The antiaging benzoquinone‐type molecule ehretiquinone was isolated in a previous study as a leading compound from the herbal medicine Onosma bracteatum wall. This paper reports the antiaging effect and mechanism of ehretiquinone by using yeasts, mammal cells, and mice. Ehretiquinone extends not only the replicative lifespan but also the chronological lifespan of yeast and the yeast‐like chronological lifespan of mammal cells. Moreover, ehretiquinone increases glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase activity and reduces reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, contributing to the lifespan extension of the yeasts. Furthermore, ehretiquinone does not extend the replicative lifespan of Δsod1, Δsod2, Δuth1, Δskn7, Δgpx, Δcat, Δatg2, and Δatg32 mutants of yeast. Crucially, ehretiquinone induces autophagy in yeasts and mice, thereby providing significant evidence on the antiaging effects of the molecule in the mammalian level. Concomitantly, the silent information regulator 2 gene, which is known for its contributions in prolonging replicative lifespan, was confirmed to be involved in the chronological lifespan of yeasts and participates in the antiaging activity of ehretiquinone. These findings suggest that ehretiquinone shows an antiaging effect through antioxidative stress, autophagy, and histone deacetylase Sir2 regulation. Therefore, ehretiquinone is a promising molecule that could be developed as an antiaging drug or healthcare product.

The aim of this study was to investigate anti-aging molecules from Onosma bracteatum Wall, a traditional medicinal plant used in the Unani and Ayurvedic systems of medicine. During bioassay-guided isolation, two known benzoquinones, allomicrophyllone (1) and ehretiquinone (2) along with three novel benzoquinones designated as ehretiquinones B–D (3−5) were isolated from O. bracteatum. Their structures were characterized by spectroscopic analysis through 1D and 2D NMR, by MS spectroscopic analysis and comparing with those reported in the literatures. The anti-aging potential of the isolated benzoquinones was evaluated through a yeast lifespan assay, and the results indicated that 1, 2, 4 and 5 significantly extended the replicative lifespan of K6001 yeast, indicating that these benzoquinones obtained from O. brateatum have the ability to be employed as a potential therapeutic agent against age-related diseases.

The current study was aimed to design a thiolated chitosan (TC) based mucoadhesive nanoparticle (NP) formulation for enhancing the oral bioavailability of an anti-coagulant, Ticagrelor (TG). Nanoparticles (NPs) containing naturally occurring biodegradable polymers have been revealed as promising carriers for the controlled delivery of various therapeutic agents through the oral route. Ionic gelation technique was adopted to prepare thiolated chitosan nanoparticles of TG (TCNPs/TG) and chitosan (CH) nanoparticles of TG (CHNPs/TG) by varying the concentration of polymers with respect to TG and cross-linker i.e. tripolyphosphate (TPP). The prepared CHNPs/TG and TCNPs/TG were subjected to assessment for their particle size, the zeta potential, shape and morphology along with loading capacity (LC) and entrapment efficiency (EE). Formed TCNPs/TG showed a particle size of 190.3 nm, zeta potential of 16 mv along with the polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.375 as compared to CHNPs/TG, displaying particle size of 147.3 nm, zeta potential of 22.6 mv and PDI of 0.364. Likewise, during Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, the emergence of a characteristic peak at 2495 cm⁻¹ in TC, has confirmed the successful modification of CH. Moreover, in-vitro drug release studies have disclosed a good sustained release behavior of the drug, both from CHNPs/TG and TCNPs/TG. However, the in-vivo pharmacokinetics have illustrated the superiority ( p < .05) of the TCNPs/TG (494.96 ng/mL) over the CHNPs/TG (438.73 ng/mL) in terms of bioavailability. Ultimately, the findings have indicated that TCNPs/TG might help to improve the oral bioavailability of TG and hence, its therapeutic effects.

High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is one of the commonly used techniques for the separation and quantification of various pharmaceuticals, both individually as well as in combination. The current studies were aimed to develop and validate a method for the simultaneous determination of methotrexate and leflunomide. These drugs are being used effectively for the treatment of rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis. For simultaneous estimation of methotrexate and leflunomide, Shimadzu binary liquid gradient HPLC system, equipped with SPD-M40 photo diode array detector, DGU-20A _5R degassing unit, LC-20AD solvent delivery system, C18 column (4.6 mm × 250 mm, 5 µm) and, CTO-20AC oven, was used. Detection and quantification of both drugs were performed at 285 nm wavelength, using mobile phase, consisted of acetonitrile: water (65:35 v/v) along with 10% triethanolamine having adjusted pH 4.0 with ortho-phosphoric acid at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min ⁻¹ . The methotrexate and leflunomide were eluted at 1.99 and 6.45 min respectively, with sharp and distinguishing peaks. The Shimadzu's lab solution & Microsoft Excel 2016 was used for statistical analysis. The developed method was validated in accordance with USP and ICH guidelines Q2 (R1), for different parameters, including system suitability, specificity, linearity, range, accuracy, precision, LOD, LOQ, robustness and solution stability. The outcomes have confirmed that the method was validated with respect to studied parameters, as all of them were well within the specified limits.