Plant-derived Medicines Research Articles

The Antibacterial Activity of Aloe barbadensis miller (Aloe Vera), Chromolaena odorata (Christmas Bush), Citrus limon (Lemon), Thespesia populnea (Portia Tree), Dracaena trifasciata (Snake Plant) Against Pathogens that Causing Pyogenic Infections

Abstract: Pyogenic infections, caused by bacteria known as pyogenes, are characterized by local inflammation and pus formation. Common diseases resulting from pyogenic organisms include folliculitis, impetigo, erythrasma, furuncles, carbuncles, macules, papules, styes, acne, erysipelas, and meningitis. These infections are a significant cause of nosocomial infections, which are associated with high morbidity rates. Due to the rising antibiotic resistance and adverse effects of antibiotics, researchers are exploring alternative treatments. Traditional medicine, prevalent in almost every culture, offers a potential source of alternative antimicrobial agents. This abstract summarizes the antimicrobial properties of certain plants traditionally used against skin infections, such as lemon, Aloe vera, and snake plants, which have been found to exhibit antiinflammatory properties. Plant-derived medicines can be used in various forms, including powders, liquids, or mixtures. Further research on traditional medicinal plants may contribute to developing alternative therapies for pyogenic infections, especially in developing countries where these infections are common. Maintaining personal hygiene and proper handling of patient samples in hospitals is essential for preventing the spread of pyogenic infections

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of an innovative psychedelic N,N-dimethyltryptamine/harmine formulation in healthy participants: a randomized controlled trial.

Recent interest in the clinical use of psychedelics has highlighted plant-derived medicines like ayahuasca showing rapid-acting and sustainable therapeutic effects in various psychiatric conditions. This traditional Amazonian plant decoction contains N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and β-carboline alkaloids such as harmine. However, its use is often accompanied by distressing effects like nausea, vomiting, and intense hallucinations, possibly due to complex pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) interactions and lack of dose standardization. This study addresses these limitations by testing a novel pharmaceutical formulation containing pure forms of DMT and harmine in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with 31 healthy male volunteers. We evaluated PK-PD by monitoring drug and metabolite plasma levels, subjective effects, adverse events, and cardiovascular parameters. Each participant received 3 randomized treatments: (1) 100mg buccal harmine with 100mg intranasal DMT, (2) 100mg buccal harmine with intranasal placebo, and (3) full placebo, using a repeated-intermittent dosing scheme, such that 10mg of DMT (or placebo) was administered every 15 minutes. N,N-dimethyltryptamine produced consistent PK profiles with Cmax values of 22.1ng/mL and acute drug effects resembling the psychological effects of ayahuasca with a duration of 2-3 hours. Likewise, buccal harmine produced sustained-release PK profiles with Cmax values of 32.5ng/mL but lacked distinguishable subjective effects compared to placebo. All drug conditions were safe and well tolerated, indicating the formulation's suitability for clinical applications. This study underscores the potential of a patient-oriented pharmaceutical formulation of DMT and harmine to reduce risks and improve therapeutic outcomes in treating mental health disorders. Neurodynamics of prosocial emotional processing following serotonergic stimulation with N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and harmine in healthy subjects (NCT04716335) https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04716335.

Root-specific theanine metabolism and regulation at the single-cell level in tea plants (Camellia sinensis)

Root-synthesized secondary metabolites are critical quality-conferring compounds of foods, plant-derived medicines, and beverages. However, information at a single-cell level on root-specific secondary metabolism remains largely unexplored. L-Theanine, an important quality component of tea, is primarily synthesized in roots, from which it is then transported to new shoots of tea plant. In this study, we present a single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq)-derived map for the tea plant root, which enabled cell-type-specific analysis of glutamate and ethylamine (two precursors of theanine biosynthesis) metabolism, and theanine biosynthesis, storage, and transport. Our findings support a model in which the theanine biosynthesis pathway occurs via multicellular compartmentation and does not require high co-expression levels of transcription factors and their target genes within the same cell cluster. This study provides novel insights into theanine metabolism and regulation, at the single-cell level, and offers an example for studying root-specific secondary metabolism in other plant systems.

