Development and Evaluation of the Wound Healing Effect of a Novel Topical Cream Formula Based on Ginkgo biloba Extract on Wounds in Diabetic Rats.

Despite advances in diabetes care, impaired diabetic wound healing remains a significant clinical problem. The present study was aimed at developing a novel cream based on Ginkgo biloba extract and investigating its wound healing effect on full-thickness wounds in diabetic rats. The topical formulated oil-in-water emulsion-based cream contains Ginkgo biloba aqueous extract in an amount of about 1% to 5% as an active agent. The prepared formula was subjected to physicochemical assessment and pharmacotechnical characterization. Eighteen alloxan-induced diabetic rats completing full-thickness excisional skin wounds were randomly divided into three groups topically treated with either a normal saline (control group), the reference drug ("Cytol Centella cream®"), and cream based on the Ginkgo biloba extract. The response to treatment was assessed by macroscopic, qualitative, and quantitative histopathological analysis. The prepared formula showed good physicochemical properties. The rheological behavior of the prepared cream followed a non-Newtonian pseudoplastic pattern at different storage temperatures. The cream, which is a macroemulsion with uniform size distribution, remained stable for 6 months. Skin tolerance studies confirmed the compatibility of the cream with the skin. During the experimental trial, the cream based on the Ginkgo biloba-treated group showed significant improvements over the control and reference groups for both general wound appearance and healing dynamics. This increased rate of closure of wounds in diabetic rats was associated with increased collagen synthesis. Our findings showed that the cream could be a promising and innovative topical treatment with Ginkgo biloba extract for the management of acute diabetic wounds.

Purification, composition and biological activities of a novel heteropolysaccharide extracted from Linum usitatissimum L. seeds on laser burn wound.

The present study investigates the purification, structure and in vitro antioxidant activities of a novel water soluble polysaccharide (LWSP) extracted from Linum usitatissimum L. seeds and evaluates the in vivo wound healing performance on CO2 laser fractional burn in a rat model. LWSP is a heteropolysaccharide that consists of glucose, mannose, xylose and arabinose. Three different tests were used to evaluate the antioxidant activity of this carbohydrate. The scavenging activity against 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) radical at a concentration of 5 mg/ml was 99.77%. The total antioxidant capacity of LWSP at 12 mg/ml was equivalent to 166.61 µg acsorbic acid. LWSP displayed a high protection effect against DNA damage induced byhydroxyl radical. No hemolytic activity was observed towards human erythrocytes. LWSP was tested in functional properties. The results showed good emulsion properties and high water (WHC) and oil holding (OHC) capacities (11.23 and 1.05%, respectively). In addition, the application of LWSP on the burn wound site in rat model increased significantly the percentage of burn contraction (98.6%) after 8 days of injury. According to the histological assessment, the LWSP-treated group had a higher content of hydroxyproline (846. 67 ±â€¯92.28 mg/g tissue) than the other groups. Overall, the findings demonstrate that the application of this novel LWSP may open promising opportunities for burn wound healing in modern medicine.

Therapeutic potential of polysaccharide extracted from fenugreek seeds against thiamethoxam-induced hepatotoxicity and genotoxicity in Wistar adult rats.

This study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of a polysaccharide extracted from fenugreek seeds (Trigonella foenum-graecum) (FWEP) against insecticide-thiamethoxam (TMX)-induced hepatotoxicity. Obtained data exhibited potent antioxidant and antibacterial potentialities. On other trend, in vivo, adult female rats were divided into four groups: controls; TMX (100 mg/kg of body weight); TMX + FWEP at two graded doses, respectively (100 and 200 mg/kg of body weight) for 30 d. Up to TMX treatment, our data showed a significant increase in plasma markers of hepatotoxicity including alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities, which is coordinated with decline in total protein and albumin levels. Remarkably, a clear sign of genotoxicity was delivered by total disruption in hematological parameters and micronucleus (MN) test shown by severe chromatin degradation. These data were also associated with oxidative stress set up, histological and DNA injuries. However, co-administration with FWEP succeeded significantly in a dose-dependent manner in reducing and healing liver's hematological and genotoxic induced by TMX injuries.

Cardiotoxicity and myocardial infarction-associated DNA damage induced by thiamethoxam in vitro and in vivo: Protective role of Trigonella foenum-graecum seed-derived polysaccharide.

