Topic Review
Eugenol-based O/W Emulsion by Low-energy Emulsification
Emulsions are systems formed by two immiscible liquids, one of which is dispersed in the other as droplets with a relative stability. These have multiple applications, among them, in the formulation of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. Its preparation requires generating a large interfacial area, which is usually attained by using the physicochemical formulation know-how on surfactant-oil-water (SOW) systems. Among the applications in the pharmaceutical industry, topical creams, and emulsions for intravenous and for oral administration can be found.  Eugenol can be extracted from cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) by various methods, including steam distillation, hydrodistillation and Soxhlet extraction. Furthermore, emulsions based on eugenol can be obtained for a variety of applications, including as topical and oral anesthetic. Nanoemulsions can be formulated with a mixture of non-ionic surfactants Span 20/Tween 80 at an HLB of 11 to 13 and a total surfactant concentration of 4%, using the dilution phase transition method (so-called spontaneous emulsification) to attain stable O/W eugenol-based emulsions. Paraffin oil/eugenol ratio of 4/1 can be used to reach a final emulsion internal oil phase content of 10% with 4% surfactant and 86% aqueous phase. Different polymers are used as viscosifiers, including carboxymethylcellulose. Under these conditions, eugenol-based emulsions with an average droplet size of less than 2 μm can be attained, with topical and oral anesthetic characteristics.
  • 1.8K
  • 03 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Bête Noire of Chemotherapy and Targeted Therapy
Tumor cells struggle to survive following treatment. The struggle ends in either of two ways. The drug combination used for the treatment blocks the proliferation of tumor cells and initiates apoptosis of cells, which is a win for the patient, or tumor cells resist the effect of the drug combination used for the treatment and continue to evade the effect of anti-tumor drugs, which is a bête noire of therapy. Cancer-associated fibroblasts are the most abundant non-transformed element of the microenvironment in solid tumors. Tumor cells play a direct role in establishing the cancer-associated fibroblasts’ population in its microenvironment.
  • 254
  • 31 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Nanomaterials Aiming to Tackle Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
The most important current issue related to human health is bacterial resistance against antibiotics. Prolonged treatment using antibiotics is required in multidrug-resistant conditions, along with debridement of tissue, but in a small number of cases, the high costs of healthcare and low patient compliance prevent this treatment from succeeding. The identical features of nanomaterials make them unique candidates and boost the efficacy against multi-drug-resistant bacterial infection. Nanomaterials execute different bactericidal actions, and therefore bacteria face difficulty against therapeutics due to nanomaterial morphology such as size, shape, and surface chemistry. Nanomaterials can penetrate the bacterial membrane with unique drug cargo. Therefore, nanomaterials may be helpful for treatment by improving the therapeutic efficacy through their interaction with the bacterial cell system.
  • 680
  • 30 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Effects of Icaritin on Osteoporosis
Icaritin (ICT) is not only an enzyme-hydrolyzed product of icariin but also an intestinal metabolite of eight major flavonoids of the traditional Chinese medicinal plant Epimedium with extensive pharmacological activities, such as strengthening the kidney and reinforcing the bone. ICT displays several therapeutic effects, including osteoporosis prevention, neuroprotection, antitumor, cardiovascular protection, anti-inflammation, and immune-protective effect. ICT inhibits bone resorption activity of osteoclasts and stimulates osteogenic differentiation and maturation of bone marrow stromal progenitor cells and osteoblasts.
  • 516
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Oxidative stress, brain and chemotherapy
Preclinical evidence shows that several chemotherapeutic drugs widely used in cancer patients such as anthracyclines, taxanes, and platinum derivatives induced oxidative stress noted in the blood and brain, which may affect both neurons and glia cells. In animal models, the oxidative stress induced by chemotherapeutic drugs is accompanied by cognitive deficits. Administration of several antioxidants decreased or prevented these effects and helped pinpoint the potential role of antioxidants as drugs that may be able to reduce both oxidative stress and cognitive dysfunction caused by chemotherapy.
  • 458
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
[18F]FDG PET/CT Diagnosis
According to the international societies’ recommendations, the 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ([18F]FDG PET/CT) technique should not be used as the method of choice in brain tumour diagnosis. Therefore, the brain region can be omitted during standard [18F]FDG PET/CT scanning. We performed comprehensive literature research and analysed results from 14,222 brain and torso [18F]FDG PET/CT studies collected in 2010–2020 to discuss whether the [18F]FDG PET/CT method may be useful in brain tumours detection.
  • 787
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Allosteric Modulation of Adenosine A2A Receptors
Adenosine is a naturally occurring purine nucleoside that regulates various physiologic functions, including inflammation and wound healing, cardiac contraction, blood vessel formation, vasodilation, learning, memory, sleep, and arousal. Adenosine is released by neurons and glial cells. Extracellular adenosine modulates neuronal excitability, synaptic plasticity, and the release and reuptake of several neurotransmitters. The effects of extracellular adenosine are modulated via four subtypes of G-protein coupled adenosine receptors (GPCRs), denoted A1, A2A, A2B, and A3. Adenosine A2A receptors (A2ARs) are broadly expressed in the brain, cardiovascular system, blood vessels, spleen, thymus, leukocytes, and lung, making them an important drug target. The therapeutic potential of targeting adenosine A2ARs is immense due to their broad expression in the body and central nervous system. The role of A2ARs in cardiovascular function, inflammation, sleep/wake behaviors, cognition, and other primary nervous system functions has been extensively studied. 
  • 621
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Alpha-Amylase Inhibitory Metabolites from Pericarps of Garcinia mangostana
Two new benzophenones and five known metabolites were purified from Garcinia mangostana ((GM) pericarps. They were characterized by various spectral techniques. Compounds 6 and 7 displayed AAI activity. They also exhibited highly negative docking scores, when complexed with 5TD4. Their complexes with the α-amylase were found to be stable over the course of 50 ns. These results supported the previous reports that GM can potentially represent an appealing treatment of diabetes and its related disorders.
  • 410
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Mucosal DNA Vaccines Inoculated via the Airway
The highly vascularized URT is the primary route of ingress of inhaled pathogens. A dense network of mucosal-associated lymphoid tissues (MALTs) is in the mucosal tissues to help induce pathogen-specific immune responses, reducing occurrences of infections. 
  • 404
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Polyhydroxyalkanoate Nanocarriers for Effective Drug Delivery
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are natural polymers, primarily produced by bacteria, which are prized in drug delivery systems due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, modifiability, and compatibility with hydrophobic drugs.
  • 431
  • 29 Mar 2022
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