It is estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO) that most of the world’s population depends on herbal medicine for their health care.Nigella sativa (N. sativa),also known as black-caraway and as “Kalonji,” is a well-known seed all over the world. It is one of the most common medicinal plants worldwide and contains many useful chemical constituents that we can find in its fixed oil, such as thymoquinone, thymohydroquinone, dithymoquinone, thymol, nigellicine, carvacrol, nigellimine, nigellicine, nigellidine, and alpha-hederin. Due to these numerous important ingredients it was found that it affects different areas of our body and has many pharmacological effects as antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing effect and also for acne vulgaris, skin cancer, pigmentation, and many cosmeceutical applications. Based on the folklore usage ofN. sativaseeds and oil, they are used in various systems of food and medicines. The aim of this article is to provide a detailed survey of the literature of cosmeceutical and external applications ofN. sativawhich is expected to stimulate further studies on this subject.

Background: Many modern pharmaceutical researchers continue to focus on the discovery and evaluation of natural compounds for possible therapies for obesity, diabetes, infections, cancer, and oxidative stress. Extraction ofOcimum basilicumseed essential oil and evaluation of its antioxidant, anti-obesity, antidiabetic, antibacterial, and cytotoxic activities were the goals of the current study.Method: O.basilicumseed essential oil was extracted and evaluated for its anticancer, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-obesity, and anti-diabetic properties utilizing standard biomedical assays.Results: O.basilicumseed essential oil showed good anticancer activity against Hep3B (IC₅₀56.23 ± 1.32 µg/ml) and MCF-7 (80.35 ± 1.17 µg/ml) when compared with the positive control, Doxorubicin. In addition, the essential oil showed potent antibacterial (againstKlebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, andPseudomonas aeruginosa) and antifungal (againstCandida albicans) activities. Moreover, as for the anti-amylase test, IC₅₀was 74.13 ± 1.1 µg/ml, a potent effect compared with the IC₅₀of acarbose, which was 28.10 ± 0.7 µg/ml. On the other hand, for the anti-lipase test, the IC₅₀was 112.20 ± 0.7 µg/ml a moderate effect compared with the IC₅₀of orlistat, which was 12.30 ± 0.8 µg/ml. Finally, the oil had a potent antioxidant effect with an IC₅₀of 23.44 ± 0.9 µg/ml compared with trolox (IC₅₀was 2.7 ± 0.5 µg/ml).Conclusion: This study has provided initial data that supports the importance ofO. basilcumessential oil in traditional medicine. The extracted oil not only exhibited significant anticancer, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties but also antidiabetic and anti-obesity effects, which provided a foundation for future research.

Background: Safrole is a natural compound extracted from various plants, and has shown various biological activities. The current study aimed to investigate the antioxidant, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and anticancer activity of safrole oil and to study the influence of safrole nanoemulgel on these activities. Methods: The antioxidant and antidiabetic in-vitro assays were conducted using standard biomedical methods. The safrole oil nanoemulgel was developed using a self-emulsifying technique. Then the antimicrobial activity of the safrole oil and safrole nanoemulgel were performed on different microbial species, and cytotoxicity was determined against Hep3B cancer cell lines using the MTS assay. Results: Safrole oil showed moderate antioxidant activity compared with standard Trolox, with IC₅₀ value 50.28 ± 0.44 and 1.55 ± 0.32 μg/ml, respectively. Moreover, it had potent α-amylase inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ 11.36 ± 0.67 μg/ml) compared with Acarbose (IC₅₀ value 5.88 ± 0.63). The safrole nanoemulgel had pseudo-plastic behaviour, droplet sizes below 200 nm, a polydispersity index (PDI) below 0.3, and a zeta potential of less than − 30 mV. Safrole oil has potential antimicrobial and anticancer activities, and these activities were improved with safrole nanoemulgel. Conclusion: The safrole oil may be applied for the prevention and treatment of oxidative stress, diabetes, different microbial species and cancer, and these activities could be improved by nano-carriers.

