OBJECTIVE: In the current study, aqueous extract of Thymus vulgaris (T. vulgaris) was used to synthesize the AgNPs using green synthesis techniques followed by checking the effectiveness and various biological activities of these AgNPs.

METHODS: At first, the plant samples were proceeded for extraction of aqueous extracts followed by chromatography studies to measure the phenolics and flavonoids. The synthesis and characterization of AgNPs were done using green synthesis techniques and were confirmed using Fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR) spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM), zeta potential, zeta sizer and X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. After confirmation of synthesized AgNPs, various biological activities were checked.

RESULTS: The chromatography analysis detected nine compounds accounting for 100% of the total amount of plant constituents. The FT-IR, UV-vis spectra, SEM, zeta potential, zeta sizer and XRD analysis confirmed the synthesis of AgNPs and the variety of chemical components present on the surface of synthesized AgNPs in the plant extract. The antioxidant activity of AgNPs showed 92% inhibition at the concentration of at 1000 µg/mL. A greater inhibitory effect in anti-diabetic analysis was observed with synthesized AgNPs as compared to the standard AgNPs. The hemolytic activity was low, but despite low concentrations of hemolysis activity, AgNPs proved not to be toxic or biocompatible. The anti-inflammatory activity of AgNPs was observed by in-vitro and in-vivo approaches in range at various concentrations, while maximum inhibition occurs at 1000 µg (77.31%).

Methods: In vitro, physicochemical properties of the Stattic-entrapped C-PLGA nanoparticles (S@C-PLGA) and Stattic-entrapped PLGA nanoparticles (S@PLGA, control) in terms of size, zeta potential, polydispersity index, drug loading, entrapment efficiency, Stattic release in different medium and cytotoxicity were firstly evaluated. The in vitro antimigration properties of the nanoparticles on breast cancer cell lines were then studied by Scratch assay and Transwell assay. Study on the in vivo antitumor efficacy and antimetastatic properties of S@C-PLGA compared to Stattic were then performed on 4T1 tumor bearing mice.

Results: The S@C-PLGA nanoparticles (141.8 ± 2.3 nm) was hemocompatible and exhibited low Stattic release (12%) in plasma. S@C-PLGA also exhibited enhanced in vitro anti-cell migration potency (by >10-fold in MDA-MB-231 and 5-fold in 4T1 cells) and in vivo tumor growth suppression (by 33.6%) in 4T1 murine metastatic mammary tumor bearing mice when compared to that of the Stattic-treated group. Interestingly, the number of lung and liver metastatic foci was found to reduce by 50% and 56.6%, respectively, and the average size of the lung metastatic foci was reduced by 75.4% in 4T1 tumor-bearing mice treated with S@C-PLGA compared to Stattic-treated group (p < 0.001).

PURPOSE: Due to the high percentage of affected pregnant women, it should be mandatory to evaluate glucose levels during pregnancy and there is a need for a continuous monitoring system.

METHODS: Herein, the investigators modified the interdigitated (di)electrodes (IDE) sensing surface to detect the glucose on covalently immobilized glucose oxidase (GOx) with the graphene. The characterization of graphene and gold nanoparticle (GNP) was performed by high-resolution microscopy.

RESULTS: Sensitivity was found to be 0.06 mg/mL and to enhance the detection, GOx was complexed with GNP. GNP-GOx was improved the sensitive detection twofold from 0.06 to 0.03 mg/mL, and it also displayed higher levels of current changes at all the concentrations of glucose that were tested. High-performance of the above IDE sensing system was attested by the specificity, reproducibility and higher sensitivity detections. Further, the linear regression analysis indicated the limit of detection to be between 0.02 and 0.03 mg/mL.

