Generation of highly amenable cellulose-Iβ via selective delignification of rice straw using a reusable cyclic ether-assisted deep eutectic solvent system.

Cellulolytic enzymes can readily access the cellulosic component of lignocellulosic biomass after the removal of lignin during biomass pretreatment. The enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose is necessary for generating monomeric sugars, which are then fermented into ethanol. In our study, a combination of a deep eutectic (DE) mixture (of 2-aminoethanol and tetra-n-butyl ammonium bromide) and a cyclic ether (tetrahydrofuran) was used for selective delignification of rice straw (RS) under mild conditions (100 °C).

A novel ternary combination of deep eutectic solvent-alcohol (DES-OL) system for synergistic and efficient delignification of biomass.

A novel ternary system consisting of deep eutectic solvent-alcohol (DES-OL) mixture was developed for the effective delignification of lignocellulosic biomass. Optimization studies included selecting suitable co-solvent (among n-BuOH, n-PrOH & EtOAc) for treating biomass (rice husk, rice straw and wheat straw), altering the DES-to-alcohol ratio (2:1, 1:1 and 1:2) as well as the reaction temperature (50, 80 and 120 °C). The highest delignification (∼50%) was observed using n-butanol assisted DES (ChCl: OA) at a ratio of 2:1, with high solid loading of 15% (w/v) at 120 °C (∼1.

Novel alkali-thermostable xylanase from Thielaviopsis basicola (MTCC 1467): Purification and kinetic characterization.

A novel extracellular alkali-thermostable xylanase was purified to an apparent homogeneity from the submerged fermented culture filtrate of Thielaviopsis basicola MTCC 1467, wherein, the fungus was fed with rice straw as prime carbon source. SDS-PAGE analysis of the xylanase showcased molecular weight of ∼ 32 kDa. This extracellular protein macromolecule had maximum xylanolytic activity at pH 5.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of small molecules as potent glucosidase inhibitors.

Herein we have reported design, synthesis and in vitro biological evaluation of a library of bicyclic lactams that led to the discovery of compounds 6 and 7 as a novel class of α-glucosidase inhibitors. They inhibited α-glucosidase (yeast origin) in a mixed type of inhibition with an IC50 of ∼150 nM. Molecular docking studies further substantiated screening results.

Development of α-glucosidase inhibitors by room temperature C-C cross couplings of quinazolinones.

Novel quinazolinone based α-glucosidase inhibitors have been developed. For this purpose a virtual screening model has been generated and validated utilizing acarbose as a α-glucosidase inhibitor. Homology modeling, docking, and virtual screening were successfully employed to discover a set of structurally diverse compounds active against α-glucosidase.

Synthesis of privileged scaffolds by using diversity-oriented synthesis.

An elegant reagent-controlled strategy has been developed for the generation of a diverse range of biologically active scaffolds from a chiral bicyclic lactam. Reduction of the chiral lactam with LAH or alkylation with LHMDS to trigger different cyclization reactions have been shown to generate privileged scaffolds, such as pyrrolidines, indolines, and cyclotryptamines. Their amenability to substitution allows us to create various compound libraries by using these scaffolds.

Potential of thermo and alkali stable xylanases from Thielaviopsis basicola (MTCC-1467) in biobleaching of wood kraft pulp.

Thermo- and alkali-stable xylanases produced from Thielaviopsis basicola (MTCC-1467) on low-cost carbon source like rice straw were evaluated for their potential application in biobleaching of wood kraft pulp. Enzyme treatment at retention time of 240 min with 20 IU/gm of dried pulp resulted in ~85.2 % of reduction in kappa number.