Green Synthesis of Silver Atropa Acuminata Nanoparticles: Characterization and Anti-Diabetic Potential

  Background: Atropa acuminata plant, which is also known as the maitbrand or Indian belladonna, belongs to the family Solanaceae and is closely related to the deadly nightshade of Europe and North Africa used in the treatment of various diseases. Objectives: The main objective is to investigate the antidiabetic potential of silver nanoparticles of Atropa acuminata. Methods: In this study green synthesis of silver nanoparticles was carried out. The current study engross the green synthesis of A. acuminata roots by reducing silver ions, where ultraviolet (UV) spectral analysis and transmission electron microscopy confirmed nanoarchitecture. The optimized silver nanoparticles were characterized for shape, size and morphological features by various techniques viz., SEM, TEM EDXA and XRD. The optimized formulation was further subjected for lipid peroxidation assay and in vitro antidiabetic assay in order to understand the antidiabetic potential of formulated silver nanoparticles. Results: The Silver nanoparticles of Atropa acuminata roots was successfully prepared by optimizing different concentration of plant extract at different temperatures and stirring speed. The Resultant optimized nanoparticles showed a particle size around 20 nm and -28 mv zeta potential. Further the characterization of optimized AgNPs was carried out. SEM provides the shape, size, and morphological features, whereas EDXA confirms the compositions and distribution of nanoparticles through spectrum and elemental mapping. XRD diffraction analysis revealed the crystalline structure of nanoparticles. Further, Nanoparticles showed a maximum scavenging potential of 82.633±0.116 for superoxide anion free radicals at 100 µg/mL concentration. Among two anti- diabetic assays, the αamylase assay shows a better result of percent inhibition 63 ± 1.32 at 75 μg/ml concentrations. Lastly, in vitro, drug release study revealed a 101.50% cumulative release from Ag- NPs formulation up to 1 hour, which was better than the standard one. Conclusion: This study explores the novel technology of green synthesis for various biomedical applications

Polydopamine/graphene oxide coatings loaded with tetracycline and green Ag nanoparticles for effective prevention of biofilms

Bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation are significant challenges for medical devices and implants. Surface modification to alter the surface properties of biomedical device surfaces to prevent the biofilm formation is an important driving force for the development of anti-biofilm coatings. Here, a simple and feasible method to fabricate antibacterial coatings that combines the adhesion properties of polydopamine (PDA) and the high drug loading capacity of graphene oxide (GO). Tetracycline and green-synthesized silver nanoparticles were successfully assembled onto the coating surface, endowing the coating an anti-biofilm effect and exhibit strong inhibitory effect on S. aureus and E. coli biofilms by a factor of more than 1000 (3 log10 units). Kirby-Bauer diffusion test, colony forming unit (CFU) counts, biofilm topography studies and live/dead staining were used to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the coatings. This study is proposed that PDA/GO coatings loaded with antibiotics or silver nanoparticles can be used as a potential approach to prevent infection associated with implantable biomedical devices

Racial disparities in the incidence of colon cancer in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Background: Studies have explored the relationship between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) [ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD)] and colon cancer (CC). Additionally, racial disparities in the incidence of CC is well known. However, the impact of racial disparity in IBD patients who develop CC remains unclear. The aim of this study is to address the knowledge gap in this particular group of patients. Methods: A retrospective analysis was done using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2011. We included patients with IBD over age >= 18 years with a diagnosis of CC. Patients were stratified by race, gender, age, presence of IBD and CC. Statistical analysis was performed to compare the groups. Results: A total of 57,542 patients were included (CD: 36,357, UC: 21,001). Of all patients with and without IBD, advanced age, Black and Asian race conferred an increased risk of developing CC, whereas female gender, Hispanic and Native American race conferred a protective effect. In patients with IBD, advanced age conferred an increased risk for developing CC while female gender conferred a protective effect. In this subset of patients, black race conferred a protective effect. Conclusions: Racial disparity exists in the overall incidence of CC and among patients with IBD who develop CC. Interestingly, black race conferred a protective effect for patients with IBD, contrary to what is seen in the general population. These findings could be attributed to the environmental factors and genetic makeup between racial groups. Further studies are warranted to better understand these disparities.Open Access JournalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Antimicrobial Effects of Biogenic Nanoparticles

