Neeraj K. Aggarwal

Kurukshetra University | KUK · Department of Microbiology

To tackle the persistent global issue of non‐biodegradable petro‐plastics, this study undertook the challenge of developing environmentally sustainable and active packaging alternatives. The approach involved preparing composite films by blending poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) while integrating olive oil and zinc oxide to a...

This investigation favours the possibilities of amla, beetroot and dates as a substrate for the development of probiotic jam by means of lactic acid fermentation. Lactobacillus plantarum BD1, L. plantarum CD1 and L. fermentum BD11 were the microflora that bring alteration in titratable acidity, pH, cell survival and antioxidant potential. In total...

The aim of the present work was to prepare poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)-based active food packaging film with antimicrobial potential. For the sake of developing such film, PHB silver nanocomposites (PHB/Ag) were synthesized biologically using rice-washed water as substrate for Cupriavidus necator. These nanocomposites were further incorporated with...

The noxious weed Parthenium hysterophorus has spread globally since departing from its native environment over two centuries ago. Its ability to thrive is attributed to adaptive features such as the lack of natural adversaries, broad adaptability, resilience to drought, insensitivity to light conditions, rapid seed production, easy seed dispersal,...

Microalgae, photosynthetic microorganisms found in aquatic environments, have gained attention as a potential sustainable source for therapeutic agents. Their diverse biochemical composition and ability to produce bioactive compounds make them particularly appealing for the development of vegan pharmaceuticals. The rise of veganism has created a de...

Parthenium hysterophorus (PH), often known as parthenium weed, is one of the seventh most devastating weeds in the world. The primary aim of the study was to produce and optimize fungal FPase enzymes under solid-state fermentation (SSF) conditions for application in enzymatic hydrolysis to produce bioethanol. The impact of various physiological fa...

Parthenium hysterophorous, a widespread weed in India, contributes a substantial amount of lignocellulosic biomass. The key objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of producing xylanase enzyme from P. hysterophorus weed biomass using the fungus Aspergillus niger. The impact of various physiological factors was confirmed through a two...

Plastics are widely utilized for a variety of purposes due to their versatile properties and ease of availability at low-cost price. Once disposed, it is widely recognized that they pose a significant environmental concern; as a result, it has become vital to replace petroleum-based plastics with more environmentally friendly alternatives. On the o...

With the development of high-throughput omics technologies, biology has entered the era of big data. The public has access to petabytes of data and information through biological databases, boosting knowledge discovery. Given their relatively modest genome sizes and significant roles as infectious and symbiotic agents, pathogens’ sequencing data ha...

In recent years, predicting drug-target interactions and potential side effects has become a crucial area of research in drug development. The drug-protein interactions are inferred through a variety of laboratory techniques. However, these studies are usually both costly and time consuming. The ability to accurately predict these interactions can...

Aquaculture is negatively impacted by the increasing deterioration of water quality in natural resources caused by discharge of pesticides. Pesticides are used to increase the productivity of crops but also toxic to aquatic ecosystems. The regulation of this impact is of key importance. Fish is a source of protein and part of the human diet, and al...

Network pharmacology is an emerging field that integrates network analysis, computational biology, and systems biology to understand the complex mechanisms of action of drugs and their targets in the context of biological networks. This approach has transformed drug discovery and development by enabling the identification of new drug targets, predi...

In the current study, the phytochemical composition and biological activity (antimicrobial, antioxidant, antigenotoxic, and antimutagenic) of different leaf extracts of green tea (Camellia Sinensis) were investigated. Maximum total polyphenol content (17.12 ± 0.02), total flavonoid content (16.18 ± 0.03), antioxidant activity (DPPH) to scavenge fre...

The major objective of present work was to fabricate poly(hydroxybutyrate) based luminescent films for genuine food packaging applications. These films were synthesized by incorporating varying Chromone (CH) concentrations (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 wt%) into poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) matrix through solvent-casting. Different characteristics of prepa...

