Competent antioxidant and antiglycation properties of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) phyto-fabricated from aqueous leaf extract of Boerhaavia erecta L.

During the present century, plant-based zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are exploited extensively for their vast biological properties due to their unique characteristic features and eco-friendly nature. Diabetes is one of the fast-growing human diseases/abnormalities worldwide, and the need for new/ novel antiglycation products is the need of the hour. The study deals with the phyto-fabrication of ZnO-NPs from Boerhaavia erecta, a medicinally important plant, and to evaluate their antioxidant and antiglycation ability in vitro. UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to characterize the phyto-fabricated ZnO-NPs. The characterization of nanoparticles revealed that the particles showed an absorption peak at 362 nm and band gap energy of 3.2 eV, approximately 20.55 nm in size, with a ZnO elemental purity of 96.61%. The synthesized particles were found agglomerated when observed under SEM, and the FT-IR studies proved that the phyto-constituents of the extract involved during the different stages (reduction, capping, and stabilization) of nanoparticles synthesis. The antioxidant and metal chelating activities confirmed that ZnO-NPs could inhibit the free radicals generated, which was dose-dependent with an IC50 value between 1.81 and 1.94 mg mL-1, respectively. In addition, the phyto-fabricated nanoparticles blocked the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) as noticed through inhibition of Amadori products, trapping of reactive dicarbonyl intermediate and breaking the cross-link of glycated protein. It was also noted that the phyto-fabricated ZnO-NPs significantly prevented the damage of red blood corpuscles (RBCs) induced by MGO. The present study's findings will provide an experimental basis for exploring ZnO-NPs in diabetes-related complications.

Plant-Based Gums and Mucilages Applications in Pharmacology and Nanomedicine: A Review.

Gums are carbohydrate biomolecules that have the potential to bind water and form gels. Gums are regularly linked with proteins and minerals in their construction. Gums have several forms, such as mucilage gums, seed gums, exudate gums, etc. Plant gums are one of the most important gums because of their bioavailability. Plant-derived gums have been used by humans since ancient times for numerous applications. The main features that make them appropriate for use in different applications are high stabilization, viscosity, adhesive property, emulsification action, and surface-active activity. In many pharmaceutical formulations, plant-based gums and mucilages are the key ingredients due to their bioavailability, widespread accessibility, non-toxicity, and reasonable prices. These compete with many polymeric materials for use as different pharmaceuticals in today's time and have created a significant achievement from being an excipient to innovative drug carriers. In particular, scientists and pharmacy industries around the world have been drawn to uncover the secret potential of plant-based gums and mucilages through a deeper understanding of their physicochemical characteristics and the development of safety profile information. This innovative unique class of drug products, useful in advanced drug delivery applications, gene therapy, and biosynthesis, has been developed by modification of plant-based gums and mucilages. In this review, both fundamental and novel medicinal aspects of plant-based gums and mucilages, along with their capacity for pharmacology and nanomedicine, were demonstrated.

Heavy metals in surface sediments of the Jialu River, China: their relations to environmental factors.

This work investigated heavy metal pollution in surface sediments of the Jialu River, China. Sediment samples were collected at 19 sites along the river in connection with field surveys and the total concentrations were determined using atomic fluorescence spectrometer and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer. Sediment samples with higher metal concentrations were collected from the upper reach of the river, while sediments in the middle and lower reaches had relatively lower metal concentrations. Multivariate techniques including Pearson correlation, hierarchical cluster and principal components analysis were used to evaluate the metal sources. The ecological risk associated with the heavy metals in sediments was rated as moderate based on the assessments using methods of consensus-based Sediment Quality Guidelines, Potential Ecological Risk Index and Geo-accumulation Index. The relations between heavy metals and various environmental factors (i.e., chemical properties of sediments, water quality indices and aquatic organism indices) were also studied. Nitrate nitrogen, total nitrogen, and total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentrations in sediments showed a co-release behavior with heavy metals. Ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen, orthophosphate, total phosphate and permanganate index in water were found to be related to metal sedimentation. Heavy metals in sediments posed a potential impact on the benthos community.