Surface modification of silk fibroin (SF) materials using environmentally friendly and non-hazardous process to tailor them for specific application as biomaterials has drawn a great deal of interest in the field of biomedical research. To further explore this area of research, in this report, polypropylene (PP) grafted muga (Antheraea assama) SF (PP-AASF) suture is developed using plasma treatment and plasma graft polymerization process. For this purpose, AASF is first sterilized in argon (Ar) plasma treatment followed by grafting PP onto its surface. AASF is a non-mulberry variety having superior qualities to mulberry SF and is still unexplored in the context of suture biomaterial. AASF, Ar plasma treated AASF (AASFAr) and PP-AASF are subjected to various characterization techniques for better comparison and the results are attempted to correlate with their observed properties. Excellent mechanical strength, hydrophobicity, antibacterial behavior, and remarkable wound healing activity of PP-AASF over AASF and AASFAr make it a promising candidate for application as sterilized suture biomaterial.

Ocimum kilimandscharicum Guerke (Lamiaceae), alien to the Indian flora, was discovered in the natural habitat from two locations of different agro-ecological zones of Odisha. After critical review of published literature on distribution, it was earlier known only from Uttarakhand. However, its natural occurrence in Odisha was found to be a new record for peninsular India. A detailed diagnostic description, photographs, ecology and potentiality of the species was provided for easy identification and further economic utilization.

Objective: The aim of this investigation was to enhance the transdermal permeation of aceclofenac (ACF) from microemulsion formulation using menthol as a natural permeation enhancer. Methods:Microemulsion containing 2% w/v of ACF was prepared by a titration method with different concentration of oil, surfactant and cosurfactant. The prepared microemulsion was evaluated for droplet size, viscosity, pH and in vitro skin permeation studies. Menthol at 3-8% w/w was added to the selected microemulsion formulation and their effect on skin permeation was evaluated across rat epidermis using modified Keshary-Chien diffusion cell. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was performed to understand the regulation action of menthol in the skin permeability barrier. Results:The average droplet size of the microemulsion was found to be 89.4±2.12 to 175.2±3.10 nm. The transdermal flux of the microemulsion containing 8% w/w menthol showed 2.9 fold increases in transdermal flux of ACF compared with the formulation without menthol. Result of FT-IR studies showed decrease in peak height of the symmetric and asymmetric C-H stretching vibrations may be because of the extraction of the stratum corneum (SC) lipids and the alteration of the skin permeability barrier. Conclusion:This result suggests that menthol significantly enhanced the transdermal permeation of ACF and may be an effective natural penetration enhancer for transdermal delivery of the drug.

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