• Advances in nano research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.75-86
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• 2024

The insecticidal efficiency of orange (Citrus sinensis) peel essential oil (OP-EO) is limited because of its low stability under environmental conditions. Nanoemulsion formulations show promise in overcoming this limitation. Therefore, this study aimed to formulate and characterize the OP-EO nanoemulsion form (OP-EON) and investigate its insecticidal properties against two significant storage pests, Rhyzopertha dominica (Fabricius, 1792), and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797). The OP-EON (4:3:3:90 w/w, EO: Tween 80: Ethanol: water) was successfully created using an ultrasonic homogenizer. The major chemical components of the OP-EO were determined to be D-limonene (87.93%), myrcene (3.62%), and α-pinene (1.34%) through GC-MS analysis. The OP-EON was characterized using TEM (50-100 nm), Zeta sizer (the mean droplet particle size of 58.60 nm, the ζ-potential value of -12.6 mV, and the polydispersity index of 0.486), and FT-IR analysis. After 7 days, exposure to 500 ppm of the OP-EON resulted in 50% and 30% mortality rates in R. dominica and T. castaneum, respectively. Exposure to 1000 ppm of OP-EON resulted in 90% and 55% mortality in R. dominica and T. castaneum, respectively, after 7 days. Overall, these results clearly showed the potential to exceed the limits of the insecticidal activity of the OP-EO with its nanoemulsion form.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.69-79
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• 2012

In an ongoing survey of the bioactive potential of microorganisms from Ladakh, India, the culture medium of a bacterial strain of a new Pseudomonas sp., strain ICTB-745, isolated from an alkaline soil sample collected from Leh, Ladakh, India, was found to contain metabolites that exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial and biosurfactant activities. Bioactivity-guided purification resulted in the isolation of four bioactive compounds. Their chemical structures were elucidated by $^1H$ and $^{13}C$ NMR, 2D-NMR (HMBC, HSQC, $^1H$,$^1H$-COSY, and DEPT-135), FT-IR, and mass spectroscopic methods, and were identified as 1-hydroxyphenazine, phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA), rhamnolipid-1 (RL-1), and rhamnolipid-2 (RL-2). These metabolites exhibited various biological activities like antimicrobial and efficient cytotoxic potencies against different human tumor cell lines such as HeLa, HepG2, A549, and MDA MB 231. RL-1 and RL-2 exhibited a dose-dependent antifeedant activity against Spodoptera litura, producing about 82.06% and 73.66% antifeedant activity, whereas PCA showed a moderate antifeedant activity (63.67%) at 60 ${\mu}g/cm^2$ area of castor leaf. Furthermore, PCA, RL-1, and RL-2 exhibited about 65%, 52%, and 47% mortality, respectively, against Rhyzopertha dominica at 20 ${\mu}g/ml$. This is the first report of rhamnolipids as antifeedant metabolites against Spodoptera litura and as insecticidal metabolites against Rhyzopertha dominica. The metabolites from Pseudomonas sp. strain ICTB-745 have interesting potential for use as a biopesticide in pest control programs.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.103-108
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• 2002

We describe here the cDNA sequence and mRNA expression of a novel serine pretense from the firefly, Pyrocoelia rufa. The 771 bp cDNA encodes for 257 amino acid residues. The deduced protein of P. rufa serine pretense gene contains the catalytic triad and six-conserved cysteine residues. Alignment of the deduced protein of P. rufa serine pretense gene showed 47.4% protein sequence identity to known coleopteran insect Rhyzopertha dominica midgut trpsin-like enzyme. Northern blot analysis revealed that the P. rufa serine pretense is specifically expressed in the midgut of P. rufa larvae.