Potential of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles as an Anticancer Agent: A Review

According to reports, one of the leading causes of mortality is cancer. Over the years, numerous approaches have been devised to lessen chronic pain and death as well as to elevate the quality of life. However, a scarcity persists in the effectiveness of cancer treatments. Early cancer identification and medication delivery with excellent specificity to reduce toxicities are two critical elements in ensuring effective cancer treatment. As a result of severe systemic toxicities and issues with current cancer diagnostic and treatment procedures, alternative nanotechnology-based techniques are being employed to improve detection and minimize disease severity. Nanotechnology has shown promising breakthroughs in cancer therapy by eliminating tumours with minimal damage to surrounding healthy cells. Since zinc is one of the necessary trace elements found in large amounts in human body tissues, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are said to be the most cost-effective and have the least hazardous characteristics of all metal oxide nanoparticles. In addition, ZnO NPs have several biological uses, notably in the field of drug administration. In this review, we tried to explore the advantage of ZnO NPs in the biomedical field, particularly in the treatment of cancer which can help to facilitate future research progress

Potential COVID -19 Therapeutics in Clinical Trials – A Brief Review

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS – CoV2), the causative viral pathogen of the COVID-19 pandemic belongs to the family of Coronaviruses which are positive single stranded RNA viruses. The scientific fraternity has developed and developing various types of vaccines for prevention against COVID-19, such as inactivated virus vaccines, mRNA vaccines, replicating vector protein subunit vaccines, etc., Out of which ten vaccines namely Novovax, Covovax (protein subunit vaccines), Pfizer BNT16b2, Moderna mRNA 1273 (mRNA vaccines), Johnson & Johnson Ad26, Cov2.S, Astrazeneca AZD1222, Covishield (non-replicating viral vector vaccines), Covaxin, Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV, CoronoVac (inactivated vaccines) have been approved for clinical use by WHO. There is an urgent need for SARS-CoV2 specific therapeutics for the treatment of COVID-19 as there is the emergence of various variants such as Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Omicron, etc. The emergence of variants that possesses immune evading property and spike protein mutation have increased infectivity and more pathogenicity which impelled the need to develop various therapeutics for the treatment of COVID-19. This review compiles the information about potential antiviral candidates in preclinical trials intended for the treatment of COVID-19. The clinical development of such antivirals will be very crucial for the treatment of COVID-19 and also to curb the spread as the present scenario depends on the development of effective prophylactic vaccines

TOXICITY OF ZINC OXIDE NANOPARTICLES ON HUMAN SKIN DERMAL CELLS

Zinc oxide (ZnO) has special physical and chemical characteristics which enable it to be utilized in numerous applications including electronics, sunscreens, pigments, and most notably in biomedical applications. Nanoemulsions containing zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are progressively sought-after as an active component in cosmetic formulations and are used in sunscreens, moisturizers, and antiaging products. Zinc paste bandages including Unna boot consist of open wove cotton gauze treated with ZnO paste are now common medicaments for leg ulcers. The damaged and broken skins are vulnerable to ZnO NPs uptake. This being the case, ZnO NPs on the skin surface can affect the functions of surrounding cells in numerous ways by penetrating into the skin cells. This could exert toxicity effects on the skin cells over time depending on the concentration and site of ZnO NPs exposure. This review brings together some findings regarding the toxicity of ZnO NPs on human skin dermal cells and thus in turn enlightens the safer usage of ZnO NPs in skin care applications

Supercritical fluid technology and its pharmaceutical applications: a revisit with two decades of progress

Over the past two decades, supercritical fluid technology has emerged as one of the most important technologies applied in many fields such as cosmetic, food and pharmaceutical. Supercritical fluid extraction process offers numerous advantages such as easy, effective, inexpensive, high quality of solute extraction and environmentally friendly. This mini-review describes the fundamentals of supercritical fluid technology, the function of supercritical fluid as solvent and anti-solvent, mechanism of supercritical fluid, advantages and disadvantages and revisit the application of supercritical fluid technology in pharmaceutical sciences. In-depth discussion with recent examples of extraction of natural products, particle design in drug delivery, preparation on pharmaceutical powder, drug solubilization, inclusion complex, polymer impregnation, liposomal formulations, purification and polymorphism as well as drug extraction analysis are also presented. Key aspects and processing considerations of supercritical fluid technologies are reviewed to assist scientists to generate other related experimental works. © 2020, Association of Pharmaceutical Teachers of India. All rights reserved

