Natural Materials Research Articles

Cinnamon oil value addition in natural rubber latex‐organic peroxide vulcanization system

AbstractNatural rubber is a sustainable material which plays a vital role in a wide variety of applications. Value additions to this natural material enhance its horizons of utilization and encompass multiple advantages. This endeavor focuses on elevating the properties of the natural rubber latex (NRL)‐dicumyl peroxide vulcanization system with the utilization of cinnamon oil (CIN‐OIL). CIN‐OIL was characterized by GCMS, FTIR, and UV–Vis. The FTIR and TGA have confirmed the incorporation of the CIN‐OIL into the NRL. Swelling studies confirmed that the addition of CIN‐OIL has not interfered with the process of peroxy crosslinking. The adhesive peel test and facial tissue test clearly concluded that CIN‐OIL has reduced the initial tackiness of the material which is apparent in peroxy NR vulcanizates. Tear strength and modulus values were increased with CIN‐OIL due to the formation of physical crosslinking. Weathering tests confirmed the higher degradability of the CIN‐OIL‐added NRL samples. Furthermore, films were tested positive for antibacterial activity against both gram‐positive and gram‐negative bacteria. Along with the enhanced degradability, antibacterial activity, reduced initial tackiness, and enhanced mechanical properties, CIN‐OIL in NRL has enriched its qualities.

Design, synthesis, and anti-breast cancer activity evaluation of novel 3-cyanopyridine derivatives as PIM-1 inhibitors

AbstractA novel series of cyanopyridines 7a-j were synthesized via a one-pot multicomponent reaction of arylidene 4 with ammonium acetate 5 and respective methylaryl/heterylketones 6a-j in ethanol using vanillin as a natural starting material. Moreover, the regioselective alkylation reaction was studied by the treatment of cyanopyridines 7a-f and 7j with CH3I in the presence of K2CO3 in DMF to afford O-methylcyanopyridines 8a-g (major) and N-methylcyanopyridines 9a-g (minor), whereas bipyridine 7h gave bipyridinium iodide salt 10. All of the designed cyanopyridines were evaluated as anti-breast cancer (MCF-7) cell lines via PIM Kinase inhibitory activity, and the results displayed that some of them showed high activities, especially compounds 7h and 8f, which showed excellent activities against MCF-7 with IC50 values of 1.89 and 1.69 μM, respectively, more potent than the reference drug doxorubicin. Mechanistically, compounds 7h and 8f exhibited strong in vitro PIM-1 kinase inhibitory activity with an IC50 of 0.281 and 0.58 μM, respectively, compared to the reference staurosporine. Moreover, compound 7h arrested the tumor cells at the S phase and caused cell death mainly by inducing early and late apoptosis. Molecular docking studies against PIM-1 revealed good binding modes of the synthesized compound and showed agreement with the biological results. Graphical abstract

COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF SORBENTS BASED ON NATURAL MATERIALS FOR CLEANING OIL-POLLUTED SOILS IN THE KOLA NORTH

The article presents the results of using sorbents based on natural materials as soil reclamation agents in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation to reduce the negative impact of oil and oil product spills. It has been established that the most effective are composite sorbents based on sphagnum moss and peat in various combinations with excess activated sludge. The effectiveness of sorbents based on natural materials is compared with the commercial sorbent OilSorb. High dynamics of reducing the content of oil products in the first days in soil samples with the addition of composite sorbents, including natural sorption material and activated sludge, is noted.

Correction to “Multifunctional Thermosensitive Liposomes Based on Natural Phase-Change Material: Near-Infrared Light-Triggered Drug Release and Multimodal Imaging-Guided Cancer Combination Therapy”

Correction to “Multifunctional Thermosensitive Liposomes Based on Natural Phase-Change Material: Near-Infrared Light-Triggered Drug Release and Multimodal Imaging-Guided Cancer Combination Therapy”

Investigating the effect of fermentation byLactobacillus reuteri on biochemical properties of Ceylon Cinnamon