Parthenium hysterophorus is a lignocellulosic material with a high potential for fermentable sugar production due to its high availability and adaptability. The current investigation aims at studying the effectiveness of KOH-assisted ultrasonication on the pretreatment of P. hysterophorus biomass. Ultrasonication is a new hydrolysis technology that...

Background Occupational exposure to toluene causes serious health problems ranging from drowsiness to lethal diseases such as cancer. Paint workers are exposed to toluene through inhalation or the dermal route, which can induce genetcic damage. The increased DNA damage could be linked to genetic polymorphism. Therefore, we evaluated the association...

Rice straw is a suitable alternative to a cheaper carbohydrate source for the production of ethanol. For pretreatment efficiency, different sodium hydroxide concentrations (0.5–2.5% w/v) were tested. When compared to other concentrations, rice straw processed with 2% NaOH (w/v) yielded more sugar (8.17 ± 0.01 mg/ml). An alkali treatment induces eff...

Bacteria are considered mini chemical factories that help us in providing a wide range of products for various purposes. These days, bacterial cellulose is getting attention by researchers due to its quality, eco-friendly nature, and excellent physical-mechanical qualities. It is being used in the fabrication of nanocomposites. Its nanocomposites c...

Waste accumulation is a grave concern and becoming a transboundary challenge for environment. During Covid‐19 pandemic, diverse type of waste were collected due to different practices employed in order to fight back the transmission rate of the virus. Covid‐19 was proved to be capricious catastrophe of this 20th century and even not completely erad...

Given the environmental pollution caused by petroleum-based plastics, finding alternative substitutes for sustainability has become critical. Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), a storage food material that is accumulated by several bacteria, is biodegradable, safe, environment friendly and comparable to conventional plastics. However, scale-up is an issue...

The objective of current study was to develop Poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) based active packaging film with long lasting antimicrobial potential in food-packaging applications. For developing such films, PHB was incorporated with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as a plasticizer, nano-silica (n-Si) as strengthening material and clove essential oil (CEO)...

Unlabelled: Macrocyclic ligands (MacL1-MacL3) and Co(II) complexes were synthesized via template condensation of o-phenylenediamine with various aromatic dicarboxylic acids. The elemental analysis, FT-IR, mass spectrometry, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, UV-vis, SEM analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, electrochemical studies, an...

The biomass of the lignocellulosic weed P. hysterophorus is abundant and wasteful in India. This study aimed to investigate the lignocellulosic weed P. hysterophorus for reducing sugar production. Therefore, several pretreatment methods, physical (Steam and Microwave), and chemical (alkalis and acids) were investigated to determine the statisticall...

The use of face masks aids to stop the transmission of various deadly communicable ailments, and therefore widespread mask wearing habit is advocated by nearly all health organisations including the WHO to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent studies predicted a shocking requirement of masks globally, approximately billions of masks per week in a sin...

Background Incomplete combustion of wood releases toxic chemicals. Exposure to these chemicals during charcoal production can modulate redox status of cellular system which may further lead to genomic instability and of antioxidant enzymes. Genetic polymorphism may alter the functioning properties of these enzymes and modulate the response to oxida...

Alpha ketoglutaric acid is a biological compound found naturally in the human body. It plays an important role in the cell metabolism and has a role in various metabolic pathways including Kreb’s cycle, protein metabolism and so on. Keto glutaric acid is chemically prepared from succinic acid and oxalic acid. It is a direct precursor of glutamic ac...

The present study documents the potential probiotic LAB isolated from indigenous microflora of cow dung. In this study, isolated culture was analyzed using 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing leading to the identification of LAB isolates (Enterococcus mundtii). The isolate was found to be non-hemolytic and can tolerate different bile, pH and NaCl and...

Plant secondary metabolites are high in bioactive chemicals and are employed in the pharmaceutical industry for the manufacture of nutrient-rich food. These bioactive chemicals are administered in both traditional and contemporary ways to cure various ailments and enhance people's health. Present study was undertaken the phytochemical composition a...

