Journal des bioprocédés et des biotechniques

Abstract Cancer remains as one of the deadliest disease, causing large number of deaths worldwide. The expanding use of cancer immunotherapy has revealed that the survival patients suffer from various serious side effects due to the use of available anti-neoplastic medicines. The development of nanoparticle-based drugs seems to be effective providing low side effects and targeted action on cancer cells. The metal nanoparticles pose some side effects due to their toxicity whereas the Nonmetallic Carbon dots (C-dots) are non-toxic and their applications in the field of medicine are less known. In the present study C-dots were synthesized by a simple single step wet chemical method from three different compounds namely Glucose (GCD), Sucrose (SCD) and Fructose (FCD) and characterized with UV-Visible and fluorescence spectroscopic techniques. The C-Dotswere screened for the cytotoxicity against two cancer cell lines human Liver carcinoma cells (HepG2) and human breast carcinoma cells (MCF-7) by the MTT assay. The IC50 of the C-dot nanoparticles (SCD, GCD, FCD) on HepG2 cells were 67.24, <50 and <50 µg/ml respectively and on MCF-7 cells were 105, <50 and <50 µg/ml respectively. The study reveals that the C-dots possess cytotoxic activity against the cancer cell lines and can be further used for the anticancer drug discovery.

Abstract Genetic engineering is a thoughtful modification process of animal’s genome using recombinant DNA technology for generating transgenic animals. Transgenic animals are genetically altered animals having the desired traits. Genetically engineered animals have a significant medical application for human healthcare by making the transgenic animal models of human disease for studying of gene function; manufacturing of transplant organs; and production of safe and complex recombinant human protein-based drug, blood and vaccine products with higher expression and low cost for the treatment and prevention of human disease. The first two commercially accessible therapeutic agents isolated from the milk of transgenic animals are C1 esterase inhibitor (Ruconest®) and Antithrombin III (ATryn®), which encourages that a novel recombinant protein will be created and become available for practical use in the near future. So that, transgenic animals will provide a pharmacological revolution for discovery and development of drugs, clinical trials of xenotransplant human organs or xenotransplantation that will be the unchoice option to diminish the growing gap between demand and severe shortage of appropriate organs for recipient human patients with serious organ failure.

The governments all over the world are trying to reduce the risks of transmission and control the spread of this highly infectious virus that is making its way out and has infected almost 30,055,710 people according to WHO (up till Sep 18, 2020). Developed and developing countries in Asia confronted this pandemic before any other country as China reported the very first case on 31st December 2019. Developed countries (China, South Korea, Japan) got successful in suppressing the rise in COVID-19 cases while developing countries like Pakistan and India affronted many challenges during this pandemic due to lack of enough management and facilities.

Background:Mallotus oppositifolius is a medicinal herb popular in Nigeria and African countries, consumed as a food thickener known as “Ukpo” among the Igbos.The leaf of this plant is widely used for the treatment of diseases such as infection, ulcer, and wound healing, with a paucity of data on its nutraceutical potentials.This study evaluated the phytochemicals and nutrient composition of Mallotus oppositifolius methanol leaf extracts. The fresh Mallotus oppositifolius leaves wereharvested from their habitat in Amawbia in June 2018, identified, air dried, milled, and extracted with methanol using cold maceration. The extract was concentrated to dryness and kept until required. The dried methanol extract was subjected to phytochemical analysis while the powder of the leaf was evaluated for proximate,minerals, and vitamins profile using a standard Laboratory procedure.

Results: The result showed that Mallotus oppostifollous contain alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, tannins, phlobatanins, saponins, steroids, proteins, carbohydrates,anthraquinones, reducing sugars, and anthocyanins while terpenoids were absent. The result further showed that M. oppostifollous contained appreciably high amount of essential nutrients: Protein (24.07%), Carbohydrates (54.7%), Fibre (10.59%), Fat (6%), magnesium (7.8 mg), Calcium (79.947 mg), Iron (0.107 mg),  Manganese (0.703 mg), Zinc (0.587 mg) and high amount of essential vitamins such as Pyridoxine (8.150 mg), Biotin (4.940 mg), Ascorbic acid (0.920 mg), Retinol (0.837 mg), and Riboflavin (0.580 mg).

Conclusion: , which could be exploited as a food source for preventing malnutrition and in food fortification for malnourished children.