Introduction: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been found to exhibit unique properties which show their potential to be used in various therapies. Green synthesis of AgNPs has been progressively gaining acceptance due to its cost-effectiveness and energy-efficient nature. Objective: In the current study, aqueous extract of Thymus vulgaris (T. vulgaris) was used to synthesize the AgNPs using green synthesis techniques followed by checking the effectiveness and various biological activities of these AgNPs. Methods: At first, the plant samples were proceeded for extraction of aqueous extracts followed by chromatography studies to measure the phenolics and flavonoids. The synthesis and characterization of AgNPs were done using green synthesis techniques and were confirmed using Fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR) spectroscopy, UV–visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM), zeta potential, zeta sizer and X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. After confirmation of synthesized AgNPs, various biological activities were checked. Results: The chromatography analysis detected nine compounds accounting for 100% of the total amount of plant constituents. The FT-IR, UV–vis spectra, SEM, zeta potential, zeta sizer and XRD analysis confirmed the synthesis of AgNPs and the variety of chemical components present on the surface of synthesized AgNPs in the plant extract. The antioxidant activity of AgNPs showed 92% inhibition at the concentration of at 1000 μg/mL. A greater inhibitory effect in anti-diabetic analysis was observed with synthesized AgNPs as compared to the standard AgNPs. The hemolytic activity was low, but despite low concentrations of hemolysis activity, AgNPs proved not to be toxic or biocompatible. The anti-inflammatory activity of AgNPs was observed by in-vitro and in-vivo approaches in range at various concentrations, while maximum inhibition occurs at 1000 μg (77.31%). Conclusion: Our data showed that the potential biological activities of the bioactive constituents of T. vulgaris can be enhanced through green synthesis of AgNPs from T. vulgaris aqueous extracts. In addition, the current study depicted that AgNPs have good potential to cure different ailments as biogenic nano-medicine.

Drug administration to the wound site is a potential method for wound healing. The drug retention duration should be extended, and drug permeability through the buccal mucosal layer should be regulated. Oral wounds can be caused by inflammation, ulcers, trauma, or pathological lesions; if these wounds are not treated properly, they can lead to pain, infection, and subsequent undesirable scarring. This study aimed to develop Kolliphor-407 P-based gel containing neomycin sulfate (NES) loaded in solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) and enhance the antimicrobial activity. By considering lipid concentrations and achieving the lowest particle size (Y1) and maximum entrapment (EE-Y2) effectiveness, the formulation of NES-SLN was optimized using the Box–Behnken design. For the selected responses, 17 runs were formulated (as anticipated by the Design-Expert software) and evaluated accordingly. The optimized formulation could achieve a particle size of 196.25 and EE of 89.27% and was further utilized to prepare the gel formulation. The NES-SLN-G formula was discovered to have a smooth, homogeneous structure and good mechanical and rheological properties. After 24 h of treatment, NES-SLN-G showed a regulated in vitro drug release pattern, excellent ex vivo permeability, and increased in vitro antibacterial activity. These findings indicate the potential application of NES-SLN-loaded gels as a promising formulation for buccal mucosal wound healing.

Mucoadhesive polymers have an essential role in drug localization and target-specific actions in oral delivery systems. The current work aims to develop and characterize a new mucoadhesive polysaccharide polymer (thiolated xanthan gum-TXG and S-Protected thiolated xanthan gum-STX) that was further utilized for the preparation of repaglinide mucoadhesive tablets. The thiolation of xanthan gum was carried out by ester formation through the reaction of the hydroxyl group of xanthan gum and the carboxyl group of thioglycolic acid. Synthesis of TXG was optimized using central composite design, and TXG prepared using 5.303 moles/L of TGA and 6.075 g/L of xanthan gum can accomplish the prerequisites of the optimized formulation. Consequently, TXG was further combined with aromatic 2-mercapto-nicotinic acid to synthesize STX. TXG and STX were further studied for Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, rheological investigations, and Ellman’s assay (to quantify the number of thiol/disulfide groups). A substantial rise in the viscosity of STX might be due to increased interactions of macromolecules liable for improving the mucosal adhesion strength of thiolated gum. STX was proven safe with the support of cytotoxic study data. Mucoadhesive formulations of repaglinide-containing STX showed the highest ex vivo mucoadhesion strength (12.78 g-RSX-1 and 17.57 g- RSX-2) and residence time (>16 h). The improved cross-linkage and cohesive nature of the matrix in the thiolated and S-protected thiolated formulations was responsible for the controlled release of repaglinide over 16 h. The pharmacokinetic study revealed the greater AUC (area under the curve) and long half-life with the RSX-2 formulation, confirming that formulations based on S-protected thiomers can be favorable drug systems for enhancing the bioavailability of low-solubility drugs.

Tongue cancer is one of the most common carcinomas of the head and neck region. The antitumor activities of statins, including lovastatin (LV), and the essential oil of eucalyptus (Eu oil), have been adequately reported. The aim of this study was to develop a nanoemulgel containing LV combined with Eu oil that could then be made into a nanoemulsion and assessed to determine its cytotoxicity against the cell line human chondrosarcoma-3 (HSC3) of carcinoma of the tongue. An I-optimal coordinate-exchange quadratic mixture design was adopted to optimize the investigated nanoemulsions. The droplet size and stability index of the developed formulations were measured to show characteristics of the nanoemulsions. The optimized LV loaded self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (LV-Eu-SNEDDS) was loaded into the gelling agent Carbopol 934 to develop the nanoemulgel and evaluated for its rheological properties. The cytotoxic efficiency of the optimized LV-Eu-SNEDDS loaded nanoemulgel was tested for cell viability, and the caspase-3 enzyme test was used against the HSC3 cell line of squamous carcinoma of the tongue. The optimized nanoemulsion had a droplet size of 85 nm and a stability index of 93%. The manufactured nanoemulgel loaded with the optimum LV-Eu-SNEDDS exhibited pseudoplastic flow with thixotropic behavior. The developed optimum LV-Eu-SNEDDS-loaded nanoemulgel had the best half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) and caspase-3 enzyme values of the formulations developed for this study, and these features improved the ability of the nanoemulsion-loaded gel to deliver the drug to the investigated target cells. In addition, the in vitro cell viability studies revealed the synergistic effect between LV and Eu oil in the treatment of tongue cancer. These findings illustrated that the LV-Eu-SNEDDS-loaded gel formulation could be beneficial in the local treatment of tongue cancer.