Microfluidic devices have attracted increasing attention in the fields of biomedical diagnostics, food safety control, environmental protection, and animal epidemic prevention. Micromixing has a considerable impact on the efficiency and sensitivity of microfluidic devices. This work reviews recent advances on the passive and active micromixers for the development of various microfluidic chips. Recently reported active micromixers driven by pressure fields, electrical fields, sound fields, magnetic fields, and thermal fields, etc. and passive micromixers, which owned two-dimensional obstacles, unbalanced collisions, spiral and convergence-divergence structures or three-dimensional lamination and spiral structures, were summarized and discussed. The future trends for micromixers to combine with 3D printing and paper channel were brought forth as well.

A Review on Micromixers

2D g-C3N4 for advancement of photo-generated carrier dynamics: Status and challenges

The aim of the study was to establish whether the quantity and the quality of light affect growth and development of Withania somnifera plantlets. We have studied growth and histo-physiological parameters [stomatal characteristics, chloroplastic pigments concentrations, photosynthesis, and transpiration (E)] of W. somnifera plantlets regenerated under various light intensities, or monochromatic light or under a mixture of two colors of light in tissue culture conditions. Plantlets grown under a photon flux density (PFD) of 30 μmol m-2 s-1 showed greater growth and development than those raised under other PFDs. Chlorophylls and carotenoids, numbers of stomata, rate of photosynthesis (PN) and transpiration (E), stomatal conductance (gs), and water use efficiency (WUE) increased with increasing the PFD up to 60 μmol m-2 s-1. Light quality also affected plantlets growth and physiology. Highest growth was observed under fluorescent and in a mixture of blue and red light. Very few stomata were developed in any of the monochromatic light but under fluorescent or under a mixture of two colors stomatal numbers increased. Similarly, gs, E, PN, and WUE were also higher under fluorescent light and under a mixture of red and blue light. Regressional analysis showed a linear relationship between PN (r2 = 70) and gs and between E (r2 = 0.95) and gs. In conclusion, both the quality and the quantity of light affect growth of plantlets, development of stomata and physiological responses differently depending on the intensity and the wavelength of light.

Photon flux density and light quality induce changes in growth, stomatal development, photosynthesis and transpiration of Withania Somnifera (L.) Dunal. plantlets

α-amylase and α-glucosidase digest the carbohydrates and increase the postprandial glucose level in diabetic patients. Inhibiting the activity of these two enzymes can control postprandial hyperglycemia, and reduce the risk of developing diabetes. Bitter gourd or balsam pear is one of the important medicinal plants used for controlling postprandial hyperglycemia in diabetes patients. However, there is limited information available on the presence of α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibiting compounds. In the current study, the protein extracts from the fruits of M. charantia var. charantia (MCC) and M. charantia var. muricata (MCM) were tested for α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibiting activities in vitro, and glucose lowering activity after oral administration in vivo. The protein extract from both MCC and MCM inhibited the activity of α-amylase and α-glucosidase through competitive inhibition, which was on par with Acarbose as indicated by in vitro percentage of inhibition (66 to 69 %) and IC50 (0.26 to 0.29 mg/ml). Both the protein extracts significantly reduced peak blood glucose and area under the curve in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, which were orally challenged with starch and sucrose. Protein extracts from the fruits of the two varieties of bitter gourd inhibited α-amylase and α-glucosidase in vitro and lowered the blood glucose level in vivo on par with Acarbose when orally administrated to Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Further studies on mechanism of action and methods of safe and biologically active delivery will help to develop an anti-diabetic oral protein drug from these plants.

/pdf/in-vitro-and-in-vivo-a-amylase-and-a-glucosidase-inhibiting-7ftz0bmtvr.pdf

In vitro and in vivo α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibiting activities of the protein extracts from two varieties of bitter gourd ( Momordica charantia L.)

In vitro studies were initiated with Withania somnifera (L.) Dun. for rapid micropropagation of selected chemotypes using nodes, internodes, hypocotyls and embryo explants. Direct regeneration of shoot buds was observed in MS basal medium supplemented with various concentrations of either benzyladenine (BA) or thidiazouron (TDZ) depending on the explant. Nodal explants formed multiple shoots both from pre-existing and de novo buds on Murashige and Skoog's medium (MS) containing 0.1–5.0 mg l−1 BA and a ring of de novo shoot buds on MS medium containing 0.2 and 0.3 mg l−1 TDZ. Internodal explants formed shoot buds on MS with 1.0 and 5.0 mg l−1 BA while the hypocotyl explants gave rise to multiple shoots only on MS with 0.5 mg l−1 BA. Isolated embryos gave rise to many shoot buds on MS with 0.2 and 0.3 mg l−1 TDZ. The shoot buds elongated and rooted either on MS medium with 0.01 mg l−1 BA or on half strength MS medium lacking growth regulators, which depended upon the growth regulator used in the shoot bud induction medium. Except for the embryo-derived plantlets, all other plantlets could be acclimatized with 100% success.

Direct shoot regeneration from node, internode, hypocotyl and embryo explants of Withania somnifera

Direct in vitro regeneration of leaf explants of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal

Bacterial contamination is a serious problem that causes severe loss of in vitro grown cultures of a number of plants. This problem becomes even more acute if the bacterial contamination is of endophytic origin. In such cases, identification and characterization of the contaminants is essential for achieving specific control of the contaminants through selective use of antibiotic agents, especially if the routinely used contamination control methods practiced elsewhere in tissue culture studies are ineffective. Such is the case with the bacterial contamination observed in the present study. The five endophytic bacteria associated with Piper nigrum and Piper colubrinum, four endophytic bacteria associated with Taxus baccata subsp. wallichiana, two endophytic bacteria associated with Withania somnifera, and two bacteria common to all these plant species were isolated and characterized based on morphological and biochemical tests. Their taxonomic positions based on similarity indices were determined. A control strategy against these bacteria has been developed based on bacteriostatic or bactericidal actions of 12 antibiotics at three different concentrations by solid and liquid antibiogramme assays.

Characterization and control of endophytic bacterial contaminants in in vitro cultures of Piper spp., Taxus baccata subsp. wallichiana, and Withania somnifera.

Orally active hypoglycemic protein from Costus igneus N. E. Br.: an in vitro and in vivo study.

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) based nanovectors have flourished when we furnish them with iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (NPs) and an antibiotic, doxycycline (Doxy), as Doxy-MWCNTs/Fe3O4 ...

Anjali A. Kulkarni

Papers

Direct shoot regeneration from node, internode, hypocotyl and embryo explants of Withania somnifera

Direct in vitro regeneration of leaf explants of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal

Characterization and control of endophytic bacterial contaminants in in vitro cultures of Piper spp., Taxus baccata subsp. wallichiana, and Withania somnifera.

Orally active hypoglycemic protein from Costus igneus N. E. Br.: an in vitro and in vivo study.

Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Decorated with Fe3O4 Nanoparticles for Efficacious Doxycycline Delivery