A novel fast-releasing formulation containing curcumin and anti-microbial peptide-encapsulated transdermal hydrogels into microneedles to reduce inflammation in the therapy of neonatal sepsis

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1101-1108
Author(s):  
Min Qian ◽  
Di Ma ◽  
Xiaoqi Zhao ◽  
Wanxu Guo ◽  
Yunfeng Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Neonatal Sepsis ◽  
Morphological Structure ◽  
Therapeutic Drug ◽  
Microneedle Array ◽  
New Combinations ◽  
Curcumin Nanoparticles ◽  
Drug Molecules ◽  
Thermally Responsive ◽  
Dosage Calculations

Neonatal sepsis is a leading cause of neonatal mortality worldwide. Typically, intramuscular injections of gentamycin and vancomycin have been the preferred treatment for sepsis. The use of these drug molecules has many complications because of some side effects, proper dosage calculations, and harmless injection supply. In the present study, we developed new combinations of therapeutic drug molecules containing anti-inflammatory curcumin with bioactive antimicrobial peptides (AMP). We designed and developed a biocompatible and thermally responsive chitosan/polyacrylamide polymeric microneedle array to deliver AMP/curcumin nanoparticles (Nano-Cur) transdermally. The prepared drug-loaded microneedles were investigated for their chemical and morphological structure, in vitro insertion, and transdermal drug release. This investigation established that AMP/Nano-Cur-loaded microneedles have potential effects in sepsis treatment.

scholarly journals Osteoarthritis In Vitro Models: Applications and Implications in Development of Intra-Articular Drug Delivery Systems

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
Carlota Salgado ◽  
Olivier Jordan ◽  
Eric Allémann
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
In Vitro Models ◽  
Local Administration ◽  
Therapeutic Drug ◽  
Cellular Models ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Drug Molecules ◽  
Target Disease

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a complex multi-target disease with an unmet medical need for the development of therapies that slow and potentially revert disease progression. Intra-articular (IA) delivery has seen a surge in osteoarthritis research in recent years. As local administration of molecules, this represents a way to circumvent systemic drug delivery struggles. When developing intra-articular formulations, the main goals are a sustained and controlled release of therapeutic drug doses, taking into account carrier choice, drug molecule, and articular joint tissue target. Therefore, the selection of models is critical when developing local administration formulation in terms of accurate outcome assessment, target and off-target effects and relevant translation to in vivo. The current review highlights the applications of OA in vitro models in the development of IA formulation by means of exploring their advantages and disadvantages. In vitro models are essential in studies of OA molecular pathways, understanding drug and target interactions, assessing cytotoxicity of carriers and drug molecules, and predicting in vivo behaviors. However, further understanding of molecular and tissue-specific intricacies of cellular models for 2D and 3D needs improvement to accurately portray in vivo conditions.

Novel Phytochemical Constituents and their Potential to Manage Diabetes

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaik Ibrahim Khalivulla ◽  
Arifullah Mohammed ◽  
Kokkanti Mallikarjuna
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Large Population ◽  
World Health ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Antidiabetic Activity ◽  
Therapeutic Drug ◽  
Pharmacological Activities ◽  
Chemical Structures

Background: Diabetes is a chronic disease affecting a large population worldwide and stands as one of the major global health challenges to be tackled. According to World Health Organization, about 400 million are having diabetes worldwide and it is the seventh leading cause of deaths in 2016. Plant based natural products had been in use from ancient time as ethnomedicine for the treatment of several diseases including diabetes. As a result of that, there are several reports on plant based natural products displaying antidiabetic activity. In the current review, such antidiabetic potential compounds reported from all plant sources along with their chemical structures are collected, presented and discussed. This kind of reports are essential to pool the available information to one source followed by statistical analysis and screening to check the efficacy of all known compounds in a comparative sense. This kind of analysis can give rise to few numbers of potential compounds from hundreds, whom can further be screened through in vitro and in vivo studies, and human trails leading to the drug development. Methods: Phytochemicals along with their potential antidiabetic property were classified according to their basic chemical skeleton. The chemical structures of all the compounds with antidiabetic activities were elucidated in the present review. In addition to this, the distribution and their other remarkable pharmacological activities of each species is also included. Results: The scrutiny of literature led to identification of 44 plants with antidiabetic compounds (70) and other pharmacological activities. For the sake of information, the distribution of each species in the world is given. Many plant derivatives may exert antidiabetic properties by improving or mimicking the insulin production or action. Different classes of compounds including sulfur compounds (1-4), alkaloids (5-11), phenolic compounds (12-17), tannins (18-23), phenylpropanoids (24-27), xanthanoids (28-31), amino acid (32), stilbenoid (33), benzofuran (34), coumarin (35), flavonoids (36-49) and terpenoids (50-70) were found to be active potential compounds for antidiabetic activity. Of the 70 listed compounds, majorly 17 compounds are from triterpenoids, 13 flavonoids and 7 are from alkaloids. Among all the 44 plant species, maximum number (7) of compounds are reported from Lagerstroemia speciosa followed by Momordica charantia (6) and S. oblonga with 5 compounds. Conclusion: This is the first paper to summarize the established chemical structures of phytochemicals that have been successfully screened for antidiabetic potential and their mechanisms of inhibition. The reported compounds could be considered as potential lead molecules for the treatment of type-2 diabetes. Further, molecular and clinical trials are required to select and establish the therapeutic drug candidates.

