Zingiber cassumunar blended patches for skin application:Formulation,physicochemical properties,and in vitro studies

Our work was to study the preparation,physicochemical characterization,and in vitro characteristic of Zingiber cassumunar blended patches.The Z.cassumunar blended patches incorporating Z.cassumunar Roxb.also known as Plai were prepared from chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol with glycerin as plasticizer.They were prepared by adding all ingredients in a beaker and homogeneously mixing them.Then,they were transferred into Petri-dish and dried in hot air oven.The hydrophilic nature of the Z.cassumunar blended patches was confirmed by the moisture uptake,swelling ratio,erosion,and porosity values.The FTIR,DSC,XRD,and SEM studies showed revealed blended patches with amorphous region that was homogeneously smooth and compact in both surface and cross section dimensions.They exhibited controlled the release behavior of(E)-4-(30,40-dimethoxyphenyl)but-3-en-lol(compound D)that is the main active compound in Z.cassumunar for anti-inflammation activity.However,in in vitro skin permeation study,the compound D was accumulated in newborn pig skin more than in the receptor medium.Thus,the blended patches showed the suitable entrapment and controlled release of compound D.Accordingly,we have demonstrated that such chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol formulated patches might be developed for medical use.

Anticancer activity of Δ^(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabinol in vitro and in human lung cancer xenograft

Objective:To investigate the effects of Δ^(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol,the principal psychoactive compound of Cannabis sativa,and cannabinol,a Δ^(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol degradative product,on human non-small cell lung cancer cells.Methods:Δ^(9)-Tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabinol were tested for anticancer activity in human non-small cell lung cancer(A549)cells.The effects on cell proliferation,apoptosis,and phosphorylation profiles were examined.The effects of Δ^(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabinol on tumor growth were also investigated using a xenograft nude mouse model.Apoptosis and targeted phosphorylation were verified by immunohistochemistry.Results:Δ^(9)-Tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabinol significantly inhibited cell proliferation and increased the number of apoptotic cells in a concentration-dependent manner.The Δ^(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol-and cannabinol-treated cells had lower levels of phosphorylated protein kinase B[AKT(S473)],glycogen synthase kinase 3 alpha/beta,and endothelial nitric oxide synthase compared to the controls.The study of xenograft mice revealed that tumors treated with 15 mg/kg Δ^(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol or 40 mg/kg cannabinol were significantly smaller than those of the control mice.The tumor progression rates in mice treated with 15 mg/kg Δ^(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol or 40 mg/kg cannabinol were significantly slower than in the control group.Conclusions:These findings indicate that Δ^(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabinol inhibit lung cancer cell growth by inhibiting AKT and its signaling pathways,which include glycogen synthase kinase 3 alpha/beta and endothelial nitric oxide synthase.