Production of lipospheres as carriers for bioactive compounds

Pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and relative bioavailability of isoniazid-solid lipid nanoparticles

Low levels of isoniazid gain access into plasma following oral administration due to its high aqueous solubility, poor permeability and rapid and extensive hepatic metabolism. Further, a small t(1/2) of 1-4 h indicates its short stay in plasma and the need for repetitive or high doses which may subsequently result in hepatotoxicity and neurotoxicity associated with its use. Isoniazid-solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) were prepared to achieve improved bioavailability and prolonged effect, thus minimizing pulsatile plasma concentrations (and associated side effects at peak plasma concentrations). Developed SLNs showed high entrapment efficiency (69%) and small size (d(90) 48.4 nm) such that they are expected to bypass reticulo-endothelial system (RES) pickup resulting in prolonged circulation times and since liver is the major site of metabolism of isoniazid, RES avoidance will reduce its elimination from the body. Single dose (25 mg/kg BW) oral pharmacokinetic studies were performed in plasma and various tissues of rats. A significant improvement (p<0.001) in relative bioavailability in plasma (6 times) and brain (4 times) was observed after administration of isoniazid-SLNs with respect to the free drug solution at the same dose. Insignificant changes in liver concentration coupled with bypass of first pass metabolism and slow release of isoniazid (60%, in 24 h) indicate low incidence of hepatotoxicity. Isoniazid-SLNs showed a 3 times higher LD50.

Eudragit(®) microparticles for the release of budesonide: a comparative study

This study compares the behaviour of budesonide-containing microparticles made of Eudragit(®)RS or Eudragit(®)RS/Eudragit(®)RL 70:30 (w/w) prepared either by solvent evaporation or spray-drying technique. The loading efficiency of budesonide within microparticles was about 72% for microparticles prepared by solvent evaporation and around 78% for spray-dried microparticles. Thermal analyses were assessed to collect information about the structural stability of budesonide within the polymeric microspheres. The in vitro release was performed using simulating gastric (fasted state simulated gastric fluid) and intestinal (fasted state simulated intestinal fluid) fluids as the receiving solutions. After 3 h the drug release from Eudragit(®)RS/Eudragit(®)RL microparticles was about 6-fold higher than that obtained in the case of monopolymer microparticles. Using fasted state simulated intestinal fluid the drug was released between 4 and 30% in both types of preparations. Eudragit(®)RS microparticles showed a better protection of the drug from gastric acidity than those of Eudragit(®)RS/Eudragit(®)RL allowing us to propose Eudragit(®)RS microparticles as a hypothetical system of colon specific controlled delivery.

Biodegradable donepezil lipospheres for depot injection: optimization and in-vivo evaluation

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to develop an injectable depot liposphere delivery system with high loading capacity for controlled delivery of donepezil to decrease dosing frequency and increase patient compliance.

Methods

A 32 full factorial design was employed to study the effect of lipid type and drug-to-lipid ratio on the yield, encapsulation efficiency, mean diameter and the time required for 50% drug release (t50%). The pharmacokinetic behaviour of the lipospheres in rabbits was studied using tandem mass spectrometry.

Key findings

The yields of preparations were in the range of 66.22–90.90%, with high encapsulation efficiencies (89.68–97.55%) and mean particle size of 20.68–35.94 µm. Both lipid type and drug-to-lipid ratio significantly affected t50% (P &lt; 0.0001), where the lipids can be arranged: glyceryl tripalmitate &gt; compritol &gt; cetyl alcohol, and the drug-to-lipid ratios can be arranged: 1 : 40 &gt; 1 : 20 &gt; 1 : 10. The flow time of lipospheres through 19-gauge syringe needle was less than 6 s indicating good syringeability. The mean residence time of the subcutaneous and intramuscular lipospheres was significantly higher than the solution (almost 20 fold increase), with values of 11.04, 11.34 and 0.53 days, respectively (P &lt; 0.01).

Conclusion

Subcutaneous and intramuscular delivery of donepezil glyceryl tripalmitate lipospheres achieves depot release, allowing less frequent dosing.

