Edible mushroom (Flammulina velutipes) as biosource for silver nanoparticles: from synthesis to diverse biomedical and environmental applications.

The current study reports advanced, ecofriendly and biosynthesized silver NPs for diverse biomedical and environmental applications using Flammulina velutipes as biosource. In the study, a simple aqueous extract of F. velutipes was utilized to reduce the AgNO3 into stable elemental silver (Ag0) at a nanometric scale. The NPs had average size of 21.4 nm, spherical morphology, and were highly stable and pure. The characterized nanoparticles were exploited for a broad range of biomedical applications including bacteriocidal, fungicidal, leishmanicidal, in vitro antialzheimer's, antioxidant, anti-diabetic and biocompatibility studies. Our findings showed that F. velutipes mediated AgNPs exhibited high activity against MDR bacterial strains and spore forming fungal strains. All the tested urinary tract infection bacterial isolates, were resistant to non-coated antibiotics but by applying 1% of the synthesized AgNPs, the bactericidal potential of the tested antibiotics enhanced manifolds. The NPs also exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxic potential against Leishmania tropica with significant LC50 of 248 µg ml-1 for promastigote and 251 µg ml-1 for amastigote forms of the parasite. Furthermore, promising antialzheimer and antidiabetic activities were observed as significant inhibition of α-amylase, α-glucosidase, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butrylcholineterase (BChE) were noted. Moreover, remarkable biocompatible nature of the particles was found against human red blood cells. The biosynthesized AgNPs as photocatalyst, also resulted in 98.2% degradation of indigo carmine dye within 140 min. Owing to ecofriendly synthesis, biosafe nature and excellent physicochemical properties F. velutipes AgNPs can be exploited as novel candidates for multifaceted biomedical and environmental applications.

Drug resistance pattern in Mycobacterium tuberculosis to the first line drugs of pulmonary tuberculosis patients at Hazara Region, Pakistan.

INTRODUCTION: Multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB), defined as resistance to at least rifampicin and isoniazid together, has been rapidly spreading in recent years. In new pulmonary tuberculosis patients, rapid spread of MDR-TB and XDR-TB challenging the effectiveness of national TB control programs especially in many low-income countries. This study was aimed to determine the resistance pattern of Mycobacterium tuberculosis among new cases, cured, failure, relapse, defaulted, treatment completed, treatment not evaluated and suspect to be resistant to first line antitubercular drugs of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted during 2013-2016 in which 148 patients were enrolled infected with pulmonary TB. Three sputum samples were consecutively collected and transported for drug analysis to the Provincial Reference Laboratory (PRL) at Hayatabad Medical complex Peshawar (HMCP) TB laboratory, within three days of collection at +4°C in a cold box. Using the standard proportion method, drug susceptibility test was performed on 132 (89.2%) sputum samples for rifampicin (R), isoniazid (H), pyrazinamide (Z), ethambutol (E), and streptomycin (S). RESULT: Prevalence of resistance to one drug was 5 (3.4%). The highest proportion of mono-drug resistance was observed against E, 3 (2%), followed by H, 1 (0.7%), and R, 1 (0.7%). Pattern of resistant to two drugs was 14 (9.5%). The proportion of poly resistant was 3 (2%). 112 (93.33%) diagnose patients were MDR-TB. CONCLUSIONS: To formulate an effective regimen, it is important to know drug resistant pattern because drug resistant pattern varies from different period of time also from one place to another.

Green Synthesis of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) Nanoparticles Using Aqueous Fruit Extracts of Myristica fragrans: Their Characterizations and Biological and Environmental Applications.

