Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 436 in total

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  1. Mehdi WA, Mehde AA, Raus RA, Yusof F, Abidin ZAZ, Ghazali H, et al.
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2018 Oct 15;118(Pt A):610-616.
    PMID: 29959006 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.06.113
    BACKGROUND: It is assumed that genetic factors play crucial role in nephrolithiasis. The present study was conducted to explore the role of Human Transcription Factor-7 like-2 (TCF7L2) β-defensin (DEFB1) and CD14 gene polymorphism in development and progression of nephrolithiasis.

    METHODS: The genotypes of TCF7L2, DEFB1 and CD14 polymorphism were determined in 240 nephrolithiasis patients and 240 healthy controls by restriction digestion method of PCR. The levels of serum TCF7L2, DEFB1, CD14, uric acid and other biochemical parameters were measured both in nephrolithiasis patients and healthy control.

    RESULTS: The patients and control groups showed 30% and 50% 1654 AA DEFB1 genotype respectively. The Allele frequency in case of patient's group was 63.67% while in control group it was 36.33%. The mean serum DEFB1 levels of the patients and control groups attained were 115.66 and 239.43 pg/mL respectively. The allele frequency of TCF7L2 in patients and controls were 44.17% and 70.0% for C-allele, 55.83% and 30.00% for T-allele respectively. The mean of serum TCF7L2 levels were significantly decreased in patients compared to control group.

    CONCLUSIONS: The present findings are first of its class that validates a considerable connection of DEFB1 and TCF7L2 gene polymorphisms with nephrolithiasis and could probably act as indicators to estimate the risk associated to nephrolithiasis.

  2. Wijekoon MMJO, Mahmood K, Ariffin F, Mohammadi Nafchi A, Zulkurnain M
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2023 Jun 30;241:124539.
    PMID: 37085081 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124539
    Fat-soluble vitamins (FSVs) offer a range of beneficial properties as important nutrients in human nutrition. However, the high susceptibility to environmental conditions such as high temperature, light, and oxygen leads to the degradation of these compounds. This review highlights the different formulations underlying the encapsulation of FSVs in biopolymer (polysaccharide and protein) and lipid-based micro or nanocarriers for potential applications in food and pharmaceutical industries. In particular, the function of these carrier systems in terms of encapsulation efficiency, stability, bioavailability, and bio-accessibility is critically discussed. Recently, tremendous attention has been paid to encapsulating FSVs in commercial applications. According to the chemical nature of the active compound, the vigilant selection of delivery formulation, method of encapsulation, and final application (type of food) are the key important factors to be considered in the encapsulation of FSVs to ensure a high loading capacity, stability, bioavailability, and bio-accessibility. Future studies are recommended on the effect of different vitamin types and micro and nano encapsulate sizes on bioaccessibility and biocompatibility through in vitro/in vivo studies. Moreover, the toxicity and safety evaluation of encapsulated FSVs in human health should be evaluated before commercial application in food and pharmaceuticals.
  3. Ibrahim MIJ, Sapuan SM, Zainudin ES, Zuhri MYM
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2019 Oct 15;139:596-604.
    PMID: 31381916 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.08.015
    In this study, biodegradable composite films were prepared by using thermoplastic cornstarch matrix and corn husk fiber as a reinforcing filler. The composite films were manufactured via a casting technique using different concentrations of husk fiber (0-8%), and fructose as a plasticizer at a fixed amount of 25% for starch weight. The Physical, thermal, morphological, and tensile characteristics of composite films were investigated. The findings indicated that the incorporation of husk fiber, in general, enhanced the performance of the composite films. There was a noticeable reduction in the density and moisture content of the films, and soil burial assessment showed less resistance to biodegradation. The morphological images presented a consistent structure and excellent compatibility between matrix and reinforcement, which reflected on the improved tensile strength and young modulus as well as the crystallinity index. The thermal stability of composite films has also been enhanced, as evidenced by the increased onset decomposition temperature of the reinforced films compared to neat film. Fourier transform infrared analysis revealed increasing in intermolecular hydrogen bonding following fiber loading. The composite materials prepared using corn husk residues as reinforcement responded to community demand for agricultural and polymeric waste disposal and added more value to waste management.
  4. Yao J, Li S, Zhang L, Yang Y, Gopinath SCB, Lakshmipriya T, et al.
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2020 May 15;151:1133-1138.
