Bucky Tubes Induce Oxidative Stress Mediated Cell Death in Human Lung Cells

Unique physicochemical properties of carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) have opened a new era for therapeutics and diagnosis (known as theranostics) of various diseases. This exponential increase in application makes them important for toxicology studies. The present study was aimed at exploring the toxic potential of one of the CNMs, that is, bucky tubes (BTs), in human lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cell line. BTs were characterised by electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Flow cytometric study showed a concentration and time dependent increase in intracellular internalization as well as reduction in cell viability upon exposure to BTs. However, a significant increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was observed as evident by increased fluorescence intensity of 2',7' - dichlorofluorescein (DCF). BTs induced oxidative stress in cells as evident by depletion in glutathione with concomitant increase in lipid peroxidationwith increasing concentrations. Asignificant increase in micronucleus formation and apoptotic cell population and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) as compared to control were observed. Moreover, in the present study, BTs were found to be mild toxic and it is encouraging to conclude that BTs having outer diameter in the range of 7-12 nm and length 0.5-10 mu m can be used for theranostics

Topical antifungal keratitis therapeutic potential of Clitoria ternatea Linn. flower extract: phytochemical profiling, in silico modelling, and in vitro biological activity assessment

IntroductionFungal keratitis (FK) poses a severe threat to vision, potentially leading to blindness if not promptly addressed. Clitoria ternatea flower extracts have a history of use in Ayurvedic and Indian traditional medicines, particularly for treating eye ailments. This study investigates the antifungal and antibiofilm effects of Clitoria ternatea flower extracts on the FK clinical isolate Coniochaeta hoffmannii. Structural details and key compound identification were analysed through FTIR and GC-MS.MethodsThe minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of Clitoria ternatea flower extracts were determined using broth dilution and well plate techniques. Biofilm inhibitory activity was assessed through microscopic evaluation, while anti-irritant and cytotoxic properties were evaluated using CAE-EI and MTT assays. Through GC-MS and FT-IR analysis the compounds dissolved in the extract and their functional group were studied, and their toxicity screening and pharmacokinetic prediction were conducted in silico. Subsequently, compounds with high corneal permeability were further identified, and molecular docking and simulation studies at 150 ns were used to investigate their interactions with fungal virulence factors and human inflammatory proteins.Results and DiscussionAt a concentration of 250 µg/mL, the Clitoria ternatea flower extract displayed effective biofilm inhibition. MIC and MFC values were determined as 500 and 1000 µg/mL, respectively. CAE-EI and MTT assays indicated no significant irritant and cytotoxic effects up to a concentration of 3 mg/mL. Compounds like 9,9-dimethoxybicyclo[3.3.1]nonane-2,4-dione showed high corneal permeability with strong and stable interactions with fungal virulence cellobiose dehydrogenase, endo β 1,4 xylanase, and glucanase, as well as corneal inflammation-associated human TNF-α and Interleukin IL-1b protein targets. The findings indicate that extracts from C. ternatea flowers could be formulated for an effective and safe alternative for developing new topical FK therapeutics

Chromobacterium violaceum Related Urinary Tract Infection: A Case Report

Chromobacterium violaceum (C. violaceum) is a motile, gram-negative bacilli found in water and moist soil. Infections due to C. violaceum are uncommon but have a significant mortality rate (upto 80%) due to their tendency for haematogenous dissemination resulting in sepsis. The organism has been reported to cause skin and soft tissue infections, diarrhoea, bacteremia, and visceral abscess; Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is rarely seen. Here, a 41-year-old male diabetic who presented with fever, altered sensorium and burning micturition caused by C.violaceum is presented. Initial investigations revealed an increased Random Blood Sugar (RBS) level, high anion gap metabolic acidosis with normal renal and liver function (except for hypoalbuminemia). Diabetic ketoacidosis, probable meningitis and urosepsis were considered as differential diagnosis. On culture of urine sample, C. violaceum was isolated which was susceptible to all the antibiotics tested except amikacin. Blood culture was reported as sterile. Patient was successfully treated with susceptible antibiotic (ciprofloxacin) and repeat culture of urine was also sterile. Early diagnosis and adequate treatment is necessary to reduce the risk of progression to fatal infection

Channel length specific broadspectral photosensitivity of robust chemically grown CdS photodetector

CdS grown by chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique is very simple, robust, economical method and has potential large scale applications in solar cells, photovoltaic, photodetectors, sensors and optoelectronic devices. Here we report channel lengths (CLs) specific broadspectral photoresponse properties of commonly grown robust CdS films by CBD. The broadspectral dependent current flow has been observed in all CLs and the rise and decay times have been measured in milliseconds for visible wavelengths (400-700nm). The rise time curves showed linear dependency when measured for CLs 300, 500 and 700nm and non-linearity was observed for CLs 7μm, 45μm and 350μm. We have noticed that decrease in channel lengths down to nanometers (300 nm) increases the response time. Three steps decay time has been noticed for all CLs. The shorter channels (nm) showed two trends in decay time, small increase for wavelengths <550nm and significant increase for wavelengths >550nm. Finally, CLs specific broadspectral photosensitivity has been investigated which indicates the device geometry and fabrication method play an important role for defining the CdS based photodetectors or simulating the characteristics of a photodetector