Anticorrosive and Microbial Inhibition Performance of a Coating Loaded with Andrographis paniculata on Stainless Steel in Seawater

Sulfonated Zinc Phthalocyanine Coating as an Efficient and Ecofriendly Corrosion Inhibitor for Copper Surfaces: An In Silico Led Design and Its Experimental Validation

The current study highlights the successful integration of an in silico design with experimental validation to create a highly effective corrosion inhibitor for copper (Cu) surfaces. The synthesized sulfonated zinc phthalocyanine (Zn-Pc) is electrochemically characterized and demonstrates an impressive 97% inhibition efficiency, comparable to the widely used industrial corrosion inhibitor, BTA, for Cu surfaces. The corrosion inhibition is comprehensively analyzed through potentiodynamic polarization and impedance spectroscopy techniques, supported by their respective equivalent circuits. Furthermore, the sample undergoes thorough characterization using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, contact angle measurements, and atomic force microscopy. Density functional theory calculations reveal that sulfonated Zn-Pc exhibits the highest interaction energy, underscoring its exceptional inhibition properties. These results open possibilities for utilizing computational methods to design and optimize corrosion inhibitors for protection of Cu surfaces.

Natural Medicine a Promising Candidate in Combating Microbial Biofilm

Studies on biofilm-related infections are gaining prominence owing to their involvement in most clinical infections and seriously threatening global public health. A biofilm is a natural form of bacterial growth ubiquitous in ecological niches, considered to be a generic survival mechanism adopted by both pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms and entailing heterogeneous cell development within the matrix. In the ecological niche, quorum sensing is a communication channel that is crucial to developing biofilms. Biofilm formation leads to increased resistance to unfavourable ecological effects, comprising resistance to antibiotics and antimicrobial agents. Biofilms are frequently combated with modern conventional medicines such as antibiotics, but at present, they are considered inadequate for the treatment of multi-drug resistance; therefore, it is vital to discover some new antimicrobial agents that can prevent the production and growth of biofilm, in addition to minimizing the side effects of such therapies. In the search for some alternative and safe therapies, natural plant-derived phytomedicines are gaining popularity among the research community. Phytomedicines are natural agents derived from natural plants. These plant-derived agents may include flavonoids, terpenoids, lectins, alkaloids, polypeptides, polyacetylenes, phenolics, and essential oils. Since they are natural agents, they cause minimal side effects, so could be administered with dose flexibility. It is vital to discover some new antimicrobial agents that can control the production and growth of biofilms. This review summarizes and analyzes the efficacy characteristics and corresponding mechanisms of natural-product-based antibiofilm agents, i.e., phytochemicals, biosurfactants, antimicrobial peptides, and their sources, along with their mechanism, quorum sensing signalling pathways, disrupting extracellular matrix adhesion. The review also provides some other strategies to inhibit biofilm-related illness. The prepared list of newly discovered natural antibiofilm agents could help in devising novel strategies for biofilm-associated infections.