IFTM University

Background: Herbal medicines are widely investigated as supportive approaches for metabolic disorders because of their chemically diverse phytoconstituents and multitarget pharmacological potential. The present work was designed specifically as a formulation-development and quality-characterization study. A polyherbal tablet formulation incorporating hydroalcoholic extracts of Terminalia arjuna and Withania somnifera was formulated and subjected to systematic standardization. The developed formulation was assessed through pharmacognostic and physicochemical characterization, phytochemical screening, TLC fingerprint profiling, and evaluation of relevant tablet quality attributes. No in-vitro, in-vivo, or clinical anti-obesity efficacy experiment was performed in the present study; therefore, anti-obesity relevance is discussed only as a rationale for future pharmacological evaluation. Methods: The selected medicinal plants were authenticated and subjected to pharmacognostic, physicochemical, and phytochemical evaluations. Hydroalcoholic extracts were prepared and characterized using preliminary phytochemical screening and thin-layer chromatography (TLC) for qualitative standardization. Polyherbal tablets were formulated by the direct compression technique using suitable pharmaceutical excipients. The prepared tablets were evaluated for organoleptic characteristics, weight variation, hardness, thickness, friability, and disintegration time according to pharmacopeial guidelines. The developed formulation was further assessed for its overall pharmaceutical quality and suitability as a standardized herbal dosage form. Results: Pharmacognostic investigations confirmed the authenticity and quality of the selected plant materials. Physicochemical analysis and phytochemical screening demonstrated the presence of important bioactive constituents, including flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, phenolics, glycosides, and saponins. TLC fingerprinting produced distinct chromatographic profiles, supporting the identity and consistency of the herbal extracts. The formulated tablets exhibited acceptable physicochemical characteristics with uniform weight distribution, adequate hardness, low friability, appropriate thickness, and satisfactory disintegration time, indicating good mechanical strength and manufacturing quality. Conclusion: The developed polyherbal tablet demonstrated satisfactory pharmaceutical quality and successful phytochemical standardization, supporting its potential as a stable herbal formulation for future anti-obesity applications. The findings provide a scientific foundation for further investigations involving advanced analytical standardization, dissolution profiling, stability studies, and clinical evaluation to establish its therapeutic efficacy.

During the acidizing process of petroleum oil wells aimed at increasing oil production, a 15% HCl solution is introduced into the oil well via N80 steel (NS) tubing. This study examines the effectiveness of two pyrrolederived compounds, N2,N4-bis(4-(4-methoxyphenyl)thiazol-2-yl)-3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrrole-2,4-dicarboxamide (MPTP) and N2,N4-bis(4-(4-chlorophenyl)thiazol-2-yl)-3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrrole-2,4-dicarboxamide (CPTP), in inhibiting corrosion on NS in a 15% HCl solution through methods such as weight loss, electrochemical analysis, surface examination, contact angle measurement and computational methods. The investigated pyrrole derivatives (MPTP and CPTP) were synthesized using green chemistry principles, minimizing the use of harmful solvents and reagents. Both inhibitors offer higher inhibition efficiency as compared to most of the similar type of inhibitors reported in literature. MPTP and CPTP offered maximum inhibition efficiencies of 98.1% and 96.4 %, respectively, at 303 K with a dosage of 250 ppm, while retaining significant performance at 333 K (83.02% and 74.3%, respectively). Both MPTP and CPTP demonstrated mixed inhibitory behavior, exhibiting both anodic and cathodic characteristics, and adsorbed onto NS through a mixed adsorption process that follows the Langmuir isotherm. The analyses conducted using FESEM, AFM, and XPS indicated the presence of a protective film formed by the inhibitors, which is responsible for the corrosion inhibition observed on the NS surface. Molecular modeling (DFT, Fukui and Monte Carlo simulation) studies supported the experimental results. Thus investigated inhibitors may find application in petroleum production industry.