The risk of pesticides on the human health and environment has drawn increasing attention. Today, new tools are developed to reduce pesticide adverse effects. This study aimed to evaluate the toxicity induced by, thiamethoxam (TMX), and the cytoprotective effect of a novel polysaccharide, named fenugreek seed water polysaccharide (FWEP) in vitro using H9c2 cardiomyoblastes and in vivo using Wistar rat model. Animals were assigned into four groups per eight rats each: group 1 served as a control group, group 2 received TMX, group 3, and group 4 received both FWEP and TMX tested at two doses (100 and 200 mg/kg, respectively). Regarding the in vitro study, our results demonstrated that TMX induced a decrease in H9c2 cell viability up to 70% with the highest concentration. In vivo, TMX injection induced marked heart damage noted by a significant increase in plasma lactate dehydrogenase, creatine phosphokinase, troponin-T, aspartate amino transferase activities, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. Concomitant alterations in cardiac antioxidant defense system revealed depletion in the levels of glutathione and non-protein thiol and an increase in the activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase. Similarly, a significant increase in heart lipid, malondialdehyde, advanced oxidation protein product and in protein carbonyls levels was also noted. In addition, heart tissues histo-architecture displayed major presence of apoptosis and necrosis as confirmed by DNA degradation. However, supplementation with FWEP alleviated heart oxidative damage and genotoxicity. In this manner, ABTS radical-scavenging activity, linoleic acid oxidation tests and heart genomic and DNA nicking assay had proved FWEP strong antioxidant potential. In conclusion, FWEP provided significant protection against TMX-induced heart injury, and could be a useful and efficient agent against cardiotoxicity and atherosclerosis.

Effects of supplementation with L. plantarum TN8 encapsulated in alginate-chitosan in broiler chickens.

This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of supplementation of probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum TN8 encapsulated in sodium alginate-chitosan or a commercial blend of essential oils on total cholesterol, High Density Lipoprotein (HDL), Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) and growth performance of broiler chickens. The results showed that the broiler chickens supplemented with encapsulated L. plantarum TN8 or essential oil has a higher growth than the control group. After 35days, the weight means were 1860 and 1880g respectively in dietary supplementation with probiotic or essential oil, while they are 1800g in the control group. The evolution of the feed consumption and feed conversion per week showed that the supplementation of encapsulated TN8 strain or essential oil in broiler chickens food has a positive influence on their appetite. Similarly, supplementation of the feed with this encapsulated strain significantly reduced the rate of cholesterol (HDL and LDL) as well as the contents of triglycerides in broiler chickens. Through our study, it appears that the use of the probiotic supplementation or essential oil to broilers were found to be better than the control group of chickens, resulting in a significant economic impact and promoting effect on health.

Chemical composition, techno-functional and sensory properties and effects of three dietary fibers on the quality characteristics of Tunisian beef sausage.

This study determined the effects of three dietary fibers namely, VITACEL LC200 powdered cellulose (LC200), barley beta-glucan concentrate (BBC), and VITACEL KF500 potato fiber (KF500), on the techno-functional and sensory properties and quality characteristics of Tunisian beef sausage. The findings revealed interesting functional properties for LC200 fiber. This fiber displayed high water binding capacity (WBC) and oil binding capacity (OBC), values of 16.2 g/g and 10.2 g/g, respectively, which are higher than reported for most fruit and vegetable fiber concentrates. The application of LC200 improved the masticability and elasticity of beef sausage formulations and minimized their hardness and production costs without negatively affecting their sensory properties. Overall, the findings demonstrate the potential functional and economic utility of LC200 fiber as a promising source of dietary fiber.

Comparative Study on Biochemical Properties and Antioxidative Activity of Cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) Protein Hydrolysates Produced by Alcalase and Bacillus licheniformis NH1 Proteases.

Antioxidative activities and biochemical properties of protein hydrolysates prepared from cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) using Alcalase 2.4 L and Bacillus licheniformis NH1 proteases with different degrees of hydrolysis (DH) were determined. For the biochemical properties, hydrolysis by both enzymes increased protein solubility to above 75% over a wide pH range. The antioxidant activities of cuttlefish protein hydrolysates (CPHs) increase with increasing DH. In addition, all CPHs exhibited antioxidative activity in a concentration-dependent manner. NH1-CPHs generally showed greater antioxidative activity than Alcalase protein hydrolysates (P < 0.05) as indicated by the higher 1,1-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and ferrous chelating activity. Both Alcalase and NH1 protein hydrolysates were able to retard lipid peroxidation and ß-carotene-linoleic acid oxidation. Alcalase-CPH (DH = 12.5%) and NH1-CPH (DH = 15%) contained 75.36% and 80.11% protein, respectively, with histidine and arginine as the major amino acids, followed by glutamic acid/glutamine, serine, lysine, and leucine. In addition, CPHs have a high percentage of essential amino acids made up 48.85% and 50.04%. Cuttlefish muscle protein hydrolysates had a high nutritional value and could be used as supplement to poorly balanced dietary proteins.