A novel, highly sensitive electrochemical 1,4-dioxane sensor based on reduced graphene oxide-curcumin nanocomposite

Graphene-silymarin-loaded chitosan/gelatin/hyaluronic acid hybrid constructs for advanced full-thickness burn wound management

Burn wounds (BWs) with extensive blood loss, along with bacterial infections and poor healing, may become detrimental and pose significant rehabilitation obstacles in medical facilities. Therefore, the freeze-drying method synthesized novel hemocompatible chitosan, gelatin, and hyaluronic acid infused with graphene oxide-silymarin (CGH-SGO) hybrid constructs for application as a BW patch. Most significantly, synthesized hybrid constructs exhibited an interconnected-porous framework with precise pore sizes (≈118.52 µm) conducive to biological functions. Furthermore, the FTIR and XRD analyses document the constructs' physiochemical interactions. Similarly, enhanced swelling ratios, adequate WVTR (736 ± 78 g m-2 hr-1), and bio-degradation rates were seen during the physiological examination of constructs. Following the in vitro investigations, SMN-GO added to constructs improved their anti-bacterial (against E.coli and S. aureus), anti-oxidant, hemocompatible, and bio-compatible characteristics in conjunction with prolonged drug release. Furthermore, in vivo, implanting constructs on wounds exhibited significant acceleration in full-thickness burn wound (FT-BW) healing on the 14th day (CGH-SGO: 95 ± 2.1 %) in contrast with the control (Gauze: 71 ± 4.2 %). Additionally, contrary to gauze, the in vivo rat tail excision model administered with constructs assured immediate blood clotting. Therefore, CGH-SGO constructs with an improved porous framework, anti-bacterial activity, hemocompatibility, and biocompatibility could represent an attractive option for healing FT-BWs.

Fabrication of Curcumin-Based Electrochemical Nanosensors for the Detection of Environmental Pollutants: 1,4-Dioxane and Hydrazine

This work reports the development of novel curcuminoid-based electrochemical sensors for the detection of environmental pollutants from water. In this study, the first set of electrochemical experiments was carried out using curcumin-conjugated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-CM) for 1,4-dioxane detection. The MWCNT-CM/GCE showed good sensitivity (103.25 nA nM-1 cm-2 in the linear range 1 nM to 1 µM), with LOD of 35.71 pM and LOQ of 108.21 pM. The second set of electrochemical experiments was carried out with bisdemethoxy curcumin analog quantum dots (BDMCAQD) for hydrazine detection. The BDMCAQD/GCE exhibited good sensitivity (74.96 nA nM-1 cm-2 in the linear range 100 nM to 1 µM), with LOD of 10 nM and LOQ of 44.93 nM. Thus, this work will serve as a reference for the fabrication of metal-free electrochemical sensors using curcuminoids as the redox mediator for the enhanced detection of environmental pollutants.

Preparation, Characterization, and Evaluation of Curcumin-Graphene Oxide Complex-Loaded Liposomes against Staphylococcus aureus in Topical Disease

This study describes the development and characterization of curcumin with graphene oxide complex (CUR + GO) loaded into liposomes for treating skin disease. The developed complex was characterized by X-ray diffraction and showed a broad halo pattern, confirming the amorphous nature of the resulting complex. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy revealed the irregular porous morphology of the complex-highlighting loss of the crystallinity and the emergence of the amorphous phase. Additionally, the liposomes showed long-term stability at 2-8 °C and 25 ± 2 °C/60 ± 5%RH with nonsignificant variations in the particle size, polydispersity index, and zeta potential. Overall, optical and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images of liposomes showed a consistent shape, and no aggregation with uniform particle size distribution was observed. Furthermore, the cumulative drug release in the first 6 h was 71.24 and 64.24% for CUR-loaded liposomes and CUR-GO-loaded liposomes, respectively. The lower value of drug release might be attributed to the complex development. The drug release model found the first order with non-Fickian diffusion process, which is often observed at higher n > 0.5. The antibacterial activity of the CUR with GO-loaded liposome (D2) offered higher anti-microbial activity over other formulations against the mentioned bacterial microorganism that causes skin diseases.