K. Malleswari

ABSTRACTBlood–brain barrier (BBB) is a natural protective membrane that prevents central nervous system (CNS) from toxins and pathogens in blood. However, the presence of BBB complicates the pharmacotherapy for CNS disorders as the most chemical drugs and biopharmaceuticals have been impeded to enter the brain. Insufficient drug delivery into the brain leads to low therapeutic efficacy as well as aggravated side effects due to the accumulation in other organs and tissues. Nanotechnology-enabled drug delivery systems have emerged as a promising tool for overcoming the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) and delivering drugs to the Central Nervous System (CNS). This mini-review provides an overview of recent advancements in nanotechnology to improve blood-brain barrier penetration. It covers different approaches, such as using targeted ligands and receptors, engineered carriers and transporters, and surface modifications for targeting the blood-brain barrier. Polymeric nanoparticles, liposomes, and metallic nanoparticles, such as silver and zinc oxide, are discussed in the context of their unique properties and applications. Preclinical and clinical advances in nanotechnology-based BBB delivery are discussed, including transcellular nanotechnology-based brain drug delivery and preclinical and clinical studies of nanocarriers for CNS disorders. Although nanotechnology has shown great potential for treating CNS diseases, several challenges remain. The major challenges and future perspectives for constructing brain-targeted delivery systems are also discussed, particularly limitations associated with the blood-brain barrier and clinical obstacles to CNS disease treatment. Keywords: Nanoparticles; Blood brain barrier; Drug delivery systems; engineered carriers, Alzheimer disease, Liposomes.

ABSTRACTChronotherapy refers to the use of circadian, ultradian, infradian & seasonal or other rhythmic cycles in the application of therapy. There are number of conditions which show a circadian pattern and advantage could be taken by timing and adjusting the administration of drugs according to the circadian rhythm of the disease. Some of the conditions, which may be significantly benefited, are hypertension, myocardial infarction, bronchial asthma, peptic ulcer, arthritis, duodenal ulcer, diabetes, neurological disorder, cancer and hypercholesterolemia. Chronotherapy can be classified into time controlled systems wherein the drug release is controlled primarily by the delivery system, stimuli induced PDDS in which release is controlled by the stimuli, such as the pH or enzymes present in the intestinal tract or enzymes present in the drug delivery system and externally regulated system where release is programmed by external stimuli like magnetism, ultrasound, electrical effect and irradiation.Keywords: Chronotherapy, Circadian Rhythm, Chrono pharmaceutics, Time Dependent Release, circadian clock, Chrono therapeutics.  

ABSTRACTHerbal medicine has been used for thousands of years. It is estimated that 80% of world population rely on traditional herbal medicine for primary health care. In recent years, herbal remedies have been considered as dietary supplement for disease prevention and as alternative/complementary medicine. A wide variety of herbal medicines are readily available in the market all over the world. With the rising utilization of herbal products, safety and efficacy of herbal medicine have become a public health concern. Adverse health effects associated with herbal products could be attributed to both inherent toxic effects of herbal medicine and toxicities induced by adulterants/contaminants. Increasing evidence, regarding side effects of herbal medicine, has highlighted the demand and necessity of toxicological studies for herbal products. Toxicology constitutes an essential role in the development of herbal medicines. With the advancements of analytical techniques and molecular technology, coupling with the conventional test systems, the ‘-omics-’ technology makes a significant contribution to the predictive and preclinical toxicology of herbal medicine. In this chapter, side effects related to herbal medicine and its adulterants/contaminants are summarized. The recent application of ‘-omics-’ technology for toxicological evaluation of herbal products is also illustrated.Keywords: Modern herbal medicines, Types of herbs, Methods of preparation, Evaluation of herbal drug products

ABSTRACTHerbal medicines constitute the main component of traditional medicine, which have been used since thousands of years. At present, the use of medicinal plants for health benefits is increasing worldwide. Although therapies involving these agents have shown promising potential with the efficacy of a good number of herbal products clearly established, many of them remain untested and their use are either poorly monitored or not even monitored at all. Since safety continues to be a major issue with the use of herbal remedies, it becomes imperative, therefore, that relevant regulatory authorities put in place appropriate measures to protect public health by ensuring that all herbal medicines are safe and of suitable quality. Natural products and traditional medicines are of great importance. When used to develop new drugs, natural products and traditional medicines have their incomparable advantages, such as abundant clinical experiences, and their unique diversity of chemical structures and biological activities. This study aims to review the literature on the relationship among natural products, traditional medicines, formulation studies, and also highlights some important challenges associated with effective monitoring of their safety.Keywords: Natural products, Traditional medicine, Formulation, Monitoring safety, Public health.

ABSTRACTMass Spectrometry- It is an analytical technique that generates charged particles in the form of ions from the substance to be analyzed to measure its mass to charge ratio. Ion Source plays an important role for generation of charged ions which further travels through analyzer and ends at detector. The production of intact molecular ions can be achieved under adequate experimental conditions, with minimal fragmentation known as soft ionization method. Neutral species either loss or gain of charge to generates ions. This paper covers an information about various type of mass ion Source (Electron impact, Chemical ionization and field ionization, Desorption-Field desorption, Electro spray ionization, matrix assisted desorption ionization, Plasma desorption) are in use for mass spectroscopy. Ions get affected by change in electrical, magnetic and radiofrequency effect as they containing either positive or negative charges this leads to better resolution of ions.Keywords: Mass Spectroscopy, Ion source, Ionization, Desorption.

ABSTRACTAn analytical methodology for the simultaneous determination of seven pharmaceuticals and two metabolites belonging to the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and analgesics therapeutic groups was developed based on off-line solid-phase extraction and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry 1 (SPE–UHPLC–MS/MS). Extraction conditions were optimized taking into account parameters like sorbent material, sample volume and sample 1,2 PH. Method detection limits (MDLs) ranging from 0.02 to 8.18 ng/L were obtained 2,3. This methodology was successfully applied to the determination of the selected pharmaceuticals in seawater samples of Atlantic Ocean in the Northern Portuguese coast. All the pharmaceuticals have been detected in the seawater samples, with pharmaceuticals like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, ketoprofen and the metabolite hydroxy ibuprofen being the most frequently detected at concentrations that can reach some hundreds of ng/L 4. Keywords: Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), Cyclooxygenase inhibitors, Prostaglandins, Aspirin.