nan Fakruddin

Prospects and applications of nanobiotechnology: a medical perspective

BackgroundNanobiotechnology is the application of nanotechnology in biological fields. Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that currently recruits approach, technology and facility available in conventional as well as advanced avenues of engineering, physics, chemistry and biology.MethodA comprehensive review of the literature on the principles, limitations, challenges, improvements and applications of nanotechnology in medical science was performed.ResultsNanobiotechnology has multitude of potentials for advancing medical science thereby improving health care practices around the world. Many novel nanoparticles and nanodevices are expected to be used, with an enormous positive impact on human health. While true clinical applications of nanotechnology are still practically inexistent, a significant number of promising medical projects are in an advanced experimental stage. Implementation of nanotechnology in medicine and physiology means that mechanisms and devices are so technically designed that they can interact with sub-cellular (i.e. molecular) levels of the body with a high degree of specificity. Thus therapeutic efficacy can be achieved to maximum with minimal side effects by means of the targeted cell or tissue-specific clinical intervention.ConclusionMore detailed research and careful clinical trials are still required to introduce diverse components of nanobiotechnology in random clinical applications with success. Ethical and moral concerns also need to be addressed in parallel with the new developments.

Screening of Lactobacillus spp. from Buffalo Yoghurt for Probiotic and Antibacterial Activity

Since the beneficial effects of viable probiotic bacteria as dietary supplements have gained huge research interest, Lactobacillus spp. with probiotic characteristics are widely used to prepare fermented dairy products such as yoghurts, milk-shakes etc. In this study, eight (08) homemade yoghurt samples were collected from different regions in the country for isolation of probiotic Lactobacillus spp. Among the samples, four (04) isolates were identified as Lactobacillus plantarum based on their growth and biochemical characteristics. The Isolates were resistant to NaCl (1-9%) and bilesalt (0.05-0.3%) and showed good growth in the acidic condition, while maximum growth was observed at pH around 6.0. The isolates were examined for their antibacterial activity against nine (09) different test pathogens and found all pathogens are inhibited their growth to some extent but maximum zone of inhibition was observed against Bacillus cereus (53.20 mm) and minimum was against Staphylococcus aureus (19 mm) after 72 hour incubation. The results of the present study indicate that, homemade yoghurts in Bangladesh are potential source of probiotic Lactobacillus spp. Further extensive research on isolation and characterization of probiotic organisms from local fermented foods and their growth optimization might be required for development of probiotic enriched food supplements in our country.

Antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activities of the ethanol extract of the stem bark of Clausena heptaphylla

BackgroundThere is wide spread interest in drugs derived from plants as green medicine is believed to be safe and dependable, compared with costly synthetic drugs that have adverse effects.MethodsWe have attempted to evaluate the antioxidant, In vitro thrombolytic, antibacterial, antifungal and cytotoxic effects of Clausena heptaphylla (Rutaceae) stem bark extract ethanol extract.ResultsEthanolic stem bark extract of Clausena heptaphylla (CHET) contains flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins and steroids but it lacks tannins, anthraquinones and resins. Phenol content of the extract was 13.42 mg/g and flavonoid content was 68.9 mg/g. CHET exhibited significant DPPH free radical scavenging activity with IC50 value of 3.11 μg/ml. Reducing power of CHET was also moderately stronger. In the cytotoxicity assay, LC50 and Chi-square value of the ethanolic extract against brine shrimp nauplii were 144.1461 μg/ml and 0.8533 demonstrating potent cytotoxic effect of the extract. In vitro thrombolytic activity of CHET is significant with 45.38% clot lysis capability compared to that of Streptokinase (65.78%). In antibacterial screening, moderate zone of inhibition (6.5-9.0 mm in diameter) was observed against gram-positive Bacillus subtilis ATCC 11774, Bacillus cereus ATCC 10876, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Bacillus polymyxa ATCC 842 and Bacillus megaterium ATCC 13578 and less promising zone of inhibition (3.0-4.5 mm in diameter) against gram-negative Salmonella typhi ATCC 65154, Shigella flexneri ATCC 12022, Proteus vulgaris ATCC 13315 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. Shigella sonnei ATCC 8992 did not show any sensitivity. The MIC values against these bacteria were ranged from 2,000 to 3,500 μg/ml. The extract showed significant zone of inhibition against Rhizopus oryzae DSM 2200, Aspergillus niger DSM 737 and Aspergillus ochraceus DSM 824 in antifungal assay.ConclusionsFurther advanced research is necessary to isolate and characterize the chemical components responsible for the therapeutic properties of the plant.

