Honey was used to treat wounds since ancient times till nowadays. The present study aimed at preparing a honey-based hydrogel and assay its antimicrobial properties and wound healing activity; in-vitro and in-vivo. Topical honey hydrogel formulations were prepared using three honey concentrations with gelling agents; chitosan and carbopol 934. The prepared formulae were evaluated for pH, spreadability, swelling index, in-vitro release and antimicrobial activity. The pH and spreadability were in the range of 4.3–6.8 and 5.7–8.6 cm, respectively. Chitosan-based hydrogel showed higher in-vitro honey release with diffusional exponent ‘n ≤ 0.5 indicates Fickian diffusion mechanism. Hydrogel formulae were assessed for in-vitro antimicrobial activity using Disc Diffusion antibiotic sensitivity test against common burn infections bacteria; Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia and Streptococcus pyogenes. The 75% honey-chitosan hydrogel showed highest antimicrobial activity. This formula was tested for in-vivo burn healing using burn-induced wounds in mice. The formula was evaluated for burn healing and antibacterial activities compared to commercial product. 75% honey-chitosan hydrogel was found to possess highest healing rate of burns. The present study concludes that 75% honey-chitosan hydrogel possesses greater wound healing activity compared to commercial preparation and could be safely used as an effective natural topical wound healing treatment.

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Objective: Carbamazepine (CBZ) is used as a first line in the treatment of grand mal and partial seizures, but it suffers from many side effects on different systems of the body. The objective of the present study was optimization of CBZ vesicular structures using 23 multifactorial design for the most efficient targeting of CBZ to the brain via the intranasal route. Methods: The concentration of CBZ (10 and 20%), type of vesicles (niosomes and spanlastics) and speed of rotation (200 and 300 rpm) were considered as the independent variables XA, XB and XC respectively, while the dependent variables were particle size PS (Y1), polydispersity index PDI (Y2), zeta potential ZP (Y3) and entrapment efficiency EE (Y4). The study of the effect of different formulation variables was carried out using Design-Expert ® software. CBZ-loaded spanlastics and noisome were prepared by the ethanol injection method and thin film hydration method, respectively. The optimized formulation was subjected to viscosity measurement, in vitro drug release and physical stability studies. In vivo evaluations in rats for the optimized formulation in comparison to oral CBZ suspension was carried out using behavioral assessment by elevated plus maze test, determination of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (e-NOS), reduced glutathione (GSH) and ELISA estimation of TNFα. Results: The selected optimized formulation (F0) containing 20% CBZ and spanlastic vesicular structure showed PS, PDI, ZP, and the EE % of 350.09 nm, 0.830, 16.124mV and 82.777%, respectively. In vitro release study of F0 demonstrated the ability of the F0 to increase drug release in the range time from 10-60 min (p<0.05) when compared with CBZ suspension. The viscosity of F0 was nearly uniform (65 cps). The photomicrograph taken by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals the spherical shape of F0. Good physical stability for six months of storage at 25˚ C was found for F0. The optimized spanlastic formulation F0 showed a decrease in latency time in behavior assessment test using elevated plus Maze test, a decrease in serum eNOS and TNF-α and increase in GSH when compared with the oral CBZ suspension, in addition to the histopathological study that revealed the more CBZ uptake by the brain. Conclusion: The optimized spanlastic formulation F0 achieved better results when compared with the oral CBZ suspension for targeting the CBZ spanlastics vesicular structure to the brain via the nasal route.

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Skin health is vital for a healthy body. Herbal remedies have long been used for skin care, and their global use has tremendously increased over the past three decades. Although cellulite is seen as a normal condition by the medical community, it is considered a serious cosmetic concern for most affected women. Many topical anti-cellulite creams are available on the market, but unfortunately, their efficacy has not been proven scientifically. Microneedles (MNs) represent a new approach to enhance the permeation of loaded medication through the skin. In this study, the anti-cellulite effects of Vitex agnus-castus and Tamarindus indica extracts were compared using safe and effective polymeric MNs. This delivery system offers a painless alternative to the combined treatment strategy of microneedling devices and anti-cellulite products. The selected standardized extracts were evaluated for their mineral, phenolic and flavonoid contents, which are correlated to a promising antioxidant effect, as demonstrated by an in vitro radical scavenging activity assay. 3D-printing techniques were chosen for fabrication of a micromold, which is inexpensive for mass production. To ensure that MNs were sufficiently strong to perforate the skin without breaking, axial failure force was measured using a micro-mechanical test machine. The anticellulite effects of MNs were assessed using an in vivo dietinduced obesity guinea pig model. Skin properties, histopathology and inflammatory markers were examined. MNs loaded with plant extracts were statistically comparable in normalizing the oxidative state and reducing inflammation, while myeloperoxidase levels were more significantly reduced by T. indica than by V. agnus-castus. This novel delivery system opens the door for new transdermal strategies for cellulite management. The skin is a chief barrier that provides protection for the human body. The outermost layer of the epidermis (stratum corneum, SC) is mainly responsible for this barrier property. Cellulite is a skin condition that affects up to 90% of women over 20 years of age and only 2% of men. It includes changes in skin appearance, with an orange-peel-like texture (mostly on the hips and buttocks) due to the expansion of fat lobules out of their connective frame and into the dermis 1-3. Cellulite is a pathologically complicated condition that is associated with decreased microcirculation, oedema, overgrowth of adipocytes, oxidative stress, continuous inflammation, and changes in the extracellular matrix 4,5. Some pharmaceutical products can treat cellulite by increasing the microvascular flow, inducing lipolysis, restoring dermis and connective tissue structures, and preventing

