RUDN Biologists prove the effectiveness of silver nanoparticles against phytopathogens
Phytopathogenic fungi Botrytis cinerea, Pilidium concavum and Pestalotia sp affect many plants: strawberries, nightshades, beans and others. RUDN University biologists have proposed a fundamentally new way to combat these phytopathogens. To do this, they used nanoparticles of metals, silver and copper. The nanoparticles are obtained by a green method based on strawberry leaf extract, without no harmful reagents. This is the first successful application of biogenic metal nanoparticles to combat these phytopathogens.
“For evaluation of antifungal activity of these NPs, three pathogenic fungi were selectd: Botrytis cinerea, as an unspecialized necrotrophic fungal pathogen that attacks over 200 different plant species, Pilidium concavum, which is an opportunistic pathogen that causes leaf spots and stem necrosis in a wide range of hosts, mainly on strawberry plants and Pestalotia sp., which is reported to be infectious for azalea leaves. There are just a few reports carried out on the last two fungi, and there is no report on the antifungal effect of nanoparticles on these fungi”, said Maryam Bayat, PhD student at RUDN University.
Silver nanoparticles slowed the growth of B. Cinerea and P. Concavum by 28% and 65.4%, respectively, at 0.01% concentration. The mechanism of this antifungal action is not completely clear, but RUDN University biologists have suggested that silver nanoparticles form pores on the cell membrane of the fungus. It causes the death of the cell and inhibit the budding process. Germination of B. Cinerea spores was completely suppressed by a solution with 0.01% silver nanoparticles concentration. Copper nanoparticles turned out to be ineffective against fungi — they practically did not affect the growth of spores and fungi.
“According to the results, these nanoparticles have the potential to be used as an antimicrobial agent in antibacterial and antifungal remediation or as an additive in conventional formulations. Silver nanoparticles were found to be the more effective antimicrobial agent against all examined pathogens in comparison to copper nanoparticles”, said Meisam Zargar, PhD in agricultural sciences, professor at RUDN University.
The results are published in the Molecules.
Imagine a world where everyone has enough food, clean water, access to education, and decent work. A world where nature is protected and the future of our planet is cared for. These are the Sustainable Development Goals—to achieve a sustainable future for all! To this end, in 2015, the United Nations (UN) defined 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a global plan that helps countries and people work together towards a better future. All 193 UN member states have joined the plan.
Researchers from the Faculty of Artificial Intelligence at RUDN University conducted a large-scale study that revealed systemic errors in large language models (LLMs) when diagnosing depression based on text. This work, carried out in collaboration with colleagues from AIRI, Federal Research Center “Computer Science and Control” of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ivannikov Institute for System Programming of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and MBZUAI, not only identifies the problem but also lays the foundation for the creation of more reliable and secure tools for detecting depression and anxiety.
Alexandra Sentyabreva, a junior researcher at the Laboratory of Cell Technologies and Tissue Engineering at RUDN Research Institute of Molecular and Cellular Medicine at the Russian University of People's Friendship, won the competition for young scientists at the All-Russian Scientific Conference “Topical Issues of Morphogenesis in Norm and Pathology.” She was awarded the Academician A.P. Avtsyn Prize.
Imagine a world where everyone has enough food, clean water, access to education, and decent work. A world where nature is protected and the future of our planet is cared for. These are the Sustainable Development Goals—to achieve a sustainable future for all! To this end, in 2015, the United Nations (UN) defined 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a global plan that helps countries and people work together towards a better future. All 193 UN member states have joined the plan.
Researchers from the Faculty of Artificial Intelligence at RUDN University conducted a large-scale study that revealed systemic errors in large language models (LLMs) when diagnosing depression based on text. This work, carried out in collaboration with colleagues from AIRI, Federal Research Center “Computer Science and Control” of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ivannikov Institute for System Programming of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and MBZUAI, not only identifies the problem but also lays the foundation for the creation of more reliable and secure tools for detecting depression and anxiety.
Alexandra Sentyabreva, a junior researcher at the Laboratory of Cell Technologies and Tissue Engineering at RUDN Research Institute of Molecular and Cellular Medicine at the Russian University of People's Friendship, won the competition for young scientists at the All-Russian Scientific Conference “Topical Issues of Morphogenesis in Norm and Pathology.” She was awarded the Academician A.P. Avtsyn Prize.