ABSTRACT
A simple, facile, moist-heating (e.g., autoclave), one-step procedure for EGCG-mediated biosynthesis of narrow-size magnetic iron oxide (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles (EGCG-MINPs) was developed. The influence of pH of the reaction mixture over the size distribution of as-synthesized EGCG-MINPs was investigated systematically by employing UV-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering (DLS)-based hydrodynamic size, surface charge (zeta-potential), and polydispersity index (PDI). The FE-SEM, TEM, and XRD characterizations revealed that the EGCG-MINPs synthesized at pH 5.0 were in the size range of 6.20-16.7 nm and possess well-crystalline hexagonal shaped nanostructures of hematite (α-Fe2O3) crystal phase. The role of EGCG in Fe3+ ion reduction and EGCG-MINP formation was confirmed by FTIR analysis. The VSM analysis has revealed that EGCG-MINPs were highly magnetic nanostructures with the hysteretic feature of saturation magnetization (Ms), remanent magnetization (Mr), and coercivity (Hc) as 33.64 emu/g, 12.18 emu/g, and 0.33 Oe, respectively. Besides, significant (p < 0.001) dose-dependent (250-1000 µg/mL) antibacterial and antibiofilm activities against the NDM-1-producing Gram-negative Escherichia coli (AK-33), Klebsiella pneumoniae (AK-65), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (AK-66), and Shigella boydii (AK-67) bacterial isolates warranted the as-synthesized EGCG-MINPs as a promising alternative for clinical management of chronic bacterial infections in biomedical settings. In addition, molecular docking experiments revealed that compared to free Fe3+ and EGCG alone, the EGCG-MINPs or Fe-EGCG complex possess significantly high binding affinity toward HSA and hence can be considered as promising biocompatible nanodrug carriers in in vivo drug delivery systems.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and Aloe vera (AV) gel on lipid profiles in rats with induced hypercholesterolemia were studied. METHODS: Five treatment groups of rats (n = 7) were the fed experimental diets: a normal control diet, a hypercholesterolemic diet (HD), HD + LGG, HD + AV gel, and HD + LGG + AV gel. RESULTS: Supplementation with LGG decreased serum total cholesterol by 32%; however, in combination with AV, the decrease was 43%. The decreases in triacylglycerol levels in the HD + LGG, HD + AV, and HD + LGG + AV groups were 41%, 23% and 45%, respectively. High-density lipoprotein increased by 12% in the HD + LGG + AV group, whereas very low-density and low-density lipoprotein values decreased by 45% and 30%, respectively. The atherogenic index in the HD + LGG + AV group decreased to 2.45 from 4.77 in the HD + LGG group. Furthermore, fecal Lactobacillus species counts increased significantly when LGG was fed in combination with the AV gel. The oral administration of LGG fermented milk alone or in combination with the AV gel increased cholesterol synthesis (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase expression) and absorption (low-density lipoprotein receptor expression), whereas cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase mRNA expression levels were lower in the HD + LGG and HD + LGG + AV groups compared with the control HD group. CONCLUSION: The combination of LGG and AV gel may have a therapeutic potential to decrease cholesterol levels and the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
