Multifunctional Polymeric Nanoplatforms for Brain Diseases Diagnosis, Therapy and Theranostics

Solubility and ADMET profiles of short oligomers of lactic acid

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a polymer with an increased potential to be used in different medical applications, including tissue engineering and drug-carries. The use of PLA in medical applications implies the evaluation of the human organism's response to the polymer inserting and to its degradation products. Consequently, within this study, we have investigated the solubility and ADMET profiles of the short oligomers (having the molecular weight lower than 3000 Da) resulting in degradation products of PLA. There is a linear decrease of the molar solubility of investigated oligomers with molecular weight. The results that are obtained also reveal that short oligomers of PLA have promising pharmacological profiles and limited toxicological effects on humans. These oligomers are predicted as potential inhibitors of the organic anion transporting peptides OATP1B1 and OATP1B3, they present minor probability to affect the androgen and glucocorticoid receptors, have a weak potential of hepatotoxicity, and may produce eye injuries. These outcomes may be used to guide or to supplement in vitro and/or in vivo toxicity tests such as to enhance the biodegradation properties of the biopolymer.

Functionalization of Polymers and Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications: Antimicrobial Platforms and Drug Carriers

The use of polymers and nanomaterials has vastly grown for industrial and biomedical sectors during last years. Before any designation or selection of polymers and their nanocomposites, it is vital to recognize the targeted applications which require these platforms to be modified. Surface functionalization to introduce the desired type and quantity of reactive functional groups to target a cell or tissue in human body is a pivotal approach to improve the physicochemical and biological properties of these materials. Herein, advances in the functionalized polymer and nanomaterials surfaces are highlighted along with their applications in biomedical fields, e.g., antimicrobial therapy and drug delivery.

Curcumin Delivery Mediated by Bio-Based Nanoparticles: A Review

Todays, nano-pharmaceutics is emerging as an important field of science to develop and improve efficacy of different drugs. Although nutraceuticals are currently being utilized in the prevention and treatment of various chronic diseases such as cancers, a number of them have displayed issues associated with their solubility, bioavailability, and bio-degradability. In the present review, we focus on curcumin, an important and widely used polyphenol, with diverse pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-viral, etc. Notwithstanding, it also exhibits poor solubility and bioavailability that may compromise its clinical application to a great extent. Therefore, the manipulation and encapsulation of curcumin into a nanocarrier formulation can overcome these major drawbacks and potentially may lead to a far superior therapeutic efficacy. Among different types of nanocarriers, biological and biopolymer carriers have attracted a significant attention due to their pleiotropic features. Thus, in the present review, the potential protective and therapeutic applications of curcumin, as well as different types of bio-nanocarriers, which can be used to deliver curcumin effectively to the different target sites will be discussed.

Optimization of Chitosan-Alginate Microparticles for Delivery of Mangostins to the Colon Area Using Box-Behnken Experimental Design

Chitosan-alginate microparticles loaded with hydrophobic mangostins present in the mangosteen rind extract have been formulated and optimized for colon-targeted bioactive drug delivery systems. The chitosan–mangostin microparticles were prepared using the ionotropic gelation method with sodium tripolyphosphate as the cross-linking agent of chitosan. The chitosan–mangostin microparticles were then encapsulated in alginate with calcium chloride as the linking agent. The mangostin release profile was optimized using the Box–Behnken design for response surface methodology with three independent variables: (A) chitosan–mangostin microparticle size, (B) alginate:chitosan mass ratio, and (C) concentration of calcium chloride. The following representative equation was obtained: percent cumulative release of mangostins (10 h) = 59.51 − 5.16A + 20.00B − 1.27C − 1.70AB − 5.43AC − 5.04BC + 0.0579A² + 10.25B² + 1.10C². Cumulative release of 97% was obtained under the following optimum condition for microparticle preparation: chitosan–mangosteen particle size < 100 µm, alginate:chitosan mass ratio of 0.5, and calcium chloride concentration of 4% w/v. The alginate to chitosan mass ratio is the statistically significant variable in the optimization of sequential release profile of mangostins in simulated gastrointestinal fluids. Furthermore, a sufficient amount of alginate is necessary to modify the chitosan microparticles and to achieve a complete release of mangostins. The results of this work indicate that the complete release of mangostins to the colon area can be achieved using the chitosan–alginate microparticles as the bioactive delivery system.