Phytochemical screening, green synthesis of gold nanoparticles, and antibacterial activity using seeds extract of Ricinus communis L

In the current research study, the phytochemical tests of the Ricinus communis L methanolic extract detected the presence of coumarin, reducing sugar, emodines, terpenoids, flavonoids, and steroids while water extract showed the presence of alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, and soluble starch. The methanolic extract was further subjected to synthesize Au nanoparticles. The synthesized nanoparticles were confirmed by UV-Vis through the appearance of a peak at 550 nm which correspond to the existence of Au nanoparticles. The size and morphology of synthesized nanoparticle were further studied by the dynamic light scattering technique which shows that nanoparticles were in the range of 100 nm which were further confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The synthesized nanoparticles and extracts were tested against different bacterial strains. The results revealed that methanolic extract showed maximum inhibition of 19.5 mm against Klebsiella pneumoniae and 20.33 mm against Bacillus cereus while water extract showed maximum inhibition of 18.16 mm against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 19.33 mm against B. cereus. On the other hand, Au nanoparticles showed maximum inhibition of 18.5 mm against Escherichia coli.

Coupling phytoremediation efficiency and detoxification to assess the role of P in the Cu tolerant Ricinus communis L

Phosphorous (P) fertilization is an important agronomic practice, but its role in enhancing phytoremediation efficacy and mediating detoxification has rarely been reported in environmental remediation studies. In this study, a pot experiment was undertaken to assess: firstly, the effect of P on phytoextraction of Cu by Ricinus communis L.; secondly, the potential mechanisms by differentiating the effects of the plant from that of P fertilizer (Ca(H₂PO₄)₂); and thirdly, the role of P in physiological detoxification. Results showed that the application of P fertilizer significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased the plant biomass as well as the Cu concentrations in plant tissues. This enhanced the phytoremediation efficiency represented by the total Cu extraction (up to 121.3 μg Cu plant^-1). Phosphorous (P) fertilizer led to a negligible decline in soil pH (0.2 units) but significantly (p ≤ 0.05) reduced the concentrations of soil available in Cu and Fe, due to the formation of insoluble Cu/Fe-phosphate precipitates. Nevertheless, P fertilizer still improved the accumulation and extraction of Cu by R. communis, most likely attributable to the Fe-deficiency induced by applied P fertilizer. Moreover, the application of P fertilizer revealed a significant reduction in MDA, and a profound (p ≤ 0.05) elevation in the amount of photosynthetic pigments, GSH and AsA, along with the enhanced activities of antioxidative enzymes (SOD, POD, and CAT). In this way, Cu toxicity was alleviated. P fertilizers not only enhance the phytoremediation efficiency of Cu-contaminated soils by R. communis, but they also facilitate detoxification, which improves our understanding of the role of P in phytoremediation technologies.

Influence of nitrogen forms and application rates on the phytoextraction of copper by castor bean (Ricinus communis L.)

Fertilization is an important agricultural strategy for enhancing the efficiency of phytoremediation in copper (Cu)-contaminated soils. In this study, the effects of nitrogen (N) forms, including ammonium (NH4+-N) and nitrate (NO3--N), on the growth, translocation, and accumulation of Cu in the tissues of Ricinus communis L. were investigated in pot and hydroponic experiments. The results demonstrated that higher biomass and N contents in plants were obtained when N was supplied as NO3--N rather than NH4+-N. Application of N increased the Cu content in the roots of R. communis, with a higher content after NH4+-N (53.10-64.20 mg kg-1) than NO3--N (37.62-53.75 mg kg-1) treatment. On the contrary, the levels of Cu translocation factors were much higher in NO3--fed plants (0.34-0.45) than in NH4+-fed plants (0.28-0.38). The suggested amount of N for fertilizer application is 225 kg hm-2, which resulted in the highest Cu content in R. communis and optimal plant growth. As the main Cu-binding site, root cell walls accumulated less Cu in plants treated with NH4+-N compared with NO3--N. Additionally, NH4+-N induced a higher malondialdehyde content and more severe root damage compared with NO3--N. In the leaf, a larger number of black granules, which could be protein and starch grains involved in the detoxification of Cu in R. communis, were present after NH4+-N than NO3--N treatment. These results illustrate that N forms are especially important for Cu translocation and accumulation and that immobilization and transformation of Cu in roots were improved more by NH4+-N than NO3--N. In conclusion, N fertilizers containing the appropriate forms applied at suitable rates may enhance the biomass and Cu accumulation of R. communis and thereby the remediation efficiency of Cu-contaminated soils.

