Effect of oxygen partial pressure on the structural and optical properties of ion beam sputtered TiO2 thin films

Thin films of TiO2 were grown on quartz substrate at various oxygen partial pressure using ion beam sputtering technique. The surface, structural and optical (linear and nonlinear) properties of the deposited films were studied using X-ray reflectivity, atomic force microscopy and diffraction technique, UV-vis spectroscopy and Z-scan technique, respectively. A transition from amorphous to crystalline nature of the films, decrease in energy band gap and increase in nonlinear absorption coefficient were observed with increase in oxygen partial pressure. The improved nonlinear absorption coefficients and the saturable absorber response of the films suggest the utility of the grown TiO2 thin films as saturable absorbers. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Secondary Metabolite Profiling, Anti-Inflammatory and Hepatoprotective Activity of Neptunia triquetra (Vahl) Benth

The present study aimed to analyze the phytoconstituents of Neptunia triquetra (Vahl) Benth. Anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activities of ethanol (EE), chloroform (CE) and dichloromethane (DCME) of stem extracts were evaluated using in vivo experimental models. The extracts were analyzed for phytoconstituents using GC-HRMS. Anti-inflammatory activity of CE, EE and DCME was accessed using carrageenan-induced paw oedema, cotton pellet-induced granuloma and the carrageenan-induced air-pouch model in Wistar albino rats. The hepatotoxicity-induced animal models were investigated for the biochemical markers in serum (AST, ALT, ALP, GGT, total lipids and total protein) and liver (total protein, total lipids, GSH and wet liver weight). In the in vivo study, animals were divided into different groups (six in each group) for accessing the anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activity, respectively. GC-HRMS analysis revealed the presence of 102 compounds, among which 24 were active secondary metabolites. In vivo anti-inflammatory activity of stem extracts was found in the order: indomethacin > chloroform extract (CE) > dichloromethane extract (DCME) > ethanolic extract (EE), and hepatoprotective activity of stem extracts in the order: CE > silymarin > EE > DCME. The results indicate that N. triquetra stem has a higher hepatoprotective effect than silymarin, however the anti-inflammatory response was in accordance with or lower than indomethacin