Swadhin K. Saha

Evidence of reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediated apoptosis in Setaria cervi induced by green silver nanoparticles from Acacia auriculiformis at a very low dose.

Green synthesis of silver nanomaterial plays a pivotal role in the growing field of nanotechnology. Development of anti-parasitic drugs from plant metabolites has been in regular practice from the ancient period but most of them were discarded due to their inefficiency to control diseases effectively. At present, nanoparticles are used for developing anti-parasitic therapy for their unique properties such as smallest in size, bio-ability, bio-compatibility and penetration capacity into a cell. The present study aims at synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by using funicles extract of Acacia auriculiformis and tests its efficacy as antifilarial. Experimental evidence show that AgNPs are effective at a very low concentration compared to crude plant extracts. Synthesis of these nanoparticles is a single-step, biogenic, cost effective and eco-friendly process. Synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, TEM, SAED, FTIR, EDX, FESEM and Z-potential. The antifilarial efficacy of AgNPs was tested against different life cycle stages of bovine filarial parasite Setaria cervi by morphological study, motility assessment and viability assay. These nanoparticles are found to have antifilarial activity with LC50 of 5.61 μg/mL and LC90 of 15.54 μg/mL against microfilaria of S. cervi. The microscopic findings and the detailed molecular studies confirmed that green synthesized AgNPs were effective enough to induce apoptosis through up regulation of ROS (reactive oxygen species).

Development of chitosan based gold nanomaterial as an efficient antifilarial agent: A mechanistic approach

The gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been synthesized biogenically by using black pepper (Piper nigrum) extract according to the principles of green chemistry in presence and absence of a biopolymer, chitosan. A comprehensive study (up to cellular level) on the antifilarial (against Setaria cervi) activity of AuNPs has been made for the first time with a view to use it clinically. The bioactivity of biopolymer capped biogenic AuNP increases significantly compared to simple biogenic AuNP. The biopolymer plays an important role in inspiring AuNP through its inherent positive charges and hydrophobicity. The developed nanomaterial boosts the production of ROS (reactive oxygen species) and misbalances the antioxidant parameters of parasites such as GSH, GST, GPx, SOD and catalase. The produced ROS ultimately induces oxidative stress, which leads to apoptotic cell death in filarial worms. The synthesized nanomaterials exhibit negligible toxicity towards human PBMCs. The present study may serve as a fruitful platform to explore biopolymer capped gold nanoparticles as efficient antifilarial therapeutics.

Carbohydrate polymer inspired silver nanoparticles for filaricidal and mosquitocidal activities: A comprehensive view.

The carbohydrate polymer inspired silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are designed and synthesized through ultrasound assisted green process using unique combination of a biomolecule (tyrosine) and a natural polymer (starch). A comprehensive mechanistic study on the reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediated filaricidal (against Setaria cervi) and mosquitocidal (against second and fourth instar larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus) activities of AgNPs has been made for the first time for controlling filariasis by taking care of both filariid and its vector. The mechanism may help in formulating antifilarial drug based on carbohydrate polymer inspired AgNPs. The role of carbohydrate polymer in inspiring bioactivity of AgNPs has been looked into and its activities have been compared with the commercially available AgNPs. Cytotoxicity of AgNPs on macrophages of Wistar rat has been evaluated to ensure its selectivity towards filariid and larvae.

Biocompatibility of a sonochemically synthesized poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide)/silica nanocomposite

A novel inorganic–organic core–shell nanocomposite, poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) coated silica nanoparticles (PNIPA-g-FSNP), has been synthesized sonochemically for the first time following the principles of green methods. The sonochemical method eliminates the requirement for organic solvents, cross-linkers and hydrophobic agents used in the conventional miniemulsion technique. The method not only increases the reaction rate, but also leads to regular size distribution of the products. The composites are characterized by TEM, SAED, EDX, DLS, Z potential, FTIR and TGA. The biocompatibility of the synthesized materials has been studied in the light of protein adsorption, histopathology, haematological and non-thrombogenic property for probable use in the field of safe drug delivery. Bare silica nanoparticle has drug loading capability, but it lacks haemo-compatibility, tissue specificity and site directing ability.

Exploration of antifilarial activity of gold nanoparticle against human and bovine filarial parasites: A nanomedicinal mechanistic approach

The present work seeks to explore the antifilarial activity of biopolymer functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) against human filarial parasite (Wuchereria bancrofti) through Nrf2 signaling for the first time. A natural polymer, chitosan is used along with Terminalia chebula extract to synthesize AuNPs following the principles of green chemistry. The probable mode of action of AuNPs as filaricidal agent has been investigated in detail using model filarial parasite, Setaria cervi (bovine parasite). Biopolymers inspired AuNPs exhibit superior antifilarial activity against both human and bovine filarial parasites, and are able to induce oxidative stress and apoptotic cell death in filarial parasites mediated through mitochondria. AuNPs also alter the Nrf2 signaling. In addition, the synthesized nanomaterials appear to be nontoxic to mammalian system. Thus the present mechanistic study, targeting human filarial parasites, has the potential to increase the therapeutic prospects of AuNPs to control lymphatic filariasis in the upcoming days.

Design and synthesis of reduced graphene oxide based supramolecular scaffold: A benign microbial resistant network for enzyme immobilization and cell growth

The present study describes the synthesis, characterization and biological application of reduced graphene oxide - chitosan (GC) based benign supramolecular scaffold (SMS). Various spectroscopic and microscopic analyses established the supramolecular interaction in between rGO and chitosan. The active performance of the developed material towards microbial resistivity, in vitro cell growth and as a scaffold for enzyme immobilizing matrix illustrates its unique implementation. Immobilization of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) onto GC lowers the Michaelis- Menten constant (Km) value and facilitates to achieve maximum velocity at low substrate concentration. Importantly GC shows no noteworthy cytotoxicity towards Wistar rat macrophage cells. Moreover, incorporation of gold nanoparticle further strengthens the microbial resistance properties of GC as well as improves its biocompatibility by reducing cytotoxicity. Therefore these unique features may inspire it to appear in large scale for industrial utilization.

Synthesis of Quaternized poly(4-Vinyl Pyridine) and the Study of its Ion Exchange Property

Lightly cross-linked poly(4-vinyl pyridine) has been synthesized from 4-vinyl pyridine and a small amount of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) in aqueous medium through micelle technique. The polymer is then quaternized with 1,4-dibromobutane to develop an anion exchange resin with high selectivity and ion exchange capacity at a wide range of pH and temperature. The material exhibits high ion exchange capacity and reverse anion selectivity order compared to commercially available anion exchanger. A method has been designed to separate chromate and sulfate using the synthesized material.

Silicon Quantum Dot-Based Fluorescent Probe: Synthesis Characterization and Recognition of Thiocyanate in Human Blood

Allylamine-functionalized silicon quantum dots (ASQDs) of high photostability are synthesized by a robust inverse micelle method to use the material as a fluorescent probe for selective recognition of thiocyanate (a biomarker of a smoker and a nonsmoker). The synthesized ASQDs were characterized by absorption, emission, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Surface morphology is studied by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. The synthesized material exhibits desirable fluorescence behavior with a high quantum yield. A selective and accurate (up to 10–10 M) method of sensing of thiocyanate anion is developed based on fluorescence amplification and quenching of ASQDs. The sensing mechanism is investigated and interpreted with a crystal clear mechanistic approach through the modified Stern–Volmer plot. The developed material and the method is applied to recognize the anion in the human blood sample for identification of the degree of smoking. The material deserves high potentiality in the field of bio-medical science.