Recent advances in lipid nanoparticle formulations with solid matrix for oral drug delivery

Lipid nanoparticles based on solid matrix have emerged as potential drug carriers to improve gastrointestinal (GI) absorption and oral bioavailability of several drugs, especially lipophilic compounds. These formulations may also be used for sustained drug release. Solid lipid nanoparticle (SLN) and the newer generation lipid nanoparticle, nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC), have been studied for their capability as oral drug carriers. Biodegradable, biocompatible, and physiological lipids are generally used to prepare these nanoparticles. Hence, toxicity problems related with the polymeric nanoparticles can be minimized. Furthermore, stability of the formulations might increase than other liquid nano-carriers due to the solid matrix of these lipid nanoparticles. These nanoparticles can be produced by different formulation techniques. Scaling up of the production process from lab scale to industrial scale can be easily achieved. Reasonably high drug encapsulation efficiency of the nanoparticles was documented. Oral absorption and bioavailability of several drugs were improved after oral administration of the drug-loaded SLNs or NLCs. In this review, pros and cons, different formulation and characterization techniques, drug incorporation models, GI absorption and oral bioavailability enhancement mechanisms, stability and storage condition of the formulations, and recent advances in oral delivery of the lipid nanoparticles based on solid matrix will be discussed.

Tumour targeting: biological factors and formulation advances in injectable lipid nanoparticles

Cancer chemotherapeutic agents are often administered systemically. Following systemic administration, numerous biological factors associated with the tumours influence the delivery of the drugs to the tumours. These factors have been extensively studied for the last 2 decades. The influence of these biological factors has brought about a drastic change in the design of drug delivery systems to solid tumours. This review discusses the various biological factors influencing drug delivery to tumours and the subsequent development of injectable delivery systems (i.e., lipid-based nanoparticles (SLNs)) for adequate delivery of drug to solid tumours.

Incorporation of liquid lipid in lipid nanoparticles for ocular drug delivery enhancement

The present work investigates the effect of liquid lipid incorporation on the physicochemical properties and ocular drug delivery enhancement of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) and attempts to elucidate in vitro and in vivo the potential of NLCs for ocular drug delivery. The CyA-loaded or fluorescein-marked nanocarriers composed of Precifac ATO 5 and Miglyol 840 (as liquid lipid) were prepared by melting-emulsion technology, and the physicochemical properties of nanocarriers were determined. The uptake of nanocarriers by human corneal epithelia cell lines (SDHCEC) and rabbit cornea was examined. Ex vivo fluorescence imaging was used to investigate the ocular distribution of nanocarriers. The in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo acute tolerance were evaluated. The higher drug loading capacity and improved in vitro sustained drug release behavior of lipid nanoparticles was found with the incorporation of liquid lipid in lipid nanoparticles. The uptake of nanocarriers by the SDHCEC was increased with the increase in liquid lipid loading. The ex vivo fluorescence imaging of the ocular tissues indicated that the liquid lipid incorporation could improve the ocular retention and penetration of ocular therapeutics. No alternation was macroscopically observed in vivo after ocular surface exposure to nanocarriers. These results indicated that NLC was a biocompatible and potential nanocarrier for ocular drug delivery enhancement.

Lipid nanoparticles: effect on bioavailability and pharmacokinetic changes

The main aim of pharmaceutical technology research is the design of successful formulations for effective therapy, taking into account several issues including therapeutic requirements and patient compliance. In this regard, several achievements have been reported with colloidal carriers, in particular with lipid nanoparticles, due to their unique physicochemical properties. For several years these carriers have been showing potential success for several administration routes, namely oral, dermal, parenteral, and, more recently, for pulmonary and brain targeting. The present chapter provides a review of the use of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) to modify the release profile and the pharmacokinetic parameters of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) incorporated in these lipid matrices, aiming to modify the API bioavailability, either upwards or downwards depending on the therapeutic requirement. Definitions of the morphological characteristics, surface properties, and polymorphic structures will also be given, emphasizing their influence on the incorporation parameters of the API, such as yield of production, loading capacity, and encapsulation efficiency.

