Latest Science News
New material from silk protein and silver nanoparticles may make implants safe
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Dr P Surat
A scaffold made from silk protein fibroin and silver nanoparticles has been found to have antimicrobial properties and may have application as a biomaterial for implants.
Orthopaedic implants can substitute or repair different tissues, such as bone, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons, but they also increase the risk of microbial infectionsby forming biofilms. Such clusters of bacteria can be highly resistant to antibioticsand, in many cases,implantsmay have to be surgically removed. Implants made with antimicrobial material can help address this problem.
Fibroin, a protein derived from silk, helps in developing bone cells from adult stem cells.This has helped it togain acceptance for use in tissue engineering. Studies also show potential antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles. “Thus, to fight implant related infections, we incorporated silver nanoparticles in to fibroin, without compromising the biocompatibility and stem cell differentiation potential of silk films”, explained Neetu Singh, scientist at Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) and a member of research team, while speaking to India Science Wire.
Dr Neetu Singh (L) and Smita Patil (R)
“We prepared a scaffold of silk fibroin films with silver nanoparticles where the nanoparticles were synthesized by an easy, convenient and environment friendly method using silk fibroin”, said Smita Patil, graduate student at IITD who was also part of the research team.
Since silver nanoparticles get easily oxidised leading to loss of antimicrobial activity, researchers used amino acids in the fibroin protein to reduce silver nitrate into silver nanoparticles.The silk fibroin solution and silver nitrate were incubated together and after being exposed to light, the solution gradually changed colour from colourless to yellow-brown, showing the formation of silver nanoparticles.
The researchers found that silk fibroin fortified with 0.5% of silver nanoparticles had similar antibacterial effects as using 8 microgram per ml of ampicillin, an antibiotic. Although incorporating more than 0.5% of silver nanoparticles into fibroin showed even higher antimicrobial effect, it was also accompanied by increase in cell death and generation of reactive molecules.
The silk films fortified with silver nanoparticles were incubated with osteocytes or cells that form bone overnight. Then, to simulate conditions of bacterial infection, S. aureus bacteria was added to these cells. Cells with films that contained as low as 0.1% of silver nanoparticles could resist the formation of S. aureus biofilms, support the growth of osteoblasts, and maintain calcium levels. These effects were observed even post seven days after adding the bacteria.
Although the mechanisms of how silver nanoparticles achieve antibacterial effects are not very well understood, the study proposes thatsilver ions can kill bacteria by attaching and penetrating theircell wall or releasing reactive molecules.“We believe that these scaffolds may be a promising material for bone tissue engineering” said Singh.The study results have been published in journal Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
India News
Chandrayaan-3: ISRO postpones plans to reactivate Vikram Lander, Pragyan Rover on September 23
After Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover soft landing on the South Pole of the Moon on August 24, both Vikram and Pragyan functioned effectively for a duration of 14 Earth days. The Rover was put on sleep mode on September 2, while the Lander was on September 4.
The Indian Space Research Organisation on Friday postponed the plans to reactivate Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover to September 23.
After Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover soft landing on the South Pole of the Moon on August 24, both Vikram and Pragyan functioned effectively for a duration of 14 Earth days. The Rover was put on sleep mode on September 2, while the Lander was on September 4.
They were put on sleep mode for approximately 16 Earth days before the lunar night enveloped the south pole of the Moon.
Speaking on Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover, Nilesh Desai, Director of Space Application Centre said that earlier we planned to reactivate the Pragyan Rover and Vikram Lander on the evening of September 22, but due to some reasons we will do it on September 23, said Desai.
He further said a plan to take out the Lander and Rover from the sleep mode and reactivate it, adding that, we had a plan to move the Rover to almost 300 to 350 metres but due to some reasons, the Rover has moved 105 metres there.
In collaboration with MyGov, ISRO has invited the citizens to participate in the Chandrayaan-3 Mahaquiz. The step was taken with the motive to honour India’s amazing space exploration journey. This will help to explore the wonders of the moon and show our love and passion for science.
In order to participate in the Chandrayaan-3 Mahaquiz, the participants would be required to create an account on the MyGov website. There is a cash prize for the winners and it also allows individuals to download the certificate.
Earlier, the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) instrument onboard the Pragyan rover also detected aluminium, calcium, iron, chromium, titanium, manganese, silicon and oxygen, as expected.
ISRO also shared a graph of the observation on X, illustrating the temperature variation of the lunar surface at various depths, as recorded during the probe’s penetration.
