Structural, surface morphological and dielectric studies of guanidinium salt incorporated poly (ethylene oxide)/poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) solid polymer electrolytes.

The research article investigates the effect of incorporating the guanidinium carbonate (GuC) salt into the poly vinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) polymer matrix. Various weight percentages of GuC enriched PVP/PEO solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) have been prepared by the simplest solution casting process. XRD analysis revealed that the incorporation of the GuC salt led to changes in the crystalline structure of the PVP/PEO. FTIR analysis confirms the presence of guanidinium carbonate in the blended polymeric system. FESEM imaging showed the uniform and smooth surface view of the electrolytes. DSC analysis suggests that the addition of the GuC led to a decrease in the melting temperature and an increase in the crystallisation temperature. The temperature-dependent dielectric analysis showed that the presence of the organic salt led to an increase in the dielectric constant of the polymer blend. Among all the prepared electrolytes, 25 wt.% GuC added polymer electrolyte achieved a higher conductivity of 3.00764 × 10-7 S/cm. Overall, the results of the study suggest that the incorporation of the GuC salt into the PVP/PEO can lead to significant changes in the structural, thermal, and dielectric properties of the blend. These findings have potential implications for the use of PVP/PEO blends in solid state battery applications.

Human embryonic stem cells cultured on hydrogels grafted with extracellular matrix protein-derived peptides with polyethylene glycol joint nanosegments.

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) can be proliferated on completely synthetic materials under xeno-free cultivation conditions using biomaterials grafted with extracellular matrix protein (ECM)-derived peptides. However, cell culture biomaterials grafted with ECM-derived peptides must be prepared using a high concentration of peptide reaction solution (e.g. 1000 µg/ml), whereas the ECM concentration of the ECM-coated surface for hPSC culture is typically 5 µg/ml. We designed a polyethylene glycol (PEG) joint nanosegment (linker) to be used between base cell culture biomaterials and bioactive ECM-derived peptides to enhance the probability of contact between ECM-derived peptides and cell binding receptors of hPSCs. Vitronectin-derived peptides with glycine joint nanosegments (GCGG) were conjugated onto poly (vinyl alcohol-co-itaconic acid) hydrogels via PEG joint nanosegments, and human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) were cultivated on these hydrogels. hESCs could successfully be cultivated on hydrogels while maintaining their pluripotency and differentiation potential to differentiate into cells that are induced from three germ layers in vitro and in vivo, where only a 50 µg/ml ECM-derived peptide concentration was used when the PEG joint nanosegments were introduced into peptides that were grafted onto hydrogel surfaces. The joint nanosegments between bioactive peptides and base cell culture biomaterials were found to contribute to efficient hESC attachment and proliferation.

Isocitrate Dehydrogenase IDH1 and IDH2 Mutations in Human Cancer: Prognostic Implications for Gliomas.

Background: There are isolated reports of mutations in genes for isocitrate dehydrogenases (IDH1 and IDH2), but few have been examined in a large number of different malignancies. We aimed to analyze mutational prevalence of these genes in a large series of cancers and determine their significance in most mutated phenotype. Methods: We analyzed the frequencies of IDH1 and IDH2 mutations in 14,726 malignancies of 37 cancers. Furthermore, we examined these mutations in the most frequent cancer (gliomas, 923 cases) from a single cohort, and determined their clinical significance. Results: IDH1 mutations were present in 3% (473/14,726) of cancers. The highest frequencies were in oligodendrogliomas (91/102, 89%), anaplastic oligodendrogliomas (40/46, 87%), and diffuse astrocytomas (89/116, 77%). IDH2 mutation was detected in <1% (83/14,726) of cancers, but were present in 13% (6/46) of anaplastic oligodendrogliomas, 9% (9/102) of oligodendrogliomas, and in 5% (2/39) of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas. Further analyses of 923 gliomas revealed 34 and 1% of IDH1 and IDH2 mutations, respectively. In up to 342 months of follow-up, IDH1 and IDH2 mutations were significantly linked with better overall (OS) (both p = 0.01) and progression-free survival (PFS) (p = 0.01; p = 0.004), respectively. Conclusion: IDH1 and IDH2 are often mutated in a tissue-specific manner, most commonly in gliomas. Mutation in both genes is linked to OS and PFS. Our findings suggest that these genes are promising therapeutic targets and strong prognostic biomarkers in gliomas.

