Development of nanoformulation of picroliv isolated from Picrorrhiza kurroa.

Picroliv, a mixture of picroside I and kutkoside isolated from rhizome of Picrorrhiza kurroa has been reported for many pharmaceutical properties such as hepatoprotective, anticholestatic, antioxidant and immune-modulating activity. However, picroliv possessed lesser efficacy due to its poor aqueous solubility and lesser bioavailability. To find solution, picroliv was loaded into biodegradable poly lactic acid nanoparticles (PLA NPs) using solvent evaporation method. The picroliv-loaded PLA NPs were characterised by UV-vis spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared and Zeta sizer. The size of picroliv-loaded PLA NPs was 182 ± 20 nm. Zeta potential of picroliv-loaded PLA NPs was -23.5 mV, indicated their good stability. In vitro picroliv release from picroliv-loaded PLA NPs showed an initial burst release followed by slow and sustained release. The efficacy of picroliv-loaded PLA NPs was assessed against KB cell lines. Blank PLA NPs showed no cytotoxicity on KB cells. The picroliv-loaded PLA NPs showed more cytotoxic activity on KB cells as compared to the pure drug. Hence, the developed picroliv nanoformulation would find potential application in pharma-sector.

Silver nanoparticles synthesised using plant extracts show strong antibacterial activity.

In this study, three plants Populus alba, Hibiscus arboreus and Lantana camara were explored for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (SNPs). The effect of reaction temperature and leaf extract (LE) concentration of P. alba, H. arboreus and L. camara was evaluated on the synthesis and size of SNPs. The SNPs were characterised by ultra-violet-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The synthesis rate of SNPs was highest with LE of L. camara followed by H. arboreus and P. alba under similar conditions. L. camara LE showed maximum potential of smaller size SNPs synthesis, whereas bigger particles were formed by H. arboreous LE. The size and shape of L. camara LE synthesised SNPs were analysed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). TEM analysis revealed the formation of SNPs of average size 17±9.5 nm with 5% LE of L. camara. The SNPs synthesised by LE of L. camara showed strong antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli. The results document that desired size SNPs can be synthesised using these plant LEs at a particular temperature for applications in the biomedical field.

Nanoencapsulation for drug delivery.

Nanoencapsulation of drug/small molecules in nanocarriers (NCs) is a very promising approach for development of nanomedicine. Modern drug encapsulation methods allow efficient loading of drug molecules inside the NCs thereby reducing systemic toxicity associated with drugs. Targeting of NCs can enhance the accumulation of nanonencapsulated drug at the diseased site. This article focussed on the synthesis methods, drug loading, drug release mechanism and cellular response of nanoencapsulated drugs on liposomes, micelles, carbon nanotubes, dendrimers, and magnetic NCs. Also the uses of these various NCs have been highlighted in the field of nanotechnology.