Development of a novel direct compressible co-processed excipient and its application for formulation of Mirtazapine orally disintegrating tablets

Introduction: Orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) are designed to dissolve in the oral cavity within 3 min, providing a convenient option for patients as they can be taken without water. Direct compression is the most common method used for ODTs formulations. However, the availability of single composite excipients with desirable characteristics such as good compressibility, fast disintegration, and a good mouth-feel suitable for direct compression is limited. Objective: This research was proposed to develop a co-processed excipient composed of xylitol, mannitol, and microcrystalline cellulose for the formulation of ODTs. Methods: A total of 11 formulations of co-processed excipients with different ratios of ingredients were prepared, which were then compressed into ODTs, and their characteristics were thoroughly examined. The primary focus was on evaluating the disintegration time and hardness of the tablets, as these factors are important in ensuring the ODTs meet the desired criteria. The model drug, Mirtazapine was then incorporated into the chosen optimized formulation. Results: The results showed that the formulation comprised of 10% xylitol, 10% mannitol and 80% micro-crystalline cellulose demonstrated the fastest disintegration time (1.77 ± 0.119 min) and sufficient hardness (3.521 ± 0.143 kg) compared to the other formulations. Furthermore, the drug was uniformly distributed within the tablets and fully released within 15 min. Conclusion: Therefore, the developed co-processed excipients show great potential in enhancing the functionalities of ODTs, offering a promising solution to improve the overall performance and usability of ODTs in various therapeutic applications

A review on the solubility enhancement technique for pharmaceutical formulations

Abstract Several properties of potential drug molecules such as the solubility of the drug molecule must be determined prior to developing dosage forms as the solubility of a drug molecule is one of the key criteria in achieving an effective drug concentration. Solubility is expressed as the number of parts by volume of solvent necessary to dissolve one part by weight of a solid or one part by volume of a liquid according to pharmacopoeias. Poor water solubility is a critical issue in the formulation development with more than 40% of the novel chemical entities being insoluble in water. Different strategies have been used to enhance the solubility of poorly soluble drugs which include physical and chemical modifications of drug and other methods like particle size reduction, crystal engineering, salt formation, solid dispersion, use of surfactant and so. The properties of a drug, site of absorption, and required dosage form characteristics helps in the selection of solubility enhancing techniques

Comparison of solvent casting and spray casting method on compounding of an orally disintegrating film containing amlodipine besylate

The amlodipine besylate tablet is one of the most highly prescribed medicines to manage hypertension in the geriatric population. However, the difficulty of swallowing tablets due to problems like dysphagia, fear of choking, and odynophagia has been identified as one of the contributing factors to non-compliance among geriatrics. Due to the swallowing factor among geriatrics, this study was conducted to compare two compounding methods of orally disintegrating films, namely solvent casting and spray casting, to produce an orally disintegrating film containing amlodipine besylate. Different polymers were used to develop the orally disintegrating films, and the formulations were subjected to validation tests such as thickness, folding endurance, tensile strength, percentage of elongation, Young’s modulus, disintegration, and dissolution. Chemicals like hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, glycerin, mannitol, sodium lauryl sulfate, citric acid, peppermint oil, and a coloring agent were used to formulate the orally disintegrating films. In addition, orally disintegrating films were prepared using the solvent casting and the spraying method. An increase in the polymer’s concentration resulted in the formation of a greater mechanical strength. After a comparison between the hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and the carboxymethyl cellulose as film-forming agents, it was discovered that hydroxypropyl methylcellulose had greater mechanical film properties than the carboxymethyl cellulose, except for the folding endurance. Moreover, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose was shown to have a better disintegration time, which was in the range of 30 minutes to 90 minutes, with a drug release of 95% to 100%, while carboxymethyl cellulose disintegrated at 6 minutes to 15 minutes with a drug release of 60% to 75%. On the other hand, both solvent casting and spraying methods produced an evenly matched orally disintegrating film quality. Orally disintegrating films containing amlodipine besylate were developed and characterized. It was concluded that these orally disintegrating films have a great potential in the market and a profound ability in the reduction of geriatric non-

