Skip to main content

Manu Kumar

Sogang University, Life Science, Graduate Student

Followers

70

Following

30

Co-authors

3

Public Views

Address: Manu Kumar,
Doctoral Fellow,
Deaprtment of Life Science, Ricci Hall, Sogang University, Sinsu-dong, Mapo-gu, 121-742, Seoul, Korea.

less

Interests

Uploads

Papers by Manu Kumar

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Coix lacryma-jobi L. (Poaceae), a cereal and medicinal crop

Mitochondrial DNA Part B, 2018

Coix lacryma-jobi is a cereal and medicinal crop belonging to the Poaceae family. This study char... more Coix lacryma-jobi is a cereal and medicinal crop belonging to the Poaceae family. This study characterized complete chloroplast genome sequence of a Korean cultivar Johyun of C. lacryma-jobi var. ma-yuen through the de novo hybrid assembly with Illumina and PacBio genomic reads. The chloroplast genome is 140,863 bp long and composed of large single copy (82,827 bp), small single copy (12,522 bp), and a pair of inverted repeats (each 22,757 bp). A total of 123 genes including 87 proteincoding genes, 32 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes were predicted in the genome. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed a close relationship of C. lacryma-jobi with species in the Panicoideae subfamily of the Poaceae family.

In Vitro and In Silico Toxicological Properties of Natural Antioxidant Therapeutic Agent Azima tetracantha. LAM

by Gayathri Purush and Manu Kumar

Antioxidants, Aug 18, 2021

Plant-derived antioxidants are a large group of natural products with the capacity to reduce radi... more Plant-derived antioxidants are a large group of natural products with the capacity to reduce radical-scavenging. Due to their potent therapeutic and preventive actions, these compounds receive a lot of attention from scientists, particularly pharmacologists. The pharmacological activities of the Azima tetracantha Lam. (AT) plant, belonging to the Salvadoraceae family, reported here justifies its traditional use in treating several diseases or disorders. This study aims to look at the propensity of certain plant compounds found in natural AT plant extracts that might play a critical role as a secondary metabolite in cervical cancer treatment. There is a shortage of information on the plant's phytochemical and biological characteristics. Methanol (MeOH) solvent extracts of the dried AT plant were screened phytochemically. Its aqueous extract was tested for antioxidant, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and anticancerous properties. Absorption Distribution Metabolism and Excretion (ADME/T), Docking, and HPLC were also performed. In clinical treatment, the plant shown no adverse effects. The antioxidant activity was evaluated and showed the highest concentration at 150 µg/mL (63.50%). MeOH leaf extract of AT exhibited the highest and best inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus (15.3 mm/1000) and displayed a high antiseptic potential. At a 200 µg/mL concentration, MeOH leaves-extract inhibited red blood cells (RBC) hemolysis by 66.56 ± 0.40, compared with 62.33 ± 0.40 from the standard. Albumin's ability to suppress protein denaturation ranged from 16.75 ± 0.65 to 62.35 ± 0.20 inhibitions in this test, providing even more support for its favorable anti-inflammatory properties. The ADME/T studies were considered for a potential cancer drug molecule, and one of our compounds from MeOH extract fills the ADME and toxicity parameters. The forms of compound 4 showed a strong hydrogen-bonding interaction with the vital amino acids (ASN923, THR410, LEU840TRY927, PHE921, and GLY922). A total of 90% of cell inhibition was observed when HeLa cell lines were treated with 300 µg/mL of compound 4 (7-acetyl-3a 1 -methyl-4,14-dioxo-1,2,3a,3a 1 ,4,5,5a,6,8a,9b,10,11,11a-tetradecahydro-2,5a epoxy5,6a (methanooxymethano)phenaleno[1 ,9 :5,6,7]indeno [1,7a-b]oxiren-2-yl acetate). The polyphenol compounds demonstrated significant advances in anticancer drug properties, and it could lead to activation of cancer cell apoptosis.

