(1) Background: Nanocomposite films are widely applied in the pharmaceutical industry (e.g., nanodrug delivery systems—NDDS). Indeed, these nanomaterials can be produced at a large industrial scale and display valuable properties (e.g., antibacterial, renewability, biodegradability, bioavailability, safety, tissue-specific targeting, and biocompatibility), which can enhance the activity of conventional marketed drugs. (2) Aim: To fabricate and investigate the in vitro properties of the antibiotic ceftriaxone sodium (CTX) once encapsulated into sodium alginate (SA)/poly(vinyl alcohol)PVA-clay reinforced nanocomposite films. (3) Methods: Different ratios of the polymers (i.e., SA, PVA) and CTX drug were used for the synthesis of nanocomposite films by solvent casting technique. Montmorillonite (MMT), modified organically, was added as a nanofiller to increase their thermal and mechanical strength. The prepared samples were physically characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The physicochemical behavior (i.e., swelling, erosion, dissolution/drug release behavior and rat skin permeation) was also assessed. Comparisons were made with the currently marketed free CTX dosage form. (4) Results: TGA of the nanoformulation showed increased thermostability. XRD revealed its semi-crystalline nature. SEM depicted a homogeneous drug-loaded SA/PVA nanocomposite with an average size ranging between 300 and 500 nm. EDX confirmed the elemental composition and uniform distribution of mixing components. The water entrapment efficiency study showed that the highest swelling and erosion ratio is encountered with the nanoformulations S100(3) and S100D15(3). Ex vivo permeation revealed a bi-step discharge mode with an early burst liberation chased by continued drug discharge of devised nanoparticles (NPs). The dissolution studies of the drug-loaded polymer nanocomposites elicited sustained pH-dependent drug release. The cumulative drug release was the highest (90.93%) with S100D15(3). (5) Conclusion: S100D15(3) was the finest formulation. To the best of our knowledge, we also pioneered the use of solvent casting for the preparation of such nanoformulations. Polymers and reinforcing agent, concentrations and pH were rate-deterring features for the preparation of the optimized formulation. Thus, CTX-loaded SA/PVA-MMT reinforced nanocomposite appeared as a promising nanodrug delivery system (NDDS) based on its in vitro physicochemical properties.

Background: Traditional ethnomedicinal knowledge and robust association of native communities with plant biota are the key contributors to environmental sustainability. Its documentation becomes crucial because the communities residing in remote mountainous landscape having strong dependence on wild flora for medication of different ailments. The current study was conducted to document the traditional knowledge of medicinal plants species practiced by the inhabitants of Musk Deer National Park (MDNP) Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan.   Methods: The data was acquired by administrating a total of 110 detailed semi structured interviews targeting respondents from different age groups, ethnic background, education and professions focusing on to capture the holistic picture of medicinal plants practiced with traditional wisdom. Data was analyzed using ethnobotanical indices like Use Value (UV), Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), Informant Consensus Factor (IFC) and comparison with previous ethno medicinal literature. Results: In total 84 plant species belonging to 69 genera and 43 families were recorded used by resident of MNDP for 66 prominent therapeutic purposes. Family Asteraceae was the main contributor with 16 species followed by Polygonaceae and Fabaceae with 7 and 4 species, respectively. Roots were the dominant plants parts used with (30 species, 29.7 %), followed by leaves (19 species, 18.81 %) and whole plant (15 species, 14.85). Among six drug formulations, powder was commonly used (51 medications) followed by cooked (38), extract (28) and decoction (21) respectively. The maximum informant consensus factor (ICF) value was calculated for digestive system problem (0.98) followed by respiratory and skeletomuscular system problem (0.97 each). Taxus baccata, Juglans regia, Fragaria nubicola, Berberis lycium, Heracleum canescens, Pinus wallichiana, Saussurea costus, Thymus linearis, Aconitum heterophyllum, Picrorhiza kurroa and Jurinea himalaica were the most significant plants with the highest use value and relative frequency of citation. Conclusion: The ethno medicinal inventory reflects reasonable number of wild plants with valued traditional practicing knowledge by the local inhabitants in the form of primary and vital source of therapy. Therefore, it required to develop a comprehensive participatory conservation and management plan clearly reflecting mechanism for sustainable utilization of medicinal flora and further detailed investigation in Musk Deer National Park, Kashmir Himalaya, Pakistan. Keywords: Musk Deer National Park, Traditional knowledge, Ethnomedicine, Kashmir Himalaya  

