In the current industrial scenario, cadmium (Cd) as a metal is of great importance but poses a major threat to the ecosystem. However, the role of micronutrient − amino chelates such as iron − lysine (Fe − lys) in reducing Cr toxicity in crop plants was recently introduced. In the current experiment, the exogenous applications of Fe − lys i.e., 0 and10 mg L − 1, were examined, using an in vivo approach that involved plant growth and biomass, photosynthetic pigments, oxidative stress indicators and antioxidant response, sugar and osmolytes under the soil contaminated with varying levels of Cd i.e., 0, 50 and 100 µM using two different varieties of canola i.e., Sarbaz and Pea − 09. Results revealed that the increasing levels of Cd in the soil decreased plant growth and growth-related attributes and photosynthetic apparatus and also the soluble protein and soluble sugar. In contrast, the addition of different levels of Cd in the soil significantly increased the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which induced oxidative damage in both varieties of canola i.e., Sarbaz and Pea − 09. However, canola plants increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and non-enzymatic compounds such as phenolic, flavonoid, proline, and anthocyanin, which scavenge the over-production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Cd toxicity can be overcome by the supplementation of Fe − lys, which significantly increased plant growth and biomass, improved photosynthetic machinery and sugar contents, and increased the activities of different antioxidative enzymes, even in the plants grown under different levels of Cd in the soil. Research findings, therefore, suggested that the Fe − lys application can ameliorate Cd toxicity in canola and result in improved plant growth and composition under metal stress.

Herein, n-type pure and Zn²⁺-doped monoclinic bismuth oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by the citrate sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), photoluminescence (PL) analysis, ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, and Hall effect measurements were used to study the effect of Zn²⁺ on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of nanoparticles. XRD revealed the monoclinic stable phase (α-Bi₂O₃) of all synthesized samples and the crystallite size of nanoparticles increased with increasing concentration of dopant. Optical analysis illustrated the red shift of absorption edge and blue shift of band gap with increasing concentration of dopant. Hall Effect measurements showed improved values (2.79 × 10^-5 S cm^-1 and 6.89 cm²/V·s) of conductivity and mobility, respectively, for Zn²⁺-doped α-Bi₂O₃ nanoparticles. The tuned optical band gap and improved electrical properties make Zn²⁺-doped α-Bi₂O₃ nanostructures promising candidates for optoelectronic devices. The degradation of methylene blue (MB, organic dye) in pure and zinc-doped α-Bi₂O₃ was investigated under solar irradiation. The optimum doping level of zinc (4.5% Zn²⁺-doped α-Bi₂O₃) reveals the attractive photocatalytic activity of α-Bi₂O₃ nanostructures due to electron trapping and detrapping for solar cells.

New 2-thioxopyrimidinone derivatives (A1-A10) were synthesized in 87-96% yields via a simple three-component condensation reaction. These compounds were screened extensively through in vitro assays for antioxidant and antibacterial investigations. The DPPH assays resulted in the excellent potency of A6-A10 as antioxidants with IC₅₀ values of 0.83 ± 0.125, 0.90 ± 0.77, 0.36 ± 0.063, 1.4 ± 0.07, and 1.18 ± 0.06 mg/mL, which were much better than 1.79 ± 0.045 mg/mL for the reference ascorbic acid. These compounds exhibited better antibacterial potency against Klebsiella with IC₅₀ values of 2 ± 7, 1.32 ± 8.9, 1.19 ± 11, 1.1 ± 12, and 1.16 ± 11 mg/mL for A6-A10. High-throughput screenings (HTS) of these motifs were carried out including investigation of drug-like behaviors, physiochemical property evaluation, and structure-related studies involving DFT and metabolic transformation trends. The radical scavenging ability of the synthesized motifs was validated through molecular docking studies through ligand-protein binding against human inducible nitric oxide synthase (HINOS) PDB ID: 4NOS, and the results were promising. Furthermore, the antiviral capability of the compounds was examined by in silico studies using two viral proteins PDB ID: 6Y84 and PDB ID: 6LU7. Binding poses of ligands were discussed, and amino acids in the protein binding pockets were investigated, where the tested compounds showed much better binding affinities than the standard inhibitors, proving to be suitable leads for antiviral drug discovery. The stabilities of the molecular docked complexes in real systems were validated by molecular dynamics simulations.

