Electrospun PVA nanofiber mat for topical Deflazacort delivery: accentuated anti-inflammatory efficacy for wound healing

PURPOSE

Asses the wound healing activity of Polyvinyl alcohol - Deflazacort (PVA-DEF) nanofibers mats synthesized by electrospinning technology.

METHODS

PVA-DEF nanofiber mats were created with various PVA polymer concentrations using an electrospinning process. The morphological features and diameter of the electrospun nanofibrous mats were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The in vitro DEF release rate from PVA electrospun nanofibrous mats was evaluated. In addition to assessing wound healing activity in vivo, histological, and immunochemical tests were conducted.

RESULTS

Results revealed a uniform and smooth surface of the fiber with an average diameter of the selected fibers of 533.9 nm ± 45.83. Also, PVA electrospun nanofiber mats showed an initial burst release of more than 50% of the DEF in 1 h, and the rest of the DEF was released gradually for up to 480 min. Fickian diffusion is the main DEF release mechanism from PVA electrospun nanofiber mats. In male Wistar albino rats with 1 cm2 excision wounds, in vivo studies revealed a significant improvement in wound healing rate via modulation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression.

CONCLUSION

PVA-DEF nanofiber mats can be used effectively for improving wound healing.

Synthesis, Characterization, DFT Studies of Novel Cu(II), Zn(II), VO(II), Cr(III), and La(III) Chloro-Substituted Schiff Base Complexes: Aspects of Its Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Photodegradation of Methylene Blue

A new chlorobenzylidene imine ligand, (E)-1-((5-chloro-2-hydroxybenzylidene)amino) naphthalen-2-ol (HL), and its [Zn(L)(NO₃)(H₂O)₃], [La(L)(NO₃)₂(H₂O)₂], [VO(L)(OC₂H₅)(H₂O)₂], [Cu(L)(NO₃)(H₂O)₃], and [Cr(L)(NO₃)₂(H₂O)₂], complexes were synthesized and characterized. The characterization involved elemental analysis, FT-IR, UV/Vis, NMR, mass spectra, molar conductance, and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The obtained data confirmed the octahedral geometrical structures of all metal complexes, while the [VO(L)(OC₂H₅)(H₂O)₂] complex exhibited a distorted square pyramidal structure. The complexes were found to be thermally stable based on their kinetic parameters determined using the Coats-Redfern method. The DFT/B3LYP technique was employed to calculate the optimized structures, energy gaps, and other important theoretical descriptors of the complexes. In vitro antibacterial assays were conducted to evaluate the complexes' potential against pathogenic bacteria and fungi, comparing them to the free ligand. The compounds exhibited excellent fungicidal activity against Candida albicans ATCC: 10231 (C. albicans) and Aspergillus negar ATCC: 16404 (A. negar), with inhibition zones of HL, [Zn(L)(NO₃)(H₂O)₃], and [La(L)(NO₃)₂(H₂O)₂] three times higher than that of the Nystatin antibiotic. The DNA binding affinity of the metal complexes and their ligand was investigated using UV-visible, viscosity, and gel electrophoresis methods, suggesting an intercalative binding mode. The absorption studies yielded K_b values ranging from 4.40 × 10⁵ to 7.30 × 10⁵ M^-1, indicating high binding strength to DNA comparable to ethidium bromide (value 10⁷ M^-1). Additionally, the antioxidant activity of all complexes was measured and compared to vitamin C. The anti-inflammatory efficacy of the ligand and its metal complexes was evaluated, revealing that [Cu(L)(NO₃)(H₂O)₃] exhibited the most effective activity compared to ibuprofen. Molecular docking studies were conducted to explore the binding nature and affinity of the synthesized compounds with the receptor of Candida albicans oxidoreductase/oxidoreductase INHIBITOR (PDB ID: 5V5Z). Overall, the combined findings of this work demonstrate the potential of these new compounds as efficient fungicidal and anti-inflammatory agents. Furthermore, the photocatalytic effect of the Cu(II) Schiff base complex/GO was examined.

Synthesis, structural characterization, and biological studies of ATBS-M complexes (M(II) = Cu, Co, Ni, and Mn): Access for promising antibiotics and anticancer agents

A new bidentate Schiff base ligand (ATBS [4-bromo-2-(thiazole-2-yliminomethyl)phenol]) was synthesized via the condensation reaction of 2-aminothiazole with 5-bromosalicylaldehyde in ethanol. The reaction of ATBS with transition metal salts of Cu(II), Co(II), Ni(II), and Mn(II) afforded the corresponding ATBS-M complexes. Results from physicochemical and spectral analyses, such as elemental analysis, infrared, UV-Vis spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility, and molar conductance, revealed a nonelectrolytic nature with octahedral (O_h ) geometry and a metal/ligand ratio of 1:2 for Cu(II), Co(II), and Ni(II), but 1:1 for the Mn(II) complex. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations are correlated very well with the proposed structure and molecular geometry of the complexes as [M(ATBS)₂ ] (M = Cu, Co, and Ni) and [Mn(ATBS)(H₂ O)₂ ]. Significantly, the prepared compounds showed strong inhibition activity for a wide spectrum of bacteria (Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus) and fungi (Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus, and Trichophyton rubrum), with the ATBS-Ni complex being the most promising antibiotic agent. Molecular docking studies of the binding interaction between the title complexes with the bacterial protein receptor CYP51 revealed clear insights about the inhibition nature against the studied microorganisms, with the following order: ATBS-Cu > ATBS-Mn > ATBS-Ni > ATBS-Co for complex stability. Moreover, the cytotoxicity measurements of all prepared metal complexes against the colon carcinoma (HCT-116) and hepatocellular carcinoma (Hep-G2) cell lines showed exceptional anticancer efficacy of the complexes as compared with the free ATBS Schiff base ligand. Significantly, the results attested that ATBS-Cu is the most effective complex against HCT-116 cells, whereas ATBS-Mn has the highest cytotoxic efficiency against Hep-G2 cells. Furthermore, electronic spectra, viscosity measurements, and gel electrophoresis techniques were employed to probe the interaction of all prepared ATBS-metal complexes with calf thymus (CT)-DNA. Results confirmed that all complexes are strongly bound to CT-DNA via intercalation mode, with the ATBS-Co complex having the highest binding ability.

Pharmacological Evaluation of Novel Organoiron Dendrimers as Antimicrobial and Anti-Inflammatory Agents

The synthesis of a novel and attractive class of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial organoiron dendrimers attached to the well-known drug ibuprofen is achieved. The structures of these dendrimers are established by spectroscopic and analytical techniques. The antimicrobial activity of these dendrimers is investigated and tested against five human pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and minimum inhibitory concentrations are reported. Some of these synthesized dendrimers exhibit higher inhibitory activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, and Staphylococcus warneri compare to the reference drugs. As well, the in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory activities of these dendrimers are evaluated. The results of in vivo anti-inflammatory activity and histopathology of inflamed paws show that all dendrimers display considerable anti-inflammatory activity; however, second-generation dendrimer (G2-D6) shows the best anti-inflammatory activity, which is more potent than the commercial drug ibuprofen at the same tested dose. Results of the toxicity study reveal that G2-D6 is the safest drug on biological tissues.