    PMID: 31743722 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.10.156
    Haemophilia is a blood clotting disorder known as 'Christmas disease' caused when the blood has defect with the clotting factor(s). Bleeding leads various issues, such as chronic pain, arthritis and a serious complication during the surgery. Identifying this disease is mandatory to take the necessary treatment and maintains the normal clotting. It has been proved that the level of factor IX (FIX) is lesser with haemophilia patient and the attempt here is focused to quantify FIX level by interdigitated electrode (IDE) sensor. Single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) was utilized to modify IDE sensing surface. On this surface, dual probing was evaluated with aptamer and antibody to bring the possible advantages. The detection limit with antibody was found to be 1 pM, while aptamer shows 100 fM. Further, a fine-tuning was attempted with sandwich pattern of aptamer-FIX-antibody and antibody-FIX-aptamer and compared. Specific elevation of detection with 10 folds was noticed and displayed the detection at 100 f. in both sandwich patterns. In addition, FIX was detected in the diluted human serum by aptamer-FIX-antibody sandwich, it was found that FIX detected from the dilution factor 1:640. A novel demonstration is with higher discrimination against other clotting factors, XI and VII.
  5. Li QZ, Xiong C, Wong WC, Zhou LW
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2024 Mar;260(Pt 2):129528.
    PMID: 38246471 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.129528
    Ganoderma is a well-known medicinal macrofungal genus, of which several species have been thoroughly studied from the medicinal perspective, but most species are rarely involved in. In this study, we focus on the polysaccharides extracted from Ganoderma boninense and their antioxidant activity. Ganoderma boninense is a serious pathogen of oil palms that are cultivated commercially in Southeast Asia. Response surface methodology was conducted to optimize the liquid medium composition, and the mycelia biomass reached 7.063 g/L, that is, 1.4-fold compared with the seed medium. The crude and purified polysaccharides extracted from the fermentation broth showed well 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid radical scavenging abilities, and the scavenging abilities of purified polysaccharides reached 94.47 % and 99.88 %, respectively. Six fractions of polysaccharides were extracted and purified from fruiting bodies, mycelia and fermentation broth separately with the elution buffers of distilled water and 0.1 M NaCl solution. Generally, the polysaccharides from fruiting bodies showed stronger protective effect on H2O2-induced HepG2 cell oxidative damage than other fractions. A total of five to seven monosaccharides were identified in the six fractions of polysaccharides. The correlation analysis revealed that the content of fucose was significantly correlated with the antioxidant activity of polysaccharides, while xylose showed negative correlation results. In summary, the polysaccharides from G. boninense have a potential to be used as natural antioxidants.
  6. Shahab M, Aiman S, Alshammari A, Alasmari AF, Alharbi M, Khan A, et al.
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2023 Dec 31;253(Pt 2):126678.
    PMID: 37666399 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126678
    Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV) is a deadly viral infection transmitted by various mosquito species. This mosquito-borne virus belongs to Bunyaviridae family, posing a high public health threat in the in tropical regions of the United States causing encephalitis in humans. Common symptoms of JCV include fever, headache, stiff neck, photophobia, nausea, vomiting, and seizures. Despite the availability of resources, there is currently no vaccine or drug available to combat JCV. The purpose of this study was to develop an epitope-based vaccine using immunoinformatics approaches. The vaccine aimed to be secure, efficient, bio-compatible, and capable of stimulating both innate and adaptive immune responses. In this study, the protein sequence of JCV was obtained from the NCBI database. Various bioinformatics methods, including toxicity evaluation, antigenicity testing, conservancy analysis, and allergenicity assessment were utilized to identify the most promising epitopes. Suitable linkers and adjuvant sequences were used in the design of vaccine construct. 50s ribosomal protein sequence was used as an adjuvant at the N-terminus of the construct. A total of 5 CTL, 5 HTL, and 5 linear B cell epitopes were selected based on non-allergenicity, immunological potential, and antigenicity scores to design a highly immunogenic multi-peptide vaccine construct. Strong interactions between the proposed vaccine and human immune receptors, i.e., TLR-2 and TLR-4, were revealed in a docking study using ClusPro software, suggesting their possible relevance in the immunological response to the vaccine. Immunological and physicochemical properties assessment ensured that the proposed vaccine demonstrated high immunogenicity, solubility and thermostability. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the strong binding affinities, as well as dynamic and structural stability of the proposed vaccine. Immune simulation suggest that the vaccine has the potential to effectively stimulate cellular and humoral immune responses to combat JCV infection. Experimental and clinical assays are required to validate the results of this study.
