K. Ruckmani

A simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of bisoprolol fumarate and hydrochlorothiazide in a tablet dosage form

A simple and precise high performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of bisoprolol fumarate (BF), and hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) in a tablet formulation. Chromatography was carried out at 25 degrees C on a 4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm cyano column with the isocratic mobile phase of 0.1M aqueous phosphate buffer, acetonitrile and tetrahydrofuran (85:10:5, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The UV detection was carried out at 225 nm. HCTZ and BF were separated in less than 10 min with good resolution and minimal tailing, without interference of excipients. The method was validated according to ICH guidelines and the acceptance criteria for accuracy, precision, linearity, specificity and system suitability were met in all cases. The method was linear in the range of 50-150 microg/ml for BF and 125-375 microg/ml for HCTZ.

A versatile effect of chitosan-silver nanocomposite for surface plasmonic photocatalytic and antibacterial activity

Chitosan-silver (CS-Ag) nanocomposite was green synthesised without the aid of any external chemical-reducing agents. The synthesised nanocomposite was characterised by UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), atomic force microscopy (AFM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) with selected area electron diffraction (SAED), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and zeta potential analyser. The particle size of the synthesised CS-Ag nanocomposite was around 20 nm and was found to be thermally stable in comparison with pure chitosan. The prepared nanocomposite acts as a photocatalyst for dye decolourisation, with a maximum of 81% of methyl orange (MO) decolourisation that occurred under visible light irradiation. The kinetics was found to follow pseudo-first-order according to Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) model. The nanocomposite also proved to be an excellent antimicrobial agent against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, possessing a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. The zone of inhibition ranged between 16.000 ± 1.000 and 19.333 ± 1.155 (mm), proving its high susceptibility than chitosan itself. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were from 8 to 64 μg/mL, whereas the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values ranged from 16 to 128 μg/mL, with the highest antibacterial activity shown against Gram-positive Staphlococcus aureus. This report illustrates the eco-friendly approach for the reduction of silver using chitosan as a reducing agent, and its potential to dye decay and microbial contaminants.

Hyaluronic acid co-functionalized gold nanoparticle complex for the targeted delivery of metformin in the treatment of liver cancer (HepG2 cells)

In this study, green synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was achieved using the extract of eggplant as a reducing agent. Hyaluronic acid (HA) serves as a capping and targeting agent. Metformin (MET) was successfully loaded on HA capped AuNPs (H-AuNPs) and this formulation binds easily on the surface of the liver cancer cells. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Vis spectrophotometer, HR-TEM, particle size analyser and zeta potential measurement. Toxicity studies of H-AuNPs in zebra fish confirmed the in vivo safety of the AuNPs. The in vitro cytotoxicity results showed that the amount of MET-H-AuNPs enough to achieve 50% inhibition (IC50) was much lower than free MET. Flow cytometry analysis showed the significant reduction in G2/M phase after treatment with MET-H-AuNPs, and molecular level apoptosis were studied using western blotting. The novelty of this study is the successful synthesis of AuNPs with a higher MET loading and this formulation exhibited better targeted delivery as well as increased regression activity than free MET in HepG2 cells.

Microwave-assisted extraction of polysaccharides from Cyphomandra betacea and its biological activities.

Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the parameters for microwave-assisted extraction of polysaccharides from Cyphomandra betacea. The results showed a good fit with a second-order polynomial equation that was statistically acceptable at P<0.05. Optimal conditions for the extraction of polysaccharides were: extraction time, 2h; microwave power, 400W; extraction temperature, 60°C; and ratio of raw material to water 1:40 (g/mL). Under the optimized conditions, the yield of polysaccharides was found to be relatively high (about 36.52%). The in vitro biological activities of antioxidant and antitumor were evaluated. The IC50 value of polysaccharides was found to be 3mg/mL. The percentage of Cell viability was determined by MTT assay. Our results showed that polysaccharides inhibited proliferation of MCF-7 (Breast carcinoma), A549 (Human lung carcinoma) and HepG2 (Liver carcinoma) with an IC50 of 0.23mg/mL, 0.17mg/mL and 0.62mg/mL respectively after 48h incubation. Polysaccharides were shown to promote apoptosis as seen in the nuclear morphological examination study using acridine orange (AO) and ethidium bromide (EB) staining. This is the first report on the effects of polysaccharides extracted from Cyphomandra betacea which exhibited stronger antioxidant and antitumor activities.

