Clinacanthus nutans was found to possess anti-venom, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti- diabetic, anti-rheumatism, antiviral and antioxidant properties. Silver nanoparticles are nanoparticles between 1nm to 100nm in size and play significant role in medicinal fields. Silver nanoparticles exhibit distinctive properties, such as good conductivity, chemical stability, catalytic and antibacterial activity. Streptococcus mutans is commonly found in human oral cavity and the main contributor to tooth decay. There is no study on antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles Clinacanthus nutans (AgNp-CN) against Streptococcus mutans reported to date. Therefore, objective of this study is to investigate antibacterial properties of silver nanoparticles Clinacanthus nutans against Streptococcus mutans.

The aim of this study is to futher investigate and validate the antibacterial effect of Clinacanthus nutans plant extract against periodontal pathogens namely Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetamcomitans. Four samples of alcoholic extract of C. nutans leaves were used in different concentrations i.e. 100%, 50%, 10% ethanol and 100% chlorofom and Chlorhexidine 0.2% (CHX) was used as the positive control. The antibacterial activity of C.nutans extract were investigated using disc diffusion agar test for determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). In this study, 50% ethanol extract and 100% chlorofom extract were found to have antibacterial activity against P.gingivalis, while only 50% ethanol crude extract was found to have acceptable antibacterial activity against A. actinomycetamcomitans (p < 0.05). The MIC and MBC tests showed that 50% ethanol extract had bacteriostatic activity against both P.gingivalis and A. actinomycetamcomitans while 100% chlorofom extract had bactericidal activity against P. gingivalis. These two findings were also found to be better than the activity of CHX. C. nutans extract was found to have notable antibacterial activity against P. gingivalis and A. actinomycetamcomitans comparable to CHX 0.2%. � 2019 Journal of International Dental and Medical Research.

Bilayer/multilayer tablets have been introduced to formulate incompatible components for compound preparations, but they are now more commonly used to tailor drug release. This research aimed to formulate a novel gastro-retentive tablet to deliver a combination of a fixed dose of two drugs to eliminate Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in the gastrointestinal tract. The bilayer tablets were prepared by means of the direct compression technique. The controlled-release bilayer tablets were prepared using various hydrophilic swellable polymers (sodium alginate, chitosan, and HPMC-K15M) alone and in combination to investigate the percent of swelling behavior and average drug release. The weight of the controlled-release floating layer was 500 mg, whereas the weight of the floating tablets of pantoprazole was 100 mg. To develop the most-effective formulation, the effects of the experimental components on the floating lag time, the total floating time, T 50%, and the amount of drug release were investigated. The drugs’ and excipients’ compatibilities were evaluated using ATR-FTIR and DSC. Pre-compression and post-compression testing were carried out for the prepared tablets, and they were subjected to in vitro characterization studies. The pantoprazole layer of the prepared tablet demonstrated drug release (95%) in 2 h, whereas clarithromycin demonstrated sustained drug release (83%) for up to 24 h (F7). The present study concluded that the combination of sodium alginate, chitosan, and HPMC polymers (1:1:1) resulted in a gastro-retentive and controlled release drug delivery system of the drug combination. Thus, the formulation of the floating bilayer tablets successfully resulted in a biphasic drug release. Moreover, the formulation (F7) offered the combination of two drugs in a single-tablet formulation containing various polymers (sodium alginate, chitosan, and HPMC polymers) as the best treatment option for local infections such as gastric ulcers.

Introduction: This study aimed to characterize silver nanoparticles-kaempferol (AgNP-K) and its antibacterial activities against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Green synthesis method was used to synthesize AgNP-K under the influence of temperature and different ratios of silver nitrate (AgNO3 and kaempferol). Methods: AgNP-K 1:1 was synthesized with 1 mM kaempferol, whereas AgNP-K 1:2 with 2 mM kaempferol. The characterization of AgNP-K 1:1 and AgNP-K 1:2 was performed using UV–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), Zetasizer, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The antibacterial activities of five samples (AgNP-K 1:1, AgNP-K 1:2, commercial AgNPs, kaempferol, and vancomycin) at different concentrations (1.25, 2.5, 5, and 10 mg/mL) against MRSA were determined via disc diffusion assay (DDA), minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assay, and time-kill assay. Results: The presence of a dark brown colour in the solution indicated the formation of AgNP-K. The UV–visible absorption spectrum of the synthesized AgNP-K exhibited a broad peak at 447 nm. TEM, Zetasizer, and SEM-EDX results showed that the morphology and size of AgNP-K were nearly spherical in shape with 16.963 ± 6.0465 nm in size. XRD analysis confirmed that AgNP-K had a crystalline phase structure, while FTIR showed the absence of (-OH) group, indicating that kaempferol was successfully incorporated with silver. In DDA analysis, AgNP-K showed the largest inhibition zone (16.67 ± 1.19 mm) against MRSA as compared to kaempferol and commercial AgNPs. The MIC and MBC values for AgNP-K against MRSA were 1.25 and 2.50 mg/mL, respectively. The time-kill assay results showed that AgNP-K displayed bacteriostatic activity against MRSA. AgNP-K exhibited better antibacterial activity against MRSA when compared to commercial AgNPs or kaempferol alone.