Protein-based nanomedicine platforms for drug delivery

Protein-based nanomedicine platforms for drug delivery comprise naturally self-assembled protein subunits of the same protein or a combination of proteins making up a complete system. They are ideal for drug-delivery platforms due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability coupled with low toxicity. A variety of proteins have been used and characterized for drug-delivery systems, including the ferritin/apoferritin protein cage, plant-derived viral capsids, the small Heat shock protein (sHsp) cage, albumin, soy and whey protein, collagen, and gelatin. There are many different types and shapes that have been prepared to deliver drug molecules using protein-based platforms, including various protein cages, microspheres, nanoparticles, hydrogels, films, minirods, and minipellets. The protein cage is the most newly developed biomaterial for drug delivery and therapeutic applications. The uniform size, multifunctionality, and biodegradability push it to the frontier of drug delivery. In this Review, the recent strategic development of drug delivery is discussed with emphasis on polymer-based, especially protein-based, nanomedicine platforms for drug delivery. The advantages and disadvantages are also discussed for each type of protein-based drug-delivery system.

Solid lipid nanoparticles: a modern formulation approach in drug delivery system

Solid lipid nanoparticles are at the forefront of the rapidly developing field of nanotechnology with several potential applications in drug delivery, clinical medicine and research, as well as in other varied sciences. Due to their unique size-dependent properties, lipid nanoparticles offer the possibility to develop new therapeutics. The ability to incorporate drugs into nanocarriers offers a new prototype in drug delivery that could be used for secondary and tertiary levels of drug targeting. Hence, solid lipid nanoparticles hold great promise for reaching the goal of controlled and site specific drug delivery and hence have attracted wide attention of researchers. This review presents a broad treatment of solid lipid nanoparticles discussing their advantages, limitations and their possible remedies. The different types of nanocarriers which were based on solid lipid like solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, lipid drug conjugates are discussed with their structural differences. Different production methods which are suitable for large scale production and applications of solid lipid nanoparticles are described. Appropriate analytical techniques for characterization of solid lipid nanoparticles like photon correlation spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry are highlighted. Aspects of solid lipid nanoparticles route of administration and their biodistribution are also incorporated. If appropriately investigated, solid lipid nanoparticles may open new vistas in therapy of complex diseases.

Testosterone solid lipid microparticles for transdermal drug delivery. Formulation and physicochemical characterization

PURPOSE

The main objective of the study was to formulate and characterize testosterone (TS) solid lipid microparticles (SLM) to be applied as a transdermal delivery system.

METHODS

Testosterone SLMs were formulated using an emulsion melt homogenization method. Various types and concentrations of fatty materials, namely glyceryl monostearate (GM), glyceryl distearate (GD), stearic acid (SA) and glyceryl behanate (GB) were used. The formulations contained 2.5 or 5 mg TS g(-1). Morphology, particle size, entrapment efficiency (EE), rheological properties and thermal behaviour of the prepared SLM were examined. In vitro release characteristics of TS from various prepared SLM were also evaluated over 24 h using a vertical Franz diffusion cell. In addition, the effect of storage and freeze-drying on particle size and release pattern of TS from the selected formulation was evaluated.

RESULTS

The results indicated that the type of lipid affected the morphology and particle size of SLM. A relatively high drug percentage entrapment efficiency ranging from 80.7-95.7% was obtained. Rheological studies showed plastic flow characteristics of the prepared formulations. DSC examination revealed that TS existed in amorphous form in the prepared SLM. Release studies revealed the following rank order of TS permeation through cellophane membrane after application of various formulations: 5% GM < 5% GD < 5% SA < 5% GB < 2.5% GM < 2.5% SA < 10% GD < 10% GB. The drug permeation through excised abdomen rat skin after application of 10% GB-2.5 mg TS g(-1) SLM was lower than that permeated through cellophane membrane. Moreover, SLM containing 10% GB-2.5 mg TS g(-1) stored at 5 degrees C showed good stability as indicated by the release study and particle size analysis. Trehalose showed high potential as a cryoprotectant during freeze drying of the selected SLM formulation.

CONCLUSIONS

The developed TS SLM delivery system seemed to be promising as a TS transdermal delivery system.

