Stimuli-responsive smart materials for biomedical applications have gained significant attention because of their potential for selectivity and sensitivity in biological systems. Even though ample stimuli-responsive materials are available, the use of traditional Ayurvedic compounds in the fabrication of pharmaceuticals is limited. Among various materials, gels are one of the essential classes because of their molecular-level tunability with little effort from the environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStreptococcus pneumoniae, a leading cause of corneal infections worldwide, are extremely aggressive despite antibiotic sensitivity and exhibit increased resistance towards antibiotics. Antimicrobial peptides are often considered as potent alternatives against antibiotic resistance and here we have investigated the possible roles of S100A12, a host defense peptide, in wound healing and S. pneumoniae infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of McCarey-Kaufman (MK) medium supplemented with colistin and amphotericin B in inhibiting the growth of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas (P.) aeruginosa , using an ex vivo experimental model with human donor corneas.
Methods: Cadaveric human corneas deemed unsuitable for corneal transplantation were obtained, and MK media were supplemented with colistin and amphotericin B.
Fungal keratitis is the foremost cause of corneal infections worldwide, of which Fusariumspp. is the common etiological agent that causes loss of vision and warrants surgical intervention. An increase in resistance to the available drugs along with severe side effects of the existing antifungals demands for new effective antimycotics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDelivery of therapeutic agents through contact lenses-like patches is a promising strategy to achieve significant bioavailability with negligible eye drainage. The present study investigates the preparation and 3D printing of mucoadhesive gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA)/chitosan methacryloyl (ChiMA) hydrogels to fabricate them as contact lens-like patches (CLP) loaded with antimicrobial peptide, S100A12 (AMP) for treating bacterial keratitis (BK). Extrusion technology is used to print the patches layer by layer to form a hemispherical scaffold suitable for eyewear, and 3D-printed CLP is crosslinked using Irgacure 2959 under UV light.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen and is the major cause of corneal infections in India and worldwide. The increase in antimicrobial resistance among Pseudomonas has prompted rise in significant research to develop alternative therapeutics. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are considered as potent alternatives to combat bacterial infections.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBacterial keratitis (BK) is a leading cause of visual impairment. The fluoroquinolone antibiotic moxifloxacin (Mox), being highly water-soluble, suffers from poor corneal penetration leading to unsatisfactory therapeutic outcomes in BK. Here, we prepared Mox-loaded co-polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) by entrapping the drug in co-polymeric NPs constituted by the self-assembly of a water-soluble copolymer, poly(ethylene glycol)-b-p(hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide (mPH).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Vivax malaria is associated with significant morbidity and economic loss, and constitutes the bulk of malaria cases in large parts of Asia and South America as well as recent case reports in Africa. The widespread prevalence of vivax is a challenge to global malaria elimination programmes. Vivax malaria control is particularly challenged by existence of dormant liver stage forms that are difficult to treat and are responsible for multiple relapses, growing drug resistance to the asexual blood stages and host-genetic factors that preclude use of specific drugs like primaquine capable of targeting Plasmodium vivax liver stages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis the leading cause of bacterial keratitis in the developing world with a growing trend of acquiring resistance against various antibiotics. In the current study, we determined the expression of different antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in response to in patients, as well as in primary and immortalized human corneal epithelial cells. We further focused on LL-37 and determined its expression in human cornea infected with and studied the killing ability of LL-37 against The expression of AMPs was determined by quantitative PCR and the phosphorylation of signaling proteins was evaluated by immunoblot analysis.
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