Recent updates on ocular disease management with ophthalmic ointments.

Ophthalmic diseases can result in permanent vision loss and blindness. Convenient topical and systemic treatments are preferred to address these sight-threatening conditions. However, the unique anatomy of the eye presents challenges for drug delivery. Various ophthalmic ointment formulations have been developed to enhance bioavailability in the eye to prolong residence time and improve corneal permeability. This article explores a wide range of ocular diseases affecting individuals globally and how ointments are used to manage them. From eye to ocular barriers, this review focuses on published scientific research and formulation strategies for severe ocular complications using conventional topical ointments. Additionally, it delves through patented technologies and marketed formulations supporting the use of ointments in ocular drug delivery.

Eye illnesses can cause blindness. The treatment is tricky due to eye's complex makeup. This paper talks about eye ointments also known as 'creams' or 'pomades' used to deliver medicine to the eye. These creams make the medicine work better by staying in the eye longer and absorbing faster. The present work looks at different eye problems and talks about ointments used to treat both internal and external eye diseases. It also explains how the eye is built and why it is hard for medicine to get in. There is also an information about ointments that have been discovered with some new ideas and those available in the market to cure eye problems.

Picomolar Detection of Lead Ions (Pb2+) by Functionally Modified Fluorescent Carbon Quantum Dots from Watermelon Juice and Their Imaging in Cancer Cells.

Water contamination due to the presence of lead is one of the leading causes of environmental and health hazards because of poor soil and groundwater waste management. Herein we report the synthesis of functionally modified luminescent carbon quantum dots (CQDs) obtained from watermelon juice as potential nanomaterials for the detection of toxic Pb2+ ions in polluted water and cancer cells. By introducing surface passivating ligands such as ethanolamine (EA) and ethylenediamine (ED) in watermelon juice, watermelon-ethanolamine (WMEA)-CQDs and watermelon-ethylenediamine (WMED)-CQDs exhibited a remarkable ~10-fold and ~6-fold increase in fluorescence intensity with respect to non-doped WM-CQDs. The relative fluorescence quantum yields of WMEA-CQDs and WMED-CQDs were found to be 8% and 7%, respectively, in an aqueous medium. Among various functionally-modified CQDs, only WMED-CQDs showed high selectivity towards Pb2+ ions with a remarkably good limit of detection (LoD) of 190 pM, which is less than that of the permissible limit (72 nM) in drinking water. The functionally altered WMED-CQDs detected Pb2+ metal ions in polluted water and in a human cervical cancer cell line (HeLa), thus advocating new vistas for eco-friendly nanomaterials for their use as diagnostic tools in the environment and biomedical research areas.

9-Demethoxy-medicarpin: A potential bone health supplement for the management of protein deficiency-induced bone loss in growing rats.

Human skeleton requires an adequate supply of many different nutritional factors for optimal growth and development. The role of nutrition in bone growth has piqued interest in recent years, especially in relation to maximizing peak bone mass and reducing the risk of osteoporosis. Protein deficiency-induced bone loss was induced in female growing rats. All experimental rodent diets were prepared as per recommendations for growing animals. 9-Demethoxy-medicarpin (DMM) treatment was given to growing Sprague Dawley (SD) rats at 1 mg and 10 mg dose orally for 30 days. Bones were collected for bone mineral density (BMD). Bone marrow cells were isolated from femur for calcium nodule formation. Serum samples were collected for biochemical parameters. We found that DMM treatment speeds up the recovery of musculoskeletal weakness by replenishing nutrients in proven rodent model. DMM supplementation for four weeks showed significantly increased vertebral, femur and tibial BMD compared with the untreated PD group. Albumin levels were significantly enhanced in treatment groups, in which 10 mg dose imparted a better effect. We conclude that DMM treatment led to increased BMD and biochemical parameters in protein deficient condition in growing rats and has potential as a bone growth supplement.

3-PEP promotes bone regeneration by up regulating BCL-2 expression via ERK phosphorylation.

Abstract: Bone healing and regeneration is a complex process that recapitulates embryonic skeletal development and is delayed in diseases like osteoporosis. Bone healing therapies like recombinant bone morphogenetic-2 protein (rhBMP-2) and parathyroid hormone (PTH), an approved bone anabolic therapy reduces fracture risks but are fraught with high cost and several side effects. Thus, there is an unmet need for cost-effective bone healing agents. In this study, we have synthesized 3-piperidinylethoxypterocarpan (3-PEP) which is a hybrid of bone supplement ipriflavone and anti-resorptive drug raloxifene and evaluated its bone regeneration and healing potential. Prior to studies in animal models, the potency of 3-PEP was confirmed in calvarial osteoblast cells. Bromodeoxy uridine cell proliferation and cell viability assay revealed that 3-PEP at 100 pM concentration increased the proliferation and survival of osteoblasts simultaneously inhibiting the apoptosis by involving activation of BCL-2 by phosphorylation at Ser70 site through MEK-ERK pathway. In vivo studies were conducted in estrogen-deficient ovariectomized Balb/c mice and drill hole injury was generated in the mid diaphysis of the femur in all the animals. Treatment with 3-PEP commenced the next day onward and terminated at 7 and 15 days. Micro-CT analysis and calcein labeling of newly generated bone at the drill hole injury site showed that 3-PEP promotes bone healing and new bone formation at a dose of 5 mg/kg at the injury site. These data were also corroborated in non-ovariectomized Balb/c mice cortical defect model. Owing to the side effects associated with rhBMP-2 and PTH, along with the expenses involved, our study proposes an alternative therapeutic option for bone healing.