METHODS: AgNP-K 1:1 was synthesized with 1 mM kaempferol, whereas AgNP-K 1:2 with 2 mM kaempferol. The characterization of AgNP-K 1:1 and AgNP-K 1:2 was performed using UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Zetasizer, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The antibacterial activities of five samples (AgNP-K 1:1, AgNP-K 1:2, commercial AgNPs, kaempferol, and vancomycin) at different concentrations (1.25, 2.5, 5, and 10 mg/mL) against MRSA were determined via disc diffusion assay (DDA), minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assay, and time-kill assay.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we focus on two important drugs used for TB treatment - rifampicin (RIF) and isoniazid (INH) - and report a detailed study of RIF-loaded poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) NPs and INH modified as INH benz-hydrazone (IH2) which gives the same therapeutic effect as INH but is more stable and enhances the drug loading in PLGA NPs by 15-fold compared to INH. The optimized formulation was characterized using particle size analyzer, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The drug release from NPs and stability of drug were tested in different pH conditions.

RESULTS: It was found that RIF and IH2 loaded in NPs release in a slow and sustained manner over a period of 1 month and they are more stable in NPs formulation compared to the free form. RIF- and IH2-loaded NPs were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv strain. RIF loaded in PLGA NPs consistently inhibited the growth at 70% of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of pure RIF (MIC level 1 µg/mL), and pure IH2 and IH2-loaded NPs showed inhibition at MIC equivalent to the MIC of INH (0.1 µg/mL).

Methods: The nanoemulsions were formulated using a high-pressure homogenization technique and were characterized for their physicochemical properties.

Results: The characterizations revealed a particle size of 100.32±0.75 nm, polydispersity index of 0.18±0.01, zeta potential of -46.9±1.39 mV, viscosity of 1.24±0.34 cps, and osmolality of 285.33±0.58 mOsm/kg, indicating that the nanoemulsion has compatibility for parenteral application. CLN was physicochemically stable within 6 months of storage at 4°C, and the transmission electron microscopy revealed that the CLN droplets were almost spherical in shape. The in vitro release of CLN profile followed a sustained release pattern. The pharmacokinetic profile of CLN showed a significantly higher Cmax, area under the curve (AUC)0-
t
, prolonged half-life, and lower total plasma clearance, indicating that the systemic concentration of cefuroxime was higher in CLN-treated rats as compared to cefuroxime-free treated rats. A similar profile was obtained for the biodistribution of cefuroxime in the brain, in which CLN showed a significantly higher Cmax, AUC0-
t
, prolonged half-life, and lower clearance as compared to free cefuroxime solution.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to utilize a chitosan-based nanoparticle system as the delivery carrier for glutamic acid, a model for encapsulated biomolecules to visualize the in vitro release and accumulation of the encapsulated glutamic acid from chitosan nanoparticle (CNP) systems.

Methods: CNP was synthesized via ionic gelation routes utilizing tripolyphosphate (TPP) as a cross-linker. In order to track glutamic acid release, the glutamic acid was fluorescently-labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate prior encapsulation into CNP.

Results: Light Scattering data concluded the successful formation of small-sized and mono-dispersed CNP at a specific volume ratio of chitosan to TPP. Encapsulation of glutamic acid as a model cargo into CNP led to an increase in particle size to >100 nm. The synthesized CNP exhibited spherical shape under Electron Microscopy. The formation of CNP was reflected by the reduction in free amine groups of chitosan following ionic crosslinking reactions. The encapsulation of glutamic acid was further confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis. Cell viability assay showed 70% cell viability at the maximum concentration of 0.5 mg/mL CS and 0.7 mg/mL TPP used, indicating the low inherent toxicity property of this system. In vitro release study using fluorescently-tagged glutamic acids demonstrated the release and accumulation of the encapsulated glutamic acids at 6 hours post treatment. A significant accumulation was observed at 24 hours and 48 hours later. Flow cytometry data demonstrated a gradual increase in intracellular fluorescence signal from 30 minutes to 48 hours post treatment with fluorescently-labeled glutamic acids encapsulated CNP.