Lipospheres as carriers for topical delivery of aceclofenac: preparation, characterization and in vivo evaluation

The purpose of this study was to prepare lipospheres containing aceclofenac intended for topical skin delivery with the aim of exploiting the favorable properties of this carrier system and developing a sustained release formula to overcome the side effects resulting from aceclofenac oral administration. Lipospheres were prepared using different lipid cores and phospholipid coats adopting melt and solvent techniques. Characterization was carried out through photomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, particle size analysis, DSC, In vitro drug release and storage study. The anti-inflammatory effect of liposphere systems was assessed by the rat paw edema technique and compared to the marketed product. Results revealed that liposphere systems were able to entrap aceclofenac at very high levels (93.1%). The particle size of liposphere systems was well suited for topical drug delivery. DSC revealed the molecular dispersion of aceclofenac when incorporated in lipospheres. Both entrapment efficiency and release were affected by the technique of preparation, core and coat types, core to coat ratio and drug loading. Lipospheres were very stable after 3 months storage at 2-8 degrees C manifested by low leakage rate (less than 7%) and no major changes in particle size. Finally, liposphere systems were found to possess superior anti-inflammatory activity compared to the marketed product in both lotion and paste consistencies. Liposphere systems proved to be a promising topical system for the delivery of aceclofenac as they possessed the ability to entrap the drug at very high levels and high stability, and to sustain the anti-inflammatory effect of the drug.

Preparation and characteristics of nanostructured lipid carriers for control-releasing progesterone by melt-emulsification

Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) made from mixtures of solid and spatially incompatible liquid lipids were prepared by melt-emulsification. Their drug loading capacity and releasing properties of progesterone were compared with those of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN), and the NLC prepared by solvent diffusion method. Monostearin (MS) and stearic acid (SA) were used as solid lipid, whilst the oleic acid (OA) was used as liquid lipid. Properties of carriers such as the particle size and its distribution, drug loading, drug encapsulation efficiency and drug release behavior were investigated. As a result, the drug encapsulation efficiencies were improved by adding the liquid lipid into the solid lipid of nanoparticles. The drug release behavior could be adjusted by the addition of liquid lipid, and the NLC with higher OA content showed the faster rate of drug releasing. NLC had higher efficiency of encapsulation and slower rate of drug release than those of NLC prepared by solvent diffusion method. On the other hand, the NLC with higher drug loading was obtained, though the drug encapsulation efficiency was decreased slightly due to the increase of the amount of drug. The NLC modified with polyethylene glycol (PEG) was also prepared by using polyethylene glycol monostearate (PEG-SA). It was observed that the incorporation of PEG-SA reduced the drug encapsulation efficiency, but increased the rate of drug release. A sample with almost complete drug release in 24h was obtained by modifying with 1.30mol% PEG-SA. It indicated that the modified NLC was a potential drug delivery system for oral administration.

Development of a spray congealing process for the preparation of insulin-loaded lipid microparticles and characterization thereof

A spray congealing process for the preparation of protein-loaded microparticles was developed. The influence of the process parameters atomization pressure and spraying temperature on particle size and process yield was investigated by experimental design. The employed spray congealing technique enabled the production of microparticles with yields ranging from 79% to 95% and median particle sizes (d(0.5)) from 182.2 to 315 microm. Insulin lipid microparticles could be prepared without any loss of insulin during the preparation process and the protein stability was not affected by the spray congealing process as investigated by HPLC-MS analysis. The stability of insulin encapsulated in lipid microparticles under release conditions over 28 days was assessed by investigating the residual insulin content. Starting after 3 days of release, a continuous increase of desamidoinsulin in the remaining particles of up to 7.5% after 28 days was observed. An additional degradation product was detected by HPLC and HPLC-MS analysis and identified as a covalent insulin dimer by MALDI-ToF. The microparticles did not show a burst release and testing the insulin lipid microparticles in a fibrin gel chondrocyte culture revealed that the released insulin was bioactive and had a significant effect on chondrocyte extracellular matrix production.

