P.N. Sudha

Fabrication of letrozole formulation using chitosan nanoparticles through ionic gelation method

In this study, the anticancer drug letrozole (LTZ) was formulated using chitosan nanoparticles (CS-NPs) with the crosslinking agent sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP). The nano-formulation was optimized by varying the concentration of drug. The prepared particles were characterized using FTIR, TGA, XRD, SEM, TEM and DLS. From the FTIR results, the appearance of a new peak for CH, CC and CN confirms the formation of LTZ loaded chitosan nanoparticles. TEM images shows that the average particle size was in the range of 60-80nm and 20-40mm air dried and freeze dried samples respectively. Also the prepared formulation had been evaluated in vitro for determining its hemocompatability, biodegradability and serum stability. The preliminary studies supported that the chitosan nanoparticles formulation has biocompatibility and hemocompatible properties and it can act as an effective pharmaceutical excipient for letrozole.

Batch adsorption and desorption studies on the removal of lead (II) from aqueous solution using nanochitosan/sodium alginate/microcrystalline cellulose beads

The feasibility of adsorption and desorption behavior of nanochitosan(NCS)/sodium alginate(SA)/microcrystalline cellulose (MC) bead prepared in 2:8:1 ratio for Pb(II) removal has been investigated through batch studies. The proof of adsorption of Pb(II) ions onto NCS/SA/MC beads was identified from FT-IR and EDX-SEM Studies. Studies of the effect of pH, adsorbent dose, metal ion concentration and temperature reveals that the optimum conditions for adsorption was found to be pH:6; adsorbent dose:4g; initial metal concentration: 62.5mg/L and temperature:50°C. Various equilibrium adsorption isotherm models namely Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and D-R applied for the analysis of isotherm data indicate that the Freundlich adsorption isotherm model was found to be followed. On the basis of kinetic studies, specific rate constants involved in the processes were calculated and the observed result shows that the pseudo second order kinetics was found to be a better fit. The desorption studies reveals that the recovery of Pb(II) from NCS/SA/MC bead was found to be effective by using 0.1M HCl solution. From the results it was evident that the NCS/SA/MC bead showed better Pb(II) uptake performance and regeneration for further use and hence it was found to be an efficient biosorbent for treating industrial effluent.

Kinetics of Removal of Chromium From Wastewater Using Chitosan-Based Binary Polymer Blends

Chitosan and polyethylene glycol (PEG) were crosslinked with glutaraldehyde to form a blend in the ratio 1:1. The synthesized blend was characterized by FTIR, XRD, TGA/DTA, and DSC to confirm grafting and crosslinking reactions, and scanning electron microscopy to understand the surface morphology. The prepared blend was employed for the removal of metals from dyeing industry effluent. The optimum conditions arrived at for the removal of chromium from dyeing industrial effluent are as follows: pH 5, contact time 4 h, adsorbate dosage is 3 g/L. Kinetic studies and adsorption studies were also carried out to evaluate the adsorption parameters.

Marine Biomaterials as Antifouling Agent

Water is one of the most essential elements to good health – it is necessary for the digestion and absorption of food, helps maintain proper muscle tone, supplies oxygen and nutrients to the cells, rids the body of wastes, and serves as a natural air conditioning system. Polluted water is unsuitable for drinking, recreation, agriculture, and industry. The presence of highly toxic heavy metals and synthetic chemicals in ground water, surface water, drinking water, and aqueous effluent has impact on human and aquatic life. The methods used for the removal of heavy metals include filtration, precipitation, adsorption, ion exchange, reverse osmosis and electrolysis. These processes may be efficient but expensive. Biosorption is a feasible option because it is both efficient and cheap, compared with other conventional methods and having the advantage of low operating cost, minimization of volume of chemicals and biological sludge to be disposed off and high efficiency in detoxifying very dilute effluents. Chitin , chitosan, and alginate are polysaccharides from marine sources which are potential sorbents either in the native state or in the modified forms. Marine biofouling is the undesirable accretion of biological organisms on artificial surfaces immersed such as ship hulls, jetty pilings, navigational instruments, aquaculture net cages, and seawater intake pipes in sea-water. Membrane fouling is one of the most important challenges faced in membrane operations. Fouling results in flux decline, which increases the energy demand for filtration. Hence demands for antifouling membranes are high. This chapter describes the modification of chitin and chitosan marine products for effective antifouling membrane fabrication and the mechanism involved in the antifouling process.

