Enhanced wound healing by PVA/Chitosan/Curcumin patches: In vitro and in vivo study.

Biocompatible polymers are being used in recent times for treating skin injuries and burn wounds. Polymers like Poly Vinyl Alcohol and Chitosan are proven to be biocompatible with least toxic to treat injuries with minimal side-effects. Curcumin, a primary component of turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties and anti-microbial activity but has extremely low bioavailability. Converting Curcumin to its nano form increased its bioavailability exponentially allowing it to play a vital role in the process of wound healing. This PVA/Chi/Cur patch increased cell proliferation as shown by the results of cell line studies and MTT assay. Its anti-bacterial activity against four major bacterial strains commonly found in wound sites and water retainability indicates it to be a perfect material for wound treatment. Results of in-vivo studies conducted on wistar rats by testing the patch's healing ability on a surgically induced wound displayed its superiority over commercial ointment. This treatment for epidermal wounds reduces the frequency in which the patch has to be replaced and increases the rate of wound rehabilitation.

In vitro evaluation of biodegradable nHAP-Chitosan-Gelatin-based scaffold for tissue engineering application.

The present study focuses on fabrication and characterisation of porous composite scaffold containing hydroxyapatite (HAP), chitosan, and gelatin with an average pore size of 250-1010 nm for improving wound repair and regeneration by Electrospinning method. From the results of X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) study, the peaks correspond to crystallographic structure of HAP powder. The presence of functional group bonds of HAP powder, Chitosan and scaffold was studied using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The surface morphology of the scaffold was observed using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The Bioactivity of the Nano composite scaffolds was studied using simulated body fluid solution at 37 ± 1°C. The biodegradability test was studied using Tris-Buffer solution for the prepared nanocomposites [nano Chitosan, nano Chitosan gelatin, Nano based Hydroxyapatite Chitosan gelatin]. The cell migration and potential biocompatibility of nHAP-chitosan-gelatin scaffold was assessed via wound scratch assay and were compared to povedeen as control. Cytocompatibility evaluation for Vero Cells using wound scratch assay showed that the fabricated porous nanocomposite scaffold possess higher cell proliferation and growth than that of povedeen. Thus, the study showed that the developed nanocomposite scaffolds are potential candidates for regenerating damaged cell tissue in wound healing process.

Phytosynthesized gold nanoparticles from C. roxburghii DC. leaf and their toxic effects on normal and cancer cell lines.

Gold nanoparticles are considered of great importance compared to other noble metal nanoparticles and its wide range of applications like pharmaceutics, therapeutics and diagnostics etc. During the past decade, phytosynthesized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are more focused in in vitro and in vivo study. The present study was focused on the gold chloride and phytosynthesized gold nanoparticles from aqueous leaf extract of Cassia roxburghii and their toxic effects on African green monkey normal kidney Vero cell line and three different cancer cell lines such as HepG2, MCF7 and HeLa. Phytosynthesized AuNPs were characterized by HRTEM, EDX, XRD and FTIR analysis. The particles size range of 25-35nm was confirmed by HRTEM. The elemental gold and the crystalline nature of AuNPs were confirmed by EDX and XRD, respectively. The reduction of functional groups was confirmed by FTIR. In in vitro study, the IC50 of HepG2 cells was found to be 30µg/ml compared to other cell lines, HeLa and MCF7 cell line showing IC50 of 50µg/ml and normal Vero cell line also nontoxic up to 75µg/ml confirmed by MTT assay. Further, apoptosis in HepG2 was analyzed by fluorescence microscope and DNA fragmentation was observed in HepG2 treated cells. These results suggested that phytosynthesized AuNPs of C. roxburghii extract clearly limited toxic on normal cells but toxic in cancer cells.

Biosynthesis characterization of silver nanoparticles using Cassia roxburghii DC. aqueous extract, and coated on cotton cloth for effective antibacterial activity.

The present study reports the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from silver precursor using a plant biomaterial, Cassia roxburghii DC., aqueous extract. The AgNPs were synthesized from the shade-dried leaf extract and assessed for their stability; they elucidated characteristics under UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The synthesized AgNPs exhibited a maximum absorption at 430 nm, and the X-ray diffraction patterns showed that they were crystal in nature. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis confirmed the conversion of Ag+ ions to AgNPs due to the reduction by capping material of plant extract. The HR-TEM analysis revealed that they are spherical ranging from 10 nm to 30 nm. The spot EDAX analysis showed the presence of silver atoms. In addition, AgNPs were evaluated for their antibacterial activity against six different pathogenic bacteria: three Gram-positive bacteria, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Micrococcus luteus, and three Gram-negative bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Enterobacter aerogenes. They were highly sensitive to AgNPs, whereas less sensitive to AgNO3. Furthermore, the green synthesized AgNPs were immobilized on cotton fabrics and screened for antibacterial activity. The immobilized AgNPs on cotton cloth showed high antibacterial activity. Therefore, they could be a feasible alternative source in treating wounds or may help in replacing pharmaceutical band-aids.