Solid lipid microparticles as a sustained release system for pulmonary drug delivery

The controlled release of drugs for pulmonary delivery is a research field which has been so far rather unexploited but is currently becoming increasingly attractive. The introduction part of this research article first details the potential advantages of solid lipid microparticles (SLMs) as drug carrier compared to liposomes and polymeric microspheres. The aim of this work is to use SLMs to impart a sustained release profile to a model drug, salbutamol acetonide (SA). SA was synthesized from salbutamol in order to increase the lipophilicity of this molecule and thereby to increase its incorporation efficiency into SLMs. SA-loaded SLMs were then produced by a hot emulsion technique followed by high-shear homogenisation and the manufacturing parameters were optimized using the experimental design methodology in order to reach a suitable particle size for pulmonary administration. Scanning electron micrographs showed that SLMs are spherical, have a smooth surface and that SA crystallizes outside of the particles when the drug loading is higher than 20%. This was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. SA in vitro release study from SLMs showed that the release rate increased with SA loading but remained in every case lower than the dissolution rate of pure SA.

The metabolism of fatty alcohols in lipid nanoparticles by alcohol dehydrogenase

Fatty alcohols are commonly used in lipid-based drug delivery systems including parenteral emulsions and solid lipid nanoparticles (NPs). The purpose of these studies was to determine whether horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase (HLADH), a NAD-dependent enzyme, could metabolize the fatty alcohols within the NPs and thus serve as a mechanism to degrade these NPs in the body. Solid nanoparticles (<100 nm) were engineered from oil-in-water microemulsion precursors using emulsifying wax NF as the oil phase and polyoxyethylene 20-stearyl ether (Brij 78) as the surfactant. Emulsifying wax contains both cetyl and stearyl alcohols. NPs were incubated with the enzyme and NAD+ at 37 degrees C for up to 48 h, and the concentrations of fatty alcohols were quantitatively determined over time by gas chromatography (GC). The concentrations of cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol within the NPs decreased to only 10-20% remaining after 15-24 h of incubation. In parallel, NP size, turbidity and the fluorescence intensity of NADH all increased over time. It was concluded that horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase/NAD+ was able to metabolize the fatty alcohols within the NPs, suggesting that NPs made of fatty alcohols may be metabolized in the body via endogenous alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme systems.

Development of a respirable, sustained release microcarrier for 5-fluorouracil I: In vitro assessment of liposomes, microspheres, and lipid coated nanoparticles

The release rate of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) from liposomes, microspheres, and lipid-coated nanoparticles (LNPs) was determined by microdialysis to investigate their use as a respirable delivery system for adjuvant (postsurgery) therapy of lung cancer. 5-FU was incorporated into liposomes using thin film hydration and into microspheres and LNPs by spray drying. Primary particle size distributions were measured by dynamic light scattering. Liposomes released 5-FU in 4-10 h (k(1) = 0.44-2.31/h, first-order release model). Extruded vesicles with diameters less than one micron released 5-FU more quickly than nonextruded vesicles. With poly-(lactide) (PLA) and Poly-(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microspheres, slower release rates were observed (k(1) = 0.067-0.202/h). Increasing the lactide:glycolide ratio (50:50-100:0) resulted in a progressive decrease in the release rate of 5-FU. poly-(lactide-co-caprolactone) (PLCL) microspheres released 5-FU more rapidly compared to PLGA systems (k(1) = 0.254-0.259/h). LNPs formulated with polymeric core excipients had lower release rates compared to monomeric excipients (k(1) = 0.043-0.105/h vs. k(1) = 0.192-0.345/h). Changing the lipid chain length of the shell lipid components had a relatively minor effect (k(1) = 0.043-0.129/h). Overall, these systems yielded a wide range of delivery durations that may be suitable for use as an inhalation delivery system for adjuvant therapy of lung cancer.