Nanocomposites of biopolymers and metal oxides have become an area of major interest in the field of environmental monitoring (antibiotics, dyes, and heavy metal detection) and biomedicine due to their specific physicochemical characteristics, which include antimicrobial activity, compatibility with biological entities, and drug-carrying capacity, as well as their ability to augment imaging and therapeutic strategies. So, in this present study, a novel carboxymethyl tamarind kernel gum (CMTKG)-stabilized copper oxide (CuO) nanocomposite was synthesized via an in situ approach. The synthesized CMTKG/CuO nanocomposite was thoroughly characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), zeta potential, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), field emission electron microscopy (FESEM), and energy-dispersive x-ray (EDX) analysis to elucidate its structural, morphological, and elemental characteristics. Furthermore, cyclic voltammetry (CV) was applied to assess the electrochemical performance of the CMTKG/CuO nanocomposite toward antibiotic drug detection, tetracycline hydrochloride (TC), while antibacterial assays were carried out to evaluate its inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The developed nanocomposite demonstrated a well-defined linear response in the concentration range of 5.0 & times; 10-5 - 5.0 & times; 10-4 M (R = 0.968), exhibiting a moderate sensitivity (0.697 & micro;A & micro;M-1 cm-2) along with a limit of detection (3.43 & times; 10-5 M) for TC. The nanocomposite showed significant antibacterial activity with inhibition zone diameters of 13.3 and 15.3 for E. coli and S. aureus after 24 h of incubation. The CMTKG/CuO nanocomposite exhibits strong potential for biomedical and environmental applications through drug detection.

The efficiency and sustainability of solar panels throughout the day remain significant challenges, primarily due to the temperature rise in solar cell materials during peak sunlight hours, which reduces their efficiency. This study aims to enhance the efficiency of solar panels using an air-cooling mechanism. Based on prior insights, an indoor experimental setup was developed, featuring a cooling system with 196 circular pin fins, each with a diameter of 3 mm and a length of 16 mm, mounted on the rear surface of the solar panel. An aluminum heat sink of 3 mm thickness was integrated to support the fins, while a variable-speed fan supplied airflow across the fins. The solar flux and airflow rate were identified as critical parameters influencing solar panel efficiency. These parameters were optimized using Response Surface Methodology, with ranges of 400-800 W/m2 for solar flux and 0.01-0.02 m3/s for airflow rate. Optimization was performed using MINITAB 17 and Design Expert 18 software. The optimized input conditions, solar flux of 403.33 W/m2 and airflow rate of 0.0221 m3/s, yielded the following outcomes: exergy efficiency of 15.79%, power output of 4.12 Wp, module temperature of 22.43 degrees C, and solar panel efficiency of 14.48%, with a composite desirability score of 0.5737. This work is novel and new in its simple and light weight arrangement as compared to heavy vibrating pumps required in liquid and nano-fluid cooling. Additionally, the optimization approach and economic analysis of the solar panel cooling system are relatively new and have received little attention in previous literature. Perturbation plots revealed that solar flux had a more pronounced effect on panel performance compared to airflow rate. This study highlights the potential of air-cooling systems to mitigate midday efficiency losses and improve the operational sustainability of solar panels. The findings contribute to advancing cooling technologies for solar energy systems, promoting greater energy efficiency and reliability.

Chronic liver diseases, such as cirrhosis and carcinoma caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV), remain an important global health issue. Despite availabilities of efficacious nucleoside analogs-based drugs, the emergence of HBV polymerase mutations associated with drug resistance restrict their clinical use. Therefore, phytochemicals have been reported for promising anti-HBV activities in vitro or in vivo. In this study, we have assessed the anti-HBV potential of myristicin and isoimperatorin, isolated from the n-hexane extract of Petroselinum crispum and characterized by NMR spectroscopy. Both compounds (6.25-50.0 mu g/mL) pre-tested for their nonhepatocytotoxicity in cultured HepG2.2.15 cells, were subjected to anti-HBV assays using HBsAg and HBeAg ELISA kits. At the selected optimal-active dose (12.5 mu g/mL), the compounds showed dose-and time-dependent activities in relation to the untreated control at day 5. Therein, while Myristicin moderately inhibited HBsAg (similar to 38.2%) and HBeAg (similar to 36.6%), isoimperatorin strongly suppressed HBsAg (similar to 60.2%) and HBeAg (58.9%) close to those of Quercetin (standard). Further molecular docking analysis of isoimperatorin with HBV polymerase revealed high docking score (-8.6 kcal/mol) comparable to lamivudine (standard), suggesting its anti-HBV effect through blocking the polymerase enzymatic activity. In conclusion, to our best knowledge, we demonstrate significantly strong anti-HBV efficacy of isoimperatorin, warranting its further pre-clinical studies.