Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Activity of Ficus carica-Mediated Calcium Oxide (CaONPs) Phyto-Nanoparticles

The Natural Ficus carica L. (fig) Extract as an Effective Prophylactic Antibacterial Agent for Inflammation-Related Infections

Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) is a multidrug-resistance Gram-negative organism responsible for carbapenem-resistant infections. These challenges have inspired studies on the use of natural products as alternatives to conventional drugs. The aim of this study was to analyze the antibacterial and antioxidant effects of Ficus carica L. (fig) branch extracts and to perform in vivo animal experiments to better understand the absorption mechanisms of the antibacterial components during the digestion process after oral administration. The antibacterial components of the fig branch extracts were analyzed via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). An in vivo animal study and liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-QQQ-MS/MS) analyses were performed to analyze the deacetylation reactions of the fig extracts after oral administration in mice. Ultimately, the antibacterial effects of the fig extracts increased with the fractional distillation time. The fig extracts showed excellent antibacterial effects against K. pneumoniae, as well as Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). The three antibacterial and antioxidant components of the fig extracts were revealed to be eugenol, acetyleugenol, and psoralen. Interestingly, in this study, we identified acetyleugenol in the phenolic compounds of the fig extract for the first time. Through in vivo animal testing, we observed the deacetylation reaction of acetyleugenol to eugenol in the fig extract as digestion proceeded in the internal organs of the mice after oral administration. The results of this study suggest the use of natural fig extract as an effective therapeutic and prophylactic antibacterial agent for inflammation-related infections with a wide variety of biomedical applications.

Multifunctional Spirogyra-hyalina-Mediated Barium Oxide Nanoparticles (BaONPs): Synthesis and Applications

This research aims to biosynthesize Barium oxide nanoparticles (BaONPs) for biomedical applications, using Spirogyra hyalina as a stabilizing and reducing agent. UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy-dispersive X-ray, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to physiochemically characterize the barium oxide nanoparticles, while antibacterial, minimum inhibitory concentration, antifungal, free radicle scavenging, and anti-inflammatory assay were performed to assess the therapeutic potential of the synthesized BaONPs. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed bands at 615 and 692 cm-1 that corresponded to the formation of BaONPs. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the spherical and flower-shaped morphology of BaONPs having an average diameter of 64.01 ± 2.0 nm. Both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial growth was halted by the barium nanoparticles, demonstrating their efficacy up to 19.12 ± 0.31 mm against E. coli, 18.83 ± 0.44 mm against Klebsiella pneumoniae, 17.31 ± 0.59 mm against P. aeruginosa, 16.56 ± 0.37 mm against S. aureus, and 15.75 ± 0.38 mm against S. epidermidis, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration was 9.0, 6.3, 5.5, 4.5, and 2.0 µg/mL for S. aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, S. epidermidis, P. aeruginosa, and E. coli, respectively. BaONPs were not that effective against fungal strains such as Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium solani, and Fusarium proliferatum. The BaONPs exhibited potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity through inhibiting cyclooxygenases type 1 (43.12 ± 1.21%) and 2 (41.23 ± 1.56%), and DPPH free radicles up to 43.52 ± 0.29% at 400 µg/mL. In conclusion, the biomolecules derived from Spirogyra hyalina have demonstrated remarkable ability to generate stable nanoparticles, offering promising prospects for their utilization as therapeutic agents and coating materials in various biomedical applications.