The Aloe vera (L.) Burman f. pulp extract (AE), obtained from the inner parts of Aloe vera leaves, is rich in polysaccharides, including glucomannans, acemannans, pectic compounds, cellulose, and hemicelluloses; acemannan and glucomannan are considered the two main components responsible for most of the plant’s therapeutical properties. Besides having anti-inflammatory activity, these polysaccharides accelerate wound healing and promote skin regeneration, thus they can be utilized in healing products. The objective of this study was to develop Aloe vera mucilaginous-based hydrogels for topical use in psoriasis treatment. The hydrogels were prepared with 80% w/w of A. vera mucilaginous gel, evaluating two distinct polymers as the gelling agent: 1% carbopol 940 (FC1 and FC2) or 2% hydroxyethylcellulose (FH3 and FH4). FC1, FC2, FH3 and FH4 were evaluated for their organoleptic characteristics, rheological properties, pH and glucomannan content. Polysaccharide fractions (PFs) were extracted from the AE and used as a group of chemical markers and characterized by infrared (IR) spectroscopy and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (₁H NMR). The quantification of these markers in the raw material (AE) and in the hydrogels was carried out using spectrophotometric techniques in the UV-VIS region. The hydrogels-based hydroxyethylcellulose (FH3 and FH4) had glucomannan contents of 6.76 and 4.01 mg/g, respectively. Formulations with carbopol, FC1 and FC2, had glucomannan contents of 8.69 and 9.17 mg/g, respectively, an ideal pH for application on psoriasis, in addition to good spreadability and pseudoplastic and thixotropic behavior. Considering these results, hydrogel FC1 was evaluated for its keratolytic activity in a murine model of hyperkeratinization. For that, 0.5 mL of test formulations FC1 and FPC (0.05% clobetasol propionate cream) were topically applied to the proximal region of adult rats daily for 13 days. After euthanasia, approximately 2.5 cm of the proximal portion of each animal’s tail was cut and placed in 10% buffered formalin. Then, each tail fragment was processed and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE), and the results obtained from the histological sections indicated a 61% reduction in stratum corneum for animals treated with the A. vera hydrogel (FC1G) and 66% for animals treated with clobetasol propionate (PCG), compared to the group of animals that did not receive treatment (WTG). This study led to the conclusion that compared to the classic treatment (clobetasol propionate), the 80% A. vera hydrogel showed no significant difference, being effective in controlling hyperkeratinization.

Annatto (Bixa orellana L.) is extensively used as food pigment worldwide. Recently, several studies have found it to have healing and antioxidant properties, as well as effective action against leishmaniasis. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to incorporate the oil obtained from annatto seeds into a nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) and evaluate its physicochemical properties and biological activity against Leishmania major. Nanoparticles were prepared by the fusion-emulsification and ultrasonication method, with the components Synperonic™ PE (PL) as the surfactant, cetyl palmitate (CP) or myristyl myristate (MM) as solid lipids, annatto oil (AO) (2% and 4%, w/w) as liquid lipid and active ingredient, and ultra-pure water. Physicochemical and biological characterizations were carried out to describe the NLCs, including particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential (ZP) by dynamic light scattering (DLS), encapsulation efficiency (EE%), thermal behavior, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR), cytotoxicity on BALB/c 3T3 fibroblasts and immortalized human keratinocyte cells, and anti-leishmaniasis activity in vitro. Nanoparticles presented an average diameter of ~200 nm (confirmed by TEM results), a PDI of less than 0.30, ZP between −12.6 and −31.2 mV, and more than 50% of AO encapsulated in NLCs. Thermal analyses demonstrated that the systems were stable at high temperatures with a decrease in crystalline structure due to the presence of AOs (confirmed by XRD). In vitro, the anti-leishmania test displayed good activity in encapsulating AO against L. major. The results indicate that the oily fraction of Bixa orellana L. in NLC systems should be evaluated as a potential therapeutic agent against leishmaniasis.