Alkaloids as Additional Weapons in the Fight against Breast Cancer: A Review.

Breast carcinoma is among the most frequent cancerous tumour in females around the globe. The major modalities now employed in the therapeutic management of breast cancer include surgeries, chemotherapy, and specialized medicines. Despite their potential to help individuals' problems, they are also associated with many negative impacts. As a result, natural products are increasingly regarded to be a preferable alternative. Alkaloids are essential biochemical substances that can be used to develop new drugs. Numerous alkaloids that originate from natural plants have been shown in vitro and in vivo to have anti-proliferation and anti-metastasis actions on different kinds of carcinoma. According to the data collected in this study, the utilization of alkaloids as anti-tumor medicines appears to be extremely potent; nevertheless, extensive studies and clinical trials are required before utilizing individual alkaloids. In this overview, we provide a detailed and vital exploration of pre-existing alkaloids possessing anti-tumor activities due to bioactive compounds. This study also includes an overview of synthesized analogues and pharmacological characteristics that will be beneficial to scientists working on alkaloids for medicinal purposes. In a recent survey of the literature, alkaloids are an important component of plantderived antitumor medicines that hold great potential for the future development of cancer therapy and preventive therapies. We have also discussed structural analysis relationship (SAR) studies. Moreover, it covers clinical trial medications and FDA-approved medicines from the last five years that will be useful in further research.

Antioxidative and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Plant-derived Hypoglycemic Medicines: An In vivo/In vitro Systematic Review.

The activation of oxidative stress and inflammatory conditions has been associated with acceleration in diabetes (DM) onset and complications. Despite various anti-DM medications, there is a growing trend to discover inexpensive and effective treatments with low adverse effects from plants as one of the promising sources for drug development. This study aimed to systematically investigate the simultaneous anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of plant-derived hypoglycemic medicines in diabetic experimental models. The search terms consisted of "diabetes", "herbal medicine", "antioxidant", "Inflammatory biomarker", and their equivalents among PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases up to 17 August 2021. Throughout the search of databases, 201 eligible experimental studies were recorded. The results showed that the most commonly assessed inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers were tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL) 6, IL-1β, IL-10, malondialdehyde (MDA), and nitric oxide (NO). The activity of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), and catalase (CAT) were assessed in the present review. Among herbal treatments, Trigonella foenum-graecum L., Centella asiatica (L.) Urb., Vitis vinifera L., and Moringa oleifera Lam. were most commonly used for diabetic complications. Due to the dispersion of the treatments, meta-analysis was not applicable. Our findings showed that the application of different plant-derived hypoglycemic treatments in animal models improved diabetes and its complications, as well as modulated concomitant inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers. These findings suggest that plant-based antidiabetic medicines and food supplements have the potential to manage diabetes and its complications.

Local Perceptions of Forest-Based Ecosystem Services in Benin, West Africa

Ecosystem services are closely linked to the daily lives of local communities, particularly those living near forests. The study of the local perceptions of these services is relevant because they vary depending on the community, the study period, and the environment. So beyond the inventorying of ecosystem services, understanding the perceptions of local communities regarding these services remains a necessity. Our study aims to analyze how local communities perceive the ecosystem services provided by forests and the factors that determine these perceptions. We collected data from 232 heads of households across 23 villages bordering the forest and analyzed them using descriptive statistics and ordered Probit analysis. The results showed that provisioning services (such as plant-derived medicines, rafters and planks, livestock feed, crops, and firewood) were the most important, followed by regulating and supporting services (including soil formation, erosion control, and climate regulation) are the most important. Finally, cultural services (encompassing cultural practices, heritage, and spirituality) were perceived as important. However, communities did not perceive the value of ecotourism. Factors influencing these perceptions included gender (male), age (young individuals), occupation in farming, household size, level of education, Bariba ethnicity and income. To ensure the sustainable utilization of forest resources in the region, it is necessary to encourage young people to adopt environmentally friendly agricultural practices, to use improved stoves that require less wood and promote cultural services to diversify their sources of income.

