Sorafenib (SFB) is an anticancer drug with sparingly water solubility and reduced bioavailability. Nanoformulation of SFB can increase its dissolution rate and solubility. The current study aimed to formulate SFB in nanoparticles to improve their solubility. The sorafenib nanoparticles (SFB-PNs) were synthesized using the solvent evaporation method, then evaluated for their particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta-potential, morphological structure, and entrapment efficiency (EE%). Further, the anticancer efficacy in A549 and Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) cancer cell lines was evaluated. The SFB-NPs were uniform in size, which have 389.7 ± 16.49 nm, PDI of 0.703 ± 0.12, and zeta-potential of −13.5 ± 12.1 mV, whereas transmission electron microscopy showed a well-identified spherical particle. The EE% was found to be 73.7 ± 0.8%. SFB-NPs inhibited the cell growth by 50% after 48 h incubation, with IC 50 of 2.26 and 1.28 µg/mL in A549 and MCF-7, respectively. Additionally, SFB-NPs showed a significant decrease ( P < 0.05) in p21 , and stathmin-1 gene expression levels in both cell lines. Moreover, SFB-NPs showed a significant increase in DNA damage of 25.50 and 26.75% in A549 and MCF-7, respectively. The results indicate that SFB-NPs are a potential candidate with an effective anticancer agent compared with free drugs.
Wound healing is a critical process essential for the body’s recovery from injuries, often complicated by bacterial infections. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have gained attention due to their antibacterial and tissue-regenerative properties. However, conventional chemical synthesis methods for AgNPs pose environmental risks. This study utilizes Ziziphus spina-christi (ZSC) extract for the eco-friendly synthesis of AgNPs, evaluating their antibacterial and wound-healing capabilities. The AgNPs-ZSC showed an absorption maximum at λmax of 460 nm, a particle size of 111.2 ± 1.09 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.38 ± 0.006, and a zeta potential of −27.0 ± 0.231 mV. The synthesized AgNPs-ZSC were spherical, non-aggregated, and exhibited potent antibacterial activity superior to chloramphenicol. Furthermore, the AgNPs-ZSC cream significantly promoted wound closure, epithelial tissue proliferation, and granulation tissue formation in rats, showing no signs of toxicity or adverse reactions. In conclusion, AgNPs-ZSC cream demonstrates excellent antibacterial and wound-healing properties, presenting a sustainable alternative to conventional chemical methods for AgNP synthesis.
Background: Itraconazole (ITZ) is an antiangiogenic agent recognized as a potent suppressor of endothelial cell growth that suppresses angiogenesis. Nevertheless, its exploitation is significantly restricted by its low bioavailability and systematic side effects. The objective of this study was to utilize glycerosomes (GLY), glycerol-developed vesicles, as innovative nanovesicles for successful ITZ pulmonary drug delivery. Methods: The glycerosomes were functionalized with hyaluronic acid (HA-GLY) to potentiate the anticancer efficacy of ITZ and extend its local bio-fate. ITZ-HA-GLY were fabricated using soybean phosphatidylcholine, tween 80, HA, and sonication time via a thin-film hydration approach according to a 24 full factorial design. The impact of formulation parameters on ITZ-HA-GLY physicochemical properties, as well as the optimal formulation option, was evaluated using Design-Expert®. Sulphorhodamine-B (SRB) colorimetric cytotoxicity assay of the optimized ITZ-HA-GLY versus ITZ suspension was explored in the human A549 cell line. The in vivo pharmacokinetics and bio-distribution examined subsequent to intratracheal administrations of ITZ suspension, and ITZ-HA-GLY were scrutinized in rats. Results: The optimized ITZ-HA-GLY unveiled vesicles of size 210.23 ± 6.43 nm, zeta potential of 41.06 ± 2.62 mV, and entrapment efficiency of 73.65 ± 1.76%. Additionally, ITZ-HA-GLY manifested a far lower IC50 of 13.03 ± 0.2 µg/mL on the A549 cell line than that of ITZ suspension (28.14 ± 1.6 µg/mL). Additionally, the biodistribution analysis revealed a higher concentration of ITZ-HA-GLY within the lung tissues by 3.64-fold as compared to ITZ suspension. Furthermore, the mean resistance time of ITZ-HA-GLY declined more slowly with 14 h as compared to ITZ suspension, confirming the accumulation of ITZ inside the lungs and their promising usage as a target for the treatment of lung disease. Conclusions: These data indicate that the improved ITZ-HA-GLY demonstrates significant promise and represents an exciting prospect in intratracheal delivery systems for lung cancer treatment, meriting further investigation.
Eco-friendly synthesis of silver nanoparticles (SN) by using a naturally occurring plant, such as Nitrosalsola (Salsola) vermiculata (SV), could be a novel way for appropriate wound healing. AgNO3 was reduced by SV to produce safe SN (SN-SV) extract and hasten the wound healing process. The obtained SN-SV were characterized by size, charge, wavelength, and surface morphology. The optimized formulation was dispersed in O/W cosmetic cream. Then, it was characterized in terms of pH, viscosity, homogeneity, and permeability. The ex vivo and in vivo studies have been conducted in a rat animal model to assess the potential of SN-SV cream on skin tissue regeneration. A skin punch biopsy was obtained to investigate the histopathological (HP) changes in the skin lesions of all rats by the H&E staining and PCNA immunostaining methods. The skin wounds in all subgroups were examined on days 5, 11, and 15 to analyze the effectiveness of SN-SV cream for treating surgical skin wounds. The prepared SN-SV had a particle size of 37.32 ± 1.686 nm, a charge of −1.4 ± 0.7 mV, non-aggregated SN-SV, and a λmax of 396.46 nm. The formed SN-SV cream showed a pH near the skin’s pH, with suitable viscosity and homogeneity and an apparent permeability of 0.009 ± 0.001. The HP changes in the SN-SV subgroups revealed a substantial reduction in wound size and improvement in wound granulation tissue formation and epidermal re-epithelialization (proliferation) compared to the healing in the SN subgroups. The current work revealed that SN-SV could be a novel skin-wound-healing agent with a practical application as a wound-healing platform.