BOHR Journal of Pharmaceutical Studies

Herbal plants and their antimicrobial role in oral health: a comprehensive review

2026-05-26T11:06:23+00:00

Herbal plants have gained prominence in the field of oral hygiene and care because of their inherent properties, such as being antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant. This review aims to focus on some of the prominent herbs such as neem, clove, timur, and tulsi, along with some other medicinal plants, and their potential in treating some of the commonly encountered oral health issues such as plaque, gingivitis, and microbial infections. These herbs contain active ingredients such as flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, and essential oils, which contribute to their medicinal properties. Various herbal formulations, such as mouthwashes, toothpastes, and gels, have shown promising benefits, making them safer alternatives to chemical-based ingredients. Although a number of studies have shown positive results, more research is warranted to validate their safety profile and efficacy.

High-Concentration Monoclonal Antibody Formulations: Innovations for Viscosity Reduction and Stability Improvement

2025-09-22T00:04:19+00:00

High-concentration monoclonal antibody (mAb) formulations have become essential for subcutaneous (SC) administration, enabling patient-centric dosing and reducing healthcare burden. However, achieving concentrations above 100–150 mg/mL presents multifactorial challenges, including steep viscosity increases, reversible self-association, opalescence, aggregation, and chemical degradation pathways that complicate manufacturability, stability, and device compatibility. Molecular determinants of rheology—electrostatics, hydrophobic surface patches, aromatic/cation–π interactions, glycosylation, and structural architecture—are further modulated by excipients, solvent structuring, and crowding effects. Advances in biophysical screening (DLS/SLS, SV-AUC, microrheology), predictive analytics, and machine learning models now allow earlier identification of viscosity liabilities, though validation under device-relevant shear conditions remains critical. Mitigation strategies include solution conditioning, excipient innovation, protein engineering, and optimized processing/presentation formats, supported by risk-based controls for excipient degradation and container–closure interactions. Co-optimization of rheology with device mechanics has enabled successful marketed products, while recombinant human hyaluronidase PH20 (rHuPH20)-facilitated large-volume SC (LVSC) delivery expands dosing feasibility. Embedding these efforts within a Quality by Design (QbD) framework—linking QTPP to CQAs, CMAs, CPPs, and design space verification—ensures robust product development. Case studies of trastuzumab, rituximab, daratumumab, adalimumab, tocilizumab, and pertuzumab/trastuzumab illustrate how formulation and device innovation converge to deliver high-concentration SC biologics. Looking forward, integration of novel excipients, AI/ML-based developability tools, and advanced delivery systems will accelerate development, reduce iteration cycles, and support next-generation patient-friendly antibody therapies.

The evolution of active targeting in cancer therapy: bridging molecular biomarkers and intelligent nanomedicine

2026-08-14T07:04:07+00:00

Despite the success of present-day chemotherapy, the shortcomings in this treatment, such as the lack of tumor selectivity, systemic toxicity, multidrug resistances, and insufficient therapeutic effects, still pose a challenge for successful clinical management of cancer. Active targeting to address these challenges has developed as a promising approach by taking advantage of biomarkers that are expressed differently on cancer cells and in the tumor microenvironment. Active targeting utilizes ligand-conjugated delivery systems that can specifically bind to receptors, which improves the accumulation of the drugs in the tumor, cellular endocytosis, and delivery of the drug into the cells. In recent years, a number of new developments in the field of nanomedicine have greatly broadened the scope for achieving active targeting by using intelligent nanocarriers containing antibody and peptide sequences, aptamers, carbohydrates, and small-molecule ligands. In addition, biomimetic nanoparticles (NPs), stimuli-responsive delivery systems, artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted design of NPs, and multifunctional theranostic platforms are revolutionizing precision oncology, providing the potential for individualized treatment approaches. A bulk of the targeted nanomedicines that have advanced from preclinical to clinical evaluation have exhibited promising clinical responses with the scope of clinical hurdles associated with tumor heterogeneity, biological barriers, manufacturability, and regulatory approval. The mini-review outlines the development of active targeting approaches, recent progress in the design of intelligent nanomedicine empowered by biomarkers, selected clinical advances, current clinical trials, and future prospects that could expedite the clinical translation of precision nanomedicine to the mainstream clinical setting.