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.

Clinical, Prognostic and Therapeutic Significance of Heat Shock Proteins in Cancer.

Abstract: Background Heat Shock Proteins (HSPs) constitute a group of proteins that play a crucial role in the process of protein folding. HSPs are also known to modulate a number of key apoptotic factors. High expression of these proteins is reported in an array of cancers, such as breast, prostate, colorectal, lung, ovarian, gastric, oral and esophageal cancer. Ample amount of investigations were carried out on a variety of cancers suggesting HSPs as a promising hallmark in cancers. Their expression profile in several tumors elucidates that they help in proliferation, invasion, metastasis and death of cancerous cells. Detection of the levels of heat shock proteins and their specific antibodies in the sera of diseased individuals can play an important role in cancer diagnosis. Objectives This review will present and summarize latest research being carried out on heat shock proteins. It will also highlight the clinical and prognostic features of HSP27, HSP60, HSP70, HSP90 and HSP110, and will discuss future implications of HSPs in the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer. Furthermore, the role of heat shock proteins as a therapeutic target in cancer will be discussed. In addition, the review article will report various studies, where HSPs have been targeted for their therapeutic potential. Conclusion In summary, multiple experimental investigations have been successful in suggesting the role of heat shock protein as a clinical biomarker and therapeutic target in cancer. HSPs are associated with a number of cancer hallmarks such as cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis. Inhibition of HSPs has resulted in successful therapeutic outcome in cancer. It has served as a novel anti-cancer therapy for the treatment of several cancer forms. However, more experimental studies are required to elucidate the reliability and efficacy of heat shock proteins in combination with other conventional markers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Novel and effective interventions through HSP inhibition are expected to decrease the burden of cancer in the near future.

Microbial Enzymatic Degradation of Biodegradable Plastics.

Abstract: Background The renewable feedstock derived biodegradable plastics are important in various industries such as packaging, agricultural, paper coating, garbage bags and biomedical implants The increasing water and waste pollution due to the available decomposition methods of plastic degradation have led to the emergence of biodegradable plastics and biological degradation with microbial (bacteria and fungi) extracellular enzymes The microbes utilize biodegradable polymers as the substrate under starvation and in unavailability of microbial nutrients Microbial enzymatic degradation is suitable from bioremediation point of view as no waste accumulation occurs Methods It is important to understand the microbial interaction and mechanism involved in the enzymatic degradation of biodegradable plastics under the influence of several environmental factors such as applied pH, thermo-stability, substrate molecular weight and/or complexity To study the surface erosion of polymer film is another approach for hydrolytic degradation characteristion Results The degradation of biopolymer is associated with the production of low molecular weight monomer and generation of carbon dioxide, methane and water molecule This review reported the degradation study of various existing biodegradable plastics along with the potent degrading microbes (bacteria and fungi) Patents available on plastic biodegradation with biotechnological significance is also summarized in this paper Conclusion This paper assesses that new disposal technique should be adopted for the degradation of polymers and further research is required for the economical production of biodegradable plastics along with their enzymatic degradation

Antibacterial and photocatalytic activity of copper oxide nanoparticles synthesized using Solanum lycopersicum leaf extract

Abstract: The present study was aimed to synthesis copper oxide nanoparticles by green chemistry method Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO–NPs) were synthesized using Solanum lycopersicum aqueous leaf extract The synthesized CuO–NPs were characterized by UV–visible spectroscopy, Field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), High resolution-transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), Energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer (EDX), and Dynamic light scattering spectrometer (DLS) FE-SEM and TEM observation showed that the average size of 20–40 nm with spherical shape of CuO–NPs and the presence of phytochemicals which are responsible for reduction and stabilization were studied by FT-IR XRD studies revealed the monocyclic crystalline phase of CuO–NPs The synthesized CuO–NPs showed significant antibacterial activity against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial pathogens, assayed using agar well diffusion method and synthesized CuO–NPs induce significant morphological changes to bacterial pathogens, determined using FE-SEM Furthermore, photocatalytic degradation of crystal violet (CV) under visible light irradiation using CuO–NPs was performed Synthesized nanoparticles exhibited 97% degradation activity for CV Overall our studies supported the eco-friendly, green synthesized CuO–NPs can be used as potential biocidal and photocatalytic agents

Antileishmanial amides and lignans from Piper cubeba and Piper retrofractum

Abstract: The n-hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and acetone extracts of Piper cubeba Linn. and P. retrofractum Vahl. (Piperaceae) were evaluated in vitro against promastigotes of Leishmania donovani, and all exhibited significant in vitro activity at 100 μg/ml. Two lignans, cubebin and hinokinin, were isolated from the hexane extract of P. cubeba; and one bis-epoxy lignan, (−)-sesamin, and two amides, pellitorine and piplartine, were isolated from the hexane and methanol extracts of P. retrofractum. Cubebin and piplartine showed significant antileishmanial activity in vitro at 100 μM and were further tested in vivo in a hamster model of visceral leishmaniasis. Piplartine showed activity at 30 mg/kg dose. This is the first report of antileishmanial activity of these two plants and their isolated constituents.