Exploring chitin: novel pathways and structures as promising targets for biopesticides.

Chitin, the most prevalent polymer in nature, a significant structural polysaccharide that comes in second only to cellulose. Chitin is a crucial component of fungal cell walls and also present in many other creatures, such as viruses, plants, animals, insect exoskeletons, and crustacean shells. Chitin presents itself as a promising target for the development of biopesticides. It focuses on unraveling the unique structures and biochemical pathways associated with chitin, aiming to identify vulnerabilities that can be strategically leveraged for effective and environmentally sustainable pest control. It involves a comprehensive analysis of chitinase enzymes, chitin biosynthesis, and chitin-related processes across diverse organisms. By elucidating the molecular intricacies involved in chitin metabolism, this review seeks to unveil potential points of intervention that can disrupt essential biological processes in target pests without harming non-target species. This holistic approach to understanding chitin-related pathways aims to inform the design and optimization of biopesticides with enhanced specificity and reduced ecological impact. The outcomes of this study hold great promise for advancing innovative and eco-friendly pest management strategies. By targeting chitin structures and pathways, biopesticides developed based on these findings may offer a sustainable and selective alternative to conventional chemical pesticides, contributing to the ongoing efforts towards more environmentally conscious and effective pest control solutions.

Skin Cancer Management: Current Scenario And Future Perspectives.

Skin cancer is a life-threatening disease and has caused significant loss to human health across the globe. Its prevalence has been increasing every year and is one of the common malignancies in the case of organ transplant recipients, of which 95% constitute basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas. The prime factor causing skin cancer is UV radiation. Around the 20th century, sunlight was the primary cause of skin cancer. A novel hypothesis by US scientists stated that cutaneous melanoma was mainly due to recurrent exposure to the sun, whereas keratinocyte cancer occurred due to progressive accumulation of sun exposure. Management of skin cancer is done via various approaches, including cryotherapy, radiotherapy, and photodynamic therapy. Post-discovery of X-rays, radiotherapy has proven to treat skin cancers to some extent, but the indications are uncertain since it depends upon the type of tumour and surgical treatment required for the patient. Due to various limitations of skin cancer treatment and increased severity, there is a requirement for cost-effective, novel, and efficient treatment. Various nanocarriers such as SLNs, magnetic nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, etc., are the potential carriers in the management and prognosis of both non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancer. Various research and review databases and patent reports have been studied, and information compiled to extract the results. The review also discusses the role of various nanocarriers in treating and diagnosing skin cancer.

A Comprehensive Review on Nutraceuticals: Therapy Support and Formulation Challenges.

Nutraceuticals are the nourishing components (hybrid of nutrition and pharmaceuticals) that are biologically active and possess capability for maintaining optimal health and benefits. These products play a significant role in human health care and its endurance, most importantly for the future therapeutic development. Nutraceuticals have received recognition due to their nutritional benefits along with therapeutic effects and safety profile. Nutraceuticals are globally growing in the field of services such as health care promotion, disease reduction, etc. Various drug nutraceutical interactions have also been elaborated with various examples in this review. Several patents on nutraceuticals in agricultural applications and in various diseases have been stated in the last section of review, which confirms the exponential growth of nutraceuticals' market value. Nutraceuticals have been used not only for nutrition but also as a support therapy for the prevention and treatment of various diseases, such as to reduce side effects of cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Diverse novel nanoformulation approaches tend to overcome challenges involved in formulation development of nutraceuticals. Prior information on various interactions with drugs may help in preventing any deleterious effects of nutraceuticals products. Nanotechnology also leads to the generation of micronized dietary products and other nutraceutical supplements with improved health benefits. In this review article, the latest key findings (clinical studies) on nutraceuticals that show the therapeutic action of nutraceutical's bioactive molecules on various diseases have also been discussed.

Improved antibacterial activity of topical gel-based on nanosponge carrier of cinnamon oil.

Introduction: Cinnamon essential oil (CEO) is a volatile oil, obtained from Cinnamomum zeylanicum has become one of the most important natural oil due to its antimicrobial activity. CEO suffers from various limitations such as instability and skin irritation. This problem has been overcome by formulating CEO-loaded nanosponges incorporated in carbopol gel with increased antimicrobial property and reduced skin irritation. Methods: The nanosponges were fabricated by solvent emulsion diffusion method and evaluated for Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) studies, particle size, field emission scanning electron microscopy studies (FE-SEM), in vitro dissolution studies, in vitro antibacterial studies, using agar diffusion method, in vivo antibacterial activity and skin irritation studies and stability studies. Results: Nanosponge NS1 batch was found to be in the nanosize range. FTIR studies confirmed the absence of drug-polymer interaction. NS1 confirmed a porous structure with a uniform spherical shape using FE-SEM studies. In vitro dissolution studies of optimized NS1 revealed 80% drug release in 5 h whereas, incorporating the formulation into carbopol gel showed 100% release in 5h from G1 formulation. In vitro antibacterial study of the nanosponge (NS1 and NS3) showed remarkable antibacterial activity as seen from the zone of inhibition and gel formulation G1 also showed the highest zone of inhibition with 50±1.2 mm. NS1 and G1 were stable for 2 months under accelerated conditions and 3 months under room temperature conditions. Furthermore, the in vivo and skin irritation studies were performed with selected formulation against Staphylococcus aureus , where the results confirmed the significant antimicrobial activity with no skin irritation. Conclusion: Nanosponge carriers can be more therapeutically effective for essential oils which can further be incorporated into topical gels for convenient application.

Upcoming Drifts in Bio-similars.