Multidrug resistant bacteria are causing health problems and economic burden worldwide; alternative treatment options such as natural products and nanoparticles have attained great attention recently. Therefore, we aimed to determine the phytochemicals, antibacterial potential, and anticancer activity of W. unigemmata. Extracts in different organic and inorganic solvents were prepared, silver nanoparticles were prepared using the green synthesis method. Phytochemicals and antioxidant activity was determined spectrophotometry, anticancer potential was determined against gastric cancer and normal gastric epithelial cells using CCK8 and colony formation assays W. unigemmata was found to have a significant enrichment of various phytochemicals including flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, carotenoids, tannins, saponins, quinines, carbohydrates, phenols, coumarins and phlobatanins. Among them phenolics (5289.89 ± 112.67) had high enrichment followed by reducing sugar (851.53 ± 120.15), flavonoids (408.28 ± 20.26) and ascorbic acid (347.64 ± 16.32), respectively. The extracts prepared in organic solvents showed strong antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa (chloroform, 13.66±0.88, ethyl acetate, 8.66±4.33, methyl alcohol, 13.33±1.66, N-hexane, 12.33±0.88) and S. aureus (chloroform, 15±0.57, ethyl acetate, 16.33±0.33, methyl alcohol, 17.66±0.33 and N-hexane, 16.33±0.33). Aqueously prepared AgNPs showed remarkable activity against P. aeruginosa follwed by E. coli, 17.66 ± 1.85, S. aureus, 16.00 ± 1.73, K. pneumoniae, 14.33 ± 1.20, respectively. The ethanolic extracts (500 μg, 1000 μg, 2000 μg) of the W. unigemmata were found to have cytotoxicity against both gastric cancer (AGS and SGC7901) and normal cell lines (GES-1); a significant cellular proliferation arrest was observed. These results suggest that W. Unigemmata contains numerous bioactive phytochemicals and can be useful as a drug against MDR bacterial strains. These biomolecules covering AgNPs may enhance their biological activities, which can be employed in the treatment of various microbial infections.

Background: Indigenous people residing in the remote localities have practicing knowledge about the utilization of herbal resources to cure different ailments. Current study was conducted in Kalash valley District Chitral (Lower), Pakistan to investigate the indigenous medicinal plants, their local names, uses, etc. The valley inhabits peoples with unique culture and costumes and considered as the descendants of Alexander the great having their own way of plant utilization for medication. Methods: Data was collected by interviewing through questionnaires. During the fieldwork, 133 respondents (99 men and 34 women) of different age groups were selected and personal observations were also recorded. Data was analyzed by using parameters like Use Report (UR), Use Values (UV), Frequency of Citations (FC), Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) and Relative Frequency of Citations (RFC). The plants were provided with voucher numbers after collection and identification. Results: 90 medicinal plant species from 44 families and 75 genera used to treat 23 illnesses. Rosaceae was leading family with 13 species (14.45%) followed by Asteraceae with 07 species (7.80%) and Lamiaceae 06 (6.70%) species. The most frequently used plant component was fruit (34.44%) followed by leaves (26.66 %) and powder was found to be the primary method of preparations and are often either ingested or used topically. The maximum used value was reported for Allium cepa (0.92) and minimum (0.06) for Carum carvi. The digestive system disorders showed highest Informant Census Factor (ICF) values (0.71) followed by the Anti-microbial diseases having ICF value of 0.68, while the evil-eyes repellent plants showed least ICF (0.40) values. The highest RFC was recorded for Cannabis sativa (0.40) while Cedrus deodara has the lowest (0.10). Conclusion: The present findings revealed that the Kalash valley has diverse plant resources used for various human aliments. The current work will provide useful information for future studies on various aspects of botanical sciences from the area. Keywords: Medicinal uses, plant resources, Kalash Valley, Hindukush Range, Pakistan

To organize floral diversity and explore the ethnobotanical knowledge of Anwar-Mahal Village, District Charsadda, Pakistan, the plants were collected and documented. The indigenous knowledge about plant use was obtained from the local community, and selected plant species were analyzed for their nutritional profile. Plants were collected during field visits to the study area and were identified with the help of available literature. For ethnobotanical data collection, the questionnaire method was adopted, and Informants were randomly selected from different age groups. The artifact method (ex-situ sampling) and the inventory method (in-situ sampling) were used for the same. Elemental analysis of the selected species was performed at the Centralized Resource Laboratory, University of Peshawar, Pakistan, and proximate analysis was done at the Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Peshawar, including moisture content, ash analysis, fibers, carbohydrates, and protein. The floral diversity of the area consists of 166 species distributed in 120 genera and 47 families. Four families were monocots with 9 genera and 23 (13.86%) species, and 43 families were dicots with 111 genera and 143 (86.14%) species. Poaceae was the leading family with 17 (10.24%) species, followed by Asteraceae with 16 (9.63%) species. The number of herbs was 119 (71.69%), trees 26 (15.66%), and shrubs 21 (12.65%) species. Therophyte was the dominant life form, having 84 (50.29%) species, and microphyll with 62 (36.68%) species was the leading leaf size class. Of different species recorded, 75 (34%) were medicinal, 35 (16%) fodder, 30 (14%) fuel, 20 (09%) vegetable, 17 (08%) fruit, 13 (06%) timber, 12 (05%) ornamental, 9 (04%) condiments, 7 (03%) beverages, and 3 (1.4%) poisonous. Elements like Mg, Ca, K, Na, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn were found to be in varying quantities in the selected plant species.