An in vitro evaluation of films prepared from gelatin – Carica papaya methanolic extract for wound healing

This paper is a part of research aiming at preparing biodegradable films containing gelatin and Carica papaya extract for wound healing purposes in rats. Carica papaya leaves were collected and extracted using methanol aqueous method (20% methanol: 80% water). Eleven films (F1–F11) of Carica papaya extract (0–500) and gelatin (1000 mg) were prepared and investigated for selected in vitro parameters which include pH, thickness, folding endurance, water absorption capacity, tensile strength and extract released studies. Increasing concentrations of the added Carica papaya extract dropped the pH value from 7.3 ± 0.1 to 5.2 ± 0.1. Blank gelatin film had the highest value of the thickness (22.8 ± 0.9 µm). Folding endurance increased significantly (p<0.05) in both blank and composite films. In blank films the values of the folding endurance increased from 122.7 ± 3.5 – 187.6 ± 3.5 while in composite ones the values increased from 232.0 ± 8.8 to 258.3±2.5. Tensile strength value increased with increasing the addition of Carica papaya extract significantly (p<0.05) from 100.4 ± 3.4 N/cm2 to 191.5 ± 3.6 N/cm2. In contrast, within the composite films the highest addition of Carica papaya decreased the tensile strength value significantly (p<0.05) from 332.8 ± 2.2 to 84.10 ± 6.1 N/cm2. Significant differences (p<0.05) were noticed in the values of extract release. The maximum percentage of extract release was 96.6% which was scored in formulation 7 of the films (F7) while the minimum percentage of the extract release was 69.8% which was recorded in formulation 9 of the films (F9).  In conclusion, the films contained high concentrations of Carica papaya extract gave promising in vitro results and are recommended to be used for wound healing applications

An in vitro evaluation of films prepared from gelatin – Carica papaya methanolic extract for wound healing

This paper is a part of research aiming at preparing biodegradable films containing gelatin and Carica papaya extract for wound healing purposes in rats. Carica papaya leaves were collected and extracted using methanol aqueous method (20% methanol: 80% water). Eleven films (F1–F11) of Carica papaya extract (0–500) and gelatin (1000 mg) were prepared and investigated for selected in vitro parameters which include pH, thickness, folding endurance, water absorption capacity, tensile strength and extract released studies. Increasing concentrations of the added Carica papaya extract dropped the pH value from 7.3 ± 0.1 to 5.2 ± 0.1. Blank gelatin film had the highest value of the thickness (22.8 ± 0.9 µm). Folding endurance increased significantly (p<0.05) in both blank and composite films. In blank films the values of the folding endurance increased from 122.7 ± 3.5 – 187.6 ± 3.5 while in composite ones the values increased from 232.0 ± 8.8 to 258.3±2.5. Tensile strength value increased with increasing the addition of Carica papaya extract significantly (p<0.05) from 100.4 ± 3.4 N/cm2 to 191.5 ± 3.6 N/cm2. In contrast, within the composite films the highest addition of Carica papaya decreased the tensile strength value significantly (p<0.05) from 332.8 ± 2.2 to 84.10 ± 6.1 N/cm2. Significant differences (p<0.05) were noticed in the values of extract release. The maximum percentage of extract release was 96.6% which was scored in formulation 7 of the films (F7) while the minimum percentage of the extract release was 69.8% which was recorded in formulation 9 of the films (F9).  In conclusion, the films contained high concentrations of Carica papaya extract gave promising in vitro results and are recommended to be used for wound healing applications

An overview of in vitro research models for Alzheimer`s disease (AD)

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of age-related dementia. It is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by two aberrant features, the amyloid plaques and the neurofibrillary tangles which result in progressive memory loss and cognitive disturbances. This has led to devastating suffering to the patient, caregivers, family and economy of the country. As a result, scientists are putting efforts in understanding the mechanisms underlying the development of the disease as well as treatment for the disease. To do so, an ideal model is required that can mimic the development of AD,demonstrating the progressive degeneration of the neurons and formation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. In this review paper, currently available in vitro models for AD will be disc ussed, which include the cancer, primary culture and stem cell lines, highlighting on the benefits and limitations of each. More attention will be focused on the latest established disease-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)isolated from familial AD patients and Dow n syndrome patients. These models have their own advantages and limitations, therefore, more research needs to be done to come up with a model that is suitable not only for fundamental understanding of the disease but also for drug discovery and development