Abstract Introduction Fermentation is an important biotechnological process that improves the biochemical properties of natural raw materials by transforming high molecular compounds into more beneficial low molecular compounds through microbial biotransformation. Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume), globally recognized as 'true cinnamon', contains high molecular weight, complex compounds that are responsible for its renowned antioxidant, antibacterial, and therapeutic properties, making it a vital component in medicinal applications1. Aims The present study aimed to investigate the effect of fermentation by Lactobacillus reuteri on selected phytochemical contents, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties of bark extracts of Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume) and to determine the optimum conditions for fermentation of Cinnamon bark extract by L. reuteri. Method Authenticated Ceylon cinnamon bark (CCB) was extracted into water using the decoction method. The water extract was fermented by L. reuteri under controlled conditions (pH 6, incubation at 35 ºC) and optimized using two parameters; the inoculum density (1.5×108 cfu/ml and 7.5×108 cfu/ml) and incubation time (2 and 4 days). After fermentation, total polyphenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), DPPH free radical scavenging activity and antibacterial activity of non-fermented extracts (NFE) and fermented extracts (FE) of CCB were evaluated. Antibacterial activity was determined using the agar well diffusion method against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Ethical approval was not required since no human or animal study was done during the study. Results The extract fermented with an inoculum density of 7.5×108 cfu/ml and incubated for 4 days showed the highest TFC (19.3 ± 0.3 mg RE/g) and antioxidant activity (IC50: 97.2 ± 0.8 µg/ml) in comparison to that of NFEs (TFC:13.3 ± 0.3 mg RE/g and DPPH activity: IC50: 233.7 ± 12.8 µg/ml). Moreover, the fermented samples showed a reduction in TPC, indicating possible biotransformation of compounds. and no significant change in the antibacterial activity in comparison to the non-fermented samples. Discussion and Conclusion This study was mainly focused on investigating the effect of fermentation of Ceylon cinnamon bark aqueous extract by Lactobacillus reuteri. The increased antioxidant activity and total flavonoid content are notable and could be attributed to chemical transformations of some complex flavanols including catechin gallate and epicatechin gallate present in aqueous cinnamon to catechin and epicatechin monomers by the action of enzymes secreted by L. reuteri during the fermentation process2. Hence, this study suggests that fermentation using L. reuteri has a considerable positive impact on certain biochemical properties of cinnamon water extract. Cinnamon bark is a complex matrix containing various phytochemicals that could interact with bacterial strains in ways that are not fully understood. These interactions could lead to unexpected effects or limitations during fermentation.

One‐Pot Synthesis of Ortho‐Halogen‐Substituted Aryl(Alkynyl)Phosphinates Via Aryne‐Phosphite‐Haloalkyne Coupling

AbstractThe one‐pot formation of two C−P bonds and one C−halogen bond was achieved through a mild three‐component coupling reaction utilizing arynes, phosphites, and haloalkynes. In this reaction, the aryl anion, generated from the nucleophilic addition of phosphite to aryne, directly attacked the halogen of the haloalkyne. The reaction proceeded smoothly with a wide substrate scope and good functional group tolerance. This operationally simple method enables direct access to ortho‐halogen‐substituted aryl(alkynyl)phosphinates. The synthetic utility of ortho‐halogen‐substituted aryl(alkynyl)phosphinates with prospective applications in natural product synthesis, medicinal chemistry, and materials chemistry has also been demonstrated.

Production status, economic benefit and environmental impact of lanolin cholesterol

The main pollutants in wool washing wastewater are lanolin and surfactants, which are difficult and expensive to treat. Lanolin, as a natural raw material widely used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, leather, and other fine chemical fields, has great economic value. The chief aim of this paper is to summarize the development status and indirectly environmental impact of lanolin derivatives, compare the cholesterol content data of lanolin samples commonly used in the world through experimental means, and provide guidance and suggestions for the raw material selection of lanolin cholesterol production plants in the future. The method used in this study is known as nuclear magnetic resonance: the author tests and compares the cholesterol standard sample and other 3 different unprocessed lanolin samples. The research has recorded valuable data about the unprocessed lanolin from Ningxia, China contains the highest amount of cholesterol. Therefore, the result of this study provides feasible advice for the lanolin cholesterol production factories when selecting the production’s raw material; also, the conclusive method of cleaning wool-washing waste water provides instructive idea for the factories that produce lanolin derivatives.

Application of Fetal Membranes and Natural Materials for Wound and Tissue Repair

The human fetal membrane is a globally accepted biological biomaterial for wound and tissue repair and regeneration in numerous fields, including dermatology, ophthalmology, and more recently orthopedics, maxillofacial and oral surgery, and nerve regeneration. Both cells and matrix components of amnion and chorion are beneficial, releasing a diverse range of growth factors, cytokines, peptides, and soluble extracellular matrix components. Beside fetal membranes, numerous natural materials have also been reported to promote wound healing. The biological properties of these materials may potentiate the pro-healing action of fetal membranes. Comparison of such materials with fetal membranes has been scant, and their combined use with fetal membranes has been underexplored. This review presents an up-to-date overview of (i) clinical applications of human fetal membranes in wound healing and tissue regeneration; (ii) studies comparing human fetal membranes with natural materials for promoting wound healing; and (iii) the literature on the combined use of fetal membranes and natural pro-healing materials.

