Department of Chemistry

Indian Institute of Technology Palakkad&nbsp;(IIT Palakkad or IIT PKD) is a public autonomous&nbsp;engineering&nbsp;and&nbsp;research&nbsp;institute located in&nbsp;Palakkad,&nbsp;Kerala. It was&nbsp;one of the five new&nbsp;IITs&nbsp;proposed in the&nbsp;2014 Union budget of India. The campus was inaugurated on 3 August 2015. The institute has 94 faculty, 978 students, and 63 non-teaching staffs.

IT Palakkad currently offers four-year Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) and two years MS programmes in 8 different engineering disciplines including&nbsp;Computer Science, Electrical, Mechanical, Civil among others.

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IIT Palakkad

In the present investigation, gold NPs (Au-NPs) were synthesized via seed decoction of Nigella sativa, in which, the aqueous seed extract of Nigella sativa acted as a reducing agent as well as coated on Au-NPs surface. Herein, an attempt was made to develop a rapid and biocompatible method to synthesize gold NPs by phytofabrication for anti-diabetic applications. The Nigella sativa seed extract and the Au-NPs synthesized using Nigella sativa exhibited a good antioxidant property, which was determined by the 2, 2-Diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity assay. These Au-NPs exhibited 78 \% of anti-diabetic property, which was confirmed by alpha-amylase method. The synthesized nanoparticle Au-NPs size was confirmed by using SEM and TEM. The functional groups (thymoqninone) present in the seed extract as well as Au-NPs were analysed by FTIR. The major functional group i.e. thymoquinone was confirmed by the anthraquinone test and it is responsible for the antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and anticancer properties of the Au-NPs. The phytochemical based nanoparticle prepared in this work showed efficient anti-diabetic activities and it can be considered for the medical applications. In addition, phytochemical based nanoparticle synthesis is safe, eco-friendly, biocompatible, and cost effective.

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PROCESS BIOCHEMISTRY

Nigella sativa flavonoids surface coated gold NPs (Au-NPs) enhancing antioxidant and anti-diabetic activity

Although levodopa remains the most efficacious symptomatic therapy for Parkinson disease (PD), management of levodopa treatment during the advanced stages of the disease is extremely challenging. This difficulty is a result of levodopa’s short half-life, a progressive narrowing of the therapeutic window, and major inter-patient and intra-patient variations in the dose–response relationship. Therefore, a suitable alternative to repeated oral administration of levodopa is being sought. Recent research efforts have focused on the development of novel levodopa delivery strategies and wearable physical sensors that track symptoms and disease progression. However, the need for methods to monitor the levels of levodopa present in the body in real time has been overlooked. Advances in chemical sensor technology mean that the development of wearable and mobile biosensors for continuous or frequent levodopa measurements is now possible. Such levodopa monitoring could help to deliver personalized and timely medication dosing to alleviate treatment-related fluctuations in the symptoms of PD. Therefore, with the aim of optimizing therapeutic management of PD and improving the quality of life of patients, we share our vision of a future closed-loop autonomous wearable ‘sense-and-act’ system. This system consists of a network of physical and chemical sensors coupled with a levodopa delivery device and is guided by effective big data fusion algorithms and machine learning methods. © 2022, Springer Nature Limited.

Nature Reviews Neurology

Closing the loop for patients with Parkinson disease: where are we?

In the presented paper, an attempt has been made to first find the permeability of the Euphorbia tortilis cactus (ETC) concrete by the water permeability method and infiltration method. After that, the flexural strength of the ETC RC beam wrapped with AFRP kelvar 149 is carried out by a 2-point load test. This research aimed to develop a more durable, flexural, and sustainable beam under static load. Based on the state-of-the-art information available in the literature, 3-layer Kelvar 149 AFRP is considered as a laminate to solve the deflections of the ETC beam. In this project, RCC beams were strengthened by ETC and aramid FRP sheets. Novel results are obtained by different layers and patterns of Aramid FRP sheets. Based on the investigation 3-layers Kelvar 149 perform well than a normal concrete beam. As no result based on hydraulic conductivity and drying shrinkage of a beam with AFRP laminates are available in the literature, the obtained results are validated with the finite element method (ABAQUS) under static load conditions.

