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Context: Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO Nps) have potential application in piezoelectric nanogenerator and in biotechnology. Objective: The antibacterial activity of ZnO Nps on Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 70068) and mode of action of ZnO Nps was investigated. Methods: ZnO Nps was synthesized by a precipitation method and characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. In vitro susceptibility of K. pnumoniae of the ZnO Nps was detected using the disk diffusion method, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value was determined using the serial dilution method. The chemical and physical interaction between the cell envelope of K. pneumonia and ZnO Nps was investigated. The effect of ZnO Nps on the cytotoxic activities of K. pneumonia was investigated using a HEp-2 cell line. Results: The MIC of ZnO Nps was found in 40 mg/ml. The standard growth curve showed that ZnO Nps of 0.75 mM inhibited K. pneumoniae after 4 h. The interaction with outer membrane protein (OMP) and lipoploysacharride (LPS) residues showed modulation in $66 kDa and $29 kDa proteins with the use of increasing concentrations of ZnO Nps. The amount of nucleic acid and protein released from the cells increased with the ZnO Nps concentration used. Importantly, the OD of the ZnO Nps-treated cells decreased within 30 min of incubation in the presence of SDS. ZnO Nps-treated K. pneumoniae were five-fold less infectious in the HEp-2 cell line at doses between 0.50 and 0.75 mM. Discussion: These results suggest the potential antibacterial use of ZnO Nps against K. pneumoniae infections.

Rubia cordifolia Linn, which belongs to the Rubiaceae family, is a well-known herb used in Ayurvedic medicine. In the present study, we investigated the influence of a methanolic extract (RC) on the induction of apoptosis in HEp-2 (human laryngeal carcinoma) cell line, as evidenced by cytotoxicity, morphological changes and modification in the levels of pro-oxidants. Inhibition of cell proliferation and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release increased in a time and dose-dependent manner. Further, reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione transferase (GST) and protein levels decreased and lipid peroxidation increased significantly on RC treatment in a dose dependent manner when compared to controls. Based on the results we determined the optimal dose as 30mg/ ml and the apoptotic effect of RC extract (30 mg/ml) on HEp-2 cells was confirmed by fluorescent microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) based on morphological and ultrastructural changes. RC extract suppressed the proliferation of HEp-2 oral cancer cells inducing apoptotic cell death in vitro. These results point to potential of RC extract as an agent for the treatment of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

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Human amniotic membrane (HAM) is an established biomaterial used in many clinical applications. However, its use for tissue engineering purposes has not been fully realized. A study was therefore conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using HAM as a chondrocyte substrate/carrier. HAMs were obtained from fresh human placenta and were process to produced air dried HAM (AdHAM) and freeze dried HAM (FdHAM). Rabbit chondrocytes were isolated and expanded in vitro and seeded onto these preparations. Cell proliferation, GAG expression and GAG/cell expression were measured at days 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 21, and 28. These were compared to chondrocytes seeded onto plastic surfaces. Histological analysis and scanning electron microscopy was performed to observe cell attachment. There was significantly higher cell proliferation rates observed between AdHAM (13-51%, P=0.001) or FdHAM (18-48%, p = 0.001) to chondrocytes in monolayer. Similarly, GAG and GAG/cell expressed in AdHAM (33-82%, p = 0.001; 22-60%, p = 0.001) or FdHAM (41-81%, p = 0.001: 28-60%, p = 0.001) were significantly higher than monolayer cultures. However, no significant differences were observed in the proliferation rates (p = 0.576), GAG expression (p = 0.476) and GAG/cell expression (p = 0.135) between AdHAM and FdHAM. The histology and scanning electron microscopy assessments demonstrates good chondrocyte attachments on both HAMs. In conclusion, both AdHAM and FdHAM provide superior chondrocyte proliferation, GAG expression, and attachment than monolayer cultures making it a potential substrate/carrier for cell based cartilage therapy and transplantation.

These findings demonstrate that Rubia cordifolia can be a source of potent antioxidants for treatment of diseases such as cancer.

Chewing gums are mobile drug delivery systems, with a potential for administering drugs either for local action or for systemic absorption via buccal route. Dextromethorphan hydrobromide chewing gum formulations were made employing Pharmagum M as the base with an aim to overcome the firstpass effect, reducing the risk of overdosing, ease of administration and for achieving faster systemic absorption. Dextromethorphan hydrobromide was further transformed into spray dried form and incorporated into Pharmagum M base with the object of solubility enhancement and masking the bitter taste of the drug. The prepared medicated chewing gums were evaluated for various precompression and postcompression parameters. The in vitro drug release profiles were carried out employing Erweka DRT chewing apparatus. It was observed that increasing the chewing gum base concentration resulted in a decreased drug release profile. The drug in the spray dried form revealed improved performance in comparison to the directly contained drug. The drug release data were fitted into various kinetic models. It was observed that the drug release was matrix diffusion controlled and revealed a non-Fickian drug release mechanism. Accelerated stability studies were carried out on select formulations as per ICH guidelines. The formulations were found to be stable in respect to physical parameters and no significant deviations were seen in respect to in vitro drug release characteristics.

The existing piece of work validates the antioxidant, anticancer and anticoagulant properties of Ethanolic Extract of Tamarindus Indica Seed Coat (EETISC). The feasible secondary metabolite in the EETISC extract was analysed on the RP-HPLC column chromatography with PDA detector. In addition, the extract showed DPPH and superoxide radicals scavenging activities supporting its antioxidant activity. Curiously, EETISC extract showed anti-cancer activity as it exhibited potent pro-apoptotic activity in the EAT tumour model and the antiangiogenic properties in chorioallantoic membrane assay. Interestingly, EETISC showed anticoagulation property by inhibiting intrinsic pathway of blood coagulation cascade, suggesting its therapeutic potential in cardio and cerebrovascular complications. Moreover, EETISC extract did not cause edema and haemorrhage in the experimental mice study and did not hydrolyze RBC's suggesting its nontoxic property. In conclusion, EETISC is exhibited manifold therapeutic applications thus it may be a promising therapeutic agent for worries such as oxidative stress, cancer cells and thrombosis.