Central Leather Research Institute

About: Central Leather Research Institute is a facility organization based out in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Ring (chemistry). The organization has 2462 authors who have published 3461 publications receiving 76209 citations.

Mahua oil (Madhuca Indica seed oil) methyl ester as biodiesel-preparation and emission characterstics

Abstract: There is an increasing interest in many countries to search for suitable alternative fuels that are environment friendly. Although straight vegetable oils can be used in diesel engines, their high viscosities, low volatilities and poor cold flow properties have led to the investigation of various derivatives. Biodiesel is a fatty acid alkyl ester, which can be derived from any vegetable oil by transesterification. Biodiesel is a renewable, biodegradable and non-toxic fuel. In this study, Mahua oil (Madhuca indica seed oil) was transesterified with methanol using sodium hydroxide as catalyst to obtain mahua oil methyl ester. This biodiesel was tested in a single cylinder, four stroke, direct injection, constant speed, compression ignition diesel engine (Kirloskar) to evaluate the performance and emissions.

Curcumin improves wound healing by modulating collagen and decreasing reactive oxygen species.

Abstract: Wound healing consists of an orderly progression of events that re-establish the integrity of the damaged tissue. Several natural products have been shown to accelerate the healing process. The present investigation was undertaken to determine the role of curcumin on changes in collagen characteristics and antioxidant property during cutaneous wound healing in rats. Full-thickness excision wounds were made on the back of rat and curcumin was administered topically. The wound tissues removed on 4th, 8th and 12th day (post-wound) were used to analyse biochemical and pathological changes. Curcumin increased cellular proliferation and collagen synthesis at the wound site, as evidenced by increase in DNA, total protein and type III collagen content of wound tissues. Curcumin treated wounds were found to heal much faster as indicated by improved rates of epithelialisation, wound contraction and increased tensile strength which were also confirmed by histopathological examinations. Curcumin treatment was shown to decrease the levels of lipid peroxides (LPs), while the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), activities were significantly increased exhibiting the antioxidant properties of curcumin in accelerating wound healing. Better maturation and cross linking of collagen were observed in the curcumin treated rats, by increased stability of acid-soluble collagen, aldehyde content, shrinkage temperature and tensile strength. The results clearly substantiate the beneficial effects of the topical application of curcumin in the acceleration of wound healing and its antioxidant effect.