Infectious diseases pose one of the greatest health challenges in the medical world. Though numerous antimicrobial drugs are commercially available, they often lack effectiveness against recently developed multidrug resistant (MDR) microorganisms. This results in high antibiotic dose administration and a need to develop new antibiotics, which in turn requires time, money, and labor investments. Recently, biogenic metallic nanoparticles have proven their effectiveness against MDR microorganisms, individually and in synergy with the current/conventional antibiotics. Importantly, biogenic nanoparticles are easy to produce, facile, biocompatible, and environmentally friendly in nature. In addition, biogenic nanoparticles are surrounded by capping layers, which provide them with biocompatibility and long-term stability. Moreover, these capping layers provide an active surface for interaction with biological components, facilitated by free active surface functional groups. These groups are available for modification, such as conjugation with antimicrobial drugs, genes, and peptides, in order to enhance their efficacy and delivery. This review summarizes the conventional antibiotic treatments and highlights the benefits of using nanoparticles in combating infectious diseases

Gold Nanoparticles in Diagnostics and Therapeutics for Human Cancer

The application of nanotechnology for the treatment of cancer is mostly based on early tumor detection and diagnosis by nanodevices capable of selective targeting and delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs to the specific tumor site. Due to the remarkable properties of gold nanoparticles, they have long been considered as a potential tool for diagnosis of various cancers and for drug delivery applications. These properties include high surface area to volume ratio, surface plasmon resonance, surface chemistry and multi-functionalization, facile synthesis, and stable nature. Moreover, the non-toxic and non-immunogenic nature of gold nanoparticles and the high permeability and retention effect provide additional benefits by enabling easy penetration and accumulation of drugs at the tumor sites. Various innovative approaches with gold nanoparticles are under development. In this review, we provide an overview of recent progress made in the application of gold nanoparticles in the treatment of cancer by tumor detection, drug delivery, imaging, photothermal and photodynamic therapy and their current limitations in terms of bioavailability and the fate of the nanoparticles

Green synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles from Cannabis sativa (industrial hemp) and their capacity for biofilm inhibition

Background: Cannabis saliva(hemp) is a source of various biologically active compounds, for instance, cannabinoids, terpenes and phenolic compounds, which exhibit antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. With the purpose of expanding the auxiliary application of C. sativa in the field of bio-nanotechnology, we explored the plant for green and efficient synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Methods and results: The nanoparticles were synthesized by utilizing an aqueous extract of C. sativa stem separated into two different fractions (cortex and core [xylem part]) without any additional reducing, stabilizing and capping agents. In the synthesis of AuNPs using the cortex enriched in bast fibers, fiber-AuNPs (F-AuNPs) were achieved. When using the core part of the stem, which is enriched with phenolic compounds such as alkaloids and cannabinoids, core-AuNPs (C-AuNPs) and core-AgNPs (C-AgNPs) were formed. Synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by UV-visible analysis, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering, Fourier transform infrared, and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization timeof-flight. In addition, the stable nature of nanoparticles has been shown by thermogravimetric analysis and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Finally, the AgNPs were explored for the inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli biofilms. Condusion: The synthesized nanoparticles were crystalline with an average diameter between 12 and 18 nm for F-AuNPs and C-AuNPs and in the range of 20-40 nm for C-AgN Ps. ICP-MS analysis revealed concentrations of synthesized nanoparticles as 0.7, 4.5 and 3.6 mg/mL for F-AuNPs, C-AuNPs and C-AgNPs, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed the presence of flavonoids, cannabinoids, terpenes and phenols on the nanoparticle surface, which could be responsible for reducing the salts to nanoparticles and further stabilizing them. In addition, the stable nature of synthesized nanoparticles has been shown by thermogravimetric analysis and ICP-MS. Finally, the AgNPs were explored for the inhibition of P. aeruginosa and E. coli biofilms. The nanoparticles exhibited minimum inhibitory concentration values of 6.25 and 5 mu g/mL and minimum bactericidal concentration values of 12.5 and 25 mu g/mL against P. aeruginosa and E. coil, respectively

Anti-biofilm effects of gold and silver nanoparticles synthesized by the Rhodiola rosea rhizome extracts

Bacterial biofilm represents a major problem in medicine. They colonize and damage medical devices and implants and, in many cases, foster development of multidrug-resistant microorganisms. Biofilm development starts by bacterial attachment to the surface and the production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). The EPS forms a structural scaffold for dividing bacterial cells. The EPS layers also play a protective role, preventing the access of antibiotics to biofilm-associated microorganisms. The aim of this work was to investigate the production nanoparticles that could be used to inhibit biofilm formation. The applied production procedure from rhizome extracts of Rhodiola rosea is simple and environmentally friendly, as it requires no additional reducing, stabilizing and capping agents. The produced nanoparticles were stable and crystalline in nature with an average diameter of 13–17 nm for gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and 15–30 nm for silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis revealed the concentration of synthesized nanoparticles as 3.3 and 5.3 mg/ml for AuNPs and AgNPs, respectively. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy detected the presence of flavonoids, terpenes and phenols on the nanoparticle surface, which could be responsible for reducing the Au and Ag salts to nanoparticles and further stabilizing them. Furthermore, we explored the AgNPs for inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli biofilms. AgNPs exhibited minimum inhibitory concentrations of 50 and 100 \ub5g/ml, against P. aeruginosa and E. coli, respectively. The respective minimum bactericidal concentrations were 100 and 200 \ub5g/ml. These results suggest that using the rhizome extracts of the medicinal plant R. rosea represents a viable route for green production of nanoparticles with anti-biofilm effects

