Browsing by Author "Kumar, Ajay"

Now showing 1 - 12 of 12

Ampelopsin targets in cellular processes of cancer: Recent trends and advances
(Elsevier Inc., 2022-07-27T00:00:00) Tuli, Hardeep Singh; Sak, Katrin; Garg, Vivek Kumar; Kumar, Ajay; Adhikary, Shubham; Kaur, Ginpreet; Parashar, Nidarshana Chaturvedi; Parashar, Gaurav; Mukherjee, Tapan Kumar; Sharma, Uttam; Jain, Aklank; Mohapatra, Ranjan K.; Dhama, Kuldeep; Kumar, Manoj; Singh, Tejveer
Cancer is being considered as a serious threat to human health globally due to limited availability and efficacy of therapeutics. In addition, existing chemotherapeutic drugs possess a diverse range of toxic side effects. Therefore, more research is welcomed to investigate the chemo-preventive action of plant-based metabolites. Ampelopsin (dihydromyricetin) is one among the biologically active plant-based chemicals with promising anti-cancer actions. It modulates the expression of various cellular molecules that are involved in cancer progressions. For instance, ampelopsin enhances the expression of apoptosis inducing proteins. It regulates the expression of angiogenic and metastatic proteins to inhibit tumor growth. Expression of inflammatory markers has also been found to be suppressed by ampelopsin in cancer cells. The present review article describes various anti-tumor cellular targets of ampelopsin at a single podium which will help the researchers to understand mechanistic insight of this phytochemical. � 2022 The Authors
Apoptotic and antimetastatic effect of cucurbitacins in cancer: recent trends and advancement
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2023-04-03T00:00:00) Kumar, Ajay; Sharma, Bunty; Sharma, Ujjawal; Parashar, Gaurav; Parashar, Nidarshana Chaturvedi; Rani, Isha; Ramniwas, Seema; Kaur, Satwinderjeet; Haque, Shafiul; Tuli, Hardeep Singh
The Cucurbitaceae family produces a class of secondary metabolites known as cucurbitacins. The eight cucurbitacin subunits are cucurbitacin B, D, E, I, IIa, L glucoside, Q, and R with the most significant anticancer activity. They are reported to inhibit cell proliferation, invasion, and migration; induce apoptosis; and encourage cell cycle arrest, as some of their modes of action. The JAK-STAT3, Wnt, PI3K/Akt, and MAPK signaling pathways, which are essential for the survival and apoptosis of cancer cells, have also been shown to be suppressed by cucurbitacins. The goal of the current study is to summarize potential molecular targets that cucurbitacins could inhibit in order to suppress various malignant processes. The review is noteworthy since it presents all putative molecular targets for cucurbitacins in cancer on a single podium. � 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
Application of curcumin nanoformulations to target folic acid receptor in cancer: Recent trends and advances
(Academic Press Inc., 2023-06-20T00:00:00) Hussain, Arif; Kumar, Ajay; Uttam, Vivek; Sharma, Uttam; Sak, Katrin; Saini, Reena V.; Saini, Adesh K.; Haque, Shafiul; Tuli, Hardeep Singh; Jain, Aklank; Sethi, Gautam
Curcumin, derived from turmeric, has a strong anticancer potential known for millennia. The development of this phytochemical as a medicine has been hampered by several significant deficiencies, including its poor water solubility and low bioavailability. This review article discusses possibilities to overcome these bottlenecks by focusing on this natural polyphenol's nanoformulation. Moreover, preparation of curcumin conjugates containing folates as ligands for folic acid receptors can add a new important dimension in this field, allowing specific targeting of cancer cells, considering the significantly higher expression of these receptors in malignant tissues compared to normal cells. It is highly expected that simultaneous improvement of different aspects of curcumin in fighting against such a complex and multifaceted disease like cancer. Therefore, we can better comprehend cancer biology by developing a mechanistic understanding of curcumin, which will also inspire the scientific community to develop new pharmacological models, and exploration of emerging directions to revitalize application of natural products in cancer therapy. � 2023 Elsevier Inc.
