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R Nagarajan
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R Nagarajan
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R Nagarajan
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Nagarajan, Ramamurthy
Nagarajan, R.
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8 results
Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
- PublicationToxicity of clove (Syzygium aromaticum) extract(01-01-2022)
;Nirmala, M. Joyce ;Shiny, P. J. ;Raj, Uppada Sumanth ;Saikrishna, NarasaA common spice, Syzygium aromaticum is widely known as clove; this is the flower bud of a tree that belongs to the Myrtaceae family. With its origin in Indonesia, it has found application in medicine in Asian and western countries. It has taken a prominent place in alternative medicine and as a food flavoring agent. The clove buds contain several compounds of interest, such as eugenol, eugenyl acetate, trans-caryophyllene, β-caryophyllene, polyphenols, tannins, and triterpenoids. These rich bioactives make it a sought-after home remedy for illness from dental complications to inflammation of several kinds. The active compounds have been effectively extracted using solvents such as water, ethanol, and methanol. These compounds contribute to the fragrance and antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal properties, which underpin its enormous applications in the food and flavoring industries. Despite these beneficial properties, they may elicit some adverse reactions when administered at higher concentrations. Clove buds and their extracts containing active compounds, or the standalone compounds such as eugenol and oleoresins, have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a food additive. The phenolics-rich fraction of clove has been reported to show no adverse effects on Wistar rats at 1000mg/kg body weight/day. A few research reports are indicative of the extract affecting the reproductive indices in animal models. However, the studies related to the toxic exposure of clove extracts are limited due to the highly variable nature of the sources and their constituents extracted thereafter. This work discusses the toxicity of different types of clove extracts. - PublicationNanoemulsion of Mentha arvensis Essential Oil as an Anticancer Agent in Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Cells and as an Antibacterial Agent in Staphylococcus aureus(01-12-2021)
;Nirmala, M. Joyce ;Durai, Latha ;Anusha, Giddaluri SubhadraThe Mentha arvensis essential oil, due to its poor aqueous solubility and the lack of a proper formulation, has found very limited clinical use. In this study, Mentha oil nanoemulsion was formulated using ultrasonication of Mentha oil with tween 80 and water, and its role as a potential anticancer and antibacterial agent was evaluated. Surfactant concentration and emulsification time play an important role in optimization of nanoemulsions. A clear and stable nanoemulsion (M3C) with a droplet diameter in the nanometric range was obtained in a sonication time of 20 min. The anticancer activity of the nanoscale-based Mentha oil emulsion was evaluated by various cell culture techniques including MTT, colony formation assay, and Annexin V apoptotic assay. The result of Annexin V-FITC assay, marker of apoptosis, clearly displays the induction of early apoptosis in anaplastic/aggressive thyroid cancer cell line (HTh-7). Also, M3C demonstrated antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213). In addition, interaction of M3C with the pathogen caused structural changes in the lipid cell membrane of pathogen, with increased leakage of cytoplasmic contents as assessed through the absorbance value of 260 nm. Agar well diffusion, along with membrane integrity analysis, also validated the antimicrobial activity. The results of this translational research are expected to substantiate the potential for use of Mentha oil in therapeutic studies, as well as in anticancer and antibacterial therapy. - PublicationNano-scale emulsion system of Tulsi essential oil and its applications(01-01-2018)
