In-vitro Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Activity of Cinnamomum verum Leaf Oil against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Phytomedicines are becoming more popular in treatment of infectious diseases worldwide. Cinnamomum verum essential oil (EO) has been used as a therapeutic alternative for various diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of the C. verum leaf EO against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Effect of EO vapor on planktonic cells was determined using microatmosphere technique. CLSI M7-A10 method was employed in Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) experiments. Effect of EO on established biofilms was quantified and visualized using XTT and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). In-vitro toxicity was evaluated using Human Keratinocytes (HaCaT). Chemical analysis of EO was done using Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). All tested strains were sensitive to cinnamon oil vapor. EO exhibited 0.5 and 1.0 mg/mL MIC and MBC against all test strains. Minimum Biofilm Inhibitory and Biofilm Eradication Concentrations (MBIC50 and MBEC) were 1.0 and 4.0 mg/mL. SEM indicated cellular shrinkages, cell wall damages, and decreased biofilm densities. Cinnamon oil didn't show any toxicity on HaCaT cell at any concentration tested. Eugenol was the most abundant compound in C. verum oil. C. verum EO shows an antibacterial and antibiofilm activity with minimal toxicity on host.

A fast and environment-friendly method for determination of chemical oxygen demand by using the heterogeneous Fenton-like process (H2O2/Fe(3-x)Co(x)O4 nanoparticles) as an oxidant.

An easy, fast and environment-friendly method for COD determination in water is proposed. The procedure is based on the oxidation of organic matter by the H2O2/Fe(3-x)Co(x)O4 system. The Fe(3-x)Co(x)O4 nanoparticles activate the H2O2 molecule to produce hydroxyl radicals, which are highly reactive for oxidizing organic matter in an aqueous medium. After the oxidation step, the organic matter amounts can be quantified by comparing the quantity of H2O2 consumed. Moreover, the proposed COD method has several distinct advantages, since it does not use toxic reagents and the oxidation reaction of organic matter is conducted at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Method detection limit is 2.0 mg L(-1) with intra- and inter-day precision lower than 1% (n=5). The calibration graph is linear in the range of 2.0-50 mg L(-1) with a sample throughput of 25 samples h(-1). Data are validated based on the analysis of six contaminated river water samples by the proposed method and by using a comparative method validated and marketed by Merck, with good agreement between the results (t test, 95%).