It was estimated from World Health Organization (WHO) that most of the world population depends on herbal medicine for their health care. Azadirachta Indica A.Juss also known as neem plant is one of the most popular medicinal plants in Asia and Africa which was used from the anceint times for many medicinal purposes. It is used in many traditional remedies because of its richness with biological active constituents. Some of these chemical constituents are Nimbidin, Nimbin, Nimbolide, Gedunin, Azadirachtin, Mahmoodin, Cyclic trisulphide and others which are used as antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antigastric ulcer, antiarthritic, spermicidal antifungal, antimalarial, hypoglycemic, immunomodulatory, diuretic and antitumour. Traditionally differnet parts of the plant are used by populations from many countries for the treatment of several diseases such as leprosy, epistaxis, eye problem, elimination of intestinal worms, anorexia, skin ulcers, biliousness, skin diseases like ringworms, burning sensation, wounds and itching. It is also used as analgesic, alternative and curative of fever and urinary disorder. In addition, it is used in the treatment of cough, asthma, phantom tumour, spermatorrhoea, diabetes, blood morbidity, biliary afflictions and many more medicinal values. The present work provides comprehensive information on the traditional use value and the chemical constituent of Azadirachta Indica in order to explore the therapeutic potential, highlight the relation between the traditional use value and the chemical constituents and the scientific future research opportunities on Azadirachta Indica

This study is aimed at developing coriander oil into a nanoemulgel and evaluating its antimicrobial and anticancer effects. Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) oil was developed into a nanoemulgel by using a self‐nanoemulsifying technique with Tween 80 and Span 80. Hydrogel material (Carbopol 940) was then incorporated into the nanoemulsion and mixed well. After this, we evaluated the particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), rheology, antimicrobial effect, and cytotoxic activity. The nanoemulsion had a PDI of 0.188 and a particle size of 165.72 nm. Interesting results were obtained with the nanoemulgel against different types of bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2.3 μg/ml, 3.75 μg/ml, and 6.5 μg/ml, respectively. In addition, the half‐maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of the nanoemulgel when applying it to human breast cancer cells (MCF‐7), hepatocellular carcinoma cells (Hep3B), and human cervical epithelioid carcinoma cells (HeLa) was 28.84 μg/ml, 28.18 μg/ml, and 24.54 μg/ml, respectively, which proves that the nanoemulgel has anticancer effects. The development of C. sativum oil into a nanoemulgel by using a self‐nanoemulsifying technique showed a bioactive property better than that in crude oil. Therefore, simple nanotechnology techniques are a promising step in the preparation of pharmaceutical dosage forms.

Miconazole is a synthetic derivative of imidazole, a medication with a broad-spectrum antifungal agent that is used to treat localized vaginal, skin, and nail infections. The aim of the study was to develop an innovative technique to improve the permeability and efficacy of topical miconazole nitrate. A nanoemulgel of miconazole nitrate was formulated by the incorporation of a nanoemulsion and a hydrogel. The nanoemulsion was first optimized using a self-emulsifying technique, and the drug was then loaded into the optimum formulation and evaluated prior to mixing with the hydrogel. Miconazole nitrate nanoemulgel formulations were evaluated for their physical characteristics and antifungal activity. Based on the results, the formulation with 0.4 % Carbopol showed the highest release profile (41.8 mg/ml after 2 h); thus, it was chosen as the optimum formulation. A cell diffusion test was performed to examine the ability of the Miconazole nitrate nanoemulgel to penetrate the skin and reach the bloodstream. Percentage cumulative drug releases of 29.67 % and 23.79 % after 6 h were achieved for the MNZ nanoemulgel and the commercial cream, Daktazol, respectively. The antifungal activity of the novel MNZ nanoemulgel formulation was tested against Candida albicans and compared to Daktazol cream and almond oil; the results were: 40.9 ± 2.3 mm, 25.4 ± 2.7 mm and 18 ± 1.9 mm, respectively. In conclusion, a novel MNZ nanoemulgel showing superior antifungal activity compared to that of the commercial product has been developed. This nanotechnology technique is a step toward making pharmaceutical dosage forms that has a lot of promise.