Antimicrobial and antioxidant potentials of biosynthesized colloidal zinc oxide nanoparticles for a fortified cold cream formulation: A potent nanocosmeceutical application

Nanocosmeceuticals are promising applications of nanotechnology in personal care industries. Zinc oxide is an inorganic material that is non-toxic and skin compatible with self-cleansing and microbicidal properties. Herein, exploitation of colloidal zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONps) as potent biomaterial for a topical formulation of cosmetic and dermatological significance is employed. ZnONps were green synthesized using environmentally benign Adhatoda vasica leaf extract and characterized by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The results reveal that the biosynthesized ZnONps exhibit an absorption peak at 352nm. XRD and HR-TEM analyses confirm the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnONps with particle size of about 10nm to 12nm. Elemental analysis by EDX confirms the presence of zinc and oxygen. Zeta potential of -24.6mV affirms the stability of nanoparticles. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of biosynthesized ZnONps exhibit mean zone of inhibition from 08.667±0.282 to 21.666±0.447 (mm) and 09.000±0.177 to 19.000±0.307 (mm) respectively, in a dose-dependent manner. The IC50 value exerted from the antioxidant activity of ZnONps is found to be 139.27μgmL-1. ZnONps infused cold cream formulation of microbicidal and antioxidant properties was further tested against clinical skin pathogens. The nano-based cold cream exhibited significant inhibitory action against Candida sp., which showed resistance against a commercial antifungal cream (2%). Therefore, this study demonstrates the exploitation of ZnONps as promising colloidal drug carriers in cosmeceuticals that can significantly alleviate human skin infections and oxidative stress induced cellular damage.

Recent Trends of Biocompatible and Biodegradable Nanoparticles in Drug Delivery: A Review

A vast amount of research on nanoparticles has been conducted in recent years with versatile applications in the field of drug delivery systems. Nanoparticles are designed as a carrier molecule to deliver drugs in a sustained and stimuli response manner. Recent advances in nanotechnology have led to the development of long circulating nanoparticles with high encapsulation efficiency. This article focuses on the properties such as biocompatibility and biodegradability, which are considered as essential criteria for nanoparticles to be successfully used as a carrier molecule in drug delivery systems. Physicochemical characterization of the nanoparticles such as size and size distribution, surface morphology, zeta potential and surface chemistry has a significant role in the successful formulation and applications in drug delivery systems. Mostly, the size and surface characteristics of nanoparticles enable enhanced intracellular accumulation in tumor cells through passive targeting mechanisms and rapid development of nanoengineering, and aid towards attaining active targeting delivery by co-functionalization of nanoparticles using appropriate targeting ligands. This article reviews the recent progress and development of employing different biocompatible and biodegradable nanoparticles in drug delivery systems. It also briefly recaps the important methods available to evaluate its biocompatibility, the mechanism of biodegradability and clearance properties of NPs.

Alginate beads of Captopril using galactomannan containing Senna tora gum, guar gum and locust bean gum

Gastro-retentive Captopril loaded alginate beads were prepared by an ionotropic gelation method using sodium alginate in combination with natural gums containing galactomannans (Senna tora seed gum, guar gum and locust bean gum) in the presence of calcium chloride. The process variables such as concentration of sodium alginate/natural polymer, concentration of calcium chloride, curing time, stirring speed and drying condition were optimized. Prepared beads were evaluated for various parameters such as flow property, drug content and entrapment efficiency, size and shape, and swelling index. Surface morphology of the beads was studied using scanning electron microscopy. In vitro mucoadhesion and in vitro drug release studies were carried out on the prepared beads. From the entrapment efficiency and dissolution study, it was concluded that galactomannans in combination with sodium alginate show sustained release property. The bead formulation F4 prepared using combination of sodium alginate and guar gums in the ratio 2:1 showed satisfactory sustained release for 12h. The release of Captopril from the prepared beads was found to be controlled by the swelling of the polymer followed by drug diffusion through the swelled polymer and slow erosion of the beads.

