Two plants native to northern Australia may have significant medicinal potential to prevent and treat disease, according to two studies by Charles Darwin University (CDU) Ph.D. Candidate.
Lead author and CDU Faculty of Science and Technology candidate Elnaz Saki investigated the potential of Calophyllum enophyllum seed oil (CSO) and Tinospora smilacina water extract (TSWE) as alternative therapeutic sources in two separate studies.
Published in the first study BMC Complementary Medicine and TherapyDr. Saki explored the wound-healing potential of CSO after converting it into a nanoemulsion containing fluids with nano-sized oil droplets. The second paper, published by Clinical, cosmetic and diagnostic dermatologystudied the effect of adding TSWE to CSO nanoemulsion.
“The study showed that CSO and TSWE contain bioactive compounds such as flavonoids and fatty acids that have wound healing, antimicrobial and antimicrobial effects,” said Dr. Saki.
“Both nanoemulsions have shown improved or equivalent activity for biomedical applications such as wound healing, antimicrobial and antimicrobial effects.
Dr. Saki’s extensive interest in different plant species and unique chemical compounds inspired her to pursue medical biotechnology, nanobiotechnology and nanomedicine.
She chose to work with Cynophyllum, also known as Alexandrian laurel, and T. smilacina because of their historical use in traditional medicine and bioactive compounds. CSO has been used to treat skin diseases, wounds and sores, and T. smilacina, commonly known as snake vine, has long been used by First Nations people to treat snake bites, headaches, rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.
“These plants are an underexplored source of bioactive compounds with potential medical applications,” said Dr. Saki.
“With the increasing demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions in the pharmaceutical industry, I had the opportunity to contribute to this field by investigating the bioactive properties of plant extracts.”
Dr. Saki, who recently completed his Ph.D. She hopes to continue her research in nanobiotechnology and explore how these bioactive compounds work in vitro and in vivo.
“I am also interested in the potential of these compounds to be incorporated into novel treatments for a variety of diseases, including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, multidrug-resistant and infectious diseases.
“I am interested in developing and integrating new nanomedicine and therapies with pharmaceutical, bioactive and cosmetics companies.”
Additional information:
Elnaz Saki et al, Optimization of Calophyllum inophyllum seed oil nanoemulsion as a potential wound healing agent, BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapy (2022) doi: 10.1186/s12906-022-03751-6
Elnaz Saki et al., Biomedical activity of oil-water-water nanoemulsion combining Tinospora smilacina water extract and Calophyllum enophyllum seeds oil; Clinical, cosmetic and diagnostic dermatology (2023) DOI: 10.2147/CCID.S405427
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