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Background: Brucea javanica (L.) Merr. is a plant from the genus Brucea, which is used in local traditional medicine to treat various diseases. Recent studies revealed an impressive anticancer efficiency of B. javanica extract in different types of cancer cells., Purpose: In this study, we have investigated the cytotoxic effects of the B. javanica hexane, ethanolic extracts against colon cancer cells. HT29 colon cells were selected as an in vitro cancer model to evaluate the anticancer activity of B. javanica ethanolic extract (BJEE) and the possible mechanisms of action that induced apoptosis., Methods: 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5,-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), lactate dehydrogenase, acridine orange/propidium iodide, and annexin-V-fluorescein isothiocyanate assays were performed to determine the antiproliferative and apoptosis validation of BJEE on cancer cells. Measurement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, caspase activities, nucleus factor-κB activity, and gene expression experiments was done to investigate the potential mechanisms of action in the apoptotic process., Results: The results obtained from this study illustrated the significant antiproliferative effect of BJEE on colorectal cancer cells, with a concentration value that inhibits 50% of the cell growth of 25±3.1 µg/mL after 72 h of treatment. MTT assay demonstrated that the BJEE is selectively toxic to cancer cells, and BJEE induced cell apoptosis via activation of caspase-8 along with modulation of apoptosis-related proteins such as Fas, CD40, tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligands, and tumor necrosis factor receptors, which confirmed the contribution of extrinsic pathway. Meanwhile, increased ROS production in treated cells subsequently activated caspase-9 production, which triggered the intrinsic pathways. In addition, overexpression of cytochrome-c, Bax, and Bad proteins along with suppression of Bcl-2 illustrated that mitochondrial-dependent pathway also contributed to BJEE-induced cell death. Consistent with the findings from this study, BJEE-induced cancer cell death proceeds via extrinsic and intrinsic mitochondrial-dependent and -independent events., Conclusion: From the evidence obtained from this study, it is concluded that the BJEE is a promising natural extract to combat colorectal cancer cells (HT29 cells) via induction of apoptosis through activation of extrinsic and intrinsic pathways., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

The present research was aimed at formulating a metformin HCl sustained-release formulation from a combination of polymers, using the wet granulation technique. A total of 16 formulations (F1-F16) were produced using different combinations of the gel-forming polymers: tamarind kernel powder, salep (palmate tubers of Orchis morio), and xanthan. Post-compression studies showed that there were no interactions between the active drug and the polymers. Results of in vitro drug-release studies indicated that the F10 formulation which contained 5 mg of tamarind kernel powder, 33.33 mg of xanthan, and 61.67 mg of salep could sustain a 95% release in 12 hours. The results also showed that F2 had a 55% similarity factor with the commercial formulation (C-ER), and the release kinetics were explained with zero order and Higuchi models. The in vivo study was performed in New Zealand White rabbits by gamma scintigraphy; the F10 formulation was radiolabeled using samarium (III) oxide ((153)Sm2O3) to trace transit of the tablets in the gastrointestinal tract. The in vivo data supported the retention of F10 formulation in the gastric region for 12 hours. In conclusion, the use of a combination of polymers in this study helped to develop an optimal gastroretentive drug-delivery system with improved bioavailability, swelling, and floating characteristics.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo performance of gastro-retentive matrix tablets having Metformin HCl as model drug and combination of natural polymers. A total of 16 formulations were prepared by a wet granulation method using xanthan, tamarind seed powder, tamarind kernel powder and salep as the gel-forming agents and sodium bicarbonate as a gas-forming agent. All the formulations were evaluated for compendial and non-compendial tests and in vitro study was carried out on a USP-II dissolution apparatus at a paddle speed of 50 rpm. MOX2 formulation, composed of salep and xanthan in the ratio of 4:1 with 96.9% release, was considered as the optimum formulation with more than 90% release in 12 hours and short floating lag time. In vivo study was carried out using gamma scintigraphy in New Zealand White rabbits, optimized formulation was incorporated with 10 mg of (153)Sm for labeling MOX2 formulation. The radioactive samarium oxide was used as the marker to trace transit of the tablets in the gastrointestinal tract. The in vivo data also supported retention of MOX2 formulation in the gastric region for 12 hours and were different from the control formulation without a gas and gel forming agent. It was concluded that the prepared floating gastro-retentive matrix tablets had a sustained-release effect in vitro and in vivo, gamma scintigraphy played an important role in locating the oral transit and the drug-release pattern.

This study aimed to develop hydrophilic, gastroretentive matrix tablets of famotidine with good floating and swelling properties. A novel gastroretentive drug delivery formulation was designed using salep, also known as salepi, a flour obtained from grinding dried palmate tubers of Orchis morio var mascula (Orchidaceae family). The main polysaccharide content of salep is glucomannan, highly soluble in cold and hot water, which forms a viscous solution. Salep was characterized for physicochemical properties, thermal stability, chemical interaction, and surface morphology using X-ray diffraction analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Ten different formulations (S1-S10) were prepared using famotidine to salep ratios from 1:0.5 to 1:5. Results demonstrated that all formulations were able to sustain the drug release for more than 24 hours. The S5 formulation, with a famotidine to salep ratio of 1:2.5, had the shortest floating lag time of 35 seconds and 100% drug release within 24 hours. The dissolution data were fitted into popular mathematical models to assess the mechanism of drug release. S5 showed Zero order release (R=0.9746) with Higuchi diffusion (R=0.9428). We conclude that salep, a novel polymer, can be used in controlled release formulations to sustain release for 24 hours, due to inherent swelling and gelling properties.