The bioactive compound of leaves extracts of Carica papaya was extracted using water (Hot aqueous) and organic solvents (methanol and acetone) were investigated for antibacterial activity against some human pathogenic bacteria using the agar diffusion method and antioxidant activity by DPPH method. The aqueous extracts of the leaves extracts did no...

Our research is mainly composed of isolation of lactic acid bacteria from cow dung. Lactic acid bacteria are generally normal flora of the human body present in our intestine and helpful in providing various health benefits, such as helpful in curing irritable bowel syndrome, gastroenteritis, helpful in providing immunity and having cholesterol red...

Current energy demand, rising oil prices, and the consequences of using fossil fuels have increased the desire for alternate energy sources. Bioethanol obtained from new feedstocks has gained attention and led to the production of advanced bioethanol over conventional. In terms of sustainability, the production of so-called advanced bioethanol has...

The call for an alternative and clean energy has grown as fossil sources have been depleted and energy needs have increased. The use of readily available lignocellulosic biomass for creating cost-effective and environmentally beneficial large-scale biorefinery applications has given this field a much-needed boost. Pretreatment is an important step...

Alternative renewable fuels are becoming increasingly important due to concerns about fuel security, the economy, and climate change. This study provides a thorough overview of algae harvesting and processing technologies as well as their applications in the development of biofuels like bioethanol. Because of their rapid growth, microalgae have bee...

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is ranked highest among non-communicable diseases and considered as main cause of deaths all over the world. Genetic variants of various genes have been reported strongly associated with risk of CVDs. KCNQ1 gene which has been found to be linked with diabetes mellitus, also plays an important role in cardiac functioning...

Parthenium hysterophorus is a potential source of a wide range of value-added products. Sulfuric acid-catalyzed pretreatment of P. hysterophorus biomass was used to see how it affected the P. hysterophorus characteristics and the sugar yield from enzymatic hydrolysis. The optimised pretreatment (utilized 2% (w/v) of a substrate, 1.50% (v/v) sulfuri...

Lead (Pb) is a ubiquitous toxic heavy metal that is known to induce damage to major macromolecules (lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids) by enhancing the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Naringenin, a predominant flavonoid primarily found in citrus fruits has attained increasing attention due to its various pharmacological properties. Thus,...

COVID-19, which is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, first appeared in Wuhan, China in the year 2019. It has been linked to a variety of fungal and bacterial illnesses that are opportunistic. There have been several reports of fungal infections following COVID-19. Recently, several cases of mucormycosis have been reported worldwide, particularly in I...

Plastic pollution has become a serious transboundary challenge to nature and human health, with estimation of reports published — predicting a twofold increase in plastic waste by 2030. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the excessive use of single-use plastics (including face masks, gloves and personal protective equipment) would possibly exac...

Abstract: Fungal cellulases are well-studied enzymes with various industrial applications. The key goal of this work was to evaluate the possibility of non-conventional P. hysterophorus weed biomass valorization by using it to produce β-glucosidases using the fungus P. citrinum NAF5. For a comparative analysis, three independent variables select...

In recent years, rising energy demand, food security concerns, and rising pollution levels have driven the attention to biofuel and bioenergy production. For decades, petroleum-based fossil fuels have been the most popular, particularly for transport. Though, it is expected that within the upcoming 50 years, fossil fuel sources will be exhausted. A...

As a biofuel, bioethanol is one of the most intriguing because of its beneficial environmental impact. It is currently made primarily from sugar and starch-containing raw ingredients. Most biofuels may be used either as a stand-alone fuel or in a blend with gasoline. Ethanol is by far the most common type. Raw materials for ethanol manufacturing in...

Despite growing environmental challenges, large volumes of fossil fuels are consumed every day. Biofuels created from various types of biomass are being used worldwide to preserve the environment and build a sustainable society. Although bioethanol has been widely produced, food crops such as corn and sugar cane are frequently used as substrates. I...