In Vitro and In Silico Toxicological Properties of Natural Antioxidant Therapeutic Agent Azima tetracantha. LAM

by Gayathri Purush and Manu Kumar

Antioxidants, 2021

Plant-derived antioxidants are a large group of natural products with the capacity to reduce radi... more Plant-derived antioxidants are a large group of natural products with the capacity to reduce radical-scavenging. Due to their potent therapeutic and preventive actions, these compounds receive a lot of attention from scientists, particularly pharmacologists. The pharmacological activities of the Azima tetracantha Lam. (AT) plant, belonging to the Salvadoraceae family, reported here justifies its traditional use in treating several diseases or disorders. This study aims to look at the propensity of certain plant compounds found in natural AT plant extracts that might play a critical role as a secondary metabolite in cervical cancer treatment. There is a shortage of information on the plant’s phytochemical and biological characteristics. Methanol (MeOH) solvent extracts of the dried AT plant were screened phytochemically. Its aqueous extract was tested for antioxidant, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and anticancerous properties. Absorption Distribution Metabolism and Excretion (ADME/T...

Lignin-Mediated Silver Nanoparticle Synthesis for Photocatalytic Degradation of Reactive Yellow 4G and In Vitro Assessment of Antioxidant, Antidiabetic, and Antibacterial Activities

Polymers, 2022

This study explored the potential of abundantly available sodium lignosulfonate (LS) as a reducer... more This study explored the potential of abundantly available sodium lignosulfonate (LS) as a reducer and fabricating agent in preparing silver nanoparticles (LS–Ag NPs). The operational conditions were optimized to make the synthesis process simpler, rapid, and eco-friendly. The prepared LS–Ag NPs were analyzed via UV–Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Results demonstrated that LS–Ag NPs were of crystalline structure, capped with LS constituents, and spherical in shape with a size of approximately 20 nm. Under optimized conditions, LS–Ag NPs exhibited significant photocatalytic activity in Reactive Yellow 4G degradation. The effects of photocatalyst (LS–Ag NPs) dosage, dye concentration, and its reusability for dye degradation were studied to make the process practically applicable in textile wastewater treatment. Additionally, the synthesized LS–Ag NPs displayed significant fr...

Significance of Immune Status of SARS-CoV-2 Infected Patients in Determining the Efficacy of Therapeutic Interventions

Journal of Personalized Medicine

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is now being investigated for its distinctive patterns in the... more Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is now being investigated for its distinctive patterns in the course of disease development which can be indicated with miscellaneous immune responses in infected individuals. Besides this series of investigations on the pathophysiology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), significant fundamental immunological and physiological processes are indispensable to address clinical markers of COVID-19 disease and essential to identify or design effective therapeutics. Recent developments in the literature suggest that deficiency of type I interferon (IFN) in serum samples can be used to represent a severe progression of COVID-19 disease and can be used as the basis to develop combined immunotherapeutic strategies. Precise control over inflammatory response is a significant aspect of targeting viral infections. This account presents a brief review of the pathophysiological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the underst...

Algal Metabolites Can Be an Immune Booster against COVID-19 Pandemic

Antioxidants

The world has faced the challenges of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2... more The world has faced the challenges of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) for the last two years, first diagnosed at the end of 2019 in Wuhan and widely distributed worldwide. As a result, the WHO has proclaimed the illness brought on by this virus to be a global pandemic. To combat COVID-19, researcher communities continuously develop and implement rapid diagnoses, safe and effective vaccinations and other alternative therapeutic procedures. However, synthetic drug-related side effects and high costs have piqued scientists’ interest in natural product-based therapies and medicines. In this regard, antiviral substances derived from natural resources and some medicines have seen a boom in popularity. For instance, algae are a rich source of compounds such as lectins and sulfated polysaccharides, which have potent antiviral and immunity-boosting properties. Moreover, Algae-derived compounds or metabolites can be used as antibodies and vaccine raw materials aga...