India News
Aditya L1 successfully undergoes 4th earth-bound manoeuvre: ISRO
The Indian Space Research Organisation said that the Aditya L1 spacecraft successfully underwent the fourth earth-bound manoeuvre on Friday.
The Indian Space Research Organisation said that the Aditya L1 spacecraft successfully underwent the fourth earth-bound manoeuvre on Friday. This is India’s first space-based mission to study the Sun.
ISRO took to X, formerly Twitter and informed that the fourth earth-bound manoeuvre (EBN4) was performed successfully. ISRO’s ground stations at Mauritius, Bengaluru, SDSC-SHAR and Port Blair tracked the satellite during this operation, while a transportable terminal currently stationed in the Fiji islands for Aditya-L1 will support post-burn operations, the Indian space agency added.
ISRO further said that the new orbit attained is 256 km x 121973 km. The next manoeuvre Trans-Lagragean Point 1 Insertion (TL1I), a send-off from the Earth is scheduled for September 19, around 02:00 Hrs. IST, it added.
ISRO’s Aditya-L1 is the first Indian space-based mission, that will study the Sun from a halo orbit around the first Sun-Earth Lagrangian point (L1). This is located approximately 1.5 million km from the planet Earth.
Earlier, all three earth-bound manoeuvres were successfully performed in September month.
During the spacecraft’s 16-day journey around the Earth, the manoeuvres were performed. During this time, the spacecraft will gain the necessary velocity for its further journey to L1.
After completing the fourth earth-bound orbital manoeuvres, the ISRO’s Aditya L1 solar mission will further undergo a Trans-lagrangian1 insertion manoeuvre. This will mark the beginning of its nearly 110-day trajectory to the destination around the L1 Lagrange point.
Another manoeuvre to bind Aditya L1 to an orbit near L1 after arrival at L1 point. This is to be a balanced gravitational location between the Sun and the Earth.
Around L1, the satellite will spend its whole mission life in an irregularly shaped orbit in a plane roughly perpendicular to the line joining the Sun and the Earth.
On September 2, the Aditya L1 spacecraft was successfully launched by ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C57) from the Second Launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota.
The Aditya L1 was successfully injected into an elliptical orbit of 235×19500 km around the Earth after a flight duration of 1 hour 3 minutes and 20 seconds.
Latest Science News
Aditya L1 successfully undergoes third earth-bound manoeuvre, fourth to take place on September 15: ISRO
India’s first solar mission, the Aditya L1 spacecraft, successfully underwent its third earth-bound orbit raising manoeuvre on Sunday, the Indian Space Research Organisation said.
India’s first solar mission, the Aditya L1 spacecraft, successfully underwent its third earth-bound orbit raising manoeuvre on Sunday, the Indian Space Research Organisation said.
The Telemetry, Tracking, and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru oversaw the orbit-raising manoeuvre, with Mauritius, Bengaluru, and Port Blair ground stations tracking the satellite during the critical operation. India’s first solar mission is now one step closer to its ultimate destination after this successful manoeuvre, with the satellite’s new orbit at 296 km x 71767 km.
ISRO shared this picture on its official Instagram page.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has scheduled the next manoeuvre for September 15 at around 2 am. The mission to study the sun, which is part of ISRO’s ambitious plans, was launched successfully on September 2 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota.
The Aditya-L1 spacecraft has already completed two orbital manoeuvres around the Earth and is set to perform one more before being placed in transfer orbit towards the Lagrange point L1. It is expected to reach its destination after 125 days. Earlier, the Aditya-L1 satellite shared a breathtaking image of the Earth and the Moon.
The spacecraft will observe the Sun from the Lagrange point 1 or L-1 point, which is located 1.5 million km away from the Earth. ISRO states that a spacecraft placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point can continuously view the Sun without any occultation or eclipses. This provides a significant advantage in observing solar activities and their effect on space weather in real time.
The mission aims to study various aspects of the sun, such as the physics of the solar corona and how it is heated, the acceleration of solar wind, the coupling and dynamics of the solar atmosphere, the temperature anisotropy and distribution of solar wind, and the causes of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) and flares, as well as near-earth space weather.
The successful launch of the Aditya-L1 spacecraft, carried by the PSLV rocket, is a remarkable achievement for ISRO, which is one of the leading space agencies in the world. Prior to the sun mission, ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 successfully soft-landed near the south pole of the moon, making India the first country to achieve this feat in that region and the fourth on the moon’s surface.