Comparison of modified ultrafast Papanicolaou stain with the standard rapid Papanicolaou stain in cytology of various organs

Background: Since the first introduction of Papanicolaou (Pap) stain in 1942 there have been many modifications. Of these, the Ultra-Fast Pap stain has become popular. This technique was further modified in India as many of the reagents were not available in our country. Our study was conducted by adapting this modified staining technique which involves the replacement of Gill′s hematoxylin with Harris hematoxylin. Aims: The aim of our prospective study was to assess the use of the modified Ultra-Fast Pap stain (MUFP) for fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of various organs in comparison with the standard rapid Pap stain. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 FNAC cases were studied by random sampling. Two smears were prepared for each case and stained by both, the MUFP and the rapid Pap stain. Scores were given and the quality index was calculated, followed by the statistical analysis. The number of cases was as follows: lymph node (43), thyroid (25), breast (23), salivary gland (02), and soft tissues (07). Scores were given on four parameters: Background of smears, overall staining pattern, cell morphology and nuclear staining. Quality index was calculated from the ratio of score achieved to the maximum score possible. Statistical Analysis: Results were analyzed using Mean, Median, Standard Deviation, ′t′ paired test, ′P′ value and M-diff for statistical significance. Results: Correct diagnosis was made in all cases. The quality index of MUFP smears was better compared to the rapid Pap stain in all the organs, and was statistically significant. MUFP smears showed a clear red blood cells background, transparent cytoplasm and crisp nuclear features. Conclusion: MUFP is a reliable and rapid technique for cytology diagnosis

The electrochemical kinetics of cerium selenide nano-pebbles: The design of a device-grade symmetric configured wide-potential flexible solid-state supercapacitor

Next-generation portable flexible electronic appliances require liquid-free energy storage supercapacitor devices to eliminate leakage and to support mechanical bending that is compatible with roll-to-roll technologies. Hence, a state-of-the-art process is presented to design a solid-state, wide-potential and flexible supercapacitor through the use of nano-pebbles of cerium selenide via a simple successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method that could allow an industry scalable route. We strongly believe that this is the first approach amongst physical and chemical routes not only for synthesizing cerium selenide in thin-film form but also using it for device-grade supercapacitor applications. The designed solid-state symmetric supercapacitor assembled from cerium selenide electrodes sandwiched by PVA–LiClO4 gel electrolyte attains a wide potential window of 1.8 V with capacitance of 48.8 F g−1 at 2 mV s−1 and reveals excellent power density of 4.89 kW kg−1 at an energy density of 11.63 W h kg−1. The formed device is capable of 87% capacitive retention even at a mechanical bending angle of 175°. Lighting up a strip of 21 parallel connected red LEDs clearly demonstrates the practical use of the designed symmetric solid-state supercapacitor, aiming towards the commercialization of the product in the future.The authors gratefully acknowledge DST/TMD/MES/2k16/09 project, Government of India

Porphyromonas gingivalis : Its virulence and vaccine

Background: The microbial florae in adult periodontitis lesions are comprised of anaerobic rods with Porphyromonas gingivalis as one of the major components (Slots 1976; Slots 1979; and Tanner et al., 1979). P. gingivalis is a black-pigmented gram-negative anaerobic rod and a secondary colonizer of dental plaque requiring antecedent organisms. The presence of this organism either alone or as a mixed infection with other bacteria and with the absence of beneficial species appears to be essential for disease activity. It is a predominant member of the subgingival microbiota in disease. It possesses and "excretes" numerous potentially toxic virulence factors. Aim of this study is to perform a systematic review of studies on P. gingivalis and its virulence factors with a special focus on its vaccine. Materials and Methods: An electronic and manual search based on agreed search phrases between the primary investigator and a secondary investigator was performed for the literature review till January 2014. The articles that were identified by this systematic review (total of 190) were analyzed in detail, which included the study of inference and conclusion. Conclusions: Within the limits of this systematic review, it can be concluded that P. gingivalis induce immune inflammatory response in periodontitis subjects. Therapeutic vaccines need to be developed and studied for their efficacy in controlling periodontitis