Orally disintegrating film: a revisit of its two decades development

For the last two decades, oral drug delivery system was extensively discussed in the pharmaceutical field which includes Orally Disintegrating Film (ODF) due to its advantages over other oral dosage form such as tablet and capsule. ODF can be taken without water and classified as patient friendly dosage form especially for geriatric and pediatric who affected the most with swallowing disorder. ODF manufactured by various methods such as solvent casting method, semi solid casting method, hot melting extrusion, solid dispersion extrusion, rolling method and spraying method. ODF formulated using several chemicals like hydrophilic polymers, plasticizer, saliva stimulating agent, surfactant, sweeteners, API, coloring, and flavoring agents. Validation tests such as thickness test, folding endurance, tensile strength, young modulus, disintegration, and dissolution test performed to analyze the mechanical properties, disintegration, and dissolution profile of the film. Some challenges will be encountered in the process of formulating ODF such as API insolubility, unpleasant taste of API, stability issue, and dose uniformity. Those challenges can be overcome with great formulations, high standard manufacturing methods and ideal storage management. In general, ODF have great potential in pharmaceutical market and can be a good tool to enhance the therapeutic convenient of patient which then lead to advancement of healthcare syste

Effect of concentration of lipid and temperature on the formation of Naringenin loaded solid lipid nanoparticles

Naringenin is a natural flavonoid which is commonly found in large amounts of natural plants including citrus fruits, tomatoes, cherries, cocoa and grapefruit. Naringenin has a molecular weight of 272.26 and is described as poorly soluble in water. Due to its poor solubility, it will lead to low bioavailability. The aim of this study is to determine the efficiency of using solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) method in improving solubility of Naringenin. Other than that, concentration of lipid and temperature were studied as well to determine the optimum formation of NRG-SLNs. Solubility of Naringenin is enhance by method of solid lipid nanoparticles. Materials that were used is Naringenin as active ingredient, stearic acid as lipid phase, Tween 80 as non-ionic surfactant and olive oil. As for the oil selection test, the naringenin was determined in several types of oils such as sunflower oil, eucalyptus oil, coconut oil and olive oil. The Naringenin-Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (NRG-SLNs) were prepared by separately two beakers with label of lipid phase and aqueous phase. These different beakers will be mix through some process and will be sonicate and temperature must be maintained at 85°C. On the other hand, the concentration of lipid and temperature are highlighted as the parameter in this study. Evaluation of the prepared SLNs inclusive of drug content uniformity, solubility studies, in vitro dissolution, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and short-term stability studies. Based on the particle characterization, the particle size of NRG-SLNs ranging from 144 – 648 nm. The polydispersity index (PDI) showed values of 0.609 – 0.721. PDI is indicator if size distribution homogeneity. Zeta potential result was -0.112 mV which is nearly neutral. Other than that, the encapsulation efficiency of Naringenin encapsulated by SLNs method ranging from 77% - 82%. The solid lipid nanoparticles method was proven to significantly improve solubility and enhance stability profile of naringenin compared to the pure naringeni

STUDIES ON POLY HERBAL POWDER SHAMPOO FOR THE TREATMENT OF PEDICULOSIS CAPITIS AND PITYRIASIS CAPITIS INFESTATIONS

Objective: The main objective of this study was to formulation containing poly herbal medicinal plants, which gives safety, efficacy; rectify the skin disease, scalp disorders and reducing harmful effect from herbal anti-lice and dandruff shampoos for the treatment of Pediculosis capitis and Pityriasis capitis and to prevent hair fall. Methods: The formulation of herbal shampoo with various herbal ingredients were dried, milled, sieved (120#) and mixed in geometrical order and evaluated their physicochemical characteristics. Furthermore, particle characters, organoleptic properties, foaming index, skin irritation study, and Anti-lice activity were performed.  Results: The prepared poly herbal powdered shampoo (PHPS) exhibits that was freely soluble, particle 20-25 μm size range and free flowing powder. Lest moisture content (2.5%), ash value, acid value and reduced surface tension of liquid referred as an ideal candidate for foaming, anti-lice potential with no skin irritations. Conclusion: Based on the evaluation parameters, the prepared powdered shampoo helps to remove hair grease, no hair fall and strengthen hair follicles. Preparation of PHPS formulation at laboratory scale and the compounding of several ingredients of herbal source have produced it possible to ensure safety, efficacy and secure highly effective PHPS