Sumi Sharma

Bio: Sumi Sharma is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Chemistry & Castor oil. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 2 citations.

Three Essays on Corruption

Abstract: Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) regulates protumorigenic signaling in triplenegative breast cancer (TNBC) cells

A comprehensive review of castor oil‐derived renewable and sustainable industrial products

Abstract: Castor oil is one important raw material that could serve as a renewable feedstock for industries in the age of exhausting fossil fuels. The chemical composition of oil and the structure of hydroxyl fatty acid are responsible for its unique physicochemical properties. The oil has diverse applications from pharmaceuticals to polyamides, from the manufacturing of ski boots to durable frames, and from lubricants to laxatives. The present review gives an insight into the physicochemical properties of castor oil and its application. The oil is used for the production of a great variety of its derivatives. Out of many derivatives of castor oil, four are produced and utilized at a larger scale. The names of the four derivates are ricinoleic acid, sebacic acid, undecylenic acid, and γ‐decalactone. The review will aim toward an insight into the evolved techniques for the manufacturing of these derivatives of castor oil, the biotechnological route of production, and metabolic engineering approaches. Though the industrial significance of castor oil and its derivatives had been known for ages, methods for their production are continuously changing.

Isolation of a new strain of Aspergillus and molecular structure elucidation of unknown metabolite produced from castor oil

Abstract: A new Aspergillus strain BU20S was isolated and identified by sequence analysis of ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. Unknown metabolite produced by the strain was identified by elucidation of molecular structure using a combination of 13C and 1H NMR, MS, FTIR, XRD, and HPLC analysis. The metabolite was found to be kojic acid, which has the potential to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection, among other industrial applications. It was observed that the isolated strain can produce kojic acid from castor oil and product titer can be increased by supplementing the medium with rice straw-derived depolymerized lignin. The substrate concentrations were optimized by response surface methodology using Design-Expert® software. As high as 6.69 ± 0.24 g/L of kojic acid was obtained using castor oil (20 g/L) and depolymerized rice straw lignin (3 g/L). This is the first report on kojic acid production from castor oil.

Molecular characterization of a new strain of Aspergillus and ricinoleic acid production from castor oil by the fungus

Abstract: The derivatives of castor oil have wide industrial applications. Different strains were isolated that metabolize the castor oil. Among these, Isolate D which was later identified as Aspergillus flavus BU22S was selected for further study. Major metabolite produced by the strain was extracted and identified using mass spectrometry (MS) followed by HPLC analysis. The metabolite was found to be ricinoleic acid. Ricinoleic acid is widely used in polymer industries, cosmetics, pharmaceutical industries, lubricants, and in textiles. The product yield of the selected isolate was studied with different castor oil concentrations under different process conditions. Agitation speed as well as oil concentration were found to have a significant effect on ricinoleic acid production. The best yield, that is, 79.5 g/kg of total oil was obtained at a lower agitation speed. The strain consumed some amount of oil, which can be reduced from 90% to 29% by optimizing the process parameters.

Nano-interventions for the Drug Delivery of Docetaxel to Cancer Cells

Abstract: Docetaxel (DTX) has been reported to be one of the most effective anticancer agents with wide application in various cancer therapy. Conversely, it has under utilized clinical application owing to its compromised aqueous solubility, dose-dependent and systemic toxicity. However, the recent advances in drug delivery systems (DDS) and nanotechnology have addressed the aforementioned drawbacks of such drugs. The novel DDS of DTX are worth enhancing aqueous solubility and minimizing dose-dependent-side effects. Also, they have shown great potential as targeted delivery to the tumor site with improved biodistribution and drug retention in the tumor vicinity. This review summarizes the current status of DTX DDS and nanostructured formulations comprising nanoparticles, lipid-based delivery, carbon nanotubes and quantum dots (QDs) with a focus on enhanced therapeutic outcomes. It also summarizes previous and current in-vitro, in-vivo, cell lines studies and clinical trials-based pieces of evidence corroborating the inherited promises.

Roles of Process Parameters on the Ricinoleic Acid Production from Castor Oil by Aspergillus flavus BU22S

Abstract: Ricinoleic acid is a biobased green chemical industrially produced from castor oil. Microbial conversion is a cleaner and greener approach to ricinoleic acid production from castor oil. These processes should be further optimized for a better yield of the product. Aspergillus flavus BU22S was used to convert castor oil into ricinoleic acid. The strain was isolated and identified by molecular biological techniques. It was found to be effective in the biotransformation of castor oil. The ricinoleic acid production and dry cell weight of the fungus were studied as functions of time. In this study, to increase the yield of ricinoleic acid and decrease the oil loss, which microorganisms utilizes in biomass production, response surface methodology (RSM) has been used for process optimization. The central composite design was used to optimize the predictor variables such as oil concentration (% w/v), glucose concentration (% w/v), and calcium chloride concentration (% w/v) to increase the overall yield of ricinoleic acid. A quadratic model was found to be the best fit to predict the responses of the experimental results. The model suggested that the concentrations of oil, glucose, and calcium chloride should be lower in order to increase the ricinoleic acid yield and minimize the oil loss. The bench scale studies of optimized conditions from RSM were also conducted. The yield of ricinoleic acid in batch and fed-batch culture studies was also compared. The yield of the ricinoleic acid in batch culture was 21.67 g/kg of total oil. The yield of ricinoleic acid in fed-batch culture in the absence of an external air supply was 46.77 g/kg of total oil. In this case, the oil loss was also reduced to only 12%.