Characterization of phytochemicals and validation of antioxidant and anticancer activity in some Indian polyherbal ayurvedic products
(Springer, 2021-03-13T00:00:00) Kushwaha, Prem Prakash; Kumar, Ramesh; Neog, Panchi Rani; Behara, Malay Ranjan; Singh, Pratibha; Kumar, Ajay; Prajapati, Kumari Sunita; Singh, Atul Kumar; Shuaib, Mohd; Sharma, Amit Kumar; Pandey, Abhay Kumar; Kumar, Shashank
In the present comparative study, the authors studied the antioxidant and anticancer activity of commercially available polyherbal Indian Ayurvedic products namely Divya Sarvakalp Kwath (DSKK), Divya Sanjivani Vati (DSV), Kanchanar Guggulu (KG) and Shakti Drop (SD). Authors also quantified phenolic and flavonoid contents in the samples. Solid powdered samples (DSKK, DSV, and KG) were extracted in methanol and water (1:1) using cold extraction method. Spectrophotometry technique was used to quantify the phytochemicals present in test samples. DSKK showed comparatively higher content of total phenolics (247.65 � 0.05 ?gPGE/g) and flavonoid (34.66 � 0.19 �gQE/mg). Radical scavenging, metal ion chelation and reducing potential of test products were studied using nitric oxide scavenging, DPPH, metal ion chelation, reducing power ability, and phosphomolybdate in vitro antioxidant assays at different concentration. Dose-dependent antioxidant activity was observed in all the test samples at 100�500��g or �l/ml concentration. Anticancer efficacy of the test samples were studied in lung (A549), colon (Colo205), and breast cancer (MCF7) cell lines at different concentrations (10�100��g or �l/ml) using MTT assay. Confocal microscopy was used to reveal the apoptotic induction, mitochondrial membrane integrity disruption and reactive oxygen species production ability of test products in cancer cells. The present study revealed that DSKK possesses comparatively better antioxidant potential and SD has potent anticancer activity against breast cancer cells. � 2021, Society for Plant Research.
Effects of Dy3+-doping on the band-gap widening and formation of mixed cubic and monoclinic phases of Sm2O3 nanoparticles
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2023-10-30T00:00:00) Sain, Rachana; Roy, Ayan; Kumar, Ajay; Anu; Deeksha; Kour, Pawanpreet; Singh, Ravi Pratap; Yadav, Kamlesh
We synthesized Sm2?xDyxO3 (where X = 0.00, 0.03, 0.06, 0.09, and 0.12) nanoparticles using a co-precipitation method and investigated their structural and optical properties. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results reveal that Dy3+-doping in Sm2O3 nanoparticles leads to the formation of a monoclinic polymorphic phase along with the cubic phase of Sm2O3 and its fraction increases with increasing Dy3+-doping concentration. The substitution of Dy3+ at the Sm3+ site converts the cubic Sm2O3 unit cells into distorted monoclinic Sm2?XDyXO3 unit cells. The average crystallite and nanoparticle sizes decrease with increasing Dy3+-doping concentration. Dy3+-ions act as particle size inhibitors, which is attributed to an increase in the segregation of Dy3+-dopant ions at the surface of the nanoparticles with increasing Dy3+-doping content. The peak appearing at 851�cm?1 in the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra confirms the formation of Sm2O3. Widening of the band gap (Eg) above the band gap of pure cubic Sm2O3 with Dy3+-doping concentration has been observed for X > 0.06, which is due to the Moss-Burstein and quantum size effects. � 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE part of Springer Nature.
Effects of Interfacial Interactions and Nanoparticle Agglomeration on the Structural, Thermal, Optical, and Dielectric Properties of Polyethylene/Cr2O3 and Polyethylene/Cr2O3/CNTs Nanocomposites
(Springer, 2022-11-22T00:00:00) Gupta, Jaya; Kumar, Ajay; Roy, Ayan; Anu; Deeksha; Kour, Pawanpreet; Singh, Ravi Pratap; Yogesh, Gaurav Kumar; Yadav, Kamlesh
In this report, we have synthesized the binary and ternary phase nanocomposites [(polyethylene (PE)1?X/(Cr2O3)x) and (PE)1?X/(Cr2O3)X/CNTs (where X = 0,�2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10%)] using the melt mixing method and studied the structural, optical, thermal and dielectric properties with an increase in Cr2O3 nanofiller concentration. Our results show an increase in interfacial interactions between Cr2O3 nanofiller and PE matrix with an increase in nanofiller concentration up to X = 6%. After that, the interactions decreased with a further increase in X because of the increase in the size of the Cr2O3 nanoparticle aggregates. Incorporating 2% carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into (PE)1?X/(Cr2O3)X nanocomposites, further decreases the interactions between the Cr2O3 nanofiller and the PE matrix. � 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
Ferulic Acid: A Natural Phenol That Inhibits Neoplastic Events through Modulation of Oncogenic Signaling
(MDPI, 2022-11-08T00:00:00) Singh Tuli, Hardeep; Kumar, Ajay; Ramniwas, Seema; Coudhary, Renuka; Aggarwal, Diwakar; Kumar, Manoj; Sharma, Ujjawal; Chaturvedi Parashar, Nidarshana; Haque, Shafiul; Sak, Katrin
Despite the immense therapeutic advances in the field of health sciences, cancer is still to be found among the global leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Ethnomedicinally, natural bioactive compounds isolated from various plant sources have been used for the treatment of several cancer types and have gained notable attention. Ferulic acid, a natural compound derived from various seeds, nuts, leaves, and fruits, exhibits a variety of pharmacological effects in cancer, including its proapoptotic, cell-cycle-arresting, anti-metastatic, and anti-inflammatory activities. This review study presents a thorough overview of the molecular targets and cellular signaling pathways modulated by ferulic acid in diverse malignancies, showing high potential for this phenolic acid to be developed as a candidate agent for novel anticancer therapeutics. In addition, current investigations to develop promising synergistic formulations are also discussed. � 2022 by the authors.
