Porous chitosan-infused graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets for potential microbicidal and photo-catalytic efficacies.

Supply of safe drinking water is a high-risk challenge faced internationally. Hybrid technologies involving nanomaterials can offer possible solutions to this research involving natural biopolymers. Porous chitosan with a high specific surface area has promising properties but its use as a membrane component in water purification is still rarely reported. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is a carbon nitride allotrope with a graphene-like layered structure that gifts unfamiliar physicochemical properties due to the presence of s-triazine fragments. It is a metal-free semiconductor with a band gap of ∼2.7 eV to ∼3.7 eV; which shows better visible light-activated photocatalyst properties. This work aims at synthesizing graphitic carbon nitride-biopolymer composite and exploring its properties in the field of wastewater treatment. The samples were synthesized via a soft chemical process with urea, as the source material. The flake-like morphology is displayed in the microstructural SEM image. The composition of the material was analyzed using EDS. Thermogram shows that the material is stable up to 500 °C and also confirms the formation of graphitic carbon nitride. In XRD spectra the intensity reduction shows the chitosan inclusion at the nitride site. The band gap of the prepared material was identified to be 2.3, 2.4 eV. The structural properties were analyzed using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer and Raman spectroscopy. FTIR spectra and Raman spectra indicate the stretching vibration modes of CN and CN heterocycles and chitosan inclusion in the carbon nitride network. The photocatalytic activity was done in sunlight and a UV lamp with different dyes for doped and undoped g-C3N4. The doped (Porous/Non-porous chitosan) g-C3N4 showed faster dye degradation in sunlight compared to UV light. A biomolecular interaction study was done using Bovine serum albumin. It shows the material interaction with the BSA protein. The anti-microbial activity was performed on the Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli by disk diffusion method, the chitosan doped g-C3N4 showed good inhibitions against bacterial growth. The current work reveals the impact of nanoscale chitosan nanostructures doped on the optical, microstructural, catalytic, and antimicrobial properties of g-C3N4 nanosheets. This work provides new research options for nanocomposite-based photocatalytic nanomaterial g-C3N4 so that the quality of contaminated water could be improved.

Improved photocatalytic dye degradation and seed germination through enzyme-coupled titanium oxide nanopowder - A cost-effective approach.

Enzyme-coupled titanium oxide nanopowder samples were prepared usingdifferent volumes of vermiwash using a cost-effective soft chemical method and their photocatalytic efficiency was studied against Methylene Blue (MB) dye decomposition. The volume of vermiwash used in the starting solution was varied from 50 to 200 mL in steps of 50 mL and the effect of enzymes prevalent in the vermiwash on the photocatalytic activity of titanium oxide (TiO2) was studied. The resultant water obtained after the photocatalytic dye degradation was found to inherit the enzymes from the nanoproduct. This enzyme-activated treated water showed effective seed germination of black gram (Vigna mungo L.). The results suggested that the enzyme-coupled TiO2 can be used as an effective and eco-friendly material for the treatment of contaminated water and consequently the treated water can also be utilized for enhanced seed germination.

Capparis zeylanica L. conjugated TiO2 nanoparticles as bio-enhancers for antimicrobial and chronic wound repair.

Chronic, non-healable wounds have been a threat throughout history and have consumed centuries of traditional and modern research. In wound repair, a growing variety of novel treatments have been developed. At various stages of wound healing, nanostructure systems are employed. The drug may be synthesized at the nanoscale to act as a "provider," or nanomaterial could be employed as biomedical devices. Capparis zeylanica was used to synthesize Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) under ambient temperature. The UV-Vis spectrophotometer was used to confirm the illumination of fabricated TiO2NPs tuned to a size of 352 nm TiO2NPs have been revealed to be spherical and linked to one another using scanning electron microscopy. Biologically active functionality molecules involved in green synthesized TiO2NPs were indicated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy peaks. The TiO2NPs are amorphous, according to X-ray diffraction spectra. Skin diseases causing pathogens were studied for anti-microbial activity using the agar well diffusion method, and the results indicated significant anti-microbial properties. Furthermore, the wound healing ability of fabricated TiO2NPs was investigated in an excision wound model in Swiss albino mice. Finally, our findings revealed that TiO2NPs had provided a unique therapeutic approach for wound healing and in the planning of therapies.

Tiny tots for a big-league in wound repair: Tools for tissue regeneration by nanotechniques of today.

