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In the present work, chrysin loaded bilosomes were formulated, characterized and evaluated to enhance the hepatoprotective activity of drug. Accordingly, chrysin loaded bilosomes were prepared by applying the thin film hydration method; also, fractional factorial design was used to optimize the production conditions of nanoformulations. The prepared formulations were subjected to different methods of characterization; then the hepatoprotective activity of the optimized one was evaluated in the CCl4 hepatointoxicated mice model. Optimized chrysin loaded bilosomes showed a spherical shape with a particle size of 232.97 ± 23 nm, the polydispersity index of 0.35 ± 0.01, the zeta potential of −44.5 ± 1.27 mv, the entrapment efficiency of 96.77 ± 0.18%, the drug loading % of 6.46 ± 0.01 and the release efficiency of 42.25 ± 1.04 during 48 h. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging assay demonstrated the superiority of the anti-oxidant potential of chrysin loaded bilosomes, as compared to pure chrysin. This was in agreement with histopathological investigations, showing significant improvement in serum hepatic biomarkers of CCl4 intoxicated mice treated with chrysin loaded bilosomes, as compared with free chrysin. These results, thus, showed the potential use of bilosomes to enhance the hepatoprotective activity of chrysin via oral administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fast industrialization and urbanization in the world have led to increasing heavy metal pollution in the water supplies. Here, we examined the spatial and temporal distribution and contamination of heavy metals and physicochemical parameters in the drinking water sources of Mashhad in Iran. In this survey, 432 samples of drinking water were collected from 5 zones and 36 stations from August 2017 to May 2018. The results of heavy metal measurements showed that the average concentrations of arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), chrome (Cr), nickel (Ni) and Pb were 0.198±0.11, 0.018±0.04, 5.80±7.87, 1.695±2.16 and 0.574± 0.22 μg L-1 for arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), chrome (Cr), nickel (Ni) and Pb, respectively. This result showed that the concentration of heavy metals and physicochemical parameters were comparatively lower than the threshold values throughout the study period; however, some stations showed metrics values above the acceptable limit. Thus, there is still potential contamination in drinking water due to potential heavy metal interactions and long-term exposure. Results of this study showed the current pollution status of drinking water in Mashhad needs remediation efforts to protect human health in urban regions, which highlighted a basis for decision-making in the future to take the main action on contamination control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]