Amino and fatty acid compositions in Haruan traditional extract (HTE)

Evaluation of amino and fatty acids compositions in Haruan Traditional Extracts (HTE) was done using HPLC and GC methods. The HTE contained at least 17 amino acids with glutamic acid, glycine, leusine, aspartic acid, proline, alanine and arginine are the most, with values 1.87-43.13 mg/g, 21.80-80.85 mg/g, 7.85-40.19 mg/g, 13.85-44.07 mg/g, 9.49-45.46 mg/g, 11.38-35.25 mg/g and 5.99-21.79 mg/g, respectively. Meanwhile, the highest percentage of fatty acids is palmitic acid; 3.54-26.84 % of total protein. The others major fatty acids are stearic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid with values 3.25-15.90 %, 1.40-27.68 %, 0.51- 7.82 % of total protein, respectively. HTE also found to have 4 extra bioactive compounds labelled as 1 to 4 on chromatographic tracing which in line with previously finding. It is concluded that the HTE is containing all the important amino acids plus some fatty acids, which is the basis to conduct antioxidant composition in both fresh Haruan and the HTE which was claimed to have wound healing properties. Comparative study was also carried out in various other extraction protocols, including commercial product

IN-SITU FILM-FORMING SOLUTION FOR TOPICAL APPLICATION OF TERBINAFINE HCL: BIOPHARMACEUTICAL EVALUATION AND IN VIVO ANTIFUNGAL PERFORMANCE USING ANIMAL MODEL

Objective: The main purpose of this study is to develop a film-forming solution with optimum physical-mechanical characteristics and excellent antifungal activity to enhance deposition and penetration into the stratum corneum (SC). Methods: The film-forming solutions of terbinafine HCl were formulated using methacrylate copolymers, polyethylene glycol 400, and ethanol as diluent. The selected formulations were subjected to test of physical-mechanical properties, drug release, drug permeation across the stratum corneum and drug deposition study. The best formulation was further evaluated for in vivo antifungal efficacy. Results: The selected formulations exhibited superior pharmaceutical characteristics, including rapid drying, non-stickiness, and being transparency on the skin. Formulation A (FA) had significantly lower tensile strength (4.78 N/m2, p<0.05) and higher percentage elongation at break (33.61%, p<0.05), which reduced the firmness of the film, allowing it to be super-flexible in following the movement of the skin and preventing loss of film through abrasion. FA showed significantly (p<0.05) rapid drug permeation (1510.51 µg/cm2) across the stratum corneum (SC) at 24 h when compared with the other formulations and the positive control proprietary drug (PD), Terbex® cream formulation (475.8 µg/cm2). Conclusion: Having superior physical-mechanical and drug permeation characteristics, FA can be considered as an efficient, reproducible, and efficacious antifungal formulation for topical application

Immunomodulatory activity of polyphenols derived from Cassia auriculata flowers in aged rats.

The immunomodulatory activity of Cassia auriculata (CA)-derived polyphenols was tested on aged rats. Rats (24–26 months old) were given CA polyphenols supplementation at doses of 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg for 28 days. Flow cytometry analysis of CA polyphenols-treated aged rats showed increased T and B cells percentage along with enhanced proliferation of splenocytes in both resting and LPS-stimulated cells. Increased percentage of pan T cells is further supported by an elevation of CD4+, CD8+, and CD4+CD25+ regulatory cells. In terms of innate immune cell activity, CA polyphenol supplementation reduced the oxidative burst activity of neutrophils in response to PMA and Escherichia coli activation. Our results collectively show that polyphenols derived from CA boost T cell immunity by increasing the number of T cells and its sensitivity towards stimulants and decreasing ROS production by neutrophils that could potentially harm multiple biological systems in aged individuals

Robustness metrics for optical networks

Telecommunication networks are vulnerable towards single or simultaneous nodes/links failures, which may lead to the disruption of network areas. The failures may cause performance degradation, reduced quality of services, reduced nodes/links survivability, stability, and reliability. Therefore, it is important to measure and enhance the network robustness, via the use of robustness metrics. This paper gives an overview of several robustness metrics that are commonly used for optical networks, from the structural, centrality and functional perspectives

