Future Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences最新文献

Background

Nanotechnology has gained rapid popularity in many fields, such as food science. The labile bioactive is enclosed in a shield that protects it from harmful environmental factors. It also allows for targeted delivery to specific areas. Bioactive compounds in foods are slowly degraded or can change due to external or internal factors such as oxidation. Innovative technologies and novel edible packaging materials can be used to reduce bioavailability. One promising technology for overcoming the problems above is encapsulation.

The main body of the abstract

Nanostructure systems enhances a number of properties, including resistance to degradation and improvements of physicochemical functions like solubility, stability, and bioavailability, among others as the nanosize increases surface area and, consequently, activity. A recently emerged nanoencapsulation technologies, including electro spraying, nano-fluidics, complex coacervation, electrospinning, polymerization, etc. have been briefly discussed. Different bioactive molecules can be nano encapsulated by absorbing, incorporating, chemically interacting, or dispersing substances into nanocarriers. There have also been other characterization techniques and different physico chemical parameters investigated to evaluate the characteristics of encapsulated bioactives. The current article highlights numerous bioactive substances utilized for nanoencapsulation using cutting-edge methods.

Short conclusion

This review examines how different encapsulating bioactive materials can improve encapsulating films or coatings. The advent of nanotechnology has opened up a wide range of possibilities for the development, design, and formulation of innovative pharmaceuticals. The food and pharmaceutical industry can focus its attention on products that have added value through the various enhancements offered by nanoencapsulation.

Background

The infamous multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii is becoming a nightmare in intensive care units across the globe. Since there are now very few effective antimicrobial agents, it is necessary to explore unconventional resources for novel antimicrobials. This study investigated the potential antimicrobial activity of Origanum majorana L. against A. baumannii employing multiple approaches including antimicrobial susceptibility, fractionation, ultra-performance liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS) dereplication, and in silico analysis for target/ligand identification.

Results

On the extremely pathogenic MDR strain A. baumannii AB5075, O. majorana L. has shown a significant growth inhibitory effect (MIC = 0.675 mg/mL). The polar 50% methanol fraction was the most active (MIC = 0.5 mg/mL). The UPLC-HRMS dereplication of the bioactive fraction detected 29 metabolites belonging to different chemical classes. Justicidin B, one of the identified metabolites, was projected by preliminary in silico analysis to be the most highly scoring metabolite for binding with molecular targets in A. baumannii with a Fit score = 8.56 for enoyl-ACP reductase (FabI) (PDB ID: 6AHE), suggesting it to be its potential target. Additionally, docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and bioinformatics analysis suggested that this interaction is similar to a well-known FabI inhibitor. The amino acids involved in the interaction are conserved among different MDR A. baumannii strains and the effectiveness could extend to Gram-negative pathogens within the ESKAPE group.

Conclusions

Origanum majorana L. extract exhibits antimicrobial activity against A. baumannii using one or more metabolites in its 50% methanol fraction. The characterized active metabolite is hypothesized to be justicidin B which inhibits the growth of A. baumannii AB5075 via targeting its fatty acid synthesis.

Background

Thalictrum foliolosum, a member of the Ranunculus family, is recognized for its therapeutic potential in addressing gastric issues, dyspepsia, tooth pain, abdominal colic pain, and piles. The diverse array of secondary metabolites present in the plant contributes to these therapeutic applications. This study aims to uncover and quantify the bioactive secondary metabolites found in the unexplored leaves, stems, and roots of T. foliolosum. Additionally, we also aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity and MIC values of these extracts against a panel of pathogenic bacteria, such as pathogenic strains, including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus mutant and Staphylococcus aureus.

Result

HPLC analysis suggested all examined compounds were found significantly more in root parts of plant. To determine the potential antimicrobial activity of different plant parts result suggested chloroform fraction of root most effective with variable potency against each examined pathogen at 25–100 µg/ml extracts which indicated rich content of berberine in this fraction. Minimum MIC (121.26 µg/mL) of the chloroform fraction of the root was also supported the results. Fatty acid methyl ester analysis by gas chromatography revealed that the stem contained high levels of fatty acids, such as palmitic acid, stearic acid, and linolenic acid, all of which have antibacterial properties.

Conclusion

The potential antimicrobial activity of extracts of various plant parts strongly supports the T. foliolosum plant's widespread use in folk medicine for the treatment of various chronic diseases and adulterants with various associated medicinal plant species.

