Antimicrobial activities of pomegranate rind extracts: enhancement by addition of metal salts and vitamin C

BACKGROUND: Punica granatum L. or pomegranates, have been reported to have antimicrobial activity against a range of Gram positive and negative bacteria. Pomegranate formulations containing ferrous salts have enhanced although short-term, antibacteriophage activities which are rapidly diminished owing to instability of the ferrous combination. The aim of this study was to determine the antimicrobial activities of combinations of pomegranate rind extracts (PRE) with a range of metals salts with the added stabiliser vitamin C. METHODS: PRE solutions, prepared by blending rind sections with distilled water prior to sterilisation by autoclaving or filtration, were screened with a disc diffusion assay using penicillin G as a control. Suspension assays were used to determine the antimicrobial activities of PRE alone and in combination with salts of the following metals; Fe (II), Cu (II), Mn (II) or Zn (II), and vitamin C, against a panel of microbes following exposure for 30 mins. The test organisms included Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus mirabilis. RESULTS: The screening assay demonstrated that PRE exhibited activity against the Gram positive organisms at 24 h with no observable effect on any of the Gram negative bacteria. However, after 12 h, zones of inhibition were only observed for Ps. aeruginosa. In contrast, using the suspension assay, addition of Cu (II) salts to PRE solutions extended the activities resulting in no detectable growth being observed for the PRE/Cu (II) combination against E. coli, Ps. aeruginosa and P. mirabilis. Minimal antimicrobial activity was observed following incubation with Fe (II), Mn (II) or Zn (II) salts alone or in combination with PRE against any of the organisms in the test panel. The addition of vitamin C markedly enhanced the activities of both PRE/Fe (II) and PRE/Cu (II) combinations against S. aureus. CONCLUSION: This is the first report demonstrating the enhanced efficacy of PRE/metal salt combinations in the presence of the stabilising agent vitamin C, to which all isolates were sensitive with the exception of B. subtilis. This study has validated the exploration of PRE along with additives such as metal salts and vitamin C as novel antimicrobial combinations

Anti-microbial activities of pomegranate rind extracts: enhancement by cupric sulphate against clinical isolates of S. aureus, MRSA and PVL positive CA-MSSA

BACKGROUND: Recently, natural products have been evaluated as sources of antimicrobial agents with efficacies against a variety of micro-organisms. METHODS: This report describes the antimicrobial activities of pomegranate rind extract (PRE) singularly and in combination with cupric sulphate against methicillin-sensitive and -resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA, MRSA respectively), and Panton-Valentine Leukocidin positive community acquired MSSA (PVL positive CA-MSSA). RESULTS: PRE alone showed limited efficacy against MRSA and MSSA strains. Exposure to copper (II) ions alone for 2 hours resulted in moderate activity of between 102 to 103 log10 cfu mL-1 reduction in growth. This was enhanced by the addition of PRE to 104 log10 cfu mL-1 reduction in growth being observed in 80% of the isolates. However, the PVL positive CA-MSSA strains were more sensitive to copper (II) ions which exhibited moderate activities of between 103 log10 cfu mL-1 reduction in growth for 60% of the isolates. CONCLUSION: PRE, in combination with Cu(II) ions, was seen to exhibit moderate antimicrobial effects against clinical isolates of MSSA, MRSA and PVL positive CA-MSSA isolates. The results of this study indicate that further investigation into the active ingredients of natural products, their mode of action and potential synergism with other antimicrobial agents is warranted. This is the first report of the efficacy of pomegranate against clinical PVL positive CA-MSSA isolates

Unlocking nature's potential: Green synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles and their multifaceted applications – A concise overview

In recent years, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZNPs) have gained tremendous attention attributed to their unique properties. It is the most desirable group of nanostructures as far as both structure and properties are concerned. It is an adaptable material that has distinctive properties, such as high sensitivity, large specific area, non-toxicity, good compatibility, and a high isoelectric point, which favors it to be considered with a few exceptions. They are utilized in an expanding number of mechanical items, for example, elastic, paint, coating, cosmetics, supercapacitors, Lithium batteries, color-sensitized sun-powered cells, photocatalysis, biosensors, biomedical and characteristic applications. They have brought a promising potential up in biomedicine, especially in the fields of anticancer and antibacterial fields, which are locked in with their solid ability to trigger plenitude reactive oxygen species (ROS) creation, discharge zinc particles, and instigate cell apoptosis. ZNPs have also been successfully utilized to transport and load drugs to target locations as drug carriers, reducing undesirable toxicity and non-target effects and increasing the synergistic effects. In addition, ZNPs display outstanding light assets and this property has made them one of the chief bioimaging applicants Thus, this paper reviews the biological synthesis of ZNPs by the microbes, the mechanisms of the biological synthesis, parameters for the optimization process and their potential application as an antimicrobial agent and feed supplement in the animal industry as well as their toxicological hazards on animals. Here, we summarize the synthesis and recent advances of ZNPs in the biomedical fields, which will be helpful for facilitating their future research progress and focusing on biomedical fields

O OR RI IG GI IN NA Morphological and topographical anatomy of nutrient foramina in human upper limb long bones and their surgical importance

Abstract Objectives: To study the morphology and topography of nutrient foramina and to determine the foraminal index of the upper limb long bones. Materials and Methods: The study comprised 243 upper limb long bones, which included humeri, radii, and ulnae. The nutrient foramina were identified macroscopically in all the bones and an elastic rubber band was applied around these foramina. The bones were photographed with the digital camera and foramen index was calculated. Each bone was divided into five equal parts and was analyzed topographically. Results: From our observations, 93.8% of the humeri had single nutrient foramen. The double foramen was observed in 3.1% of the cases and the foramen was found absent in 3.1% of the humeri. In case of radius, 94.4% had single foramen, 1.4% had double foramen, and in 4.2% of the cases, it was absent. With respect to ulna, all the 75 bones had single foramen. The mean foraminal index was 57.6 for the humerus, 34.4 for both the ulna and radius. The majority (70%) of the foramina in humerus were located at the 3/5 th part, 83.6% of the ulnae foramina at the 2/5 th part and 87.7% of the radii foramina at the 2/5 th part. Conclusions: The study has provided additional information on the morphology and topography of nutrient foramina in upper limb long bones. The knowledge about these foramina is useful in certain surgical procedures to preserve the circulation. As microvascular bone transfer is becoming more popular, a convention for the anatomical description of these foramina is important