The exhaustion of fossil resources and poor conditions of the environment are two of the world’s primary worries these days. Fossil fuels, like coal, oil, and natural gas, are being exploited at a rising rate in both developed and developing countries, resulting in their overall depletion. There is an urgent need to produce sustainable and green te...

The second most important fermentable sugar found in lignocellulosic hydrolysates is xylose (pentose). Sugars such as C6 and C5 are used to produce a large amount of C2H5OH from lignocellulosic hydrolysates. The well-known yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the desired microorganism for C2H5OH manufacturing. However, surprisingly, S. cerevisiae is n...

The need for alternative renewable resources has grown in response to rising energy demand and depleted petroleum sources. Integrated biorefinery is an ideal approach for this where production of bioethanol can be done along with different products. Though no doubt, there are many shortcomings in the way like higher production costs but development...

Bioethanol can be considered as future fuel which has the potential to replace fossil fuels. Weeds have become difficult to manage to stop their global spread. Weeds can be profitable and valuable when utilized as a potential resource. Next-generation biofuel feedstocks can be made from weeds because of their rapid reproduction, abundance of cellul...

Bioethanol is being generated in greater quantities from biomass fermentation, mostly to combat the continued depletion of natural fuels and the resulting rise in oil costs. Bioethanol is now used mostly as a fuel or fuel substitute in automobiles, although it has the potential to be a flexible substrate in the chemical sector. Currently, the manuf...

Municipal solid waste management is a big problem all over the world. The improper management of municipal solid waste (MSW) can be extremely dangerous. Researchers from all around the world are working on a plethora of methods to reduce the generation of waste and oversee waste management for socioeconomic and environmental welfare. Using holistic...

Converting lignocellulosic material to fermentable sugar is a complex process that is also the most expensive portion of the biofuel production process. Even though acid/enzyme catalysts are commonly employed for lignocellulosic material hydrolysis, enzyme immobilization is now being recognized as a viable option. Immobilization of various biocatal...

Bioethanol has the potential to address the energy crisis by replacing fossil fuels. The need for energy is increasing day by day as a result of the rising population and industrialization. Simultaneously, global bioethanol production is steadily increasing. Bioethanol production's environmental consequences are entirely reliant on substrate access...

Defining the problem of fossil fuel depletion is a global one because it is the major mode of transportation. Bioethanol, which is ethanol made from a variety of bio-based sources, has recently been getting a lot of attention because it can help cut back on carbon dioxide emissions while also reducing the world's growing dependence on fossil fuels....

In modern time, the use of cosmetic, beauty and personal care products (PCPs) has increased all over the world. Peoples use hair dye to change their appearance so that they seem attractive. An increasing amount of different compounds are used to make these PCPs effective in performance and quality. Numerous chemical additives have toxic effects to...

DNA damage induced by Nickel chloride in lymphocytes has been studied in-vitro. The sister chromatids exchange and single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE), or comet assay were used to measure the level of DNA damage in terms of SCE frequency and comet parameters. Silymarin is a natural protective compound, isolated from Silybum marianum seeds and re...

Andrographolide, the main constituent of Andrographis paniculata is widely used as herbal remedy due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-cancer activities. In this study, antigenotoxic potential of andrographolide (AG) has been assessed by analyzing the DNA damage in the form of sister chromatid exchange (SCE) in cultured peripheral bloo...

Background: Single nucleotide polymorphisms in 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase-1 (OGG1) gene modulates DNA repair capacity and functions as one of the first lines of protective mechanisms against 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) mutagenicity. OGG1-Cys326 gene polymorphism may decrease DNA repair function, causing oxidative stress due to higher ox...

Purpose The primary aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential of P. hysterophorus weed biomass valorization through its utilization in the production of cellulase enzyme. Methods The work involved bio-prospecting of fungal microbes and selecting the most potent fungal isolate for its cellulolytic potential. Thereafter, endoglucanase p...

The dermal exposure of hair dye compounds i.e. p-Phenylenediamine (PPD), a primary ingredient of hair dye along with resorcinol (RE) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) occurs during hair dying process. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant catechin of green tea having anticancerous properties. To determine the genotoxicity of hair dye and...

