Nanoscience & Nanotechnology-Asia - Volume 12, Issue 6, 2022

Aims: To prepare curcumin loaded solid lipid nanoparticles for nasal administration using Box-Behnken design. Background: The effectiveness of curcumin in neurological disorders is widely studied by various researchers, but its use is limited due to its poor bioavailability. The brain-targeting efficiency of curcumin can be improved using solid lipid nanoparticles via nasal administration. Objective: In the present work, Curcumin loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (CUR-SLN) were formulated and optimized for nasal administration. Methods: Based on solubility studies, cetostearyl alcohol and poloxamer 407 were selected as lipid and surfactant, respectively. Box-Behnken design (BBD) was used to analyze the effects of drug-to-lipid ratio (X1), surfactant concentration (X2) and homogenization time (X3) on particle size (Y1) and % entrapment efficiency (Y2). The CUR-SLN were formulated by the high shear homogenization method. The optimized formulation was evaluated for DSC, TEM, drug release and ex-vivo studies. Results: Good results were obtained for the particle size and entrapment efficiency analyzed using BBD. The optimized formulation of CUR-SLN obtained using BBD was observed with a particle size of 96.09 nm and % EE of 78.23. In-vitro release of the drug was found to be 82.93± 0.15% after 8 hours. DSC studies revealed that crystalline form of curcumin changed to an amorphous form in SLN. TEM results of optimized CUR-SLN were in correlation with the results obtained using a zeta sizer. No harmful effects were observed on nasal mucosa in the histopathology study. Conclusion: The SLN can be safely utilized for the intranasal administration of curcumin.

Background: The major challenges faced by developing countries are the issues associated with various pollutants, such as dyes, pesticides, heavy metals, etc. Various materials and methods are available for the removal of these pollutants. Major research works have been performed on single pollutants, and rarely any research literature is available for a mixture of pollutants. This is one of the major reasons to carry out our research work in this field. Objectives: This study aimed to develop an efficient ZnO/GO nanocomposite as a photocatalyst, characterize it by PXRD, FT-IR, and TGA, and evaluate its catalytic activity by degradation of MG, MB and a mixture of both. Methods: In this study, GO was synthesized by the modified Hummer’s method. In this method, graphite powder was mixed with sulphuric acid and NaNO3. Then KMnO4 solution was added under continuous stirring. Excess KMnO4 was removed by H2O2 and the colour of the solution turned to be dark yellow. After proper washing and maintaining pH, the resulting material was dried at 60°C for 12h to obtain GO. GO was dispersed in ethanol, and 0.387g Zn(CH3COO)2.2H2O was added to it. The resulting mixture was sonicated, and a solution of NH3 was added very slowly by maintaining the pH of the solution at ~7. The resulting product was dried at 80°C and then calcined at 500°C for 2.5 h to get ZnO/GO nanocomposite. Results: The photodegradation of MG, MB and a mixture of MG and MB dyes was found to be 92.23%, 35.96%, and 66.22%, respectively, in 4-5 h. The degradation of the dyes was found to follow Secondorder kinetics with a multilayer absorption phenomenon. Conclusion: MB showed less degradation as compared to MG, but its photocatalytic activity enhanced after adding MG. This ZnO/GO nanocomposite seems to be a potential candidate to address the challenges associated with multi-pollutants, such as dyes.

Background: Nanotechnology is a novel and developing arena of science. The building block of nanotechnology is nanoparticles (NPs); their size is less than 100 nm. The NPs are synthesized using two dissimilar approaches, namely top-down and bottom-up approaches. The leading methods for producing NPs are chemical and physical methods and are frequently expensive and hypothetically dangerous to both the surroundings and the user. Objective: Consequently, the researchers intended to synthesize NPs using biological ingredients such as plant extracts, bacteria, fungi, algae and yeasts. Nevertheless, the available phytochemicals in plant extracts, compared with other microorganisms, own an extremely extraordinary capacity for metal ions reduction within a short period, which requires a lengthier cultivation time. Methods: In this study zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs have been produced utilizing Dill (anethum graveolens) leaf extract. This process is an easy, one-pot, inexpensive and green process, i.e. isolated from utilizing toxic materials. Results: Various characterization techniques have been utilized to inspect the structure, size, morphology, chemical composition and optical properties of the ZnO NPs. Additionally, the mechanism of formation of ZnO NPs from Dill (anethum graveolens) leaf extract has been explained intensively. Conclusion: This investigation revealed that Dill (anethum graveolens) leaf extract is a suitable environment for producing nanosize ∼27 nm, spherical, monodisperse, wide band gap ∼ 3.56 eV, highly crystalline and 1:1 Zn to O ratio ZnO NPs.

Background: The current investigation contributes to the development of novel Paliperidone (PPD) co-crystals (CCs) using benzamide (BZ) as a conformer. The CCs were synthesized using the solvent evaporation technique. Methods: The enhancement in solubility was studied by saturation solubility studies. Structural characterization of CCs was performed by Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹H- FT NMR) to verify CC formation. Results: CCs exhibited a higher aqueous solubility of 2.067±0.004mg/ml when compared to pure drug 0.473±0.012mg/ml. This designated aqueous solubility enhancement of CCs by 4.36 folds. In vitro dissolution data of the CCs exhibited a drug release of 96.5±1.63% in 60min, while pure drug showed a poor release of 37.8±1.76% in the same time period In vivo studies resulted in enhanced rate and extent of drug absorption from CCs when compared to drug suspension. Conclusion: CCs formed between PPD and BZ present a novel approach in overcoming the hurdles in the solubility of PPD that exhibits poor aqueous solubility.

Energy generation and utilization have always been a prerequisite for human society, however, in the 21st century and after the pandemic of COVID-19 situations, the importance and demand for energy storage devices have been stretched to the next level. Smart energy storage devices are required to cover this indispensable demand so that the desired energy can judiciously be delivered whenever required. For this immense effort, a variety of materials, viz. carbonaceous materials, transition metal composites, conducting polymers, etc., are being employed by the scientific community, which are equipped with advanced performance, flexibility, tunability, portability, and cost-effectiveness. Apart from these specific features, these energy harvesting materials are associated with inherent properties such as high electrical and optical conductivity, which place them as a potential contender to be used in energy harvest and storage devices. These energy storage devices can be based on the electrochemical, electrical, and optical properties of these conductive materials. To be particular, in this review, the study is targeted at optically conductive materials. The optical conductivity of a material depends upon the band gap present in the conductive material under investigation, the lower the band gap, the higher the chance of optical conductivity. This band gap of the material depends upon factors such as the material used, dopant, solvent applied, etc. This review brings the detail of optically conductive materials, understanding the factors affecting the optical conductivity and the methods to enhancing it so that the variety of applications such as solar cells, optoelectronics, photoelectronic, etc., can be improved.