Plant-Derived Medicines for Sciatica: A Comprehensive Review

Sciatica commonly refers to radicular leg pain which is mainly caused by lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and affects the daily functional ability of many patients in the world. However, according to the side effects and short-term benefits of its treatments, new therapeutic agents such as natural products are needed. The aim of this study was to comprehensively review the effectiveness of plant-derived products for the treatment of sciatica. Electronic databases, including Medline (via PubMed), Scopus, and Web of Science, were searched from inception to 17 August 2023 for this comprehensive review. English language papers reporting preclinical and clinical evaluations of the effectiveness of herbal products, including medicinal plants, multi-component herbal preparations, and phytochemicals on sciatica, radicular pain, or LDH, were included. Studies on neuropathic pain due to reasons other than sciatica, radicular pain, or LDH were excluded. From a total of 5666 papers identified in the primary search, 16 (including 4 clinical and 12 preclinical studies) were finally included. Most of the plant-derived treatments mentioned in this review belonged to the polyphenol family or contained high concentrations of various polyphenols. From the results obtained, polyphenols relieved sciatica by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, mainly through the inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinases pathways. In conclusion, plant-derived medicines have the potential to improve the quality of life and functional ability of sciatica patients by relieving symptoms. However, further preclinical and clinical studies are suggested to prove the safety and efficacy of such herbal medicines for sciatica.

Dynamic DNA Methylation Regulates Season-Dependent Secondary Metabolism in the New Shoots of Tea Plants.

Plant secondary metabolites are critical quality-conferring compositions of plant-derived beverages, medicines, and industrial materials. The accumulations of secondary metabolites are highly variable among seasons; however, the underlying regulatory mechanism remains unclear, especially in epigenetic regulation. Here, we used tea plants to explore an important epigenetic mark DNA methylation (5mC)-mediated regulation of plant secondary metabolism in different seasons. Multiple omics analyses were performed on spring and summer new shoots. The results showed that flavonoids and theanine metabolism dominated in the metabolic response to seasons in the new shoots. In summer new shoots, the genes encoding DNA methyltransferases and demethylases were up-regulated, and the global CG and CHG methylation reduced and CHH methylation increased. 5mC methylation in promoter and gene body regions influenced the seasonal response of gene expression; the amplitude of 5mC methylation was highly correlated with that of gene transcriptions. These differentially methylated genes included those encoding enzymes and transcription factors which play important roles in flavonoid and theanine metabolic pathways. The regulatory role of 5mC methylation was further verified by applying a DNA methylation inhibitor. These findings highlight that dynamic DNA methylation plays an important role in seasonal-dependent secondary metabolism and provide new insights for improving tea quality.

A Review on Nanotechnology Mediated - Herbal Drug Delivery for the Treatment of Obesity

Abstract: Since ancient times, traditional herbs have been widely used around the world for health promotion and therapy. Obesity is a complex metabolic disorder and is becoming a mammoth problem that adversely affects an individual’s quality of life. Conventional therapy for the management of obesity mainly involves the use of synthetic moiety and bariatric surgical procedures which has severe side effects and patient non-compliance. To circumvent these limitations, plant-derived medicines are utilized which are safe, effective, economic, and easily available. The advancement of nanotechnology enables the development of novel strategies that could potentiate the therapeutic efficacy of the phytoconstituents with minimal toxic effects and promotes the controlled release of the plant bioactive compounds. Moreover, great efforts have been made through targeted nanotechnology-based herbal treatment, where novel nanocarriers are employed as herbal drug delivery vehicles to improve the pharmacokinetics of antiobesity drugs. The recent advancement in phytonanotechnology have opened an avenue to explore novel carriers to utilize bioactive compounds in biomedical and therapeutic applications. In the current review, an extensive search is conducted for the existing original research articles using databases i.e., Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Embase, Baidu, etc. Further, painstaking efforts are made to compile and update the novel herbal nanocarriers such as liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, etc. which are widely used for the treatment of obesity. This article portrays a comprehensive survey of the novel strategies employed by the innovators working exclusively on herbal drug delivery systems. The recent development of nanotechnology-based herbal drug delivery has a wide range of biomedical applications and has provided an unprecedented opportunity to improve the treatment of obesity and obesity-related comorbidities. Furthermore, the advancement of phytopharmacological science has led to several novel strategies with improved nanotherapeutics for the management of obesity. Scientific research is still being carried out in the field of nanotechnology for a better perspective on herbal drug delivery for obesity treatment over conventional therapy.