In the present work, bioaugmented zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) were prepared from aqueous fruit extracts of Myristica fragrans. The ZnO-NPs were characterized by different techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The crystallites exhibited a mean size of 41.23 nm measured via XRD and were highly pure, while SEM and TEM analyses of synthesized NPs confirmed their spherical or elliptical shape. The functional groups responsible for stabilizing and capping of ZnO-NPs were confirmed using FTIR analysis. The ζ-size and ζ-potential of synthesized ZnO-NPs were reported as 66 nm and -22.1 mV, respectively, via the DLS technique can be considered as moderate stable colloidal solution. Synthesized NPs were used to evaluate for their possible antibacterial, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antiparasitic, and larvicidal properties. The NPs were found to be highly active against bacterial strains both coated with antibiotics and alone. Klebsiella pneumoniae was found to be the most sensitive strain against NPs (27 ± 1.73) and against NPs coated with imipinem (26 ± 1.5). ZnO-NPs displayed outstanding inhibitory potential against enzymes protein kinase (12.23 ± 0.42), α-amylase (73.23 ± 0.42), and α-glucosidase (65.21 ± 0.49). Overall, the synthesized NPs have shown significant larvicidal activity (77.3 ± 1.8) against Aedes aegypti, the mosquitoes involved in the transmission of dengue fever. Similarly, tremendous leishmanicidal activity was also observed against both the promastigote (71.50 ± 0.70) and amastigote (61.41 ± 0.71) forms of the parasite. The biosynthesized NPs were found to be excellent antioxidant and biocompatible nanomaterials. Biosynthesized ZnO-NPs were also used as photocatalytic agents, resulting in 88% degradation of methylene blue dye in 140 min. Owing to their eco-friendly synthesis, nontoxicity, and biocompatible nature, ZnO-NPs synthesized from M. fragrans can be exploited as potential candidates for biomedical and environmental applications.

In Vitro Biomedical and Photo-Catalytic Application of Bio-Inspired Zingiber officinale Mediated Silver Nanoparticles.

To minimize the hazardous effect of physical and chemical synthesis of nanoparticles we focused on the green synthesis of nanoparticles. Nanotechnology is a research hotspot and catch great attention because of its versatile applications in medical, biosciences and engineering fields. Purpose of our recent study is to synthesize bio-inspired metallic silver NPs by root mediated Zingiber officianale extract. The synthesized Ag-NPs were further characterized by using UVVisible spectroscopy, XRD, EDX, SEM, TEM and DLS techniques. The extent of crystallites were confirmed by X-ray diffraction. SEM and TEM revealed the morphological features with size of nanoparticles between 17.3 and 41.2 nm. FTIR analysis confirmed the capping of nanoparticles by bio active constituents present in Zingiber officinale extract. Later EDX confirmed the elemental composition of nanoparticles. Zeta potential, PDI and hydrodynamic size of Ag-NPs were confirmed by DLS. The synthesize Ag-NPs possess eminent biological potency against bacterial and leishmanial strains. Moreover considerable anti-diabetic, anticancer, antioxidant and biocompatibility nature of Ag-NPs was elucidated. The highest antioxidant activity of 50.61± 1.12%, 38.22 ± 1.18% and 27.39 ± 0.92 at 200 g/mL for TAC, TRP DPPH and was observed respectively. Ag-NPs exhibit potent leishmanicidal activity of 80% ± 1.4 against promastigotes and 77% ± 1.6 against amastigotes cultures of L. tropica. Highest antidiabetic activity 30 ± 0.77% recorded at 200 µg/ml. Highest Brine shrimps cytotoxicity of Ag-NPs was 60 ± 1.18 at 200 g/ml. Maximum dye degradation for Ag-NPs was recorded as 94.1% at 140 minute. All UTI isolates were resistant to antibiotics not coated with Ag-NPs. By applying 1% of Ag-NPs highest activity was recorded as 25 ± 1.58 mm against K. pneumoniae. Maximum zone of inhibition for Ag-NPs coated with Imipenem antibiotics 26 ± 1.5 mm against K. pneumoniae and coated with Ciprofloxacin 26 ± 1.4 m against S. aureus were measured. Last but not least high biocompatible nature of Ag-NPs was observed against fresh RBCs making the ecofriendly biosynthesized silver NPs a multi-dimensional candidate in biomedical field.