Department of Biotechnology

About: Department of Biotechnology is a government organization based out in New Delhi, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Silver nanoparticle. The organization has 4800 authors who have published 5033 publications receiving 82022 citations.

Tea Bioactive Modulate Innate Immunity: In Perception to COVID-19 Pandemic.

Abstract: Innate immunity impairment led to disruption in cascade of signaling pathways upregulating pro-inflammatory cytokines, diminish interferons, depleted natural killer cells and activate reactive oxygen species production. These conditions severely affected body's ability to fight against infectious diseases and also plays a pivotal role in disease progression. Here, in emphasis is on nutritional immunity for regulating effective innate immune response for combating against infectious diseases like novel coronavirus disease (COVID 19). Drawing from discoveries on in-vitro experiments, animal models and human trials, tea polyphenols, micronutrients, and vitamins has the potential to modulate and enhance innate immune response. This article provides a comprehensive review on tea (Camellia sinensis L) infusion (a hot water extract of dried processed tea leaves prepared from young shoots of tea plant) as an innate immunity modulator. Tea infusion is rich in polyphenols; epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and theaflavin (TF), major green and black tea polyphenols, respectively. Studies showed their immunomodulatory competence. Tea infusions are also rich in alkaloids; caffeine and its intermediates, theophylline and theobromine, which have anti-inflammatory properties. Tea plant being an acidophilic perennial crop can accumulate different micronutrients, viz., copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn) from growing medium, i.e., from soil, which led to their considerable presence in tea infusion. Micronutrients are integral part of innate immune response. Overall, this review presents tea infusion as an important source of nutritional immunity which can enhance innate immune response in order to mitigate the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.

Recent Updates on Computer-aided Drug Discovery: Time for a Paradigm Shift.

Abstract: Computer-Aided Drug Designing (CADD) has gained a wide popularity among biologists and chemists as a part of interdisciplinary drug discovery approach. It plays a vital role in the discovery, design and analysis of drugs in pharmaceutical industry. It is extensively used to reduce cost, time and speed up the early stage development of biologically new active molecules. In the current review we presented a brief review of CADD, merits and demerits, DNA, protein and enzyme as targets, types of CADD: Structure Based Drug Designing (SBDD), Ligand Based Drug Designing (LBDD), Pharmacophore based drug designing (PBDD) and Fragment Based Drug Designing (FBDD), theory behind the types of CADD and their applications. The review also focuses on the in-silico pharmokinetic, pharmacodynamic and toxicity filters or predictions that play a major role in identifying the drug like molecules. Currently in pharmaceutical sciences computational tools and software are exhibiting imperative role in the different stages of drug discovery hence the review throws light on various commercial and freeware available for each step of CADD.

Microalgae fuel cell for wastewater treatment: Recent advances and challenges

Abstract: Electricity generation from wastewater using a microalgae-based microbial fuel cell (MFC) has captured a lot of attention from researchers these days. Microalgae-microbial fuel cell (m-MFC) is a device that can overcome the problem of fossil-fuel depletion and environmental pollution by generating electrical energy from wastewater and sunlight. Sustainable applications of the microalgae-based microbial fuel cells are not only reliable for wastewater treatment and bio-electricity generation but also versatile in the field of bio-hydrogen energy production, eco-friendly solution of desalination, and carbon sequestration. In this review article, we have summarized the mechanism and operational configuration of the microbial fuel cell using an anode chamber, a cathode chamber, and a separation membrane. The technological advancement of photosynthetic microalgae in the microbial fuel cell for energy production and wastewater treatment has been explored. The use of microalgae species such as the anode and cathode is also conferred with the resulting power densities. The challenges and possible solutions of the microalgae-microbial fuel cells in integrated energy production systems with wastewater treatment have been discussed for potential industrialization.