Background

Cereals have historically played a crucial role in the human diet, serving as a significant natural source of energy and offering various health benefits. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) has been given significant attention in recent years due to its exceptional nutritional value, surpassing that of other cereals. The objective of this research is to evaluate the antioxidant activity of various solvent extracts obtained from three different barley cultivars.

Results

The G.136 variety's acetone extract exhibited the highest level of antioxidant activity in both the DPPH assay, with an IC₅₀ of 55.62 µg/ml, and the FRAP assay, with 447 μM trolox/mg extract. The dominant compounds identified before in the acetone fraction were subjected to an evaluation of their docking scores, along with an assessment of ADMET (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, and Toxicity) and TOPKAT (Toxicity Prediction by Komputer Assisted Technology) studies. Notably, hordatine A1, prodelphinidin B3, hordatine B1, procyanidin B2, and isovitexin 7-O-glucoside were the major compounds with the highest LipDock scores compared to trolox the reference drug with polyphenol oxidase.

Conclusions

The findings indicate that the acetone extract from all three cultivars demonstrates noteworthy results, surpassing the efficacy of other solvent extracts against the antioxidant activity.

Background

The study of plant-based medications, or phytomedicine, involves a wide spectrum of biological activities. Due to the existence of secondary metabolites, herbal medicine has been used and practiced throughout history for the treatment of both acute and chronic conditions. Over the past century or so, numerous novel compounds with medicinal potential have been derived from plants. In the age of growing super infections and the emergence of resistant strains, natural medicines are inspiring optimism.

Main body of the abstract

The review discusses the role of herbal medicine as antibacterial agents and their use in wound care and management of wounds and the critical role of secondary metabolites of herbal plants in fighting bacterial infections. Some medicinal plants such as St. John’s wort (SJW) (Hypericum perforatum), Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Ginger (Zingiber officinale), and nopal cactus (Opuntia ficusindica (L.)) also possess wide range of biological activities and can give a synergistic effect if combined with antibiotics. In addition, natural biopolymers play an important role in the management of wounds as well as the physiological processes of the skin (hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodelling).

Method

A narrative review of papers relevant to the use of phytomedicine in treating infections was conducted by using electronic databases PubMed, CrossREF, and Google Scholar.

Short conclusion

Phytomedicine is one of the top options for the treatment of chronic illnesses for millions of people around the world. To learn about the bioactive components of medicinal plants, their medical benefits, and their synergistic or additive effects to enhance the action of medications, substantial new studies are still needed.

Graphical abstract

Background

Paclitaxel administration is considered a keystone in the management of many types of cancers. However, paclitaxel chemotherapy often leads to peripheral neuropathy which is the most prominent adverse effect that reduces the patient’s quality of life and demands dose reduction leading to decreased disease curing. Paclitaxel induces peripheral neuropathy through disruption of microtubules, distorted function of ion channels, axonal degeneration, and inflammatory events. So far, there is no standard medication to prevent the incidence of paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy (PIPN).

Main body

Numerous preclinical studies in rats and rodents showed that several therapeutic agents have neuroprotective mechanisms and reduce the incidence of PIPN, proving their effectiveness in the prevention of PIPN in animal models. Different mechanisms, such as reduction of the expression of inflammatory mediators, quenching of reactive oxygen species, prevention of neuronal damage, and other mechanisms, have been explored. Moreover, many clinical trials have further established the neuroprotective effect of several investigational drugs on PIPN. Twenty preclinical studies of pharmacological interventions were reviewed for their preventive effect on neuropathy. These medications targeted cannabinoid receptors, oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and ion channels. Additionally, 25 clinical studies with pharmacological preventive interventions of PIPN have been reviewed, of which only 10 showed preventive action in PIPN.

Conclusion

Prevention of PIPN is currently considered an emergent field of research. This review highlights the potential interventions and presents recent findings from both preclinical and clinical studies on the significant prevention of PIPN to help in effective decision-making. However, further well-designed research is required to ascertain recommendations for clinical practice.

Background

The purpose of the present study was to enhance the memory-boosting activity of the standardized hydroalcoholic Camellia sinensis extract (CSE) by the formation of nanophytosomes with Leciva S70 phospholipid. The central composite design was used to optimize the solvent evaporation method for the formulation of C. sinesis phytosomes (CSP).

