Medha Jaimini Gunaratna

University of Kelaniya · Department of Chemistry

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic condition that associated with impaired insulin secretion and insulin resistance or both, which impacts the global health and leads to severe health complications. One effective therapeutic strategy for addressing early-stage diabetes is to reduce postprandial hyperglycemia by inhibiting carbohydrate hy...

In this study, four different 4-arylidene-2-phenyloxazol-5(4H)-ones (5a-d), were synthesized via the Erlenmeyer-Plöchl reaction and characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and mass spectroscopic techniques. Evaluation of their in vitro anti-inflammatory activities using the heat-induced human red blood cell (HRBC) membrane stabilization assay revea...

Oxazolones are a class of heterocyclic compounds that have gained significant attention in the field of research due to their diverse chemical and biological properties. Their five-membered ring contains oxygen and nitrogen atoms, providing a unique platform for the development of various functional molecules. In this study, five different 4-(n-sub...

The growing global interest focuses on investigating a wide range of plant-derived compounds as natural antimicrobial agents, particularly in response to the current challenges posed by the increasing prevalence of resistant microorganisms. Dialium ovoideum Thwaites, is an endemic plant in Sri Lanka which has traditionally been utilized to cure var...

Dialium ovoideum Thwaites, an endemic Sri Lankan wild fruit from the Fabaceae family, possesses high nutrient content. However, scientific data on its benefits still needs to be provided. Thus, this study explores the phytochemical composition and antioxidant activities of ethanol extracts from the fruit parts (seed, pulp and peel) of D. ovoideum...

The present study aimed to investigate the biological activities of the ethanol extract of the bark of Dialium ovoideum Thwaites (DOEB), which is an endemic plant of Sri Lanka with various medicinal values. A powdered bark sample was subjected to soxhlet extraction using ethanol followed by solvent evaporation to obtain the bark extract. The phytoc...

Antioxidants have been discovered to play an important function in protecting the body from damage caused by reactive free radicals via interacting with free radicals, chelating, and serving as oxygen scavengers. Dialium ovoideum thwaites, an endemic plant in Sri Lanka, which is locally identified as Gal Siyambala. Leaves of D. ovoideum thwaites...

Garcinia quaesita is a traditional, endemic plant with remarkable medicinal value found in Sri Lanka. Garcinia quaesita Pierre, locally known as Rath Goraka, is a tropical fruit tree that thrives in regions with warm and humid climates. This plant's culinary and medicinal qualities make it remarkably potential for future exploitation. The main obje...

Inflammation is a response to injury characterized by cell and exudate accumulation in irritated tissues that provide protection from further damage where the symptoms of inflammation include redness, joint pain, swollen joints, stiffness, and reduced joint function. The development of potent anti-inflammatory drugs from natural products with fe...

Pierre is an endemic plant in Sri Lanka. This plant's culinary and medicinal qualities make it remarkably potential for future exploitation. The main objective of this research was to investigate in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of Garcinia quaesita fruit seed. The phytoconstituents in the dried seeds of the Garcinia quaesita were extracted usin...

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common medical problems in the world, regardless of age, gender and income of the individuals. Therefore, control or mitigation of DM is highly demanded. Among the currently available therapeutics against DM, the use of α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitors plays a vital role. These inhibitors assist in...

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common medical problems in the world, regardless of age, gender and income of the individuals. Therefore, control or mitigation of DM is highly demanded. Among the currently available therapeutics against DM, the use of α-amylase and α�glucosidase inhibitors plays a vital role. These inhibitors assist in...

Melanin protects human skin from ultraviolet radiation. However, abnormal melanin production leads to pigmentation problems. Since tyrosinase is the key enzyme that catalyzes melanin synthesis in humans, tyrosinase inhibitors could be a desirable therapy option for hyperpigmentation. Though several natural and synthetic regulators have been identif...

Gastrointestinal tract infection caused by Helicobacter pylori is a common virulent disease found worldwide, and the infection rate is much higher in developing countries than in developed ones. In the pathogenesis of H. pylori in the gastrointestinal tract, the secretion of the urease enzyme plays a major role. Therefore, inhibition of urease is a...

Firefly luciferase is used in high-throughput screening based on the detection of chemiluminescence. It catalyzes an esterification reaction of luciferin with adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) followed by decarbonylation with oxygen and concomitance of light. Previously, we reported that firefly luciferase also possesses acyl-CoA synthetase activity...

Corrosion is an oxidation-reduction process where a metal is oxidized to a more consistent form such as its oxide, hydroxide, or sulfide by atmospheric oxygen. Corrosion is an excessively costly issue that is reported to cause significant economic damage globally each year. Therefore, the discovery of novel corrosion inhibitors is highly desirable....

Corrosion is an oxidation-reduction process where a metal is oxidized to a more consistent form such as its oxide, hydroxide, or sulfide by atmospheric oxygen. Corrosion is an excessively costly issue that is reported to cause significant economic damage globally each year. Therefore, the discovery of novel corrosion inhibitors is highly desirable....

A dysregulation in function of neuronal low-voltage-activated T-channel causes neuropathic pain. A group of ten 1,4-disubstituted and 1,4,4-trisubstituted piperidines were synthesized through short sequences of reactions from 4-cyanopiperidine, which may potentially produce a library of analogs. Inhibitions of T-channel in rat dorsal root ganglion...

Neuropathic pain, epilepsy, insomnia, and tremor disorder may arrive from an increase of intracellular Ca2+ concentration through a dysfunction of T-type Ca2+ channels. Thus, T-type calcium channels could be a target in drug discovery for the treatments of neuropathic pain and epilepsy. From rational drug design approach, a group of 2,5-disubstitut...

A new class of poly-N-vinylpyrrolidinones containing an asymmetric center at C5 of the pyrrolidinone ring were synthesized from L-amino acids. The polymers, particularly 17, were used to stabilize nanoclusters such as Pd/Au for the catalytic asymmetric oxidations of 1,3- and 1,2-cycloalkanediols and alkenes, and Cu/Au for C-H oxidation of cycloalka...

The proteolytic activity of cathepsin B in complex breast cell lysates have been measured with alternating current voltammetry (ACV) using ferrocene (Fc)-labeled-tetrapeptides immobilized on nanoelectrode arrays (NEAs) fabricated with vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (VACNFs). Four types of breast cells have been tested, including normal breast...

Various condensation and ring-closing reactions were used for the syntheses of 3-[(alkylamino)methylene]-6-methylpyri-dine-2,4(1H,3H)-diones, bicyclic pyridinones, and tricyclic morpholinopyrones. For instance, 3-[(dialkylamino)methylene]-6-methylpyridine-2,4(1H,3H)-diones were synthesized from the condensation of dialkylamines and 3-formyl-4-hydro...