Thermoresponsive surfaces designed for the proliferation and differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells.

Thermoresponsive surfaces enable the detachment of cells or cell sheets by decreasing the temperature of the surface when harvesting the cells. However, human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), such as embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, cannot be directly cultured on a thermoresponsive surface; hPSCs need a specific extracellular matrix to bind to the integrin receptors on their surfaces. We prepared a thermoresponsive surface by using poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-butylacrylate) and recombinant vitronectin to provide an optimal coating concentration for the hPSC culture. hPSCs can be cultured on the same thermoresponsive surface for 5 passages by partial detachment of the cells from the surface by decreasing the temperature for 30 min; then, the remaining hPSCs were subsequently cultured on the same dishes following the addition of new cultivation media. The detached cells, even after continual culture for five passages, showed high pluripotency, the ability to differentiate into cells derived from the 3 germ layers and the ability to undergo cardiac differentiation.

Preparation of Cu2ZnSnS4 Thin Films by Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) Method for Supercapacitor Applications.

The Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films have been prepared at different deposition cycles, deposited on a glass substrate by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method followed by the annealing process at elevated temperature. The investigations on the films have been carried out to understand and confirm its structure, functional group present, crystalline morphology, optical and electrochemical behavior. The powder X-ray diffraction patterns recorded indicate that the deposited films are formed in the tetragonal structure. Other parameters like grain size, dislocation density, and microstrain are also calculated. The uniform surface of the films with spherical shaped morphology has been observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy, and the elemental compositions have been confirmed by EDAX. Electrochemical behavior such as cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and galvanostatic charge-discharge analysis have been carried out by electrochemical workstation. The modified electrode exhibits maximum specific capacitance value as 416 F/g for a pure sample. Optical studies have shown that the band gaps are estimated between 1.40 eV and 1.57 eV.

Microwave-assisted hydrometallurgical extraction of Li4Ti5O12 and LiFePO4 from ilmenite: effect of PPy-Br2 derived C-coating with N, Br, and Nb5+ Co-doping on electrodes for high-rate energy storage performance.

Microwave-driven hydrometallurgical (MW-HM) method has been adopted to extract spinel-type Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) and orthorhombic-type LiFePO4 (LFP) from naturally occurring Ilmenite (FeTiO3) within 2 h unlike the conventional process that requires >30 h. We have successfully demonstrated aliovalent-Nb5+ doping and carbon coating with N, Br co-doping upon the pyrolysis of a polypyrrole-(PPy)-Br2 charge-transfer-(CT)-complex via MW-hydrothermal and MW-solid state heating within 30 min. Further, we also investigated the effect of carbon coating and co-doping of LTO and LFP electrodes at high C-rate performance of the lithium battery. XRD, XPS, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy results confirmed the co-existence of dual-phase Li4Ti5O12/rutile-TiO2 (LTO-RTO) with substitution-induced transition of Ti4+ → Ti3+ in spinel-LTO due to Nb5+ and N, Br co-doping, which facilitates fast Li+ ion and electron transfer at the electrode-electrolyte interface. Conversely, in situ Nb5+ doped LiFePO4 combined with ex situ carbon-coating with N, Br co-doping improved the overall electronic conductive behavior. The UV-Visible absorption spectra and Tauc plots further support the decrease in the band gap upon co-doping, thus promoting n-type electronic behavior of the electrodes. A significant enhancement in the discharge-capacities of the carbon-coated N, Br co-doped Li4Ti4.97 Nb0.03O12/rutile-TiO2 (NBC-LTNO-RTO) and pristine anode in the range of 174-148 mA h g-1 and 167-125 mA h g-1 was exhibited at different rates in the range of 0.2 C-20 C with 97% and 94% capacity retention, respectively. Instead, the carbon-coated N, Br co-doped LiFe0.99 Nb0.01PO4 (NBC-LFNP) and pristine cathode exhibited discharge capacities in the range of 169-73 mA h g-1 and 136-65 mA h g-1 at different rates in the range of 0.2 C-20 C with 92% and 40% capacity retention for 500 cycles, respectively. Hence, this innovative, rapid, and sustainable chemical process for the fabrication of the modified cathode and anode from the earth abundant ilmenite ore as the single source with high-rate capability and ultra-stability can be used for high-power and safer lithium-ion energy storage.