In-vitro investigations toward DNA damage reported that the biological effect of genotoxic exposures could influence the life cycles of different human cells. Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) assay is broadly used, sensitive cytogenetic biomarker of exposure to genotoxic agents. Naturally available products may play a significant role against the cy...

Conversion of lignocelluloses to bioethanol takes place in three main stages, namely pretreatment to remove lignin and expose the crystalline structure of cellulose; enzymatic hydrolysis to convert cellulose and hemicellulose to simple sugars and microbial fermentation of sugars to ethanol. The most important of these steps is the pretreatment step...

Pretreatment is one of the most significant steps for the production of bioethanol from lignocellulosic feedstocks. Among the various pretreatment strategies known, biological pretreatment seems to be the most promising as it is mild and eco-friendly process and does not generate inhibitor unlike physical and chemical pretreatment methods which are...

Eichhornia crassipes is one of the world’s most pernicious aquatic weeds owing to its expeditious proliferation rate, ecological adaptability and survival strategies and deleterious impact on environment, human health and socio-economic development. A number of weed control methods including physical/mechanical removal, chemical methods and biologi...

Enhanced development of bioethanol for its use as a carbon-neutral renewable and clean fuel is ever-increasing as it reduces CO2 emissions and associated climate change; it is used as fuel mix and octane enhancer in gasoline and improves the ambient air quality. In comparison with conventional agricultural biomass, lignocellulose biomass is a poten...

Lignocellulosic materials, such as agricultural residues, softwood, hardwood, agro-industrial and forest-industrial residues are abundant renewable resources of biofuels to replace fossil fuels. The conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to bioethanol occurs in three main stages, an effective pretreatment step for deconstruction of biomass followed...

Lignocellulosic biomass as one of the most abundant, sustainable and cost-effective feedstocks for biofuel and other biochemical production has been quite challenging due to the natural recalcitrance of lignocellulose composed of lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose to enzymatic actions. The extreme recalcitrant nature of lignin has been the major h...

This book discusses the production of bioethanol from water hyacinth, a potential source of lignocellulosic biomass. Biofuels, as an alternative to fossil fuels, not only ensure energy security but also mitigate air pollution and reduce greenhouse emissions. Biofuels can be produced from sugar- and starch-rich food crops (first-generation biofuel)...

Nickel is well known for its wide industrial and chemical applications. It is naturally found in environment (air, water and soil) at low levels. But through the time increased industrialization and its commercial use have elevated its level in our environment. The workers in nickel refineries are the most exposed to nickel through inhalation of re...

Codonopsis clematidea, is a trans-Himalayan cold desert medicinal plant species, traditionally used by local tribal communities for the cure of various ailments. On this basis in present study the phytochemical composition and biological potential (antibacterial and antioxidant) of various fractions (n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and n-butan...

Aptamers are short DNA and RNA or protein sequence and have been extensively researched for their application in different field such as therapeutic agents, as delivery vehicles, as analytical tool, and as recognition molecule for sensor and different assay. To better understand the potential of aptamer in food safety and agriculture sector, an ove...

Fruit juices contain all essential nutrients that help in maintaining the health of human beings. However, fruit juices are easily spoiled by the growth of microorganism. Hence, the current investigation has been focused to examine the preservative potential of Illicium verum against microorganisms isolated from juices. Organic and aqueous extracts...

Phytomedicine or herbal medicine has been playing a significant role in the treatment of diseases since time immemorial throughout human history. Medicinal plants are used as a medical resource in almost all cultures. Herbal medicines, which were the major source of remedy in the ancient system of medicine, have been employed in medical practices s...

The book discusses the basics of aptamers and the advent of aptamer-based technology in recent times. The book covers the diverse applications of aptamers, such as in detection of animal and plant pathogens, disease diagnosis and therapeutics, environmental contamination detection etc. Besides these applications, the book also describes the use of...