Results

The optimized formulation had a mean particle size of 212.3 nm ± 0.39, PDI of 0.238 ± 0.0197, and zeta potential of −42.02 ± 0.995 mV. C. sinensis phytosome formation was confirmed by analytical techniques. The aqueous solubility of the developed CSP was 95.92 ± 0.31, which is 7.34 times greater than that of pure CSE (13.07 ± 0.19). CSP was found more effective than either pure CSE (26.42 ± 0.4654%) or the physical mixture (32.15 ± 0.4596%) in releasing the CSE from the formulation (72.16 ± 0.5248%). Acute toxicity study corroborated the safety of CSP in rats. CSP demonstrated a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in escape and transferred latency on both days (15th and 16th) as compared to CSE, indicating the improvement of the memory-boosting activity. Furthermore, CSP-treated rats significantly improved acetylcholine (Ach) levels and brain tissue concentration compared with CSE. Moreover, the phytosomal formulation of CSP exhibited its rationality with an improvement of bioavailability by 3.21 folds compared with pure CSE.

Conclusion

The presence of phospholipids in the CSP formulation and the formation of smaller particles may aid in crossing the blood–brain barrier, increasing brain tissue concentration and bioavailability. This, in turn, leads to an increase in memory-boosting activity.

Graphical abstract

Background

Nutrient stress (NS), one of the hallmarks of the tumour microenvironment, can render cancer cells tolerant to cytotoxicity. Fibroblasts, on the other hand, have cancer cell-like traits, such as plasticity and resiliency. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxicity of the drug on reseeded human U87 glioblastoma (GBM) cells as well as on mouse L929 fibroblasts in the form of monolayer and colonies that grew after NS induction.

Results

No treatment for 48 h showed a statistically significant difference in U87 cell viability when compared to the 50% hypothetical value. However, temozolomide (TMZ) (151.0 µg/ml) and azithromycin (AZI) (92.0 µg/ml) significantly diminished the number of U87 cell colonies compared to the untreated control, and AZI also outperformed doxycycline (DOXY) (147.0 µg/ml). L929 fibroblasts survived NS, but the cytotoxicity of AZI, DOXY, and AZI + DOXY (92.0 + 147.0 µg/ml) substantially increased than in L929 fibroblasts without NS induction.

Conclusions

The present findings suggest that NS does not inevitably contribute to cytotoxic drug tolerance in GBM cells. In addition, although fibroblasts can withstand NS, they can also become susceptible to cytotoxic drug-induced death; nevertheless, the type of drug may play a role.

Graphical Abstract

Background

Osteoporosis is a crucial health concern interconnected with physical disabilities as well as financial burdens. It arises from an imbalance between osteoblasts and osteoclasts, provoking the reduction of bone mass and the disturbances in bone structure with high fracture risk. Considerable efforts were done to prevent and mitigate this public health issue. Nonetheless, further understanding of the etiopathology of osteoporosis and the underlying genetic and epigenetic pathways is required.

Main body

Emerging evidence indicates that noncoding RNAs, including long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs), play crucial roles as epigenetic regulators in various pathological processes, including osteoporosis. LncRNAs are RNA transcripts with higher structural complexity that are developed owing to their secondary and tertiary structures, which allow them to create different binding sites for other biomolecules, such as DNA, RNA, and proteins. Another class of noncoding RNAs is circRNAs, which have a covalently closed loop structure without the 5′ cap and 3′ polyA tail and are formed by back-splicing of pre-mRNAs. Because of their closed structure, circRNAs are largely stable, resistant to RNA-degrading nucleases, and possess substantially longer circulatory half-lives than linear RNAs. Interestingly, both lncRNAs and circRNAs serve as competing endogenous RNAs by sponging multiple miRNA binding sites as well as interact with RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), thereby controlling the expression of their target genes. Several studies indicated that altered expression of these regulators could influence many biological processes in bone cells.

Conclusion

The current review provides current opinions on the role and the underlying mechanisms by which lncRNAs and circRNAs affect osteoblastic and osteoclastic activities. The deep understanding of these noncoding RNAs in osteoporosis offers distinctive avenues for innovative treatment strategies.

Background

Hyaluronic acid (HA) has a broad range of cosmetic and therapeutic applications due to its unique physicochemical properties and involvement in various essential biological processes, including cell signaling, wound reparation, and tissue regeneration.

Main body

In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of HA, including its history, physicochemical properties, roles, molecular biology, and biochemistry (including occurrence, biosynthesis, and degradation), as well as its chemical modifications and conventional and emerging production methods. We also examine HA's medical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic applications and its derivatives in arthrology, ophthalmology, wound healing, odontology, oncology, drug delivery, 3D bioprinting, and cosmetology. Finally, we discuss the potential role of HA in preventing Covid-19.

Conclusion

Hyaluronic acid, a naturally found substance, has shown immense potential in the clinic. Thus, it is imperative to highlight its applications in the diverse fields impacting the lives of patients and healthy individuals.