Substrate-imprinted docking of Agrobacterium tumefaciens uronate dehydrogenase for increased substrate selectivity.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens uronate dehydrogenase (AtuUdh) belongs to the short-chain dehydrogenase superfamily, specifically those acting on the CH-OH group of donor with NAD+ or NADP+ as acceptor. It is apparently required for the production of D-glucaric acid. AtuUdh-catalyzed reaction is reversible with dual substrate-specific activity (D-galacturonic acid and D-glucuronic acid) in nature. In our study, 34 mutants were pre-screened from 155 mutants generated from AtuUdh (wild-type) and selected 10 structurally stable mutants with increased substrate selectivity. The specificity, efficiency, and selectivity of these mutants for different substrates and cofactors were predicted from 121 docked models using a substrate-imprinted docking approach. Q14F, S36L, and S75T mutants have shown a high binding affinity to D-glucuronic acid and its substrate intermediates such as D-glucaro-1,4-lactone and D-glucaro-1,5-lactone. These mutants exhibited a low binding affinity to the substrate and cofactor required for D-galactaric acid. D34S, N112E and S165E mutants found to show a high selectivity of D-galacturonic acid and its substrate intermediates for D-galactaric acid production. Ser75, Ser165, and Arg174 are active residues playing an imperative role in the substrate selectivity and also contributed in the conjecture the mechanism of transition state stabilization catalyzed by AtuUdh mutants. The present approach was used to reveal the substrate binding mechanism of AtuUdh mutants for a better understanding of the structural basis for selectivity and function.

Xeno-free and feeder-free culture and differentiation of human embryonic stem cells on recombinant vitronectin-grafted hydrogels.

Recombinant vitronectin-grafted hydrogels were developed by adjusting surface charge of the hydrogels with grafting of poly-l-lysine for optimal culture of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) under xeno- and feeder-free culture conditions, with elasticity regulated by crosslinking time (10-30 kPa), in contrast to conventional recombinant vitronectin coating dishes, which have a fixed stiff surface (3 GPa). hESCs proliferated on the hydrogels for over 10 passages and differentiated into the cells derived from three germ layers indicating the maintenance of pluripotency. hESCs on the hydrogels differentiated into cardiomyocytes under xeno-free culture conditions with much higher efficiency (80% of cTnT+ cells) than those on conventional recombinant vitronectin or Matrigel-coating dishes just only after 12 days of induction. It is important to have an optimal design of cell culture biomaterials where biological cues (recombinant vitronectin) and physical cues (optimal elasticity) are combined for high differentiation of hESCs into specific cell lineages, such as cardiomyocytes, under xeno-free and feeder-free culture conditions.

Detection of Skin Cancer Using SVM, Random Forest and kNN Classifiers.

Most common and deadly type of cancer is Skin cancer. The destructive kind of cancers in skin is Melanoma as well as it can be identified at the initial stage and can be cured completely. For the diagnosis of melanoma, the identification of the melanocytes in the area of epidermis is an essential stage. In this paper the watershed segmentation method is implemented for segmentation. The extracted segments are subjected to feature extraction. The features extracted are shape, ABCD rule and GLCM. The extracted features are then used for classification. The classifiers are kNN (k Nearest Neighbor), Random Forest and SVM (Support Vector Machine). Among different classifiers, the SVM classifier provided better results for the skin lesions classification.

Development of biotin molecule targeted cancer cell drug delivery of doxorubicin loaded κ-carrageenan grafted graphene oxide nanocarrier.