Development of an eco-friendly geopolymer mortar using slag and fly ash with high bentonite content for thermal and environmental applications

The construction industry is exploring the use of low-cost waste materials to create eco-friendly geopolymer mortar binders. Our study aims to develop various environmentally friendly geopolymer mortar mixes for thermal and adsorption applications using natural materials like bentonite and industrial by-products such as ground-granulated blast furnace slag and fly ash. Ternary geopolymer mortar pastes are prepared using equimolar amounts of slag (GBFS) and fly ash (FA), with 6%, 8%, 10%, and 12% weight of bentonite (BC) from the total geopolymer weight to study the bentonite replacement effect. The prepared mortar are tested for their physico-chemical, mechanical, adsorption, and thermal stability properties (300 °C to 900 °C). The adsorption behavior of eco-friendly geopolymer mortar mixes against crystal violet dye in aqueous solutions is also identified. The study found that adding 6% bentonite to the slag/fly ash-based geopolymer mortar mix yielded the highest mechanical characteristics. Moreover, all the ternary geopolymer mortar mixes exhibited excellent thermal stability up to 900 °C. In adsorption study, the results indicated that the mortar mixes had excellent capacities and adhered well to the Freundlich isotherm model, suggesting potential applications in treating wastewater. Using bentonite in slag/fly ash geopolymer mortar offers a sustainable, cost-effective, and heat-resistant alternative to traditional cement binders.

Assessment of Radiological Impact for Individuals Associated with Natural Occurring Radioactive Material in Ceramic Industry

Assessment of Radiological Impact for Individuals Associated with Natural Occurring Radioactive Material in Ceramic Industry

Use of lignocellulose-degrading enzyme bio-cemented soils in the construction industry

In their activity, termites break down biomass into glucose, forming cementitious compounds. This results in rainfall-resistant mounds for their shelters, which interests the construction industry. This study explored the potential application of the abundant naturally bio-cemented termite mound soils in highway construction. Experimental investigations compared these mound soils to surrounding soils, revealing that mound soils are 68.2% finer in particle size distribution and have 81.4% lower organic content. Atterberg limits indicated 14.6% higher plasticity and a 5.3% increase in specific gravity for mound soils. Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) showed no significant difference in chemical composition. Proctor tests indicated that the compaction characteristics of the soils were comparable, confirming their engineering viability without modifications. Mound soils exhibited a twofold increase in Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) and a 33.9% increment in California Bearing Ratio (CBR) strength. One-way ANOVA tests confirmed these differences with p-value ranges of 0.0056-0.0361 below the 0.05 significance threshold. The study advocates utilising eco-friendly naturally bio-cemented mound soils in highway construction, meeting minimum standards. Mound soils from one acre can construct up to 2,500m highway, optimising resource use, promoting sustainability by repurposing natural materials, and significantly reducing carbon emissions. Further research on soil improvement using lignocellulose-degrading enzymes is recommended.

Advances and Challenges of Microneedle Assisted Drug Delivery for Biomedicals Applications: A Review.

Microneedles have been explored as a novel way of delivering active ingredients into the skin. They have various advantages, such as quick and efficient drug delivery, mechanical stability, minimal pain, variable capacity and easy use. Microneedles are enabled for the delivery of vaccine, peptides, medicinal components and in cosmetology, which couldn't go unnoticed. The novel approaches in the transdermal drug delivery system have increased the efficiency of drug delivery into the skin by crossing the skin barriers. This platform has a wide range of applications and can also be used to deliver non-transdermal biomedicals. The variety in the design of microneedles has demanded similar diversity in their methods of fabrication; micro molding and drawing lithography may be useful methods. There are different types of polymers and materials for the fabrication of microneedles. Several synthetic and natural materials are used in the fabrication of microneedles. Unique shapes, materials, and mechanical properties are modified for organ-specific applications in microneedle engineering. In this review, we discuss several factors and their roles to cross the biological barriers for transdermal drug delivery in various sites, such as in ocular, vascular, oral, and mucosal tissue. Additionally, this article highlights the future scope of transdermal drug delivery systems through microneedles.

Decellularized Extracellular Matrix Scaffolds: Recent Advances and Emerging Strategies in Bone Tissue Engineering.

