Background The rhizome of Kaempferia galanga (K. galanga) was collected from Meghalaya, India, and its ethanolic extract was obtained by freeze-drying or lyophilization process, which was then assessed for its in vitro anti-oxidant activity and phytochemical characterization using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GCMS). Results In vitro anti-oxidant activity analysis shows an inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 1.824 mg/mL and 0.307 mg/mL for, α, α-diphenyl-ρ-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2, 2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) assays, respectively. Total polyphenol content (TPC) of 23.55 ± 0.5 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g dry weight of extract and total flavonoid content (TFC) of 100 ± 1.414 mg rutin equivalents (RE)/g dry weight of extract were found. High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) analysis shows the best separation of bands at different retention factor (Rf) values, when employing the solvent system 2-butanol/1-propanol/water in the ratio of 3:1:1 (v/v/v). Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GCMS) analysis confirms the presence and identification of various phytocompounds, with ethyl p-methoxycinnamate identified as the major active compound. Conclusion Freeze-dried ethanolic extract of K. galanga (rhizome) possesses anti-oxidant activity. Ethyl p-methoxycinnamate is present as the major bioactive component (about 94.87% of the total area composition), and since it has very important and diverse medicinal properties, a freeze-drying process (lyophilization) can be utilized for its isolation and extraction.

Antimicrobial polypropylene (PP) was developed by plasma functionalization and subsequent immobilization of chitosan (CS)‐chlorhexidine (CHX) nanogels as the bioactive component. Oxygen plasma was used to create a hydrophilic surface monitored by water drop interaction with the fabric surface. CS nanogels were prepared by the ionic gelation method. The characterization of the nanogels was carried out by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X‐ray microanalysis (EDX). The functionalized fabric exhibited excellent antimicrobial nature against S. aureus and E. coli microbes. The animal studies involving mice showed that the material exhibited excellent biocompatibility in contact with the skin. There was no evidence of inflammatory cells in the histopathology. This investigation suggests that the fabric has enormous potential as infection‐resistant material in applications such as wet wipes.

The antimicrobial finishing is the most suitable alternative for designing medical textiles for biomedical applications. The present investigation aims at the preparation of skin-contacting khadi cotton fabric that would prevent microbial infection and offer excellent skin compatibility. A simple approach has been followed for the preparation of bioactive nanogels for antimicrobial finishing of the khadi cotton fabric. Bioactive nanogels were synthesized by using aloe vera (AV) as a reducing agent for silver ions in the presence of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). PVA stabilizes the growth of silver nanoparticles, which is influenced by the variation in the reaction time and the temperature. Nanogels were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy analyses. The nanogels exhibited strong antimicrobial behavior against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, as confirmed by the colony count method. Almost 100% antibacterial behavior was observed for the nanosilver content of 10 mM. The nanogel-finished khadi fabric showed bactericidal properties against both S. aureus and E. coli. The nanogel-finished fabric exhibited high hydrophilicity allowing complete water droplet penetration within 10 s as compared to 136 s in virgin fabric. Moreover, the skin irritation study of the fabric on male Swiss albino mice did not show any appearance of dermal toxicity. These results demonstrated that the bioactive finished khadi fabric is appropriate as skin contacting material in human health care.

Background Northeast India has a rich resource of herbal plants, and it is essential to validate their therapeutic activity with proper scientific evidence. This study aims to identify active phytocompounds found in the extracts of Eranthemum indicum (E. indicum) and to determine its antioxidative activities and toxicity. Results In vitro free radical scavenging activity of the aqueous extract (AE) and methanol extract (ME) of E. indicum (leaves) was determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic-acid (ABTS), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and total antioxidant activity (TAC). ME depicted better inhibitory concentration when compared to AE. This indicates the effective extraction capacity of methanol, which is consistent with the fact that ME had a higher polyphenol and flavonoid, resulting in their antioxidative activity. HPTLC analysis using the solvent system of ethyl acetate/methanol/ammonia 28–30% (40:10:10) showed better fingerprinting separation, especially in the ME. Furthermore, DPPH radical solution, when used as a derivatizing agent in HPTLC analysis, confirmed that ME has better in vitro antioxidant activities than AE. GCMS analysis of AE identified 3-beta-hydroxy-5-cholen-24-oic-acid as active compound, while in ME Beta.-l-arabinopyranoside and 2-methyl-3-(3-methyl-but-2-enyl)-2-(4-methyl-pent-3-enyl)-oxetane were identified as the major bioactive compound. Acute toxicological investigations have shown that both E. indicum extracts have a high L.D. 50 value of 1533 mg/kg b.w for AE and 1567 mg/kg b.w for ME making them safe and non-toxic. Conclusions Extraction and identification of these phytocompounds in the extracts of E. indicum can help us scientifically document its medicinal importance, and its benefit in pharmaceutical industries. Since it showed promising free radical scavenging activity, it can also be a potent antioxidant source.

With global diabetes complication growing rapidly at an alarming rate each year, there is an increasing need to find suitable therapeutics for its management, regulation, and treatment which is cost-effective, safe, and naturally available. Continued dependence only on the available synthetic drug is not a solution. Therefore, there is a need to find suitable natural adjuncts to help manage diabetes. Flavonoids are a class of compounds that have been utilized for therapeutic purposes for generations due to their wide and varied pharmacological properties. One such important naturally available flavonoid is tangeretin belonging to a special class of methylated flavonoids found mostly only in citrus fruits. It is reported to possess a lot of pharmaceutic activities, and thus in this brief review, we elucidate its specific importance in the attenuation of diabetic and diabetes-related complications to get a better understanding of its physiological mechanism of action in the context relating to diabetes.