We conducted a cohort study of tandoor workers to evaluate the relationship between the biomarkers of oxidative and genotoxic damage and exposure to polyaromatic hydrocarbons. A series of oxidative and genotoxic damage biomarkers, including urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and tail moment (TM) by comet as...

Lead (Pb) is a well‐known carcinogenic heavy metal. Exposure to Pb induces DNA damage by enhancing the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). One of the possible ways to shield DNA from this damage is to supply antioxidants that can remove free radicals generated by genotoxicants. Hence, the current study was designed to evaluate the antigeno...

Cadmium (Cd) is a non-redox metal that can indirectly cause oxidative stress by depleting cellular levels of glutathione. It is well-known for the generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydroxyl radicals, superoxide anions, nitric oxide, and hydrogen peroxide. The latter inactivates antioxidant enzymes and induces lipid peroxidation and D...

Parthenium hysterophorus biomass can be used as a non-conventional renewable feedstock for the production of bioethanol. Therefore, the present work was designed to hydrolyze P. hysterophorus biomass using cellulase enzyme produced from an actinomycete, i.e., Streptomyces sp. NAA2 using P. hysterophorus biomass as a substrate. The isolate NAA2 was...

The actinomycete strain NAA9 exhibiting cellulase production potential was identified based on 16S rDNA sequencing and was found belonging to Streptomyces group. On studying the effect of different lignocellulosic biomass on cellulase production by Streptomyces sp. NAA9, Parthenium hysterophorus weed biomass induced highest levels of enzyme product...

Cadmium (Cd) has a remarkable property of generating oxidative stress. It upregulates the level of reactive oxygen species, which generates damage to lipids, proteins, and DNA The level of oxidative stress by Cd is observed by inhibitory effects of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase, and glutathione pe...

Weeds have the potential to reduce the yield or quality of crops and produce a damaging effect on economic, social or conservation values. As peoples are more aware about environmental conservation, pressure is mounting for the development of effective and environment-friendly approaches to control weeds, on the scientists and active researchers in...

Cellulases are a group of hydrolytic enzymes, which work together as a system, to catalyze the hydrolysis of cellulose. Cellulose is a high-molecular-weight linear homopolymer of D-glucopyranose units linked together with β-(l → 4)-glycosidic bonds, with cellobiose dimer being the repeating unit. In nature, cellulose is present in the plant cell wa...

Arsenic exposure is one of the major health problem worldwide. It is related with various cancers and numerous other pathological effects. The present work was aimed to study the ameliorative effects of eugenol against arsenic mediated oxidative DNA damage using Sister chromatid exchanges (SCE), comet, and lipid peroxidation assays as biomarkers. F...

Chronic exposure of inorganic arsenic compounds is responsible for the manifestation of various tumours as well as other diseases. The principal mechanism behind arsenic toxicity is the induction of a strong oxidative stress with production of free radicals in cells. The present study was aimed to explore the shielding effect of anethole against ox...

In the present era, cellular phones have changed the life style of human beings completely and have become an essential part of their lives. The number of cell phones and cell towers are increasing in spite of their disadvantages. These cell towers transmit radiation continuously without any interruption, so people living within 100s of meters from...

Various studies have shown the genotoxic effects of cadmium (Cd) exposure on humans and focused on cytogenetic studies as an important tool for early detection of Cd induced mutagenicity. In this study, sister chromatid exchange assay (SCE) was used to assess the DNA damage and results were expressed in terms of SCE frequency. In order to diminish...

In the present era, cellular phones have changed the life style of human beings completely and have become an essential part of their lives. The number of cell phones and cell towers are increasing in spite of their disadvantages. These cell towers transmit radiation continuously without any interruption, so people living within 100s of meters from...

Lignin is a major noncarbohydrate polyphenolic structural constituent of cell wall of all the vascular plants and is present in association with cellulose and hemicellulose. It is the second most abundant polymer after cellulose. Lignin is well known for its resistance to microbial degradation because of its high molecular weight and various biolog...