Research Status in the Use of Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) to Detect Pesticide Residues in Foods and Plant-Derived Chinese Herbal Medicines.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technology has unique advantages in the rapid detection of pesticides in plant-derived foods, leading to reduced detection limits and increased accuracy. Plant-derived Chinese herbal medicines have similar sources to plant-derived foods; however, due to the rough surfaces and complex compositions of herbal medicines, the detection of pesticide residues in this context continues to rely heavily on traditional methods, which are time consuming and laborious and are unable to meet market demands for portability. The application of flexible nanomaterials and SERS technology in this realm would allow rapid and accurate detection in a portable format. Therefore, in this review, we summarize the underlying principles and characteristics of SERS technology, with particular focus on applications of SERS for the analysis of pesticide residues in agricultural products. This paper summarizes recent research progress in the field from three main directions: sample pretreatment, SERS substrates, and data processing. The prospects and limitations of SERS technology are also discussed, in order to provide theoretical support for rapid detection of pesticide residues in Chinese herbal medicines.

A review of several anticancer chemicals derived from natural medicinal plant

Humans have used natural plants and plant-derived medicines to cure various diseases for thousands of years. Of all the diseases that humans are facing, cancer is one of the most destructive ones. Scientists have studied anticancer chemicals from natural plants for decades, and some chemicals show significant effects against cancer and are applied widely in clinical use. Vinca alkaloids are a type of chemical derived from Catharanthus roseus. Members of the vinca alkaloids have been used in many chemotherapy regimens. Taxol is one of the most famous plant-derived medicines against cancer. Scientists have focused more than twenty years on improving its synthesis route. Solanine comes from plants in the genus Solanum. This kind of plant is used in TCM for cancer treatment. Apart from these land plants, marine plants and marine photosynthetic algae are also sources of antitumor agents. Carrageenan and Fucoidan are two examples of antitumor-active compounds derived from seagrass. They have both cytotoxicity and adjuvant ability. In the future, there will be more research on the improvement of the synthetic route of existing herbal compounds, the discovery of new herbal compounds, and the better utilization and combination of herbal compounds, and finally lead to better application of natural plant medicine against cancer.

Foeniculum vulgare essential oil nanoemulsion inhibits Fusarium oxysporum causing Panax notoginseng root-rot disease

BackgroundFusarium oxysporum (F. oxysporum) is the primary pathogenic fungus that causes Panax notoginseng (P. notoginseng) root rot disease. To control the disease, safe and efficient antifungal pesticides must currently be developed. MethodsIn this study, we prepared and characterized a nanoemulsion of Foeniculum vulgare essential oil (Ne-FvEO) using ultrasonic technology and evaluated its stability. Traditional Foeniculum vulgare essential oil (T-FvEO) was prepared simultaneously with 1/1000 Tween-80 and 20/1000 dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The effects and inhibitory mechanism of Ne-FvEO and T-FvEO in F. oxysporum were investigated through combined transcriptome and metabolome analyses. ResultsResults showed that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Ne-FvEO decreased from 3.65 mg/mL to 0.35 mg/mL, and its bioavailability increased by 10-fold. The results of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) showed that T-FvEO did not contain a high content of estragole compared to Foeniculum vulgare essential oil (FvEO) and Ne-FvEO. Combined metabolome and transcriptome analysis showed that both emulsions inhibited the growth and development of F. oxysporum through the synthesis of the cell wall and cell membrane, energy metabolism, and genetic information of F. oxysporum mycelium. Ne-FvEO also inhibited the expression of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase and isocitrate dehydrogenase and reduced the content of 2-oxoglutarate, which inhibited the germination of spores. ConclusionOur findings suggest that Ne-FvEO effectively inhibited the growth of F. oxysporum in P. notoginseng in vivo. The findings contribute to our comprehension of the antifungal mechanism of essential oils (EOs) and lay the groundwork for the creation of plant-derived antifungal medicines.

Translation of preclinical ethnomedicine data in LMICs: the example of rooibos.

