BG126 ® phytodrug improves urinary tract infection treatment with nitrofurantoin in adult women in a double-blind randomized clinical trial

Formulation of water-soluble Buddleja globosa Hope extracts and characterization of their antimicrobial properties against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Buddleja globosa Hope (BG) extracts are traditionally used to treat skin and gastric ulcers due to their healing properties. Non-aqueous solvents such as ethanol and DMSO are usually used to extract naturally occurring compounds. However, the cytotoxicity of these solvents and the low water solubility of the extracted compounds can hinder their biomedical applications. To overcome the limited solubility of the BG extracts, we aimed to enhance the solubility by processing a standardized hydroalcoholic extract (BG-126) through spray drying (SD), with and without two solubility enhancers. Spray-dried BG (BG-SD) extracts and spray-dried BG extracts plus polyvinylpyrrolidone (BG-SD PVP) and Soluplus® (BG-SD SP) were developed starting from BG-126 (containing 53% ethanol). These four formulations were characterized by total phenolic content, water solubility at 25°C and 37°C, and antimicrobial properties against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All the SD formulations presented a solubility that allowed them to reach maximum concentrations of 1,024 μg/ml catechin for BG-SD and 2,048 μg/ml catechin for BG-SD PVP and BG-SD SP for antimicrobial testing. BG-SD showed the highest antimicrobial potency with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 512 μg/ml catechin, followed by BG-126 with a MIC of 1,024 μg/ml catechin and SP. BG-126 was also shown to inhibit biofilm formation, as well as the excipients PVP and SP. The spray-dried BG (BG-SD) extract represents a promising natural active component with enhanced antimicrobial properties against P. aeruginosa for further research and the development of novel phytopharmaceuticals.

OUP accepted manuscript

Background

Uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) are amongst the most frequent infections presenting in the outpatient setting. A growing number of clinical trials are assessing the most effective treatment interventions for uncomplicated UTI. Due to the heterogeneity of the outcomes reported in these trials, however, comparing these outcomes is challenging.

Objectives

Identify the core outcomes that have been reported in trials and systematic reviews of interventions treating uncomplicated UTI in adults.

Methods

We conducted a systematic search for core outcomes used to evaluate treatments of UTIs. We searched the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PubMed and Embase. One researcher independently screened each article for inclusion, and the Core Outcome Set for treatment of Urinary Tract Infections (COSUTI) team acted as second reviewers. All included articles were screened by two reviewers. All outcomes were extracted verbatim, and similar outcomes were grouped into domains and subdomains.

Results

In total, 334 outcomes were reported across 41 papers, the average number of outcomes reported being 8. Outcomes were categorized across 18 domains, the majority of which were related to clinical cure outcomes. Many outcomes varied in the timepoints within which the outcome was measured and reported.

Conclusions

Comparing the outcomes of trials investigating uncomplicated UTI treatment remains challenging due to the difference in outcomes currently reported. Consistency of reporting of outcomes would be improved by developing a minimum number of consistent outcomes that should be reported in all trials.

Robust and selective electrochemical detection of antibiotic residues: The case of integrated lutetium vanadate/graphene sheets architectures

Lutetium vanadate (LuVO₄) is a promising material for electrochemical application owing to its good conductivity and electrocatalytic activity. Herein, we demonstrate a facile technique for the synthesis of a LuVO₄/ graphene sheet (GRS) nanocomposite where LuVO₄ is encapsulated with an ultrathin GRS to form a hierarchical structure (LuVO₄/GRS). The resulting hierarchical LuVO4/GRS architecture was characterized by several analytical and spectroscopic techniques. The resultant electrocatalyst shows superior electrochemical sensing for nitrofurantoin (NFT) with a low detection limit (0.001 μM), wide linear range (0.008-256.0 μM) and excellent sensitivity (1.709 μA μM^-1 cm^-2). It has been demonstrated that the enhanced electrocatalytic performance of LuVO₄/GRS nanocomposite is due to their excellent electrical conductivity, suitable surface area, high redox reaction and large number of electron transport. In addition, the LuVO₄/GRS nanocomposite exhibited excellent response towards NFT detection with adequate reproducibility, good repeatability, long-term stability and excellent selectivity over its structural analogs and common interferents. Furthermore, the practical applicability of the proposed electrochemical sensor was successfully applied for determination of NFT in environmental samples with satisfactory results. The LuVO₄/GRS nanocomposite presented here can serve as a favorable candidate for developing electrochemical sensor and plays an important role in widespread fields.