BACKGROUND: Biopharmaceuticals such as biological, medicinal products have been in clinical use over the past three decades and have benefited the therapy of degenerative and critical metabolic diseases. It is forecasted that the market of biologics will be going to increase at a rate of ˃ 20% per year, and by 2025, more than 50% of new drug approvals might be biological products. The increasing utilization of the biologics necessitates cost control, especially for innovator products that have a lengthy period of exclusive usage. As the first wave of biopharmaceuticals is expired or set to expire, it has led to various opportunities for the expansion of bio-similars i.e. copied versions of original biologics with same the biological activity. Development of biosimilars is expected to promote market competition, meet worldwide demand, sustain the healthcare systems and maintain the incentives for innovation. METHODS: Appraisal of published articles from peer-reviewed journals, PubMed literature, latest news and guidelines from European Medicine Agency, US Food Drug Administration (FDA) and India were used to identify data for review. RESULTS: Main insights into the quality requirements concerning biologics, the current status of regulation of bio-similars and upcoming challenges lying for the upgrading of the marketing authorization of biosimilars have been incorporated. Compiled literature on the therapeutic status, regulatory guidelines and the emerging trends and opportunities of biosimilars has been thoroughly stated. CONCLUSION: Updates on biosimilars will support to investigate the possible impact of bio-similars on the healthcare market.

Gold Nanoparticles- Boon in Cancer Theranostics.

BACKGROUND: Cancer is the world's second-largest cause of death, with an estimated 9.6 million fatalities in 2018. Malignant tumour (cancer) is caused by a mixture of genetic modifications due to the environmental variables that tend to activate or inactivate different genes, ultimately resulting in neoplastic transformations. Cancer is a multi-stage process that results from the conversion of the ordinary cells to tumour cells and progresses from a pre-cancer lesion to abnormal growth. METHODS: Chemotherapy inhibits the ability of the cells to divide rapidly in an abnormal manner, but this treatment simultaneously affects the entire cellular network in the human body leading to cytotoxic effects. In this review article, the same issue has been addressed by discussing various aspects of the newer class of drugs in cancer therapeutics, i.e., Gold Nanoparticles (AuNPs) from metal nanoparticle (NP) class. RESULTS: Metal NPs are advantageous over conventional chemotherapy as the adverse drug reactions are lesser. Additionally, ease of drug delivery, targeting and gene silencing are salient features of this treatment. Functionalized ligand-targeting metal NPs provide better energy deposition control in tumour. AuNPs are promising agents in the field of cancer treatment and are comprehensively studied as contrast agents, carriers of medicinal products, radiosensitizers and photothermal agents. For the targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic agents, AuNPs are used and also tend to enhance tumour imaging in vivo for a variety of cancer types and diseased organs. CONCLUSION: The first part of the review focuses on various nano-carriers that are used for cancer therapy and deals with the progression of metal NPs in cancer therapy. The second part emphasizes the use of nanotechnology by considering the latest studies for diagnostic and therapeutic properties of AuNPs. AuNPs present the latest studies in the field of nanotechnology, which leads to the development of early-stage clinical trials. The next part of the review discusses the major features of five principal types of AuNPs: gold nanorods, gold nanoshells, gold nanospheres, gold nanocages, and gold nanostars that have their application in photothermal therapy (PTT).

Treatment of Psoriasis: A Comprehensive Review of Entire Therapies.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that ingeminates itself with the repeated proliferation of keratinocytes. It globally strikes a 2-5 % population on an average. Management of psoriasis remains a daunting task with various challenges influencing treatment, such as patient conformity and adherence to therapy, delicate patient profiles, psychological aspects, and skin as a barrier to topical delivery. The first part reviewed pathophysiology, triggering factors, and clinical classification. The second part reviewed all the therapies, such as topical, oral, biological, parenteral therapy, phototherapy, and the phyto-pharmaceuticals. METHODS: The research data related to the existing and upcoming therapies for psoriasis treatment, several nanocarriers, existing marketed formulations, and detailed description of phytopharmaceuticals with their mechanism. RESULTS: Topical therapy is the mainstay treatment option with limited adverse effects. Biological therapy has reformed conventional psoriasis treatment by being more efficacious and has increased patient acceptance due to decreased adverse events. Nanoformulations present an edge over conventional therapy due to improved anti-psoriatic effect and decreased side effects. Phyto-pharmaceuticals act as a complementary and alternative therapy for diminishing psoriasis symptoms. CONCLUSION: A rationalized cost-effective patient compliant therapy is required for effective management and complete cure of psoriasis.

Formulation development and optimization of fast dissolving tablets of aceclofenac using natural superdisintegrant.

The current research work involves preparation of fast dissolving tablets of Aceclofenac by direct compression method using different concentrations of Lepidium sativum mucilage as natural superdisintegrant. A two-factor three-level (3(2)) factorial design is being used to optimize the formulation. Nine formulation batches (D1-D9) were prepared accordingly. Two factors as independent variables (X 1-amount of ß-cyclodextrin and X 2-amount of Lepidium sativum mucilage) were taken with three levels (+1, 0, -1). The levels of two factors were selected on the basis of preliminary experiments conducted and their effect on three dependent variables (disintegration time, wetting time, and in vitro drug release) was studied along with their % prediction error. All the active blends were evaluated for postcompression parameters (angle of repose, Carr's index, Hausner ratio, etc.) and the tablets were evaluated for postcompression parameters (weight variation, hardness, and friability, wetting time, disintegration time, water absorption ratio, and in vitro drug release studies). The optimum batch was further used for SEM and stability studies. Formulation D5 was selected by the Design-Expert software which exhibited DT (15.5 sec), WT (18.94 sec), and in vitro drug release (100%) within 15 minutes.