Indigenous knowledge of zootherapeutic use among the people of Hazara division Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

The various animals and plant species, their parts, and products are being used in traditional health care and cultural practices but the use of animals, their parts and products have rarely recorded especially in Pakistan. This study investigated and documented animal species used by traditional residents for treatments in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Hazara area of Pakistan. A field survey conducted in 2017-2018 in 6 districts of the Hazara region. A total of 63 animal species belonging to 47 families were reported for their ethnozoological importance including Mammals 33%, Birds 25%, Arthropods 17%, Reptiles 8%, Fishes 6%, Mollusks 3%, Annelids 3% Platyhelminthes and Amphibians 2% respectively. Out of 63 animals, 59 have medicinal importance and used to treat different human diseases. The most used animal species to treat various human ailments in Hazara region were includes Ovisaries (sheep), Portunessanguinolentus crab), Capra aegagrushircus (goat), Columba liviadomestica (pigeon), Bubalusbubalis (Buffalo) and Apiscerana (honey bee) and most used body parts include fats, meat, blood, milk, feces, urine, honey, tusk, feathers and shell. This ethnozoology study can play an important role in the biodiversity and conservation of animal species in the study area, laying the foundation for drug development

Indigenous knowledge of zootherapeutic use among the people of Hazara division Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

568-579The various animals and plant species, their parts, and products are being used in traditional health care and cultural practices but the use of animals, their parts and products have rarely recorded especially in Pakistan. This study investigated and documented animal species used by traditional residents for treatments in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Hazara area of Pakistan. A field survey conducted in 2017-2018 in 6 districts of the Hazara region. A total of 63 animal species belonging to 47 families were reported for their ethnozoological importance including Mammals 33%, Birds 25%, Arthropods 17%, Reptiles 8%, Fishes 6%, Mollusks 3%, Annelids 3% Platyhelminthes and Amphibians 2% respectively. Out of 63 animals, 59 have medicinal importance and used to treat different human diseases. The most used animal species to treat various human ailments in Hazara region were includes Ovisaries (sheep), Portunessanguinolentus crab), Capra aegagrushircus (goat), Columba liviadomestica (pigeon), Bubalusbubalis (Buffalo) and Apiscerana (honey bee) and most used body parts include fats, meat, blood, milk, feces, urine, honey, tusk, feathers and shell. This ethnozoology study can play an important role in the biodiversity and conservation of animal species in the study area, laying the foundation for drug development

Augmented Oral Bioavailability and Prokinetic Activity of Levosulpiride Delivered in Nanostructured Lipid Carriers

The present study is aimed to develop and optimize levosulpiride-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (LSP-NLCs) for improving oral bioavailability and prokinetic activity of LSP. LSP-NLCs were optimized with D-optimal mixture design using solid lipid, liquid lipid and surfactant concentrations as independent variables. The prepared LSP-NLCs were evaluated for physicochemical properties and solid-state characterization. The in vivo oral pharmacokinetics and prokinetic activity of LSP-NLCs were evaluated in rats. LSP-NLCs formulation was optimized at Precirol® ATO 5/Labrasol (80.55/19.45%, w/w) and Tween 80/Span 80 concentration of 5% (w/w) as a surfactant mixture. LSP-NLCs showed a spherical shape with a particle size of 152 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.230 and an entrapment efficiency of 88%. The DSC and PXRD analysis revealed conversion of crystalline LSP to amorphous state after loading into the lipid matrix. LSP-NLCs displayed a 3.42- and 4.38-flods increase in AUC and Cmax after oral administration compared to LSP dispersion. In addition, LSP-NLCs showed enhanced gastric emptying (61.4%), intestinal transit (63.0%), and fecal count (68.8) compared to LSP dispersion (39.7%, 38.0% and 51.0, respectively). Taken together, these results show improved oral bioavailability and prokinetic activity of LSP-NLCs and presents a promising strategy to improve therapeutic activity of LSP for efficient treatment of gastric diseases

Enhanced Antidepressant Activity of Nanostructured Lipid Carriers Containing Levosulpiride in Behavioral Despair Tests in Mice