Palygorskite is an aluminum and magnesium silicate characterized by its fibrous morphology, providing it with great versatility in industrial applications, including pharmaceuticals. Although most of the reserves are in the United States, in recent years occurrences of commercially exploited deposits in Brazil have been recorded, mainly in the country’s northeast region. This has motivated this study, which analyzes raw Brazilian palygorskite compared to a commercial sample (Pharmasorb^® colloidal) to demonstrate its pharmaceutical potential. The chemical and mineral composition of the samples were evaluated for surface properties, granulometry, morphology, crystallography, thermal analysis, and spectroscopy. Raw palygorskite presented 67% purity, against 74% for Pharmasorb^® colloidal. The percentage purity relates to the presence of contaminants, mainly carbonates and quartz (harmless under conventional conditions of pharmaceutical use). Furthermore, it was possible to confirm the chemical composition of these phyllosilicates, formed primarily of silicon, aluminum, and magnesium oxides. The crystallographic and spectroscopic profiles were consistent in both samples, showing characteristic peaks for palygorskite (2θ = 8.3°) and bands attributed to fibrous phyllosilicates below 1200 cm⁻¹, respectively. The thermal analysis allowed the identification of the main events of palygorskite, with slight differences between the evaluated samples: loss of water adsorbed onto the surface (~85 °C), removal of water contained in the channels (~200 °C), coordinated water loss (~475 °C), and, finally, the dehydroxylation (>620 °C). The physicochemical characteristics of raw palygorskite align with pharmacopeial specifications, exhibiting a high specific surface area (122 m²/g), moderately negative charge (−13.1 mV), and compliance with the required limits for heavy metals and arsenic. These favorable technical attributes indicate promising prospects for its use as a pharmaceutical ingredient in the production of medicines and cosmetics.

Nanocomposites formed by clay and lipid carriers (NLCs) show a high potential for providing controlled release and specific delivery of bioactive molecules and have recently gained attention in the pharmaceutical sector due to their ability to transport hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs. Recent studies have recognized the biological activity of the oil of Bixa orellana L. (AO) with regards to its healing, antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-leishmanial properties. Therefore, the purpose of this study is the preparation and characterization of hybrid systems based on lipid nanocarriers and laponite for the delivery of AO. NLCs were prepared by the fusion-emulsification method, using cetyl palmitate (CP) or myristyl myristate (MM), AO, and Poloxamer 188. The morphology, hydrodynamic diameters, zeta potential (ZP), polydispersity index (PDI), thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), viscosity behavior, and cytotoxicity testing of the hybrid systems were performed. The thermal study and X-ray diffraction analyses (XRD) revealed polymorphic structural changes compatible with the amorphization of the material. Rheological assays highlighted a typical pseudoplastic behavior in all systems (MM and CP with LAP). The hybrid systems’ morphology, size diameters, and PDIs were similar, preset spherical and monodisperse structures (≈200 nm; <0.3), without significant change up to sixty days. The ZP values differed from each other, becoming higher with increasing AO concentration. XEDS spectra and elemental X-ray maps show peaks of lipids (organic components, C and O) and inorganic components O, Mg, and Si. All samples showed cell viability above 60%. The results indicated a stable, biocompatible hybrid system that can be an alternative for topical application.

Medicinal cannabis has gained increasing attention from both the scientific community and clinical practice, due to the therapeutic potential of its major phytocannabinoids, particularly cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), for pain management. This review compiled and analyzed the available evidence regarding the antinociceptive effects of nanoencapsulated cannabinoids compared to free compounds. The published works have explored some pharmaceutical formulations and administration routes on different acute, chronic and neuropathic pain experimental models. The findings indicated that cannabinoids exhibited promising analgesic effects, while nanoencapsulation could enhance its stability and bioavailability. Despite these advances, the number of reports investigating nanostructured cannabinoid-based systems remains limited, with a predominance of preclinical research. A recurrent lack of structural information and quality control data for such works was also noted. Furthermore, there were not identified any research regarding the nanoencapsulation of full-spectrum cannabis oils or whole cannabis extracts, highlighting a significant gap in the current literature. Overall, nanoencapsulation emerges as a versatile strategy to overcome the intrinsic limitations of cannabinoids and expand its clinical applicability for pain treatment. Nevertheless, further efforts are required to determine standardized methodologies, facilitating the translation of preclinical findings into clinical practice, in order to provide stable, safe, effective and more accessible cannabinoid-based therapies.