Overall, chronic injuries place considerable burden on patients and health systems. The skin injuries are exposed to inflammatory bacteria and hinder the healing process. The skin being the biggest tissue of the whole body ensures protection against microbial invasion, dehydration, and against chemical, thermal, bright radiations and mechanical agents. When injured, the skin loses its defensive purpose and the attack of bacterial types arises with the loss of protein, water, and electrolytes. Improved wound closure therapy helps to restore normal skin function by managing wounds with the help of a suitable skin replacement. According to the type of wound and its healing ability, an appropriate skin replacement system must be identified. Nanofibrous layers because of their permeable structure, their large superficial reach and their similarity with the local extracellular network serve as cutaneous substitution for dealing with deep and superficial injuries. By a diminished microbial load without infestation, scab formation and infiltration of defense cells in the initial phase, acute injuries are usually characterized. Here recovery is related with epithelialization, angiogenesis and relocation of fibroblasts. The wound becomes obstinate when microbial biofilms are developed while the immune system does not manage to eliminate the infection. Increased inflammatory process, lower deep tissue oxygenation, fibrin cuffs, fibroblastic senescence, altered angiogenesis, stalled re-epithelialization and chronic infection have been visualized. Conventional wound mending treatments for the most part falling flat to supply a great clinical result, either basically like wound epithelialization and regulation of fluid loss or practically like histological highlights that decide versatility, strength, affectability, etc. Conventional wound therapies commonly fail to offer a better medical output, like wound epithelialization and regulation of fluid reduction or physiologically like cellular features that determine durability, sensitivity, elasticity, etc. Nanotechnology may be a dependable investigation space for wound-healing treatments through their versatile physicochemical properties. Advancing nano platforms with novel solutions for curing chronicdiabetic wounds are discussed in detail that can guide further research in this sector.

Metal Incorporated g-C3N4 Nanosheets as Potential Cytotoxic Agents for Promoting Free Radical Scavenging in Cancer Cell Lines.

Besides numerous advantages, poor penetration, larger size and less efficient nanomaterials are the current challenges in nanomedicine-based therapies. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) possesses all the constructive features to overcome the hurdles in cancer therapy. This is a detailed study on the prospects of utilizing g-C3N4 as a therapeutic agent and through this study it has been established that metal incorporations have improved their performance at in vitro levels. g-C3N4 nanomaterial was prepared by simple thermal decomposition process. The synthesized nanosheets were characterized by using UV-visible spectrometer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TG/DTA). The incorporation of metal particles also has been confirmed by the above mentioned methods. Dose dependent cytotoxicity studies were performed on three different cell lines such as A549, PC-3 and MCF-7. The free radical scavenging activity of g-C3N4 nanosheets was promising using 1,1'-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. Cell scavenging activity of ˜45% with DPPH was observed at 100 µl concentrations of Ag/g-C3N4, Zn/g-C3N4 and g-C3N4. The cytotoxicity and free radical scavenging of cancer cell lines was better with metal incorporated g-C3N4 than their bare counterparts. Hence the study of these thin sheets of nanomaterial is encouraging to be explored as one of the future tools for biomedical therapeutics.

Extraction methods and computational approaches for evaluation of antimicrobial compounds from Capparis zeylanica L.

Capparis zeylanica Linn (Caparadaceae), a well-known traditional medicinal plant has been used prevalently in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. It has long been used in treating cholera, hemiplegia, pneumonia, helmintic and inflammatory activity. This study aims to investigate the antimicrobial activity of C. zeylanica leaf extracts against pathogenic microorganisms, with the interactions of potential compounds being predicted by a computational approach. Ethyl acetate leaf extracts of C. zeylanica were evaluated for antimicrobial activity using an agar well diffusion method against pathogenic microorganisms (Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis, Salmonella paratyphi, Shigella dysenteriae, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Candida albicans). The ethyl acetate leaf extracts of the C. zeylanica were utilized for GC-MS analysis. Computational studies were performed to analyze the novel compound using Schrodinger software. The various concentrations of ethyl acetate leaf extract of C. zeylanica were checked against pathogenic microorganisms. Among them, Salmonella paratyphi shows the maximum inhibition. Molecular docking and ADME properties showed that (3E)-N-(3,4 Dichlorophenyl)-3-(Propionylhydrazono) butanamide, Heptadecanoic-Margaric acid and 5-(3-Fluorophenyl)-7-nitro-1,3-dihydro-2H-1,4-benzodiazepine-2-one had the highest fitness score and more specificity toward the microbial receptors.

A pharmacoinformatic approach on Cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) and different small molecules: Homology modelling, molecular docking, MD simulations, drug designing and ADME analysis.

CB2 receptor belongs to the family of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), which extensively controls a range of pointer transduction. CB2 plays an essential role in the immune system. It also associates in the pathology of different ailment conditions. In this scenario, the synthetic drugs are inducing side effects to the human beings after the drug use. Therefore, this study is seeking novel alternate drug molecules with least side effects than conventional drugs. The alternative drug molecules were chosen from the natural sources. These molecules were selected from cyanobacteria with the help of earlier research findings. The target and ligand molecules were obtained from recognized databases. The bioactive molecules are selected from various cyanobacterial species, which are selected by their biological and pharmacological properties, after, which we incorporated to the crucial findings such as homology modelling, molecular docking, MD simulations along with absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) analysis. Initially, the homology modelling was performed to frame the target from unknown sequences of CB2, which revealed 44% of similarities and 66% of identities with the A2A receptor. Subsequently, the CB2 protein molecule has docked with already known and prepared bioactive molecules, agonists and antagonist complex. In the present study, the agonists (5) and antagonist (1) were also taken for comparing the results with natural molecules. At the end of the docking analysis, the cyanobacterial molecules and an antagonist TNC-201 are revealed better docking scores with well binding contacts than the agonists. Especially, the usneoidone shows better results than other cyanobacterial molecules, and it is very close docking scores with that of TCN-201. Therefore, the usneoidone has incorporated to MD simulation with Cannabinoid receptors 2 (CB2). In MD simulations, the complex (CB2 and usneoidone) reveals better stability in 30 ns. Based on the computational outcome, we concluded that usneoidone is an effectual and appropriate drug candidate for activating CB2 receptors and it will be serving as a better component for the complications of CB2. Moreover, these computational approaches can be motivated to discover novel drug candidates in the pharmacological and healthcare sectors.

