Talha Jawaid

Different parts of Ficus religiosa are the common components of various traditional formulations for the treatment of several blood disorders. The new-fangled stem buds’ powder was extracted with 80% ethanol and successively fractionated by chloroform and methanol. Chloroform and methanol fractions of Ficus religiosa (CFFR and MFFR) were tested for antiplatelet, antithrombotic, thrombolytic, and antioxidant activity in ex vivo mode. The MFFR was particularly investigated for GC-MS and toxicity. The antiplatelet activity of the CFFR, MFFR, and standard drug aspirin at 50 μg/mL was 54.32%, 86.61%, and 87.57%, and a significant delay in clot formation was noted. CFFR at different concentrations did not show a significant effect on the delay of clot formation, antiplatelet, and free radical scavenging activity. The most possible marker compounds for antiplatelet and antioxidant activity identified by GC-MS in the MFFR are salicylate derivatives aromatic compounds such as benzeneacetaldehyde (7), phenylmalonic acid (13), and Salicylic acid (14), as well as Benzamides derivatives such as carbobenzyloxy-dl-norvaline (17), 3-acetoxy-2(1H)-pyridone (16), and 3-benzylhexahydropyrrolo [1,2-a] pyrazine-1,4-dione (35). A toxicity study of MFFR did not show any physical indications of toxicity and mortality up to 1500 mg/kg body weight and nontoxic up to 1000 mg/kg, which is promising for the treatment of atherothrombotic diseases.

Aegle mamelons (A. marmelos) or Indian Bael leaves possess anti-cancerous and antibacterial properties and are used in the traditional medicine system for the treatment of oral infections. In the present study, the essential oil of the leaves of A. marmelos was explored for its anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-cariogenic properties. The hydro-distilled oil of A. marmelos leaves was analyzed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Monoterpene limonene (63.71%) was found to have the highest percentage after trans-2-Hydroxy-1,8-cineole and p-Menth-2,8-dien-1-ol. The MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay was used to investigate the anticancer activity of the extracted oil against human oral epidermal carcinoma (KB), and the results showed significantly higher (**** p < 0.0001) anticancer activity (45.89%) in the doxorubicin (47.87%) when compared to the normal control. The antioxidant activity of the essential oil was evaluated using methods of DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)). The results showed a significant (*** p < 0.001) percentage of inhibition of DPPH-induced free radical (70.02 ± 1.6%) and ABTS-induced free radical (70.7 ± 1.32%) at 100 µg/mL with IC₅₀, 72.51 and 67.33 µg/mL, respectively, comparatively lower than standard compound ascorbic acid. The results of the molecular docking study of the significant compound limonene with the receptors tyrosinase and tyrosine kinase 2 supported the in vitro antioxidant potential. The anti-cariogenic activity was evaluated against Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans). Results showed a significant minimum inhibitor concentration of 0.25 mg/mL and the killing time was achieved at 3 to 6 h. The molecular-docking study showed that limonene inhibits the surface receptors of the S. mutans c-terminal domain and CviR protein. The study found that A. marmelos leaves have potential anti-carcinoma, antioxidant, and anti-cariogenic effects on human oral epidermal health, making them a valuable natural therapeutic agent for managing oral cancer and infections.