REVISTA DE LA CONSTRUCCION

Mechanical performance of ETC RC beam with U-framed AFRP laminates under a static load condition

A new 4-amino-1,8-naphthalimide hydrazine fluorophore (Nap-NH2) has been synthesized in quantitative yield via a one-pot imidation reaction between 4-amino-1,8-naphthalic anhydride and hydrazine hydrate (N2H4·H2O) and successfully employed as a fluorescent “turn-on” chemosensor for metal cations. The sensor Nap-NH2 displayed a positive solvatochromism in different solvents with varying polarities. The fluorescence titration studies of Nap-NH2 with various metal cations disclosed the high selectivity and reversible binding affinity of Nap-NH2 towards Zn(II) ions with nanomolar (10 nm) sensitivity. The fluorescence emission intensity of Nap-NH2 was drastically enhanced upon binding with Zn(II) ion and the Stern-Volmer binding constant is KSV = 1.13 × 104 M−1. Interestingly, the presence of commonly coexisting different metal cations {Fe(II), Cu(II), Mg(II), Cd(II), Ni(II), Co(II), Mn(II), Ba(II), Al(III), Ce(III), Sn(II), Pb(II), Cr(III) and Ca(II)} showed negligible changes in the emission intensity and thus weak binding interactions with Nap-NH2. These studies demonstrate that Nap-NH2 is a potential fluorescence “turn-on” chemosensor for selective, sensitive detection and quantification of biologically relevant metal cations. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.

Inorganica Chimica Acta

A simple 4-amino-1,8-naphthalimide hydrazine based “turn-on” fluorescent chemosensor for selective and reversible detection of Zn(II) ion

A simple and cost-effective optical sensing system based on quinizarin fluorescent dye (QZ) for the selective and reversible sensing of CH3COO− anions is reported. The anion binding affinity of QZ towards different anions was monitored using electronic absorption and fluorescence emission titration studies in DMSO. The UV-visible absorption spectrum of QZ showed a decrease in the intensity of the characteristic absorption peaks at λ = 280, 323, and 475 nm, while a new peak appeared at λ = 586 nm after the addition of CH3COO− anions. Similarly, the initial strong emission intensity of QZ was attenuated following titration with CH3COO− anions. Notably, similar titration using other anions, such as F−, Cl−, I−, NO3−, NO2−, and H2PO4-, caused no observable changes in both absorption and emission spectra. The selective sensing of CH3COO− anions was also reflected by a sharp visual color change from bright green to faint green under room light. Further, the binding was found to be reversible, and this makes QZ a potential optical and colorimetric sensor for selective, reversible, and ppb-level detection of CH3COO− anions in a DMSO medium. © 2022 by the authors.

Fulltext

Chemistry (Switzerland)

Selective Recognition and Reversible “Turn-Off” Fluorescence Sensing of Acetate (CH3COO−) Anion at Ppb Level Using a Simple Quinizarin Fluorescent Dye

Natural products have been a bedrock for drug discovery for decades. (−)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is one of the widely studied natural polyphenolic compounds derived from green tea. It is the key component believed to be responsible for the medicinal value of green tea. Significant studies implemented in in vitro, in cellulo, and in vivo models have suggested its anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, neuroprotective activities etc. Despite having such a wide array of therapeutic potential and promising results in preclinical studies, its applicability to humans has encountered with rather limited success largely due to the poor bioavailability, poor membrane permeability, rapid metabolic clearance and lack of stability of EGCG. Therefore, novel techniques are warranted to address those limitations so that EGCG or its modified analogs can be used in the clinical setup. This review comprehensively covers different strategies such as structural modifications, nano-carriers as efficient drug delivery systems, synergistic studies with other bioactivities to improve the chemico-biological aspects (e.g., stability, bioavailability, permeability, etc.) of EGCG for its enhanced pharmacokinetics and pharmacological properties, eventually enhancing its therapeutic potentials. We think this review article will serve as a strong platform with comprehensive literature on the development of novel techniques to improve the bioavailability of EGCG so that it can be translated to the clinical applications.

Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition

Chemico-biological aspects of (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) to improve its stability, bioavailability and membrane permeability: Current status and future prospects

The electrocatalytic properties of boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes have been considered for a variety of sensing applications. The unusual electrochemical properties of BDD include a large potential window, a small background current, and better resistance to fouling than other carbon-based electrodes. The use of BDD for remediation and environmental sensing applications has recently attracted the interest of the sensor research community. This review focuses on recent developments that involve the use of BDD as an environmentally friendly sensing material for environmental analysis. The electrochemical properties of boron-doped diamond that has undergone surface modification (e.g., with metals or enzymes) will be considered. Recent achievements involving the use of BDD electrodes for detecting pesticides, mycotoxins, peroxides, and phenolic compounds are considered. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.

Current Opinion in Electrochemistry

Recent advances of boron-doped diamond electrochemical sensors toward environmental applications

Health and wellness are linked to the food we regularly consume. Although the emergence of advanced technologies, such as intelligent packaging, safety, and transportation in temperature-controlled containers, has greatly improved the quality of food, certain microbial invasions and deliberate adulterations are unavoidable when it involves long transportation and extensive commercialization. These activities eventually make the food unhealthy to consume. Onsite quality control (QC) tends to check such food items not only to control the food spoilage in commercialization but also to protect the consumers from the consumption of unhealthy food. In this context, advances in miniaturized sensing devices have paved numerous possibilities to monitor food quality in an onsite context. This chapter discusses the existing ways of ensuring quality assurances for food safety and their associated challenges. Thereby, common indicators of quality and spoilage in different types of food items have comprehensively been described as control of the different types of food. Thereafter, the miniaturized biosensor-based devices for food quality assurance have been described, where a brief discussion on the development processes, analytical performances, and commercial potentials are discussed with various examples and reported potential products for food quality assurance and safety. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

Miniaturized Biosensing Devices: Fabrication and Applications

Onsite Quality Controls for Food Safety Based on Miniaturized Biosensing

An extremely bulky xanthene bridged diamide ligand (TCHPNON = 4,5-bis(2,4,6-tricyclohexylanilido)-2,7-diethyl-9,9-dimethyl-xanthene) has been developed and used to prepare two monomeric diamido-calcium complexes [(TCHPNON)Ca(D)n] (D = THF, n = 2, 3; D = toluene, n = 1, 4). Reduction of 4 with 5% w/w K/KI under an N2 atmosphere gave the first well-defined, hetero-bimetallic s-block complex of activated dinitrogen, [{K(TCHPNON)Ca}2(μ-η2:η2-N2)] 5, presumably via a transient calcium(i) intermediate. © 2022 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Chemical Communications

Reductive activation of N 2 using a calcium/potassium bimetallic system supported by an extremely bulky diamide ligand

This research implements a novel segmentation of mammographic mass. Three methods are proposed, namely, segmentation of mass based on iterative active contour, automatic region growing, and fully automatic mask selection based active contour techniques. In the first method, iterative threshold is performed for manual cropped preprocessed image, and active contour is applied thereafter. To overcome manual cropping in the second method, an automatic seed selection followed by region growing is performed. Given that the result is only a few images owing to over segmentation, the third method uses a fully automatic active contour. Results of the segmentation techniques are compared with the manual markup by experts, specifically by taking the difference in their mean values. Accordingly, the difference in the mean value of the third method is 1.0853, which indicates the closeness of the segmentation. Moreover, the proposed method is compared with the existing fuzzy C means and level set methods. The automatic mass segmentation based on active contour technique results in segmentation with high accuracy. By using adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system, classification is done and results in a sensitivity of 94.73\%, accuracy of 93.93\%, and Mathew's correlation coefficient (MCC) of 0.876.