In this study, the polar root extract of Cyperus scariosus R.Br. was used for the biogenic synthesis of ZnO NPs. The results of this study show that ZnO NPs have a spherical structure with an average size of 85.4 nm. The synthesized catalysts were tested for their photocatalytic activity by degrading methyl orange and methylene blue under sunlight. Improved degradation efficiencies of 79.44% and 84.92% were achieved within 120 min. ZnO NPs exhibited strong antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive Listeria monocytogenes (18 mm) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (20 mm) and Gram-negative strains of Escherichia coli (16 mm) and Bordetella bronchiseptica (14 mm), as shown by the inhibition zones, which were comparable to the positive control (ceftriaxone) but larger than the plant root extract. ZnO NPs showed high antioxidant activity, as a ferric-reducing antioxidant power assay value of 66.29 µg (AAE µg·mL ⁻¹ ) and a DPPH value of 57.44 µg (AAE µg·mL ⁻¹ ) were obtained at a concentration of 500 µL, which was higher than those of the C. scariosus root extract. Quantification of the total phenolic and flavonoid content yielded values of 57.63 µg (GAE µg·mL ⁻¹ ) and 70.59 µg (QCE µg·mL ⁻¹ ), respectively. At a concentration of 500 μL (1 mg·mL ⁻¹ ), the tested nanoparticles (NPs) showed a greater anti-inflammatory effect (84.12%) compared to the root extract of C. scariosus (34.39%). Overall, our findings highlight the versatile properties of green synthesized ZnO NPs and demonstrate their potential for environmental remediation and antimicrobial formulations, as well as promising candidates for further investigation in biomedical fields such as drug delivery and therapy.

This research work aims to synthesize environmentally benign and cost-effective metal nanoparticles. In this current research scenario, the leaf extract of Cedrela toona was used as a reducing agent to biosynthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The synthesis of AgNPs was confirmed by the color shift of the reaction mixture, i.e., silver nitrate and plant extract, from yellow to dark brown colloidal suspension and was established by UV-visible analysis showing a surface plasmon resonance band at 434 nm. Different experimental factors were optimized for the formation and stability of AgNPs, and the optimum conditions were found to be 1 mM AgNO ₃ concentration, a 1:9 ratio of extract/precursor, and an incubation temperature of 70°C for 4 h. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra indicated the presence of phytochemicals in the leaf extract that played the role of bioreducing agents in forming AgNPs. X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the presence of AgNPs with a mean size of 25.9 nm. The size distribution and morphology of AgNPs were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, which clearly highlighted spherical nanoparticles with a size distribution of 22–30 nm with a mean average size of 25.5 nm. Moreover, prominent antibacterial activity was found against Enterococcus faecalis (21 ± 0.5 mm) , Bacillus subtilis (20 ± 0.9 mm) , Pseudomonas aeruginosa (18 ± 0.3 mm) , Staphylococcus aureus (16 ± 0.7 mm) , Klebsiella pneumoniae (16 ± 0.3 mm), and Escherichia coli (14 ± 0.7 mm). In addition, antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH and ABTS assays. Higher antioxidant activity was reported in AgNPs compared to the plant extract in both DPPH (IC ₅₀ = 69.62 µg·ml ⁻¹ ) and ABTS assays (IC ₅₀ = 47.90 µg·ml ⁻¹ ). Furthermore, cytotoxic activity was also investigated by the MTT assay against MCF-7 cells, and IC ₅₀ was found to be 32.55 ± 0.05 µg·ml ⁻¹ . The crux of this research is that AgNPs synthesized from the Cedrela toona leaf extract could be employed as antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer agents for the treatment of bacterial, free radical-oriented, and cancerous diseases.