Cervical cancer is one of the most occurring cancers and the fourth leading occurrence of cancer in women, worldwide. In this study, we planned to synthesis κ-Carrageenan grafted graphene oxide nanocarrier conjugated with biotin (GO-κ-Car-biotin) for targeted cervical cancer. Doxorubicin (DOX) is a well-known anticancer drug for any type of cancer and it is used to entrap over on the graphene oxide surface via π-π stacking interaction. The chemical function and crystalline nature of the synthesized nanocarrier was characterized by Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction Analysis (XRD). The surface morphological study was carried out through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Atomic force microscopy (AFM). The in-vitro drug release profile of DOX was carried out by UV-Vis spectrometer at the λmax value of 480 nm. The entrapment of DOX on GO-κ-car-biotin has been observed at 94%. The hydrophilic DOX drug has excellent pH-sensitive drug released in an in-vitro study. The anticancer efficiency of the synthesized GO-based nanocarrier was examined using HeLa cell line in-vitro. Cell viability, proliferation, cytotoxicity, and nuclear chromatin condensation was studied by trypan blue assay, triphosphate assay (ATP), lactate dehydrogenase assay (LDH) and Hoechst staining respectively. Finally, biotin leading GO-κ-Car carrier demonstrated is a promising drug delivery system for cervical cancer treatment.

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Quasi-Pyramidal CuInS2 -ZnS Nanocrystals for Enhanced Near-Infrared Targeted Fluorescent Imaging of Subcutaneous Melanoma.

Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent CuInS2 -ZnS nanocrystals (CIZS NCs) are synthesized via an ultra-fast, non-injection microwave (MW)-assisted nanoalloying process at 230 ºC within 5 min using 1-dodecanethiol (DDT) as both the sulfur source and solvent under solvothermal (ST) condition. The structural and surface analyses reveal that DDT-functionalized CIZS NCs exhibit quasi-pyramids of tetragonal-phase with well-defined facets. The DDT-functionalized CIZS NCs present a photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 76% and a long-lived fluorescence lifetime of ≈0.6 µs in organic-phase. Subsequently, DDT-functionalized CIZS NCs are phase-transferred via ligand-exchange using 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) into water-soluble MUA-CIZS NCs that exhibit a substantial PLQY of 55%. In addition, the NIR-fluorescent MUA-functionalized CIZS NCs in conjugation with folic acid (FA), as a tumor-targeting ligand, demonstrates enhanced tumor-targeted imaging ability. The FA-MUA-CIZS NC conjugates exhibit a cell viability of ≈75% even at the highest concentration of 1 mg mL-1 and a labeling efficiency of 95.4%. The in vivo imaging results corroborate that FA-MUA-CIZS NCs conjugates are actively targeted to folate receptor-positive B16F10 tumor-bearing C57BL/6 mice in 2 h. The histopathological and hematological studies confirm no significant changes in tissue architecture and blood biochemical parameters. The confocal microscopy studies reveal deep penetration and uniform distribution of FA-MUA-CIZS NCs conjugates in subcutaneous melanoma.

Mucoadhesive guargum hydrogel inter-connected chitosan-g-polycaprolactone micelles for rifampicin delivery.

Natural polymer guar gum has one of the highest viscosities in water solution and hence, these are significantly used in pharmaceutical applications. Guar gum inter-connected micelles as a new carrier has been developed for poor water soluble rifampicin drug. The hydrogel inter-connected micelle core was formulated as a hydrophilic inner and hydrophobic outer core by using guar gum/chitosan/polycaprolactone and the carrier interaction with rifampicin was confirmed by FT-IR. The morphological observations were carried out through TEM, SEM and AFM analysis. The encapsulation efficiency and in-vitro drug release behavior of prepared hydrogel based micelle system was analyzed by UV-vis spectrometry. The anti-bacterial activity against K. pneumoniae and S. aureus was studied by observing their ruptured surface by SEM. The cytotoxicity study reveals that the pure polymeric system has no toxic effect whereas drug loaded ones showed superior activity against THP-1 cells. From the cell apoptosis analyses, the apoptosis was carried out in a time dependent manner. The cell uptake behavior was also observed in THP-1 cells which indicate that the hydrogel based micelle system is an excellent material for the mucoadhesive on intracellular alveolar macrophage treatment.