The potential of levosulpiride-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (LSP-NLCs) for enhanced antidepressant and anxiolytic effects was evaluated in the current study. A forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) were carried out to determine the antidepressant effect whereas anxiolytic activity was investigated using light–dark box and open field tests. Behavioral changes were evaluated in lipopolysaccharide-induced depressed animals. The access of LSP to the brain to produce therapeutic effects was estimated qualitatively by using fluorescently labeled LSP-NLCs. The distribution of LSP-NLCs was analyzed using ex vivo imaging of major organs after oral and intraperitoneal administration. Acute toxicity studies were carried out to assess the safety of LSP-NLCs in vivo. An improved antidepressant effect of LSP-NLCs on LPS-induced depression showed an increase in swimming time (237 ± 51 s) and struggling time (226 ± 15 s) with a reduction in floating (123 ± 51 s) and immobility time (134 ± 15 s) in FST and TST. The anxiolytic activity in the light–dark box and open field tests exhibited superiority over LSP dispersion. Near-infrared images of fluorescently labeled LSP-NLCs demonstrated the presence of coumarin dye in the brain after 1 h of administration. An acute toxicity study revealed no significant changes in organ-to-body weight ratio, serum biochemistry or tissue histology of major organs. It can be concluded that nanostructured lipid carriers can efficiently deliver LSP to the brain for improved therapeutic efficacy

Potential and Applications of Nanocarriers for Efficient Delivery of Biopharmaceuticals

During the past two decades, the clinical use of biopharmaceutical products has markedly increased because of their obvious advantages over conventional small-molecule drug products. These advantages include better specificity, potency, targeting abilities, and reduced side effects. Despite the substantial clinical and commercial success, the macromolecular structure and intrinsic instability of biopharmaceuticals make their formulation and administration challenging and render parenteral delivery as the only viable option in most cases. The use of nanocarriers for efficient delivery of biopharmaceuticals is essential due to their practical benefits such as protecting from degradation in a hostile physiological environment, enhancing plasma half-life and retention time, facilitating absorption through the epithelium, providing site-specific delivery, and improving access to intracellular targets. In the current review, we highlight the clinical and commercial success of biopharmaceuticals and the overall applications and potential of nanocarriers in biopharmaceuticals delivery. Effective applications of nanocarriers for biopharmaceuticals delivery via invasive and noninvasive routes (oral, pulmonary, nasal, and skin) are presented here. The presented data undoubtedly demonstrate the great potential of combining nanocarriers with biopharmaceuticals to improve healthcare products in the future clinical landscape. In conclusion, nanocarriers are promising delivery tool for the hormones, cytokines, nucleic acids, vaccines, antibodies, enzymes, and gene- and cell-based therapeutics for the treatment of multiple pathological conditions

Production of pions, kaons, (anti-)protons and ϕ\phi mesons in Xe–Xe collisions at sNN\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} = 5.44 TeV

The first measurement of the production of pions, kaons, (anti-)protons and $\phi$ mesons at midrapidity in Xe–Xe collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} = 5.44~\text {TeV}$ is presented. Transverse momentum ($p_{\mathrm{T}}$) spectra and $p_{\mathrm{T}}$-integrated yields are extracted in several centrality intervals bridging from p–Pb to mid-central Pb–Pb collisions in terms of final-state multiplicity. The study of Xe–Xe and Pb–Pb collisions allows systems at similar charged-particle multiplicities but with different initial geometrical eccentricities to be investigated. A detailed comparison of the spectral shapes in the two systems reveals an opposite behaviour for radial and elliptic flow. In particular, this study shows that the radial flow does not depend on the colliding system when compared at similar charged-particle multiplicity. In terms of hadron chemistry, the previously observed smooth evolution of particle ratios with multiplicity from small to large collision systems is also found to hold in Xe–Xe. In addition, our results confirm that two remarkable features of particle production at LHC energies are also valid in the collision of medium-sized nuclei: the lower proton-to-pion ratio with respect to the thermal model expectations and the increase of the $\phi$-to-pion ratio with increasing final-state multiplicity