  7. Xu S, Lan H, Teng Q, Li X, Jin Z, Qu Y, et al.
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2023 Aug 12;251:126286.
    PMID: 37579904 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126286
    H7 avian influenza virus has caused multiple human infections and poses a severe public health threat. In response to the highly variable nature of AIVs, a novel, easily regenerated DNA vaccine has great potential in treating or preventing avian influenza pandemics. Nevertheless, DNA vaccines have many disadvantages, such as weak immunogenicity and poor in vivo delivery. To further characterize and solve these issues and develop a novel H7 AIV DNA vaccine with enhanced stability and immunogenicity, we constructed nine AIV DNA plasmids, and the immunogenicity screened showed that mice immunized with pβH7N2SH9 elicited stronger hemagglutination-inhibiting (HI) antibodies than other eight plasmid DNAs. Then, to address the susceptibility to degradation and low transfection rate of DNA vaccine in vivo, we developed pβH7N2SH9/DGL NPs by encapsulating the pβH7N2SH9 within the dendrigraft poly-l-lysines nanoparticles. As expected, these NPs exhibited excellent physical and chemical properties, were capable of promote lymphocyte proliferation, and induce stronger humoral and cellular responses than the naked pβH7N2SH9, including higher levels of HI antibodies than naked pβH7N2SH9, as well as the production of cytokines, namely, IL-2, IFN-α. Taken together, our results suggest that the construction of an immune-enhanced H7-AIV DNA nanovaccine may be a promising strategy against most influenza viruses.
  8. Jia Y, Luo B, Lee SH, Huang H, Wu Z, Zhou B, et al.
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2024 Jan;256(Pt 2):128548.
    PMID: 38043656 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128548
    A flame retardant high-performance gelatinized starch (GS)-ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP) wood adhesive, named GS-ADP adhesive was prepared by condensation of GS and ADP under acidic condition. The preparation process of GS-ADP adhesive is very simple by mixing and stirring GS and ADP evenly at room temperature. The results revealed that the GS-ADP adhesive has good storage stability and water resistance, and its wet shear strength is much higher than that of phenolic resin (PF) adhesive. Markedly, the cone calorimeter test results show that G-ADP adhesive has good flame retardancy, and the plywood based on GS-ADP adhesive has good flame retardancy. Meanwhile, it can be seen from dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) that GS-ADP has excellent modulus of elasticity (MOE), high glass transition temperature (Tg) and good thermal stability. The findings suggest that GS-ADP could be a viable substitute for PF resin in structural wood fabrication.
  9. Salleh KM, Zakaria S, Gan S, Baharin KW, Ibrahim NA, Zamzamin R
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2020 Apr 01;148:11-19.
    PMID: 31893531 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.12.240
    Dissolved oil palm empty fruit bunch cellulose (EFBC) and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (NaCMC) were chemically crosslinked with epichlorohydrin (ECH) to generate designated hydrogel. After swelling process in distilled water, the swollen hydrogel was frozen and freeze-dried to form cryogel. The swelling phenomenon of hydrogel during the absorption process gave substantial effects on thinning of crosslinked network wall, pore size and volume, steadiness of cryogel skeletal structure, and re-swelling of cryogel. The swelling effects on hydrogel were confirmed via microscopic study using variable pressure scanning electron microscope (VPSEM). From the retrieved VPSEM images, nano-thin crosslinked network wall of 24.31 ± 1.97 nm and interconnected pores were observed. As a result, the amount of water, the swelling degree, and the freeze-drying process indirectly affected the VPSEM images that indicated pore size and volume, formation of interconnected pores, and re-swelling of cryogel. This study determined the intertwined factors that affected both hydrogel and cryogel properties by investigating the swelling phenomenon and its ensuing effects.
  10. Arjmandi R, Hassan A, Mohamad Haafiz MK, Zakaria Z
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2015 Nov;81:91-9.
