Effective Moral Ethics Education at the Undergraduate Level in Pakistan: The Role of Curriculum

Ethical Education is an optional subject in lieu of Islamic Studies for non-Muslim students in Pakistan from primary to undergraduate level. The main aim of this study is to discuss factors which can help to design a Moral Ethic curriculum which would assist the teachers to educate an individual with his/her own identity, to assimilated by ethical values with developed moral judgment and behavior established by an individual’s beliefs. Students can show a positive attitude towards themselves and others and be able to work together and support others. In this perspective, we also illustrated that moral education helped those people who respect social norms and behave sensibly in any situation belonged to present or future. Therefore, the main objective of this research paper is to establish the necessary elements that should be the part of an effective Moral Ethics curriculum in order to create a democratic and educational environment where everyone can respect for others’ beliefs and stop violating others’ feelings on the basis of freedom of speech.  In this study, our targeted readers were included teachers of Moral Ethics, policy makers at different levels, and curriculum developers.

Isolation, Optimization and Characterization of Secondary Metabolites from Soil Borne Fungi Screlotium and Aspergillus Species

In the present dissertation, our research findings on the production of bioactive secondary metabolites by soil borne fungi are discussed. The application of microorganisms for the welfare of human beings is the main goal of biotechnology. In this study, two phytopathogenic fungi, Sclerotium rolfsii and Aspergillus flavus were isolated from soil samples collected from Malakand Division, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Growth parameters (nutrient media, temperature, pH, incubation period, and static/shaking intervals) were optimized for achieving maximum production of bioactive secondary metabolites. Five nutrient media were used for fungal growth. S. rolfsii produced maximum amounts of metabolites in Czapek yeast broth media (CYB), whereas maximum formation of metabolites by A. flavus was found in potato dextrose media (PDB). Furthermore, the crude secondary metabolites in ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and n-hexane extract obtained from each medium were screened for their activities against different pathogenic bacteria. The EtOAc and n-hexane fractions obtained from the CYB medium were more active against pathogenic bacteria as compared to the crude metabolites obtained from the other media in the case with S. rolfsii, whereas PDB was the media, in which A. flavus yielded the largest quantities of secondary metabolites, showed significant results against pathogenic bacteria. EtOAc and n-hexane fractions of both fungi were screened for their in vitro effects, including antifungal, phytotoxic, and insecticidal properties and brine shrimp lethality. The in vivo activities of the metabolites, such as acute toxicity, analgesic, and sedative action, were also studied. The results showed that the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction was more active as compared to the n-hexane fraction due to the presence of polar constituents. The results obtained from the examinations of the biological activities indicated that both fungi produced bioactive secondary metabolites which have antimicrobial, phytotoxic, insecticidal, cytotoxic, analgesic, and sedative effects. The EtOAc fraction of S. rolfsii and A. flavus was significantly more active against carbonic anhydrase with IC50 values of 45.40 ±0.75 and 59.89 xx ±1.65, respectively. Similarly, the n-hexane fraction of both fungi also showed significant results against carbonic anhydrase (62.5 and 63% at 0.2 mg/mL, respectively) with IC50 values (45.40 ±0.75 and 61.3 ±1.75, correspondingly). The EtOAc and n-hexane fraction of both fungi exerted insignificant influence against urease. In short, the isolated crude metabolites exhibited remarkable inhibition activity against carbonic anhydrase. The bioactive EtOAc fraction of both fungi were further subjected to column chromatography (cc), which yielded one new and five known compounds. Their purity was confirmed by thin-layer chromatography. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by using various modern spectroscopic analyses, including 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, HMBC, and EI-MS spectra. One new and four known secondary metabolites were isolated from S. rolfsii and one known compound was isolated from A. flavus. The bioactive compounds isolated from S. rolfsii were: cinnamic acid (1), chlorogenic acid (2), Screlotiumol (3), o-coumaric acid (4), and gallic acid (5), whereas kojic acid (6) was isolated from A. flavus. Two compounds were obtained in high quantity, chlorogenic acid (2) and screlotiumol (3), and assessed for their effects on the reversion of multidrug resistant (MDR) mediated by P-glycoprotein (P-gp). In cancer cell lines, the multidrug resistant P-glycoprotein is a target for chemotherapeutic drugs. Both tested compounds showed an excellent MDR reversing impact against the mouse T-lymphoma cell line in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, compounds (2 and 3) were subject to molecular docking. Optimal effects of molecular docking were obtained by compounds (2 and 3) as compared to the standard treatment. Therefore, the preliminary results obtained in the present investigation indicate that these compounds could be used in the selection of potential targets for the treatment of cancer.