Multi-parametric groundwater quality and human health risk assessment vis-�-vis hydrogeochemical process in an Agri-intensive region of Indus basin, Punjab, India
(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2021-06-14T00:00:00) Jaswal, Vijay; Kumar, Ravishankar; Sahoo, Prafulla Kumar; Mittal, Sunil; Kumar, Ajay; Sahoo, Sunil Kumar; Nandabalan, Yogalakshmi Kadapakkam
The groundwater quality of the Indus basin of Punjab, India, is a serious concern due to the existence of toxic contaminants. Although, this contamination has been documented in some studies, some part of this basin is scantily explored. This is true for the Fazilka district of Malwa region, Punjab. In the present study, a total of 78 groundwater samples were collected from this district to evaluate their suitability for drinking and irrigation purpose, to understand the current hydrogeochemical processes involved and assess the human health risk status of the region. The results of the water quality index (WQI) revealed that majority of the groundwater samples were of poor quality with U, F?, SO42?, and NO3? exceeding the BIS limit in 60%, 94%, 43%, and 19% of samples, respectively. The groundwater geochemistry is mainly influenced by rock-water interaction. Ca-Mg-Cl water type is identified as the dominant hydrogeochemical facies, followed by Ca-Mg-SO42? and Na-Cl types. The Mg2+ and Na+ were identified as the major cations, while SO42? and HCO3? existed as the dominant anions. Furthermore, the results of Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Hierarchical cluster and Pearson correlation matrix (PCM) analyses corroborated the elevated level of U, F?, SO42? with geogenic activity supplemented with agrochemical activities. The annual effective intake dose of U exceeded the WHO recommended mean annual effective dose of U (100 �Sv y?1) for all age groups with infants recording the highest dose of U (151 �Sv y?1). Moreover, the non-cancer risk of U and F? exceeded the USEPA limit (HQ-1) in majority of the sites. The high cumulative risk of non-carcinogenic contaminants (HI-4.6) in the entire study area is a matter of grave concern. � 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Optical properties of nanocrystallite films of ?-Fe2O3 and ?-Fe2-xCrxO3 (0.0 ? x ? 0.9) deposited on glass substrates
(Institute of Physics Publishing, 2017) Kumar, Ajay; Yadav, Kamlesh
?-Fe2O3 films are deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) and indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) substrates for 1, 4 and 6 min using a spray pyrolysis technique. We also deposited ?-Fe2-xCrxO3 (x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.7 and 0.9) films on the FTO substrate for a deposition time of 35 s. The structural and optical properties of these films were then studied. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns show that all the films are crystalline in nature with a hexagonal crystal structure. The average grain size and unit cell volume were calculated using XRD data. It is found that the average grain size and unit cell volume increase with an increasing film thickness and Cr-doping concentration. The value of strain decreases with an increasing film thickness and Cr-doping content. It is also found that films with the same deposition time on the ITO substrate are more crystalline than on the FTO substrate. Furthermore, the average grain size is obtained from field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images. FESEM analysis confirms that the average grain size increases with the film thickness and Cr-doping concentration. The optical absorption spectra of the films show that the absorbance increases with an increasing deposition time and Cr concentration. The energy band gap (Eg) of all the films has been calculated using Tauc's relation. A narrowing of the band gap was observed with an increase in film thickness and Cr-doping content. The reduction of the band gap with the increase in film thickness of the films deposited on the ITO substrate is larger than for the film deposited on the FTO substrate. The refractive index is also obtained from the absorption spectra of the films using the Moss relation: n = 4 (k/Eg), where k =108 eV. The refractive index decreases with an increase in the optical band gap. The band gaps of the films are also calculated from the FTIR spectra. This is in good agreement with the UV data. The correlation between the structural and optical properties of the deposited films has been discussed.