There are many different infections and factors that can lead to skin illnesses, but bacteria and fungi are the most frequent. The goal of this study was to develop a hexatriacontane-loaded transethosome (HTC-TES) for treating skin conditions caused by microbes. The HTC-TES was developed utilizing the rotary evaporator technique, and Box–Behnken design (BBD) was utilized to improve it. The responses chosen were particle size (nm) (Y1), polydispersity index (PDI) (Y2), and entrapment efficiency (Y3), while the independent variables chosen were lipoid (mg) (A), ethanol (%) (B), and sodium cholate (mg) (C). The optimized TES formulation with code F1, which contains lipoid (mg) (A) 90, ethanol (%) (B) 25, and sodium cholate (mg) (C) 10, was chosen. Furthermore, the generated HTC-TES was used for research on confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), dermatokinetics, and in vitro HTC release. The results of the study reveal that the ideal formulation of the HTC-loaded TES had the following characteristics: 183.9 nm, 0.262 mV, −26.61 mV, and 87.79% particle size, PDI, and entrapment efficiency, respectively. An in vitro study on HTC release found that the rates of HTC release for HTC-TES and conventional HTC suspension were 74.67 ± 0.22 and 38.75 ± 0.23, respectively. The release of hexatriacontane from TES fit the Higuchi model the best, and the Korsmeyer–Peppas model indicates the release of HTC followed a non-Fickian diffusion. By having a higher negative value for cohesiveness, the produced gel formulation demonstrated its stiffness, whereas good spreadability indicated better gel application to the surface. In a dermatokinetics study, it was discovered that TES gel considerably increased HTC transport in the epidermal layers (p < 0.05) when compared to HTC conventional formulation gel (HTC-CFG). The CLSM of rat skin treated with the rhodamine B-loaded TES formulation demonstrated a deeper penetration of 30.0 µm in comparison to the hydroalcoholic rhodamine B solution (0.15 µm). The HTC-loaded transethosome was determined to be an effective inhibitor of pathogenic bacterial growth (S. aureus and E. coli) at a concentration of 10 mg/mL. It was discovered that both pathogenic strains were susceptible to free HTC. According to the findings, HTC-TES gel can be employed to enhance therapeutic outcomes through antimicrobial activity.

Diabetes and its complications, such as delayed wound healing, are increasing at an alarming rate in India, putting an enormous strain on the country’s limited healthcare resources. Hence, the present study proposes to screen/identify the possible mechanisms and to study the effect of the flavonoid-enriched fraction of Selaginella bryopteris extract against human keratinocyte cell lines (HaCaT) and streptozocin (STZ)-induced diabetic wounds in a male Wistar rat model. Chemical profiling was performed by an MTT assay. The obtained GC–MS analysis results showed the presence of amentoflavone, gallic acid, imidazole, palmitic acid, catechine, L-fucitol, lupeol, and myo-inositol as the major bioactive phytoconstituents. S. bryopteris induces the generation of ROS, the condensation of chromatin in the nucleus, and changes in the membrane potential of mitochondria in HaCaT cell lines. An S. bryopteris-dependent induction of apoptosis-mediated cell death in HaCaT cell lines was confirmed by an AO/PI analysis. Mitochondrial depolarization was reflected in JC-1 staining of cells. The wound size was reduced and epithelialization was enhanced. Keratinocyte migration decreased interleukins, TNF-α, IL-2, and IL-6 and the expression of pro-apoptotic (p53, caspase-3, caspase-9, and Bax) and anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2) genes in a dose-dependent manner. Keratinocyte migration increased antioxidant enzyme levels (CAT, SOD, MDA, and GSH). Wound healing is facilitated through the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway, revealing a new area of diabetic wound therapy.

The development of new pharmaceutical solutions for treating various diseases results from a growing understanding of the benefits of using essential oils. One of the most often used volatile materials among essential oils is the oil of the citronella plant, termed citronella essential oil (CITEO), which has potential for use in food and medicine. Its wide use is limited due to lipophilicity, high volatility and poor physicochemical stability. With this background, the present study aims to evaluate the properties of CITEO-nanoemulsion (CITEO-NE) by analyzing its antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Candida albicans (C. albicans) and its anticancer activity against, human skin adenocarcinoma cell line (A431). The CITEO-NE was prepared and evaluated for the size range of 130 ± 5 nm, polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.127 and zeta potential −12.6 mV. The percentage % of entrapment efficiency (%EE) of nanoemulsions loaded with CIT was very high at the beginning of the study, at 95.5 ± 4.775%. The MIC was observed to be 500 µg/mL for CITEO and 250 µg/mL for CITEO-NE against S. aureus and 250 µg/mL for CITEO and 125 µg/mL for CITEO-NE against C. albicans. The time-kill assay also suggests the effectiveness of CITEO-NE against the test pathogens as a novel alternative therapy. The IC₅₀ values of CITEO and CITEO-NE exhibited significant cytotoxic properties against the A431 cell line, with 41.20 μg/mL and 37.71 μg/mL, respectively. Hence, our findings revealed that encapsulation of CITEO increased the pharmacological properties.

