Scientia Pharmaceutica

Children are often underserved by adult-oriented oral medicines, leading to off-label use and dosage-form manipulation that may compromise dosing accuracy. This review summarises recent advances in paediatric orodispersible tablets (ODTs), focusing on manufacturing technologies, superdisintegrants, taste masking, and in vitro disintegration testing. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidance and a protocol registered with the International Platform of Registered Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols (registration number INPLASY2025110022), we searched PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Google Scholar for experimental studies on paediatric-relevant ODT formulation and evaluation. Two reviewers screened studies and extracted data on manufacturing methods, excipients, disintegration/dissolution testing, and key outcomes. Risk of bias was assessed using a six-domain framework. Overall, 65 studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. Direct compression was the dominant method, with freeze-drying, sublimation, spray-drying, nanoparticle-in-tablet systems, and semi-solid extrusion/3D printing also reported. Crospovidone, croscarmellose sodium, and sodium starch glycolate were the most common superdisintegrants, while natural and co-processed disintegrants showed promise as cost-effective alternatives. Disintegration was usually assessed using pharmacopoeial methods, with some modified set-ups to better simulate oral conditions. Paediatric ODT development is advancing rapidly. Broader translation requires harmonised disintegration testing, age-stratified acceptability reporting, and GMP-ready workflows, alongside benchmarking of superdisintegrants and attention to dose flexibility, packaging, and affordability.

Kalanchoe daigremontiana, a succulent herbaceous plant in the Crassulaceae family from Madagascar, has gained global popularity as an ornamental and medicinal species. This review examines the traditional uses, phytochemical composition, biological properties, toxicological aspects, and regulatory challenges of K. daigremontiana. The traditional medicinal uses of its leaves and roots include treating burns, rheumatic disorders, hypertension, diabetes, kidney pain, diarrhea, cough, fever, gastric issues, anxiety, inflammation, and cancer. Chemical compounds identified include phenolic acids, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, glycosides, saponins, sterols, terpenes, and fatty acids, with phenolic compounds and bufadienolides being predominant. In vitro studies of the crude extracts, bufadienolide-rich fractions, and isolated compounds have shown antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiparasitic, anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, anti-aging, cytotoxic, antitumoral, and antiproliferative properties. In vivo studies have demonstrated hepatoprotective, skincare, and cardiac-glycoside-like effects. While crude extracts and bufadienolide-rich fractions have shown toxic effects in 2-week-old chicks, guinea pigs, and Artemia salina, no toxicity has been reported in goats, broiler chickens, laying hens, or human erythrocytes. Although K. daigremontiana-based products are commercially available as dietary supplements with various health claims, these lack scientific validation. Despite the potential pharmaceutical applications of K. daigremontiana, further research is needed to determine its effects, dosage, mechanisms, long-term safety, and side effects, with clinical studies essential to validate its therapeutic potential.

Quercetin, one of the most abundant flavonoids in nature, has attracted the attention of many researchers due to its chemical and biological properties. A series of metal–quercetin complexes (Cu²⁺, Co²⁺, Zn²⁺, Sn²⁺, Al³⁺, Cd²⁺ and Mg²⁺) were synthesized and systematically characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). These analyses confirmed that the complexes predominantly form through coordination with the 4-carbonyl group and adjacent phenolic hydroxyls. This induces measurable shifts in the ν(C=O), ν(O–H), and π→π* transition bands relative to free quercetin. The antioxidant capacity of the complexes was evaluated using 2,2-Diphenyl-1-Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH^•) radical scavenging method, 2,2′-Azinobis(3-Ethylbenzothiazoline-6-Sulfonic Acid) (ABTS^•)⁺ radical activity, and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay. Several complexes exhibited higher radical scavenging efficiency than quercetin, with inhibition percentages exceeding 80% in the DPPH^• and ABTS^•+ assays. Others showed reduced activity due to the masking of redox-active hydroxyl groups during metal coordination. FRAP results corroborated these trends, indicating metal-dependent modulation of reducing power. Antimicrobial evaluation revealed that selected complexes were more active than free quercetin, particularly against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida spp., with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 75–250 μg mL⁻¹. Overall, metal complexation significantly alters the electronic structure and biological behavior of quercetin, highlighting the potential of metal–flavonoid complexes as multifunctional antioxidants and antimicrobials.