Modulatory and regenerative potential of transplanted bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells on rifampicin-induced kidney toxicity.

INTRODUCTION: Anti-tuberculosis agent rifampicin is extensively used for its effectiveness. Possible complications of tuberculosis and prolonged rifampicin treatment include kidney damage; these conditions can lead to reduced efficiency of the affected kidney and consequently to other diseases. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) can be used in conjunction with rifampicin to avert kidney damage; because of its regenerative and differentiating potentials into kidney cells. This research was designed to assess the modulatory and regenerative potentials of MSCs in averting kidney damage due to rifampicin-induced kidney toxicity in Wistar rats and their progenies. BMMSCs used in this research were characterized according to the guidelines of International Society for Cellular Therapy. METHODS: The rats (male and female) were divided into three experimental groups, as follows: Group 1: control rats (4 males & 4 females); Group 2: rats treated with rifampicin only (4 males & 4 females); and Group 3: rats treated with rifampicin plus MSCs (4 males & 4 females). Therapeutic doses of rifampicin (9 mg/kg/day for 3-months) and MSCs infusions (twice/month for 3-months) were administered orally and intravenously respectively. At the end of the three months, the animals were bred together to determine if the effects would carry over to the next generation. Following breeding, the rats were sacrificed to harvest serum for biochemical analysis and the kidneys were also harvested for histological analysis and quantification of the glomeruli size, for the adult rats and their progenies. RESULTS: The results showed some level of alterations in the biochemical indicators and histopathological damage in the rats that received rifampicin treatment alone, while the control and stem cells treated group showed apparently normal to nearly normal levels of both bio-indicators and normal histological architecture. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous administration of MSCs yielded sensible development, as seen from biochemical indicators, histology and the quantitative cell analysis, hence implying the modulatory and regenerative properties of MSCs.

Inositol-6 phosphate inhibits the mTOR pathway and induces autophagy-mediated death in HT-29 colon cancer cells.

INTRODUCTION: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is common, with a worldwide incidence estimated at more than 1 million cases annually. Therefore, the search for agents for CRC treatment is highly warranted. Inositol-6 phosphate (IP6) is enriched in rice bran and possesses many beneficial effects. In the present study the effect of IP6 on autophagy-mediated death by modulating the mTOR pathway in HT-29 colon cancer cells was studied. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Autophagy was assessed by acridine orange (AO) staining, transmission electron microscopy, and western blotting to detect LC3-II and Beclin 1. Akt/mTOR signaling protein expression was also analyzed by western blotting. Apoptosis was analyzed by annexin V staining. RESULTS: Incubation of cells with IP6 resulted in downregulation of the p-Akt at 3h. Along with that confocal microscopic analysis of p-AKT, IP6 administration resulted that a diminished expression of p-Akt. mTOR pathway regulates autophagy and incubation with IP6 to HT-29 cells showed decreased expression of p-70S6Kinase, 4-EBP-1 in a time-dependent manner. Inositol-6 phosphate (10 µg/ml, 24 and 48 h) induced autophagic vesicles, as confirmed by AO staining and transmission electron microscopy. We also found increased expression of LC3-II and Beclin 1 in a time-dependent manner after incubation with IP6. Furthermore, IP6 induced apoptosis, as revealed by annexin V staining. CONCLUSIONS: Our results clearly indicate that IP6 induces autophagy by inhibiting the Akt/mTOR pathway.

Osteoblast response to Vitamin D3 loaded cellulose enriched hydroxyapatite Mesoporous silica nanoparticles composite.

