Background: Reliable simultaneous quantification of miglitol and metformin hydrochloride is important for analysing combined pharmaceutical dosage forms. AIM: This study aimed to develop and validate a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method for the simultaneous estimation of miglitol and metformin hydrochloride in bulk drug materials and a combined tablet formulation. Study Design: The method was optimised and evaluated for system suitability, specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, and robustness under the reported validation conditions. Methodology: Separation was performed on a Phenomenex Gemini C18 column (4.6 × 250 mm, 5 µm) using methanol and triethylamine buffer (65:35, v/v), at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, with detection at 230 nm and a 10 µL injection volume. Results: Retention times: Miglitol and metformin eluted at 2.121 and 3.643 minutes, respectively, within a six-minute run. Linearity: The calibration ranges were 10–50 µg/mL for miglitol and 20–100 µg/mL for metformin. The respective coefficients of determination (R²) were 0.999 and 0.998, with regression equations of y = 13396x + 2467 and y = 27563.38x − 15679.38. Recovery: The reported mean recoveries were 99.7% for miglitol and 98.5% for metformin. Precision and sensitivity: The precision relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 0.672% and 0.266%, respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) were 1.05 and 6.9 µg/mL, and the limits of quantification (LOQ) were 3.1 and 20.9 µg/mL for miglitol and metformin, respectively. Conclusion: The reported separation, linearity, recovery and precision results support the potential use of the developed RP-HPLC procedure for simultaneous quantification of both analytes in the pharmaceutical preparation investigated.
Nanotechnology is increasingly used to alter the pharmacokinetics, cellular distribution and biological activity of putative neuroprotective agents, yet enhanced brain delivery should not be equated automatically with neuroprotection. This critical narrative review evaluates nanotechnology-enabled neuroprotection across the blood-brain barrier and neurovascular unit, with emphasis on whether platform design produces credible neuronal preservation rather than only improved uptake. Literature published from 2005 to 8 August 2026 was considered, together with earlier foundational work when necessary, using live searches of biomedical and multidisciplinary scholarly sources and citation-based verification. The synthesis focuses on lipid and polymeric nanocarriers, dendrimers, inorganic nanozymes, biomimetic systems and intranasal approaches, and compares evidence across Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, ischaemic stroke, traumatic brain injury and selected inflammatory or developmental central nervous system injuries. Preclinical evidence is most persuasive when carrier behaviour, target engagement and a defined injury mechanism converge, as illustrated by catalytic antioxidant nanomaterials, glia-targeted anti-inflammatory dendrimers and nanoparticle strategies directed at secondary injury cascades. In chronic neurodegeneration, by contrast, improvements in biodistribution or molecular target engagement frequently outpace evidence for durable disease modification. Disease-dependent blood-brain barrier dysfunction, protein-corona formation, cell-specific uptake, nanoparticle persistence, neurotoxicity, route-dependent exposure and manufacturing variability remain major sources of uncertainty. The translational problem is therefore not simply how to cross the blood-brain barrier, but how to achieve reproducible exposure in the relevant brain compartment at the relevant disease stage while preserving safety and demonstrating meaningful functional benefit. Progress will depend on human-relevant barrier models, quantitative biodistribution and target-engagement standards, chronic safety studies, scalable chemistry and manufacturing controls, and clinically aligned outcome selection. Nanotechnology is best viewed as an enabling framework for neuroprotection rather than an intrinsically neuroprotective class of therapy.
Background: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities that may be useful for topical management of inflammatory skin diseases. Objective: To develop a ginger-mediated AgNP-loaded hydrogel and evaluate its preliminary efficacy in imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis. Methods: AgNPs were synthesised under 12 combinations of pH, temperature, and reaction time and characterised by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, zeta-potential analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Candidate hydrogel bases were evaluated for pharmaceutical properties and in vitro release. Twenty-four BALB/c mice were block-randomised into four groups: normal control, imiquimod disease control, blank hydrogel, or AgNP-loaded hydrogel (n = 6/group). Clinical outcomes were analysed by mixed-effects models, and skin was evaluated using H&E histopathology and Ki-67 immunohistochemistry. Results: Among the 12 AgNP synthesis conditions, F12 (pH 11, 60 °C, 60 min) was selected for its favourable combined colloidal profile, including the smallest hydrodynamic diameter (87.00 ± 0.93 nm), relatively low PDI (0.31 ± 0.02), highest absolute zeta potential (−26.80 ± 0.65 mV), and characteristic surface-plasmon-resonance band near 430 nm; TEM showed a mean particle diameter of 30.20 ± 6.26 nm. PF2 (25% F127/5% F68) was subsequently selected because it provided the highest 24-h release (62.8 ± 1.8%) together with suitable pH (6.42 ± 0.02), lower viscosity (19,200 ± 390 cP), good spreadability, and consistent AgNP distribution (RSD 3.16%). In vivo, the cumulative modified Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score was lower with the AgNP-loaded hydrogel than with the blank vehicle (7.50 ± 0.56 vs 9.50 ± 0.34; difference, 2.00; 95% CI, 0.37–3.63; adjusted P = .011), accompanied by lower epidermal thickness (39 vs 60 µm) and less extensive Ki-67 immunoreactivity. Conclusion: The optimised ginger-mediated AgNP-loaded poloxamer hydrogel showed suitable pharmaceutical characteristics and reduced psoriasis-like disease severity relative to the matched blank vehicle, supporting further topical investigation.
