Topical minoxidil 5% are effective in androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Spironolactone acts as an androgen antagonist by competitively blocking androgen receptors. Studying the effect of topical minoxidil 5% gel and spironolactone gel 1% in management of AGA. The study includes 60 patients diagnosed as AGA; (group I): treated with topical minoxidil gel 5%, (group II): with topical spironolactone gel 1% and group (III) treated with combined minoxidil 5% and spironolactone 1% gel. All patients were followed up monthly throughout the treatment period. Scalp biopsy was taken before and after 12 months. In group I, the clinical response was in 90% of patients with variable degrees in improvement, in group II, the clinical response was in 80% of patients, meanwhile, in group III the clinical response was in all patients (100%). Histopathological examination of skin biopsy after treatment revealed significant increase in anagen hair on the other hand, both telogen and vellus hair was significantly decreased meanwhile, the T/V ratio was significantly increased. The results of this work revealed that topical minoxidil gel 5% and topical spironolactone gel 1% were effective in treatment of AGA, while the combination of two agents was better in treatment.

Thymoquinone, the major constituent of Nigella sativa oil has been found to have a promising topical anti-inflammatory activity; however, exaggerated heat and photo-sensitivity and lipophilicity prevent the best use of this promising product. The present work aimed to formulate an ideal thymoquinone liposomal system for topical delivery. Different liposomal systems were developed using thin film hydration method by applying different cholesterol molar concentrations, different total lipid molar concentrations, and different drug-to-lipid ratios. Morphological characterization of the prepared formulae was performed using polarized light, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscope. The optimized formula (F12) was selected on the basis of enhanced permeation through the skin and was incorporated into chitosan gel for topical application. The gel formulation was clear with suitable skin permeation and exhibited acceptable rheological properties. Using carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats, the developed chitosan gel (F12) showed significant superior in vivo anti-inflammatory activity over the chitosan gel of the TQ (p < 0.05) and comparable effect to the marketed indomethacin gel. As a conclusion, results revealed the potential of formulating thymoquinone as liposomal formulation in enhancing the anti-inflammatory effect compared to the TQ solution.

Finasteride (FIN) is a Class II candidate of the Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS). The lipophilic cavity of cyclodextrins (CyDs) enables it to construct a non-covalent inclusion complex with different insoluble drugs. Only β-cyclodextrin (β-CyD) and hydroxypropyl-β-CyD (HP-β-CyD) have been previously examined with FIN. This study aimed to investigate the consistence of FIN with different kinds of β-CyDs, including dimethyl-β-cyclodextrin (DM-β-CyD), carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin (CM-β-CyD), HP-β-CyD, sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CyD), and β-CyD, by the coprecipitation method. The resultant inclusion systems were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and dissolution studies. Moreover, molecular docking for the selected inclusion systems was carried out to explore the suitable arrangements of FIN in the cavity of β-CyD or its derivatives. The results suggested that the DM-β-CyD inclusion system gave the higher complexation efficiency for improvement in solubility of FIN and hence enhancement of its bioavailability. Pharmacokinetic parameters displayed a higher absorption rate and higher area under the curve of the FIN/DM-β-CyD inclusion complex when compared with the drug alone, which indicates an improvement in the absorption and bioavailability of FIN in the DM-β-CyD inclusion system.

Background: Wound healing is a normal biological complex and dynamic process of substituting injured and misplaced cellular structures and tissue layers. This complicated development is achieved through four different phases: haemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and finally remodelling. These four phases must occur in the proper sequence and time frame to achieve successful wound healing. Over years topical antibiotics were applied on wounds but it causes side effects and resistance; that's why it was a necessity to find a new topical wound healing drugs rather than antibiotics. Methods: Literature was searched in NCBI (The National Center for Biotechnology Information Advances Science and Health), Wiley online library, ScienceDirect database using the keywords Simvastatin, wound healing, Topical formulation. Articles that seemed suitable based on title and abstract were included. Also, a personal collection of literature on the subject pleiotropic effects of simvastatin, hydrogels, and polymeric nanoparticles was referred. Results: Beside cholesterol-lowering effect of Simvastatin (SIM), it has many unusual therapeutic modalities for different pathological disorders such as healing bone tissue, cancer cell inhibition, many inflammatory diseases and wound healing. SIM wound healing induction arises from its angiogenesis activity and antibacterial activity. It can interfere with bacterial protein synthesis and inhibits both multiple biosynthetic pathways and cellular processes in bacteria without the conventional antibiotics side effects or fear of bacterial resistance. Conclusion: This review discusses the wound types and wound healing process, the nanosizing advantage in wound healing, gels and hydrogel characters and the approved application of simvastatin topically to wound healing via promotion of epithelialization and antibacterial activity.

