INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF NF-κB, COX-1, COX-2, COMT, IL-10, IL-6 AND TNF-α IN MODULATING ANTI-NOCICEPTIVE ACTIVITY OF METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF ENTADA PHASEOLOIDES

Objective: To investigate the analgesic activity of methanolic extract of Entada phaseoloides (MEEP) along with its molecular mechanistic pathway. Methods: Swiss albino female mice and Wistar rats of either sex were administered orally with MEEP extracts (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) and pentazocine, tramadol and diclofenac sodium, as standard drugs. Following administration, anti-nociceptive activity was evaluated using an acetic acid-induced writhing test, Eddy’s hot plate, and hot water immersion test. Serum was collected for molecular expression of various proteins and genes using Reverse Transcriptase PCR and Western Blotting. Results: Acetic acid writhing test, a frequently used method to assess peripheral analgesic activity, revealed that MEEP reduced peripherally induced pain in a dose-dependent manner. Likewise, Eddy’s hot plate and hot water immersion methods, often implicated for testing central analgesic activities, showed that MEEP is bestowed with the capability to counteract analgesia in a dose and time-dependent manner. Pro-inflammatory cytokines and factors like COX-2, IL-6, TNF-α, and NF-κB that cause inflammatory responses and pain were significantly reduced, suggesting its analgesic and anti-inflammatory potential. This analgesic and the anti-inflammatory role played by MEEP is also supported by the up-regulation of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and COMT and COX-1 enzyme demonstrated no significant difference between the groups. Conclusion: The study revealed the weak peripheral and potent central analgesic property MEEP by modulating pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory pathways

Design, development and recent experiments of the CIMPLE-PSI device

The CIMPLE-PSI laboratory in India's northeast corner has been engaged over the last decade in the development of advanced experimental systems for controlled plasma fusion-relevant plasma surface interaction (PSI) studies and material testing. The CIMPLE-PSI experimental device was commissioned recently, where a magnetized collimated helium plasma beam is produced under steady-state conditions inside a linear vacuum chamber, which can be made to interact with remotely placed material targets, under controlled experimental conditions. This paper reports on the design, development of the major sub-systems of this device and the performance of the integrated system. The peak helium ion flux and heat flux were measured as 10$^{24}$ m$^{−2}$ s$^{−1}$ and 5.1 MW m$^{−2}$, respectively; this confirms that extreme ITER divertor-like parameters are successfully reproduced by this simulation device. Steady-state operation of the electromagnet allowed prolonged operation of the plasma leading to a very high fluence of 0.3  ×  10$^{28}$ m$^{−2}$, which may be enhanced further in the future. Tungsten samples were exposed in this device under helium plasma that had led to the formation of nanometer-sized tungsten fibre foam structures on the target. The technique of grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering was successfully utilized to measure the average size of the helium bubbles remaining buried in the exposed sample and its variation with depth from the top of the surface

Synthesis of finest superparamagnetic carbon-encapsulated magnetic nanoparticles by a plasma expansion method for biomedical applications

This paper demonstrates fine size-controlled synthesis of superparamagnetic carbon-encapsulated iron nanoparticles, by a supersonic plasma jet assisted rapid, bulk-production process, by manipulation of the pressure in the sample collection chamber. Transmission electron microscopy and small angle x-ray scattering measurements confirmed the formation of single-crystals with a narrow size distribution, having core average size of 5.0 nm and encapsulated by an ultrathin carbon coating, for sub-mbar pressure. VSM and Mossbauer characterization established the nanocrystallites to be superparamagnetic in nature, with saturation magnetization 67 emu/g and coercive field 7.4 Oe. Controlled plasma heating during synthesis led to the burning down of extra carbon that resulted in further enhancement of the magnetization of the product. Graphitization of the encapsulating layers also enhanced, which could successfully protect the metallic core from oxidation, as well as improved its cyto-compatibility. This purified sample could be ideal for targeted drugs delivery and water treatment applications. Another sample was processed through controlled reaction with oxygen, the as-synthesized sample having magnetic properties approaching that of the first sample, which may be more attractive especially for water treatment processes because of the simpler single-step processing of the material