    PMID: 26234577 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2015.07.062
    In this study, hybrid montmorillonite/cellulose nanowhiskers (MMT/CNW) reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) nanocomposites were produced through solution casting. The CNW filler was first isolated from microcrystalline cellulose by chemical swelling technique. The partial replacement of MMT with CNW in order to produce PLA/MMT/CNW hybrid nanocomposites was performed at 5 parts per hundred parts of polymer (phr) fillers content, based on highest tensile strength values as reported in our previous study. MMT were partially replaced with various amounts of CNW (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5phr). The tensile, thermal, morphological and biodegradability properties of PLA hybrid nanocomposites were investigated. The highest tensile strength of hybrid nanocomposites was obtained with the combination of 4phr MMT and 1phr CNW. Interestingly, the ductility of hybrid nanocomposites increased significantly by 79% at this formulation. The Young's modulus increased linearly with increasing CNW content. Thermogravimetric analysis illustrated that the partial replacement of MMT with CNW filler enhanced the thermal stability of the PLA. This is due to the relatively good dispersion of fillers in the hybrid nanocomposites samples as revealed by transmission electron microscopy. Interestingly, partial replacements of MMT with CNW improved the biodegradability of hybrid nanocomposites compared to PLA/MMT and neat PLA.
  11. Jafri NF, Mohd Salleh K, Ahmad Ghazali N, Nyak Mazlan NS, Ab Halim NH, Zakaria S
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2023 Sep 18;253(Pt 4):126971.
    PMID: 37729993 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126971
    To date, the utilization of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) fibers are only restricted to weak mechanical application such as wound dressing. Physically, CMC has a weak mechanical strength due to the high hydrophilicity trait. However, this flaw was saved by the extensive number of reactive functional groups, allowing this macromolecule to form linkages with chitosan to ensure its versatility. This work successfully fabricated CMC-chitosan fiber via dissolution, crosslinking, dry-jet wet-spinning extrusion, and coagulation processes. Chitosan was constituted with CMC fiber in two approaches, coating, and inclusion at various concentrations. Morphologically, chitosan incorporation has triggered agglomerations and roughness toward CMC fibers (CMCF). Chemically, the interaction between CMC and chitosan was proved through FTIR analysis at peaks 1245 cm-1 (ECH covalent crosslinking), while 3340 cm-1 and 1586 cm-1 were due to ionic and hydrogen bonding. The result from analysis showed that at higher chitosan concentrations, the chitosan-included CMC fiber (CMCF-I) and chitosan-coated CMC fiber (CMFC) were mechanically enhanced (up to 86.77 and 82.72 MPa), thermally more stable (33 % residual mass), and less hydrophilic compared to the plain CMCF. The properties of CMC-chitosan fibers have opened up vast possible applications, especially as a reinforcement in a watery medium such as a hydrogel.
  12. Khairunnisa-Atiqah MK, Salleh KM, Hair AHA, Mazlan NSN, Mostapha M, Zakaria S
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2023 Dec 31;253(Pt 8):127518.
    PMID: 37865379 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.127518
    Cotton thread therapeutic properties as a wound dressing can be enhanced by utilising carboxymethyl cellulose-nanoparticles (CMC/NPs) colloidal solution as a coating solution. Nanoparticles such as graphene oxide (GO), graphene quantum dots (GQD), and silver nanoparticles (AgNP) stability in CMC was investigated through the rheological analysis and UV-Vis spectroscopy of the colloidal solutions. Citric acid (CA) acted as a crosslinker and was utilised to crosslink the colloidal solution with cotton thread. These CMC/NPs coated threads were subjected to mechanical properties and antibacterial activity analysis. Results obtained indicate less nanoparticle agglomeration and were stable in the CMC-based nanofluid. CMC/NPs rheological study suggested that colloidal solutions exhibited shear thinning behaviour and behaved as non-Newtonian fluids with n 
  13. Emami Moghaddam SA, Harun R, Mokhtar MN, Zakaria R
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2019 Jul 01;132:592-599.
    PMID: 30922914 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.03.191
    This research aimed to improve the stability of Chlorella-Alginate Beads (CABs) by zeolite molecular sieves 13X. Dissolution time of synthesized Zeolite-Algal-Alginate Beads (ZABs) in a chelating agent revealed a significant improvement on the beads stability (78.5 ± 0.5 min) compared to the control beads (51.5 ± 0.5 min) under the optimum conditions of zeolite/alginate (1.5:1), pH 5 and 2% of beads. Monitoring cell growth during 5 days of incubation showed good biocompatibility of zeolite 13X. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated rough surface and spherical shapes of ZABs. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) of ZABs confirmed the presence of zeolite 13X within the matrix. The zeta potential value of ZABs indicated that the beads were relatively stable. The findings of this research showed that zeolite molecular sieves 13X have the potential to improve the stability of algal-alginate beads compared to common beads.
