Chitosan is a functional polymer in the pharmaceutical field, including for nanoparticle drug delivery systems. Chitosan-based nanoparticles are a promising carrier for a wide range of therapeutic agents and can be administered in various routes. Solubility is the main problem for its production and utilization in large-scale industries. Chitosan modifications have been employed to enhance its solubility, including chemical modification. Many reviews have reported the chemical modification but have not focused on the specific characteristics obtained. This review focused on the modification to improve chitosan solubility. Additionally, this review also focused on the application of chitosan derivatives in nanoparticle drug delivery systems since very few similar reviews have been reported. The specific method for chitosan derivative-based nanoparticles was also reported and the latest report of chitosan, chitosan derivative, and chitosan toxicity were also described.

Low molecular weight chitosan (LMWC) has higher solubility and lower viscosity allowing for a wider pharmaceutical application compared to high molecular weight chitosan. LMWC chitosan can be obtained through a chitosan depolymerization process. This research aimed to produce LWMC using the combination of formic acid and ultrasonication method with the optimal condition of the depolymerization process. The chitosan depolymerization method was performed by combining formic acid and ultrasonication. The optimum conditions of the depolymerization process were obtained using the Box–Behnken design. The LMWC obtained from depolymerization was characterized to identify its yield, degree of deacetylation, the molecular weight, structure, morphology, thermal behavior, and crystallinity index. Results: The characterization results of LWMC obtained from the depolymerization process using the optimum conditions showed that the yield was 89.398%; the degree of deacetylation was 98.076%; the molecular weight was 32.814 kDa; there was no change in the chemical structure, LWMC had disorganized shape, there was no change in the thermal behavior, and LWMC had a more amorphous shape compared to native chitosan. Conclusion: The production of LWMC involving depolymerization in the presence of weak acid and ultrasonication can be developed by using the optimal condition of the depolymerization process.

One of the plants used in Indonesian traditional medicine, namely, Patiwala (Lantana camara), is traditionally used to treat some diseases, including itching, wounds, ulcers, swelling, eczema, tetanus, malaria, tumors, rheumatism, and headaches. This study aimed to characterize the compound nonpolar fraction of Patiwala leaf capable of scavenging free radicals. The characterization of compound was carried out using the Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography–tandem Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) with positive ion method, while the antioxidant testing was carried out using the radical DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhidrazyl) and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) methods. The results showed that the nonpolar fraction of the methanol extract of L. camara leaves was very strong toward DPPH radicals (IC₅₀ 34.65 ± 1.26 μg/mL and 40.23 ± 0.18 μg/mL), and FRAP radical (IC₅₀ 4.93 ± 0.22 μg/mL and 12.79 ± 0.09 μg/mL). Nineteen compounds identified by UPLC-MS/MS method were Resveratrol dimer, iso-humolones, oleuropein glucoside, quercetin-3-O-glycoside, myricetin, oleuropein, 12-deoxy-16-hydroxy-phorbol, aloeresin A, humulones, ursolic acid, viniferin, Epicatechin, oleanolic acid, 5-hydroxy-3′,4′,7-trimerthoxy-flavanone, Apigenin-6,8-di-C-β-D-glucoside, procyanidin A2, caffeoyl-O-hexoside, tansihnone IIA, and phillyrin. The methanolic extract of L. camara leaves can be developed as a source of antioxidants from natural ingredients.

Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA) occurs due to over-response to androgens causing severe hair loss on the scalp, and requires the development of new and efficient drugs to treat this condition. This study explores and identifies secondary metabolites from Sansevieriatrifasciata Prain using the LC-MS/MS and in-silico method. The inhibitory activity of bioactive compounds from S. trifasciata Prain against androgen receptors (PDB ID: 4K7A) was evaluated molecularly using docking and dynamics studies by comparing their binding energies, interactions, and stability with minoxidil. The results of the LC-MS/MS analysis identified Methyl pyrophaeophorbide A (1), Oliveramine (2), (2S)-3′, 4′-Methylenedioxy-5, 7-dimethoxyflavane (3), 1-Acetyl-β-carboline (4), Digiprolactone (5), Trichosanic acid (6) and Methyl gallate (7) from the leaves subfraction of this plant. Three alkaloid compounds (compounds 1, 3, and 4), and one flavonoid (compound 2), had lower docking scores of −7.0, −5.8, −5.2, and −6.3 kcal/mol, respectively. The prediction of binding energy using the MM-PBSA approach ensured that the potency of the four compounds was better than minoxidil, with energies of −66.13, −59.36, −40.39, and −40.25 kJ/mol for compounds 1, 3, 2, and 4, respectively. The dynamics simulation shows the stability of compound 1 based on the trajectory analysis for the 100 ns simulation. This research succeeded in identifying the compound and assessing the anti-alopecia activity of Sansevieria trifasciata Prain. Seven compounds were identified as new compounds never reported in Sansevieria trifasciata Prain. Four compounds were predicted to have better anti-alopecia activity than minoxidil in inhibiting androgen receptors through an in silico approach.

Alopecia is a condition in which hair on the scalp or other areas of the body is lost or falls out excessively. Nutritional deficiency causes blood flow to the head to decrease causing the hormone testosterone to be changed by the enzyme 5-α-reductase to dihydrotestosterone, which inhibits the growth phase and accelerates the death phase. One of the methods developed to treat alopecia is through inhibition of the 5-α-reductase enzyme, which converts testosterone to its more potent metabolite, dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Ethnomedicinally, Merremia peltata leaf is used by the people of Sulawesi as a remedy for baldness. Therefore, in this research, an in vivo study was conducted on rabbits to determine the anti-alopecia activity of M. peltata leaf compounds. The structure of the compounds isolated from the M. peltata leaf ethyl acetate fraction was determined by analysis of NMR and LC-MS data. An in silico study was then carried out using minoxidil as a comparison ligand; scopolin (1) and scopoletin (2) isolated from M. peltata leaf were identified as anti-alopecia compounds by predicting docking, simulating molecular dynamics and predicting absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicology (ADME-Tox). Compounds 1 and 2 had a better effect on hair growth compared to positive controls, and NMR and LC-MS analysis showed that they had comparable binding energies to receptors in the molecular docking interaction study: −4.51 and −4.65 kcal/mol, respectively, compared to −4.8 kcal/mol for minoxidil. Molecular dynamics simulation analysis with the parameters binding free energy calculated using the MM-PBSA method and complex stability based on SASA, PCA, RMSD, and RMSF showed that scopolin (1) has a good affinity for androgens receptors. The ADME-Tox prediction for scopolin (1) showed good results for the parameters of skin permeability, absorption and distribution. Therefore, scopolin (1) is a potential antagonist to androgen receptors and could be useful in the treatment of alopecia.

Purpose: Cyclooxygenase (COX-2) has been validated as a molecular target for treating inflammatory diseases. The present work was performed to identify potential COX-2 inhibitors by employing pharmacophore modeling. Methods: The pharmacophore features consisted of seven features, ie, three hydrophobic, one negative ion, and three hydrogen bond acceptors, which were developed based on the structure of COX-2 inhibitor, (R)-naproxen. Results: The pharmacophore model was validated with a Goodness of Hit (GH score) of 0.754 and the values of AUC100% 0.51. Screening against the ZINC database retrieved 1675 hits, while the molecular docking procedure identified four best hit molecules in term of binding orientation and binding energies, ie, Lig_1805/ZINC103584272 (E = − 11.03 kcal/mol), Lig_553/ZINC408573132 (E = − 10.92 kcal/mol), Lig_680/ZINC103584263 (E = − 10.90 kcal/mol), and Lig_2006/ZINC19324645 (E = − 10.62 kcal/mol). Conclusion: The interactions of the four hits occurred in the binding site as (R)-naproxen did, and interestingly, their binding affinities were stronger than (R)-naproxen, implying their potential as COX-2 inhibitors.