Polyesteramide of Neem Oil and Its Blends as an Active Nanomaterial for Tissue Regeneration

Accelerated Wound Healing with a Diminutive Scar through Cocrystal Engineered Curcumin

Pharmaceutical cocrystals ( Regulatory Classification of Pharmaceutical Co-Crystals Guidance for Industry; Food and Drug Administration, 2018) are crystalline solids produced through supramolecular chemistry to modulate the physicochemical properties of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Despite their extensive development in interdisciplinary sciences, this is a pioneering study on the efficacy of pharmaceutical cocrystals in wound healing and scar reducing. Curcumin-pyrogallol cocrystal (CUR-PYR) was accordingly cherry-picked since its superior physicochemical properties adequately compensate for limitative drawbacks of curcumin (CUR). CUR-PYR has been synthesized by a liquid-assisted grinding (LAG) method and characterized via FT-IR, DSC, and PXRD analyses. In vitro antibacterial study indicated that CUR-PYR cocrystal, CUR+PYR physical mixture (PM), and PYR are more effective against both Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) bacteria in comparison with CUR. In vitro results also demonstrated that the viability of HDF and NIH-3T3 cells treated with CUR-PYR were improved more than those received CUR which is attributed to the effect of PYR in the form of cocrystal. The wound healing process has been monitored through a 15 day in vivo experiment on 75 male rats stratified into six groups: five groups treated by CUR-PYR+Vaseline (CUR-PYR.ung), CUR+PYR+Vaseline (CUR+PYR.ung), CUR+Vaseline (CUR.ung), PYR+Vaseline (PYR.ung), and Vaseline (VAS) ointments and a negative control group of 0.9% sodium chloride solution (NS). It was revealed that the wounds under CUR-PYR.ung treatment closed by day 12 postsurgery, while the wounds in other groups failed to reach the complete closure end point until the end of the experiment. Surprisingly, a diminutive scar (3.89 ± 0.97% of initial wound size) was observed in the CUR-PYR.ung treated wounds by day 15 after injury, followed by corresponding values for PYR.ung (12.08 ± 2.75%), CUR+PYR.ung (13.89 ± 5.02%), CUR.ung (16.24 ± 6.39%), VAS (18.97 ± 6.89%), and NS (20.33 ± 5.77%). Besides, investigating histopathological parameters including inflammation, granulation tissue, re-epithelialization, and collagen deposition signified outstandingly higher ability of CUR-PYR cocrystal in wound healing than either of its two constituents separately or their simple PM. It was concluded that desired solubility of the prepared cocrystal was essentially responsible for accelerating wound closure and promoting tissue regeneration which yielded minimal scarring. This prototype research suggests a promising application of pharmaceutical cocrystals for the purpose of wound healing.

Combination of St. John’s Wort Oil and Neem Oil in Pharmaceuticals: An Effective Treatment Option for Pressure Ulcers in Intensive Care Units

Background and Objectives: Phytotherapeutically, various herbal remedies, such as St. John’s wort oil, have been introduced as wound care options. Recently, Neem oil has been considered a herbal option for the management of superficial wounds. Wound care is a complex process that involves several factors including the patient, caregiver, and medications. Herbal combinations could be an alternative to the chemical counterparts in the wound care area. This report includes an investigation of the possible supportive impacts of the St. John’s wort and Neem oil containing ointment (W Cura G Plus ®) in the management of pressure ulcers (PUs) in three intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Materials and Methods: The ointment was administered to individuals once daily for 42 consecutive days. The status of individuals was macroscopically monitored by measuring the PU area and histopathological assessment of the tissue sections taken on the first and last days of wound treatment. Results: The outcomes of the macroscopic and histopathological techniques exhibited that St. John’s wort and Neem oil containing ointment provided a remarkable supportive impact on the patients that suffered from PUs in the ICUs. Conclusions: The combination of St. John’s wort and Neem oil could be suggested as an efficient active phytoconstituent for the management of PUs. The herbal ointments may be suggested as an alternative for the patients that have PUs in the ICUs.

