-industrial wastes show great potential for their use as attractive low cost substrates in biotechnological processes. Wheat straw and corn cob as hemicellulosic substrates were acid hydrolyzed and enzymatically saccharified for high xylose production. The hydrolysate was concentrated and fermented by using Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Kluyveromyces for production of xylitol. Acid hydrolysis of wheat straw and corn cob in combination with enzymatic hydrolysis showed great potential for production of free sugars from these substrates. Kluyveromyces produced maximum xylitol from acid treated wheat straw residues with enzymatic saccharification. The percentage xylitol yield was 89.807 g/L and volumetric productivity of 0.019 g/L/h. Kluyveromyces also produced maximum xylitol from corn cob acid hydrolyzed liquor with xylitol yield 87.716 g/L and volumetric productivity 0.018 g/L/h. Plant and agro-industrial biomass can be used as a carbohydrate source for the production of xylitol and ethanol after microbial fermentation. This study revealed that wheat straw acid and enzyme hydrolyzed residue proved to be best raw material for production of xylitol with S. cerevisiae. The xylitol produced can be utilized in pharmaceuticals after purification on industrial scale as pharmaceutical purposes.

Obesity is a chronic metabolic and noncommunicable disease that affects 50% of world population. Reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress are interconnected with the obesity and several metabolic disorders, gaining the attention of scientific community to combat this problem naturally. Among various fruits, mango as a yellow fruit is rich in polyphenols, carotenoids, terpenes, and flavonoids that act as antioxidants to protect against free radicals produced in the body. The present study was performed to explore in vivo antioxidant potential of mango peels against dyslipidemia and oxidative stress in overweight subjects. The female volunteers (n = 31) between 25 and 45 years of age having a body mass index (BMI) of 25.0‐29.9 (overweight) were included in this study, while participants with complications as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular, and liver diseases were excluded. The treatment group consumed 1 g mango peel powder for 84 days. The subjects were analyzed for biochemical analysis, antioxidant status, and anthropometric measurements at baseline and end of the study period. Further, at the end of study, the safety evaluation tests were also performed. The results showed that upon consumption of mango peel powder, low‐density lipoproteins (LDL), cholesterol, triglyceride, urea, and creatinine levels were decreased and high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) level was increased (P ≤ 0.05), while thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) showed increased antioxidant status (P ≤ 0.05) which suggests that mango peels have a strong management potential against oxidative stress and dyslipidemia in obese subjects.