Research Projects

The project aims to develop edible microcapsules from millet seeds by encapsulating nanostructured bioactive compounds from the Ashoka plant, a medicinal plant. The goal is to promote targeted therapies for dysmenorrhea in women, which is a prevalent gynecological condition affecting menstruating women. Dysmenorrhea is characterized by cyclical spasmodic cramps and lower abdominal pain, worsening at the beginning of menstruation and lasting between 8-72 hours. The pain radiates to the back and thighs, causing functional health impacts in the uterus. Dysmenorrhea causes significant pain in up to 90% of women of childbearing age, and its prevalence in India ranges from 50 to 87.8%. Currently, drugs like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, hormones, and prostaglandin inhibitors are the standard treatments, but they have significant side effects. The project proposes the first integration of nanotechnology with unexplored herbal phytochemicals and millet targeting dysmenorrhea. The proposed microcapsules could impart a combinatorial therapy for dysmenorrhea by facilitating pH-responsive release of bioactive nanostructures encapsulated on the surface of microcapsules. The project aims to address the taboo nature of dysmenorrhea and the potential of millet as a therapy for dysmenorrhea.