Composite materials hold cellulose(C) established network and biomimetic Hydroxyapatite (HAP) are potentially appropriate for bone formation and protect the external organisms. Tissue engineering scaffolds with unified porous and enhanced biological properties can be fabricated using a small quantity of porous additives. In this study we synthesizd a Cholecalciferol (VD3) loaded, cellulose functionalized hydroxyapatite nanocomposites with different concentration of Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs). VD3 plays an important role in the bone formation by regulating extracellular levels of calcium and phosphorus. FTIR, SEM, TEM, and X-ray diffraction techniques were used for the characterization of the prepared composites. VD3 releases from the VD3/C/HAP/MSN scaffold were observed by using UV-vis spectroscopy. The nanocomposites C/HAP/MSN, VD3/C/HAP/MSN showed higher viability compared with pure HAP and in-vitro studies revealed that the materials has enhanced the proliferative, adhesion, osteoinductive effects ALP activity and calcium deposition assay on osteoblasts like cells (MG63). Our outcome recommended that the 3D like VD3 loaded C/HAP/MSN nanocomposite scaffolds have a great potential as a bone tissue substitute.

Stimulus-responsive zinc oxide-functionalized macromolecular humic acid nanocarrier for enhancement of antibacterial activity of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride.

Macromolecular of naturally occurring humic acid (HA) have garnered interest in the chemical, biological and medicine industry owing to their unique behavior, i.e., strong adsorptive and non-toxic nature. Here, we investigated the functionalization of organic (HA) with inorganic (ZnO) hybrid nanoparticles for topical and site-targeted delivery of ciprofloxacin by simple emulsification techniques. Ciprofloxacin (CIPRO)-encapsulated hybrid nanocarrier constitute an attractive novel drug delivery vehicle for sustained release of antibiotics to bacterial infection sites in an extended and controlled manner. The analytical characteristics of the designed system were thoroughly investigated by FTIR, XRD, SEM/EDAX, and TEM. The drug release of ciprofloxacin over 24h was 87.5%, 98.03%, 97.44%, and 97.24% for pH2.5, 5.5, 6.8, and 8.0, respectively. The antibacterial activities results confirmed that the CIPRO-encapsulated hybrid nanocarrier showed excellent growth inhibition against microorganisms. This hybrid nanocarrier loaded with antibiotics represents a promising approach for targeted and controlled drug delivery to infected sites.

Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Culture on Polyvinyl Alcohol-Co-Itaconic Acid Hydrogels with Varying Stiffness Under Xeno-Free Conditions.

The effect of physical cues, such as the stiffness of biomaterials on the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells, has been investigated by several researchers. However, most of these investigators have used polyacrylamide hydrogels for stem cell culture in their studies. Therefore, their results are controversial because those results might originate from the specific characteristics of the polyacrylamide and not from the physical cue (stiffness) of the biomaterials. Here, we describe a protocol for preparing hydrogels, which are not based on polyacrylamide, where various stem, cells including human embryonic stem (ES) cells and human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, can be cultured. Hydrogels with varying stiffness were prepared from bioinert polyvinyl alcohol-co-itaconic acid (P-IA), with stiffness controlled by crosslinking degree by changing crosslinking time. The P-IA hydrogels grafted with and without oligopeptides derived from extracellular matrix were investigated as a future platform for stem cell culture and differentiation. The culture and passage of amniotic fluid stem cells, adipose-derived stem cells, human ES cells, and human iPS cells is described in detail here. The oligopeptide P-IA hydrogels showed superior performances, which were induced by their stiffness properties. This protocol reports the synthesis of the biomaterial, their surface manipulation, along with controlling the stiffness properties and finally, their impact on stem cell fate using xeno-free culture conditions. Based on recent studies, such modified substrates can act as future platforms to support and direct the fate of various stem cells line to different linkages; and further, regenerate and restore the functions of the lost organ or tissue.

Deep Eutectic Solvent-Mediated FA-g-ß-Alanine-co-PCL Drug Carrier for Sustainable and Site-Specific Drug Delivery.

