Synergistic antibacterial and mosquitocidal effect of Passiflora foetida synthesized silver nanoparticles.

Silver nanoparticles are opted to have various applications in different fields ranging from traditional medicines to culinary items. It is toxic and most effective against bacteria, fungi viruses, parasites, parasite carrying vectors such as mosquitoes and their larvae and other eukaryotic microorganisms at low concentration without any side effects and toxicity to humans. In view of these data, the present research has been investigated by synthesizing silver nanoparticles using 1mM silver nitrate and aqueous extract of Passiflora foetida. The variation of nanoparticles in size and shape concerning the concentration of extract prepared were analysed. The formation of silver nanoparticles was confirmed by colour changing from yellowish green to reddish-brown implicating the surface plasmon resonance. Further, it was concluded by obtaining an absorbance peak at 420 nm using UV-Visible spectrophotometer analysis. FTIR analysis was used to identify the capping ligands, which included alkanes, aromatic groups and nitro compounds. The average grain size of ~12 nm to 14 nm with crystalline phase was revealed by X-ray Diffraction studies. The SEM images depicted the surface morphology with agglomeration; TEM studies showed the shape of nanoparticles as spherical and hexagonal with sizes ranging from 40 nm to 100 nm and EDAX analysis confirmed the presence of elemental silver as the principal constituent. The characterized silver nanoparticles were then tested for synergistic antibacterial effects with tetracycline, and the results show that they are more active against E. coli and S. aureus, but moderately effective against B. cereus and K. pneumoniae . It also had a strong larval and pupal toxic effects on the dengue vector, Aedes aegypti with the highest mortality. As a result, silver nanoparticles could be a viable alternative for a variety of applications.

The effect of 805 nm near-infrared photobiomodulation on proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow stem cells in murine rats.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of near infra-red gallium-aluminium-arsenide (GaAlAs) diode laser (805 nm) irradiation on proliferation and differentiation of rat femoral bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) cultured in osteogenic medium. MATERIALS AND METHODS: BMSCs were obtained from femurs of 60 Sprague Dawley rats (200 gm). The control group comprised isolated BMSCs supplemented with an osteogenic differentiation medium. On the other hand, in the experimental group, the BMSCs were irradiated with a near-infrared laser in addition to an osteogenic differentiation medium. The experimental group was irradiated with a soft tissue laser comprising of allium-aluminium-arsenic (Ga-Al-Ar) Diode at a near-infrared wavelength of 805 nm in continuous mode. The different output powers applied were 0.5 W, 1.0 W, 1.5 W and 2.0 W respectively. Various energy levels of 1, 4, 7 and 10 J were used for irradiation. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assay and Alizarin staining were performed to confirm osteogenic differentiation. Statistical analysis was done using a one-way ANOVA and a p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: According to our findings, 1.27 J/cm2 was the optimal energy density value that significantly increased the BMSC proliferation at the output of 1.5 W with the power density of 1.27 W/cm2. On 1.27 J/cm2, there was a significant difference compared to the control group on the first day, and the osteogenic differentiation increased significantly on the 4th day compared to the 1st day. CONCLUSIONS: According to our findings, 1.27 J/cm2 was the optimal energy density value that significantly increased the BMSC proliferation at the output of 1.5 W with the power density of 1.27 W/cm2.

The pentacyclic triterpenoids in herbal medicines and their pharmacological activities in diabetes and diabetic complications.

Pentacyclic triterpenoids including the oleanane, ursane and lupane groups are widely distributed in many medicinal plants, such as Glycyrrhiza species, Gymnema species, Centella asiatica, Camellia sinensis, Crataegus species and Olea europaea, which are commonly used in traditional medicine for the treatment of diabetes and diabetic complications. A large number of bioactive pentacyclic triterpenoids, such as oleanolic acid, glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhetinic acid, ursolic acid, betulin, betulinic acid and lupeol have shown multiple biological activities with apparent effects on glucose absorption, glucose uptake, insulin secretion, diabetic vascular dysfunction, retinopathy and nephropathy. The versatility of the pentacyclic triterpenes provides a promising approach for diabetes management.