Abutilon indicum (L.), a medicinal plant of the Malvaceae family, has long been valued in traditional medicine for its diverse pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, and hepatoprotective effects. Despite its ethnomedicinal importance, the molecular mechanisms underlying these therapeutic properties remain insufficiently explored. In this study, molecular docking was performed to evaluate the binding affinities of major phytoconstituents of Abutilon indicum against selected protein targets associated with inflammation, microbial resistance, oxidative stress, and cancer progression. Docking simulations revealed that flavonoids, alkaloids, and phenolic compounds exhibited strong interactions, suggesting multi-target pharmacological potential.To complement these findings, ADMET (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, and Toxicity) analysis was conducted to assess pharmacokinetic behaviour and drug-likeness. Most compounds complied with Lipinski’s rule of five, demonstrated favourable oral bioavailability, and showed low predicted toxicity, indicating their suitability as lead molecules for drug development. The integration of docking and ADMET profiling provides a comprehensive in silico framework for identifying promising bioactive compounds from Abutilon indicum. These results validate its traditional use and highlight its potential role in modern drug discovery, warranting further experimental and clinical investigations

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a disabling, prevalent psychiatric disorder that has a tremendous effect on emotional, cognitive, social, and physical functioning. The multifactorial pathophysiology, fluctuate clinical expression, and common comorbidities of it complicate and highly individualize the pharmacotherapeutic management of the disease. This review also brings to light the key areas of antidepressant treatment such as the selection of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors as well as atypical antidepressants. It also addresses the significance of selecting different medications according to the patient, dose adjustment, exchange plans, monitoring therapeutic responses as well as treatment of the side effects and drug-drug interactions. Special emphasis is put on the growing role of pharmacists in maximizing antidepressant treatment by conducting medication reviews, aiding the adherence process, counseling patients, early detection of issues related to the treatment, and collaborative care. Besides that, non-pharmacological and lifestyle intervention is acknowledged to be useful supportive measures. The patient-centered approach led by pharmacists can enhance treatment safety, adherence and macro clinical outcomes of managing depression.

Anxiety disorders represent some of the most widespread mental health issues in the world as well as are linked to high psychological, social, and economic costs. These disorders are associated with excessive fear, constant worry, and physiological symptoms which hamper the functioning and the overall quality of life. It is essential to approach such management effectively with a multidisciplinary plan with multiple components including pharmacological therapy, patient education, and supportive healthcare interventions. Pharmacotherapy is still one of the pillars of the treatment, with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), benzodiazepines, and other adjunctive preventive measures widely being applied. Nevertheless, safe and effective use of medications would involve constant monitoring and counselling of patients. The accessibility of the community pharmacists in dealing with mental health is important because of the amount of contact between patients and the pharmacist. Pharmacists can enhance adherence to treatment and identification of medication-related issues at early stages through medication therapy management, safety monitoring, counseling and lifestyle guidance. The combination of pharmacist-led intervention with pharmacological treatment can be a great way of improving the management and long-term outcomes of patients with anxiety disorders.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common chronic gastroenterological ailment that is marked by the refluxing of gastric materials into the esophagus with resultant symptoms of heartburn, regurgitation as well as esophageal irritation. Chronic contact with acid may cause mucosal damage and lead to such complications as erosive esophagitis, Barrett esophagus, and risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Management of GERD needs to be evidence-based approach to the treatment incorporating pharmacological therapy, lifestyle change, and patient-centered care. The proton pump inhibitors are still the mainstay of treatment since they have strong acid-inhibitory effects, yet the histamine-2 receptor antagonists, antacids, and prokinetic agents serve as complementary treatment options. The correct dosing plans, deprescribing methods, and monitoring of the risks in the long-term are required to provide safe and effective treatment. Pharmacists and their role in the management of GERD is becoming increasingly relevant in terms of medication counseling, drug-drug interaction identification, lifestyle education, and early alertness of alarm symptoms that demand referral. Multidisciplinary and collaborative care has the potential to make therapeutic outcomes and patient quality of life much better