  14. Ilyas RA, Sapuan SM, Ishak MR, Zainudin ES
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2019 Feb 15;123:379-388.
    PMID: 30447353 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.11.124
    Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFCs) were extracted from sugar palm fibres (SPS) in two separate stages; delignification and mercerization to remove lignin and hemicellulose, respectively. Subsequently, the obtained cellulose fibres were then mechanically extracted into nanofibres using high pressurized homogenization (HPH). The diameter distribution sizes of the isolated nanofibres were dependent on the cycle number of HPH treatment. TEM micro-images displayed the decreasing trend of NFCs diameter, from 21.37 to 5.5 nm when the number of cycle HPH was increased from 5 to 15 cycles, meanwhile TGA and XRD analysis showed that the degradation temperature and crystallinity of the NFCs were slightly increased from 347 to 347.3 °C and 75.38 to 81.19% respectively, when the number of cycles increased. Others analysis also were carried on such as FT-IR, FESEM, AFM, physical properties, zeta potential and yield analysis. The isolated NFCs may be potentially applied in various application, such as tissue engineering scaffolds, bio-nanocomposites, filtration media, bio-packaging and etc.
  15. Bahrudin NN, Nawi MA, Zainal Z
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2020 Dec 15;165(Pt B):2462-2474.
    PMID: 33736271 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.10.148
    The removal of methyl orange (MO) dye has been studied using TiO2/chitosan-montmorillonite (TiO2/Cs-MT) bilayer photocatalyst which also functions as an adsorbent. The dye removal experiments were conducted in the dark and under UV-Vis light irradiation via adsorption and photocatalysis-adsorption processes, respectively. The adsorption modelings were employed on the dark experimental data and compared with the immobilized and suspended Cs-Mt counterparts. It was found that the bilayer photocatalyst closely followed the adsorption properties of immobilized Cs-Mt which obeyed the pseudo-second-order kinetic and film diffusion models. Fluorescent analysis revealed that the charge separation was enhanced in the presence of Cs-Mt as a sub-layer of TiO2. Under light irradiation, the photocatalytic activity of TiO2/Cs-MT corresponded to its adsorption counterpart trend and was optimized at pH 6.5 and 20 mg L-1 of MO dye solution. High removal efficiency and synergism of MO by TiO2/Cs-MT over TiO2 single layer were observed throughout the 10 cycles of application due to contribution of adsorption of Cs-Mt sub-layer and photocatalysis by TiO2 top layer.
  16. Edhirej A, Sapuan SM, Jawaid M, Zahari NI
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2017 Aug;101:75-83.
    PMID: 28288881 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2017.03.045
    A hybrid composite was prepared from cassava bagasse (CB) and sugar palm fiber (SPF) using casting technique with cassava starch (CS) as matrix and fructose as a plasticizer. Different loadings of SPF (2, 4, 6 and 8% w/w of dry starch) were added to the CS/CB composite film containing 6% CB. The addition of SPF significantly influenced the physical properties. It increased the thickness while decreasing the density, water content, water solubility and water absorption. However, no significant effect was noticed on the thermal properties of the hybrid composite film. The incorporation of SPF increased the relative crystallinity up to 47%, compared to 32% of the CS film. SEM micrographs indicated that the filler was incorporated in the matrix. The film with a higher concentration of SPF (CS-CB/SPF8) showed a more heterogeneous surface. It could be concluded that the incorporation of SPF led to changes in cassava starch film properties, potentially affecting the film performances.
  17. Kumar V, Lakkaboyana SK, Tsouko E, Maina S, Pandey M, Umesh M, et al.
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2023 Apr 15;234:123733.
    PMID: 36801274 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.123733
    The exponential increase in the use and careless discard of synthetic plastics has created an alarming concern over the environmental health due to the detrimental effects of petroleum based synthetic polymeric compounds. Piling up of these plastic commodities on various ecological niches and entry of their fragmented parts into soil and water has clearly affected the quality of these ecosystems in the past few decades. Among the many constructive strategies developed to tackle this global issue, use of biopolymers like polyhydroxyalkanoates as sustainable alternatives for synthetic plastics has gained momentum. Despite their excellent material properties and significant biodegradability, polyhydroxyalkanoates still fails to compete with their synthetic counterparts majorly due to the high cost associated with their production and purification thereby limiting their commercialization. Usage of renewable feedstocks as substrates for polyhydroxyalkanoates production has been the thrust area of research to attain the sustainability tag. This review work attempts to provide insights about the recent developments in the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates using renewable feedstock along with various pretreatment methods used for substrate preparation for polyhydroxyalkanoates production. Further, the application of blends based on polyhydroxyalkanoates, and the challenges associated with the waste valorization based polyhydroxyalkanoates production strategy is elaborated in this review work.
