Current Issue : October-December Volume : 2026 Issue Number : 4 Articles : 5 Articles
Fingerroot (Boesenbergia rotunda (L.) Mansf.), a member of the Zingiberaceae family, exhibits anticariogenic activity against Streptococcus mutans. This study aimed to optimize ultrasound-assisted extraction and solvent system selection for oral spray development. Extraction conditions were optimized using a Box–Behnken design, evaluating ultrasonication time, solvent-to-solid ratio, and ethanol concentration. The optimal conditions—45-min ultrasonication, 30:1 solvent-to-solid ratio, and 85% ethanol— yielded the highest contents of pinocembrin, pinostrobin, and panduratin A. The optimized extract was then subjected to solvent system optimization using an I-optimal design to identify combinations of water, polyethylene glycol 400, and 95% ethanol for effective flavonoid recovery and solubilization. Three solvent systems (12:13:75, 10:30:60, and 6:60:34) were selected for oral spray formulation. Each formulation contained 0.03% sucralose, 0.3% menthol, 0.02% sodium methylparaben, and 0.18% sodium propylparaben. The resulting sprays demonstrated anticariogenic activity against S. mutans. Stability studies showed a decline in pH and flavonoid content over time, whereas viscosity and antimicrobial activity remained stable, as evidenced by inhibition zones. In summary, this study successfully combined extraction and solubilization optimization strategies to develop a fingerroot oral spray with potential anticariogenic properties....
Blepharis edulis (family: Acanthaceae) is a folk medicinal plant traditionally employed formanaging skin injuries, including wounds and ulcers. This study aimed to assess the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of B. edulis extract, formulate it into a topical herbal cream, and assess the wound-healing efficacy of the cream in vivo. In this work, total phenolic content was quantified by a spectrophotometric assay based on the Folin–Ciocalteu reagent. Antioxidant potential was examined using the 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging assay. The antibacterial effects against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were characterized using a broth microdilution method. The cream was formulated using an oil-in-water base via the phase inversion temperature method, and five formulations (F1–F5) were developed by varying excipient composition while maintaining a constant extract concentration (1%). Our data showed that the extract demonstrated a high phenolic content (54.7mg gallic acid equivalent/g extract), potent antioxidant activity (IC50 23.0 μ- g/mL), and selective antibacterial activity against S. aureus (MIC 5mg/mL). Among the tested cream formulations, F5 demonstrated optimal physical properties, including nongreasy, smooth consistency, good spreadability, easy washability, physical stability, and no signs of coalescence or liquefaction under accelerated stability conditions. F5 maintained a stable pH of 4.72 and showed no dermal irritation. The formulation contained 1% of B. edulis extract, along with liquid paraffin, glycol monostearate, ceteareth-6, ceteareth-25, methyl paraben, propyl paraben, vaseline, beeswax, lemon fragrance, propylene glycol, and cetyl alcohol. In vivo, topical application of F5 significantly enhanced wound healing, showing complete re-epithelialization, increased collagen fibers, extensive angiogenesis, and abundant granulation tissue compared with the control group. In summary, the newly developed topical cream formulated with B. edulis extract demonstrated significant in vivo wound-healing activity and represents a promising candidate for further preclinical pharmaceutical investigation....
Excipients are inactive substances required for the preparation of pharmaceutical forms. The efficacy, safety, and quality of syrup formulations depend on their composition, including excipients. Oral H1 antihistamine syrup formulations are most commonly used for pediatric and geriatric populations. Forty-one oral H1 antihistamine syrup formulations were initially identified. Of these, 30 formulations with complete excipient information in their patient information leaflets (PILs) were included in the final analysis, while 11 formulations were excluded due to incomplete excipient data. The frequency of each excipient class was determined. The associations between the sweeteners or preservatives used in the analyzed oral H1 antihistamine syrup formulations and H1 antihistamine classes were observed. These associations are exploratory in nature and do not reflect causal relationships; they should be interpreted with caution because of the small sample size and lack of homogeneity. This assessment is based solely on the available descriptive information, without data on the concentrations of the excipients. In the analyzed oral H1 antihistamine syrup formulations, propylene glycol, sorbitol, sodium benzoate, strawberry flavor, Sunset Yellow FCF, and citric acid/sodium citrate were the most commonly used co-solvent, sweetener, preservative, flavoring agent, colorant, and buffering agent, respectively. The results of this study illustrate the patterns of excipient use only within the formulations that were analyzed....
Propolis is a widely studied natural raw material, the composition of which varies depending on the plant origin, harvest season, geographical area, climate and bee species. This large variety of chemical composition limits the use of propolis extracts in the pharmaceutical industry, which makes it difficult to ensure standardization of the raw material. One of the challenges that limit the modeling of oral pharmaceutical forms with propolis extract is the limited solubility and bioavailability of active compounds. Solid dispersion technology is commonly used in the production of oral capsules. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of different materials (HPMC, poloxamer and β-cyclodextrin) on the dissolution kinetics of phenolic compounds of propolis dry extract contained in capsules and their antioxidant activity in vitro. Analysis of the selected formulations showed that the major phenolic compounds detected in the propolis extract were also present in the dissolution medium samples. The auxiliary polymeric materials selected for the capsules formed a prerequisite for the dissolution kinetics profile. The addition of poloxamer and cyclodextrin increased the solubility and dissolution kinetics of hydrophobic propolis compounds in the test media. The addition of HPMC prolonged the dissolution kinetics of propolis active compounds. The antioxidant activity of the tested samples depends on the concentration of active compounds in the receptor medium by both the ABTS and DPPH methods....
This investigation addressed challenges in the delivery of poorly soluble drugs, and the colloidal processing of polymer–ceramic composites by fabrication of advanced supramolecular hydrogels. Polygalacturonic acid (PGA) polymer and 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) drug, both characterized by poor aqueous solubility, were selected as model building blocks for supramolecular hydrogels. Meglumine (MG) served as a multifunctional component in the gels, acting as a building block as well as an alkalizing and solubilizing agent for PGA and GA. Investigations revealed gel formation mechanisms, which were based on the electrostatic interactions of deprotonated anionic carboxylic groups of PGA and GA with protonated amino groups of MG and the hydrogen bonding of PGA polymer and GA molecules. The feasibility of the fabrication of PGA-MG and GA-MG gels opened an avenue for the fabrication of PGA-GA-MG gels. The composite gels provided a platform for drug delivery, and the kinetics of drug release from the composite gels containing MG excipient were investigated. Composite gels were obtained from colloidal dispersions, containing bioceramics, such as hydroxyapatite, silica, and titania, and bioglass in the PGA solutions in the presence of MG. The results of this investigation pave the way for the fabrication of novel supramolecular and composite gels loaded with various functional materials....
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