Heterocyclic compounds—organic molecules containing rings with one or more heteroatoms (nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur)— constitute the dominant structural class in medicinal chemistry, with approximately 85% of all approved drugs containing at least one heterocyclic ring system [1, 2]. The ubiquity of heterocycles in drug molecules reflects their multifaceted contributions to pharmacological activity: nitrogen-containing rings provide hydrogen bond acceptor and donor capacity; ionisable nitrogen enables salt formation for drug substance processing; and ring geometry constrains molecular shape in ways that improve selectivity and pharmacokinetic properties [3, 4]. The most clinically important heterocyclic scaffolds in contemporary drugs include: pyrimidines (kinase inhibitors: imatinib, erlotinib, ribociclib; antivirals: acyclovir); triazoles (fluconazole, voriconazole; rivaroxaban); pyrazoles (celecoxib; baricitinib; ruxolitinib); quinazolines (erlotinib; gefitinib; afatinib; lapatinib); benzimidazoles (proton pump inhibitors; albendazole; nilotinib); and indoles (numerous biologically active drug molecules) [5, 6]. Recent progress in heterocyclic medicinal chemistry includes: strategic fluorine incorporation into heterocyclic scaffolds to modulate metabolic stability, lipophilicity, and target binding (the fluorine revolution in medicinal chemistry); nitrogen-walk strategies systematically exchanging aromatic CH for N in heterocycle optimisation; and design of novel heteroaromatic bioisosteres for metabolically labile or flat aromatic rings [7, 8]. Pharmaceutical analysis of heterocyclic medicinal compounds requires attention to: UV chromophore properties determined by ring system and substitution; characteristic MS fragmentation patterns at C-N and C-O bonds; and solid-state NMR for polymorphic characterisation of nitrogen-rich drug substances [9, 10]. This review consolidates recent progress in heterocyclic medicinal chemistry and analysis, examining scaffold design principles, key drug classes, synthetic strategies, analytical characterisation, and the forward agenda.

The integrated drug discovery pipeline—encompassing target identification, hit finding, lead identification, lead optimisation, and preclinical candidate selection—combines structure-activity relationship (SAR) science with comprehensive analytical characterisation at each stage to advance compounds from biological hits to clinical candidates [1, 2]. The design-make-testanalyse (DMTA) cycle is the operational rhythm of medicinal chemistry: SAR hypotheses from biological testing drive structural design, synthesis produces designed compounds, biological testing generates activity data, and analytical characterisation ensures compound quality throughout [3, 4]. Modern SAR science deploys: matched molecular pair (MMP) analysis extracting generalised SAR intelligence from historical datasets; free energy perturbation (FEP) providing prospective potency predictions with <1 kcal/mol accuracy; AI generative chemistry proposing novel structures constrained by SAR requirements; structure-based SAR from protein-ligand crystallography; and multiparameter optimisation (MPO) frameworks simultaneously tracking potency, selectivity, ADMET, and safety criteria [5, 6, 7]. Analytical characterisation underpins every SAR cycle: 1H NMR and HRMS confirm identity; HPLC-UV confirms purity (>95% threshold for biological testing); chiral SFC ensures enantiopure testing; physicochemical profiling (solubility, pKa, logD) informs druglikeness; and ADMET cascade (metabolic stability, Caco-2, PPB, hERG, CYP inhibition) provides preclinical property assessment [8, 9]. Quality control of compounds before biological testing is a scientific validity imperative: impure, misidentified, or racemic compounds produce false SAR data that misdirects expensive programmes [10]. This review consolidates the integrated drug discovery, SAR, and analytical characterisation workflow, examining key analytical requirements at each discovery stage, SAR intelligence tools, and emerging AI-accelerated DMTA approaches.

Acarbose is a highly polar, weakly UV-absorbing alpha-glucosidase inhibitor used in type 2 diabetes mellitus, and its analytical determination is complicated by the absence of a strong chromophore. The aim of this study was to develop, optimise and validate two complementary analytical methods - a simple UV spectrophotometric method and a reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method - for the quantitation of acarbose in tablet dosage forms, and to compare their analytical performance to guide method selection in pharmaceutical quality control. Methods: The UV method measured the intrinsic absorbance of acarbose in distilled water at 210 nm. The RP-HPLC method used a Phenomenex Luna C18(2) column (250 x 4.6 mm, 5 um) with acetonitrile: water: 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (20:80:0.5, v/v/v) as mobile phase, a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, and UV detection at 210 nm. Both methods were validated in accordance with ICH Q2(R1) guidelines and applied to two marketed 50 mg tablet brands. Results: The UV method was linear over 10-100 ug/mL (r2 = 0.9992) with accuracy of 99.14-100.86%, intra-day precision <= 0.86% RSD, LOD 2.84 ug/mL and LOQ 8.61 ug/mL. The RP-HPLC method was linear over 5-100 ug/mL (r2 = 0.9998), with accuracy of 99.62-100.48%, intra-day precision <= 0.42% RSD, LOD 0.96 ug/mL and LOQ 2.91 ug/mL, and a retention time of 3.84 min. Assay of both commercial formulations gave 99.08-100.16% of label claim by both methods, within the IP 2022 limit of 95.0-105.0%. Conclusion: Both methods are accurate, precise and fit for purpose. RP-HPLC is approximately three-fold more sensitive and more specific, making it the method of choice for stability-indicating, dissolution and regulatory applications, whereas the UV method offers a rapid, economical and greener alternative for routine assay in resource-limited laboratories.

