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The effect of homeopathic medicine on biological and physical system is directly related to its potency [1]. However, from physico-chemical point of view it is difficult to explain this effect at such high dilution, as then the existence of even trace amount of particle is questionable. It has been reported that during the process of potentization, a large amount of mechanical energy gets transferred to the medium due to succussion [2]. This energy in all probability reduces the size of the drug aggregates. The drug then penetrates easily through the membrane barrier, and thereby gives rise to enhanced activity of the medicine. It has been experimentally proved by us and supported by others that indeed a reduction of size of the aggregates takes place with increase in potency [3]. Using five different homeopathic medicines, their sizes at three different potencies have been estimated and a general mathematical expression relating the size of the particle (Y) and the corresponding potency (X) has been derived as follows Y = a X -n

The emergence of natural polymers like gums and mucilages in drug delivery systems has curbed the rampant use of the synthetic materials for therapeutic purposes. Natural excipients offered advantages such as non-toxicity, less cost and abundantly availablity. Aqueous solubility of natural excipients plays an important role in their selection for designing immediate, controlled or sustained release formulations. This review article provide an overview of natural gum, polymers and mucilages as excipients in dosage forms as well as novel drug delivery systems.These recent investigations have provided ample evidences that these natural gums and mucilages like Gellan Gum,Gum Acacia,Locust bean gum could efficaciously deliver therapeutics to the diseased site without exerting any significant adverse effects on the normal cells. Hencefoth these natural polymers are endowed with the ability to function as like green emissaries for the transport of essential therapeutic agents which in turn will help in restraining the belligerence of different grave diseases like cancer.

The particles within the nanoregime are quite smaller (100- 10,000 times) than human cells but are comparable to that of biomolecules like enzymes and receptors. The nanoparticles smaller than 50 nm can easily pervade into most cells, and those particles smaller than 20 nm can easily escape into the circulation through the blood vessels. Nanoparticles are quite conducive to be fabricated appropriately to serve as a device/vehicles of important therapeutic genes or drugs specifically to the cancer cells avoiding any hazardous effects on the normal cells. This review encompasses the recent investigations employing nanocarriers like liposomes, micelles, carbon nanotubes, dendrimers, nanoshells that has been developed with positive results.The cancer therapeutic agents like Doxorubicin, Paclitaxel, Cystatin ,Small interfering RNA(SiRNAs) are encapsulated within these nanocarriers through the processes of entrapping, covalent binding, encapsulation or adsorption. Furthermore these nanoparticles were conjugated with cancer specific targetic ligands like Folic acid, Monoclonal antibody,Luteinising hormone releasing hormone(LHRH)peptide,etc which enable them to successfully deliver the therapeutic agents to the cancerous cells. Henceforth the development of these smart nanodevices will undoubtedly pave the way for coming up with future novel therapeutic strategies for combating the malignant cells circumventing any adverse side effects on the normal cells.

Carbon nanoparticles are known because of their highly fluorescent property. Thus, among several different types of nanoparticles, carbon nanoparticles have great potential of bio imaging applications. Highly fluorescent crystalline carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) have been synthesized in a facile, rapid method which involves microwave irradiation of sucrose with phosphoric acid at 100 W for 4 mins. Hence this method is fleet and cost effective for large scale applications. Physical characterization of synthesized CNPs was done by DLS and Zeta potential, Hydrodynamic size of CNPs as measured by DLS was 281.2 d.nm. The surface charge of carbon nanoparticles was found to be -39.7 mV. These CNPs have green fluorescence under UV exposure. CNPs enter into cell without any further modification and show their efficiency as fluorescence based cell imaging application. Further, we have explored the antibacterial property of carbon nanoparticles by Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC).

Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) have found prominence in different fields such as medicine, catalysis, nanoelectronics, textile field, pollution and water treatment due to their unique attributes. Applications of AgNP are increasing rapidly in the medical purpose including drug delivery, treatment, diagnosis, medical device coating. Various chemical and physical methods are used to synthesize the AgNP conventionally. However, these processes are expensive and also have side effects. To solve these problems by modification in synthesis process for safer and more efficiency, synthesis of biogenic AgNP from plant extract, known as Green Nanotechnology, have come to play a very crucial role, In this study, we have reported the green synthesis of AgNP using Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi) leaf extract, which act as reducing agent as well as capping agent. Synthesized AgNPs were characterized and their antibacterial and anticancer activities were observed. The development of brown color by the addition of Tulsi signifies the formation of silver nanoparticles. UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, XRD and zeta potential were applied to estimate the quantitative formation of silver nanoparticles. FTIR analysis was used to reveal that the AgNPs were stabilized by eugenols, terpenes, and other aromatic compounds present in the leaf extract. The antimicrobial and anticancer properties of AgNPs were assessed by various in vitro cellular assays. Our present study confirms that AgNP can be used as a dual therapeutic option for combating pathogenic microbial strains as well as hepatocellular cancer.

Under certain conditions, ultra high diluted triturated material achieve nanodimension. This nanoparticle aspect of the materials has been used in various technical applications. The electrical properties of the polymer, Poly (vinylidene fluoride), commonly used as dielectric separator in high charge storage multilayer capacitor, get improved when doped with these triturated material. We have reported here how these effects get further increased by changing the doping concentration. With incorporation of 2 ml of triturated copper acetate salt, there are ~ 14.0, ~ 2.74, ~ 9.0 fold increment in β-phase, dielectric constant and ac conductivity respectively compared to the undoped polymer matrix. This is also associated with significant decrease (~ 66%) in tangent loss. Doping of these nanomaterials in the highly insulating matrix of the polymer is an effective way to fabricate composites with tunable dielectric behavior, making them a promising candidate in electronic industry. A device, using our material as separator have been designed and observed that the charge storing ability of the composite persists for more than 24 h. After 1 h of charging, maximum recorded voltage using our fabricated system is 2.034 V, whereas electrode separator system of commercial Li-polymer ion mobile battery can store 0.566 V.

Background We report the effects of nanoparticles in homeopathic preparations of copper salts on the electrical properties of polymer film. Previous work showed that the incorporation of metal-derived homeopathic medicines increases the dielectric constant and alternating current (AC) conductivity of an electroactive polymer film that is commonly used as a capacitor in the electronic industry.We report here the effect of dilution of one homeopathic medicine, Cuprum arsenicosum (CuAs), at 200C potency on the electrical properties of the polymer film of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene). Methods CuAs 200c was incorporated in the film by the solution casting method. The electrical characteristics were measured at different frequencies using an inductance, capacitance, and resistance meter. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was performed to detect phase change in the polymer film due to the incorporation of CuAs. Morphology and particle size were studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Results At 10 kHz frequency, both dielectric constant and AC conductivity increased approximately 18 times for the polymer film when incorporated with 2 mL CuAs at 200C potency. FTIR indicated the increase in conducting phase, while FESEM and EDX confirmed the presence of spherical CuAs particles. Conclusion The incorporation of CuAs in the electroactive polymer film enhances the conductivity and dielectric constant. We conclude that these changes arise from the change in phase of the polymer film, and because of the presence of two different metals that affects the interfacial polarization.