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Purpose The aim of this study was to formulate a hydrogel loaded with polymeric nanoparticles (PoNPs) of simvastatin (SIM) for topical wound healing application. Materials and methods The SIM PoNPs were prepared by using the nanoprecipitation method to improve the drug solubility and skin permeation. Furthermore, drug content, solubility, particle size, surface charge, and transmission electron microscopy of the prepared PoNPs were evaluated. Then, the PoNPs were loaded on hydrogel, and physical characteristics, in vitro release, and ex vivo permeation of the hydrogel were evaluated. Finally, the prepared gel was applied on rat wounds, and a histopathological study was performed. Results The results showed that the drug content in the PoNPs was 86.4%. The PoNPs were spherical in shape with a smooth surface and a uniform size distribution. The particle size was 268.4±2.6, polydispersity index was ≤0.302, and zeta potential was −33±1.67 mV. The hydrogel loaded with SIM PoNPs was homogenous, and the pH was accepted and compatible with the skin. Moreover, the viscosity and spreadability assured its ease of application. The drug content was 97.25±0.02%. Furthermore, about 81% of SIM was released within 24 hours, while in the ex vivo permeation study 69.19% of SIM passed through the skin after 24 hours. Finally, the histopathological studies confirmed the efficacy of the SIM PoNPs-loaded hydrogel in wound healing due to the formation of the normal epithelial layer on day 11 after wound creation. Conclusion The hydrogel loaded with SIM PoNPs showed a good efficacy in accelerating the healing of the rat wound with complete epithelialization and minimal inflammatory cell infiltration.

Most of the infections caused by multi-drug resistant (MDR) P. aeruginosa strains are extremely difficult to be treated with conventional antibiotics. Biofilm formation and efflux pumps are recognized as the major antibiotic resistance mechanisms in MDR P. aeruginosa. Biofilm formation by P. aeruginosa depends mainly on the cell-to-cell communication quorum-sensing (QS) systems. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TDN) have been used as antimicrobial agents against several microorganisms but have not been reported as an anti-QS agent. This study aims to evaluate the impact of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TDN) on QS and efflux pump genes expression in MDR P. aeruginosa isolates. The antimicrobial susceptibility of 25 P. aeruginosa isolates were performed by Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TDN) were prepared by the sol gel method and characterized by different techniques (DLS, HR-TEM, XRD, and FTIR). The expression of efflux pumps in the MDR isolates was detected by the determination of MICs of different antibiotics in the presence and absence of carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP). Biofilm formation and the antibiofilm activity of TDN were determined using the tissue culture plate method. The effects of TDN on the expression of QS genes and efflux pump genes were tested using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The average size of the TDNs was 64.77 nm. It was found that TDN showed a significant reduction in biofilm formation (96%) and represented superior antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa strains in comparison to titanium dioxide powder. In addition, the use of TDN alone or in combination with antibiotics resulted in significant downregulation of the efflux pump genes (MexY, MexB, MexA) and QS-regulated genes (lasR, lasI, rhll, rhlR, pqsA, pqsR) in comparison to the untreated isolate. TDN can increase the therapeutic efficacy of traditional antibiotics by affecting efflux pump expression and quorum-sensing genes controlling biofilm production.

The objective of this study was to compare different techniques to enhance the solubility and dissolution rate, and hence the bioavailability of candesartan cilexetil. Methods: To achieve this target, various techniques were employed such as solid dispersions, inclusion complexes, and preparation of candesartan nanoparticles. Following the preparations, all samples were characterized for their physicochemical properties, and the samples of the best results were subjected to further bioavailability studies. Results: Results of dissolution studies revealed an increase in the dissolution rate of all samples. The highest dissolution rate was achieved using solid dispersion of the drug with PVP K-90 (1:4). Physicochemical investigations (XR, DSC, and FT-IR) suggested formation of hydrogen bonding and changing in the crystalline structure of the drug. Regarding the inclusion complexes, more stable complex was formed between HP-β-CD and CC compared to β-CD, as indicated by phase solubility diagrams. Antisolvent method resulted in the preparation of stable nanoparticles, as indicated by ζ potential, with average particle size of 238.9 ± 19.25 nm using PVP K-90 as a hydrophilic polymer. The best sample that gave the highest dissolution rate (CC/PVP K-90 1:4) was allowed for further pharmacokinetic studies using UPLC MS/MS assay of rabbit plasma. Results showed a significant increase in the bioavailability of CC from~15% to~48%. Conclusion: The bioavailability of CC was significantly improved from~15% to~48% when formulated as SDs with PVP K-90 with 1:4 drug:polymer ratio.