Anti-Dengue Activity of ZnO Nanoparticles of Crude Fucoidan from Brown Seaweed S.marginatum.

Dengue fever is a rapidly spreading infection that affects people all over the tropics and subtropics, posing a significant public health threat. The brown seaweed Stoechospermum marginatum was found all over the world, from South Africa (Indian Ocean) to Australia (Pacific Ocean), among other places. In India, it is only available along the coast of the Bay of Bengal, which is a small region. Various metal oxides were proved to be successful in the formation of nanoparticles and zinc is one among them. In this present study, an attempt was made to study the anti-dengue activity of green synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles of crude fucoidan isolated from brown seaweed S. marginatum. The fucoidan was isolated from the seaweed by acid extraction method and then characterized by UV, HPLC, and Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR) Spectroscopy. Then it was biosynthesized into ZnO nanoparticles and characterized by SEM-EDAX analysis. The results showed the formation of fucoidans and SEM studies showed the crystalline nature of the synthesized nanoparticles. The size of nanoparticles was in the range of 80-126 nm. The synthesized nanoparticles were tested with the C6/36 cell line and it was shown 99.09% of anti-dengue activity against the tested cell line. As an antiviral agent, the ZnO nanoparticles of fucoidans have been shown to be an excellent lead molecule for the treatment of dengue fever.

Antiproliferative Activity of Green Synthesised Silver Nanoparticles of Cassia Marginata Roxb.

Green synthesised silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been identified as a promising new therapy pathway for cancer because of their anti-angiogenic potency. In the present study, CM-AgNPs were biosynthesized using aqueous leaf extract of Cassia marginata Roxb (CM) and were confirmed by spectral studies like UV-Visible and attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopic techniques. The structure and shape of the biosynthesized CM-AgNPs were confirmed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDX), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) with selected area electron diffraction (SAED) studies. The antioxidant activity of the synthesized nanoparticles were evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay methods, and the IC50 values were found to be 19.58 ± 1.62 and 742.33 ± 14.57 µg, respectively. The anticancer activity of CM-AgNPs was evaluated against human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and the IC50 values were found to be 21.02 ± 1.67 and 26.21 ± 0.33 µg/ml, respectively. These results provide promising information about the biosynthesized CM-AgNPs that can be used in the development of novel anticancer drugs.

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its correlation with sexual dysfunction in adult psychiatric patients treated with psychotropics in a tertiary care hospital.

BACKGROUND: In the past two decades, there has been a profound increase in the incidence of metabolic disorders among the general population, and psychotropics are also said to play a major role in the development of metabolic syndrome. AIM: Determining the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and sexual dysfunction (SD) and their correlation in psychiatric patients treated with psychotropics in a tertiary care hospital in Salem region, Tamil Nadu, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the psychiatric department of Vinayaka Mission's Medical College and Hospitals, Salem on patients (n = 108) treated with psychotropics. The sociodemographic information, anthropometric measurements, and laboratory tests for metabolic functions were collected and assessed to determine the presence of metabolic syndrome (as per NCEP ATP III criteria). All the results were statistically analysed and P-value < .05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of MetS in the study population was 25.93%. The study found significant relationships between using olanzapine, risperidone, buspirone, and the presence of MetS. Depression was also found to be associated with the development of MetS. CONCLUSION: From this current study, it may be concluded that the psychiatric population is at risk for developing MetS, and the use of atypical antipsychotics (olanzapine, risperidone), anti-anxiety agent (buspirone) and clinical depression is significantly associated with metabolic syndrome. Hence, the metabolic function of psychiatric patients must be regularly assessed for early detection and management of any metabolic abnormalities. The study did not find a significant correlation between SD and MetS in psychiatric patients.