The development of drug delivery systems with microencapsulated therapeutic agents is a promising approach to the sustained and controlled delivery of various drug molecules. The incorporation of dual release kinetics to such delivery devices further adds to their applicability. Herein, novel core-shell scaffolds composed of sodium deoxycholate and trishydroxymethylaminomethane (NaDC-Tris) have been developed with the aim of delivering two different drugs with variable release rates using the same delivery vehicle. Data obtained from XRD studies, sol-gel transition temperature measurement, rheology and fluorescence studies of the core-shell systems indicate a significant alteration in the core and the shell microstructural properties in a given system as compared to the pure hydrogels of identical compositions. The release of the model drugs Fluorescein (FL) and Rhodamine B (RhB) from the shell and the core, respectively, of the two core-shell designs studied exhibited distinctly different release kinetics. In the 25@250 core-shell system, 100% release of FL from the shell and 19% release of RhB from the core was observed within the first 5 hours, while 24.5 hours was required for the complete release of RhB from the core. For the 100@250 system, similar behaviour was observed with varied release rates and a sigmoidal increase in the core release rate upon disappearance from the shell. Cell viability studies suggested the minimal toxicity of the developed delivery vehicles towards NMuMG and WI-38 cells in the concentration range investigated. The reported core-shell systems composed of a single low molecular weight gelator with dual release kinetics may be designed as per the desired application for the consecutive release of therapeutic agents as required, as well as combination therapy commonly used to treat diseases such as diabetes and cancer.

The ability of P. laurentii strain RY1 to remediate lead (Pb

Biofilm formation on medical implants and devices has been a severe concern that results in their impaired performance and life-threatening complications. Thus, development of novel functional coatings for infection prone surfaces with biofilm inhibiting characteristics is of prime significance considering the rapid emergence of multidrug resistant bacteria. Herein we present a novel nanocomposite derived from Graphene Oxide (GO) and a newly developed functional Ionic liquid (IL) obtained through a metathesis reaction between a triarylmethane dye hexamethyl pararosaniline chloride or crystal violet (CV) and sodium dodeceyl sulfate (SDS) to yield [CV][DS] (hexamethyl pararosaniline dodecyl sulfate). This highly biocompatible [CV][DS]-GO nanocomposite exhibit more than four times improved antibacterial activity in comparison to bare GO against both gram negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) and gram positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). As suggested by XRD, FTIR and UV absorption and SEM results improved activity of [CV][DS]-GO nanocomposite is ascribed to the synergistic effect of reduced nanocomposite sheet thickness, enhanced amphiphilicity imparted by dodecylsulfate (DS), exposed active ArN+ groups of CV and some inherent functionalities of GO. This is also complemented by the ruptured and diffused S. aureus cell walls as observed in bacterial SEM result. In contrast, the nanocomposites of the precursors with GO do not demonstrate any significant antibacterial effect. Coatings developed using GO upon infestation with E. coli revealed significant biofilm formation after 48 and 72 h of incubation while [CV][DS]-GO coated surface demonstrated no colony growth under similar circumstances. Thus, [CV][DS]-GO nanocomposite coatings exhibit excellent resistance to bacterial growth even up to 72 h incubation signifying its bactericidal effect. Therefore, the developed nanocomposite may be considered as one of the improved antibacterial wash resistant coating material for biomedical devices and surfaces susceptible to to biofilm formation.

This study reports the observed synergy in antimicrobial and anticancer activity of thymoquinone and piperine, encapsulated in porous guar gum micro-vehicle. Natural therapeutics like piperine and thymoquinone showed less effectivity in human medical trials due to their hydrophobicity leading to poor clinical efficacy. To overcome this problem, we have developed a delivery strategy by using guar gum, a natural biodegradable biopolymer. The successful encapsulation of phytochemicals and the microstructures of gum micro-vehicles were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and UV–Vis spectra analysis. We also report here a significant decrease in minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value and synergistic bactericidal activity against four different bacterial strains and observed remarkably low median lethal dose (LD50) value against human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines along with pH-responsive delivery of therapeutic in the case of combinatorial therapy. In our overall study, we analyze and discuss the structure, efficacy, and delivery of our designed natural therapeutic amalgamation to pave the way for augmenting the use of phytochemicals in medical applications.

