Nanoparticle-enhanced mesalazine therapy for inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory illness that causes ongoing bodily inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. Drug-targeted delivery of aminosalicylates such as mesalazine at the inflammation sites, to treat ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) has remained a difficulty. Current mesalazine formulations, including tablets, suppositories, and enemas, are typically associated with adverse systemic effects. The use of nanocarriers however has opened the possibility of improved local targeting and pharmacokinetics of loaded mesalazine, based on the new physicochemical properties of the drug vehicle. The innovative nanoencapsulation of mesalazine has demonstrated success in targeting inflammatory regions and treating mild to moderate IBD. The use of nanocarriers, such as lipid-based, polymeric, and inorganic nanocarriers, has demonstrated improved overall solubility, absorption, and bioavailability of mesalazine while minimising the side effects associated with their absorption. This review aims to offer an insight into what is currently known about IBD, and the nanotechnological approaches for the improvement of mesalazine therapy for IBD

Imprints of lockdown and treatment processes on the wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 : a curious case of fourteen plants in Northern India

The present study investigated the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome– coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genomes at each treatment stage of 14 aerobic wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) serving the major municipalities in two states of Rajasthan and Uttarakhand in Northern India. The untreated, primary, secondary and tertiary treated wastewater samples were collected over a time frame ranging from under-lockdown to post-lockdown conditions. The results showed that SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in 13 out of 40 wastewater samples in Jaipur district, Rajasthan and in 5 out of 14 wastewater samples in the Haridwar District, Uttarakhand with the E gene predominantly observed as compared to the N and RdRp target genes in later time-points of sampling. The Ct values of genes present in wastewater samples were correlated with the incidence of patient and community cases of COVID-19. This study further indicates that the viral RNA could be detected after the primary treatment but was not present in secondary or tertiary treated samples. This study implies that aerobic biological wastewater treatment systems such as moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) technology and sequencing batch reactor (SBR) are effective in virus removal from the wastewater. This work might present a new indication that there is little to no risk in relation to SARS-CoV-2 while reusing the treated wastewater for non-potable applications. In contrast, untreated wastewater might present a potential route of viral transmission through WWTPs to sanitation workers and the public. However, there is a need to investigate the survival and infection rates of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater.Published versionThis research was funded by research grants from the Department of Biotechnology-GoI [Grant No. BT/RLF/Re-entry/12/2016]