Jebaseelan Jefrillah, Ganesh Umamaheswari Kopula, Johnwilmet Prince Leeban, Anbalagan Rajalakshmi, Krishnan Jayalakshmi, Balakrishnan Anand Setty
Department of Genetic Engineering, School of Biotechnology, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, India.
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur, India.
Acta Parasitol. 2025 Jul 21;70(4):164. doi: 10.1007/s11686-025-01096-x.
Lymphatic filariasis is a debilitating disease where progression from acute to chronic stages is often exacerbated by secondary bacterial infections, facilitated by normal skin microbiota. The disease is transmitted by Culex quinquefasciatus, which also carries other diseases.
Nigella sativa seeds possess antibacterial properties effective against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and exhibit larvicidal activity against various mosquito larvae. In this study, aqueous extracts of N. sativa seeds and synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were evaluated for antibacterial efficacy against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella typhi. Antioxidant activity was assessed using the DPPH assay. Larvicidal activity against Culex (Cx.) quinquefasciatus was also evaluated.
The aqueous seed extract (100 mg/mL) and extract-synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) (100 µg/mL) exhibited significant antibacterial activity. Notably, both also showed considerable antioxidant activity at a concentration of 100 µg/mL. Larvicidal activity revealed LC values of 33.88 ppm for the seed extract and 0.52 ppm for extract-synthesized AgNPs.
The findings suggest that N. sativa seeds and their extract-synthesized AgNPs have strong potential for mosquito control and managing secondary bacterial infections in lymphedema, particularly if formulated as an ointment. Further research on ointment formulations could enhance their public health applications.
淋巴丝虫病是一种使人衰弱的疾病，从急性期到慢性期的进展通常会因继发性细菌感染而加剧，而正常皮肤微生物群会促使这种感染发生。该疾病由致倦库蚊传播，致倦库蚊还携带其他疾病。
黑种草籽具有对革兰氏阳性菌和革兰氏阴性菌有效的抗菌特性，并对各种蚊虫幼虫表现出杀幼虫活性。在本研究中，评估了黑种草籽水提取物和合成银纳米颗粒（AgNPs）对枯草芽孢杆菌、表皮葡萄球菌、金黄色葡萄球菌、大肠杆菌和伤寒沙门氏菌的抗菌效果。使用DPPH法评估抗氧化活性。还评估了对致倦库蚊的杀幼虫活性。
种子水提取物（100mg/mL）和提取物合成的银纳米颗粒（AgNPs）（100μg/mL）表现出显著的抗菌活性。值得注意的是，两者在浓度为100μg/mL时也显示出相当的抗氧化活性。杀幼虫活性显示种子提取物的LC值为33.88ppm，提取物合成的AgNPs的LC值为0.52ppm。
研究结果表明，黑种草籽及其提取物合成的AgNPs在控制蚊虫和管理淋巴水肿中的继发性细菌感染方面具有强大潜力，特别是如果制成软膏剂。对软膏剂配方的进一步研究可以增强其在公共卫生方面的应用。
