The study team encapsulated cefoxitin into niosomal vesicles using the thin-layer hydration method. Investigators reported vesicle size by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and imaging by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The synthesized niosomes were described as spherical with a mean diameter of 142.3 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to examine physicochemical interactions between the antibiotic and niosomal components. The abstract did not provide numerical values for encapsulation efficiency, polydispersity index, zeta potential, or the exact lipid/ surfactant composition; those methodological specifics were not reported in the source abstract.
Data indicated a sustained-release profile from the niosomal formulation. Over 72 hours, niosomal cefoxitin released 62.69% of its payload. By contrast, free cefoxitin exhibited nearly complete release during the same period. This contrast suggests that entrapment in niosomes prolonged drug availability in vitro. The authors did not report release kinetics beyond 72 hours or provide model-fitted parameters in the abstract, so detailed kinetic modeling and long-term release behavior remain unreported in the source text.
Antibacterial testing employed microdilution assays to compare free and niosomal cefoxitin against representative Gram-negative species: Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baumannii. Investigators observed that free cefoxitin produced little effect on the Gram-negative strains at the concentrations studied, whereas niosomal cefoxitin significantly inhibited bacterial growth. The abstract does not list minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) or minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values, nor does it detail the concentration ranges used in the microdilution experiments; those data were not included in the provided source material. Still, the reported outcome indicates a measurable improvement in antibacterial potency against these Gram-negative pathogens when cefoxitin was delivered in niosomal form.
The study team also tested Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes. In the assays reported, niosomal cefoxitin enhanced both antibacterial and antibiofilm activity relative to free drug against these Gram-positive species. Biofilm inhibition was measured with microtiter plate assays; investigators reported that niosomal cefoxitin reduced biofilm formation more effectively than free cefoxitin across the bacterial panel. The abstract does not provide quantitative biofilm reduction percentages, nor does it specify whether preformed biofilms were treated or whether prevention of biofilm formation was the endpoint; those procedural details were not present in the source abstract.
Time-kill assays were performed to evaluate bacterial killing kinetics. The authors noted that niosomal cefoxitin reduced bacterial viability at all measured time points during the 72-hour assay. This sustained bactericidal effect aligns with the slower release profile reported for the niosomal formulation. The abstract did not report time-point–specific colony counts, kill-rate slopes, or statistical comparisons between formulations; therefore, temporal quantitative detail and statistical significance metrics cannot be extracted from the source abstract.
Authors declared no competing interests. The abstract emphasizes in vitro findings and does not describe any in vivo experiments or clinical evaluation; hence, translational or safety data in animal models or humans are absent from the source text. Several methodological parameters that influence niosome behavior—encapsulation efficiency, zeta potential, polydispersity, exact composition ratios, MIC/MBC values, and detailed biofilm assay protocols—were not reported in the abstract. Those omissions limit interpretation of scalability, reproducibility, and potential clinical applicability based solely on the abstract. Future full-text access or supplementary data would be required to assess manufacturing reproducibility, stability, and quantitative microbiological endpoints. The paper’s scope, as presented in the abstract, is preclinical and focused on in vitro antimicrobial and antibiofilm performance of niosomal cefoxitin against representative Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.