Efficient production and characterization of melanin from SP1, isolated from the coal mines of Chhattisgarh, India.

In the present study, fungi were isolated and screened from barren land in south-eastern Coalfields limited (SECL) in Chhattisgarh, India. Out of 14 isolated fungi, only three fungal isolates exhibited pigmentation in screening studies. The isolated fungal strain SP1 exhibited the highest pigmentation, which was further utilized for production, purification, and characterization of melanin pigment.

Small-Molecule Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Inducer Triggers Apoptosis in Cancer Cells.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is highly critical for the sub-cellular protein synthesis, post-translational modifications and myriads of signalling pathways to maintain cellular homeostasis. Consequently, dysregulation in the ER functions leads to the ER stress in different pathological situations including cancer. Hence, exploring small molecules to induce ER stress emerged as one of the unorthodox strategies for future cancer therapeutics.

Effects of constant darkness on behaviour and physiology of male and female mice.

A healthy state of life suggests not only a disease-free condition but also normal psychological functioning and behaviour. To maintain a healthy life, the duration of light exposure is a crucial factor. Perturbation of the standard light-dark cycle (LD: 12 h light-12 h dark in mice) may result in brain, behavioural and physiological abnormalities.

Intermolecular noncovalent interactions with carbon in solution.

One of the most familiar carbon-centered noncovalent interactions (NCIs) involving an antibonding π*-orbital situated at the Bürgi-Dunitz angle from the electron donor, mostly lone pairs of electrons, is known as n → π* interactions, and if it involves a σ* orbital in a linear fashion, then it is known as the carbon bond. These NCIs can be intra- or inter-molecular and are usually weak in strength but have a paramount effect on the structure and function of small-molecular crystals and proteins. Surprisingly, the experimental evidence of such interactions in the solution phase is scarce.

Preparation of Hydrothermal Carbon Quantum Dots as a Contrast Amplifying Technique for the diaCEST MRI Contrast Agents.

The discovery of exogenous contrast agents (CAs) is one of the key factors behind the success and widespread acceptability of MRI as an imaging tool. To the long list of CAs, the newest addition is the chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST)-based CAs. Among them, the diaCEST CAs are the safer metal-free option constituted by a large pool of organic and macromolecules, but the tradeoff comes in terms of smaller natural offset.

Chimeric nanoparticles for targeting mitochondria in cancer cells.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated in myriad diseases, including cancer. Subsequently, targeting mitochondrial DNA (mt-DNA) in cancer cells has emerged as an unorthodox strategy for anti-cancer therapy. However, approaches targeting only one component of the mitochondrial "central dogma" can be evaded by cancer cells through various mechanisms.

Effects of starch-rich or fat-rich diets on metabolism, adiposity, and glycemia in immune-biased, C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice.

Diet maintains health by regulating host metabolism and immunity. The results revealed the consequence of starch-, unsaturated fat-, and saturated fat-rich diets on differentially immune-biased mice C57BL/6 and BALB/c. Time-course of various diets on differentially immune-biased mice revealed that starch-rich and unsaturated fat-rich diets reduced insulin resistance (IR) and visceral adiposity in BALB/c mice while a saturated fat-rich diet enhanced both parameters.

Palladium-catalyzed selective C-C bond cleavage and stereoselective alkenylation between cyclopropanol and 1,3-diyne: one-step synthesis of diverse conjugated enynes.

The stereoselective synthesis of 1,3-enynes from 1,3-diynes is demonstrated by palladium-catalyzed selective C-C bond cleavage of cyclopropanol. Exclusive formation of mono-alkenylated adducts was achieved by eliminating the possibility of di-functionalization with high stereoselectivity. Indeed, this protocol worked very well with electronically and sterically diverse substrates.

Nanoparticle-Mediated Routing of Antibiotics into Mitochondria in Cancer Cells.

In recent years, antibiotics have emerged as alternative medicines in cancer therapy due to their capability of mitochondrial dysfunction in cancer cells. However, antibiotics render collateral damage in noncancerous cells by targeting mitochondrial transcription and translational machinery. To address this, herein, we have engineered three different mitochondria-targeted cationic antibiotic (tigecycline)-loaded nanoparticles from cholesterol conjugates.

Small molecule-mediated induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress in cancer cells.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is one of the crucial sub-cellular organelles controlling myriads of functions including protein biosynthesis, folding, misfolding and unfolding. As a result, dysregulation of these pathways in the ER is implicated in cancer development and progression. Subsequently, targeting the ER in cancer cells emerged as an interesting unorthodox strategy in next-generation anticancer therapy.

Inducing endoplasmic reticulum stress in cancer cells using graphene oxide-based nanoparticles.

The endoplasmic reticulum is one of the vital organelles primarily involved in protein synthesis, folding, and transport and lipid biosynthesis. However, in cancer cells its functions are dysregulated leading to ER stress. ER stress is now found to be closely associated with hallmarks of cancer and has subsequently emerged as an alluring target in cancer therapy.

Spatial targeting of Bcl-2 on endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria in cancer cells by lipid nanoparticles.

The presence of the same proteins at different sub-cellular locations with completely different functions adds to the complexity of signalling pathways in cancer. Subsequently, it becomes indispensable to understand the diverse critical roles of these proteins based on their spatial distribution for the development of improved cancer therapeutics. To address this, in this work, we report the development of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria targeted nanoscale particles to spatially impair anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein in these organelles in HeLa cervical cancer cells.

Hydrazide-Hydrazone Small Molecules as AIEgens: Illuminating Mitochondria in Cancer Cells.

Aggregation-induced-emission luminogens (AIEgens) have gained considerable attention as interesting tools for several biomedical applications, especially for bioimaging due to their brightness and photostability. Numerous AIEgens have been developed for lighting up the subcellular organelles to understand their forms and functions not only healthy but also unhealthy states, such as in cancer cells. However, there is lack of easily synthesizable, biocompatible small molecules for illuminating mitochondria (powerhouses) inside cells.

Effect of cationic micellar aggregates on the kinetics of oxidation of aminoalcohols by N-bromosuccinimide in alkaline medium.

The kinetics of oxidation of some aminoalcohols (AA), viz. ethanolamine, diethanolamine, and triethanolamine, by N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) in alkaline medium has been investigated in the absence as well as in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), a cationic surfactant. The reaction always followed a first-order dependence of rate on NBS, while the order in each AA and alkali was found to decrease from unity to zero at higher [AA] and [OH-], respectively.