Background:Silibinin is a semi-purified fraction of silymarin contained in milk thistle (Silybum marianum Asteraceae). Primarily known for its hepatoprotective actions, silymarin may also stimulate epithelialization and reduce inflammation in excision wound. Previous studies show antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial actions of silibinin. However, wound healing property of silibinin is not well studied.Objective:This study investigates wound healing activity of silibinin topical formulation.Materials and Methods:Wound healing activity of 0.2% silibinin gel was assessed by incision and excision wound models in mice. Animals were divided into gel base, silibinin gel, and Mega Heal gel® treated groups with six animals in each group. Wound contraction, wound tissue tensile strength, and hydroxyproline content were measured, and histopathological evaluation of wound tissue of all the above treatment groups was carried out.Results:Application of 0.2% silibinin hydrogel for 8 days led to 56.3% wound contraction compared to 64.6% using standard Mega Heal gel with a subsequent increase in hydroxyproline content, which was significantly higher (P < 0.001) over control animals showing 33.2% contraction. After 14 days, percentage of contraction reached 96.1%, 97.6%, and 86.7%, respectively. Wound tissue tensile strength with silibinin (223.55 ± 3.82 g) and standard (241.38 ± 2.49 g) was significantly higher (P < 0.001) than control (174.06 ± 5.75 g). Histopathology of silibinin and standard gel treated wound tissue showed more fibroblasts, fewer macrophage infiltration, and well-formed collagen fibers.Conclusion:Here, we show potent wound healing activity of silibinin hydrogel formulation.SUMMARY 0.2% silibinin hydrogel showed potent wound healing activity in incision and excision wound models in mice. Abbreviations Used: ROS: Reactive oxygen species

Background An experimental design to obtain bioactive ingredients from Oroxylum indicum (L.) Kurtz was performed applying microwave-assisted extraction (MAE). Recently, tremendous research interest and benefits have been observed for extracting active constituents from plant materials using the microwave. Objectives This work aimed to develop an optimized, green, efficient, alternative procedure for extracting flavonoid and phenolic (total flavonoid content [TFC] and total phenolic content [TPC]) from leaves of Oroxylum indicum (L.) Kurtz. Materials and Methods A total of 1 g of the powdered sample was extracted using classical Soxhlet apparatus for 48 hr to ensure exhaustive extraction; simultaneously, maceration and ultrasound-assisted extraction were also carried out using 1 g of the plant sample for 12 hr and 60 min at 25˚C, respectively. The optimization of MAE was done using Taguchi L9 orthogonal design. The optimum operating conditions were microwave power (160 W), soaking time (4 min), irradiation time (4 min), and temperature (57˚C). Results The microwave method has shown 70% higher yield than other conventional techniques in a shorter time, along with increased TFC and TPC. Conclusion The TPC, TFC, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) values are higher in the extract obtained by MAE extracts in comparison to other techniques. The extraction technique will be an ideal tool to safeguard the thermolabile plant constituents that will be more environmentally friendly.

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Cancer is one of the most researched areas nowadays due to the increasing incidences of cancer patients and unavailability of cheap and highly efficient drugs. Cancer is the uncontrolled proliferation of the body's own cell. The cancer cells are dedifferentiated and lose their normal function. Cancer may be of two types metastatic and benign, out of which metastatic cancer is serious form. We are aware of the fact that the cancer cells differ from normal cells in many aspects. One such aspect is pH of cancer cells. The cancer cell has a pH lower than that of the normal cells of the body. In this research, we have prepared target-specific and pH-sensitive bioactive polymer using a combination of different natural polymer like polyvinyl alcohol, sodium alginate in a different ratio. Since, these polymers are pH sensitive, they will release the loaded drug only at the cancer site thus reducing the various side effects of the drug and drug toxicity.