Rediscovering Tocophersolan: a renaissance for nano-based drug delivery and nanotheranostic applications

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dickson Pius Wande ◽  
Qin Cui ◽  
Shijie Chen ◽  
Cheng Xu ◽  
Hui Xiong ◽  
...  

: As a unique and pleiotropic polymer, d-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate (Tocophersolan) is a polymeric synthetic version of vitamin E. Tocophersolan has attracted enormous attention as a versatile excipient in different biomedical applications including drug delivery systems and nutraceuticals. The multiple inherent properties of Tocophersolan make it play flexible roles in drug delivery system design, including excipients with outstanding biocompatibility, solubilizer with the ability of promoting drug dissolution, drug permeation enhancer, P-glycoprotein inhibitor and anticancer compound. For these reasons, Tocophersolan has been widely used for improving the bioavailability of numerous pharmaceutical active ingredients. Tocophersolan has been approved by stringent regulatory authorities (such as US FDA, EMA, and PMDA) as a safe pharmaceutical excipient. In this review, we systematically curated current advances in nano-based delivery systems consisting of Tocophersolan with possibilities for futuristic applications in drug delivery, gene therapy, and nanotheranostic.

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 877-884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Po Li ◽  
Yue Yan ◽  
Binlong Chen ◽  
Pan Zhang ◽  
Siling Wang ◽  
...  

In recent years, multifunctional nanoparticles have attracted much research interest in various biomedical applications such as biosensors, diagnosis, and drug delivery systems.


2019 ◽  
Vol 91 (4) ◽  
pp. 687-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Vallet-Regí

Abstract Since the second half of the 20th century, bioceramics are used for bone repair and regeneration. Inspired by bones and teeth, and aimed at mimicking their structure and composition, several artificial bioceramics were developed for biomedical applications. And nowadays, in the 21st century, with the increasing prominence of nanoscience and nanotechnology, certain bioceramics are being used to build smart drug delivery systems, among other applications. This minireview will mainly describe both tendencies through the research work carried out by the research team of María Vallet-Regí.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hakkarainen ◽  
Kõrkjas ◽  
Laidmäe ◽  
Lust ◽  
Semjonov ◽  
...  

We investigated nozzleless ultrasound-enhanced electrospinning (USES) as means to generate nanofibrous drug delivery systems (DDSs) for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. Traditional electrospinning (TES) equipped with a conventional spinneret was used as a reference method. High-molecular polyethylene oxide (PEO) and chitosan were used as carrier polymers and theophylline anhydrate as a water-soluble model drug. The nanofibers were electrospun with the diluted mixture (7:3) of aqueous acetic acid (90% v/v) and formic acid solution (90% v/v) (with a total solid content of 3% w/v). The fiber diameter and morphology of the nanofibrous DDSs were modulated by varying ultrasonic parameters in the USES process (i.e., frequency, pulse repetition frequency and cycles per pulse). We found that the USES technology produced nanofibers with higher fiber diameter (402 ± 127 nm) than TES (77 ± 21 nm). An increase of a burst count in USES increased the fiber diameter (555 ± 265 nm) and the variation in fiber size. The slight-to-moderate changes in a solid state (crystallinity) were detected when compared the nanofibers generated by TES and USES. In conclusion, USES provides a promising alternative for aqueous-based fabrication of nanofibrous DDSs for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Yi ◽  
Jifen Zhang

Self-microemulsifying drug delivery systems (SMEDDS) offer potential for improving the oral bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs. However, their susceptibilities during long term storage and in vivo precipitation issues limit their successful commercial application. To overcome these limitations, SMEDDS can be solidified with solid carriers, thus producing solid self-microemulsifying drug delivery systems (S-SMEDDS). In this study, effects of various hydrophilic carriers on structural transitions and in vitro properties of S-SMEDDS were investigated in order to set up in vitro methods for screening out appropriate carriers for S-SMEDDS. Liquid SMEDDS was prepared and characterized using nimodipine as a model drug. The effects of various hydrophilic carriers on internal microstructure and solubilization of SMEDDS were investigated by conductivity measurement and in vitro dispersion test. The results showed that hydrophilic carriers including dextran 40, maltodextrin and PVP K30 seemed to delay the percolation transition of SMEDDS, allowing it to maintain a microstructure that was more conducive to drug dissolution, thus significantly increasing the solubilization of nimodipine in the self-microemulsifying system and decreasing drug precipitation when dispersed in simulated gastric fluid. S-SMEDDS of nimodipine were prepared by using spray drying with hydrophilic carriers. The effects of various hydrophilic carriers on in vitro properties of S-SMEDDS were investigated by using SEM, DSC, PXRD and in vitro dissolution. The results showed that properties of hydrophilic carriers, especially relative molecular mass of carriers, had obvious influences on surface morphologies of S-SMEDDS, reconstitution of microemulsion and physical state of nimodipine in S-SMEDDS. Considering that in vitro properties of S-SMEDDS are closely related to their pharmacokinetic properties in vivo, the simple and economical in vitro evaluation methods established in this paper can be used to screen solid carriers of S-SMEDDS well.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 334-345
Author(s):  
N. Surya ◽  
S. Bhattacharyya

Polymers have become an integral part of novel drug delivery system. One such successful biodegradable polymer is poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) which consists of polyesters of lactic acid and glycolic acid. It is one of the FDA-approved biodegradable polymers which is extensively used for therapeutic purposes in recent times.The aim. To illuminate researchers on the chemistry, novel properties and applications of PLGA in pharmaceutical fields.Materials and methods. Various internet sources like Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed and google scholar were used as the data source. The key words search was carried out for the following words and combinations: PLGA, Novel drug delivery, PLGA Nano particles, biomedical applications of PLGA.Results. Pharmaceutical and biomedical industries are flooded with the use of synthetic and natural polymers. The mechanical and viscoelastic properties of the polymers make them suitable for the temporal and spatial delivery of therapeutic agents for an extended period. Employment of copolymerization techniques lead to the modification of water solubility of the polymers and make them suitable for various applications of drug delivery systems. Biodegradable polymers due to their biocompatibility and biodegradable property have attracted their use in novel drug delivery systems. PLGA is one of them. PLGA is versatile as it can be fabricated into any size, shape, and can be used to encapsulate small molecules, tissue engineering, and bone repair, etc.Conclusion. The sensitivity and biodegradability of PLGA makes it a smart polymer for targeted and sustained delivery of drugs and in various biomedical applications.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (19) ◽  
pp. 5912
Author(s):  
Jie Xu ◽  
Danfeng Xu ◽  
Xuan Xuan ◽  
Huacheng He

A microneedle (MN) is a painless and minimally invasive drug delivery device initially developed in 1976. As microneedle technology evolves, microneedles with different shapes (cone and pyramid) and forms (solid, drug-coated, hollow, dissolvable and hydrogel-based microneedles) have been developed. The main objective of this review is the applications of microneedles in biomedical areas. Firstly, the classifications and manufacturing of microneedle are briefly introduced so that we can learn the advantages and fabrications of different MNs. Secondly, research of microneedles in biomedical therapy such as drug delivery systems, diagnoses of disease, as well as wound repair and cancer therapy are overviewed. Finally, the safety and the vision of the future of MNs are discussed.


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