Vanga Bhasma, a herbometallic mixture compound is used as gastrointestinal digestive medicine in ayurveda. Here, we have studied its bioaccessbility as antibacterial and anti cancer agent. Their characteristic FESEM, XRD, FTIR, UV absorption spectra were determined, which indicates high mineral content in Vanga Bhasma nanoparticles. Biological studies like MIC, MBC evaluate its antibacterial property, bacterial ROS generation enhance the ravages of peptidoglycan layer of bacterial cell wall. Further anti-cancerous potential of synthesized Vanga Bhasma nanoparticles was also studied on breast cancer cell line showing its potential to induce apoptosis through oxidative damage and mitochondrial membrane damage. Our studies thus successfully establish the dual therapeutic attribute of Vanga Bhasma nanoparticles as anticancer and antibacterial agent.

The ability of P. laurentii strain RY1 to remediate lead (Pb2+) from water was investigated in batch and column studies. The lead removal ability of non-viable biomass, non-viable biomass immobilised on agar-agar (biobeads) and agar-agar at different pH was compared in batch studies. It was found that among the three, biobeads have maximum ability to remove Pb2+ followed by biomass and agar-agar beads. Maximum and almost equal lead removal by biobeads was observed at both neutral and alkaline pH making it a novel and more applicable bioremediator as all other reported bioremediators have a single pH for optimum activity. Studies were performed to determine the optimum conditions for lead removal from aqueous solutions for biobeads. The physical and chemical characterization of the biobeads before and after Pb2+ biosorption was done by using S.E.M. and F.T.I.R. respectively. The adsorption of Pb2+ on biobeads obeyed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm and pseudo first order kinetics. These mean that the Pb2+ binding sites are identical, located on the surface of the adsorbant and the rate of Pb2+ removal from aqueous solution is directly proportional to the number of Pb2+ binding sites on the biobeads. The thermodynamics of the biosorption process is also investigated. The binding capacity of the biobeads in batch study was found to be 52.91mg/gm which is higher in comparison to other reported yeast bioremediators. The used biobeads can be desorbed using 0.1(M) CaCl2. The desorbed biobeads can be used subsequently for several cycles of lead removal making it cost-effective. Column studies were also performed for biobeads with the help of Thomas model for examining its suitability for industrial application. Maximum specific lead uptake of the biobeads when applied in the column was found to be 58.26mg/gm which being promising makes it suitable for application in industries involved in the treatment of wastewater contaminated with high amounts of lead. The high mass transfer co-efficient indicate that small sized column can be used effectively to remove high amounts of lead which makes the bioremediation process by the biobeads more economical and advantageous for industrial application. Several factors like effectiveness of the biobeads in Pb2+removal at both neutral and alkaline pH, reusability, high mass transfer co-efficient, regenerability and high binding capacity makes it a novel versatile, cost–effective and high utility bioremediator.

Background For the study of homeopathic medicines in proper perspective, emerging techniques in material science are being used. Vibrational spectroscopy is one such tool for providing information on different states of hydrogen bonding as an effect of potentization. The associated change in electrical properties is also correlated with this effect. Objective From the vibrational spectra, the changes in hydrogen bonding due to dilution followed by unidirectional vigorous shaking (together termed potentization) of 91% ethanol and two homeopathic medicines Chininum purum and Acidum benzoicum have been studied. The aim was to correlate the result with the change in the electrical properties of the system. Methods Raman spectroscopy was used to study the vibrational spectra. A U-shaped glass tube (electrochemical cell), where one arm contained bi-distilled water and the other arm alcohol/homeopathic medicine (the arms being separated by a platinum foil), was used to measure the voltage generated across two symmetrically placed platinum electrodes. Results For all samples, it was observed that potentization affected the intensity of OH stretching bands at the frequencies 3240 cm−1, 3420 cm−1 and 3620 cm−1, corresponding to strong hydrogen bond, weak hydrogen bond and broken hydrogen bond, respectively. With the increase in potency, in the presence and absence of the two medicines in ethanol, the number of OH groups linked by strong hydrogen bonds decreased, while the number of OH groups with weak hydrogen bonds increased. With the increase in potentization, the number of OH groups with broken hydrogen bonds showed a difference in the presence and absence of the medicine.The voltage measurements for ethanol show that, with succussion, the magnitude of voltage increased with the two medicines at lower potencies, but not at higher potency where the voltage is lower. Acidum benzoicum, which is acidic in nature, had higher voltage values (113mV, 130 mV and 118 mV at 6C, 30C and 200C, respectively), compared with Chininum purum, which is basic in nature (20 mV, 85 mV and 65 mV at 6C, 30C and 200C, respectively). Conclusion The experimental results indicate a correlation between the vibrational and electrical properties of the homeopathic medicines Acidum benzoicum and Chininum purum at different potencies.

