Hepatoprotective and nephroprotective effects of Sedum adenotrichum in paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in rabbits.

Sedum adenotrichum (SA) has been traditionally used against various ailments due to the presence of several important phenolic compounds. This study provides a scientific basis for the hepatoprotective and nephroprotective potentials of Sedum adenotrichum in paracetamol-induced toxicity in rabbits. Methanolic extract of Sedum adenotrichum along with paracetamol was administered orally to rabbits alone or in combination with paracetamol for 2 weeks. Results showed that paracetamol-induced toxicity was correlated with a significant change in biochemical, hematological parameters, and loss in body weight of rabbits, and the curative effect of SA methanolic extract was found. Liver and kidney histological studies showed significant induced toxicity of paracetamol and correspondence restoration power of SA methanolic extract. The levels of reduced glutathione, radical scavenging activity, and lipid peroxidation in the liver were restored to normal by the methanolic extract of SA. This study confirmed the protective effect of SA methanolic extract against hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity caused by paracetamol. Biochemical analysis of the methanolic extract of SA confirmed the presence of bioactive phenolic compounds which have hepatic and nephroprotective potentials.

Gold nanoparticles capped with L-glycine, L-cystine, and L-tyrosine: toxicity profiling and antioxidant potential.

Biomolecules-based surface modifications of nanomaterials may yield effective and biocompatible nanoconjugates. This study was designed to evaluate gold nanoconjugates (AuNCs) for their altered antioxidant potential. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and their conjugates gave SPR peaks in the ranges of 512-525 nm, with red or blueshift for different conjugates. Cys-AuNCs demonstrated enhanced (p < 0.05) and Gly-AuNCs (p > 0.05) displayed reduced DPPH activity. Gly-AuNCs and Tyr-AuNCs displayed enhanced ferric-reducing power and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, respectively. Cadmium-intoxicated mice were exposed to gold nanomaterials, and the level of various endogenous parameters, i.e., CAT, GST, SOD, GSH, and MTs, was evaluated. GSH and MTs in liver tissues of the cadmium-exposed group (G2) were elevated (p < 0.05), while other groups showed nonsignificance deviations than the control group. It is concluded that these nanoconjugates might provide effective nanomaterials for biomedical applications. However, more detailed studies for their safety profiling are needed before their practical applications.

Enhancing the physical properties and photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanoparticles via cobalt doping.

Cobalt-doped TiO2-based diluted magnetic semiconductors were successfully synthesized using a co-precipitation method. The X-ray diffraction study of all the samples showed good crystallinity, matching the standard tetragonal anatase phase. The X-ray diffraction peaks of the cobalt-doped sample slightly shifted towards a lower angle showing the decrease in particle size and distortion in the unit cell due to cobalt incorporation in the lattice of TiO2. Transmission electron microscopy showed the spherical morphology of the TiO2 nanoparticles, which decreased with Co-doping. The optical characteristics and band gap investigation revealed that defects and oxygen vacancies resulted in lower band gap energy and maximum absorption in the visible region. Dielectric measurements showed enhancement in the dielectric constant and AC conductivity, while the dielectric loss decreased. The enhancement in the dielectric properties was attributed to interfacial polarization and charge carrier hopping between Co and Ti ions. The magnetic properties displayed that pure TiO2 was diamagnetic, while Co-doped TiO2 showed a ferromagnetic response at 300 K. The visible light-driven photocatalytic activity showed an improvement for Co-doped TiO2. Our results demonstrate that Co-doping can be used to tune the physical properties and photocatalytic activity of TiO2 for possible spin-based electronics, optoelectronics, and photo-degradation applications.

Novel Biosynthesis of Copper Nanoparticles Using Zingiber and Allium sp. with Synergic Effect of Doxycycline for Anticancer and Bactericidal Activity.

Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs), due to their cost-effective synthesis, interesting properties, and a wide range of applications in conductive inks, cooling fluids, biomedical field, and catalysis, have attracted the attention of scientific community in recent years. The aim of the present study was to develop and characterize antibacterial and anticancer CuNPs synthesized via chemical and biological methods, and further synthesize CuNPs conjugated with doxycycline to study their synergic effect. During the chemical synthesis, ascorbic acid was used as a stabilizing agent, while Zingiber officinale and Allium sativum-derived extracts were used during the biological methods for synthesis of CuNPs. Characterization of CuNPs was performed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray crystallography (XRD). Antimicrobial evaluation of the nanomaterials against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli was performed by using disk diffusion method, while anticancer behavior against HeLa and HepG2 cell lines was studied by MTT assay. TEM revealed spherical-shaped nanoparticles with mean size of 22.70 ± 5.67, 35.01 ± 5.84, and 19.02 ± 2.41 nm for CuNPs, Gin-CuNPs, and Gar-CuNPs, respectively, and surface plasmon resonance peaks were obtained at 570 nm, 575 nm, and 610 nm for CuNPs, Gar-CuNPs, and Gin-CuNPs, respectively. The results of FTIR confirmed the consumption of biomolecules from the plant extracts for the synthesis of CuNPs. XRD analysis also confirmed synthesis of CuNPs. Doxycycline-conjugated NPs exhibited more antibacterial effects than doxycycline or CuNPs alone. Copper nanoparticles prepared by biological synthesis are cost-effective and eco-friendly as compared to their chemical counterparts. The chemically synthesized nanoparticles displayed more significant antimicrobial activity when capped with doxycycline than Z. officinale and A. sativum-mediated CuNPs; however, green-synthesized nanoparticles showed greater anticancer activity than their chemical counterparts.

Efficient broadband light absorption in thin-film a-Si solar cell based on double sided hybrid bi-metallic nanogratings.

Thin film solar cells (TFSCs) suffer from poor light absorption due to their small thickness, which limits most of their practical applications. Surface plasmons generated by plasmonic nanoparticles offer an opportunity for a low-cost and scalable method to optically engineer TFSCs. Here, a systematic simulation study is conducted to improve the absorption efficiency of amorphous silicon (a-Si) by incorporating double sided plasmonic bi-metallic (Al-Cu) nanogratings. The upper pair of the gratings together with an antireflection coating are responsible for minimizing the reflection losses and enhancing the absorption of low wavelength visible light spectrum in the active layer. The bottom pairs are accountable for increasing the absorption of long wavelength photons in the active layer. In this way, a-Si, which is a poor absorber in the long wavelength region, is now able to absorb broadband light from 670-1060 nm with an average simulated absorption rate of more than 70%, and improved simulated photocurrent density of 22.30 mA cm-2, respectively. Moreover, simulation results show that the proposed structure reveals many other excellent properties such as small incident angle insensitivity, tunability, and remarkable structural parameters tolerance. Such a design concept is quite versatile and can be extended to other TFSCs.