The increasing burden of infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance underscores the urgent need for alternatives to conventional therapeutics. Although Eucalyptus essential oils (EOs) are well recognized for their broad-spectrum antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties, their relatively high volatility and limited physicochemical stability restrict their practical applications. In this study, a systematic, design-driven comparative approach was employed to develop nanoemulsions containing Eucalyptus globulus, E. citriodora, and E. radiata EOs, with the aim of improving their stability and biological efficacy. Initially, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was performed to identify species-specific chemotypes, which guided rational formulation design. A Box–Behnken design enabled the precise optimization of critical colloidal parameters, resulting in nanoemulsions with droplet sizes below 200 nm, polydispersity indices below 0.3, and ζ-potentials of approximately −22 mV. Comprehensive structural characterization by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, together with stress testing, confirmed the robust physical stability of the formulations. In-vitro antimicrobial evaluations against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Klebsiella pneumoniae revealed up to a 4-fold enhancement in antimicrobial activity and up to 80% inhibition of biofilm compared to the corresponding unformulated essential oils. The enhancements are most likely attributable to enhanced dispersion, increased interaction with greater microbial interfaces, and nanoscale stabilization of volatile bioactive constituents. Collectively, the optimized Eucalyptus nanoemulsions constitute reproducible, chemically well-defined nanocarrier systems with markedly improved antibacterial and antibiofilm performance, highlighting their promise as next-generation delivery systems for phytopharmaceutical applications. Further comprehensive biological and toxicological investigations are required to support the safe and effective translation of essential oil-containing nanocapsulations into practical use.

This study formulated and characterized metformin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (NPs) using the ionic gelation technique and evaluated the drug release kinetics. Characterization confirmed successful drug encapsulation, with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicating compatibility, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) showing attenuation of characteristic metformin reflections consistent with reduced crystalline contribution after encapsulation. Particle sizes ranged from 74.28 to 86.82 nm. The NPs exhibited stable zeta potentials (+42.38 to +49.06 mV) and high entrapment efficiencies (68.42–81.26%). In vitro drug release studies at pH 7.4 and pH 2.0 demonstrated an initial burst release, followed by sustained release over 24 h. The cumulative drug release ranged from 81.92% to 97.72% at pH 7.4 and 89.4% to 98.1% at pH 2.0, with a faster release at pH 2.0. Drug release kinetics followed first-order for batch MN1, while batches MN2 and MN3 best fitted into the Higuchi model, indicating diffusion-controlled release through the chitosan polymeric network. The formulated metformin nanoparticles demonstrated significant potent dose-related and time-dependent cytotoxic effect against ovarian cancer cell lines and in vivo blood glucose lowering effect compared to the conventional dosage forms and control (p < 0.05). These findings highlight the potential of metformin-loaded chitosan NPs for sustained drug delivery, which may enhance patient compliance by reducing dosing frequency. Future studies should further explore their clinical applications.

A new, simple and sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantitative determination of Butenafine hydrochloride (BUT) and Curcumin (CUR) in bulk and combined pharmaceutical dosage form. Such a method is required for routine quality control of emerging topical formulations containing this antifungal–anti-inflammatory pair. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a C18 column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) column using a mobile phase consisting of Methanol: Water (90:10 v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min with isocratic elution. Detection was performed at 254 nm. The method was validated in accordance with ICH guidelines for specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, limits of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ), robustness and solution stability. Well-resolved peaks of BUT and CUR were obtained with retention times of approximately 10.5 min and 1.8 min, respectively. The method showed excellent linearity over the concentration ranges of 5-15 µg/mL for BUT and CUR with correlation coefficients (r²=0,9967 and r²= 0,9976). Mean recoveries were within 98–102 % for both analytes, and intra- and inter-day precision values were below 2% RSD. The calculated LODs and LOQs indicated high sensitivity, and no interference from formulation excipients was observed. The proposed RP-HPLC method is simple, rapid, specific, accurate and precise, and is suitable for routine quality control analysis of BUT and CUR in bulk materials and combined pharmaceutical dosage forms.