Organ-On-A-Chip: An Emerging Research Platform.

In drug development, conventional preclinical and clinical testing stages rely on cell cultures and animal experiments, but these methods may fall short of fully representing human biology. To overcome this limitation, the emergence of organ-on-a-chip (OOC) technology has sparked interest as a transformative approach in drug testing research. By closely replicating human organ responses to external signals, OOC devices hold immense potential in revolutionizing drug efficacy and safety predictions. This review focuses on the advancements, applications, and prospects of OOC devices in drug testing. Based on the latest advances in the field of OOC systems and their clinical applications, this review reflects the effectiveness of OOC devices in replacing human volunteers in certain clinical studies. This review underscores the critical role of OOC technology in transforming drug testing methodologies.

Unravelling the role of microneedles in drug delivery: Principle, perspectives, and practices.

In recent year, the research of transdermal drug delivery systems has got substantial attention towards the development of microneedles (MNs). This shift has occurred due to multifaceted advantages of MNs as they can be utilized to deliver the drug deeper to the skin with minimal invasion, offer successful delivery of drugs and biomolecules that are susceptible to degradation in gastrointestinal tract (GIT), act as biosensors, and help in monitoring the level of biomarkers in the body. These can be fabricated into different types based on their applications as well as material for fabrication. Some of their types include solid MNs, hollow MNs, coated MNs, hydrogel forming MNs, and dissolving MNs. These MNs deliver the therapeutics via microchannels deeper into the skin. The coated and hollow MNs have been found successful. However, they suffer from poor drug loading and blocking of pores. In contrast, dissolving MNs offer high drug loading. These MNs have also been utilized to deliver vaccines and biologicals. They have also been used in cosmetics. The current review covers the different types of MNs, materials used in their fabrication, properties of MNs, and various case studies related to their role in delivering therapeutics, monitoring level of biomarkers/hormones in body such as insulin. Various patents and clinical trials related to MNs are also covered. Covered are the major bottlenecks associated with their clinical translation and potential future perspectives.

Curcumin-sulfobutyl-ether beta cyclodextrin inclusion complex: preparation, spectral characterization, molecular modeling, and antimicrobial activity.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by Gram-negative bacteria E. coli is responsible for 80-90% of uncomplicated cases in women. The increased prevalence of antibiotic resistance has made the management of UTIs more challenging. Plant-derived compounds have long been used to treat various diseases, and constitute an alternative to antibiotic resistance. Curcumin (CUR), a naturally occurring polyphenolic phytoconstituent obtained from Curcuma longa is endowed with diverse medicinal properties. The present study aims to form a complex of CUR with Sulfobutyl ether-ß-cyclodextrin (SBEßCD) to overcome the poor solubility and bioavailability of CUR and to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of CUR-SBEßCD. Phase solubility studies and spectral characterization showed the entrapment of CUR in the SBEßCD cavity. In silico docking studies performed to investigate the complexation process of CUR with SBEßCD, revealed that the methoxy group and OH group of CUR interacted with SBEßCD. The cytotoxicity and HET-CAM assays confirmed that CUR-SBEßCD was non-irritant. The prepared complex investigated with the disc diffusion method showed antimicrobial activity with a zone of inhibition (ZOI) of 13 mm against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and 11.5 mm against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) whereas CUR alone did not show any ZOI. It can be concluded that prepared CUR-SBEßCD demonstrated superior antimicrobial activity and therefore can be a promising alternative for the treatment of UTIs.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Human papillomavirus infection, cervical cancer and the less explored role of trace elements.

Cervical cancer is an aggressive type of cancer affecting women worldwide. Many affected individuals rely on smear tests for the diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation for their treatment. However, due to a broad set of undesired results and side-effects associated with the existing protocols, the search for better diagnostic and therapeutic interventions is a never-ending pursuit. In the purview, the bio-concentration of trace elements (copper, selenium, zinc, iron, arsenic, manganese, and cadmium) is seen to fluctuate during the occurrence of cervical cancer and its progression from pre-cancerous to metastatic nature. Thus, during the occurrence of cervical cancer, the detection of trace elements and their supplementation will prove to be highly advantageous in developing diagnostic tools and therapeutics, respectively. This review provides a detailed overview of cervical cancer, its encouragement by human papillomavirus infections, the mechanism of pathology, and resistance. Majorly, the review emphasizes the less explored role of trace elements, their contribution to the growth and inhibition of cervical cancer. Numerous clinical trials have been listed, thereby providing a comprehensive reference to the exploration of trace elements in the management of cervical cancer.

A Sensitive Spectrofluorimetric Method for Curcumin Analysis.

Curcumin (CUR), a natural polyphenolic compound extracted from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa, is used as a pharmaceutical agent, spice in food, and as a dye. Currently, CUR is being investigated for cancer treatment in Phase-II clinical trials. CUR also possesses excellent activities like anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and anti-oxidant, therefore quality control is crucial. The present research work was to develop a new, simple, validated and time-saving rapid 96-well plate spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of CUR. The developed method was compared with routinely used high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique. The developed method were found to be linear in the concentration range of 15 to 3900 ng/mL with R2 ≥ 0.9983 for spectrofluorimetric and 50-7500 ng/mL with R2 ≥ 0.9999 for HPLC method. Accuracy, intraday and interday precision was adequate, with RSD lower than the suggested limits. The limits for the detection and the quantification of CUR were 7 and 15 ng/mL for spectrofluorimetric, and 25 and 50 ng/mL for HPLC respectively. The Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated the similarities between the two methods. The 96-well plate method was successfully applied to determine CUR in solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) and chitosan nanoparticles (Chi-NPs). The developed spectrofluorimetric method can hence serve as a possible replacement for the HPLC method for the quantification of CUR in healthcare and food products.

Luliconazole-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers for topical treatment of superficial Tinea infections.

Tinea are superficial fungal infections caused by dermatophytes. Luliconazole exhibits highest antifungal activity against Trichophyton spp. which are major causative agents of dermatophytosis. However, luliconazole suffers from drawbacks such as less skin retention, low aqueous solubility and poor skin penetration. To overcome the limitations of luliconazole, nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) were formulated. NLCs are better permeation enhancers as they increase skin occlusion and hydration. The selection of various lipids and surfactants was based on the solubility of luliconazole in these components. Luliconazole NLC dispersion was prepared by hot melt emulsification technique followed by probe sonication. The dispersion was incorporated into a gel composed of Sepineo P 600 under magnetic stirring. in vitro antifungal studies were carried out with optimized luliconazole NLC gel, marketed luliconazole cream and control (luliconazole in gel base) against pathogenic Trichophyton rubrum. Ex-vivo diffusion study demonstrated that NLCs incorporated into gel exhibited greater retention on skin. In-vivo skin irritancy study showed no signs of erythema or edema post 24, 48, and 72 h at site of application. In comparison with marketed cream and based on the zone of inhibition diameters, NLC formulation was found to be very effective against Trichophyton rubrum.