Exploring the therapeutic potential of sodium deoxycholate tailored deformable-emulsomes of etodolac for effective management of arthritis.

The current piece of research intends to evaluate the potential of combining etodolac with deformable-emulsomes, a flexible vesicular system, as a promising strategy for the topical therapy of arthritis. The developed carrier system featured nanometric dimensions (102 nm), an improved zeta potential (- 5.05 mV), sustained drug release (31.33%), and enhanced drug deposition (33.13%) of DE-gel vis-à-vis conventional system (10.34% and 14.71%). The amount of permeation of the developed nano formulation across skin layers was demonstrated through CLSM and dermatokinetics studies. The safety profile of deformable-emulsomes has been investigated through in vitro HaCaT cell culture studies and skin compliance studies. The efficacy of the DE-gel formulation was sevenfold higher in case of Xylene induced ear edema model and 2.2-folds in CFA induced arthritis model than that of group treated with conventional gel (p < 0.01). The main technological rationale lies in the use of phospholipid and sodium deoxycholate-based nanoscale flexible lipoidal vesicles, which effectively encapsulate drug molecules within their interiors. This encapsulation enhances the molecular interactions and facilitates the transportation of the drug molecule effectively to the target-site. Hence, these findings offer robust scientific evidence to support additional investigation into the potential utility of flexible vesicular systems as a promising drug delivery alternative for molecules of this nature.

From the inside out: understanding the gut-heart connection.

The gut microbiome was first termed as 'Animalcules' by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek in the 17th century. The diverse composition and complex interactions of gut microbes are essential for good human health. They play a crucial role in inflammation, which by itself leads to the development of cardiovascular diseases. Although the mechanisms are not fully understood, it has been studied that the gut microbiota produce several bioactive metabolites impacting cardiovascular health mainly through TMAO pathway, SCFA pathway and bile acid pathway. Moreover, studies have found that using dietary interventions like high fiber diet and probiotics to re-establish a healthy equilibrium show promising results on improving cardiovascular health and thus, could be potentially used for prevention and management of cardiovascular diseases.

Pluronic F127-tailored lecithin organogel of acyclovir: preclinical evidence of antiviral activity using BALB/c murine model of cutaneous HSV-1 infection.

Herpes is a well-known contagious infection equally affecting both sexes. Among many antiviral drugs employed for its treatment, acyclovir (ACY) is the drug of choice. The currently available therapies of ACY suffer from limitations like poor oral bioavailability (10-15%) and high-dose requirement. The present scientific study aims to explore pluronic lecithin organogel (PLO) as a novel drug delivery platform for ACY to bring an improvement in its delivery through topical route. The properties of organogel like biocompatibility and amphiphilic nature which facilitates dissolution of various drugs of different solubility characteristics along with enhancing the permeation potential of active molecules make it a favorable drug delivery platform for the management of topical diseases. The developed PLO formulations were characterized for micromeritic characteristics, viz., zeta potential, percentage drug content, organogel morphology, skin permeation, retention, and stability studies. The selected topical formulation was further compared with the marketed one for its therapeutic efficacy by inducing cutaneous Herpes simplex virus type 1 infection followed by confirmation of viral load by immunofluorescence and PCR analyses. The developed formulation showed significant improvement over the marketed product as reflected in lesion scoring index and PCR analysis. Further, it proved better to the marketed formulation in t.i.d. treatment regimen in comparison to control. The improvement in overall performance leading to enhanced bioavailability and safety is attributed to the synergism between excipient properties and formulation characteristics. The drug ACY in this micro environment not only finds an improved delivery vehicle but it also offers enhanced drug-target interactions.

Role of Cissus quadrangularis in the Management of Osteoporosis: An Overview.

This article aims to provide a comprehensive review of Cissus quadrangularis (CQ), which is a traditional medicinal herb and has a potential osteoprotective effect. CQ is a perennial climber of family Vitaceae that is commonly found in the hotter parts of India. It is most widely used in India for improving bone health and is well known as "hadjod." It shows an anti-osteoporotic effect through different pathways mechanisms. It is natural matrices of excellence with proven bioactivity. Several cell line and animal studies demonstrated its protective nature against many diseases such as osteoporosis, arthritis, gastric ulcers etc. This review also highlights the phytochemicals identified to the date and related pharmacological applications. The discussion has also expanded to its oral formulations, which has been proven for its efficacy practically. However, the scientific information of CQ is not in the proper documentation for reference, and so availability of scientific knowledge of this climber is limited. Therefore, this review might be provided a platform to those who will be interested in studying further this herb, either for analyzing phytochemical profiling or its anti-osteoporotic usage. This is a crucial platform as several productive results have been reported on this herb, which likely to be beneficial for new drug discovery in future. Here we also discuss the bone remodeling and related factors influenced by the intake of CQ.