Papain Loaded Poly(ε-Caprolactone) Nanoparticles<Emphasis Type="Italic">: In-silico and</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">In-Vitro</Emphasis> Studies

Papain is a protease enzyme with therapeutic properties that are very valuable for medical applications. Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is an ideal polymeric carrier for controlled drug delivery systems due to its low biodegradability and its high biocompatibility. In this study, the three-dimensional structure and action mechanism of papain were investigated by in vitro and in silico experiments using molecular dynamics (MD) and molecular docking methods to elucidate biological functions. The results showed that the size of papain-loaded PCL nanoparticles (NPs) and the polydispersity index (PDI) of the NPs were 242.9 nm and 0.074, respectively. The encapsulation efficiency and loading efficiency were 80.4 and 27.2%, respectively. Human embryonic kidney cells (HEK-293) were used for determining the cytotoxicity of papain-loaded PCL and PCL nanoparticles. The in vitro cell culture showed that nanoparticles are not toxic at low concentrations, while toxicity slightly increases at high concentrations. In silico studies, which were carried out with MD simulations and ADME analysis showed that the strong hydrogen bonds between the ligand and the papain provide stability and indicate the regions in which the interactions occur.     

Green synthesis and characterizations of Nickel oxide nanoparticles using leaf extract of Rhamnus virgata and their potential biological applications

In the present report, Nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiONPs) were synthesized using Rhamnus virgata (Roxb.) (Family: Rhamnaceae) as a potential stabilizing, reducing and chelating agent. The formation, morphology, structure and other physicochemical properties of resulting NiONPs were characterized by Ultra violet spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared analysis (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy‐dispersive‐spectroscopy (EDS), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Detailed in vitro biological activities revealed significant therapeutic potential for NiONPs. The antimicrobial efficacy of biogenic NiONPs was demonstrated against five different gram positive and gram negative bacterial strains. Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC: 125 μg/mL) were found to be the least susceptible and Bacillus subtilis (MIC: 31.25 μg/mL) was found to be the most susceptible strain to NiONPs. Biogenic NiONPs were reported to be highly potent against HepG2 cells (IC₅₀: 29.68 μg/ml). Moderate antileishmanial activity against Leishmania tropica (KMH₂₃) promastigotes (IC₅₀: 10.62 μg/ml) and amastigotes (IC₅₀: 27.58 μg/ml) cultures are reported. The cytotoxic activity was studied using brine shrimps and their IC₅₀ value was recorded as 43.73 μg/ml. For toxicological assessment, NiONPs were found compatible towards human RBCs (IC₅₀: > 200 μg/ml) and macrophages (IC₅₀: > 200 μg/ml), deeming particles safe for various applications in nanomedicines. Moderate antioxidant activities: total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (51.43%), 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) activity (70.36%) and total reducing power (TRP) (45%) are reported for NiONPs. In addition, protein kinase and alpha amylase inhibition assays were also performed. Our results concluded that Rhamnus virgata synthesized NiONPs could find important biomedical applications with low cytotoxicity to normal cells.     

Performance evaluation of praseodymium doped fiber amplifiers

Optical Review - In this paper, we report the performance evaluation of praseodymium doped fiber amplifier (PDFA) operating in 1.25–1.35&nbsp;μm band of wavelengths based on...     

Dose response of hydrazine – Deproteinated tooth enamel under blue light stimulation

The beta dose response and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) signal stability characteristics of human tooth enamel deproteinated by hydrazine reagent under blue photon stimulation are reported. Removal of the protein organic component of tooth enamel resulted in a higher OSL sensitivity and slower fading of OSL signals. The effect of chemical sample preparation on the enamel sample sensitivity is discussed and further steps to make this deproteinization treatment suitable for in vitro dose reconstruction studies are suggested.     

