Substitution of Synthetic Fibers by Bio-Based Fibers in a Structural Mortar

The use of bio-based material is now widespread in insulation concrete, for example hemp concrete. The bio-based materials in concrete provide many advantages: lightness, sound and thermal insulation, hydrothermal regulation while contributing to a reduction in the environmental impact due to the carbon capture during the plant growth. The development of materials incorporating plant is therefore an important objective for the construction. The next step will be to introduce bio-based materials in structural mortars and concretes. The project FIBRABETON proposes to substitute synthetic or metallic fibers by natural fibers in screed and slab. After a selection of biomass on the resources availability, separation and fractionation are the key step in processing to obtain technical natural fibers. Bulk fiber shaping and packaging methods for easy handling and transportation are tested. Then, functionalization of technical natural fibers by physical & chemical treatments to improve the durability with cement paste is carried out. The second step concerns the introduction of treated or not treated fibers in mortar and concrete formulations. The variation of the nature of the biomass, fibers shape and dosage in concrete are studied. The workability, the compressive strength and withdrawal resistance are measured in order to obtain the best formulation parameters. The evolution of properties over time is also evaluated. The project FIBRABETON is carried out with ESTP, FRD and Vicat and is subsidized by ADEME, Grand Est region and FEDER.

Chitosan/poly(lactic-co-glycolic)acid Nanoparticle Formulations with Finely-Tuned Size Distributions for Enhanced Mucoadhesion

Non-parenteral drug delivery systems using biomaterials have advantages over traditional parenteral strategies. For ocular and intranasal delivery, nanoparticulate systems must bind to and permeate through mucosal epithelium and other biological barriers. The incorporation of mucoadhesive and permeation-enhancing biomaterials such as chitosan facilitate this, but tend to increase the size and polydispersity of the nanoparticles, making practical optimization and implementation of mucoadhesive nanoparticle formulations a challenge. In this study, we adjusted key poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanoparticle formulation parameters including the organic solvent and co-solvent, the concentration of polymer in the organic phase, the composition of the aqueous phase, the sonication amplitude, and the inclusion of chitosan in the aqueous phase. By doing so, we prepared four statistically unique size groups of PLGA NPs and equally-sized chitosan-PLGA NP counterparts. We loaded simvastatin, a candidate for novel ocular and intranasal delivery systems, into the nanoparticles to investigate the effects of size and surface modification on drug loading and release, and we quantified size- and surface-dependent changes in mucoadhesion in vitro. These methods and findings will contribute to the advancement of mucoadhesive nanoformulations for ocular and nose-to-brain drug delivery.

Effective Management of Rare Lymphangioleiomyomatosis Using Sirolimus: Tablet Matrix with Hibiscus rosa sinensis Leave Mucilage

The authors aimed to extend the discharge of Sirolimus from the tablets with a blend of herbal and synthetic polymers. In this study, Sirolimus was taken as a model drug, Hydroxy Propyl Methyl Cellulose as a synthetic polymer and mucilage from Hibiscus rosa sinensis leaves as a natural polymer. Sirolimus is an orphan drug used to treat Lymphangioleiomyomatosis damage and to suppress body refuse towards the transplanted organs. Sirolimus matrix tablets made with the blend of Hibiscus rosa sinensis leaves mucilage and Hydroxy Propyl Methyl Cellulose. The blend was assessed for flow possessions and the designed tablets were categorized for official and non-official tests including Sirolimus discharge. The Sirolimus matrix tablets possess good Sirolimus content with passible pre and post-formulation parameters. The study concludes that there were no chemical interactions between Sirolimus with polymers used. The study also revealed that Hibiscus rosa sinensis leaves mucilage can be a good polymer in grouping with other polymers for prolonged drug discharge.

Impact of Formulation Conditions on Lipid Nanoparticle Characteristics and Functional Delivery of CRISPR RNP for Gene Knock-Out and Correction

The CRISPR-Cas9 system is an emerging therapeutic tool with the potential to correct diverse ge-netic disorders. However, for gene therapy applications an efficient delivery vehicle is required, capable of delivering the CRISPR-Cas9 components into the cytosol of the intended target cell population. Once there, the ribonucleoprotein complex (RNP) can be transported into the nucleus. Lipid nanoparticles (LNP) serve as promising candidates for delivery of CRISPR-Cas9 RNP. These delivery vehicles have been optimized for the delivery of nucleic acids, such as mRNA. Co-delivery of Cas9 encoding mRNA with the accompanying sgRNA leads to translation of the Cas9 protein and formation of the Cas9 RNP inside the cell. Only recently, direct delivery of the CRISPR-Cas9 RNP complexes has been explored, which requires adjustments to the LNP formulation. In this study, the importance of buffer composition and cationic charge during RNP and ssDNA en-trapment in LNP are demonstrated. After optimizing several formulation parameters, LNP were prepared that were colloidally stable in human plasma and efficiently deliver the SpCas9 RNP and ssDNA for HDR-correction in reporter cells. Under optimal formulation conditions, gene knock-out and gene correction efficiencies as high as 80% and 20%, respectively were achieved at nanomolar CRISPR-Cas9 RNP concentrations.

A generalized additive model-based data-driven solution for lithium-ion battery capacity prediction and local effects analysis

Lithium-ion battery-based energy storage systems have been widely utilized in many applications such as transportation electrification and smart grids. As a key health status indicator, battery performance would highly rely on its capacity, which is easily influenced by various electrode formulation parameters within a battery. Due to the strongly coupled electrical, chemical, thermal dynamics, predicting battery capacity, and analysing the local effects of interested parameters within battery is significantly important but challenging. This article proposes an effective data-driven method to achieve effective battery capacity prediction, as well as local effects analysis. The solution is derived by using generalized additive models (GAM) with different interaction terms. Comparison study illustrate that the proposed GAM-based solution is capable of not only performing satisfactory battery capacity predictions but also quantifying the local effects of five important battery electrode formulation parameters as well as their interaction terms. Due to data-driven nature and explainability, the proposed method could benefit battery capacity prediction in an efficient manner and facilitate battery control for many other energy storage system applications.