Background: Combining antiangiogenic drugs with other chemotherapeutic drugs has been found to produce superior therapeutic outcomes and prevent drug resistance in a variety of cancers. Methods: Experimental assays such as the MTT assay, flow cytometry, western blotting, and qPCR have been used to evaluate the efficacy of combination therapy. Results: When compared to controls and monotherapies, the combination treatment of axitinib and idasanutlin demonstrated a substantial decrease in cell viability at lower doses, a significant decrease in migration, and a shift toward early and late apoptosis. This study examined major apoptotic, metastatic, and angiogenic factors, including MDM2, p21, BCL-2, BCL-XL, and MMP9, which have showed differential expressions at the protein and mRNA levels after combination. Axitinib and idasanutlin decreased tumorigenesis and migration in vitro in the MCF-7 cell line when compared to other chemotherapeutic medications. The suggested mechanisms of the antitumorigenic effect of the combination therapy may depend on its capacity to promote the production of apoptotic markers and reduce antiapoptotic markers. Conclusions: Treatments with axitinib and idasanutlin demonstrated effective therapeutic targeting of the primary angiogenic growth factor and, consequently, the pro-metastatic arbitrators. This will not only eliminate cancer cells but also stop other malignant processes and ultimately reduce the metastatic cascade.

Over the past decade, researchers have made several efforts to develop gel-based formulations that provide an alternative to traditional hydrogels and emulgel. Due to its excellent antibacterial properties, anise, the main constituent of Pimpinella anisum L., widely used in pharmaceuticals, was selected as the active ingredient in this study. Since many bacteria have developed considerable antibiotic resistance, this research aimed to develop an herbal emulgel for treating skin infections caused by bacteria. Given these obstacles, we developed and evaluated a new, cost-effective topical emulgel solution containing anise essential oil against Escherichia coli (E. coli). Anise-based emulgels, potential drug delivery platforms, have been evaluated for various parameters, including physical properties, viscosity, pH, rheology, encapsulation efficiency, and in vitro release research. The AEOs emulgel demonstrated remarkable colloidal stability, with a zeta potential of 29 mV, a size of 149.05 nm, and considerable polydispersity. The efficacy of anise-loaded emulgels as antibacterial formulations was evaluated in vitro. E. coli was used as a model microbial organism for the antibacterial study. Human keratinocytes (HaCaT) were used to examine the biocompatibility of the emulgel. Molecular docking revealed that the essential oil components of Pimpinella anisum L. possess a high affinity for the bacterial adhesin protein FimH of E. coli. These findings indicate that the developed AEOs have the potential to be analyzed using E. coli as a model organism.

Essential oils (EO) are used as a natural remedy to treat various chronic diseases, although clinical evidence is lacking. In this context, we have endeavored to measure the percentage of chemical composition and biological efficacy of Psidium guajava (guava) leaf essential oil in treating oral infections and oral cancer. The essential oil obtained from hydrodistillation of P. guajava L. leaves was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The activities of selected oral pathogens Candida albicans (C. albicans) and Streptococcus mutans (S. mutants) were studied in vitro and in silico. MTT assay was used to test for anticancer activity against human oral epidermal carcinoma (KB). GC–MS showed that the main components of PGLEO were limonene (38.01%) and β-caryophyllene (27.98%). Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 0.05–0.1% were demonstrated against C. albicans and S. mutans. Antimicrobial activity against C. albicans and S. mutans, as shown by molecular linkage analysis, revealed that the main metabolites, limonene and β-caryophyllene, potentially inhibited the receptors of C. albicans and S. mutans. PGLEO showed significant (p < 0.001) anticancer activity (45.89%) at 200 µg/mL compared to doxorubicin (47.87%) with an IC₅₀ value of 188.98 µg/mL. The outcomes of the present study suggest that PGLEO has promising antimicrobial and anticancer activities and could be a useful source for developing a natural therapeutic agent for oral infections and oral cancer.