The Multifaceted Role of Curcumin in Advanced Nanocurcumin Form in the Treatment and Management of Chronic Disorders

Curcumin is the primary polyphenol in turmeric’s curcuminoid class. It has a wide range of therapeutic applications, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, antibacterial, and anticancer effects against various cancers, but has poor solubility and low bioavailability. Objective: To improve curcumin’s bioavailability, plasma concentration, and cellular permeability processes. The nanocurcumin approach over curcumin has been proven appropriate for encapsulating or loading curcumin (nanocurcumin) to increase its therapeutic potential. Conclusion: Though incorporating curcumin into nanocurcumin form may be a viable method for overcoming its intrinsic limitations, and there are reasonable concerns regarding its toxicological safety once it enters biological pathways. This review article mainly highlights the therapeutic benefits of nanocurcumin over curcumin.     

A theoretical approach to the thermochemistry of the polymerization of some derivatives of the monomers CH2X (X = CH2, NH,O)

In this work, we have calculated the thermodynamic parameters of the polymerization of some derivatives of the species CH₂X (X = CH₂, NH, O), using ab initio methods of quantum chemistry and the usual formalism of statistical thermodynamics. It is shown that the Gibbs functions ΔG(l, c) corresponding to CH₂NOCH₃, CNCHNCN, CF₂O and all the percyano derivatives are largely positive which indicates that the spontaneous (radical or ionic) chain polymerization of these monomers is thermodynamically prohibited.     

An assessment of the impact of construction work on fine particulate matter in the University of Jordan: A PIXE study

Aerosol sampling was carried out prior to and during an active construction work at the University of Jordan in Amman, Jordan. Elemental characterization for 60 PM_2.5 samples was performed by particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) technique at the LABEC laboratory of INFN in Florence, Italy. Twenty three elements (Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Br, Rb, Sr, Zr, Ba, and Pb) were detected, and their concentrations were assessed during three sampling periods, namely, “No Construction,” “Pouring Concrete,” and “Bleaching.” The results showed higher concentrations of soil-related elements and lower concentrations of anthropogenic-related elements during construction periods compared with their concentrations before construction. Soil-related elements showed very low enrichment factor (EF) and high correlation coefficients during all sampling periods. Anthropogenic-related elements were very much enriched and correlated only during the first sampling period “No Construction.”     

Impaction of spray droplets on leaves: influence of formulation and leaf character on shatter,bounce and adhesion

This paper combines experimental data with simple mathematical models to investigate the influence of spray formulation type and leaf character (wettability) on shatter, bounce and adhesion of droplets impacting with cotton, rice and wheat leaves. Impaction criteria that allow for different angles of the leaf surface and the droplet impact trajectory are presented; their predictions are based on whether combinations of droplet size and velocity lie above or below bounce and shatter boundaries. In the experimental component, real leaves are used, with all their inherent natural variability. Further, commercial agricultural spray nozzles are employed, resulting in a range of droplet characteristics. Given this natural variability, there is broad agreement between the data and predictions. As predicted, the shatter of droplets was found to increase as droplet size and velocity increased, and the surface became harder to wet. Bouncing of droplets occurred most frequently on hard-to-wet surfaces with high-surface-tension mixtures. On the other hand, a number of small droplets with low impact velocity were observed to bounce when predicted to lie well within the adhering regime. We believe this discrepancy between the predictions and experimental data could be due to air layer effects that were not taken into account in the current bounce equations. Other discrepancies between experiment and theory are thought to be due to the current assumption of a dry impact surface, whereas, in practice, the leaf surfaces became increasingly covered with fluid throughout the spray test runs.     

Solid State Structure of 6,7-Dihydro-1,4-Di(2′-Pyridyl)-5<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-Cyclopenta[d]Pyridazine

Abstract  The X-ray structure of 6,7-dihydro-1,4-di(2′-pyridyl)-5H-cyclopenta[d]pyridazine ligand (5-dppn) shows the existence of a trans/trans conformation. The 5-dppn crystallizes in a triclinic space group P-1 with a = 7.1048(15) ?; b = 9.008(2) ?; c = 10.986(3) ?; α = 88.279(16)°; β = 85.454(15)°; γ = 69.104(12)°; V = 654.7(3) ?³ and Z = 2. The analysis of 5-dppn crystal structure demonstrates the presence of edge-edge Ar–H···N and face-face Aliph-H···N centrosymmetric dimer interactions. The unit cell packing arrangement confirmed the presence of two molecules opposite to each other. Index Abstract  The X-ray structure of 6,7-dihydro-1,4-di(2′-pyridyl)-5H-cyclopenta[d]pyridazine ligand (5-dppn) shows the existence of a trans/trans conformation.      

Palladium(ii) driven self-assembly of a saturated quadruple-stranded metallo helicate

Complexation of the bridging bidentate ligand N,N'-(pyridine-2,6-diyl)dinicotinamide, L with palladium(ii) resulted in a single discrete M(2)L(4) self-assembly, 1, in a quantitative manner. The entropically-controlled assembly of 1 resulted in a rare saturated, quadruple-stranded metallo-helicate, in which both the left-handed (M) and right-handed (P) helicates exist in the crystal structure.     

A novel and facile reaction to N6‐alkylated adenosine via benzotriazole as a synthetic auxiliary

The reaction of benzotriazole with aliphatic, aromatic or heteroaromatic aldehyde and adenosine leads to a benzotriazole adduct which is reduced with sodium borohydride to the corresponding N⁶‐alkylated adenosine derivatives. This procedure is also utilized in a new route to N⁶‐(3‐iodobenzyl)adenosine‐5′‐N‐methyluronamide (IB‐MECA) which is considered an important adenosine agonist at A₃ adenosine receptors.     

Phytochemical Profiling,In Vitro Biological Activities,and In Silico Molecular Docking Studies of Dracaena reflexa

Dracaena reflexa, a traditionally significant medicinal plant, has not been extensively explored before for its phytochemical and biological potential. The present study was conducted to evaluate the bioactive phytochemicals and in vitro biological activities of D. reflexa, and perform in silico molecular docking validation of D. reflexa. The bioactive phytochemicals were assessed by preliminary phytochemical testing, total bioactive contents, and GC-MS analysis. For biological evaluation, the antioxidant (DPPH, ABTS, CUPRAC, and ABTS), antibacterial, thrombolytic, and enzyme inhibition (tyrosinase and cholinesterase enzymes) potential were determined. The highest level of total phenolic contents (92.72 ± 0.79 mg GAE/g extract) was found in the n-butanol fraction while the maximum total flavonoid content (110 ± 0.83 mg QE/g extract) was observed in methanolic extract. The results showed that n-butanol fraction exhibited very significant tyrosinase inhibition activity (73.46 ± 0.80) and acetylcholinesterase inhibition activity (64.06 ± 2.65%) as compared to other fractions and comparable to the standard compounds (kojic acid and galantamine). The methanolic extract was considered to have moderate butyrylcholinesterase inhibition activity (50.97 ± 063) as compared to the standard compound galantamine (53.671 ± 0.97%). The GC-MS analysis of the n-hexane fraction resulted in the tentative identification of 120 bioactive phytochemicals. Furthermore, the major compounds as identified by GC-MS were analyzed using in silico molecular docking studies to determine the binding affinity between the ligands and the enzymes (tyrosinase, acetylcholinesterase, and butyrylcholinesterase enzymes). The results of this study suggest that Dracaena reflexa has unquestionable pharmaceutical importance and it should be further explored for the isolation of secondary metabolites that can be employed for the treatment of different diseases.