The petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol, and aqueous extracts of Heliotropium indicum Linn. (Family: Boraginaceae) were separately evaluated for their wound healing activity in rats using excision (normal and infected), incision, and dead space wound models. The effects of test samples on the rate of wound healing were assessed by the rate of wound closure, period of epithelialisation, wound breaking strength, weights of the granulation tissue, determination of hydroxyproline, super oxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and histopathology of the granulation tissues. Nitrofurazone (0.2% w/w) in simple ointment I. P. was used as reference standard for the activity comparison. The results revealed significant promotion of wound healing with both methanol and aqueous extracts with more promising activity with the methanol extract compared to other extracts under study. In the wound infection model (with S. aureus and P. aeruginosa), the methanol extract showed significant healing activity similar to the reference standard nitrofurazone. Significant increase in the granulation tissue weight, increased hydroxyproline content, and increased activity of SOD and catalase level with the animals treated with methanol extract in dead space wound model further augmented the wound healing potential of H. indicum. The present work substantiates its validity of the folklore use.

Vesicles prepared from self-assembly of hydrated non-ionic surfactants molecules are called niosomes. These types of vesicles were first reported in the cosmetic industries. Niosomes exhibit more chemical stability than liposomes (a phospholipids vesicle) as non-ionic surfactants are more stable than phospholipids. Non-ionic surfactants used in formation of niosomes are polyglyceryl alkyl ether, glucosyldialkyl ether, crown ether, polyoxyethylenealkyl ether, ester-linked surfactants, and steroid-linked surfactants and a spans, and tweens series. Niosomes preparation is affected by processes variables, nature of surfactants, and presence of membrane additives and nature of drug to be encapsulated. This review article presents an overview of theoretical concept of factors affecting niosome formation, techniques of noisome preparation, characterization of niosome, applications, limitations and market status of such delivery system.

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A 15-fold purified preparation from biotin-deficient chicken liver mitochondria catalyzed propionyl-CoA holocarboxylase (PCHC) synthesis in the presence of ATP and d-biotin. UTP effectively replaced ATP in the reaction mixture; with CTP, GTP, or ITP, less than 50% of control activities was observed. Both AMP and ADP inhibited PCHC synthesis. A cytosolic preparation obtained from the same tissue stimulated PCHC synthesis.

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