Synthesis, characterisation and biomedical applications of curcumin conjugated chitosan microspheres.

Curcumin is a diaryl heptanoid of curcuminoids class obtained from Curcuma longa. It possesses various biological activities like anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, antioxidant, wound-healing, and antimicrobial activities. Chitosan is a biocompatible, biodegradable and non-toxic natural polymer which enhances the adhesive property of the skin. Chemical conjugation will leads to sustained release action and to enhance the bioavailability. This study aims to synthesis and characterize biocompatible curcumin conjugated chitosan microspheres for bio-medical applications. The Schiff base reaction was carried out for the preparation of curcumin conjugated chitosan by microwave method and it was characterised using FTIR and NMR. Curcumin conjugated chitosan microspheres (CCCMs) were prepared by wet milling solvent evaporation method. SEM analysis showed these CCCMs were 2-5µm spherical particles. The antibacterial activities of the prepared CCCMs were studied against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, the zone of inhibition was 28mm and 23mm respectively. Antioxidant activity of the prepared CCCMs was also studied by DPPH and H2O2 method it showed IC50 esteem value of 216µg/ml and 228µg/ml, and anti-inflammatory activity results showed that CCCMs having IC50 value of 45µg/ml. The results conclude that the CCCMs having a good antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. This, the prepared CCCMs have potential application in preventing skin infections.

Carboxymethylated É©-carrageenan conjugated amphotericin B loaded gelatin nanoparticles for treating intracellular Candida glabrata infections.

Intercellular Candida glabrata infections are difficult to treat due to poor penetration of drugs into the fungal niche. Delivering amphotericin B (Amp B) into the macrophages where the pathogen inhabits is an effective solution. We are studying the macrophage targeting proficiency of É©-carrageenan for the delivery of Amp B using gelatin A nanoparticles (GNPs). The choice of gelatin A was the outcome of in silico inspections where the amino functionalized polymer having the best docking score with Amp B was selected. We prepared a sustained release formulation of amp B loaded carboxymethyl É©-carrageenan conjugated gelatin nanoparticles (CMC-Amp B-GNPs) with size 343±12nm and -25±5.3mV zeta potential. The formulations were found to be stable, biocompatible and non-haemolytic. Flow cytometry analysis showed 3 fold higher uptake of CMC-GNPs compared to the GNPs by RAW 264.7 cells. CMC-Amp B-GNPs showed enhanced antifungal activity than bare Amp B and Amp B-GNPs.

Controlled Delivery of Bioactive Molecules for the Treatment of Chronic Wounds.

A cut or break on the surface of the skin is usually referred to as a wound. Any wound has a potential to heal by itself through a complex cascade of events. However, some wounds show delayed healing due to their underlying physiology and are referred to as chronic wounds like diabetic ulcers, venous ulcers, pressure ulcers and chronic infected ulcers. Extensive care has to be taken for the management of chronic wounds and these have become a major concern in the current medical scenario. The use of bioactive molecules or in other words the molecules that can actively interact with the wound environment and help in wound healing are gaining much importance. The incorporation of bioactive molecules into a suitable matrix system which not only provide a controlled release of the molecules, but also enable better exudate management is desired to overcome the shortcomings of the conventional treatment modalities. A major problem associated with chronic wounds is that they are easily prone to infections. In such cases, the topical delivery of antibiotics helps eliminate infection. However, the continuous use of high dose of antibiotics has led to the development of multi drug resistant bacterial strains. To overcome these issues, other broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents like antiseptics, metallic nanoparticles and antimicrobial peptides are being adopted nowadays. Growth factors play a major role in the wound healing cascade, thus topical delivery of growth factor from a suitable matrix is an interesting strategy. The delivery of nucleic acids with the aid of suitable vectors for either silencing a particular gene or over expressing a gene of interest is also being investigated nowadays. This review is an attempt to draw light over some of the recent approaches adopted for the treatment of chronic wounds using bioactive molecules like antibiotics, antiseptics, metallic nanoparticles or ions, growth factors and nucleic acids.

Genetic monitoring of the human population from high-level natural radiation areas of Kerala on the southwest coast of India. I. Prevalence of congenital malformations in newborns.

In the densely populated monazite-bearing sands of Kerala, on the southwest coast of India, natural radiation dose rates range from 1. 0 to over 35.0 mGy per year in certain well-defined high-level natural radiation areas. As a part of the program to assess the health effects of this naturally occurring high-level natural radiation on human populations, monitoring of newborns is being undertaken to determine the incidence of congenital malformations. From August 1995 to December 1998, a total of 36,805 newborns were screened, including 212 (0.58%) stillbirths. There were 36,263 singletons, 536 (1.45%) twins, and 6 born as triplets. The overall incidence of malformations was 1.46% and was dependent on maternal age. The stillborns exhibited a very high malformation rate of 20.75% compared to 1.35% among the live births. Likewise, twins also had a higher malformation rate (2.99%) compared to singletons (1.44%). About 3.5% of the newborns originated from consanguineous marriages. Consanguinity also led to a relatively higher rate of malformations (1.97%) as well as of stillbirths (1.18%). About 92% of the deliveries took place by the maternal age of 29 years and only 1.2% among women above 34 years old. The stratification of newborns with malformations, stillbirths or twinning showed no correlation with the natural radiation levels in the different areas. Thus no significant differences were observed in any of the reproductive parameters between the two population groups based on the monitoring of 26,151 newborns from high-level natural radiation and 10,654 from normal-level natural radiation (dose rate