Fabrication of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)/gelatin electro spun nanofiber patch containing CaCO3/SiO2 nanocomposite and quercetin for accelerated diabetic wound healing.

An open wound or sore on the bottom of the foot caused by diabetes is known as a diabetic foot ulcer. Preventive measures are essential, including consistent foot care and glycemic management. The dangers associated with diabetic foot ulcers can be reduced via early identification and timely treatment. The risk of foot ulcers and limb amputation increases with age and duration of diabetes. Quercetin contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Furthermore, the calcium carbonate/silica (CaCO3/SiO2) nanocomposite has a good anti-inflammatory property due to the presence of calcium, which will aid in wound healing. As a result, combining quercetin (plant based anti-inflammatory drug) and CaCO3/SiO2 nanocomposite will boost the wound healing rate. We have synthesized CaCO3/SiO2 nanocomposite in sol-gel method and characterized using XRD, FTIR and TEM. Cell line tests and the MTT assay revealed that the PLGA/gelatin/CaCO3/SiO2/quercetin patch enhanced the proliferation of cells. Its anti-bacterial efficacy against four major bacterial strains often found in wound locations, as well as its water retention, make it an ideal material for diabetic wound healing. In-vivo trials confirms the enhanced diabetic wound healing potential of the patch.

Phytogenic synthesis of silver nanoparticles, optimization and evaluation of in vitro antifungal activity against human and plant pathogens.

An attempt was made to synthesis of biocompatible silver nanoparticles from ten different Cassia spp. Among them, Cassia roxburghii aqueous leaf extract supported the synthesis of highly efficient and stable AgNPs. The synthesis of AgNPs was optimized at different physico-chemical condition and highly stable AgNPs were synthesized with 1.0mL of C. roxburghii leaf extract, pH 7.0, 1.0mM AgNO3 and at 37°C. The synthesized AgNPs were characterized by XPS, DLS and ZETA potential. DLS and ZETA potential analysis, the average AgNPs size was 35nm and the zeta potential was -18.3mV. The AgNPs exhibit higher antifungal activity when compared with the conventional antifungal drug amphotericin B against all the tested human fungal pathogens such as Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium sp., Candida albicans and the plant pathogens such as Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium oxysporum and Curvularia sp. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis showed distinct structural changes in the cell membranes of C. albicans upon AgNPs treatment. These results suggest that phytosynthesized AgNPs could be used as effective growth inhibitors in controlling various human and plant diseases caused by fungi.

Synthesis of Leucas Aspera Extract Loaded Gold-PLA-PEG-PLA Amphiphilic Copolymer Nanoconjugates: In Vitro Cytotoxicity and Anti-Inflammatory Activity Studies.

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are synthesized using the medicinal plant Leucas Aspera extract (LAE) and poly lactic acid-co-poly ethylene glycol-co-poly lactic acid (PLA-PEG-PLA) copolymer by water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion method. The proposed method of W/O emulsion technique involves synthesis of GNPs and loading of Leucas Aspera extract on to the PLA-PEG-PLA copolymer matrix simultaneously. The synthesized GNPs are characterized by Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The GNPs-LAE loaded polymer NPs are examined for the in vitro cytotoxicity on South African green monkey's kidney cells. The GNPs-LAE loaded polymer nanoconjugates exhibit maximum up to 95% of cell viability with 100 µg concentration of GNPs in the sample. The GNPs-LAE loaded polymer NPs exhibit better anti-inflammatory activity when compared to the pure LAE.

Mycosynthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles: Optimization, characterization and antimicrobial activity against human pathogens.

This study was aimed to isolate soil fungi from Kolli and Yercaud Hills, South India with the ultimate objective of producing antimicrobial nanoparticles. Among 65 fungi tested, the isolate, Bios PTK 6 extracellularly synthesized both silver and gold nanoparticles with good monodispersity. Under optimized reaction conditions, the strain Bios PTK 6 identified as Aspergillus terreus has produced extremely stable nanoparticles within 12h. These nanoparticles were characterized by UV-vis. spectrophotometer, HR-TEM, FTIR, XRD, EDX, SAED, ICP-AES and Zetasizer analyses. A. terreus synthesized 8-20 nm sized, spherical shaped silver nanoparticles whereas gold nanoparticles showed many interesting morphologies with a size of 10-50 nm. The presence and binding of proteins with nanoparticles was confirmed by FTIR study. Interestingly, the myco derived silver nanoparticles exhibited superior antimicrobial activity than the standard antibiotic, streptomycin except against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. The leakage of intracellular components such as protein and nucleic acid demonstrated that silver nanoparticles damage the bacterial cells by formation of pores, which affects membrane permeability and finally leads to cell death. Further, presence of nanoparticles in the bacterial membrane and the breakage of cell wall were also observed using SEM. Thus, the obtained results clearly reveal that these antimicrobial nanoparticles could be explored as promising candidates for a variety of biomedical and pharmaceutical applications.

Production of cellulase enzyme by Trichoderma reesei Cefl9 and its application in the production of bio-ethanol.

The present study aimed at the production of cellulase enzyme from the cellulolytic fungi Trichoderma reesei CEF19 and subsequent application of the cellulase for the fermentation of ethanol. For the same, the cellulolytic fungi, Trichoderma reesei CEF19 was isolated and was allowed to produce cellulase enzyme using optimized conditions. The cellulase enzyme was extracted and purified with the help of ammonium sulphate precipitation, dialysis followed by ion exchange chromatography with DEAE-Sephadex column. The purified cellulase enzyme was characterized using SDS-PAGE analysis. The saccharification of the cellulosic substrates was done using the cellulase enzyme. The fermentation of saccharified cellulosic substrates into ethanol was carried out using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. From the results obtained, rice straw was found to be the better source for the ethanol production when compared to the other substrates.