Preparation of titanium dioxide nanoparticles from Solanum Tuberosum peel extract and its applications.

The present study describes a method for the preparation of green titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles from the peel of Solanum tuberosum, commonly known as potato, and the potato peel being a kitchen waste. The green synthesized TiO2 (G- TiO2) nanoparticles were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, TEM, XRD, and FTIR spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the G- TiO2 nanoparticles was also shown using the dye bromophenol blue. To explore the biocompatibility of the G- TiO2, the cell viability in normal as well as cancer cells was assessed. Further, the in vivo toxicity of the G- TiO2 nanoparticles was assessed using zebrafish embryos. The novelty of the present invention is to utilize kitchen waste for a useful purpose for the synthesis of titanium dioxide nanoparticles which is known to have UV light scavenging properties. Moreover, the potato peel is a natural antioxidant and possesses a skin-lightening effect. A combination of the potato peel extract and titanium dioxide prepared using the extract will have a combinatorial effect for protecting UV light exposure to the skin and lightening the skin colour.

Degree of Gelatination on Ag-Nanoparticles to Inactivate Multi-drug Resistant Bacterial Biofilm Isolated from Sewage Treatment Plant.

INTRODUCTION: Overuse and improper dosage of antibiotics have generated antimicrobial resistance (AMR) worldwide. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA), a well-known bacterial strain can establish MDR leading to a variety of infections in humans. Furthermore, these PA strains hold the ability to form biofilms by generating extracellular polymeric substances on the surface of medical tools and critical care units. To supersede the infectious effect of MDR organisms, silver nanoparticles have been known to be the choice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hence, the present study concentrates on the engineering of varying concentrations of gelatin-based polymeric hydrogel embedded with silver nanoparticles (G-AgNPs) for controlled bactericidal activity against MDR PA biofilms. Biofilms formation by MDR PA was confirmed microscopically and spectroscopy was taken as a tool to characterize and analyze the efficacy at every stage of experiments. RESULTS: When MDR PA biofilms were treated with G-AgNPs prepared with 5 % gelatin concentration (AgNP3), they exhibited superior bactericidal activity. Furthermore, a dose-dependent study showed that 800 nM of AgNP3 could inhibit the growth of MDR PA. CONCLUSION: Hence it can be concluded that silver nanoparticles synthesized in the presence of 5% gelatin can act as a bactericidal agent in the inactivation of MDR PA biofilms, thereby controlling the infections caused by these biofilms.

Nanoformulation of Tetrapyrroles Derivatives in Photodynamic Therapy: A Focus on Bacteriochlorin.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a well-known remedial treatment for cancer, infections, and various other diseases. PDT uses nontoxic dyes called photosensitizers (PS) that are activated in visible light at the proper wavelength to generate ROS (reactive oxygen species) that aid in killing tumor cells and destroying pathogenic microbes. Deciding a suitable photosensitizer is essential for enhancing the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy. It is challenging to choose the photosensitizer that is appropriate for specific pathological circumstances, such as different cancer species. Porphyrin, chlorin, and bacteriochlorin are tetrapyrroles used with proper functionalization in PDT, among which some compound has been clinically approved. Most photosensitizers are hydrophobic, have minimum solubility, and exhibit cytotoxicity due to the dispersion in biological fluid. This paper reviewed some nanotechnology-based strategies to overcome these drawbacks. In PDT, metal nanoparticles are widely used due to their enhanced surface plasmon resonance. The self-assembled nano-drug carriers like polymeric micelles, liposomes, and metal-based nanoparticles play a significant role in solubilizing the photosensitizer to make them biocompatible.

Antimicrobial, Pesticidal and Food Preservative Applications of Lemongrass Oil Nanoemulsion: A Mini-Review.

BACKGROUND: Essential oils that are extracted from plants have shown beneficial effects on humans and animals, evidenced by traditional medicine. They possess many essential phytocomponents that act as antimicrobial agents, and most of them are safe for external usage. INTRODUCTION: Lemongrass essential oil is extracted from the grass, such as Cymbopogon flexuosus, and is used for antimicrobial activity for a long time. The efficacy of this oil is limited due to the poor solubility and microbial penetration, easy vaporization, and lower stability. Nanoformulations and nanoencapsulations are nanotechnology fields that aim to improve the bioavailability of many natural compounds and enhance their stability. Lemongrass oil has also been nanoformulated as nanoemulsion, and various antimicrobial activities against various pathogens have been demonstrated, which are superior to free lemongrass oil. METHODOLOGY: We have used the search engines PubMed and Google Scholar for the mentioned keywords and selected the recent references related to this topic. CONCLUSION: In this review, we have discussed various antimicrobial properties of lemongrass essential oil nanoemulsion and its application, such as antibacterial, antifungal, pesticidal, food preservative, and antibiofilm activity.

A synthetic amyloid lawn system for high-throughput analysis of amyloid toxicity and drug screening.

Amyloid-beta (Abeta) is the major constituent of senile plaques in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients. In order to develop an efficient in vitro system for studying the interaction of cells with Abeta aggregates, we have prepared a synthetic amyloid lawn by immobilizing Abeta peptides over a functionalized glass surface and subsequently incubating the template in a fresh Abeta solution. On the top of different types of amyloid lawns (e.g. monomeric, oligomeric, and fibrillar), we cultivated PC12 cells, creating physical contacts between the cells and the lawns. Results indicated that cell viability was differentially affected when grown atop different Abeta lawns while cells were well adhered onto the surface of these Abeta lawns. The mode of cell death by Abeta lawn was confirmed to be apoptotic rather than necrotic, showing that cells undergo suicide by just contact with Abeta lawn. While conventional 'solution-based' methods for testing amyloid toxicity suffer from problems such as lot-to-lot variations, continued fibrillation, and heterogeneous population of aggregates, our 'surface-based' lawn system is suitable for high-throughput analysis of amyloid toxicity, which may enable high-throughput screening of potential drug candidates for treating amyloid diseases with the goal of reducing the cell death on the lawn.