Increased resistance of fungal pathogens to common antimicrobial agents is known as one of the most important human problems. Due to the limited variety of antifungal drugs available, the identification and use of new antifungal drugs are essential. This study aimed to determine the optimal conditions for synthesizing a novel nanocomposite of xanthan gum/ZnO/TiO2with the highest antifungal activity against Candida albicans (C. albicans). For this purpose, nine experiments were designed using the Taguchi method. In the designed experiments, three factors of xanthan gum, ZnO, and TiO2nanoparticles have been investigated at three different levels, and the best ratio with the highest antifungal activity was determined. The results showed that in the presence of the synthesized nanocomposite in experiment 3 (xanthan gum 0.01 M, ZnO 0.09 M, and TiO2 0.09 M), the inhibition of fungal growth reached 92.51%. The properties of the synthesized nanocomposite and its components were investigated using different characterization methods, which confirmed the formation of nanocomposites with desirable properties. The antifungal activity results showed that the synthesized nanocomposite as an antifungal agent has an effective performance and can be used well in various fields.
Decreasing the effectiveness of existing antimicrobial agents and increasing antimicrobial resistance to them is one of the major challenges of the healthcare system. This study was aimed at determining the optimal conditions for synthesizing novel alginate/kaolin/Ag nanocomposite with the highest antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) biofilm. For this purpose, silver nanoparticles and alginate biopolymer were synthesized by the coprecipitation and biological methods, respectively. In situ method was used to synthesize nanocomposites. The antibacterial activity of nanocomposites against S. mutans biofilm was measured in 9 experiments designed by the Taguchi method to determine the highest level of antibacterial performance. Nanocomposites synthesized in experiment 3 (60 mg/ml alginate, 0.9 mg/ml kaolin, and 4 mg/ml Ag) and experiment 5 (70 mg/ml alginate, 0.6 mg/ml kaolin, and 4 mg/ml Ag) had the strongest antibacterial activity against the S. mutans biofilm, which completely stopped the growth of the bacterium. Various characterization tests were used to identify nanocomposite components materials that confirmed the formation of nanocomposite with desirable properties. Thermal analysis showed that the temperature range of thermal stability of nanocomposite is higher than the temperature range of thermal stability of alginate polymer. This novel nanocomposite showed desirable antibacterial potential against the S. mutans biofilm. As a result, it can be used as an antimicrobial and antibiofilm agent in various biomedical and dental fields.
Diabetes is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level over a prolonged period of time. Inhibition of carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes leads to decrease in the absorption of glucose which is considered as one of the effective managements of diabetes mellitus. Vegetable, fruit, milk and fish are good sources of nucleosides and inosine (INO), nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) with versatile health benefits. The well-adapted structural features of these compounds for the inhibition/activation of enzymes include several available hydrogen bond (H-bond) acceptors and donors, flexible backbone and hydrophobic nature. The substrates of α-amylase (α-Amy) and α-Glucosidase (α-Glu), known as key absorbing enzymes, have functional groups (OH groups) resembling nucleosides. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the inhibitory properties of nucleosides against αAmy and α-Glu. The median inhibition concentration (IC50) values for α-Glu in the presence of adenosine (ADN), adenosine triphosphate (AMP), NR, INO, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), Adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-ribose, ADP-glucose and NMN were determined 208.6±3.8, 254.1±5.2, 177.7±4.8, 192.1±5.2, 215.9±2.7, 65.4±1.3, 63.4±2.2, 75.6±4.2 and 196.1±2.6, respectively. The IC50 values α-Amy in the presence of ADN, AMP, NR, INO, ATP, NAD, ADP-ribose, ADP-glucose and NMN were determined 145.3±2.4, 202.3±3.9, 127.7±4.8, 163.5±3.6, 185.3±1.2, 80.4±2.8, 64.8±4.7, 51.1±1.6 and 166.5±1.4, respectively. Moreover, the Ki values of NAD were calculated as 13.8±0.8 and 18.6±2.4 µM for α-Glu and α-Amy in a competitive-mode and noncompetitive -mode inhibition. In addition, to communicate with the active site of α-Glu and α-Amy respectively, NR presented a binding energy of -7.8 and -6.8 kcal/mol, INO -7.3 and -6.9, ATP -8.3 and -7.3, NAD -10.0 and -8.5, ADP-ribose -8.7 and -7.4, ADP-glucose -8.9 and -7.6, cAMP -6.6 and -6.3 and NMN -6.8 and -7.0 kcal/mol. These antioxidant inhibitors may be potential anti-diabetic drugs, not only to reduce glycemic index, but also to limit the activity of the major reactive oxygen species (ROS) producing pathways. Key words: Nucleosides, NAD, hydrolyzing enzymes, enzyme inhibition, hyperglycemia
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