Metalloids and Their Role in the Biological System

Metalloids in Plants

Developing Microbial Co-Culture System for Enhanced Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) Production Using Acid Pretreated Lignocellulosic Biomass

Polymers

In the growing polymer industry, the interest of researchers is captivated by bioplastics product... more In the growing polymer industry, the interest of researchers is captivated by bioplastics production with biodegradable and biocompatible properties. This study examines the polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) production performance of individual Lysinibacillus sp. RGS and Ralstonia eutropha ATCC 17699 and their co-culture by utilizing sugarcane bagasse (SCB) hydrolysates. Initially, acidic (H2SO4) and acidified sodium chlorite pretreatment was employed for the hydrolysis of SCB. The effects of chemical pretreatment on the SCB biomass assembly and its chemical constituents were studied by employing numerous analytical methods. Acidic pretreatment under optimal conditions showed effective delignification (60%) of the SCB biomass, leading to a maximum hydrolysis yield of 74.9 ± 1.65% and a saccharification yield of 569.0 ± 5.65 mg/g of SCB after enzymatic hydrolysis. The resulting SCB enzymatic hydrolysates were harnessed for PHA synthesis using individual microbial culture and their defined ...

MOFs-Graphene Composites Synthesis and Application for Electrochemical Supercapacitor: A Review

Polymers

Today’s world requires high-performance energy storage devices such as hybrid supercapacitors (HS... more Today’s world requires high-performance energy storage devices such as hybrid supercapacitors (HSc), which play an important role in the modern electronic market because supercapacitors (Sc) show better electrical properties for electronics devices. In the last few years, the scientific community has focused on the coupling of Sc and battery-type materials to improve energy and power density. Recently, various hybrid electrode materials have been reported in the literature; out of these, coordination polymers such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are highly porous, stable, and widely explored for various applications. The poor conductivity of classical MOFs restricts their applications. The composite of MOFs with highly porous graphene (G), graphene oxide (GO), or reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanomaterials is a promising strategy in the field of electrochemical applications. In this review, we have discussed the strategy, device structure, and function of the MOFs/G, MOFs/GO, and ...

An Insight into the Abiotic Stress Responses of Cultivated Beets (Beta vulgaris L.)

Plants

Cultivated beets (sugar beets, fodder beets, leaf beets, and garden beets) belonging to the speci... more Cultivated beets (sugar beets, fodder beets, leaf beets, and garden beets) belonging to the species Beta vulgaris L. are important sources for many products such as sugar, bioethanol, animal feed, human nutrition, pulp residue, pectin extract, and molasses. Beta maritima L. (sea beet or wild beet) is a halophytic wild ancestor of all cultivated beets. With a requirement of less water and having shorter growth period than sugarcane, cultivated beets are preferentially spreading from temperate regions to subtropical countries. The beet cultivars display tolerance to several abiotic stresses such as salt, drought, cold, heat, and heavy metals. However, many environmental factors adversely influence growth, yield, and quality of beets. Hence, selection of stress-tolerant beet varieties and knowledge on the response mechanisms of beet cultivars to different abiotic stress factors are most required. The present review discusses morpho-physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of...

An Overview of Recent Advancements in Microbial Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) Production from Dark Fermentation Acidogenic Effluents: A Path to an Integrated Bio-Refinery

Polymers

Global energy consumption has been increasing in tandem with economic growth motivating researche... more Global energy consumption has been increasing in tandem with economic growth motivating researchers to focus on renewable energy sources. Dark fermentative hydrogen synthesis utilizing various biomass resources is a promising, less costly, and less energy-intensive bioprocess relative to other biohydrogen production routes. The generated acidogenic dark fermentative effluent [e.g., volatile fatty acids (VFAs)] has potential as a reliable and sustainable carbon substrate for polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) synthesis. PHA, an important alternative to petrochemical based polymers has attracted interest recently, owing to its biodegradability and biocompatibility. This review illustrates methods for the conversion of acidogenic effluents (VFAs), such as acetate, butyrate, propionate, lactate, valerate, and mixtures of VFAs, into the value-added compound PHA. In addition, the review provides a comprehensive update on research progress of VFAs to PHA conversion and related enhancement techniqu...

