Daphne genkwa (D. genkwa) is the dried flower buds of a Chinese medicinal plant with multiple biological activities. Response surface methodology (RSM) combined with artificial neural network (ANN) techniques were utilized to optimize ultrasound-assisted extraction conditions for D. genkwa. Antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties of total flavonoids from D. genkwa (TFDG) were assessed. Optimal conditions involving ultrasonic power of 225 W, 30 min extraction time, 30 mL/g liquid-solid ratio, 60 °C extraction temperature, and 70% ethanol concentration yielded a maximum total flavonoids content (TFC) of 5.41 mg/g. After microporous resin purification, four specific flavonoids in D. genkwa were identified and quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The TFDG demonstrated potent antioxidant activity, with a 94% rate of scavenging the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Furthermore, TFDG exhibited pain-alleviating properties in hot plate and acetic acid-induced writhing tests and noteworthy inhibitory effects on xylene-induced ear swelling in mice. The total flavonoids extracted by ultrasound had excellent biological activity. This establishes a foundation for further investigation into the potential medical value of D. genkwa.

LCA reveals trade-offs in bioactive compound extraction. Solvent choice affects yield and impact. Process simulation enables LCA-based scale-up. Waste valorization improves sustainability. Life cycle thinking supports feasible green extraction.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection has become a widespread problem in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). A safe and effective manufacturing method is required to produce antibiotic dry powder inhalations (DPIs) which can be effectively delivered to treat lung infections. In this study, an excipient-free tobramycin inhalable powder was prepared using spray freeze-drying (SFD) method. The mass median aerodynamic diameters (MMAD) of optimized inhalable powder prepared by SFD was 1.30 µm, and the fine particle fractions (FPF) reached 83.31%. In both in vitro and in vivo safety and activity studies, the inhalable powder showed excellent safety performance at both animal and cellular levels, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.5 μg/mL. Compared with intravenous injection, inhalation of excipient-free tobramycin inhalable powder had a better effect in the infected mouse model because of its amorphous state. This study demonstrates that excipient-free tobramycin inhalable powder with good delivery and deposition performance can be successfully obtained using the SFD method. Inhalation of excipient-free tobramycin inhalable powder has the potential to be a promising strategy for treating pulmonary infections caused by P. aeruginosa in patients with CF.

Owing to their excellent biocompatibility and antibacterial properties, the global annual production of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is estimated at 400-800 tons. Therefore, developing a green and safe approach for AgNPs synthesis is urgently required. However, the conventional AgNPs manufacturing methods required toxic reductant and higher energy consumption, which makes the reaction system harmful to humans and environment. In this study, an eco-friendly ultrasound-intensified continuous system employing minimal toxic reagents was developed. The AgNPs formation process was intensified by cavitation instead of using toxic and strong reductants. Several analytical methods were conducted to systematically investigate the mechanism and performance of as-synthesized AgNPs, such as particle size distribution, zeta potential, UV-visible absorption, morphology, yield calculation, as well as in vitro photothermal, and antibacterial. The results clearly indicated that the physicochemical properties of AgNPs could be tuned by adjusting process parameters, including temperature, feeding rate, and ultrasonic power. Specifically, the AgNPs prepared at 90 ℃, 600 W and 50 µL/min exhibited smaller size (2-5 nm) with monodisperse, spherical shape, higher yield, enhanced photothermal, and antibacterial activities. Furthermore, life-cycle assessment (LCA) and machine learning (ML) were employed to evaluate the process sustainability and identify the key influencing parameters. Comprehensive consideration of safety, experimental results, and LCA outcomes demonstrated that the ultrasound-intensified continuous method proposed in this study is superior to the traditional NaBH₄-based batch synthesis at the laboratory scale.

This study presents a comparative cradle-to-gate environmental and economic evaluation of nine synthetic routes for Molnupiravir (EIDD-2801), a broad-spectrum antiviral drug. Integrating Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with Life Cycle Costing (LCC), we quantified the environmental impacts alongside capital and operational costs, net present costs, and break-even prices of each route. The results reveal significant variation across the schemes, with Schemes #1 and #2 exhibiting the highest impacts and costs due to intensive use of chloroform and diethyl ether, while Scheme #8 demonstrated the lowest impacts and costs, benefitting from higher batch output, greener solvents, and process intensification. Scenario analyses showed that solvent recovery improves sustainability only when high recovery rates are combined with clean electricity; otherwise, the additional energy demand may offset benefits. Scale-up analysis confirmed that higher production scales substantially reduce per-gram impacts and costs, supporting economies of scale. These findings highlight the critical role of solvent management, energy sourcing, the use of sustainability assessment at the earliest stages of innovation, and process design in aligning green chemistry with economic viability. The proposed integrated LCA-LCC framework provides transferable insights to guide sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing and supports the development of evidence-based policy for greener antiviral drug production.