a Novel Combinational Nanodrug Delivery System Induces Synergistic Inhibition of Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells in vitro

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingliang Fan ◽  
Jiping Li
Keyword(s):  
Lung Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Delivery System ◽  
The Body ◽  
Anticancer Efficacy ◽  
Nanodrug Delivery ◽  
Drug Molecules ◽  
Cellular Assays ◽  
Lung Adenocarcinoma Cell Line ◽  
M Phase

Background: The combination of two or more therapeutic drugs is an attractive approach to improve the treatment of experimental tumors. Leveraging nanocarriers for combinational drug delivery can allow a control over drug biological fate and promote co-localization in the same area of the body. However, there are certain concerns regarding the biodegradability and potential long-term toxicity arising from these synthetic nanoscale carriers. Objective: Our aim was to develop a combinational nanodrug delivery system formed by self-assembling of amphiphilic drug molecules，minimizing potential toxicities associated with using additional synthetic nanocarriers. Methods: A novel prodrug chlorambucil gemcitabine conjugate was synthesized, this prodrug was used for the encapsulation of an additional hydrophobic anticancer drug paclitaxel, taking the form of combinational nanodrugs. Particle size and zeta potential were evaluated, cytotoxicity assay and apoptosis/cell cycle analysis were also performed to validate the anticancer efficacy of the combinational nanodrugs. Results: The combinational nanodrugs were acquired by means of nanoprecipitation. In A549 lung adenocarcinoma cell line, cellular assays revealed that co-delivery of low dosage paclitaxel with chlorambucil gemcitabine conjugate can act synergistically to inhibit cell growth and induce accumulation of cells in the G2/M phase with a concomitant decrease in G0/G1 compartment. Conclusion: Chlorambucil gemcitabine conjugate and paclitaxel can co-assemble into composite nanoparticles by a nanoprecipitation process and the resulting combinational nanodrugs showed synergistic anticancer effect. This synthetic nanocarrier-free approach might broaden the nanodrug concept and have potential in cancer therapy.

Recent Advances in Curcumin Nanocarriers for the Treatment of Different Types of Cancer with Special Emphasis on In Vitro Cytotoxicity and Cellular Uptake Studies

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 577-590
Author(s):  
Jai B. Sharma ◽  
Shailendra Bhatt ◽  
Asmita Sharma ◽  
Manish Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Cellular Uptake ◽  
Anticancer Agents ◽  
Targeted Delivery ◽  
In Vitro Cytotoxicity ◽  
Curcumin Nanoparticles ◽  
Cytotoxicity Studies ◽  
Delivery Technique ◽  
Different Types

Background: The potential use of nanocarriers is being explored rapidly for the targeted delivery of anticancer agents. Curcumin is a natural polyphenolic compound obtained from rhizomes of turmeric, belongs to family Zingiberaceae. It possesses chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic activity with low toxicity in almost all types of cancer. The low solubility and bioavailability of curcumin make it unable to use for the clinical purpose. The necessity of an effective strategy to overcome the limitations of curcumin is responsible for the development of its nanocarriers. Objective: This study is aimed to review the role of curcumin nanocarriers for the treatment of cancer with special emphasis on cellular uptake and in vitro cytotoxicity studies. In addition to this, the effect of various ligand conjugated curcumin nanoparticles on different types of cancer was also studied. Methods: A systematic review was conducted by extensively surfing the PubMed, science direct and other portals to get the latest update on recent development in nanocarriers of curcumin. Results: The current data from recent studies showed that nanocarriers of curcumin resulted in the targeted delivery, higher efficacy, enhanced bioavailability and lower toxicity. The curcumin nanoparticles showed significant inhibitory effects on cancer cells as compared to free curcumin. Conclusion: It can be concluded that bioavailability of curcumin and its cytotoxic effect to cancer cells can be enhanced by the development of curcumin based nanocarriers and it was found to be a potential drug delivery technique for the treatment of cancer.