Chloroplast Localized FIBRILLIN11 Is Involved in the Osmotic Stress Response during Arabidopsis Seed Germination

Biology

Plants live in ever-changing environments, facing adverse environmental conditions including path... more Plants live in ever-changing environments, facing adverse environmental conditions including pathogen infection, herbivore attack, drought, high temperature, low temperature, nutrient deficiency, toxic metal soil contamination, high salt, and osmotic imbalance that inhibit overall plant growth and development. Plants have evolved mechanisms to cope with these stresses. In this study, we found that the FIBRILLIN11 (FBN11) gene in Arabidopsis, which has a lipid-binding FBN domain and a kinase domain, is involved in the plant’s response to abiotic stressors, including salt and osmotic stresses. FBN11 protein localizes to the chloroplast. FBN11 gene expression significantly changed when plants were exposed to the abiotic stress response mediators such as abscisic acid (ABA), sodium chloride (NaCl), and mannitol. The seed germination rates of fbn11 homozygous mutants in different concentrations of mannitol and NaCl were significantly reduced compared to wild type. ABA-dependent and -inde...

In Vitro and In Silico Toxicological Properties of Natural Antioxidant Therapeutic Agent Azima tetracantha. LAM

Antioxidants, 2021

Plant-derived antioxidants are a large group of natural products with the capacity to reduce radi... more Plant-derived antioxidants are a large group of natural products with the capacity to reduce radical-scavenging. Due to their potent therapeutic and preventive actions, these compounds receive a lot of attention from scientists, particularly pharmacologists. The pharmacological activities of the Azima tetracantha Lam. (AT) plant, belonging to the Salvadoraceae family, reported here justifies its traditional use in treating several diseases or disorders. This study aims to look at the propensity of certain plant compounds found in natural AT plant extracts that might play a critical role as a secondary metabolite in cervical cancer treatment. There is a shortage of information on the plant’s phytochemical and biological characteristics. Methanol (MeOH) solvent extracts of the dried AT plant were screened phytochemically. Its aqueous extract was tested for antioxidant, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and anticancerous properties. Absorption Distribution Metabolism and Excretion (ADME/T...

Chloroplast Localized FIBRILLIN11 Is Involved in the Osmotic Stress Response during Arabidopsis Seed Germination

Simple Summary The FIBRILLIN11 (FBN11) of Arabidopsis has a lipid-binding FBN domain and a kinase... more Simple Summary The FIBRILLIN11 (FBN11) of Arabidopsis has a lipid-binding FBN domain and a kinase domain. FBN11 is present in chloroplasts and is involved in salt and osmotic stress responses during seed germination. In mannitol, the seed germination rate of the fbn11 mutants significantly reduced compared to that of the wild type. The ABA-dependent and -independent stress response regulating genes were differentially expressed in fbn11 mutants and wild-type when grown in mannitol supplemented medium. These results suggest that chloroplast localized FBN11 is involved in mediating osmotic stress tolerance through the signaling pathway that regulates the stress response in the nucleus. Abstract Plants live in ever-changing environments, facing adverse environmental conditions including pathogen infection, herbivore attack, drought, high temperature, low temperature, nutrient deficiency, toxic metal soil contamination, high salt, and osmotic imbalance that inhibit overall plant growth ...

Advances in glucosamine production from waste biomass and microbial fermentation technology and its applications

Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery

Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of PIN-FORMED (PIN) Gene Family Reveals Role in Developmental and Various Stress Conditions in Triticum aestivum L

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

PIN-FORMED (PIN) genes play a crucial role in regulating polar auxin distribution in diverse deve... more PIN-FORMED (PIN) genes play a crucial role in regulating polar auxin distribution in diverse developmental processes, including tropic responses, embryogenesis, tissue differentiation, and organogenesis. However, the role of PIN-mediated auxin transport in various plant species is poorly understood. Currently, no information is available about this gene family in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In the present investigation, we identified the PIN gene family in wheat to understand the evolution of PIN-mediated auxin transport and its role in various developmental processes and under different biotic and abiotic stress conditions. In this study, we performed genome-wide analysis of the PIN gene family in common wheat and identified 44 TaPIN genes through a homology search, further characterizing them to understand their structure, function, and distribution across various tissues. Phylogenetic analyses led to the classification of TaPIN genes into seven different groups, providing evide...

Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of the Brassinazole-resistant (BZR) Gene Family and Its Expression in the Various Developmental Stage and Stress Conditions in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Brassinosteroids (BRs) play crucial roles in various biological processes, including plant develo... more Brassinosteroids (BRs) play crucial roles in various biological processes, including plant developmental processes and response to diverse biotic and abiotic stresses. However, no information is currently available about this gene family in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In the present investigation, we identified the BZR gene family in wheat to understand the evolution and their role in diverse developmental processes and under different stress conditions. In this study, we performed the genome-wide analysis of the BZR gene family in the bread wheat and identified 20 TaBZR genes through a homology search and further characterized them to understand their structure, function, and distribution across various tissues. Phylogenetic analyses lead to the classification of TaBZR genes into five different groups or subfamilies, providing evidence of evolutionary relationship with Arabidopsis thaliana, Zea mays, Glycine max, and Oryza sativa. A gene exon/intron structure analysis showed a di...

A comprehensive overview and recent advances on polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) production using various organic waste streams

Bioresource Technology

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are appealing as an important alternative to replace synthetic plasti... more Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are appealing as an important alternative to replace synthetic plastics owing to its comparable physicochemical properties to that of synthetic plastics, and biodegradable and biocompatible nature. This review gives an inclusive overview of the current research activities dealing with PHA production by utilizing different waste fluxes generated from food, milk and sugar processing industries. Valorization of these waste fluxes makes the process cost effective and practically applicable. Recent advances in the approaches adopted for waste treatment, fermentation strategies, and genetic engineering can give insights to the researchers for future direction of waste to bioplastics production. Lastly, synthesis and application of PHA-nanocomposites, research and development challenges, future perspectives for sustainable and cost-effective PHB production are also discussed. In addition, the review addresses the useful information about the opportunities and confines associated with the sustainable PHA production using different waste streams and their evaluation for commercial implementation within a biorefinery.

Microbial Biosurfactant: A New Frontier for Sustainable Agriculture and Pharmaceutical Industries

In the current scenario of changing climatic conditions and rising global population, there is al... more In the current scenario of changing climatic conditions and rising global population, there is always a need to explore novel, efficient, and economical natural products for the benefit of human kind. Biosurfactant is one of the latest explored microbial biomolecules that have been used in numerous fields, including agriculture, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food processing, and environment-cleaning industries as raw material, lubrication, wetting, foaming softening, making emulsions, and stabilizing dispersions. The amphiphilic nature of biosurfactant biomolecules showed great advantage, distributing themselves into two immiscible surfaces by reducing interfacial surface tension and increasing the solubility of hydrophobic compounds. Furthermore, their eco-friendly nature, low or even no toxic nature, durability at higher temperatures, and wide range of pH fluctuations making the microbial surfactants preferable compared to their chemical counterparts. Additionally, the biosurfactant...

A Comprehensive Overview on the Production of Vaccines in Plant-Based Expression Systems and the Scope of Plant Biotechnology to Combat against SARS-CoV-2 Virus Pandemics

Plants

Many pathogenic viral pandemics have caused threats to global health; the COVID-19 pandemic is th... more Many pathogenic viral pandemics have caused threats to global health; the COVID-19 pandemic is the latest. Its transmission is growing exponentially all around the globe, putting constraints on the health system worldwide. A novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), causes this pandemic. Many candidate vaccines are available at this time for COVID-19, and there is a massive international race underway to procure as many vaccines as possible for each country. However, due to heavy global demand, there are strains in global vaccine production. The use of a plant biotechnology-based expression system for vaccine production also represents one part of this international effort, which is to develop plant-based heterologous expression systems, virus-like particles (VLPs)-vaccines, antiviral drugs, and a rapid supply of antigen-antibodies for detecting kits and plant origin bioactive compounds that boost the immunity and provide tolerance to fight aga...