Solid-in-Oil-in-Water Emulsion: An Innovative Paradigm to Improve Drug Stability and Biological Activity

An emulsion is a biphasic dosage form comprising of dispersed phase containing droplets that are uniformly distributed into a surrounding liquid which forms the continuous phase. An emulsifier is added at the interface of two immiscible liquids to stabilize the thermodynamically unstable emulsion. Various types of emulsions such as water-in-oil (w-o), oil-in-water (o-w), microemulsions, and multiple emulsions are used for delivering certain drugs in the body. Water (aqueous) phase is commonly used for encapsulating proteins and several other drugs in water-in-oil-in-water (w-o-w) emulsion technique. But this method has posed certain problems such as decreased stability, burst release, and low entrapment efficiency. Thus, a novel “solid-in-oil-in-water” (s-o-w) emulsion system was developed for formulating certain drugs, probiotics, proteins, antibodies, and tannins to overcome these issues. In this method, the active ingredient is encapsulated as a solid and added to an oil phase, which formed a solid-oil dispersion. This dispersion was then mixed with water to form a continuous phase for enhancing the drug absorption. This article focuses on the various studies done to investigate the effectiveness of formulations prepared as solid-oil-water emulsions in comparison to conventional water-oil-water emulsions. A summary of the results obtained in each study is presented in this article. The s-o-w emulsion technique may become beneficial in near future as it has shown to improve the stability and efficacy of the entrapped active ingredient. Graphical abstract

Effect of Microencapsulation on Survival at Simulated Gastrointestinal Conditions and Heat Treatment of a Non Probiotic Strain, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 48M, and the Probiotic Strain Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938

Cells of the probiotic strain Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 and of the non-probiotic strain Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 48M were microencapsulated in alginate matrix by emulsion technique. Survival of microorganisms in the microcapsules was tested against gastrointestinal (GI) simulated conditions and heat stress. Results demonstrated that the microencapsulation process improved vitality of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 48M cells after GI conditions exposure, allowing survival similarly to the probiotic Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938. Moreover, microencapsulation was able to protect neither Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 nor Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 48M cells when exposed to heat treatments. Microencapsulated Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 cells were still able to produce reuterin, an antimicrobial agent, as well as free cells.

Microfluidic Generation of ATPS Droplets by Transient Double Emulsion Technique

Due to its excellent permeability, selective separation, rapid mass transfer and all-biocompatible nature, the aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) is considered as a promising candidate for various biological applications. However, ATPS...

Ultraviolet protection of Bacillus thuringiensis through microencapsulation with Pickering emulsion method

An encapsulated formulation of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) was produced by the Pickering emulsion technique to improve its activity and stability under UV-A radiation. In this technique latex particles, GO nanosheets, olive oil, ethanol, and water were used to encapsulate Bt in colloidosomes. The protective efficacy of this formulation in protecting Bt subsp. Kurstaki against deactivation by UV-A irradiation was measured, so that spore viability and mortality on Ephestia kuehniella (E. kuehniella) Zeller larvae under UV-A radiation are investigated. According to the results of both tests, encapsulated formulation at a concentration of 0.045% has the highest protection of viability. Hence, colloidosome microcapsule formulations successfully provide good protection against UV radiation.

Double-emulsion technique applied to laccase immobilization on polymeric nanoparticles

One primary drawback of enzyme catalysis at industrial scale is the short term service life of the enzymes. Enzymes lose their activity due to oxidation or other processes which results in less stability and a shorter lifetime thereby rendering them less efficient. An effective way to increase the stability, longevity and reusability of the enzymes is to attach them to nanoparticles by applying the double-emulsion technique. In this work the polymer Eudragit® L 100-55 sensitive to pH was used to prepare laccase polymeric nanoparticles by the double-emulsion solvent evaporation approach. The size and morphology of the nanoparticles obtained was evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscope and particle size distribution was assessed by Photon Correlation Spectroscopy. Encapsulation efficiency and zeta potential were calculated. The effect of pH on laccase activity and stability was compared between free laccase and the immobilized one. Their stability was also determined in a sequential assay involving acidic pHs up to alkaline ones. The nanoparticles had a spherical shape with a mean size of 289 nm, zeta potential of -22.7 mV at pH 7.0, and load efficiency of 87%. The optimum pH of both free and immobilized laccases was 3.0, being the nanoparticles more stable at acidic pHs (2.0-4.0). Howevwe, this last kept 80% of enzyme activity at pH 2.0 approx., after 24 h. The polymer Eudragit® L 100-55 also conferred them resistance towards the pHs usually found at the gastrointestinal tract. These results suggest the potential use of nanoparticles as adjuvants in animal feed, serving as carriers for oral laccase delivery.

Emulsion Stability Tes and Effect of HNO3 Concentration in the Internal Phase on Cadmium Ion Extraction using Liquid Membrane Emulsion Technique

Study on the emulsion stability and cadmium ion extraction tests was performed using the liquid membrane emulsion technique. This study aimed to determine the emulsion stability between the membrane phase and the internal phase with the variation of the ratio (2:1, 1:1, 2:3, and 1:2), and to determine the maximum conditions of cadmium ion extraction in a solution including the various concentration of HNO3 solution 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 M. This study is a laboratory experimental method using benzoyl acetone compound as cation carrier, kerosene as membrane phase, HNO3 solution as the internal phase, span-20 and span-80 as surfactants, and cadmium solution as the sample solution. Cadmium ion concentration in the external phase was determined by UV-VIS spectrophotometer. The result showed that the emulsion stability test which produced the most stable emulsion was in the ratio of the membrane phase and the internal phase 1:1. In addition, the concentration of the HN03 solution resulted in a maximum extraction percentage of 1.5 M with an extraction percentage was 95.28%.