Bone tissue engineering (BTE) is a complex biological process involving the repair of bone tissue with proper neuronal network and vasculature as well as bone surrounding soft tissue. Synthetic biomaterials used for BTE should be biocompatible, support bone tissue regeneration, and eventually be degraded in situ and replaced with the newly generated bone tissue. Recently, various forms of bone graft materials such as hydrogel, nanofiber scaffolds, and 3D printed composite scaffolds have been developed for BTE application. Decellularized extracellular matrix (DECM), a kind of natural biological material obtained from specific tissues and organs, has certain advantages over synthetic and exogenous biomaterial-derived bone grafts. Moreover, DECM can be developed from a wide range of biological sources and possesses strong molding abilities, natural 3D structures, and bioactive factors. Although DECM has shown robust osteogenic, proangiogenic, immunomodulatory, and bone defect healing potential, the rapid degradation and limited mechanical properties should be improved for bench-to-bed translation in BTE. This review summarizes the recent advances in DECM-based BTE and discusses emerging strategies of DECM-based BTE.

On the crack resistance and damage tolerance of 3D-printed nature-inspired hierarchical composite architecture

Materials scientists have taken a learn-from-nature approach to study the structure-property relationships of natural materials. Here we introduce a nature-inspired composite architecture showing a hierarchical assembly of granular-like building blocks with specific topological textures. The structural complexity of the resulting architecture is advanced by applying the concept of grain orientation internally to each building block to induce a tailored crack resistance. Hexagonal grain-shaped building blocks are filled with parallel-oriented filament bundles, and these function as stiff-blocks with high anisotropy due to the embedded fiber reinforcements. Process-induced interfacial voids, which provide preferential crack paths, are strategically integrated with cracks to improve fracture toughness at the macroscopic scale. This study discusses the structural effects of the local/global orientations, stacking sequences, feature sizes, and gradient assemblies of granular blocks on crack tolerance behavior. Alternating stacking sequences induce cracks propagating in the arrestor direction, which boost the fracture energy up to 2.4 times higher than the same layup stacking sequence. Gradient arrangements of feature sizes from coarse to fine or fine to coarse result in the coexistence of stiffness and toughness. Our approach to applying crystallographic concepts to complex composite architectures inspires for original models of fracture mechanics.

The Use of Learning Media In PAUD to Develop Children's Cognitive and Socio-Social Abilities

Early childhood is in the golden age so that cognitive and social aspects need to be improved so that the growth and development of children is optimal. The purpose of this study is to determine the type of learning media to improve children's cognitive and social aspects. This research is a descriptive qualitative research method using the library research method or literature research by reviewing written sources. The data source used is 15 journals for 5 years back. The library data collection method is carried out by reading, recording, and analyzing and then concluding the research material. The results showed that the learning process influenced the aspects of cognitive development and socio-social development of children. Media that affect the aspects of children's cognitive development on namely, dominoes, loose parts, traces media, numbers puzzles, uno cards, smart geometry boards, zoolofabets, powerpoint, and media made from natural materials. While the media that affect the aspects of children's socio-social development in the form of animated videos, hand dolls, smart roullete, and snake ladder clogs.

Environment-tolerant, inherently conductive and self-adhesive gelatin-based supramolecular eutectogel for flexible sensor

Although hydrogels have attracted increasing attention in the stretchable devices, the low adhesion properties and poor environmental adaptation still seriously restrict their development and application. Herein, we focused on the interaction between polymer networks with disperse media and their resultant influence on gel performance, and constructed self-adhesive and environment-tolerant gelatin/polyacrylamide supramolecular-polymer double-network (Gelatin/PAM SP-DN) eutectogels using multiple supramolecular interactions between natural macromolecule and well-designed deep eutectic solvent (DES). The dual networks of Gelatin/PAM SP-DN eutectogels produced significant supramolecular forces with DES, including hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction, contributing to enhance the energy dissipation capacity. Additionally, the Gelatin-PAM SP-DN eutectogels were more prone to generate strong bonding force to various substrates, showcasing both in-situ and ex-situ adhesion performance, and even being used for wet and underwater adhesion. The eutectogels revealed excellent environmental tolerance to maintain excellent mechanical flexibility, conductivity and adhesion at high and low temperatures, ensuring the constructed sensor to sensitively and reliably perceive strain, pressure and human motions over a wide temperature range. Also, the eutectogel demonstrated great potential as a temperature sensor. This work opens up a new horizon in the design of multifunctional and environment-tolerant natural macromolecule-based gel materials for flexible electronics, human-machine interaction and health diagnosis.