;Nirmala, M. Joyce ;Gopakumar, Vineet ;Mahajan, Prakhar ;Bollapalli, SaikumarThe progress of nanotechnology in medicine has lead to novel findings. The current strategy of developing plant based nano-scale emulsion is gaining more importance due to their uniqueness and potent applications. The current research focuses on formulation, physico-chemical characterization and antibacterial effects of Tulsi (Ocimum Sanctum) oil nano-scale emulsion system using cost-effective technique. The formulation is composed of Tulsi oil, tween 20 and water at specified concentrations. Conventional titration technique is employed in generating uniform and spherical nano-sized droplets with Z -average size of 1743 ± 025 nm. Optimization of the best formulation (H3) was done through the construction of ternary phase diagram, stability studies and physico-chemical characterization. The formulation exhibited good stability, optical clarity, low-viscosity, and polydispersity index. The nano-scale system demonstrated antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213). The bio-nano-interaction caused structural modification in the pathogen and demonstrated cytoplasmic contents leakage as assessed through membrane permeability study. Hence, this bio-based formulation could be of importance for further use in various biomedical applications. - PublicationPreparation of celery essential oil-based nanoemulsion by ultrasonication and evaluation of its potential anticancer and antibacterial activity(01-01-2020)
;Nirmala, M. Joyce ;Durai, Latha ;Gopakumar, VineetIntroduction: Plants have always been a significant source of natural active components with biological properties. Celery seed oil (extracted from Apium graveolens) has several potential applications, but its therapeutic uses in the form of nanoemulsion formulation need to be investigated further in order to meet the demand in cancer treatment, and to alleviate the prevailing crisis arising from increased antimicrobial resistance. Methods: The therapeutic potential of celery seed oil was investigated through the formulation and testing of a nanoemulsion developed with Tween 80 (a non-ionic surfactant) and the utilization of an ultrasonication technique. Anticancer and apoptotic properties of the formulation were evaluated through MTT and Annexin V-FITC assays. The clonogenic assay aided in the identification of the antiproliferative properties of the formulation on oral squamous cell carcinoma. The antimicrobial study was supported by agar well diffusion assay, membrane integrity test and scanning electron microscopy. Results: Experiments identified relevant parameters, including optimal surfactant concentration and emulsification time. GC-MS analysis identified various components in the celery oil, but not their biological activities. A sonication time of 20 min resulted in a droplet diameter of 23.4 ± 1.80 nm. The IC50 concentration of the optimal nanoemulsion formulation against SAS cells was 1.4 µL/mL. At this concentration, cell proliferation was significantly reduced through inhibition of the anchorage-independent cell growth by disrupting colony formation and inducing cell death (apoptosis) of cancer cells. The nanoemulsion was also treated with a microbial suspension of S. aureus, and displayed antibacterial properties through lipid membrane fusion, causing cytoplasmic leakage as verified through agar well diffusion and membrane permeability assays. Scanning electron microscopy revealed complete distortion of the bacterial pathogen. Conclusion: The results in this study present celery as a possible constituent for cancer therapeutics and as a candidate for aggressive, yet safe cancer treatment. The celery-based nanoemulsion has the potential to act as a key alternative to standard antibiotic therapy. - PublicationCancer nanomedicine: a review of nano-therapeutics and challenges ahead(14-03-2023)
;Nirmala, M. Joyce ;Kizhuveetil, Uma ;Johnson, Athira ;Balaji, G.; Cancer is known as the most dangerous disease in the world in terms of mortality and lack of effective treatment. Research on cancer treatment is still active and of great social importance. Since 1930, chemotherapeutics have been used to treat cancer. However, such conventional treatments are associated with pain, side effects, and a lack of targeting. Nanomedicines are an emerging alternative due to their targeting, bioavailability, and low toxicity. Nanoparticles target cancer cells via active and passive mechanisms. Since FDA approval for Doxil®, several nano-therapeutics have been developed, and a few have received approval for use in cancer treatment. Along with liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, polymeric nanoparticles, and nanoemulsions, even newer techniques involving extracellular vesicles (EVs) and thermal nanomaterials are now being researched and implemented in practice. This review highlights the evolution and current status of cancer therapy, with a focus on clinical/pre-clinical nanomedicine cancer studies. Insight is also provided into the prospects in this regard. - PublicationGreen nanoemulsions: Components, formulation, techniques of characterization, and applications(01-01-2022)