Low Molecular Weight (LMWG) gelators are small molecules that form supramolecular self-assembly involving physical forces and are highly biocompatible. However, fragility of these physical gels restricts their applicability where gels of higher mechanical strength are required. Herein, we have developed two different types of 2-D carbon nanomaterials viz. graphene oxide (GO) and carbon nanosheet (CNS) embedded sodium deoxycholate (NaDC) hydrogels. XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), rheology and CD studies suggest significant modification of morphological, mechanical, viscoelastic and optical properties of the nanocomposite gels which is ascribed to the presence of the 2D nanotemplates and participation of different surface functionalities of GO and CNS in the gelation process. The overall shear resistance of both the nanocomposite hydrogels upto a shear rate of 300 shears/s-1 and above reveals tremendously improved mechanical stability with respect to the pure gels. The increased shear strength of the GO/NaDC and CNS/NaDC hydrogels is attributed to their 3-4 times broader and longer ribbon like structures in comparison to the fibrous structure of pure gels. The intact ribbon like morphology and greater entanglement impart 10 folds greater viscosity to GO-NaDC hydrogels as compared to better elasticity of CNS-NaDC hydrogels possessing broken ribbon edges. Most interestingly both GO and CNS influence the optical activity of the gels and presence of GO results in inversion of optical activity. The GO-NaDC gels are also found to demonstrate antibacterial activity against E. coli, and S. aureus. Thus, these extraordinarily modified mechanically strong gels have enhanced potential for use in tissue engineering, enantioselective and sustained drug delivery, topical antibiotics and other biomedical applications.

Using liposomal membrane of 1, 2-dipalmitoyl-sn -glycero-3- phosphatidyl choline, a well accepted model for biological membrane, we have measured the change in membrane anisotropy due to incorporation of three homoeopathic drugs silicea, sulphur and calc carb and the associated values of change in Van’t Hoff enthalpy have been calculated. Our experimental results reveal that these three homoeopathic drugs affect the membrane anisotropy in different ways and this change depends upon the potency of the medicine.

Background: Homoeopathic medicines are traditionally potentized by serial dilution followed by succussion. Respective roles of these two components need to be assessed and explored for which the present study was undertaken. Objective: To compare the effect of the medicine Cuprum metallicum (Cup. met.) potentised through both serial dilution and succussion with succussion alone on selected biological and physical systems. Method: Starting with the medicine Cup. met. at 6C, we potentized it further to 30C and 200 C by serial dilution, followed by succussion (Set A). The same medicine at 6C was also potentized to 30C and 200C by using succussion alone (Set B). The antibacterial property of these two sets was compared on E. coli, a biological system and electrical properties on polymer matrix PVDF-HFP (widely used as charge separator) a physical system. Results: Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy shows that the particles get more agglomerated at higher potency in Set B. Antibacterial effect of Cup. met. in Set B at 30C and 200C was observed to be more significant as compared to Set A. Effect of Cup. met. on polymer matrix in Set A varied significantly with the potency as compared to Set B wherein less beta phase crystallization was produced followed by no significant change in electrical properties. Conclusion: Comparison of results using the medicine Cup. met. in two experimental set ups shows that serial dilution with succussion makes an important difference between the two sets.