Production of 43Sc and 44gSc from natural CaF2 material using an FN Tandem Accelerator

The radioisotopes of 43Sc and 44Sc are promising in the field of theranostics for their role as β+ emitters in theranostic pairs with 47Sc. Production of these isotopes through various nuclear reactions using either cyclotrons or linear accelerators is of particular interest and previous studies have provided results using accelerated beams of protons, deuterons, and alpha particles. A novel production technique, using an ion source cathode packed with natural calcium fluoride material and irradiated with a 3He beam, was tested at the Nuclear Science Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame in order to initially study the production of 41Ca. Gamma-ray spectrometry revealed presence of 43Sc and 44Sc in the target, and allowed for the first measurement of their yield due to reactions of 3He on natural calcium. The calculated thick target yields of 43Sc and 44gSc from the reactions natCa(3He,x)43Sc and natCa(3He,x)44gSc are compared to theoretical results using TALYS cross section models. Overall, results agree well with models at lower beam energies but tend to diverge at higher energies.

Hierarchical meta-porous materials as sound absorbers

The absorption of sound has great significance in many scientific and engineering applications, from room acoustics to noise mitigation. In this context, porous materials have emerged as a viable solution towards high absorption performance and lightweight designs. However, their performance is somewhat limited in the low-frequency regime. Inspired by the concept of recursive patterns over multiple length scales, typical of many natural materials, here, we propose a hierarchical organization of multilayered porous media and investigate their performance in terms of sound absorption. Two types of designs are considered: a hierarchical periodic (HP) and a hierarchical gradient (HG). In both cases, it is found that in some frequency ranges the introduction of multiple levels of hierarchy simultaneously allows for: (i) an increase in the level of absorption compared with the corresponding bulk block of porous material (or to the previous hierarchical levels (HLs)), and (ii) a reduction in the quantity of porous material required. Another advantage of using this approach is on the fabrication, since only one porous material is required. The performances are examined for both normal and oblique incidences, as well as for different values of the static air-flow resistivity. The methodological approach is based on the transfer-matrix method, optimization algorithms such as the metaheuristic greedy randomized adaptive search procedure (GRASP), finite-element calculations and measurements performed in an impedance tube.

Proposing Novel Biological Scaffolds for the Regeneration of the Dura Mater

ABSTRACTThe dura mater protects underlying tissues and cerebrospinal fluid, but dural abnormalities can cause leaking and meningitis and wound infections. This review emphasizes the relevance of dural repair and the progress of dural reconstruction materials, focusing on biological scaffolds. A comprehensive assessment of dural substitution literature focused on composite, acellular, natural, synthetic, and homologous materials. Decellularized dura scaffolds as viable natural biomaterials for tissue engineering are explored in this overview of these materials' properties, effectiveness, and therapeutic uses. The evaluation also compares materials and assesses host tissue response in preclinical and clinical studies. The review highlights various dural substitution findings. There is no gold standard for dural repair, despite the variety of materials used. Replicating natural dura mater's mechanical and structural qualities is difficult. Recent research suggests that decellularized dura scaffolds can regenerate tissue while reducing inflammation and transplant rejection. Furthermore, the movement toward personalized medicine in this sector suggests that bespoke alternatives might be chosen depending on patient characteristics, improving treatment effects. Synthesizing dural replacement research and clinical uses in this review adds to knowledge. It tackles standard materials' shortcomings and shows how biological scaffolds might improve dural repair. The analysis opens the door to personalized dural repair research that might enhance patient outcomes and advance neurosurgery. The insights presented herein highlight the intriguing prospects for appropriate dural restorative materials, seeking to improve dural defect treatment.

Application of Nanoparticles in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Colorectal Cancer.

Colorectal cancer is a common malignant tumor with high morbidity and mortality rates, imposing a huge burden on both patients and the healthcare system. Traditional treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy have limitations, so finding more effective diagnostic and therapeutic tools is critical to improving the survival and quality of life of colorectal cancer patients. While current tumor targeting research mainly focuses on exploring the function and mechanism of molecular targets and screening for excellent drug targets, it is crucial to test the efficacy and mechanism of tumor cell therapy that targets these molecular targets. Selecting the appropriate drug carrier is a key step in effectively targeting tumor cells. In recent years, nanoparticles have gained significant interest as gene carriers in the field of colorectal cancer diagnosis and treatment due to their low toxicity and high protective properties. Nanoparticles, synthesized from natural or polymeric materials, are NM-sized particles that offer advantages such as low toxicity, slow release, and protection of target genes during delivery. By modifying nanoparticles, they can be targeted towards specific cells for efficient and safe targeting of tumor cells. Numerous studies have demonstrated the safety, efficiency, and specificity of nanoparticles in targeting tumor cells, making them a promising gene carrier for experimental and clinical studies. This paper aims to review the current application of nanoparticles in colorectal cancer diagnosis and treatment to provide insights for targeted therapy for colorectal cancer while also highlighting future prospects for nanoparticle development.