Starch-based microspheres produced by emulsion crosslinking with a potential media dependent responsive behavior to be used as drug delivery carriers

This paper describes the development and characterization of starch microspheres for being used as drug delivery carriers in tissue engineering applications. The developed starch microspheres can be further loaded with specific growth factors and immobilized in scaffolds, or administrated separately with scaffolds. Furthermore and due to the processing conditions used, it is expected that these microspheres can be also used to encapsulate living cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of this methodology for further studies with biologically active agents or living cells. The starch microspheres were prepared using an emulsion crosslinking technique at room temperature to allow for the loading of biologically active agents. A preliminary study was performed to evaluate the incorporation of a model drug (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-NSAID) and investigate its release profile as function of changes in the medium parameters, such as ionic strength and pH. The developed starch-based drug delivery system has shown to be dependent on the ionic strength of the release medium. From preliminary results, the release seems to be pH-dependent due to the drug solubility. It was found that the developed microspheres and the respective processing route are appropriate for further studies. In fact, and based in the processing conditions and characterization, the developed system present a potential for the loading of different growth factors or even living cells on future studies with these systems for improving bone regeneration in tissue engineering, especially because the crosslinking reaction of the microspheres takes place at room temperature.

Nanocarriers: Promising Vehicle for Bioactive Drugs

Development of new delivery systems that deliver the potential drug specifically to the target site in order to meet the therapeutic needs of the patients at the required time and level remains the key challenge in the field of pharmaceutical biotechnology. Developments in this context to achieve desired goal has led to the evolution of the multidisciplinary field nanobiotechnology which involves the combination of two most promising technologies of 21st century--biotechnology and nanotechnology. Nanobiotechnology encompasses a wide array of different techniques to improve the delivery of biotech drugs, and nanoparticles offer the most suitable form whose properties can be tailored by chemical methods. This review highlights the different types of nanoparticulate delivery systems employed for biotech drugs in the field of molecular medicine with a short overlook at its applications and the probable associated drawbacks.

Adaptation and optimization of the emulsification-diffusion technique to prepare lipidic nanospheres

In this study, the emulsification-diffusion method traditionally used to prepare polymeric nanoparticles was adapted to obtain lipidic nanospheres (LN) using four model lipids. The method consists of dissolving the lipid in a partially water-miscible solvent (previously saturated with water) at room temperature or at controlled temperature depending on lipid solubility. This organic phase is emulsified in an aqueous solution of a stabilizing agent (saturated with solvent) by conventional stirring at the same temperature used to dissolve the lipid. This oil-in-water emulsion is then diluted with an excess of water at controlled temperature in order to provoke the diffusion from the internal phase into the external phase thereby causing lipid aggregation in the form of LN. This new approach for the preparation of LN has clear advantages over the existing methods, namely: (i) it is efficient and versatile; (ii) easy implementation and scaling up (with no need of high energy sources); (iii) high reproducibility and narrow size distribution; (iv) less physical stress (i.e., long exposure to high temperatures and to mechanical dispersion); (v) it is not necessary to dissolve the drug in the melted lipid. The selection of the water-miscible solvent and the stabilizers are critical parameters to obtain lipidic particles in the nanometric range. In general, solvents with high water miscibility and stabilizers able to form stable emulsions are preferred. The results demonstrated that it was possible to reduce the particle size by increasing the process temperature, the stirring rate, the amount of stabilizer, and by lowering the amount of lipid. Control of the preparative variables allowed to obtain LN with diameters under 100 nm. It was found that the influence of preparative parameters was associated with a mechanism based on a physicochemical instability. In this sense, it is suggested that the rapid solvent diffusion produces regions of local supersaturation near the interface, and LN are formed due to the ensuing interfacial phase transformations and lipid aggregation that occur in these interfacial domains. In terms of stability, only poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVAL) was able to preserve the physical stability of the dispersion for long periods after preparation. This effect was attributed to the ability of PVAL chains to form a strongly attached layer on the nanoparticle surface with an excellent repulsion effect.

