The aim of this study is to investigate the technical feasibility of converting macroalgae cellulosic residue (MCR) into bioethanol. An attempt was made to present a novel, environmental friendly and economical pretreatment process that enhances enzymatic conversion of MCR to sugars using Dowex (TM) Dr-G8 as catalyst. The optimum yield of glucose reached 99.8% under the optimal condition for solid acid pretreatment (10%, w/v biomass loading, 4%, w/v catalyst loading, 30min, 120°C) followed by enzymatic hydrolysis (45FPU/g of cellulase, 52CBU/g of β-glucosidase, 50°C, pH 4.8, 30h). The yield of sugar obtained was found more superior than conventional pretreatment process using H2SO4 and NaOH. Biomass loading for the subsequent simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of the pretreated MCR was then optimized, giving an optimum bioethanol yield of 81.5%. The catalyst was separated and reused for six times, with only a slight drop in glucose yield.
In this study, gum of Araucaria heterophylla was collected. The collected gum was subjected for extraction of polysaccharide using solvent extraction system. Thus, extracted polysaccharide was further purified using solvent method and was characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy, Phenol sulfuric acid assay, FTIR, TGA, TLC and GC-MS. The gum derived polysaccharide was found to have the following sugars Rhamnose, Allose, Glucosinolate, Threose, Idosan, Galactose and Arabinose. The extracted polysaccharide was tested for various in-vitro bioactive studies such as antibacterial activity, antioxidant activity and anticancer activity. The polysaccharide was found to have antioxidant and anticancer activity. Further, the polysaccharide was subjected for carboxymethylation to favor the nanocarrier synthesis, where it was chelated using Sodium Tri Meta Phosphate (STMP) to form nanocarriers. The nanocarriers so formed were loaded with curcumin and were characterized using FTIR, SEM, EDX and AFM. Both the loaded and unloaded nanocarriers were studied for its in-vitro cytotoxic effect against the MCF7 human breast cancer cell lines. The nanocarriers were found to deliver the drug efficiently against the cancer cell line used in this study.
In this study, the anticancer potential and cytotoxicity of natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) were assessed using HelaS3, PC3, A375, AGS, MCF-7, and WRL-68 hepatic cell lines. NADESs were prepared from choline chloride, fructose, or glucose and compared with an N,N-diethyl ethanolammonium chloride:triethylene glycol DES. The NADESs (98 ≤ EC50 ≥ 516 mM) were less toxic than the DES (34 ≤ EC50 ≥ 120 mM). The EC50 values of the NADESs were significantly higher than those of the aqueous solutions of their individual components but were similar to those of the aqueous solutions of combinations of their chief elements. Due to the uniqueness of these results, the possibility that NADESs could be synthesized intracellularly to counterbalance the cytotoxicity of their excess principal constituents must be entertained. However, further research is needed to explore this avenue. NADESs exerted cytotoxicity by increasing membrane porosity and redox stress. In vivo, they were more destructive than the DES and induced liver failure. The potential of these mixtures was evidenced by their anticancer activity and intracellular processing. This infers that they can serve as tools for increasing our understanding of cell physiology and metabolism. It is likely that we only have begun to comprehend the nature of NADESs.