scholarly journals Halofuginone functions as a therapeutic drug for chronic periodontitis in a mouse model

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 205873842097489
Author(s):  
Jiang Wang ◽  
Bo Wang ◽  
Xin Lv ◽  
Yingjie Wang
Keyword(s):  
Alveolar Bone ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Therapeutic Drug ◽  
Mice Model ◽  
T Helper 17 ◽  
Th17 Cell Differentiation ◽  
Tnf Α

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease caused by host immune response, resulting in a loss of periodontium and alveolar bone. Immune cells, such as T cells and macrophages, play a critical role in the periodontitis onset. Halofuginone, a natural quinazolinone alkaloid, has been shown to possess anti-fibrosis, anti-cancer, and immunomodulatory properties. However, the effect of halofuginone on periodontitis has never been reported. In this study, a ligature-induced mice model of periodontitis was applied to investigate the potential beneficial effect of halofuginone on periodontitis. We demonstrated that the administration of halofuginone significantly reduced the expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) in vivo, and markedly suppressed immune cell infiltration into the infected sites. Furthermore, we also observed that halofuginone treatment blocked the T-helper 17 (Th17) cell differentiation in vivo and in vitro. We demonstrated for the first time that halofuginone alleviated the onset of periodontitis through reducing immune responses.

scholarly journals Drug Disposition in the Lower Gastrointestinal Tract: Targeting and Monitoring

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 161
Author(s):  
Glenn Lemmens ◽  
Arno Van Camp ◽  
Stephanie Kourula ◽  
Tim Vanuytsel ◽  
Patrick Augustijns
Keyword(s):  
Drug Absorption ◽  
Drug Disposition ◽  
Drug Stability ◽  
Ussing Chamber ◽  
Dissolution Kinetics ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Drug Molecules ◽  
Epithelial Physiology

The increasing prevalence of colonic diseases calls for a better understanding of the various colonic drug absorption barriers of colon-targeted formulations, and for reliable in vitro tools that accurately predict local drug disposition. In vivo relevant incubation conditions have been shown to better capture the composition of the limited colonic fluid and have resulted in relevant degradation and dissolution kinetics of drugs and formulations. Furthermore, drug hurdles such as efflux transporters and metabolising enzymes, and the presence of mucus and microbiome are slowly integrated into drug stability- and permeation assays. Traditionally, the well characterized Caco-2 cell line and the Ussing chamber technique are used to assess the absorption characteristics of small drug molecules. Recently, various stem cell-derived intestinal systems have emerged, closely mimicking epithelial physiology. Models that can assess microbiome-mediated drug metabolism or enable coculturing of gut microbiome with epithelial cells are also increasingly explored. Here we provide a comprehensive overview of the colonic physiology in relation to drug absorption, and review colon-targeting formulation strategies and in vitro tools to characterize colonic drug disposition.

Antioxidant Response Activating nanoParticles (ARAPas) localize to atherosclerotic plaque and locally activate the Nrf2 pathway

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Maiocchi ◽  
Ana Cartaya ◽  
Sydney Thai ◽  
Adam Akerman ◽  
Edward Bahnson
Keyword(s):  
Atherosclerotic Plaque ◽  
Targeted Delivery ◽  
Polymeric Nanoparticles ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Antioxidant Response ◽  
Related Factor ◽  
Drug Molecules ◽  
Classically Activated Macrophages ◽  
Nrf2 Activator