All disease, but especially non-communicable diseases, are related to dysfunction of one or more regulatory systems. In developing countries, long-term management of patients with chronic diseases has many challenges and is generally not financially viable, but Africa in particular, which is rich in diverse ethnomedicines presents a more feasible long-term therapeutic approach in this niche. However, despite comprehensive preclinical investigations on numerous plant-derived candidate medicines, only a small portion of these reach the patient as recognised medicines. In this review, we use the example of rooibos (Aspalathus linearis (Burm.f.) R. Dahlgren)-which is globally consumed as aromatic, caffeine-free tea-to illustrate the hurdles that need to be overcome in the low-to middle-income countries, before progression of ethnomedicines to official treatment regimens can be achieved. In terms of methodology, regulatory system focused rooibos papers indexed on PubMed for the past three decades (n = 112) were accessed. Papers reporting duplication of previous results were excluded, as well as review papers. Topics covered includes the high standard of ethnomedicine drug discovery and efficacy testing research performed in Africa (and South Africa in particular in the case of rooibos), the potential bias in terms of preclinical research focus, ethnomedicine ownership and the requirement for independent clinical trial coordination and/or management.

Meta-analysis of the anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of hypoglycaemic plant-derived medicines.

The pivotal role of oxidative stress and inflammation in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been firmly established. However, the evidence concerning hypoglycaemic medicinal plants' antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects remains inconclusive due to inconsistencies in prior studies. To address this gap, our study aims to perform a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to consolidate previous research findings in this field. We conducted a comprehensive search in the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases to identify relevant English randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Our study adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. All eligible studies that evaluated concurrently the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of hypoglycaemic plant-derived supplements on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis itself was carried out using both fixed and random effects models to synthesize the findings from the selected studies. Our study included 47 trials with a total of 2636 participants, both male and female, aged between 20 and 79years, diagnosed with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), or metabolic syndrome. The meta-analysis revealed that plant-derived treatments, compared to placebos or other medicines, significantly improved oxidative stress (SMD = -0.36, 95% CI -0.64 to -0.09), inflammation (SMD = -0.47, 95% CI -0.63 to -0.31), total antioxidant capacity (SMD = 0.46, 95% CI 0.16-0.75), and antioxidant enzyme activity (SMD = 1.80, 95% CI 1.26-2.33). The meta-regression analysis showed that treatment duration exceeding 8weeks significantly impacted the heterogeneity of the oxidative stress data. Several hypoglycaemic plant-based treatments appear to positively affect T2DM patients by concurrently lowering oxidative stress and inflammatory indicators and boosting antioxidant enzyme activity. PROSPERO ID: CRD42021226147.

AVPCD: a plant-derived medicine database ofantiviral phytochemicals forcancer, Covid-19, malaria andHIV.

Serious illnesses caused by viruses are becoming the world's most critical public health issues and lead millions of deaths each year in the world. Thousands of studies confirmed that the plant-derived medicines could play positive therapeutic effects on the patients with viral diseases. Since thousands of antiviral phytochemicals have been identified as lifesaving drugs in medical research, a comprehensive database is highly desirable to integrate the medicinal plants with their different medicinal properties. Therefore, we provided a friendly antiviral phytochemical database AVPCD covering 2537 antiviral phytochemicals from 383 medicinal compounds and 319 different families with annotation of their scientific, family and common names, along with the parts used, disease information, active compounds, links of relevant articles for COVID-19, cancer, HIV and malaria. Furthermore, each compound in AVPCD was annotated with its 2D and 3D structure, molecular formula, molecular weight, isomeric SMILES, InChI, InChI Key and IUPAC name and 21 other properties. Each compound was annotated with more than 20 properties. Specifically, a scoring method was designed to measure the confidence of each phytochemical for the viral diseases. In addition, we constructed a user-friendly platform with several powerful modules for searching and browsing the details of all phytochemicals. We believe this database will facilitate global researchers, drug developers and health practitioners in obtaining useful information against viral diseases.

