Assessment of Antimicrobial Potential of Plagiochasma rupestre Coupled with Healing Clay Bentonite and AGNPS.

The impact of individual component, i.e., plant extract (Plagiochasma rupestre), biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), and healing clay (bentonite) as antimicrobial agent is reported but their combined effect as a ternary system is a new approach. This study is aimed at investigating the impact of the proposed ternary system against selected human pathogens. AgNPs were synthesized by using Plagiochasma rupestre extract (aqueous) as reducing agent and neutral polymer (PVP) as stabilizer. The morphology, size, and structural properties of synthesized AgNPs were determined with XRD and SEM analysis which showed spherical monomodal particles with an average particle size of 25.5 nm. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of the individual and nanoternary system were investigated. The phytochemical screening of plant extract showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenol, and glycosides in methanol extract as compare to aqueous and acetone extract. The antimicrobial activities of crude extracts of Plagiochasma rupestre with AgNPs and bentonite clay were studied as an appropriate candidate for treatment of microbial infections, especially bacterial and fungal diseases. The antioxidant activity of Plagiochasma rupestre aqueous extract and nanoparticles was assessed by (DPPH) free radical, and absorbance was checked at 517 nm. Crude extract has inhibitory effect towards bacteria and fungi, and bentonite clay also showed some degree of antimicrobial resistance. Strategy can be efficiently applied for future engineering and medical. The nanoternary systems showed 3 and 3.5 times higher antibacterial and antifungal activity, respectively, in comparison to Plagiochasma rupestre and bentonite clay, individually.

Microemulsified Gel Formulations for Topical Delivery of Clotrimazole: Structural and In Vitro Evaluation.

Microemulsified gels (µEGs) with fascinating functions have become indispensable as topical drug delivery systems due to their structural flexibility, high stability, and facile manufacturing process. Topical administration is an attractive alternative to traditional methods because of advantages such as noninvasive administration, bypassing first-pass metabolism, and improving patient compliance. In this article, we report on the new formulations of microemulsion-based gels suitable for topical pharmaceutical applications using biocompatible and ecological ingredients. For this, two biocompatible µE formulations comprising clove oil/Brij-35/water/ethanol (formulation A) and clove oil/Brij-35/water/1-propanol (formulation B) were developed to encapsulate and improve the load of an antimycotic drug, Clotrimazole (CTZ), and further gelatinized to control the release of CTZ through skin barriers. By delimiting the pseudo-ternary phase diagram, optimum µE formulations with clove oil (∼15%) and Brij-35 (∼30%) were developed, keeping constant surfactant/co-surfactant ratio (1:1), to upheld 2.0 wt % CTZ. The as-developed formulations were further converted into smart gels by adding 2.0 wt % carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as a cross-linker to adhere to the controlled release of CTZ through complex skin barriers. Electron micrographs show a fine, monodispersed collection of CTZ-µE nanodroplets (∼60 nm), which did not coalesce even after gelation, forming spherical CTZ-µEG (∼90 nm). However, the maturity of CTZ nanodroplets observed by dynamic light scattering suggests the affinity of CTZ for the nonpolar microenvironment, which was further supported by the peak-to-peak correlation of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis and fluorescence measurement. In addition, HPLC analysis showed that the in vitro permeation release of CTZ-µEG from rabbit skin in the ethanolic phosphate buffer (pH = 7.4) was significantly increased by >98% within 6.0 h. This indicates the sustained release of CTZ in µEBG and the improvement in transdermal therapeutic efficacy of CTZ over its traditional topical formulations.

In Vitro Anticancer Potential of Berberis lycium Royle Extracts against Human Hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) Cells.

Human liver cancer has emerged as a serious health concern in the world, associated with poorly available therapies. The Berberis genus contains vital medicinal plants with miraculous healing properties and a wide range of bioactivities. In this study, different crude extracts of B. lycium Royle were prepared and screened against Human Hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) cell lines. The water/ethanolic extract of B. lycium Royle (BLE) exhibited significant antiproliferative activity against the HepG2 cancer cell line with an IC50 value of 47 µg/mL. The extract decreased the clonogenic potential of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. It induced apoptotic cell death in HepG2 cells that were confirmed by cytometric analysis and microscopic examination of cellular morphology through DAPI-stained cells. Biochemical evidence of apoptosis came from elevating the intracellular ROS level that was accompanied by the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. The mechanism of apoptosis was further confirmed by gene expression analysis using RT-qPCR that revealed the decline in Bcl-2 independent of p53 mRNA and a rise in CDK1 while downregulating CDK5, CDK9, and CDK10 mRNA levels at 48 h of BLE treatment. The most active fraction was subjected to HPLC which indicated the presence of berberine (48 µg/mL) and benzoic acid (15.8 µg/mL) as major compounds in BLE and a trace amount of luteolin, rutin, and gallic acid. Our study highlighted the importance of the most active BLE extract as an excellent source of nutraceuticals against Human Hepatocarcinoma that can serve as an herbal natural cure against liver cancer.

Anti-diabetic activity of aqueous extract of Ipomoea batatas L. in alloxan induced diabetic Wistar rats and its effects on biochemical parameters in diabetic rats.

Diabetes is a condition where the fasting blood glucose level elevated above the normal range (80-120mg/dL). This increase in blood glucose level may be due to the insulin deficiency i.e. insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM or type I) or due to insulin resistance i.e. non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM or type II). Diabetes leads to severe complications in the body even life treating complications e.g. nephropathy, retinopathy, neuropathy increased vascular permeability and delayed wound healing if left untreated. Different drugs are used for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, but synthetic drugs are costly and possess severe side effects. So, more emphasis is being placed on the use of traditional medicines because these sources have fewer side effects than the synthetics drugs and are economical. So the white skinned sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) peel-off was selected for its anti-diabetic effect as well as to see its effects on biochemical parameters. Both young (3-4 months) and old (up to 1 year) Wistar rats were selected for current study. It was found that the aqueous extract of WSSP peel-off had shown beneficial effects. In addition to the decrease in blood glucose level it also decreased protein glycation level total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL-cholesterol. Increase in HDL-cholesterol was also observed after treating the rats with aqueous extract of Ipomoea batatas. Additionally, WSSP peel-off had also shown positive results on total protein concentration, albumin, globulin, and plasma enzymes (SGOT and SGPT). Further research would be needed in order to purify the anti-diabetic components and it should be available in compact dose form for all diabetic patients.

Effect of olive oil on transdermal penetration of flurbiprofen from topical gel as enhancer.

The present study was conducted to formulate and evaluate flurbiprofen transdermal gel. A standard calibration curve was constructed to obtain a regression line equation to be used for finding out the concentration of drug in samples. Olive oil was used as penetration enhancer and was added in different concentrations to some selected formulations to see its enhancement effect on in vitro drug release profiles. The prepared gels were evaluated for several physico-chemical parameters to justify their suitability for topical use. The in vitro drug release studies were carried out by using Franz cell diffusion apparatus across both synthetic membrane and excised albino rabbit skin. In order to investigate the drug release mechanism a kinetic approach was made by employing Korsmeyer kinetic model to the in vitro drug release profiles of flurbiprofen. The flurbiprofen topical gels were successfully prepared and could be beneficial for topical use.