Hyaluronan-based microspheres as tools for drug delivery: a comparative study

The present paper describes the production of biodegradable microparticles using different hyaluronan polymers, such as native hyaluronan, the esterified derivative of hyaluronan Hyaff 11p50 (where 50% of the carboxy groups of hyaluronic acid are esterified with benzyl alcohol) and the autocross-linked polymer (ACP) internally esterified derivative of hyaluronan, by solvent evaporation and spray-drying methods. As model drugs cromolyn sodium salt, metronidazole and prednisolone hemisuccinate sodium salt were employed. The influence of polymer and preparation procedure has been evaluated on microparticle characteristics (i.e. morphology and encapsulation yield) and on the drug release profiles. The use of solvent evaporation method, a polymeric matrix constituted of Hyaff 11p50 3% (w/v), a dispersing phase constituted of 80 g of mineral oil (w/o ratio: 0.1), Span 85 0.1% (w/w) as stabilizer, and a stirring speed of 700 rpm resulted in the production of microspheres characterized by spherical shape, absence of aggregates, a mean diameter of 6.4 microm and a recovery of 90% (w/w). The production of drug containing microspheres led to an increase of mean diameter of microspheres and to high encapsulation yields. Moreover in vitro models have demonstrated that in all cases drugs were released from Hyaff 11p50 microspheres in a controlled fashion. Finally mathematical analysis of the drug release modalities has evidenced that drug release from Hyaff 11p50 microspheres is more consistent with kinetics of the diffusion rather than of the dissolution type.

Monodisperse Double Emulsions Generated from a Microcapillary Device

Double emulsions are highly structured fluids consisting of emulsion drops that contain smaller droplets inside. Although double emulsions are potentially of commercial value, traditional fabrication by means of two emulsification steps leads to very ill-controlled structuring. Using a microcapillary device, we fabricated double emulsions that contained a single internal droplet in a core-shell geometry. We show that the droplet size can be quantitatively predicted from the flow profiles of the fluids. The double emulsions were used to generate encapsulation structures by manipulating the properties of the fluid that makes up the shell. The high degree of control afforded by this method and the completely separate fluid streams make this a flexible and promising technique.

Solid lipid microparticles: formulation, preparation, characterisation, drug release and applications

This review details the properties of solid lipid microparticles (SLMs): a promising drug carrier system that has been until now rather unexploited. First, the advantages of SLMs compared with other drug carrier systems are listed. Then an overview of SLM manufacturing compounds and techniques is presented. A detailed discussion of the characteristics of SLMs follows, and includes the determination of particle size distribution, the determination of SLM morphology, the solid-state analysis, the determination of SLM drug loading and the factors influencing it. The in vitro drug release studies that have been carried out so far and the parameters affecting them are also described. Some preliminary in vivo aspects (in vivo drug release studies, biocompatibility studies and in vivo fate) are also considered.

Solid lipid nanoparticles for parenteral drug delivery

This review describes the use of nanoparticles based on solid lipids for the parenteral application of drugs. Firstly, different types of nanoparticles based on solid lipids such as "solid lipid nanoparticles" (SLN), "nanostructured lipid carriers" (NLC) and "lipid drug conjugate" (LDC) nanoparticles are introduced and structural differences are pointed out. Different production methods including the suitability for large scale production are described. Stability issues and drug incorporation mechanisms into the particles are discussed. In the second part, the biological activity of parenterally applied SLN and biopharmaceutical aspects such as pharmacokinetic profiles as well as toxicity aspects are reviewed.

Lipid-gel and poly(dimethylsiloxane) film to mimic bioaccumulation in adipocytes

Bioaccumulation is an increasingly important consideration in validation studies of the safety and efficacy of potential drugs. Although an "adipocyte" cell line model has been proven successful to mimic the accumulation of naphthalene in adipocytes, the prolonged incubation time limits its use in high-throughput studies and reduces reproducibility. In this investigation, naphthalene and naphthol accumulation and uptake kinetics of thin poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) film and lipid nanospheres suspended in a crosslinked gelatin gel (lipid-gel) were compared with those of adipocytes. Unlike the PDMS film, the lipid-gel can mimic the kinetics and extent of naphthalene accumulation in the adipocytes reasonably well. However, the lipid-gel accumulated about twice as much naphthol as the adipocytes, suggesting that hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity of the metabolite may be an important factor in the accuracy of accumulation studies with the lipid-gel. Nonetheless, the lipid-gel system shows promise as an inexpensive, convenient, and reproducible fat mimic for bioaccumulation studies.