Atherosclerotic disease is the leading cause of death world-wide with few novel therapies available despite the ongoing health burden. Redox dysfunction is a well-established driver of atherosclerotic progression; however, the clinical translation of redox-based therapies is lacking. One of the challenges facing redox-based therapies is their targeted delivery to cellular domains of redox dysregulation. In the current study, we sought to develop Antioxidant Response Activating nanoParticles (ARAPas), encapsulating redox-based interventions, that exploit macrophage biology and the dysfunctional endothelium in order to selectively accumulate in atherosclerotic plaque. We employed flash nanoprecipitation (FNP) to synthesize bio-compatible polymeric nanoparticles encapsulating the hydrophobic Nrf2 activator drug, CDDO-Methyl (CDDOMe-ARAPas). Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-activators are a promising class of redox-active drug molecules whereby activation of Nrf2 results in the expression of several antioxidant and cyto-protective enzymes that can be athero-protective. In this study, we characterize the physiochemical properties of CDDOMe-ARAPas as well as confirm their in vitro internalization by murine macrophages. Drug release of CDDOMe was determined by Nrf2-driven GFP fluorescence. Moreover, we show that these CDDOMe-ARAPas exert anti-inflammatory effects in classically activated macrophages. Finally, we show that CDDOMe-ARAPas selectively accumulate in atherosclerotic plaque of two widely-used murine models of atherosclerosis: ApoE−/− and LDLr−/− mice, and are capable of increasing gene expression of Nrf2-transcriptional targets in the atherosclerotic aortic arch. Future work will assess the therapeutic efficacy of intra-plaque Nrf2 activation with CDDOMe-ARAPas to inhibit atherosclerotic plaque progression. Overall, our present studies underline that targeting of atherosclerotic plaque is an effective means to enhance delivery of redox-based interventions.

scholarly journals In Vitro and In Silico Analyses of Nicotine Release from a Gelisphere-Loaded Compressed Polymeric Matrix for Potential Parkinson’s Disease Interventions

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pradeep Kumar ◽  
Yahya Choonara ◽  
Lisa du Toit ◽  
Neha Singh ◽  
Viness Pillay
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
3D Structure ◽  
Molecular Complexes ◽  
Zero Order ◽  
Polymeric Matrix ◽  
Prolonged Release ◽  
Drug Molecules ◽  
Release Device

This study aimed to develop a prolonged-release device for the potential site-specific delivery of a neuroprotective agent (nicotine). The device was formulated as a novel reinforced crosslinked composite polymeric system with the potential for intrastriatal implantation in Parkinson’s disease interventions. Polymers with biocompatible and bioerodible characteristics were selected to incorporate nicotine within electrolyte-crosslinked alginate-hydroxyethylcellulose gelispheres compressed within a release rate-modulating external polymeric matrix, comprising either hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), polyethylene oxide (PEO), or poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) to prolong nicotine release. The degradation and erosion studies showed that the produced device had desirable robustness with the essential attributes for entrapping drug molecules and retarding their release. Zero-order drug release was observed over 50 days from the device comprising PLGA as the external matrix. Furthermore, the alginate-nicotine interaction, the effects of crosslinking on the alginate-hydroxyethycellulose (HEC) blend, and the effects of blending PLGA, HPMC, and PEO on device performance were mechanistically elucidated using molecular modelling simulations of the 3D structure of the respective molecular complexes to predict the molecular interactions and possible geometrical orientation of the polymer morphologies affecting the geometrical preferences. The compressed polymeric matrices successfully retarded the release of nicotine over several days. PLGA matrices offered minimal rates of matrix degradation and successfully retarded nicotine release, leading to the achieved zero-order release for 50 days following exposure to simulated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

scholarly journals Exosome-Mediated Insulin Delivery for the Potential Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1870
Author(s):  
Belén Rodríguez-Morales ◽  
Marilena Antunes-Ricardo ◽  
José González-Valdez
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Human Insulin ◽  
Insulin Delivery ◽  
Dermal Fibroblasts ◽  
Therapeutic Drug ◽  
Extracellular Medium ◽  
Glucose Levels ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Diabetes Mellitus Treatment

Exosomes are extracellular nanovesicles between 30 and 150 nm that serve as essential messengers for different biological signaling and pathological processes. After their discovery, a wide range of applications have been developed, especially in therapeutic drug delivery. In this context, the aim of this work was to test the efficiency of exosome-mediated human insulin delivery using exosomes extracted from three different cell lines: hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2); primary dermal fibroblasts (HDFa) and pancreatic β cells (RIN-m); all are related to the production and/or the ability to sense insulin and to consequently regulate glucose levels in the extracellular medium. The obtained results revealed that the optimal insulin loading efficiency was achieved by a 200 V electroporation, in comparison with incubation at room temperature. Moreover, the maximum in vitro exosome uptake was reached after incubation for 6 h, which slightly decreased 24 h after adding the exosomes. Glucose quantification assays revealed that exosome-mediated incorporation of insulin presented significant differences in HDFa and HepG2 cells, enhancing the transport in HDFa, in comparison with free human insulin effects in the regulation of extracellular glucose levels. No significant differences were found between the treatments in RIN-m cells. Hence, the results suggest that exosomes could potentially become a valuable tool for stable and biocompatible insulin delivery in diabetes mellitus treatment alternatives.

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