Determination of trace amounts of chromium (VI) by flow injection analysis with chemiluminescence detection

A new sensitive chemiluminescence (CL) method combined with continuous flow injection analysis is described for the determination of Cr(VI). Strong CL signals were generated by Cr(VI)-catalysed oxidation of gallic acid in the presence of potassium permanganate and hydrogen peroxide. Effects of reagent concentrations, temperature, pH, flow rates, mixing coil length and mixing flow sequences on the chemiluminescence intensity were studied. Under the optimised experimental conditions, the relationship between the logarithm of concentration (log?C) of Cr(VI) and the logarithm of intensity (log?I) is linear over the range of 2?×?10^?11 – 5?×?10^?4?mol?L^?1, with the detection limit (3σ) of 4?×?10^?12?mol?L^?1. Relative standard deviation of ten measurements of 1?×?10^?9?mol?L^?1 Cr(VI) is 1.7%. This flow injection analysis (FIA) system proved to be able to analyse up to 40 samples h^?1. Effects of various interferences possibly present in the water samples were investigated. Most cations and anions, as well as organic compounds, did not interfere with the determination of Cr(VI) in water samples. The experimental results obtained for chromium in reference materials were also in good agreement with the certified values.     

Determination of Lambda-Cyhalothrin and Malathion Residues in Locust by Gas Chromatography with Electron Capture Detection

Journal of Analytical Chemistry - A reliable, easy, and reproducible method was developed for the quantification of λ-cyhalothrin and malathion residues in desert locust. For the extraction, a...     

Preparation and dispersion stability of aqueous metal oxide nanofluids for potential heat transfer applications: a review of experimental studies

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Nanofluids have recently attracted attention of many researchers due to their growing potential applications in heat transfer devices. They possess...     

Form Factor of Proton Predicted Using the Data of ppbar Elastic Scattering at $$\boldsymbol{\sqrt{s}=1.96}$$ eV

Physics of Atomic Nuclei - Based on the behavior of elastic scattering of proton and anti-proton at $$\sqrt{s}=1.96$$ TeV for squared four-momentum transfer $$0.26&lt;{-}t&lt;1.2($$ GeV...     

On the room-temperature ferromagnetism in (ZnO)0.98(MnO2)0.02

Room-temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) is investigated in the polycrystalline bulk (ZnO)_0.98(MnO₂)_0.02 samples prepared by a modified solid-state sintering route. Successive sintering of a sample was carried out in air at different temperatures in the range of 400-1000 °C. The study of magnetization and phase-investigation in the sample was carried out after each sintering step. The progressive suppression of impurities and the consequent reduction in RTFM is clearly observed in the samples with increase in the sintering temperature up to 800 °C. The subsequent successive sintering of the (ZnO)_0.98(MnO₂)_0.02 sample up to 1000 °C yields fully paramagnetic sample exhibiting wurtzite structure. The studies support the conjecture (Kundaliya et al., Nat. Mater. 3 (2004) 709 [18]) that RTFM in this system has an origin related to a randomly distributed impurity phase produced by local dissolution of ZnO and MnO₂.     

LC–UV Assay for Simultaneous Estimation of Aromatic Turmerone, α/β-Turmerone and Curlone: Major Bisabolane Sesquiterpenes of Turmeric Oil in Rabbit Plasma for Application to Pharmacokinetic Studies

The herbal medicament derived from the lipid soluble fraction obtained from Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae) has shown potential neuroprotective activity in disorders like stroke. HM has been standardized with three biomarkers: ar-turmerone, α/β-turmerone and curlone, major bisabolane sesquiterpenes of turmeric oil. Development of a biaonalytical method for these sesquiterpenes was initiated to characterize its preclinical pharmacokinetics in rabbits to accelerate its development as a potential candidate for vascular complications. Since, the compounds are structurally and chemically very similar, gradient elution was utilized on a C-18 reversed phase column with a mobile phase comprising of acetonitrile and deionised water. The UV detector was set at wavelengths 240 and 270 nm. The sample clean-up was performed by protein precipitation with acetonitrile. The method was reasonably sensitive with limits of quantitation (LOQ) of 0.098 μg mL^?1 in plasma for all the analytes. Accuracy and precision were within the acceptable limits, as indicated by relative standard deviation (% RSD) varying from 1.3 to 13.6% and bias values ranging from ?5.5 to 10.3%, respectively. Moreover, the analytes were stable in plasma even after three freeze-thaw cycles. The method was applied to generate preliminary pharmacokinetics of turmeric oil in rabbits after intravenous administration.