Ciprofloxacin is a fluoroquinolone antibacterial whose intrinsic native fluorescence in acidic media offers an opportunity for highly sensitive determination without chemical derivatisation. This study aimed to develop, optimise and validate a simple, sensitive and selective spectrofluorimetric method for the estimation of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride in tablets and ophthalmic solutions, and to benchmark its sensitivity against UV and HPLC procedures. Methods: The native fluorescence of ciprofloxacin was measured in 0.1 M HCl at an excitation wavelength of 278 nm and emission wavelength of 450 nm. Critical parameters - pH, acid concentration, temperature and slit width - were systematically optimised. The method was validated per ICH Q2(R1) and applied to two tablet brands and one eye-drop formulation; specificity was probed by forced degradation. Results: Under optimised conditions the method was linear over 0.1-2.0 ug/mL (y = 482.6x + 8.4; r2 = 0.9998), with accuracy of 99.18-101.04%, intra-day precision <= 0.52% RSD and inter-day precision <= 0.78% RSD. The LOD and LOQ were 0.026 and 0.079 ug/mL respectively - approximately 62-fold more sensitive than the reported UV method. Common excipients and degradation products did not interfere. Assay of Cifran 500 mg, Ciplox 500 mg tablets and Ciplox 0.3% eye drops gave 99.68-100.36% of label claim. Conclusion: The validated spectrofluorimetric method is rapid, economical, highly sensitive and selective, and is particularly suited to low-concentration matrices such as eye drops, dissolution samples and stability studies where UV spectrophotometry lacks sensitivity and HPLC instrumentation may be unavailable.

Olmesartan medoxomil is an angiotensin-II receptor antagonist prodrug whose medoxomil ester is hydrolytically labile, making a specific, stability-indicating assay essential for quality control. This study aimed to develop and validate a simple, precise, robust reverse-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) method for olmesartan medoxomil in tablets using cost-effective, LC-MS-compatible reagents, and to apply it to marketed formulations. Methods: Separation used a Phenomenex Luna C18(2) column (250 x 4.6 mm, 5 um) with acetonitrile:10 mM ammonium acetate buffer pH 4.5 (65:35, v/v) at 1.0 mL/min, UV detection at 257 nm, 30 degC and a 20 uL injection. The method was validated per ICH Q2(R1), its specificity assessed by forced degradation, and applied to three commercial 20 mg brands. Results: Olmesartan eluted at 4.82 min with a tailing factor of 1.06 and 9,842 plates/m. The method was linear over 10-150 ug/mL (y = 12,486x + 246; r2 = 0.9998), accurate (99.24-101.12% recovery), precise (intra-day <= 0.48% RSD; inter-day <= 0.64% RSD), with LOD 0.84 ug/mL and LOQ 2.54 ug/mL. Acid and alkaline hydrolysis caused 42.6% and 68.4% degradation; all degradation products were resolved from the drug peak (Rs > 2.5) with confirmed peak purity. Assay of three brands gave 99.46-100.12% of label claim. Conclusion: The method is simple, rapid (8 min run), accurate, precise, robust and stability-indicating, and is suitable for routine assay, content uniformity, dissolution and stability studies of olmesartan medoxomil

Silybum marianum (Milk Thistle) is a medicinal plant rich in silymarin, flavonolignans, and flavonoids, which possess significant pharmacological activities. The present study evaluated the molecular docking potential of ten phytoconstituents (Silybin, Isosilybin A, Isosilybin B, Silychristin, Silydianin, Isosilychristin, Taxifolin, Quercetin, Kaempferol, and Apigenin) against target proteins associated with hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, nephroprotective, anticancer, and neuroprotective activities. Molecular docking was performed using AutoDock 4.2, while Discovery Studio Visualizer was used for interaction analysis. ADME and toxicity studies were carried out to evaluate drug-likeness and safety. The docking results revealed that Apigenin, Silydianin, and Silychristin exhibited the best binding affinities with several target proteins, indicating promising therapeutic potential. Overall, the study suggests that Milk Thistle phytoconstituents could serve as potential lead molecules for future drug development, although further in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies are required for validation.