Development of luminescence carbon quantum dots for metal ions detection and photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes from aqueous media.

In the present study, fish scale waste was used for the organic synthesis of luminescence CQDs by the hydrothermal method. The impact of CQDs on improved photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes and metal ions detection is examined in this study. The synthesized CQDs had a variety of characteristics that were detected, such as crystallinity, morphology, functional groups, and binding energies. The luminescence CQDs showed outstanding photocatalytic effectiveness for the destruction of methylene blue (96.5%) and reactive red 120 dye (97.8%), respectively after 120 min exposure to visible light (420 nm). The high electron transport properties of the CQDs edges, which make it possible to efficiently separate electron-hole pairs, are attributed to the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the CQDs. These degradation results prove that the CQDs are the outcome of a synergistic interaction between visible light (adsorption); a potential mechanism is also suggested, and the kinetics is analyzed to use a pseudo-first-order model. Additionally, the metal ions detection of CQDs was studied by various metal ions (Hg2+, Fe2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, and Cd2+) in an aqueous solution and results revealed that the PL intensity of CQDs in presence of cadmium ions decreased. Studies show that the organic fabrication of CQDs are effective photocatalyst and may one day serve as the ideal material to reduce water pollution.

Synthesis of Ziziphus spina-christi (Jujube) Root Methanol Extract Loaded Functionalized Silver Nanoparticle (ZS-Ag-NPs); Physiochemical Characterization and Effect of ZS-Ag-NPs on Adipocyte Maturation, Adipokine and Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Interaction.

In this research, a simple, green approach was employed to synthesize silver nanoparticles with the aid of Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) methanol root extract, which can act as a reducing, capping agent to treat obesity and inflammation. Globally, Ziziphus spina-christi (Jujube) root is used in traditional therapy as a lipolysis promoter. GC-MS results confirmed the availability of kaempferol (flavonol), cannabinol and indole-3-carboxylic acid in Ziziphus spina-christi root methanol extract (ZSE). ZSE silver nanoparticles (ZS-Ag-NPs) were synthesized and their effect on mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation capacity and adipokine levels in maturing adipocytes were analyzed. Maturing adipocytes treated with 0.4 µg/dL of ZSE and ZS-Ag-NPs significantly reduced the lipid content in adipocytes by 64% and 82%, respectively. In addition, lipolysis-related genes such as LPL (1.9 fold), HSL (2.3 fold), PGC-1α (3 fold), UCP-1 (4.1 fold), PRDM16 (2 fold) and PPARα (2.7 fold) increased significantly in ZS-Ag-NPs treated maturing adipocytes. The ZS-Ag-NPs treatment significantly decreased insulin resistance and metabolic inflammation-related LTB4-R, TNF-α, IL-4 and STAT-6 mRNA levels. Mitochondrial thermogenesis stimulating capacity of ZS-Ag-NPs was further confirmed by the significantly enhanced CREB-1 and AMPK protein levels in adipocytes. Furthermore, ZS-Ag-NPs treated adipokines (condition media, CM) were treated with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to determine cytotoxicity and pro-inflammatory stimulus capacity. We found that ZS-Ag-NPs treated adipocyte CM effectively increased mRNA expression levels of the vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF), and down-regulated oxidative stress (LPO, eNOS, and HO) and vascular cell inflammation (ICAM, VCAM, TNF-α, IL-1ß, and NF-κB). In conclusion, ZS-Ag-NPs displayed an action at the molecular level in mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation, decreased adipokine secretion in adipocytes, and enhanced vascular endothelial cell growth. This molecular mechanical action of ZS-Ag-NPs reduced effectively obesity progressions and metabolic inflammatory pathogenesis associated with aging.