Chemical attributes of soil and growth of castor beans fertilized with drilling gravel from oil wells and castor pie

The extraction of oil from onshore wells and the production of biodiesel from castor bean crops have grown in recent years, resulting in the production of large volumes of drill cuttings from these wells and castor pie, which can be harmful to the environment. The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of a combination of different doses of drill cuttings and castor pie on the chemical attributes of a Planosol and on the dry mass production of the aerial part (DMAP) and dry mass of roots (DMR) of castor bean crops (Ricinus communis L.), cultivar BRS-149 Nordestina. The experimental design was a randomized block with a factorial 6 × 6, consisting of five castor pie doses (2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 Mg ha-1); five drill cuttings doses (5, 15, 30, 45, and 60 Mg ha-1) and an experimental control using only soil samples, with three repetitions. The soil used as the main substrate was collected at 0.0-0.2 m depth in a Planosol. The mixture of the topsoil layer with the experimental doses was performed using a mixer for 5 min, and the samples were distributed in 8 dm3 pots; each pot corresponded to an experimental unit. The mixture of cuttings from drill wells and castor pie with a 30: 16 Mg ha-1 ratio, provided favorable chemical conditions for castor bean crop development; however, drill cuttings doses >30 Mg ha-1 can cause soil salinization, and negatively affect the development of castor bean crops.

for lead-spiked soils

Soil contamination with lead (Pb) is a serious global concern, adversely affecting crop production. Pot experiments were conducted to assess the efficacy of Prosopis biochar and rice husk ash for plant growth and mitigating Pb translocation in Ricinus communis. Physico-chemical characterization of both the amendments was carried out on a dry weight basis. Seedlings of R.communis were grown in 0, 400 and 800 mg kg^-1 Pb spiked soil amended with Prosopis juliflora biochar (PJB) and rice husk ash (RHA) at 0, 2.5% and 5% (w/w) of soil for 60 days. Addition of biochar and rice husk ash to soils increased the Pb tolerance in R.communis, improved soil pH, nutrient intake, and antioxidant enzymatic activities. The biochar amendment significantly (p < 0.05) increased plant growth parameters (height, leaf diameter, nodes, and leaf number), protein (72%) and chlorophyll contents (38-52%), as did RHA to a lesser extent (increase of 10-31% in chlorophyll and 77% protein content) compared to unamended plants. Soil usage of RHA resulted in a more consistent decrease in Pb accumulation in the root, shoot, and leaf relative to PJB. Treatment with PJB at 5% decreased the accumulation of Pb in roots by 59% whereas RHA decreased Pb concentration in roots by 87%. The two distinct amendments significantly reduced the availability of soil Pb and decreased oxidative damage, as evidenced by the lower production of proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in plants. Changes in infrared spectra confirmed that oxygenated phosphate, amide, ester and ether functional groups played a key role in binding accumulated Pb in roots as well as alleviation of Pb-induced phytotoxicity. Our findings conclude the amendments can be used as a stress regulator in mitigating Pb toxicity, which is important for all economic crop plants, including R.communis.

leaves extract in treatment of osteoarthritis using MIA model in rats

Background

Many plants have been introduced in Iranian traditional medicine for treatment of different joint problems including knee pain. Topical application of the mixture of Lawsonia inermis L. leaves (Henna) with aqueous extract of Ricinus communis L. leaves have been mentioned to have significant effects on reducing knee pain. The present study was designed to evaluate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of the mixture of these two herbs in male rats.

Methods

We induced knee osteoarthritis as a model of chronic pain by intra-articular injection of mono sodium iodoacetate (MIA). Mechanical allodynia, hotplate latency test, spontaneous movements and gait analysis were used for the evaluation of analgesic activity. Anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by measuring the diameter and the volume of the injected paw compared to contralateral paw. These tests were monitored at days 1, 3, 7, 14 and 21 of MIA administration. Histopathological evaluations were also used to assess the efficacy of the treatment on inflammation and lesions in knee tissue. In all tests, diclofenac topical gel was used as a positive control. The herbal extracts, their mixture, and vehicle or diclofenac gel were administered daily for 14 days by topical route.

Results

The mixture of these two extracts significantly reduced the knee joint width and volume of the injected paws and also improved foot prints in gait analysis after 3 days of MIA injection. Analysis of mechanical allodynia (after 21 days), hotplate latency test (after 10 days), spontaneous movements (after 7 days) and in positive control group (after 3 days in all tests and in mechanical allodynia after 14 days) compared to the vehicle group, showed significant effects. Topical usage of the selected formulation made significant histopathological changes on the knee of the rats. Compared to the vehicle group, the tests and diclofenac groups showed less reactions characterized by negligible edema and a few scattered inflammatory lymphoid cells.

Conclusion

The present findings showed that the present formulation not only was able to mitigate pain and inflammation in the paws but also made significant histopathological changes on the knee of the rats. Further studies are necessary to confirm the effect of the formulation.