German Journal of Pharmaceuticals and Biomaterials

Nutraceuticals: An inspiring therapy for lifestyle diseases

Snigdha Bhardwaj, Prakhar Kunj, Shalini Sharma — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Among natural sources, majorly we consider plant-based phytochemicals to offer safe and longlasting effects. Phytochemicals or secondary metabolites are the extract obtained from herbal plants that serve as an excellent venture for their utilization as formulation. Different nutraceuticals (herbal formulations) have always been a part of the world. Everyone around the world could use these supplements for their benefit. Since the end of the eighth century and the beginning of the nineteenth century, the concept of using products has improved. Nutraceutical food supplement plays an essential role for humans to stay healthy and gets all the important nutrients used for the body's basic metabolism and further prevent all kinds of illnesses. The present review highlights the potential of nutraceuticals against various types of leading life-threatening disorders such as diabetes, obesity, asthma, cardiac conditions, arthritis, cancer, etc. This review focuses on the nutraceuticals that help manage certain many life-threatening disorders.

Editor

editor — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Front matter

Role of Fluvastatin sodium loaded polymeric nanoparticles in the treatment of Hyperlipidemia: Fabrication and Characterization

Avinash S Gudigennavar, Pratiksha C Chandragirvar , Ashwini S Gudigennavar — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 00:00:00 -0500

The present work is focused on the formulation and evaluation of polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) loaded by Fluvastatin sodium (FLS). This drug has many disadvantages, including bioavailability of up to 24 to 44% and a half-life of approximately 30 min to 60 min. Also, it comes under Biopharmaceutical classification system (BCS) class III, but it is sparingly soluble in water. Polymeric NPs were prepared using gum rosin and chitosan as polymers which Solvent Evaporation and Inotropic Gelation method prepared. Prepared polymeric NPs were characterized for respective parameters like drug entrapment efficiency, particle size, zeta potential, Differential Scanning Calorimetry, X-Ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, In vitro and In vivo drug release study. The average Particle size was lay within the range of 271 nm to 313.3 nm for the Solvent Evaporation method (SE) and 123.3 nm to 382 nm for the Inotropic gelation method (IG). Drug entrapment efficiency (DEE) of SE3 was found to be 86.1%, and IG3 had 70.2%. In vitro release study showed sustained action for both methods at the end of 48 h; an increase in the polymer resulted in decreased drug release. From the study, it can be concluded that prepared polymeric NPs from both methods show significant hypolipidemic activity. Stability studies showed that formulations are stable at the end of 3 months.

Preliminary investigation of Dioclea reflexa seed gum as a food and potential pharmaceutical excipient

Wed, 04 Jan 2023 00:00:00 -0500

The chemical quality of natural gum determines its functionality and safe use. This study was to characterize some physicochemical properties and microbial load of gum obtained from Dioclea reflexa seed (DR), which has a history of folkloric use as a soup thickener in eastern Nigeria. The gum was extracted by aqueous maceration of DR. The microbial load was determined using the pour plate technique. The extract was screened for phytochemical constituents and analyzed for elemental content using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Also, the morphology was viewed using SEM. The phytochemical screening indicated the presence of carbohydrates, starch, and simple sugars. The total viable aerobic bacterial and fungal counts were 2.0 x 101 and 1.0 x 100 (CFU/mL), respectively. The SEM micrograph showed that the polymer microstructure had dense and smooth surfaces, a property that has been associated with polysaccharides. The AAS elemental analysis showed the presence of several metals in the sample: Fe, Pb, Zn, Cd, Mg, Ca, and Na, in amounts generally within WHO permissible limits, except for Pb and Cd, whose levels were slightly above. The SEM analysis also showed the presence of K, Ca, Mg, Al, P, S, Na, and a preponderance of C and O. The presence of heavy metals could be associated with environmental pollution. DR gum's nature and chemical constituents present it as a potential food and pharmaceutical additive. Further studies should be done to validate the findings.

Plagiarism vs Similarity Index: A Critical Insight

Sandesh Narayan Somnache — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 00:00:00 -0500

The word Plagiarism is derived from the Latin term “plagiarius”, meaning “kidnapper” [1]. Plagiarism severely violates publication ethics and professional conduct [2]. It may be defined as an unethical intentional or unintentional piracy of someone else idea/s or text without acknowledgement [1]. Intentional Plagiarism usually occurs when some educational credentials, professional promotions, or economic benefits might benefit the concerned author(s)—unintentional plagiarism results either from negligence or lack of awareness about plagiarism [3].
The first incidence of plagiarism was detected in the year 1979 in a scientific paper. A later number of papers were found to be plagiarised [4]. A report published in 2018 showed an increased number of retractions of scientific papers in the last two decades due to plagiarism [5]. The primary reason for the increase in plagiarism by the scientific community could be a mandatory requirement to publish for employment and promotions. In addition, lack of skill in scientific writing and stringent policies related to plagiarism [4]. The availability of advanced text formatting tools and free access to scientific information may also reason for increased cases of plagiarism [6]. In the early days, plagiarism detection was challenging for the publisher due to the unavailability of sophisticated screening technology for reviewing manuscripts against published hard copies of the articles. Advanced tools for detecting plagiarism, such as iThenticate (Crossref), Turnitin, Grammarly, and Dupli Checker, are available to compare manuscripts with published articles [3,4]. Recently, iParadigms has developed a plagiarism detection tool for individual authors to screen individual manuscripts against an extensive live database of scholarly literature [7].