Identification and isolation of antimicrobial compounds from the flower extract of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L: In silico and in vitro approaches.

The modern people are preparing the natural medicines from the plants and their parts for curing various diseases. The present study was chosen Hibiscus rosa-sinensis flowers to analyze its antimicrobial capabilities against venereal diseases causing pathogens. In this study, the antimicrobial activity performed in different solvents prepared flower extracts using agar well diffusion method. Among the extracts, the methanolic flower extract of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis shows better results than other solvents extracts. The extract analysed by GC-MS which was exposes seven bioactive molecules. These bioactive molecules were docked with N. gonorrhoea protein. Finally, benzene dicarboxylic acid had best glide docking XP scores -7.955 with better binding energy values (-38.692 kcal/mol) than other ligand molecules. Hence, this molecule was isolated from the flowers of H. rosa-sinensis. After that, the different concentrations of 1,2 benzene dicarboxylic acid were tested on human diseases causing microbial strains. There, all the levels were showed good anti-gonorrhoeal activity against N. gonorrhoeae. Hence this study suggested that 1,2 benzene dicarboxylic acid could be used as a better drug candidate for venereal diseases.

Preparation of an efficient and safe polymeric-magnetic nanoparticle delivery system for sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIMS: Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), as drug delivery vehicles, offer to eliminate the concerns associated with hydrophobic anti-cancer agents. The current study was intended to fabricate a SPION based delivery system for sorafenib that can simultaneously enable targeted delivery of sorafenib and expand its therapeutic index against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MAIN METHODS: Co-precipitation and physical entrapment methods were employed for the synthesis of sorafenib loaded PVA coated SPIONs. Physicochemical characterizations were done using TEM, XRD, FTIR, Raman spectra and VSM measurements. The superior activity of nanoconjugate was demonstrated by AO/EB staining, FACS, immunofluorescence and Western blot. The safety of the sorafenib conjugated nanoparticles were verified in Wistar rats. KEY FINDINGS: The synthesized nanoparticles were in the size range of 5-15 nm. The adsorption of PVA to the SPIONs and the conjugation of sorafenib to the nanocarrier were confirmed by XRD, FTIR and Raman spectra analyses. VSM study ascertained the superparamagnetic nature of the nanoconjugate. Cellular uptake studies suggested its efficient entrapment in HepG2 cells. MTT assay showed that the cytotoxicity of sorafenib loaded PVA/SPIONs was comparable or higher than free sorafenib. The activation of apoptosis and autophagy pathways in HepG2 by the nanoconjugate was evidenced. Acute toxicity testing in Wistar rats supported the safe administration of the nanoconjugate and established its localization in animal tissues by Perl's Prussian Blue reaction. SIGNIFICANCE: The novel combination of sorafenib with PVA/SPIONs showed better anticancer efficiency than free sorafenib demonstrative of its potential in cancer chemotherapy.

Drug embedded PVP coated magnetic nanoparticles for targeted killing of breast cancer cells.

Magnetic drug targeting is a drug delivery system that can be used in loco-regional cancer treatment. Coated magnetic particles, called carriers, are very useful for delivering chemotherapeutic drugs. Magnetic carriers were synthesized by co-precipitation of iron oxide followed by coating with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP). Characterization was performed using X-ray diffraction, TEM, TGA, FTIR and UV-Vis Spectroscopy. Magnetite (Fe3O4) remained as the core of the carrier. The amount of PVP bound to the iron oxide nanoparticles was estimated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and the attachment of PVP to the iron oxide nanoparticles confirmed by FTIR analysis. The loading efficiency of Epirubicin hydrochloride onto the PVP coated and uncoated iron oxide nanoparticles was measured at intervals such as 1 hr and 24 hrs by UV-Vis Spectroscopy. The binding of Epirubicin hydrochloride to the PVP coated and uncoated iron oxide nanoparticles were confirmed by FTIR analysis. The present findings showed that Epirubicin hydrochloride loaded PVP coated iron oxide nanoparticles are promising for magnetically targeted drug delivery. The drug displayed increased cell cytotoxicity at lower concentrations when conjugated with the nanoparticles than being administered conventionally as individual drugs.