Functionalized lipid nanoparticles-cellophane hybrid films for molecular delivery: preparation, physicochemical characterization, and stability

Insights into the formation of an emissive CdTe-quantum-dots/cellulose hybrid film

Optical and electrical modifications of a highly hydrophilic cellulose regenerated (RC) thin film as result of the inclusion in the film structure of cadmium-tellurium covered with mercaptosuccinic acid quantum dot nanoparticles (CdTe-MSA QDs) are analysed. CdTe-MSA QDs nanoparticles inclusion was performed by dip-coating of the RC film in an aqueous nano QDs solution, and two different immersion periods (2 h and 24 h) were considered. Impedance spectroscopy measurements, which can give information of changes in both film surface and bulk phase were performed for CdTe-MSA QDs inclusion confirmation as well as the estimation of electrical changes associated to QDs modification. Optical characterization of the original support and the CdTe-MSA(2 h) and CdTe-MSA(24 h) modified films was carried out by light transmittance and ellipsometry spectroscopy (at three different take-off angles). According to these results, the inclusion of CdTe-MSA QDs practically does not reduce the high transparency of the film support, but it increases the reflexion index and extinction coefficient of both modified films. Moreover, fluorescence and XPS measurements were also performed for more complete information on the effect caused by the presence of CdTe-MSA QDs in the cellulosic film. A comparison of changes in physicochemical properties of the cellulosic/CdTe-MSA QDs films and those modified with other nanoparticle quantum dots is also performed.

Tripalmitin nanoparticle formulations significantly enhance paclitaxel antitumor activity against breast and lung cancer cells in vitro

Paclitaxel (PTX) is one of the drugs of choice in the treatment of breast and lung cancer. However, its severe side effects, including mielosuppression, cardiotoxicity and neurotoxicity, frequently cause treatment to be discontinued. Solid lipid nanoparticles (NPs) of glyceril tripalmitate (tripalmitin) loaded with PTX (Tripalm-NPs-PTX) including modifications by the addition of hexa(ethylene glycol), β-cyclodextrin and macelignan were developed. All NPs-PTX formulations displayed excellent hemocompatibility and significantly enhanced PTX antitumor activity in human breast (MCF7, MDAMB231, SKBR3 and T47D) and lung (A549, NCI-H520 and NCI-H460) cancer cells. Tripalm-NPs-PTX decreased PTX IC₅₀ by as much as 40.5-fold in breast and 38.8-fold in lung cancer cells and Tripalm-NPs-PTX macelignan inhibited P-glycoprotein in resistant tumor cells. In addition, Tripalm-NPs-PTX significantly decreased the volume of breast and lung multicellular tumor spheroids that mimics in vivo tumor mass. Finally, Tripalm-NPs-PTX decreased the PTX IC₅₀ of cancer stem cells (CSCs) derived from both lung and breast cancer cells (6.7- and 14.9-fold for MCF7 and A549 CSCs, respectively). These results offer a new PTX nanoformulation based on the use of tripalmitin which improves the antitumor activity of PTX and that may serve as an alternative PTX delivery system in breast and lung cancer treatment.

An overview of the analytical characterization of nanostructured drug delivery systems: towards green and sustainable pharmaceuticals: a review

The analytical characterization of drug delivery systems prepared by means of green manufacturing technologies using CO(2) as a processing fluid is here reviewed. The assessment of the performance of nanopharmaceuticals designed for controlled drug release may result in a complex analytical issue and multidisciplinary studies focused on the evaluation of physicochemical, morphological and textural properties of the products may be required. The determination of the drug content as well as the detection of impurities and solvent residues are often carried out by chromatography. Assays on solid state samples relying on X-ray, vibrational and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies are of great interests to study the composition and structure of pharmaceutical forms. The morphology and size of particles are commonly checked by microscopy and complementary chemical information can be extracted in combination with spectroscopic accessories. Regarding the thermal behavior, calorimetric and thermogravimetric techniques are applied to assess the thermal transitions and stability of the samples. The evaluation of drug release profiles from the nanopharmaceuticals can be based on various experimental set-ups depending on the administration route to be considered. Kinetic curves showing the evolution of the drug concentration as a function of time in various physiological conditions (e.g., gastric, plasmatic or topical) are recorded commonly by UV-vis spectroscopy and/or chromatography. Representative examples are commented in detail to illustrate the characterization strategies.