The Quranic Statements on Blood and Flesh and Medical Science

The Qur’an has mentioned, among so many things, animal blood and flesh. It so appears that all of its statements on these two matters are invariably in agreement with the modern medical science. The Qur’an declares the dead-animal as forbidden for consumption. There are reasons for that. Medical science provides justification for non-consumption of dead animals’ flesh and blood. This article discusses how medical science supports the Qur’anic injunction on animals’ flesh and blood.

Development of Topical Formulations Loaded With Antioxidant Rich Herbal Extracts and In-Vivo Evaluation by Skin Bioengineering Techniques

Bauhinia variegata (B. variegata) and Zea mays (Z. mays) are rich in antioxidants that have been widely used in the cosmetic industry. These are rich in antioxidants that have been frequently used ingredients in various cosmetics products. These antioxidants are responsible for skin health and protect it against the internal and environmental hazards especially damages caused by UV irradiation by combating the reactive oxygen species (ROS). Antioxidants have been widely used in the treatment of various skin condition including skin darkening, dry skin, aging. The prime objective of this study was to design delivery system as water in oil emulsion (W/O) or oil in water (O/W) emulsion loaded with antioxidant extracts, evaluate their physical stability and study the formulation for their possible effects on the skin. The B. variegata leaves and Z. mays hairs were extracted with various solvents. The antioxidant activities of the extracts were determined by the DPPH (2, 2 diphhenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl) method. The ethanolic extract of B. variegata leaves (BV extract) and Z. mays hairs (ZM extract) with higher antioxidant activities 86.46±1.13 and 81.5±0.93 respectively were selected for the preparation of formulations. Various water in oil (W/O) emulsions were prepared containing 4% BV extract or 2% ZM extract. Similarly a range of formulations were designed with varying composition loaded with 4% BV extract or 2% ZM extract. The optimized formulations F1 (2% BV extract W/O emulsion), F2 (4% ZM extract W/O emulsion), F3 (2% BV extract O/W emulsion) and F4 (4% ZM extract O/W emulsion) were obtained by keeping at a temperature of 40 °C for 28 days and later on at 50 °C. The selected formulation were characterized and evaluated for physical stability by keeping at 8 °C, 25 °C, 40 °C and 40 °/75% RH. The physical stability was determined by monitoring the organoleptic properties (colour change, phase separation and liquifaction), sedimentation on centrifugation, rheological properties and microscopic behavior at various time intervals. The formulations were also evaluated for their in vivo effects on the skin by evaluating the skin parameters including erythema, melanin contents, moisture level, sebum content and skin elasticity by the continuous application of formulation and corresponding base on the right and left side of the face of male volunteers. The study was single blinded, controlled, split face with four groups for each formulation, having 13 volunteers each. The data was analyzed by using ANOVA test and paired sample t-test. All the formulations F1-F4 demonstrated stable physical characteristics when kept at various storage conditions during the study. Temperature dependent changes in some physical parameters were observed only in the later stage of study depending on the nature of formulation. The results of in-vivo evaluation indicate that formulations loaded with antioxidant extracts produced significant changes in the skin parameters. The erythema, melanin, sebum content of the skin showed significant decrease while a significant increase was observed in the moisture content by the application of F1, F2, F3 and F4 during the 90 days study. The formulations have also shown positive response in the relative skin elasticity parameter (R2, R5, R6 and R7). A gradual improvement was observed in the R2, R5 and R7 and R7decreased as a result of application of antioxidant emulsions. Our results indicate that the antioxidant rich extract derived from B. variegata or Z mays can be incorporated into biphasic systems as stable formulation and the topical application of these formulations can produce beneficial effects in the various skin parameters. Thus emulsified systems loaded with BV extract and ZM extract may have potential role as cosmetic or pharmaceutical product in treatment of skin aging and various skin diseases.