The Antimicrobial Potential of the Neem Tree Azadirachta indica

Azadirachta indica (A. Juss), also known as the neem tree, has been used for millennia as a traditional remedy for a multitude of human ailments. Also recognized around the world as a broad-spectrum pesticide and fertilizer, neem has applications in agriculture and beyond. Currently, the extensive antimicrobial activities of A. indica are being explored through research in the fields of dentistry, food safety, bacteriology, mycology, virology, and parasitology. Herein, some of the most recent studies that demonstrate the potential of neem as a previously untapped source of novel therapeutics are summarized as they relate to the aforementioned research topics. Additionally, the capacity of neem extracts and compounds to act against drug-resistant and biofilm-forming organisms, both of which represent large groups of pathogens for which there are limited treatment options, are highlighted. Updated information on the phytochemistry and safety of neem-derived products are discussed as well. Although there is a growing body of exciting evidence that supports the use of A. indica as an antimicrobial, additional studies are clearly needed to determine the specific mechanisms of action, clinical efficacy, and in vivo safety of neem as a treatment for human pathogens of interest. Moreover, the various ongoing studies and the diverse properties of neem discussed herein may serve as a guide for the discovery of new antimicrobials that may exist in other herbal panaceas across the globe.

Blends of neem oil based polyesteramide as nanofiber mats to control Culicidae

Mosquitoes act as vectors for several disease-causing microorganisms and pose a threat to mankind by transmitting various diseases. There are different conventional methods to repel or kill these mosquitoes for avoiding susceptibility against infections. However, to overcome the difficulties with conventional methods, new advanced materials are being studied. For the first time, we report developing a nanofiber mat with a controlled release of insecticide to repel or detain the mosquitoes. Briefly, various blend compositions were prepared by manipulating the ratio of neem oil-based polyesteramide (PEA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) immobilized with insecticide, transfluthrin (Tf). The blend solutions were electrospun to get non-woven nanofiber mats, and these nanomaterials were characterized by various spectroscopic techniques to understand their physicochemical properties. The surface morphology was analyzed using environmental scanning electron microscopy (E-SEM), and the diameter of the nanofibers was in the range of 200 to 450 nm. Further, thermal and mechanical properties were evaluated to understand the stability of nanofiber mats. In vitro drug release studies of nanofiber mat PPT-1335 showed controlled and sustained release of Tf, with ∼35% of Tf released in 24 h. However, a film of the same composition (PPT-1335) showed ∼5% of Tf release within 24 h. Moreover, in vivo bio-efficacy studies suggested the mortality of mosquitoes was about 50% with PP-133, which was further increased to 100% within 12 h in the presence of Tf (PPT-1335). However, 60% mortality of mosquitoes was observed with the film of PPT-1335. Hence, the nanofiber mat showed better efficacy against mosquitoes as compared to the film of the same composition. The degradation studies under various conditions revealed biocompatibility of the developed nanofiber mats with the ecosystem.

Electrospun nanofiber mats immobilized with transfluthrin to control mosquitoes.

Utilization of novel and rapid techniques for characterization of neem Azadirachta indica seed oil and palm oil blends

The authentication of neem oil and its blending with inexpensive vegetable oil, such as, palm oil is a common practice in the neem oil industry. This study was conducted to investigate the neem kernel (Azadirachta indica) oil (NKO) by blending with palm oil and characterize it by studying its effect on the physicochemical properties, dielectric properties and fatty acid profiles of the blend. Blending significantly influenced the color, dielectric, structural and antimicrobial properties of the virgin oil. The NKO was rich in oleic (44.97%), stearic (21.27%), palmitic (16.88%) and linoleic acids (14.08%). The addition of palm oil into NKO significantly influenced the fatty acids profile , which was further confirmed by the FTIR spectra and the dielectric data. Overall, determination of moisture content, palmitic and stearic acid content, color parameter "a" and dielectric measurements were found to be fastest and precise way to detect the NKO and PO blends.