An amphiphilic polymer that consisted of a deep eutectic solvent (DES)-mediated drug carrier was designed, where the DES influenced the formation of folic acid (FA)-tagged g-ß-alanine-co-PCL polymer (DES@FA-g-ß-alanine-co-PCL); the nature of the carrier was investigated through emission analysis and pyrene used as a model probe (CMC = 0.4 mg/mL). The amphiphilic polymer was self-assembled into a sphere (≈204 nm diameter) with a surface charge of -3 ± 0.5 mV. The doxorubicin was incorporated and the structural changes were analyzed by UV-visible spectroscopy, FT-IR, XRD, Raman, and TGA analysis, while size and morphological analysis was performed by DLS, AFM, SEM, and TEM. The controlled release of drug from the carrier was observed at different pH levels. The enhanced anticancer potential of DOX-loaded polymeric micelle was studied both in vitro and in vivo breast cancer model. The treatment of DOX-loaded polymeric micelle reduces the viability and proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells. From the results of the current investigation it concludes that the DOX-loaded polymeric micelle has enhance anticancer effect and it exhibits its potential effect at the dosage of 5 mg/kg body weight in mammary carcinoma-bearing rats. From the observed results, synthesized DOX-loaded polymeric micelle holds strong anticancer properties compared with free DOX and can be used as a potential carrier in the pharmaceutical industry.

From waste to high-value product: Jackfruit peel derived pectin/apatite bionanocomposites for bone healing applications.

Public requirements encouraged by the current asset framework drive industry to expand its general effectiveness by enhancing existing procedures or finding new uses for waste. Thus, the aim of this study was the isolation, fabrication, and characterization of pectin derived from jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peels and the generation of hybrid of pectin (P)/apatite (HA) (P/HA) bionanocomposites. In this process, the natural pectin polymer derived from the peel of jackfruits was used in different concentrations for the fabrication of HA bionanocomposites. Characterization of the isolated pectin and bionanocomposites samples was performed with 1H NMR and 13C NMR, FTIR, XRD, SEM-EDX, and HR-TEM. Cytocompatibility, ALP, fibroblast stem cells, anti-inflammatory and cell adhesion testing of the fabricated bionanocomposites was showed good biocompatibility. Our results signify that the fabricated bionanocomposites might be applicable as bone graft materials.

Chemical Composition of Moringa oleifera Ethyl Acetate Fraction and Its Biological Activity in Diabetic Human Dermal Fibroblasts.

BACKGROUND: Moringa oleifera (MO), commonly known as the drumstick tree, is used in folklore medicine for the treatment of skin disease. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction of MO leaves for in vitro antibacterial, antioxidant, and wound healing activities and conduct gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Antibacterial activity was evaluated against six Gram-positive bacteria and 10 Gram-negative bacteria by disc diffusion method. Free radical scavenging activity was assessed by 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical hydrogen peroxide scavenging and total phenolic content (TPC). Wound healing efficiency was studied using cell viability, proliferation, and scratch assays in diabetic human dermal fibroblast (HDF-D) cells. RESULTS: The EtOAc fraction showed moderate activity against all bacterial strains tested, and the maximum inhibition zone was observed against Streptococcus pyogenes (30 mm in diameter). The fraction showed higher sensitivity to Gram-positive strains than Gram-negative strains. In the quantitative analysis of antioxidant content, the EtOAc fraction was found to have a TPC of 65.81 ± 0.01. The DPPH scavenging activity and the hydrogen peroxide assay were correlated with the TPC value, with IC50 values of 18.21 ± 0.06 and 59.22 ± 0.04, respectively. The wound healing experiment revealed a significant enhancement of cell proliferation and migration of HDF-D cells. GC-MS analysis confirmed the presence of 17 bioactive constituents that may be the principal factors in the significant antibacterial, antioxidant, and wound healing activity. CONCLUSION: The EtOAc fraction of MO leaves possesses remarkable wound healing properties, which can be attributed to the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of the fraction. SUMMARY: Moringa oleifera (MO) leaf ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction possesses antibacterial activities toward Gram-positive bacteria such as Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus, and Gram-negative bacteria such as Proteus mirabilis and Salmonella typhimuriumMO leaf EtOAc fraction contained the phenolic content of 65.81 ± 0.01 and flavonoid content of 37.1 ± 0.03, respectively. In addition, the fraction contained 17 bioactive constituents associated with the antibacterial, antioxidant, and wound healing properties that were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysisMO leaf EtOAc fraction supports wound closure rate about 80% for treatments when compared with control group. Abbreviations used: MO: Moringa oleifera; EtOAc: Ethyl acetate; GC-MS: Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; HDF-D: Diabetic Human Dermal Fibroblast cells.