Meloxicam encapsulated nanostructured colloidal self-assembly for evaluating antitumor and anti-inflammatory efficacy in 3D printed scaffolds

Design and optimization of chitosan-coated solid lipid nanoparticles containing insulin for improved intestinal permeability using piperine

The objective of this research was to optimize the composition and performance of chitosan-coated solid lipid nanoparticles carrying insulin (Ch-In-SLNs) and to assess the potential of piperine in enhancing the intestinal permeability of insulin from these SLNs in vitro. The SLNs were formulated from glyceryl behenate (GB), soya lecithin, and poloxamer® 407, and then coated with a combination of chitosan and piperine to facilitate insulin penetration across the gastrointestinal (GI) mucosa. A Box-Behnken Design (BBD) was utilized to optimize the Ch-In-SLNs formulations, with PDI, particle size, zeta potential, and association efficiency (AE) serving as the response variables. The resulting Ch-In-SLNs exhibited excellent monodispersity (PDI = 0.4), optimal particle size (654.43 nm), positive zeta potential (+36.87 mV), and low AE values. The Ch-In-SLNs demonstrated sustained release of insulin for 12 h in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and intestinal fluid (SIF), with increased release in the latter. After incubation in SGF and SIF for 12 h, the insulin SLNs retained 54 and 41 % of their initial insulin load, respectively, indicating effective protection from gastric enzymes. Permeation studies using goat intestine and Caco-2 cell lines indicated improved insulin permeation in the presence of piperine. Additionally, cell uptake studies confirmed the role of piperine in enhancing insulin permeation.

Magnetic nanosystem a tool for targeted delivery and diagnostic application: Current challenges and recent advancement

Over the last two decades, researchers have paid more attention to magnetic nanosystems due to their wide application in diverse fields. The metal nanomaterials' antimicrobial and biocidal properties make them an essential nanosystem for biomedical applications. Moreover, the magnetic nanosystems could have also been used for diagnosis and treatment because of their magnetic, optical, and fluorescence properties. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) and quantum dots (QDs) are the most widely used magnetic nanosystems prepared by a simple process. By surface modification, researchers have recently been working on conjugating metals like silica, copper, and gold with magnetic nanosystems. This hybridization of the nanosystems modifies the structural characteristics of the nanomaterials and helps to improve their efficacy for targeted drug and gene delivery. The hybridization of metals with various nanomaterials like micelles, cubosomes, liposomes, and polymeric nanomaterials is gaining more interest due to their nanometer size range and nontoxic, biocompatible nature. Moreover, they have good injectability and higher targeting ability by accumulation at the target site by application of an external magnetic field. The present article discussed the magnetic nanosystem in more detail regarding their structure, properties, interaction with the biological system, and diagnostic applications.

An approach for an enhanced anticancer activity of ferulic acid-loaded polymeric micelles via MicroRNA-221 mediated activation of TP53INP1 in caco-2 cell line

Ferulic acid (FA) has powerful antioxidant and antitumor activities, but it has low bioavailability owing to its poor water solubility. Our aim is to formulate polymeric mixed micelles loaded with FA to overcome its poor solubility and investigate its potential anticancer activity via miRNA-221/TP53INP1 axis-mediated autophagy in colon cancer. A D-optimal design with three factors was used for the optimization of polymeric mixed micelles by studying the effects of each of total Pluronics mixture (mg), Pluronic P123 percentage (%w/w), and drug amount (mg) on both entrapment efficiency (EE%) and particle size. The anticancer activity of FA and Tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) mixed micelles formula (O2) was assessed by MTT and flow cytometry. O2 showed an EE% of 99.89%, a particle size of 13.86 nm, and a zeta potential of - 6.02 mv. In-vitro drug release studies showed a notable increase in the release rate of FA from O2, as compared to the free FA. The (IC50) values for FA from O2 and free FA were calculated against different cell lines showing a prominent IC50 against Caco-2 (17.1 µg/ml, 191 µg/ml respectively). Flow cytometry showed that FA caused cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase in Caco-2. RT-PCR showed that O2 significantly increased the mRNA expression level of Bax and CASP-3 (4.72 ± 0.17, 3.67 ± 0.14), respectively when compared to free FA (2.59 ± 0.13, 2.14 ± 0.15), while miRNA 221 levels were decreased by the treatment with O2 (0.58 ± 0.02) when compared to free FA treatment (0.79 ± 0.03). The gene expression of TP53INP1 was increased by the treatment with O2 compared to FA at P < 0.0001. FA-loaded TPGS mixed micelles showed promising results for enhancing the anticancer effect of FA against colorectal cancer, probably due to its enhanced solubility. Thus, FA-loaded TPGS mixed micelles could be a potential therapeutic agent for colorectal cancer by targeting miRNA-221/TP53INP1 axis-mediated autophagy.

Preparation and In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Rectal In Situ Gel of Meloxicam Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin Inclusion Complex

Meloxicam (MLX) is one of the most effective NSAIDs, but its poor water solubility and low bioavailability limit its clinical application. In this study, we designed a thermosensitive in situ gel of the hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex (MLX/HP-β-CD-ISG) for rectal delivery to improve bioavailability. The best method for preparing MLX/HP-β-CD was the saturated aqueous solution method. The optimal inclusion prescription was optimized using an orthogonal test, and the inclusion complex was evaluated via PXRD, SEM, FTIR and DSC. Then, MLX/HP-β-CD-ISG was characterized regarding the gel properties, release in vitro, and pharmacokinetics in vivo. The inclusion rate of the inclusion complex obtained via the optimal preparation process was 90.32 ± 3.81%. The above four detection methods show that MLX is completely embedded in the HP-β-CD cavity. The developed MLX/HP-β-CD-ISG formulation has a suitable gelation temperature of 33.40 ± 0.17 °C, a gelation time of 57.33 ± 5.13 s, pH of 7.12 ± 0.05, good gelling ability and meets the requirements of rectal preparations. More importantly, MLX/HP-β-CD-ISG significantly improved the absorption and bioavailability of MLX in rats, prolonging the rectal residence time without causing rectal irritation. This study suggests that the MLX/HP-β-CD-ISG can have a wide application prospect with superior therapeutic benefits.

Preparation, characterization, and evaluation (in-vitro, ex-vivo, and in-vivo) of naturosomal nanocarriers for enhanced delivery and therapeutic efficacy of hesperetin

The present study intends to formulate, characterize and appraise the phospholipid-based nanovesicular system for enhanced delivery of Hesperetin (HT). The quality by design (QbD) approach was employed to prepare Hesperetin naturosomes (HTN) using the solvent evaporation technique and assessed for physicochemical and pharmacological attributes. The FTIR, DSC, and PXRD studies confirmed the successful formation of a vesicular drug-phospholipid complex, while photomicroscopy, SEM, and TEM analysis revealed the morphology of HTN. The functional attributes substantially enhanced the HT’s aqueous solubility, drug release, and membrane permeation. The aqueous solubility of HTN was ~10-fold more than that of pure HT. Likewise, the in-vitro dissolution data of HTN showed better competence in releasing the HT (>93%) than the pure HT (~64%) or the physical mixture (~74%). Furthermore, HTN significantly altered HT permeation (>53%) when compared to pure HT (23%) or the physical mixture (28%). The current study showed that naturosomes are a promising way to improve the solubility in water, bioavailability, and therapeutic effectiveness of drugs.