Phytochemical, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Hevea brasiliensis Leaves Extract

Belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family, the Para rubber tree is formally referred to as Hevea brasiliensis in scientific terms. It is commonly known as an important economic commodity in Thailand because the natural rubber primarily originates from the milky latex obtained from the tree. However, the available research on the phytochemicals found in different parts of the rubber tree and their biological effects is quite restricted. This study aimed to determine the phytochemical constituents, antioxidant and antibacterial activity studies on the crude dry leaf extracts of H. brasiliensis. The results indicated the presence of alkaloids, anthraquinones, cardiac glycosides, coumarin, flavonoids, saponin, steroids, tannins, and terpenoids. The total phenolic content was 63.95±4.31 mgGAE/g in the ethanolic leaf extract. The ethanolic extract displayed notable effectiveness in scavenging free radicals (71.2±0.17%) at 500 μg/ml concentration and antioxidant capacity (the lowest IC50 value 42.57±0.91 μg/ml). The ethanol extract of the leaf of H. brasiliensis showed  inhibition zone on all of the selected bacteria (gram-positive; Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and gram-negative; Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) at 200 mg/ml. In conclusion, the dried leaves of H. brasiliensis compose phytochemicals that exhibit antioxidant and antibacterial activities and possesses the potential to act as a reservoir of plant-derived antibiotics and natural antioxidants

The Effect of Sericin from Various Extraction Methods on Cell Viability and Collagen Production

Silk sericin (SS) can accelerate cell proliferation and attachment; however, SS can be extracted by various methods, which result in SS exhibiting different physical and biological properties. We found that SS produced from various extraction methods has different molecular weights, zeta potential, particle size and amino acid content. The MTT assay indicated that SS from all extraction methods had no toxicity to mouse fibroblast cells at concentrations up to 40 μg/mL after 24 h incubation, but SS obtained from some extraction methods can be toxic at higher concentrations. Heat-degraded SS was the least toxic to cells and activated the highest collagen production, while urea-extracted SS showed the lowest cell viability and collagen production. SS from urea extraction was severely harmful to cells at concentrations higher than 100 μg/mL. SS from all extraction methods could still promote collagen production in a concentration-dependent manner, even at high concentrations that are toxic to cells

Investigation of wound healing potential of wedelia trilobata(L.)leaves

Prince of Songkla Universit

Development of a topical mupirocin spray for antibacterial and wound-healing applications

10.1080/03639045.2017.1339077Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy43101715-172

RELEASE AND PERMEATION OF INDOMETHACIN FROM PHOSPHOLIPID COMPLEX FILM GENERATED FROM SPRAY FORMULATIONS

An indomethacin topical spray was prepared using lecithin and a cholesterol derivative as a phospholipid complex in a film. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was used as a film-forming agent. Drug penetration through keratinocytes was evaluated as well as cytotoxicity to the keratinocytes and fibroblast cells. The results reveal that the PVP concentration provided fine droplets under a microscope with a low contact angle (12.07°-22.53°). Incorporating PVP in the formulation reduced the hydrodynamic radius or size by 20 times. The SEM and TEM results showed smoother surfaces of the thin film for larger quantities of the PVP film-forming agent in the formulations. It also gave the highest drug penetration when the PVP was 0.5%. However, the film-forming agent can also act as a control release barrier. The percent viabilities of the human keratinocytes and fibroblasts were higher in the indomethacin spray phospholipid complex thin film formulation than the pure drug

Controlled degradation and kinetics response in calcium silicate doped with sodium alginate/functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube composite 3D scaffolds for cartilage regeneration

Development of bio-mimetic scaffolds with controlled degradation is a key research area in cartilage regeneration. Therefore, novel scaffold composites and favorable techniques to fabricate essential 3D scaffolds are crucial. In this investigation, we achieved controlled biodegradation of composite scaffolds by incorporating calcium silicate (CS) into sodium alginate (SA)/functionalized with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNT). The SA/f-MWCNT and scaffolds with various amounts of CS (5, 10, and 15%) were shown to enhance scaffold properties. We conducted analyses of the composites using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The findings indicated that CS was successfully loaded onto SA/f-MWCNT, and after inclusion the CS crystal structure remained unaltered. We also evaluated the composites using differential scanning calorimetry, and we determined the mechanical strength, swelling, porosity, degradation, and pH properties. The 15% CS-SA/f-MWCNT scaffolds demonstrated improved mechanical properties, controlled degradation and swelling ratio, increased material density, and strengthened bonds that resulted in a more compact structure and better control of porosity. Furthermore, kinetic investigations of the composite scaffolds to potentially absorb water could be accurately modeled using the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, Elovich, and diffusion kinetic models. The gradual water absorption rate observed in 15% CS-SA/f-MWCNT could be attributed to controlled intraparticle and micropore diffusion. Further biocompatibility studies showed that the scaffold encouraged chondrocyte attachment, spreading, and division. Additionally, collagen deposition and biomineralization of the 15% CS-SA/f-MWCNT scaffolds were slightly higher compared to the SA/f-MWCNT, 5% CS-SA/f-MWCNT, and 10% CS-SA/f-MWCNT scaffolds. The results indicated that the 15% CS-SA/f-MWCNT fabricated scaffolds are the most suitable for cartilage regeneration

Levofloxacin-Proliposomes: Opportunities for Use in Lung Tuberculosis

Levofloxacin (LEV) is a relatively new-generation fluoroquinolone antibiotic that has good activity against <em>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</em>. The aims of this study were to develop and evaluate LEV-proliposomes in a dry powder aerosol form for pulmonary delivery. LEV-proliposomes containing LEV, soybean phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol and porous mannitol were prepared by a spray drying technique. The physicochemical properties of LEV-proliposomes were determined using a cascade impactor, X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform <em><em>infrared</em></em><em> </em>spectroscopy (FT-IR). The toxicity of proliposomes to respiratory-associated cell lines and its potential to provoke immunological responses from alveolar macrophages (AMs) were evaluated. Antimycobacterial activity using flow cytometry and an <em>in vivo</em> repeated dose toxicity test in rats were carried out. LEV-proliposomes were successfully prepared with mass median aerodynamic diameters of 4.15–4.44 μm and with fine particle fractions (aerosolized particles of less than 4.4 µm) of 13%–38% at 60 L/min. LEV-proliposomes were less toxic to respiratory-associated cells than LEV, and did not activate AMs to produce inflammatory mediators that included interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and nitric oxide. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against <em>M. bovis</em> of LEV and LEV-proliposomes containing LEV 10% were 1 and 0.5 µg/mL, respectively. The efficacy of LEV-proliposomes against <em>M. bovis</em> was significantly higher than that of free LEV (<em>p</em> < 0.05). The efficacy of the LEV-proliposomes against <em>M. tuberculosis</em> was equal to that of the free LEV (MIC = 0.195 µg/mL). In a repeated dose toxicity study in rats, renal and liver toxicity was not observed. LEV-proliposomes should now be tested as an alternative formulation for delivering LEV to the lower airways