Soil Microbiome: Diversity, Benefits and Interactions with Plants
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2023-10-09T00:00:00) Chauhan, Poonam; Sharma, Neha; Tapwal, Ashwani; Kumar, Ajay; Verma, Gaurav Swaroop; Meena, Mukesh; Seth, Chandra Shekhar; Swapnil, Prashant
Plant roots aid the growth and functions of several kinds of microorganisms such as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, mycorrhizal fungi, endophytic bacteria, actinomycetes, nematodes, protozoans which may impart significant impacts on plant health and growth. Plant soil�microbe interaction is an intricate, continuous, and dynamic process that occurs in a distinct zone known as the rhizosphere. Plants interact with these soil microbes in a variety of ways, including competitive, exploitative, neutral, commensal, and symbiotic relationships. Both plant and soil types were found to have an impact on the community diversity and structure of the rhizosphere, or vice versa. The diversity of microorganisms in soil is thought to be essential for the management of soil health and quality because it has different plant growth-promoting or biocontrol effects that could be very advantageous for the host plant and alter plant physiology and nutrition. The composition of microbial community is influenced by soil and plant type. Besides these beneficial microbes, the soil also harbors microorganisms that are detrimental to plants, competing for nutrients and space, and causing diseases. Numerous microorganisms have antagonistic activity and the ability to defend plants from soil-borne diseases. The study of the soil microbiome is essential for formulating strategies for transforming the rhizosphere to the benefit of the plants. This review pays special emphasis on the types of microbial populations in the soil and how they influence plant growth, nutrient acquisition, inter-relationships between soil microbes and plants, stress resistance, carbon sequestration, and phytoremediation. � 2023 by the authors.
Soil Microbiome: Diversity, Benefits and Interactions with Plants
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2023-10-09T00:00:00) Chauhan, Poonam; Sharma, Neha; Tapwal, Ashwani; Kumar, Ajay; Verma, Gaurav Swaroop; Meena, Mukesh; Seth, Chandra Shekhar; Swapnil, Prashant
Plant roots aid the growth and functions of several kinds of microorganisms such as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, mycorrhizal fungi, endophytic bacteria, actinomycetes, nematodes, protozoans which may impart significant impacts on plant health and growth. Plant soil�microbe interaction is an intricate, continuous, and dynamic process that occurs in a distinct zone known as the rhizosphere. Plants interact with these soil microbes in a variety of ways, including competitive, exploitative, neutral, commensal, and symbiotic relationships. Both plant and soil types were found to have an impact on the community diversity and structure of the rhizosphere, or vice versa. The diversity of microorganisms in soil is thought to be essential for the management of soil health and quality because it has different plant growth-promoting or biocontrol effects that could be very advantageous for the host plant and alter plant physiology and nutrition. The composition of microbial community is influenced by soil and plant type. Besides these beneficial microbes, the soil also harbors microorganisms that are detrimental to plants, competing for nutrients and space, and causing diseases. Numerous microorganisms have antagonistic activity and the ability to defend plants from soil-borne diseases. The study of the soil microbiome is essential for formulating strategies for transforming the rhizosphere to the benefit of the plants. This review pays special emphasis on the types of microbial populations in the soil and how they influence plant growth, nutrient acquisition, inter-relationships between soil microbes and plants, stress resistance, carbon sequestration, and phytoremediation. � 2023 by the authors.
Temporal profile of ionic species and n-alkanes composition of PM10 in a rural environment of Western Himalaya
(Elsevier B.V., 2023-10-13T00:00:00) Kumar, Ajay; Attri, Arun K.
The temporal profile of PM10 and its composition comprising water-soluble ionic species and n-alkanes studied over the 14 months was segregated into three seasons: winter, summer, and monsoon. The average PM10 concentration exceeds the prescribed National PM10 limits in summer and winter. The PM10 concentration was highest in summer, followed by winter, and lowest in monsoon. Water-soluble inorganic ionic species� major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, and NH4+) and anions (F?, Cl?, NO3? and SO42?) contributed an average 30.7% to PM10. The ionic species displayed significant variation, with the highest concentration in winter and the lowest in the monsoon. The secondary inorganic ions, SO42?, NO3?, and NH4+, contributed 84% to the total ionic mass. The ion balance study revealed a strong correlation between anion and cation charge equivalents, suggesting their main contribution to PM10. The neutralization of NO3? + SO42? with NH4+ suggested, NH4+ being the main neutralizing species. n-alkanes concentration in PM10 was significant and showed seasonal variation, highest in the winters and lowest in monsoon. The source profiling of PM10 components, using statistical correlation, regression, and principal component analysis (PCA), revealed solid-fuel biomass, soil dust, and brick kilns and transported materials as major sources. � 2023 Turkish National Committee for Air Pollution Research and Control