Plant-based medicines in the treatment of cardiometabolic disorders: A special view on sarcopenic obesity

The incidence and prevalence of obesity-mediated cardiometabolic complications are increasing gradually worldwide. In the elderly population, sarcopenic obesity causes significant changes in glucose and lipid metabolism, increasing morbidity and mortality rates. Early assessment and strategic treatment patterns for sarcopenic obesity is crucial in preventing the development and worsening of metabolic conditions like diabetes, renal, hepatic complications, cardiovascular dysfunction, etc. Plant-derived medicines have a long history of use in various chronic complications. Since the majority of the patient believe alternative therapies are inherently safe. Existing preclinical and clinical studies ensure that most bioactive compounds play a significant role in glucose and lipid homeostasis.

Current Advances in Nanotechnology-Mediated Delivery of Herbal and Plant-Derived Medicines.

Phytomedicine has been used by humans since ancient times to treat a variety of diseases. However, herbal medicines face significant challenges, including poor water and lipid solubility and instability, which lead to low bioavailability and insufficient therapeutic efficacy. Recently, it has been shown that nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems are appropriate to overcome the above-mentioned limitations. The present review study first discusses herbal medicines and the challenges involved in the formulation of these drugs. The different types of nano-based drug delivery systems used in herbal delivery and their potential to improve therapeutic efficacy are summarized, and common techniques for preparing nanocarriers used in herbal drug delivery are also discussed. Finally, a list of nanophyto medicines that have entered clinical trials since 2010, as well as those that the FDA has approved, is presented.

Antibacterial activity of stem bark extract of traditionally used Terminalia bellirica (Gaerth.) Roxb.

Medicinal Plants have been practised for hundreds of centuries by tribes all over the world. From the earliest times until the end of nineteenth century plants are still the common source of medicinal treatment yet. Using natural, plant-derived medicines that are “healthier” than prescription drugs derived from synthesized products is something that appeals to consumers. In this study, the plant Terminalia bellirica was taken for study due to the mesmerizing medicinal properties of the plant. The antibacterial activities of acetone, ethyl acetate, benzene and methanol extracts of Terminalia bellirica stem bark were tested for four pathogenic bacterial strains by agar disc diffusion method. Among the various extract, acetone extracts showed good antibacterial activity and maximum zone of inhibition was obtained for Staphylococus aureus (zone size 8mm) followed by Pseudomonas aurogenosa (10mm). The results are given in Table-1. Methanol extract showed antibacterial activity against E. coli (zone size 8mm). On the other hand ethyl acetate and benzene extract was found to be totally unaffected against these bacterial strains.

Customizable resveratrol spray-dried micro-composites for inhalation as a promising contender for treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

The past decades have witnessed tremendous expansion in utilization of plant-derived medicines as resveratrol (RES) in treating several diseases like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). RES can exhibit its role in treating IPF via its outstanding antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The goal of this work was to formulate RES-loaded spray-dried composite microparticles (SDCMs) suitable for pulmonary delivery via dry powder inhaler (DPI). They were prepared by spray drying of a previously prepared RES-loaded bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (BSA NPs) dispersion using different carriers. RES-loaded BSA NPs, prepared by the desolvation technique, acquired suitable particle size of 177.67 ± 0.95 nm and entrapment efficiency of 98.7 ± 0.35% with perfectly uniform size distribution and high stability. Considering the attributes of the pulmonary route, NPs were co-spray dried with compatible carriers viz. mannitol, dextran, trehalose, leucine, glycine, aspartic acid, and glutamic acid to fabricate SDCMs. All formulations showed suitable mass median aerodynamic diameter<5 µm; that is suitable for deep lung deposition. However, the best aerosolization behavior was attained from using leucine with fine particle fraction (FPF) of 75.74%, followed by glycine with FPF of 54.7%. Finally, a pharmacodynamic study was conducted on bleomycin-induced mice, and it strongly revealed the role of the optimized formulations in alleviating PF through suppressing the levels of hydroxyproline, tumor necrosis factor-α and matrix metalloproteinase-9 with obvious improvements in the treated lung histopathology. These findings indicate that in addition to leucine, the glycine amino acid, which is not commonly used yet, is very promising in the formulation of DPIs.

Cannabis-based medicines and medical cannabis for adults with cancer pain.

Cannabis-based medicines and medical cannabis for adults with cancer pain.