This study aims to characterize and determine the antibacterial activities of synthesized Strobilanthescrispus-mediated AgNPs (SC-AgNPs) against Streptococcus mutans, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aer-uginosa. S. crispus water extract acts as a reducing and capping agent in the synthesis of AgNPs. Thesynthesized AgNPs were characterized by using UV-Vis spectrophotometer, dynamic light scattering(DLS), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and Fouriertransform infra-red (FTIR). FESEM images showed a rough surface with a spherical shape. The averagesize distribution of 75.25 nm with a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.373. XRD analysis matched the face-centred cubic structure of silver. FTIR analysis revealed a shifted peak from 1404.99 to 1345.00 cm−1.MIC and MBC values of SC-AgNPs were 1.25 mg/mL and 2.5 mg/mL against E. coli, P. aeruginosa andS. mutans, respectively. Time-kill assay showed that SC-AgNPs significantly reduced bacterial growth ascompared to non-treated bacteria. Morphologies of bacteria treated with SC-AgNPs were shrunk, lysed,irregular and smaller as compared to control. SC-AgNPs significantly disrupted the gene expression ofeae A, gtf B and Pel A (p < 0.05). This study indicated that the synthesized SC-AgNPs were stable withenhanced antibacterial activities.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate apoptotic activity of silver nanoparticle Clinacanthus nutans (AgNps-CN) towards HSC-4 cell lines (oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines). Methods: Methods involved were MTT assay (cytotoxic activity), morphological cells analysis, flow cytometry and cell cycle analysis and western blot. Results: MTT assay revealed IC50 concentration was 1.61 mu g/mL, 3T3-L1 cell lines were used to determine whether AgNps-CN is cytotoxic to normal cells. At the highest concentration (3 mu g/mL), no cytotoxic activity has been observed. Flow cytometry assay revealed AgNps-CN caused apoptosis effects towards HSC-4 cell lines with significant changes were observed at G1 phase when compared with untreated cells. Morphological cells analysis revealed that most of the cells exhibit apoptosis characteristics rather than necrosis. Protein study revealed that ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 increased mainly due to down-regulation of Bcl-2 expression. Conclusion: AgNps-CN have shown potential in inhibiting HSC-4 cell lines. IC50 was low compared to few studies involving biosynthesized of silver nanoparticles. Apoptosis effects were shown towards HSC-4 cell lines by the increased in Bax/Bcl-2 protein ratio. Further study such as PCR or in vivo studies are required.

Vascular endothelial dysfunction is characterized by an imbalance of vasodilation and vasoconstriction, deficiency of nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability and elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS), and proinflammatory factors. This dysfunction is a key to the early pathological development of major cardiovascular diseases including hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diabetes. Therefore, modulation of the vascular endothelium is considered an important therapeutic strategy to maintain the health of the cardiovascular system. Epidemiological studies have shown that regular consumption of medicinal plants, fruits, and vegetables promotes vascular health, lowering the risk of cardiovascular diseases. This is mainly attributed to the phytochemical compounds contained in these resources. Various databases, including Google Scholar, MEDLINE, PubMed, and the Directory of Open Access Journals, were searched to identify studies demonstrating the vascular protective effects of phytochemical compounds. The literature had revealed abundant data on phytochemical compounds protecting and improving the vascular system. Of the numerous compounds reported, curcumin, resveratrol, cyanidin-3-glucoside, berberine, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, and quercetin are discussed in this review to provide recent information on their vascular protective mechanisms in vivo and in vitro. Phytochemical compounds are promising therapeutic agents for vascular dysfunction due to their antioxidative mechanisms. However, future human studies will be necessary to confirm the clinical effects of these vascular protective mechanisms.

Chemical constituents in plants can be greatly affected by postharvest processing, and it is important to identify the factors that lead to significant changes in chemistry and bioactivity. In this study, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy was used to analyze extracts of Clinacanthus nutan (C. nutans) leaves generated using different parameters (solvent polarities, solid-liquid ratios, ultrasonic durations, and cycles of extraction). In addition, the effects of these extracts on the viability of cardiac c-kit cells (CCs) were tested. The IR spectra were processed using SIMCA-P software. PCA results of all tested parameter sets were within acceptable values. Solvent polarity was identified as the most influential factor to observe the differences in chemical profile and activities of C. nutans extracts. Ideal extraction conditions were identified, for two sample groups (G1 and G2), as they showed optimal total phenolic content (TPC) yield of 44.66 ± 0.83 mg GAE/g dw and 45.99 ± 0.29 mg GAE/g dw and CC viability of 171.81 ± 4.06% and 147.53 ± 6.80%, respectively. Validation tools such as CV-ANOVA () and permutation (R2 and Q2 plots were well intercepted to each other) have further affirmed the significance and reliability of the partial least square (PLS) model of solvent polarity employed in extraction. Hence, these approaches help optimize postharvest processes that encourage positive TPC and CCs results in C. nutans extracts.