New applied pharmacological approach/trend on utilization of agro-industrial wastes

Novel naringin tablet formulations of agro-resides based nano/micro crystalline cellulose with neuroprotective and Alzheimer ameliorative potentials

This study aimed to prepare micro/nanocrystalline cellulose-loaded naringin (NAR) tablets and evaluate their neuro-protective/therapeutic potentials in Alzheimer's disease (AD) model. Micro/nanocellulose was prepared from different agro-wastes, and the different cellulose preparations were then used to formulate eight oral tablets of naringin micro/nanoparticles by direct compression. AD-like symptoms were induced in adult male Sprague Dawley rats by co-administration of 150 mg/kg AlCl₃ and 300 mg/kg D-galactose (oral administration/one week), and NAR tablets were assessed for neuroprotective/therapeutic potentials in terms of behavioral changes, levels of neurodegenerative and inflammatory markers, brain redox status, neurotransmitter tones, and cortex/hippocampus histopathological alterations. NAR treatments have significantly reversed the neurotoxic effect of AlCl₃ as demonstrated by improved spatial and cognitive memory functions and promoted antioxidant defense mechanisms in treated AD animals. Also, the neurodegeneration was markedly restrained as reflected by marked histopathological enhancement, and prevention/amelioration of neuropsychiatric disorders, besides the restorative effect on dysregulated neurotransmitters tone. Both NAR tablet forms showed an overall higher ameliorative effect compared to the DPZ reference drug. The formulated tablets represent promising neuroprotective/therapeutic agents for Alzheimer's disease.

Enhanced Optimization of Bioethanol Production from Palm Waste Using the Taguchi Method

In the present study, palm fiber (PF) and palm fronds (PFN) were selected as local agricultural wastes for the extraction of different biopolymers (cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin) by alkaline sodium hydroxide (PF, 2.37% NaOH at 86.5 °C for 1.6 h; PFN, 6% NaOH at 90 °C for 1 h) and bioethanol production. The processes of extraction were optimized by the experimental design method of Taguchi. The total carbohydrates of PF and PFN obtained were 24.4% and 31.0%, respectively. In addition, the untreated palm fiber (UPF), untreated palm frond (UPFN), cellulose palm fibers (CPF), and cellulose palm fronds (CPFN) were subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis processes using crude enzymes and commercial enzymes at 48 °C and pH 5.5. The results indicate that the maximum reducing sugars used were CPF 229.90, CPFN 243.69, UPF 120.19, and UPFN 100.00 (mg/g), which were obtained at a crude enzyme loading. CPF and CPFN hydrolysates were then successfully converted into bioethanol by a separate enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Anaerobic cultivation of the hydrolysates with S.cerevisiae resulted in 0.222 g/g and 0.213 g/g bioethanol in the case of CPF and CPFN, respectively. Optimization processes could be an innovative approach to the sustainable development of bioethanol production.

Chemical characteristic and bioactivity of hemicellulose-based polysaccharides isolated from Salvia miltiorrhiza

Salvia miltiorrhiza roots (SMRs), the main component of cell wall from the residual waste extraction, differ depending on the forming ways of monosaccharides. The extraction from 8% sodium hydroxide solution (H-8) was characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), monosaccharide composition, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The structure model of hemicellulose-based polysaccharides (HBPs) was derived by combining one-dimensional and two-dimensional NMR. Monosaccharides difference and correlation were performed by partial least square analysis (PLS). Seven H-8s exhibited optimal inhibitory activities, which varied based on different sources of Danshen. The backbone structure indicated that 4-β-D-Xylp served as the main chain connected by 3-α-L-Araf or 5-α-L-Araf-1, 4-β-D-Galp, and β-D-Glcp branch, as well as α-L-Rhap, α-D-GalpA and α-D-GlcpA fragments. The variation of HBPs in terms of the structure and bioactivity of SMRs correlated with different cultivation sites can be a new approach to optimize and utilize the medical materials by chemical and biological aspects of natural macromolecules.

Bacterial cellulose/phytochemical's extracts biocomposites for potential active wound dressings

The present study describes the impregnation of coffee extract (CE) into bacterial cellulose synthesized from kombucha tea fungus (KBC) of different cellulose content, incubated for different incubation periods (2, 4, and 10 days), to prepare biocomposites having the potential for wound healing applications. Total polyphenols in hydroalcoholic extracts from ground roasted coffee and its release from the prepared biocomposites were determined as gallic acid equivalent. The polyphenols content was found to be 13.66 mg/g and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the CE was determined using colony-forming unit (CFU) method against Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus where the growth inhibition was 86 and 97% respectively. Biocomposites (KBC/CE) with the lowest cellulose and CE content showed the highest wet tensile stress (3.35 MPa), absorption of pseudo extracellular fluid (154.32% ± 4.84), and water vapor transmission rate (3184.94 ± 198.07 g/m²/day), whereas it showed the lowest polyphenols' release (51.85% ± 2.94)when immersed in PBS buffer of pH 7.4. The impregnation of CE into KBC provided biocomposites that can enlarge the range of BC in the biomedical application.