Enhanced Production of ß-Caryophyllene by Farnesyl Diphosphate Precursor-Treated Callus and Hairy Root Cultures of Artemisia vulgaris L.

Artemisia vulgaris L. produces a wide range of valuable secondary metabolites. The aim of the present study is to determine the effects of various concentrations of farnesyl diphosphate (FDP) on ß-caryophyllene content in both callus and hairy root (HR) cultures regeneration from leaf explants of A. vulgaris L. Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with various concentrations of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4D; 4-13 µM), α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA; 5-16 µM), and FDP (1 and 3 µM) was used for callus induction and HR regeneration from leaf explants of A. vulgaris L. In this study, precursor-treated (2,4D 13.5 µM + FDP 3 µM) callus displayed the highest biomass fresh weight (FW)/dry weight (DW): 46/25 g, followed by NAA 10.7 µM + FDP 3 µM with FW/DW: 50/28 g. Two different Agrobacterium rhizogenes strains (A4 and R1000) were evaluated for HR induction. The biomass of HRs induced using half-strength MS + B5 vitamins with 3 µM FDP was FW/DW: 40/20 g and FW/DW: 41/19 g, respectively. To determine ß-caryophyllene accumulation, we have isolated the essential oil from FDP-treated calli and HRs and quantified ß-caryophyllene using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The highest production of ß-caryophyllene was noticed in HR cultures induced using A4 and R1000 strains on half-strength MS medium containing 3 µM FDP, which produced 2.92 and 2.80 mg/ml ß-caryophyllene, respectively. The optimized protocol can be used commercially by scaling up the production of a ß-caryophyllene compound in a short span of time.

Effect of incorporation of nanoscale bioactive glass and hydroxyapatite in PCL/chitosan nanofibers for bone and periodontal tissue engineering.

A biomimetic scaffold which can very closely mimic the extracellular matrix of the bone was fabricated by incorporating nano-bioceramic particles such as nano bioglass (nBG) and nano hydroxyapatite (nHAp) within electrospun nanofibrous scaffold. A comparative study between nHAp incorporated poly(caprolactone) (PCL)-chitosan (CS) and nBG incorporated PCL-CS nanofibrous scaffolds was carried out and their feasibility in tissue engineering was investigated. All the samples were optimized to obtain fibers of similar diameter from 100-200 nm for the ease of comparison between the samples. Protein adsorption studies showed that PCL-CS incorporated with 3 wt% nHAp and 3 wt% nBG adsorbed more proteins on their surface than other samples. Cell attachment and proliferation studies using human periodontal ligament fibroblast cells (hPLFs) and osteoblast like cells (MG-63 cell lines) showed that nBG incorporated samples are slightly superior to nHAp incorporated counterparts. Cell viability test using alamar blue assay and live/dead staining confirms that the scaffolds are cytocompatible. ALP activity confirmed the osteoblastic behavior of hPDLFs. Also the presence of nHAp and nBG enhanced the ALP activity of hPDLF on the PCH3 and PCB3 scaffolds. These studies indicate that nBG incorporated electrospun scaffolds are comparatively better candidates for orthopedic and periodontal tissue engineering applications.

Comprehensive review on oral disintegrating films.

Fast-dissolving drug-delivery systems were first developed in the late 1970s as an alternative to tablets, capsules, and syrups for pediatric and geriatric patients who experience difficulties swallowing traditional oral solid dosage forms. In response to this need, a variety of orally disintegrating tablet (ODT) formats were commercialized, which disintegrate within 1 min when placed in the mouth without drinking water or chewing. Oral drug delivery technology has improved from conventional dosage forms to modified release dosage forms to ODT to the recent oral disintegrating films (ODF). Oral disintegrating film or strip that employs a water dissolving polymer which allows the dosage form to quickly hydrate by saliva, adhere to mucosa, and disintegrate within a few seconds, dissolve and releases medication for oromucosal absorption when placed on the tongue or oral cavity. Oral strip technology provides an alternate route for drugs with first pass metabolism. This review give details of materials used in ODF, manufacturing aspects, technologies, evaluation tests and marketed products.

Fabrication of aligned poly(lactic acid)-chitosan nanofibers by novel parallel blade collector method for skin tissue engineering.

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was blended with chitosan (CS) to fabricate electrospun aligned PLA-CS nanofibers. These prepared nanofibers were aligned using a novel collector made of parallel blades which is designed to increase the transversal electric field across the gap. SEM images show that the fiber diameter mostly ranges between 150 +/- 60 nm and Fourier Transform infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirm the presence of PLA and CS. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) studies explains the amorphous nature of electrospun PLA-CS nanofibers, suitable for faster degradation. Degradation studies confirmed that PLA-CS nanofiber has enhanced degradation than the pure PLA fibers. Cell studies with human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) show the orientation of cells along the direction of fiber alignment. The results indicate that the prepared PLA-CS aligned nanofibers are promising material for skin tissue engineering.

Hierarchically designed electrospun tubular scaffolds for cardiovascular applications.

Hierarchically designed tubular scaffolds with bi-layer and multi-layer structures are expected to mimic native vessels in its structural geometry. A new approach for the fabrication of hierarchically designed tubular scaffold with suitable morphology was introduced through electrospinning technique. Among these scaffolds, bi-layer scaffold had a single inner and outer layer whereas multilayer scaffold had more number of inner layers. The inner layer/layers of the scaffolds were made up of aligned poly (lactic acid) (PLA) fibers for EC adhesion where as outer layers were composed of random fibers of poly (caprolactone) (PCL) and PLA providing larger pores for SMC penetration. The fabricated scaffolds were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy and Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) and examined by evaluating cellular interactions. Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) seeded on aligned PLA fibers showed enhanced cellular orientation and cytoskeletal organization. In addition, the PCL-PLA composite random fibers supported SMC adhesion and proliferation sufficiently. The functionality of the endothelial cells grown on the PLA-aligned scaffold was also found to be satisfactory. Lining the constructs with a luminal monolayer of well-organized ECs along with homogenously distributed SMCs surrounding them might result in vascular conduits suitable for in vivo applications. Since this hierarchically designed tubular scaffold closely mimics the morphology of native vessel, this could be a better candidate for vascular tissue engineering.

Acne and its treatment options: a review.

Acne vulgaris is an extremely common condition affecting more than 80-90% of adolescents and young adults. It typically starts in late childhood or early teens, but onset may be delayed in some people well into their 20s and 30s. The incidence rate of acne is roughly the same in males and females but, males tend to have more serious conditions. Common therapies that are used for the treatment of acne include topical, systemic, herbal and combination therapies. This review is an attempt to trace out the causes of acne, to know its treatment options and precautions to be taken to prevent it.

Floating drug delivery systems for prolonging gastric residence time: a review.

Oral delivery of the drug is the most preferable route of drug delivery due to the ease of administration, patient compliance and flexibility in the formulations. Recent technological advancements have been made in controlled oral drug delivery systems by overcoming physiological difficulties, such as short gastric residence time and highly variable gastric emptying time. Gastroretentive dosage forms have been designed over the past three decades to overcome these difficulties. Several technical approaches are currently utilized in the prolongation of gastric residence time, including highdensity, swelling and expanding, polymeric mucoadhesive, ion-exchange, raft forming, magnetic and floating drug delivery systems (FDDS), as well as other delayed gastric emptying devices. In this review, the current technological developments of FDDS including patented delivery systems and marketed products, and their advantages and future potential for oral controlled drug delivery are discussed.