In vivo biocompatiblity studies: Perspectives on evaluation of biomedical polymer biocompatibility

Abstract The usage of biopolymers in medical and biotechnology fields has become a very promising research area due to the cleaner, safer, and renewable technologies. The biopolymers possess unique properties of biodegradability and biocompatibility which seek the attention of researchers to use these biostable polymers in medical application and has enabled us to develop mechanically stable functional implants with a controlled drug- release surface leading to a great deal of positive health outcomes. These biocompatible biopolymers have a great deal of applications in various medical fields such as gene therapy, stem cell research, scaffold engineering, organ regeneration, regenerative medicine, cancer therapy, heart disease, dental treatments, and so on. Biocompatibilty testing helps us to determine the biological reactions of a human body/animal to a product/device that comes into contact with it for a particular duration of time. Various in vivo polymer biocompatibility testing procedures have been developed which entail the development and extraction of various biopolymers from biological samples and help us in determining the rejection, degradation mechanism of these materials inside the human body. Hence, in this chapter, a detailed description regarding the application of various biopolymers in the medical field and also the various in vivo testing methodologies has been elaborated.

Degradable metallic biomaterials for cardiovascular applications

Abstract In the last decade, the use of biomaterials has proven to improve the quality of life. Several metallic biomaterials have been developed and applied in the medical fields. The idea of biodegradable implants came into existence after getting the awareness that there is a need for an implant to naturally degrade after fulfilling its objectives. This chapter concentrates especially on degradable metals, although there are also materials made of polymers and ceramics for cardiovascular applications. The bioresorbable material “metal” is more advantageous in cardiovascular application over polymers and ceramic due to their remarkable properties including high impact strength, high ductility, and high strain energy. In this chapter we glance over the cardiovascular applications of metals including heart valves, stents, pacemaker, etc. From the various sources of literature reviews, in this chapter it can be confidently declared that biocompatible metals will continue to be used in various cardiovascular applications in near future with further advancements and new uprising biofunctionalities. We also discussed the new challenges and directions of metals in cardiovascular research.

Nanomaterials history, classification, unique properties, production and market

Abstract In recent years nanoscience and nanotechnology are being developed very rapidly. The reduction of particle size and tunning the particle morphology of materials from micro to nanosize leads to the unique properties and helps in versatile applications. The reason for the nanomaterials (NMs) to exhibit enhanced properties is due to the large surface-to-volume ratio and quantum confinement effect. This chapter discusses the history and development of nanomaterials and nanotechnology, different types and classes of NMs, state of the production, the physicochemical properties of NMs including size, optoelectronic, toxicity, self aggregation and so on.

Hydroxyapatite from Cuttlefish Bone: Isolation, Characterizations, and Applications

Hydroxyapatite (HA), a bioceramic, is a widely utilized material for bone tissue repair and regeneration because of its excellent properties such as biocompatibility, exceptional mechanical strength, and osteoconductivity. HA can be obtained by both synthetic and natural means. Animal bones are often considered a promising natural resource for the preparation of pure HA for biological and biomedical applications. Cuttlefish bone, also called as cuttlebone, mainly consists of calcium carbonate, and pure HA can be produced by adding phosphoric acid or ammonium hydrogen phosphate to it. Recently, cuttlefish bone-derived HA has shown promising results in terms of bone tissue repair and regeneration. The synthesized cuttlefish bone-derived has shown excellent biocompatibility, cell proliferation, increased alkaline phosphate activity, and efficient biomineralization ability with mesenchymal stem cells and osteoblastic cells. To further improve the biological properties of cuttlefish bone-derived HA, bioglass, polycaprolactone, and polyvinyl alcohol were added to it, which gave better results in terms of cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. Cuttlefish bone-derived HA with polymeric substances provides excellent bone formation under in vivo conditions. The studies indicate that cuttlefish bone-derived HA, along with polymeric and, protein materials, will be promising biomaterials in the field of bone tissue regeneration.