Electrospun Aloe Vera Extract Loaded Polycaprolactone Scaffold for Biomedical Applications:A Promising Candidate for Corneal Stromal Regeneration

Corneal diseases,the second leading cause of global vision loss affecting over 10.5 million people,underscores the unmet demand for corneal tissue replacements.Given the scarcity of fresh donor corneas and the associated risks of immune rejection,corneal tissue engineering becomes imperative.Developing nanofibrous scaffolds that mimic the natural corneal structure is crucial for creating transparent and mechanically robust corneal equivalents in tissue engineering.Herein,Aloe Vera Extract(AVE)/Polycaprolactone(PCL)nanofibrous scaffolds were primed using electrospinning.The electrospun AVE/PCL fibers exhibit a smooth,bead-free morphology with a mean diameter of approximately 340±95 nm and appropriate light transparency.Mechanical measurements reveal Young’s modulus and ultimate tensile strength values of around 3.34 MPa and 4.58 MPa,respectively,within the range of stromal tissue.In addition,cell viability of AVE/PCL fibers was measured against Human Stromal Keratocyte Cells(HSKCs),and improved cell viability was observed.The cell-fiber interactions were investigated using scanning electron microscopy.In conclusion,the incorporation of Aloe Vera Extract enhances the mechanical,optical,hydrophilic,and biological properties of PCL fibers,positioning PCL/AVE fiber scaffolds as promising candidates for corneal stromal regeneration.

The Anti-Sickling Properties of Medicinal Plants, Insights in Botanical Medicine*

SCD is one of the most prevailing homogeneous inherited haemoglobinopathies causing a plethora of various clinical complications to the patients. The high mortality and morbidity severely concern the Western community, where numerous clinical trials and research for a cure are in process. In order to alleviate patients from the severe symptoms of the disease, avoiding the side effects, Botanical Medicine exhibits concrete evidence, as a gold candidate, to be the salvation to the problem. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review (PRISMA) protocol has been used to achieve extensive research on the topic, focusing on the identification and evaluation of the phytochemical properties of common medicinal plants. Meta-analysis has also been implemented on the results of published literature. Forest plots have been plotted, comparing and evaluating the results’ validity and significance. The meta-analysis results have undoubtedly demonstrated the importance and significance of the medicinal plants and their properties against various clinical complications, focusing on the pathogenicity of SCD. Surprisingly, their effectiveness to suppress haemoglobin polymerisation and increase the Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio in patients, enhanced the normal morphological erythrocytes’ appearance by suppressing the sickle shape of drepanocytes. Research made on the epidemiology of SCD associates the disease with the geographical frequency of malaria infection. Based on the natural selection theory of Charles Darwin, nature aids in the population’s survival by the endemicity of various medicinal plants in areas with increased SCD patients. Limitations to the medicinal plants’ consumptions and further therapeutic options have been discussed.