;Nirmala, M. Joyce ;Dhas, Sindhu Priya ;Saikrishna, Narasa ;Raj, Uppada Sumanth ;Sai, Padamata ShaliniNowadays, there is a growing interest in developing innovative and efficient ecofriendly, nontoxic, and organic supplements. As time passes, there will be an exponential rise in demand for even greener products. Green nanoemulsions are one set of healthy, green, and sustainable colloidal systems that meet these criteria and standards. As the name suggests, green nanoemulsions are nano-sized emulsions that are kinetically stable, safer, and have improved functional properties than conventional emulsions. Nanoemulsions are generally oil and water dispersed into each other, with one component serving as a medium (continuous or external phase). In contrast, the other is suspended into the medium (discontinuous or internal phase). This chapter focuses on nanoemulsion components, formulation, characterization techniques, and applications in the food and agro-based sectors. The component segment covers a broad range of prevalent trends in the food industries from flavor oils to nutraceutical lipids, available in capsules and other well-known additives such as vitamins, colorants, and sweeteners. Subsequent topics concentrate on preparing green nanoemulsions using high-energy and low-energy approaches and their characterization for physical-chemical properties, stability, and rheology. All these, together with the various applications of green nanoemulsions in food and agro-based industries and future aspects in respective fields, are also discussed and summarized in this chapter. - PublicationAntibacterial and cytotoxic effects of turmeric root oil-based nano-scale system(01-08-2018)
;Nirmala, M. Joyce ;Mahajan, Prakhar ;Rakesh, ArjunNanotechnology involving natural sources, and their relevance in the view of medicine, is an emerging field of advancement in the recent past. Few such products have been commercialized, especially with regard to pharmaceutical industry. In this context, there are recent innovations in spice-based nano-scale emulsions that fully exploit their unique properties and versatility. Among these, turmeric or curcumin-based nano-formulations are widely investigated due to their potential application as an antimicrobial and cytotoxic agent. Our current research involves the development and characterization of turmeric root oil-based nano-scale emulsion with potent medicinal applications. Only three bio-based components are involved in this study that also involves turmeric oil, tween 20 surfactant, and water. The nano-sized droplets are produced spontaneously and uniformly without high energy consumption and at room temperature. The formulations were optimized by the construction of a ternary phase diagram, and subjected to stability and physicochemical characterization studies. Our optimized formulation (TU5) was a clear, optically transparent, low viscosity, oil-in-water emulsion with droplets in the size range of 22±1 nm having minimum polydispersity index. This formulation demonstrated cytotoxic activity in colon cancer cell lines (HCT-116 wild type); and exhibited good antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213). - PublicationUltrasonic nanoemulsification of cuminum cyminum essential oil and its applications in medicine(01-01-2020)
;Nirmala, M. Joyce ;Durai, Latha ;Rao, Kagitala AnveshBackground and Study: Cumin seed oil (extracted from Cuminum cyminum) has many applications but conclusive evidence of its therapeutic uses has not been presented. This study has explored the anticancer and antibacterial properties of the seed oil. Methods: The cumin nanoemulsion was prepared with Tween 80 non-ionic surfactant employing ultra-sonication technology. The anticancer activity of the nanoscale-based emulsion was evaluated through cell viability (MTT), antiproliferation evaluation through clonogenic assay, and apoptosis through Annexin V-FITC assay. Agar well diffusion was used to study the antimicrobial activity, and this was supported by membrane integrity analysis. Results: A thorough study of process parameters, aimed at obtaining the optimal surface concentration and emulsification time, was completed. GC-MS data indicated cumaldehyde as a major component. The resultant droplet diameter after a sonication time of 5 min was 10.4 ± 0.5 nm. MTT assay revealed the IC50 value at 1.5 µL/mL and the early induction of apoptosis was evident. Tongue carcinoma cell line treated with cumin nanoemulsion presented a diminished colony formation. The nanoemulsion exhibited significant antibacterial activity against S. aureus. A significant cytoplasmic leakage was observed on treatment with cumin nanoemulsion. The consequences of the analysis projected cumin as a potential component for cancer therapy. Conclusion: This study provides definitive evidence for cumin essential oil nanoemulsion as a legitimate plant-based medicine that can bypass the drawbacks of the present aggressive treatment of cancer, can overcome the antimicrobial resistance, and can also meet all prerequisites.