National Chemical Laboratory

About: National Chemical Laboratory is a facility organization based out in Pune, Maharashtra, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Nanoparticle. The organization has 8891 authors who have published 14837 publications receiving 387600 citations.

Metabolic engineering of terpenoid biosynthesis in plants

Abstract: Metabolic engineering of terpenoids in plants is a fascinating research topic from two main perspectives. On the one hand, the various biological activities of these compounds make their engineering a new tool for improving a considerable number of traits in crops. These include for example enhanced disease resistance, weed control by producing allelopathic compounds, better pest management, production of medicinal compounds, increased value of ornamentals and fruit and improved pollination. On the other hand, the same plants altered in the profile of terpenoids and their precursor pools make a most important contribution to fundamental studies on terpenoid biosynthesis and its regulation. In this review we describe the recent results with terpenoid engineering, showing that engineering of these compounds and their derivatives in plant cells is feasible, although with some requirements and limitations. For example, in terpenoid engineering experiments crucial factors are the subcellular localization of both the precursor pool and the introduced enzymes, the activity of endogenous plant enzymes which modify the introduced terpenoid skeleton, the costs of engineering in terms of effects on other pathways sharing the same precursor pool and the phytotoxicity of the introduced terpenoids. Finally, we will show that transgenic plants altered in their terpenoid profile exert novel biological activities on their environment, for example influencing insect behavior

π-π Interaction Between Metal-Organic Framework and Reduced Graphene Oxide for Visible Light Photocatalytic H2 Production

Abstract: Solar water splitting provides a promising path for sustainable hydrogen production and solar energy storage. In recent times, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have received considerable attention as promising materials for diverse solar energy conversion applications. However, their photocatalytic performance is poor and rarely explored due to rapid electron–hole recombination. Herein, we have developed a material MOF@rGO that exhibits highly enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity. A real-time investigation reveals that a strong π–π interaction between MOF and rGO is responsible for efficient separation of electron–hole pairs, and thereby enhances the photocatalytic hydrogen production activity. Surprisingly, MOF@rGO showed ∼9.1-fold enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production activity compared to that of pristine MOF. In addition, it is worth mentioning here that remarkable apparent quantum efficiency (0.66%) is achieved by π–π interaction mediated charge carrier separation.

In situ synthesis and surface functionalization of gold nanoparticles with curcumin and their antioxidant properties: an experimental and density functional theory investigation

Abstract: Curcumin ((1E,6E)-1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione) is an active component of turmeric; it is responsible for its characteristic yellow color and therapeutic potential, but its poor bioavailability remains a major challenge. In order to improve the bioavailability of curcumin, various approaches have been used. One of the possible approaches to increase the bioavailability of curcumin is its conjugation on the surface of metal nanoparticles. Therefore, in the present study, we report the binding of curcumin on the surface of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The AuNPs were synthesized by the direct reduction of HAuCl4 using curcumin in the aqueous phase, without the use of any other reducing agents. We found that curcumin acts both as a reducing and capping agent, stabilizing the gold sol for many months. Moreover, these curcumin-capped AuNPs also show good antioxidant activity which was confirmed by the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-l-picrylhydrazyl) radical test. Thus, the surface functionalization of AuNPs with curcumin may pave a new way of using the curcuminoids towards possible drug delivery and therapeutics. Apart from the experimental study, a detailed quantum chemical calculation using density functional theory (DFT) has been performed, in order to investigate the formation of a complex of curcumin with Au3+ ions in different possible conformational isomeric forms. Our theoretical calculations indicate the evidence of electron transfer from curcumin into the Au center and essentially indicate that as a consequence of complexation, Au3+ ions are reduced to Au0. Our theoretical results also propose that it is the breakage of intramolecular H-bonding that probably leads to the increased availability of curcumin in the presence of gold ions and water molecules.