Greener approach for the isolation of oleanolic acid from . Its derivatization and their molecular docking as antibacterial and antiviral agents.

In the present study bioactive methanolic extract along with chloroform and hexane extracts obtained from shade dried leaves of the Himalayan aromatic medicinal plant Benth. Were screened for the presence of triterpenoids, especially oleanolic acid (OA). Total three compounds oleanolic acid, squalene and linoleic methyl ester were isolated from methanol extract.

Review of Shikonin and Derivatives: Isolation, Chemistry, Biosynthesis, Pharmacology and Toxicology.

Shikonin and its derivatives, isolated from traditional medicinal plant species of the genus belonging to the Boraginaceae family, have numerous applications in foods, cosmetics, and textiles. Shikonin, a potent bioactive red pigment, has been used in traditional medicinal systems to cure various ailments and is well known for its diverse pharmacological potential such as anticancer, antithrombotic, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-gonadotropic, antioxidants, antimicrobial and insecticidal. Herein, updated research on the natural sources, pharmacology, toxicity studies, and various patents filed worldwide related to shikonin and approaches to shikonin's biogenic and chemical synthesis are reviewed.

The genus Nepeta: Traditional uses, phytochemicals and pharmacological properties.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Nepeta is a multiregional genus of the "Lamiaceae" (Labiatae or Mint) family. Species of Nepeta are a valuable part of traditional medicine and used extensively, particularly in the Himalayan region of India (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Leh-Ladakh), Pakistan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwaand Pakistani Kashmir), Nepal (Baglund district), also in China and hilly regions of Turkey and Iran. Nepeta species are extensively used as a remedy against a variety of ailments and conditions like chicken pox, tuberculosis, malaria, pneumonia, influenza, measles, stomach disorders, eye complaints, respiratory disorders, asthma, colds, coughs etc.

Investigation of high optical gain in complex type-II InGaAs/InAs/GaAsSb nano-scale heterostructure for MIR applications.

This paper reports a comprehensive theoretical study of W-shaped complex type-II InGaAs/InAs/GaAsSb nano-scale heterostructure consisting of two quantum wells of InAs material using the six-band k.p theory. The entire structure has been supposed to be grown on InP substrate.

Antibacterial properties of PEKK for orthopedic applications.

Orthopedic implant infections have been steadily increasing while, at the same time, antibiotics developed to kill such bacteria have proven less and less effective with every passing day. It is clear that new approaches that do not rely on the use of antibiotics are needed to decrease medical device infections. Inspired by cicada wing surface topographical features, nanostructured surfaces represent a new approach for imposing antibacterial properties to biomaterials without using drugs.

Reduced bacterial growth and increased osteoblast proliferation on titanium with a nanophase TiO surface treatment.

Background: The attachment and initial growth of bacteria on an implant surface dictates the progression of infection. Treatment often requires aggressive antibiotic use, which does not always work. To overcome the difficulties faced in systemic and local antibiotic delivery, scientists have forayed into using alternative techniques, which includes implant surface modifications that prevent initial bacterial adhesion, foreign body formation, and may offer a controlled inflammatory response.

XanoMatrix surfaces as scaffolds for mesenchymal stem cell culture and growth.

Stem cells are being widely investigated for a wide variety of applications in tissue engineering due to their ability to differentiate into a number of cells such as neurons, osteoblasts, and fibroblasts. This ability of stem cells to differentiate into different types of cells is greatly based on mechanical and chemical cues received from their three-dimensional environments. All organs are formed by a number of cells linked together via an extracellular matrix (ECM).

Enhanced chondrocyte culture and growth on biologically inspired nanofibrous cell culture dishes.

Chondral and osteochondral defects affect a large number of people in which treatment options are currently limited. Due to its ability to mimic the natural nanofibrous structure of cartilage, this current in vitro study aimed at introducing a new scaffold, called XanoMatrix™, for cartilage regeneration. In addition, this same scaffold is introduced here as a new substrate onto which to study chondrocyte functions.

Increased NIH 3T3 fibroblast functions on cell culture dishes which mimic the nanometer fibers of natural tissues.

Traditional flat tissue cell culture dishes have consisted of polystyrene treated with plasma gases for growing, subculturing, and studying cell behavior in vitro. However, increasingly it has been observed that mimicking natural tissue properties (such as chemistry, three-dimensional structure, mechanical properties, etc) in vitro can lead to a better correlation of in vitro to in vivo cellular functions. The following studies compared traditional NIH 3T3 fibroblasts' functions on XanoMatrix scaffolds to standard tissue culture polystyrene.

Reducing bacteria and macrophage density on nanophase hydroxyapatite coated onto titanium surfaces without releasing pharmaceutical agents.

Reducing bacterial density on titanium implant surfaces has been a major concern because of the increasing number of nosocomial infections. Controlling the inflammatory response post implantation has also been an important issue for medical devices due to the detrimental effects of chronic inflammation on device performance. It has recently been demonstrated that manipulating medical device surface properties including chemistry, roughness and wettability can control both infection and inflammation.

Decreased Staphylococcus aureus and increased osteoblast density on nanostructured electrophoretic-deposited hydroxyapatite on titanium without the use of pharmaceuticals.

Background: Plasma-spray deposition of hydroxyapatite on titanium (Ti) has proven to be a suboptimal solution to improve orthopedic-implant success rates, as demonstrated by the increasing number of orthopedic revision surgeries due to infection, implant loosening, and a myriad of other reasons. This could be in part due to the high heat involved during plasma-spray deposition, which significantly increases hydroxyapatite crystal growth into the nonbiologically inspired micron regime. There has been a push to create nanotopographies on implant surfaces to mimic the physiological nanostructure of native bone and, thus, improve osteoblast (bone-forming cell) functions and inhibit bacteria functions.

Utilization of oleo-chemical industry by-products for biosurfactant production.

Biosurfactants are the surface active compounds produced by micro-organisms. The eco-friendly and biodegradable nature of biosurfactants makes their usage more advantageous over chemical surfactants. Biosurfactants encompass the properties of dropping surface tension, stabilizing emulsions, promoting foaming and are usually non- toxic and biodegradable.