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A BSTRACT Aim: A recent approach in shampoo research has been to find a natural alternative for synthetic detergents that have deteriorative effects on hair follicles. This study aimed at the formulation of a completely herbal shampoo containing a natural foaming agent, in addition to having conditioning, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects. Material and Methods: The leaves of Salix babylonica L., Ziziphus spina-christi L. (Willd), and Glycyrrhiza glabra rhizomes were extracted with 70% methanol then quantified for their phenolic and flavonoid contents using colorimetric assays that were qualitatively identified by Ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) with tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS). The mineral content was also estimated. The radical scavenging activity was estimated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was determined. Additionally, the antimicrobial activity was tested using agar diffusion assay and compared to vancomycin and ketoconazole. Four formulations, consisting of the different plant extracts and a combination of the extracts, were prepared and evaluated for several physicochemical properties. The best formula was evaluated for its conditioning effects using scanning electron microscope and blind touch tests by asking volunteers for grading the formulations. Results and Discussion: UPLC-MS-MS analysis of S. babylonica and Z. spina-christi allowed tentative identification of 12 phytoconstituents in each. Z. spina-christi showed the highest phenolic content and a high copper, zinc, and manganese content beside the best antioxidant activity, whereas G. glabra had a high potency against Bacillus cereus and Candida albicans . The polyherbal shampoo formulation (F4) was selected as an optimized formulation because of a high foam stability after 4 min, low wetting time (2 s), surface tension reduction, and comparable results for percent solid content. F4 showed good conditioning effect and consumer contentment. Conclusion: The formulated polyherbal shampoo is chemical free, extra-nourishing shampoo with excellent conditioning, cleansing, and antimicrobial effects.

A simple and green approach was developed to produce novel highly fluorescent bovine serum albumin carbon dots (BCDs) via facile one-step hydrothermal treatment, using bovine serum albumin as a precursor carbon source. Inherent blue photoluminescence of the synthesized BCDs provided a maximum photostability of 90.5 ± 1.2% and was characterized via TEM, FT-IR, XPS, XRD, UV-visible, and zeta potential analyses. By virtue of their extremely small size, intrinsic optical and photoluminescence properties, superior photostability, and useful non-covalent interactions with the synthetic oxazolidinone antibiotic linezolid (LNZ), BCDs were investigated as fluorescent nano-biocarriers for LNZ drug delivery. The release profile of LNZ from the drug delivery system (LNZ–BCDs) revealed a distinct biphasic release, which is beneficial for mollifying the lethal incidents associated with wound infection. The effective wound healing performance of the developed LNZ–BCDs were evaluated through various in vitro and ex vivo assays such as MTT, ex vivo hemolysis, in vitro antibacterial activity, in vitro skin-related enzyme inhibition, and scratch wound healing assays. The examination of LNZ–BCDs as an efficient wound healing biomaterial illustrated excellent biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity against normal human skin fibroblast (HSF) cell line, indicating distinct antibacterial activity against the most common wound infectious pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC® 25922) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, robust anti-elastase, anti-collagenase, and anti-tyrosinase activities, and enhanced cell proliferation and migration effect. The obtained results confirmed the feasibility of using the newly designed fluorescent LNZ–BCDs nano-bioconjugate as a unique antibacterial biomaterial for effective wound healing and tissue regeneration. Besides, the greenly synthesized BCDs could be considered as a great potential substitute for toxic nanoparticles in biomedical applications due to their biocompatibility and intense fluorescence characteristics and in pharmaceutical industries as promising drug delivery nano-biocarriers for effective wound healing applications.