Understanding the mode-of-action of Cassia auriculata via in silico and in vivo studies towards validating it as a long term therapy for type II diabetes

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Cassia auriculata (CA) is used as an antidiabetic therapy in Ayurvedic and Siddha practice. This study aimed to understand the mode-of-action of CA via combined cheminformatics and in vivo biological analysis. In particular, the effect of 10 polyphenolic constituents of CA in modulating insulin and immunoprotective pathways were studied. Materials and methods: In silico target prediction was first employed to predict the probability of the polyphenols interacting with key protein targets related to insulin signalling, based on a model trained on known bioactivity data and chemical similarity considerations. Next, CA was investigated in in vivo studies where induced type 2 diabetic rats were treated with CA for 28 days and the expression levels of genes regulating insulin signalling pathway, glucose transporters of hepatic (GLUT2) and muscular (GLUT4) tissue, insulin receptor substrate (IRS), phosphorylated insulin receptor (AKT), gluconeogenesis (G6PC and PCK-1), along with inflammatory mediators genes (NF-κB, IL-6, IFN-γ and TNF-α ) and peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) were determined by qPCR. Results: In silico analysis shows that most of the top 10 enriched targets predicted for the constituents of CA are involved in insulin signalling pathways e.g. PTPN1, PCK-α, AKT2, PI3K-γ. Some of the predictions were supported by scientific literature such as the prediction of MAPK4 and MAPK8 for epigallocatechin gallate. Based on the in silico and in vivo findings, we hypothesized that CA may enhance glucose uptake and glucose transporter expressions via the IRS signalling pathway. This is based on AKT2 and PI3K-γ being listed in the top 20 enriched targets. In vivo analysis shows significant increase in the expression of IRS, AKT, GLUT2 and GLUT4 CA may also affect the PPAR-γ signalling pathway. This is based on the CA-treated groups showing significant activation of PPAR-γ in the liver compared to control. PPAR-γ was predicted by the in silico target prediction with high normalisation rate although it was not in the top 20 most enriched targets. CA may also be involved in the gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis in the liver based on the downregulation of G6PC and PCK-1 genes seen in CA-treated groups. In addition, CA-treated groups also showed decreased cholesterol, triglyceride, glucose, CRP and Hb1Ac levels, and increased insulin and C-peptide levels. These findings demonstrate the insulin secretagogue and sensitizer effect of CA. Conclusion: Based on both an in silico and in vivo analysis, we propose here that CA mediates glucose/lipid metabolism via the PI3K signalling pathway, and influence AKT thereby causing insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity in peripheral tissues. CA enhances glucose uptake and expression of glucose transporters in particular via the upregulation of GLUT2 and GLUT4. Thus, based on its ability to modulate immunometabolic pathways, CA appears as an attractive long term therapy for T2DM even at relatively low doses

Evaluation of sorbitan monolaurate concentration on carrageenan gel properties

Air fresheners are chemical products that have been used in the field of environmental sanitation for decades. The brands, materials and types of fragrance air fresheners have been developed to reduce the depression level amongst people. This study used seaweed from carrageenan to explore renewable resources from Malaysia as biopolymer. It is proven that the mild depression or stress can be released with help of aromatherapy substances, and one is aromatherapy scented gel. The objectives of this study were to formulate and characterize the scented gel from carrageenan and the stability of the scented gel. The gel was produced by mixing sorbitan monolaurate (surfactant) and carrageenan in water. Then, polyethylene glycol (PEG), alginic acid and essential oil were added into the mixture. The solution viscosity and shear stress for rheology properties were measured. The highest viscosity was the sample without sorbitan monolaurate which is 979.37 mPa·s while the highest shear stress was 0.50% (v/v) sorbitan monolaurate with 296.42 Pa. Moreover, for weight variation analysis, sample with 0.5% (v/v) sorbitan monolaurate showed the lowest residual loss which is 11.8% compared samples with higher concentration of sorbitan monolaurate. Bloom test demonstrated samples with 1.50, 2.00, and 2.50% (v/v) have high bloom when the gel strength increased at higher concentration of sorbitan monolaurate. Sorbitan monolaurate of 0.5% (v/v) of is a stable gel with high mass of residue. In conclusion, gel air freshener could be produced from carrageenan to replace other gelling material such as gelatin, xanthan gum and guar gum