EVALUATION OF HEPATOPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF MELILOTUS OFFICINALIS L. AGAINST PARACETAMOL AND CARBON TETRACHLORIDE INDUCED HEPATIC INJURY IN MICE.

Hepatic diseases are becoming common day by day and pose serious health threats to the life of humans. In order to treat these diseases, the attention of man is diverting towards herbal drugs, which are much safer and cost effective than synthetic drugs. The aim of present study was to investigate hepatoprotective activity of methanolic extract of Melilomus officinalis against paracetamol and carbon tetrachloride induced hepatic damage. Melilotus officinalis at selected oral doses of 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg showed significant hepatoprotective effects by decreasing the levels of serum marker enzymes such as total bilirubin, SGOT, SGPT, ALP, albumin and total protein, when compared with standard drug (silymarin) and negative control. Similarly, histopathological studies also supported biochemical estimations. It was concluded that extract of Melilotus officinali has strong hepatoprotective activity against paracetamol and carbon tetrachloride induced hepatotoxicity, which might be due to free radical scavenging mechanisms exhibited by flavonoids and phenolics, thus affirming its traditional therapeutic role in liver injury.

Flame retardant and hydrophobic coatings on cotton fabrics via sol-gel and self-assembly techniques.

Nanocoatings consisting of ammonium polyphosphate (APP), sodium montmorillonite (MMT), and vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) were prepared via self-assembly and in situ sol-gel techniques and applied onto cotton fabrics to achieve both flame retardancy and hydrophobicity. The impacts of APP concentration on the hydrophobicity and fire resistance of the coated fabrics were investigated. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) characterization results verified the hydrolysis-condensation reaction of VTMS and the formation of Si-O-Si network structure. X-ray diffraction (XRD) proved the formation of a layered structure based on MMT nanosheets in the coatings. Both vertical flame test (VFT), limiting oxygen index (LOI), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and microscale combustion calorimeter (MCC) characterization were conducted to evaluate the flame retardancy, thermostability and heat release behavior of the coated cotton fabrics, respectively. The results suggested that a higher concentration of APP is beneficial for both hydrophobicity and flame retardancy of the coated substrates. Overall, our research provides a facile and very effective approach to prepare flame retardant and hydrophobic multifunctional coating for cotton fabric and other substrates.