Cerium oxide (CeO₂) nanoparticles having size range of 160 nm were prepared by using simple and effective sol-gel process and evaluated for their ulcer protective activity in an animal model. CeO₂ nanoparticles at a dose of 1mg/kg found to protect gastrointestinal mucosal from ethanol induced gastric ulcers. The ability of these nanoparticles to protect ethanol induced ulcers could be supported by increased amount of biomarkers in the native tissue like superoxide dismutase (SOD) (from 85.18 ± 0.24 to 103.18 ± 0.42) and Catalase (from 66.48 ± 0.71 to 85.88 ± 0.61) in Group 2 and Group 4. The percentage of ulcer inhibition of CeO₂ nanoparticles is 80.2% which is also close to the standard drug ranitidine (87.9%). The prepared nanoparticles were characterized by SEM and XRD. The probable mechanism may be due to the dual oxidation state of CeO₂ which will help in scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reduce oxidative stress locally and also mimicking the intrinsic intracellular enzymes like SOD. All these results and properties could be useful in protecting the gastrointestinal mucosa from oxidative stress generated by ethanol.

Nanostructured and conducting polymer polyaniline (PANI) is used in numerous applications in electrotherapy, electro-magnetic materials for monitoring health, antimicrobial clothing, data transfer in smart textiles, biosensors and for defense technology. An important criterion for all the above mentioned utilities is, producing polymeric conductive fibers. In the present study we prepared conducting PANI nanofibres combined with mupirocin, a topical antimicrobial agent, through a self-assembly process. The prepared polymer was then tested for the antibacterial properties against various Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria such as Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to identify the chemical structure of the PANI nanofibres. The antibacterial properties were assessed by measuring the zones of inhibition. It was evident from these results that antimicrobial activity increased with increasing PANI and PANI combined with mupirocin (PANI-mupirocin) concentrations. It was also found that PANI-mupirocin has enhanced antimicrobial activity compared to PANI alone. This information might be useful to evaluate the potential use of nanostructured polyaniline in fabrics incorporated with antibacterial agents as a prophylactic use against bacterial skin infections in the near future.