  18. Kamari A, Aljafree NF, Yusoff SN
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2016 Jul;88:263-72.
    PMID: 27041651 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2016.03.071
    In this study, an amphiphilic chitosan derivative namely N,N-dimethylhexadecyl carboxymethyl chitosan (DCMC) was synthesised and applied for the first time as a carrier agent for rotenone. The physical and chemical properties of DCMC were characterised by using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR), Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer ((1)H NMR), CHN-O Elemental Analyser, Thermogravimetric Analyser (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC). DCMC was soluble in acidic (except pH 4), neutral and basic media with percent of transmittance (%T) values ranged from 67.2 to 99.4%. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) was determined as 0.095mg/mL. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis confirmed that DCMC has formed self-aggregates and exhibited spherical shape with the size of 65.5-137.0nm. The encapsulation efficiency (EE) and loading capacity (LC) of DCMC micelles with different weight ratios (DCMC:rotenone; 5:1, 50:1 and 100:1) were determined by using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The weight ratio of 100:1 gave the best EE with the value of more than 95.0%. DCMC micelles performed an excellent ability to control the release of rotenone, of which 99.0% of rotenone was released within 48h. Overall, DCMC has several key features to be an effective carrier agent for pesticide formulations.
  19. Krishnamoorthy M, Ahmad NH, Amran HN, Mohamed MA, Kaus NHM, Yusoff SFM
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2021 Jul 01;182:1495-1506.
    PMID: 34019924 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.05.104
    Semiconductor materials have shown a good photocatalytic behaviour for the photodegradation of organic pollutants. In this work, maleated liquid natural rubber (MLNR) based hydrogel supported bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) as photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by crosslinking with acrylic acid (AAc) assisted by the ultrasonication method to study the efficiency for the removal of methylene blue (MB) dye in wastewater. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the parameters for adsorption of the methylene blue (MB) dye compound, whereby the effects of the initial concentration of MB and the adsorption time were examined to obtain a quadratic model for the respective hydrogel composite. The prepared composite sample was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis. Remarkable improvement for removal of methylene blue (99% removal) was found within 3 h adsorption time with a MLNR/AAc-BiFeO3 hydrogel composite as compared to the pristine hydrogel. A synergistic mode of dye removal by adsorption and photodegradation is proposed. Based on the isotherm and kinetic study conducted, it was found that Freundlich isotherm model and a pseudo second-order kinetic model was best fitted for adsorption of MB dye. The MLNR/AAc-BiFeO3 composite maintains its removal efficiency after 5 cycles without the necessity of post-treatment separation. Therefore, it is crucial to note that the resultant low-cost MLNR/AAc-BiFeO3 hydrogel composite in this study offers excellent potential for water and wastewater treatment applications with improved recyclability and recovery.
  20. Zulkifli FH, Hussain FSJ, Harun WSW, Yusoff MM
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2019 Feb 01;122:562-571.
    PMID: 30365990 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.10.156
    This study is focusing to develop a porous biocompatible scaffold using hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with improved cellular adhesion profiles and stability. The combination of HEC and PVA were synthesized using freeze-drying technique and characterized using SEM, ATR-FTIR, TGA, DSC, and UTM. Pore size of HEC/PVA (2-40 μm) scaffolds showed diameter in a range of both pure HEC (2-20 μm) and PVA (14-70 μm). All scaffolds revealed high porosity above 85%. The water uptake of HEC was controlled by PVA cooperation in the polymer matrix. After 7 days, all blended scaffolds showed low degradation rate with the increased of PVA composition. The FTIR and TGA results explicit possible chemical interactions and mass loss of blended scaffolds, respectively. The Tg values of DSC curved in range of HEC and PVA represented the miscibility of HEC/PVA blend polymers. Higher Young's modulus was obtained with the increasing of HEC value. Cell-scaffolds interaction demonstrated that human fibroblast (hFB) cells adhered to polymer matrices with better cell proliferation observed after 7 days of cultivation. These results suggested that biocompatible of HEC/PVA scaffolds fabricated by freeze-drying method might be suitable for skin tissue engineering applications.
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