Determination of sodium hyaluronate in pharmaceutical formulations by HPLC–UV

A liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with UV detection was developed for determination of sodium hyaluronate in pharmaceutical formulation. Sodium hyaluronate is a polymer of disaccharides, composed of d-glucuronic acid and d-N-acetylglucosamine, linked via alternating β-1, 4 and β-1, 3 glycosidic bonds. Being a polymer compound it lacks a UV absorbing chromophore. In the absence of a UV absorbing chromophore and highly polar nature of compound, the analysis becomes a major challenge. To overcome these problems a novel method for the determination of sodium hyaluronate was developed and validated based on size exclusion liquid chromatography (SEC) with UV detection. An isocratic mobile phase consisting of buffer 0.05 M potassium dihydrogen phosphate, pH adjusted to 7.0 using potassium hydroxide (10%) was used. Chromatography was carried out at 25 °C on a BioSep SEC S2000, 300 mm×7.8 mm column. The detection was carried out using variable wavelength UV–vis detector set at 205 nm. The compounds were eluted isocratically at a steady flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. Sodium hyaluronate retention time was about 4.9 min with an asymmetry factor of 1.93. A calibration curve was obtained from 1 to 38 g/mL (r>0.9998). Within-day % RSD was 1.0 and between-day % RSD was 1.10. Specificity/selectivity experiments revealed the absence of interference from excipients, recovery from spiked samples for sodium hyaluronate was 99–102. The developed method was applied to the determination of sodium hyaluronate in pharmaceutical drug substance and product.

Cigarette smoke and related risk factors in neurological disorders: An update

Cigarette smoking is known to be harmful to health, and is considered the main cause of death worldwide, especially in India. Among the well-distinguished diseases related to smoking are, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, oral and peripheral cancers, and cardiovascular complications. However, the impact of cigarette smoking on neurocognitive and neuropathological effects, including anxiety, Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, ischemic stroke, and blood-brain barrier dysfunction, still remains unclear. Cigarette smoke consists of more than 4500 toxic chemicals that combine to form free radicals, which lead to oxidative stress-associated neurological disorders. Herein, we discuss the role of antioxidant agents in delaying or attenuating disease complications. In addition, in this review, we discuss the neuropathological effect of cigarette smoke and its interference in neurodegeneration.

A simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic method for determining tobramycin in pharmaceutical formulations by direct UV detection

Background: Tobramycin, an aminoglycoside antibiotic, is a polar pharmaceutical compound which lacks a UV absorbing chromophore. Due to the absence of a UV absorbing chromophore and high polar nature of this antibiotic, the analysis of such compounds becomes a major challenge. Objective: To overcome these problems, a novel method for the determination aminoglycoside tobramycin was developed and validated based on reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with UV detector. Materials and Methods: An isocratic mobile phase consists of buffer 0.05 M diammonium hydrogen phosphate, pH adjusted to 10.0 using tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide. Chromatography was carried out at 25°C on a Purosphere RP-8e, 250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5mm. The detection was carried out using variable wavelength UV-Vis detector set at 210 nm. The compounds were eluted isocratically at a steady flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. Result and Discussion: Tobramycin retention time was about 9.0 min with an asymmetry factor of 1.4. A logarithmic calibration curve was obtained from 0.47 to 0.71 mg/mL (r > 0.9998). Within-day %RSD was 0.29 (n = 6, 0.60 mg/mL) and between-day %RSD was 0.54 Specificity/ selectivity experiments revealed the absence of interference from excipients, recovery from spiked samples was between 99.0–100.0 percent. Conclusions: A HPLC method based on UV detection has been developed and validated for determination of tobramycin from ophthalmic solution. The method is simple, rapid, specific, accurate (error 0.80%), precise (RSD <2.0%) and linear (r2=0.9998). The described method is suitable for routine analysis and quality control of ophthalmic solution containing tobramycin.