Garcinol: A novel and potent inhibitor of hyaluronidase enzyme.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) contains hyaluronic acid (HA) as its integral part that is involved in numerous functional activities within the body. Degradation of HA by hyaluronidase enzyme involved in many pathophysiological conditions such as asthma, arthritis, COPD and in venom spreading during envenomation. Inhibitor of hyaluronidase enzyme has a wide range of application along with the hyaluronan-hyaluronidase system. In this present study, we have evaluated the inhibitory effect of garcinol against hyaluronidase from Hippasa partita spider venom (HPHyal), bovine testicular hyaluronidase (BTH) and human serum hyaluronidase. Garcinia indica fruit rind has been used to isolate the active component garcinol. Garcinol has been used in treatment of diverse ailments. Garcinol has exhibited anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, HAT inhibition and miRNA deregulator in development and progression of cancers. Experimental data have shown that garcinol completely inhibited all the three tested hyaluronidase enzymes. The inhibition was found to be non-competitive pattern with reversible type. In the docking study, garcinol with hyaluronidase enzyme has been stabilized by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. Thus, garcinol could be a potent novel inhibitor of hyaluronidase enzyme which can be further used for pharmacotherapeutic applications.

Enhanced O2/N2 separation by QuaternizedMatrimid/Multiwalled carbon nanotube mixed-matrix membrane.

The air separation (O2/N2) based on polymeric membranes is critical because it is more energy efficient than traditional methods. Dense polymeric membranes are now the main stay of industrial processes that generate oxygen and nitrogen enriched gas. Though, regular polymeric membranes often fall short of selective pressure demands because O2 and N2 gases have such comparable equivalent diameters. While polymer composites have their benefits, nanocomposite (NCs) allows for the production of high-performance barriers. Utilising Matrimid® 5218 (Matrimid) as the base framework and multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) as the filler, a novel NCs for O2/N2 separation was developed. Both matrimid and MWCNTs were chemically modified quaternization and functionalizing the MWCNTs. The membranes were casted using solution casting with a combination of quaternized matrimid and functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNT). When f-MWCNT was added to quaternized matrimid, it created interfacial compatibility, which increased O2/N2 selectivity and permeability by 65 % and 35 %, respectively. In the current study, increasing O2 diffusivity and O2/N2 solubility selectivity resulted in improved performance, this paves a way for manufacturing innovation.

An Experimental and Simulation Study of the Active Camber Morphing Concept on Airfoils Using Bio-Inspired Structures.

Birds are capable of morphing their wings across different flight modes and speeds to improve their aerodynamic performance. In light of this, the study aims to investigate a more optimized solution compared to conventional structural wing designs. The design challenges faced by the aviation industry today require innovative techniques to improve flight efficiency and minimize environmental impact. This study focuses on the aeroelastic impact validation of wing trailing edge morphing, which undergoes significant structural changes to enhance performance as per mission requirements. The approach to design-concept, modeling, and construction described in this study is generalizable and requires lightweight and actively deformable structures. The objective of this work is to demonstrate the aerodynamic efficiency of an innovative structural design and trailing edge morphing concept compared to conventional wing-flap configurations. The analysis revealed that the maximum displacement at a 30-degree deflection is 47.45 mm, while the maximum stress is 21 MPa. Considering that the yield strength of ABS material is 41.14 MPa, this kerf morphing structure, with a safety factor of 2.5, can withstand both structural and aerodynamic loads. The analysis results of the flap and morph configurations showed a 27% efficiency improvement, which was confirmed through the convergence criteria in ANSYS CFX.

Functional Properties of Grapefruit Seed Extract Embedded Blend Membranes of Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Starch: Potential Application for Antiviral Activity in Food Safety to Fight Against COVID-19.

The poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and starch-based polymeric films with a ratio of 2:8 were prepared using solution casting followed by a solvent evaporation method. Four types of membranes with varied concentrations of grapefruit seed extract (GSE) i.e., 2.5-10 wt% was incorporated in the films. The prepared membranes were assessed for transparency test, mechanical properties, surface morphology, permeability test for O2, and antimicrobial properties. The PVA/starch-10% GSE loaded film showed excellent mechanical properties showing highest 1344 ± 0.7% elongation at break but poor optical transparency with 53.8% to 68.61%. The Scanning Electron Microscopic study reveals the good compatibility between the PVA, Starch, and GSE. The gas permeability test reveals that the prepared films have shown good resistance to the O2 permeability 0.0326-0.316 Barrer at 20 kg/cm2 feed pressure for the prepared membranes showing excellent performance. By adding the little amount of GSE into the PVA/starch blend membranes showed promising antimicrobial efficacy against MNV-1. For 4 h. incubation, PVA/starch blend membranes containing 2.5%, 5%, and 10% GSE caused MNV-1 reductions of 0.92, 1.89, and 2.27 log PFU/ml, respectively. Similarly, after 24 h, the 5% and 10% GSE membranes reduced MNV-1 titers by 1.90 and 3.26 log PFU/ml, respectively. Antimicrobial tests have shown excellent performance to resist microorganisms. The water uptake capacity of the membrane is found 72% for the PVA/starch pristine membrane and is reduced to 32% for the 10% GSE embedded membrane. Since the current pandemic situation due to COVID-19 occurred by SARSCOV2, the prepared GSE incorporated polymeric blend films are the rays of hope in the packaging of food stuff.

Biomimicking Nature-Inspired Design Structures-An Experimental and Simulation Approach Using Additive Manufacturing.

Whether it is a plant- or animal-based bio-inspiration design, it has always been able to address one or more product/component optimisation issues. Today's scientists or engineers look to nature for an optimal, economically viable, long-term solution. Similarly, a proposal is made in this current work to use seven different bio-inspired structures for automotive impact resistance. All seven of these structures are derived from plant and animal species and are intended to be tested for compressive loading to achieve load-bearing capacity. The work may even cater to optimisation techniques to solve the real-time problem using algorithm-based generative shape designs built using CATIA V6 in unit dimension. The samples were optimised with Rhino 7 software and then simulated with ANSYS workbench. To carry out the comparative study, an experimental work of bioprinting in fused deposition modelling (3D printing) was carried out. The goal is to compare the results across all formats and choose the best-performing concept. The results were obtained for compressive load, flexural load, and fatigue load conditions, particularly the number of life cycles, safety factor, damage tolerance, and bi-axiality indicator. When compared to previous research, the results are in good agreement. Because of their multifunctional properties combining soft and high stiffness and lightweight properties of novel materials, novel materials have many potential applications in the medical, aerospace, and automotive sectors.

Synthesis and Characterization of Microwave-Assisted Copolymer Membranes of Poly(vinyl alcohol)-g-starch-methacrylate and Their Evaluation for Gas Transport Properties.

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is an excellent membrane-forming polymer and can be modified with potato starch and methyl acrylate monomers to obtain copolymers with improved physical and chemical properties. The study presents the synthesis of poly(vinyl alcohol)-g-starch-poly(methyl acrylate) PVA-g-St-g-PMA copolymers using microwave irradiation technique and potassium persulfate initiator. Solution casting and solvent evaporation methods were adopted for the fabrication of polyvinyl alcohol-g-starch-acrylamide composite membranes. The synthesized graft copolymer was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and thermal analysis. The modified nanocomposite membranes were showed very promising results with the parameters permeability and selectivity. The nanocomposite membranes exhibited the advantages of easy handling and reuse.