Anti-Bacterial Activity of Pigments Isolated From Pigment-Forming Soil Bacteria

Aims: Search for novel antimicrobials such as bacterial pigments is an issue of priority now. This study aims to isolate pigments with anti-bacterial activity from soil bacteria. Methodology: In this study, Pigment forming bacteria was isolated from soil samples collected from different sites of Dhaka city and its adjoining areas. Colonies of various colors such as yellow, golden yellow, red, pink, blue, green, purple and cream with both diffusible and non-diffusible pigments were isolated in pure cultures on nutrient agar plus 2 percent glycerol at pH 7.2 and 37oC. Anti-bacterial activity of the pigments extracted from the bacteria were determined. Results: 15 pigment forming bacteria was isolated from soil and identified to genus level as Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, chromobacterium, Xanthomonas, Aeromonas, Escherichia and Bacillus. All the pigments showed to be broad spectrum in terms of inhibitory activity against all the pathogens included in this study. Most of the pigments Original Research Article British Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 4(8): 880-894, 2014 881 showed better anti-bacterial activity against gram-negative bacteria. Highest zone of inhibition was resulted by pigment no 15 against Salmonella typhi and lowest zone of inhibition was observed for pigment 13 against Staphylococcus aureus. Most of the pigments except four (pigment no3, 10, 12, 15) were found to be bacteriostatic to the test pathogens. MIC value of the pigments ranged from 1500-4000 μg/ml and most of the pigments showed lower MIC value against gram-negative organisms. Conclusion: On the basis of anti-bacterial activity and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) pigment form Aeromonas (no6), Escherichia (no-10) and Pseudomonas (no-15) can be selected as effective anti-bacterial agent. Further studies are needed to use these pigments in food, cosmetic and textile industries.

Prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase positive bacteria in radiologically positive urinary tract infection

The increase in antibiotic resistance among uropathogens is a global problem. The present study was an effort to assess the current antibiotic resistance pattern and plasmid profiles of some multi drug resistant bacteria isolated from urinary tract infection (UTI). Among 44 clinical samples of radiologically positive UTI, 44 microorganisms belonging to 9 genus were isolated. Of the patients, 24 were female and 20 were male. Highest incidence was found in age group of 30–45 years. Total bacterial count of the urine samples were high in most the patients. E. coli and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. were most prevalent. Most of the isolates showed higher antibiotic resistance against the antibiotics used. 6 of the 44 isolate was resistant to 10 different types of antibiotics. Of the isolated uropathogens, 40.9% were ESBL positive. 7 of the isolates had no plasmid and 9 isolate had 140 MDa plasmid whereas other isolates pose smaller plasmids of different sizes. Assessment of transfer of antibiotic resistance between different genuses revealed transfer of resistance within genus. Radiological imaging showed strong correlation with microbiological findings of the patients.

Modeling Growth of Cronobacter sakazakii IFST082014 in Reconstituted Powdered Infant Milk as Function of Temperature

Aims: Cronobacter sakazakii has been associated most frequently with illness in neonates. This study aims to model effect of temperature on growth of a C. sakazakii isolate (IFST082014). Methodology: Reconstituted powdered infant milk formulas (RIMFs) inoculated with C. sakazakii were incubated at 10, 20, 30 and 40°C. Results: The primary model showed a good fit (r = 0.9714–0.9821) to a Gompertz equation to obtain growth rates and lag times (LTs) at each temperature. The specific growth rate (SGR) of C. sakazakii in the RIMF increased, and the LT decreased with increasing temperature. The secondary model was “ln SGR = -0.05879+(0.00588 x temperature)+(0.00045 x temperature).” The SGR predicted using this model increased with an increasing temperature. This secondary polynomial model was judged as appropriate based on the mean square error (MSE of the SGR model = 0.00016), the coefficient of determination (r of the SGR model = 0.9845), the bias factor (Bf of the SGR model = 1.0125) and the accuracy factor (Af of the SGR model = 1.0007). Conclusion: These results will be useful for industry and regulatory agencies. Original Research Article Fakruddin et al.; BBJ, 15(4): 1-7, 2016; Article no.BBJ.28634 2

Retraction: Prospects and applications of nanobiotechnology: a medical perspective

This article [1] is retracted as it contains large amount of text that has been duplicated from other articles previously published. We apologize to all affected parties for the inconvenience caused.