This study establishes a reproducible laboratory-scale framework combining a defined deep eutectic solvent with supercritical carbon dioxide for the selective recovery of kavalactones from dried roots of Piper methysticum. Baseline total kavalactone content, determined by exhaustive ethanol extraction and validated ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography, was 9.15 ± 0.28% w/w on a dry basis, equivalent to 91.5 ± 2.8 g per kg of dry root. A choline chloride and urea deep eutectic solvent at a 1:2 molar ratio was prepared with a water content of 0.42 ± 0.05% w/w, a density of 1.21 g per mL at 25°C, and a viscosity of 412 mPa·s at 25°C. Formation of a homogeneous liquid with a depressed melting point consistent with literature-reported choline chloride and urea 1:2 systems was taken as indicative of eutectic formation. No Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was performed for hydrogen-bond confirmation in this study. The deep eutectic solvent was formulated as a modifier solution of 30% deep eutectic solvent and 70% anhydrous ethanol, delivered at 0.6 g per min against a carbon dioxide flow of 20 g per min, corresponding to 3.0% w/w modifier relative to carbon dioxide and 0.9% w/w net deep eutectic solvent relative to carbon dioxide. Processing 1.0 kg batches as four sequential loadings of 250 g each, with one hour per loading and four hours cumulatively per batch, was evaluated at 250 bar and 60°C in vessel 1 and 150 bar and 45°C in vessel 2. Four conditions were compared in triplicate, with three independent batches per condition. The optimised deep eutectic solvent modifier supercritical carbon dioxide condition yielded 11.2 ± 0.38% w/w oleoresin, equivalent to 112 ± 3.8 g per kg, containing 69.5 ± 1.8% w/w total kavalactones, corresponding to 77.8 ± 2.6 g per kg root and 85.0 ± 4.2% recovery of baseline. Residual kavalactones in spent biomass were 8.2 ± 0.9 g per kg, giving total accountability of 86.0 g per kg, or 94.0% of baseline. Comparative controls gave 32.7 g per kg with 35.7% recovery for supercritical carbon dioxide only, 62.5 g per kg with 68.3% recovery for supercritical carbon dioxide plus 10% ethanol, and 58.4 g per kg with 63.8% recovery for deep eutectic solvent alone. The hybrid process improved recovery by 24.5% over the ethanol control, with statistical significance shown by analysis of variance, F (3,8) equal to 38.7, p less than 0.0001, and Tukey p equal to 0.0032. Six kavalactones were resolved within 16 min with resolution greater than 1.5 using UHPLC with photodiode-array detection at 220 nm.
Background and Aim: Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is one of the most frequent bacterial infections in women. Staphylococcus saprophyticus is a novobiocin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococcus recognised as an important cause of community-acquired uncomplicated UTI, especially in pregnant women. With rising antibiotic resistance and limited data from North-East Nigeria, this study aimed to characterise multidrug-resistant S. saprophyticus and determine the genetic basis of resistance in urine specimens from pregnant women in Bauchi metropolis. Place of Study: The study was conducted at the antenatal clinics of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital Bauchi and State Specialist Hospital Bauchi, Bauchi metropolis, Nigeria. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 216 pregnant women with suspected UTI. Early-morning midstream urine was cultured on CLED and Mannitol Salt Agar. Isolates were identified using cultural, morphological, and biochemical tests and were confirmed using the VITEK 2 system. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by the Kirby-Bauer disc-diffusion method against 10 antibiotics according to CLSI guidelines. Multidrug resistance was defined as resistance to ≥2 classes of antibiotics. Genotypic characterisation was performed by multiplex PCR for the resistance genes mecA and aph(3)-IIIa. Data were analysed using SPSS v24.0 with chi-square and ANOVA at p < 0.001. Results: From 216 urine samples, a total of 178 bacterial isolates were recovered. Lactobacilli spp. 55 (30.9%) and E. coli 42 (23.6%) were predominant, followed by K. pneumoniae 22 (12.4%) and K. oxytoca 18 (10.1%). Among Gram-positive bacteria, CoNS 15 (8.4%) and S. aureus 13 (7.3%) were common. S. saprophyticus accounted for 5 (33.3%) of the CoNS isolates, with an overall prevalence of 2.8%. VITEK 2 identified S. haemolyticus 6 (40.0%), S. saprophyticus 5 (33.3%), and S. epidermidis 4 (26.7%). All S. saprophyticus isolates were from women aged 20–29 years. The highest occurrence was among women with tertiary education 3 (60.0%), and among married women 2 (40.0%), divorced women 2 (40.0%), housewives 2 (40.0%), and civil servants 2 (40.0%). All 5 isolates were MDR, with 100% resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cefuroxime, cefoxitin, tetracycline, and streptomycin. Resistance to cefotaxime and ofloxacin was 80.0%, and resistance to erythromycin was 60.0%. Ciprofloxacin and gentamicin showed 40.0% susceptibility. Molecularly, 3 (60.0%) isolates harboured mecA and 4 (80.0%) harboured aph(3)-IIIa genes. Conclusion: This study confirms Staphylococcus saprophyticus as a clinically relevant uropathogen among pregnant women in Bauchi metropolis. The isolates exhibited a high level of multidrug resistance, with genetic evidence of mecA- and aph(3)-IIIa-mediated resistance. The findings indicate widespread antimicrobial misuse and highlight the urgent need for routine antimicrobial susceptibility testing, molecular surveillance, and antimicrobial stewardship to guide effective treatment and prevent pregnancy complications.
