Crocetin as New Cross-Linker for Bioactive Sericin Nanoparticles

The nose-to-brain delivery route is used to bypass the blood–brain barrier and deliver drugs directly into the brain. Over the years, significant signs of progress have been made in developing nano-drug delivery systems to address the very low drug transfer levels seen with conventional formulations (e.g., nasal solutions). In this paper, sericin nanoparticles were prepared using crocetin as a new bioactive natural cross-linker (NPc) and compared to sericin nanoparticles prepared with glutaraldehyde (NPg). The mean diameter of NPc and NPg was about 248 and 225 nm, respectively, and suitable for nose-to-brain delivery. The morphological investigation revealed that NPc are spherical-like particles with a smooth surface, whereas NPg seem small and rough. NPc remained stable at 4 °C for 28 days, and when freeze-dried with 0.1% w/v of trehalose, the aggregation was prevented. The use of crocetin as a natural cross-linker significantly improved the in vitro ROS-scavenging ability of NPc with respect to NPg. Both formulations were cytocompatible at all the concentrations tested on human fibroblasts and Caco-2 cells and protected them against oxidative stress damage. In detail, for NPc, the concentration of 400 µg/mL resulted in the most promising to maintain the cell metabolic activity of fibroblasts higher than 90%. Overall, the results reported in this paper support the employment of NPc as a nose-to-brain drug delivery system, as the brain targeting of antioxidants is a potential tool for the therapy of neurological diseases.

Nanotherapeutics using all-natural materials. Effective treatment of wound biofilm infections using crosslinked nanoemulsions

All-natural cross-linked nanoemulsions provide effective treatment of wound biofilm infections.

THE EFFECTS OF VARIOUS OPENING SIZES AND CONFIGURATIONS TO AIR FLOW DISPERSION AND VELOCITY IN CROSS-VENTILATED BUILDING

The application of natural cross-ventilation in buildings located in the area where the wind speed is low is such a challenge. In hot and humid climate, sufficient air velocity is necessary in providing thermal comfort. Hence, this study intends to investigate the possibility of enhancing the indoor air velocity and flow distribution by employing the Venturi effect at the openings. Two research methods were applied namely field measurement and numerical simulation. The field measurement was executed at a single zone cross-ventilated building. Its purpose is to validate the numerical simulation steps and procedures. Meanwhile, investigations of the air velocity and flow distribution were conducted using ANSYS FLUENT CFD software. The findings indicate that the Venturi effect did occur at the openings. Providing a confined area at the inlet may enhance the Venturi effect, thus increasing the indoor air velocity. Based on the investigated scenario, it is found that the highest indoor air velocity of 0.2 m/s was achieved for the 75 % opening size with 1.5 m projection. This value indicated enhancement as the outdoor air velocity near the inlet was around 0.14 m/s only. The findings also indicate that the indoor air flow distribution of high air velocity focused more at the area of flow path between the inlet and outlet. The findings can be as guidance in enhancing the natural cross-ventilation in buildings especially that are located at the area where the wind speed is low. Nevertheless, the findings are limited to low-rise building with such opening configuration. Further study needs to be executed to determine the effects to other opening configurations and building heights.