Formulation and Evaluation of Lovastatin Loaded Nanosponges for the treatment of Hyperlipidemia

The present investigations was aimed to improve the solubility, to release the drug in a controlled manner for extended period of time, reduce dose dependent side effects and improve the bioavailability of a poorly water soluble BCS class II drug of Lovastatin by formulating it as Nanosponges drug delivery system. Lovastatin Nanosponges were formulated by emulsion solvent evaporation method using Eudragit RS 100 and Ethyl Cellulose as a polymers, PVA as a stabilizer and finally enclosed in hard gelatin Capsules. The prepared Nanosponges were evaluated for FTIR, particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, morphological characteristics by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), production yield, entrapment efficiency, solubility studies, in vitro drug release studies, release kinetics study, stability studies, Flow property and porosity. The optimized formulation filled in capsules and Post formulation parameters of capsule were determined. FTIR studies showed no interaction between drug and excipients. Percentage yield of all the formulation (F1-F10) was found to be in the range of 85.83 to 99.85%. The entrapment efficiency of all the formulations was found to be in the range of 61.68 to 91.18%, among all the formulations F3 (90.04%) and F8 (91.18%) shows high entrapment efficiency. The solubility of all formulation improved (from insoluble to slightly soluble) compared to pure drug of Lovastatin. Among all the formulations F3 (98.15%) and F8 (97.57%) shown complete drug release at the end of 12th hrs. The average particle size of optimized formulation F3 and F8 was found to be 727.0 nm and 769.5 nm respectively. SEM images of optimized formulation showed that the Nanosponges were spherical with numerous pores on their surface, uniform and spongy in nature. The release kinetics of the optimized formulation was best fitted into Higuchi model and showed zero order drug release with Non Fickian diffusion. Stability studies indicated that the formulation is stable as per ICH guidelines. The flow property measurements for optimized formulation observed good were its filled in capsules. Post formulation parameters of capsule were comply with official specifications. They concluded that the both polymers used were efficient carriers for Lovastatin Nanosponges.

Optimization and development of orodispersible films for ledipasvir and sofosbuvir through solid dispersion using Box-Behnken design

The fixed dose combination of ledipasvir (LDV) and sofosbuvir (SBV) is approved by USFDA in 2014 for the treatment of Hepatitis C virus infection and is available in the form of tablets. In the present work, the principal aim is to explore orodispersible films type dosage form to impart its characteristic advantages to these poorly soluble drugs so as to improve their bioavailability and ease of administration. Solid dispersions with low viscosity grade methyl cellulose A 15-LV (MC A 15-LV) at different ratios with LDV and SBV were prepared and evaluated to check their ability in improving the solubility of the drugs. The best drug to polymer ratio was selected to develop the films, using other excipients including plasticizer and superdisintegrant. Solvent casting method was used to develop the films. Three formulation parameters were selected as independent factors viz. thickness of the film (50-150 µm), concentration of superdisintegrant (sodium starch glycolate 6-10%) and concentration of plasticizer (polyethylene glycol 400, 10-20%). Disintegration time (DT), time for 90% dissolution (T90%) of LDV and time for 90% dissolution of SBV were taken as the response variables. The experiment was designed using Box-Behnken design. Among the polymers, MC A 15-LV produced maximum solubility at 1:2 ratio. The films obtained were found to have good tensile strength and % elongation with disintegration times in the range of 43-162 sec. The T90% values for LDV and SDV were found to be in the range of 8.4-21.2 min and 7.2-18.4 respectively. All the three formulation factors were found to have significant effect on the three responses. The optimum formulation was identified at 100 µm thickness, 10% superdisintegrant and 20% plasticizer which showed DT of 89 sec with T90% values of 8.4 min and 7.2 min for LDV and SBV respectively. The rapid disintegration and dissolution of the films signified that the set objective was achieved.

Polymeric Lipid Hybrid Nanoparticles (PLNs) as Emerging Drug Delivery Platform—A Comprehensive Review of Their Properties, Preparation Methods, and Therapeutic Applications

Polymeric lipid hybrid nanoparticles (PLNs) are core–shell nanoparticles made up of a polymeric kernel and lipid/lipid–PEG shells that have the physical stability and biocompatibility of both polymeric nanoparticles and liposomes. PLNs have emerged as a highly potent and promising nanocarrier for a variety of biomedical uses, including drug delivery and biomedical imaging, owing to recent developments in nanomedicine. In contrast with other forms of drug delivery systems, PLNs have been regarded as seamless and stable because they are simple to prepare and exhibit excellent stability. Natural, semi-synthetic, and synthetic polymers have been used to make these nanocarriers. Due to their small scale, PLNs can be used in a number of applications, including anticancer therapy, gene delivery, vaccine delivery, and bioimaging. These nanoparticles are also self-assembled in a reproducible and predictable manner using a single or two-step nanoprecipitation process, making them significantly scalable. All of these positive attributes therefore make PLNs an attractive nanocarrier to study. This review delves into the fundamentals and applications of PLNs as well as their formulation parameters, several drug delivery strategies, and recent advancements in clinical trials, giving a comprehensive insight into the pharmacokinetic and biopharmaceutical aspects of these hybrid nanoparticles.