pH‐responsive chitosan/sulfobutyl ether‐β‐cyclodextrin supramolecular nanoparticles for controlled release of sodium ferulate

Enhanced oral delivery of hesperidin-loaded sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin/chitosan nanoparticles for augmenting its hypoglycemic activity: in vitro-in vivo assessment study

Hesperidin (Hsd), a bioactive phytomedicine, experienced an antidiabetic activity versus both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes mellitus. However, its intrinsic poor solubility and bioavailability is a key challenging obstacle reflecting its oral delivery. From such perspective, the purpose of the current study was to prepare and evaluate Hsd-loaded sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin/chitosan nanoparticles (Hsd/CD/CS NPs) for improving the hypoglycemic activity of the orally administered Hsd. Hsd was first complexed with sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD) and the complex (CX) was found to be formed with percent complexation efficiency and percent process efficiency of 50.53 ± 1.46 and 84.52 ± 3.16%, respectively. Also, solid state characterization of the complex ensured the inclusion of Hsd inside the cavity of SBE-β-CD. Then, Hsd/CD/CS NPs were prepared using the ionic gelation technique. The prepared NPs were fully characterized to select the most promising one (F1) with a homogenous particle size of 455.7 ± 9.04 nm, a positive zeta potential of + 32.28 ± 1.12 mV, and an entrapment efficiency of 77.46 ± 0.39%. The optimal formula (F1) was subjected to further investigation of in vitro release, ex vivo intestinal permeation, stability, cytotoxicity, and in vivo hypoglycemic activity. The results of the release and permeation studies of F1 manifested a modulated pattern between Hsd and CX. The preferential stability of F1 was observed at 4 ± 1 °C. Also, the biocompatibility of F1 with oral epithelial cell line (OEC) was retained up to a concentration of 100 µg/mL. After oral administration of F1, a noteworthy synergistic hypoglycemic effect was recorded with decreased blood glucose level until the end of the experiment. In conclusion, Hsd/CD/CS NPs could be regarded as a hopeful oral delivery system of Hsd with enhanced antidiabetic activity.

A New Insight to Silver Sulfadiazine Antibacterial Dressings: Nanoparticle-Loaded Nanofibers for Controlled Drug Delivery

The aim of this study was formulating a new-generation antibacterial dressing in a form of polymer-based hybrid nanofiber-nanoparticles, effective on Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria using silver sulfadiazine (SSD), an FDA-approved topical antibiotic. In this study, SSD nanoparticles were prepared with chitosan for taking the advantage of antibacterial and wound healing properties. Chitosan nanoparticles of SSD were prepared by using tripolyphosphate (TPP) or sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD) as crosslinkers via ionic gelation method and then loaded to PVP-K30 and PVP-K90 nanofibers to obtain polymer-based nanofiber-nanoparticles. SSD-loaded chitosan nanoparticles prepared with SBE-β-CD had lower particle size (359.6 ± 19.9 nm) and polydispersity index (0.364 ± 0.113) as well, indicating a more desired particle size distribution but lower encapsulation efficiency (56.04% ± 4.33). It was found that loading drug in SBE-β-CD crosslinked nanoparticles and dispersing in nanofiber matrix lowered SSD release compared to  TPP crosslinked nanoparticle-loaded nanofibers. Drug release obtained by both TPP or SBE-β-CD crosslinked nanoparticle-loaded PVP-K30 nanofibers is significantly higher than nanoparticle-loaded PVP-K90 nanofibers, indicating that SSD release was mainly affected by polymer type. SSD nanoparticle-loaded PVP-K30 nanofibers were found to be effective against Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii) and Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis). SSD release was sustained by PVP-K90, resulting in lower antibacterial efficiency especially against Gram-positive bacteria. PVP-K30-based nanofiber-CS nanoparticle hybrids offer a new platform by combining and improving advantages of nanofibers and nanoparticles for obtaining controlled drug release and antibacterial efficacy.

Progress in Stimuli-Responsive Biomaterials for Treating Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (CCVDs) describe abnormal vascular system conditions affecting the brain and heart. Among these, ischemic heart disease and ischemic stroke are the leading causes of death worldwide, resulting in 16% and 11% of deaths globally. Although several therapeutic approaches are presented over the years, the continuously increasing mortality rates suggest the need for more advanced strategies for their treatment. One of these strategies lies in the use of stimuli-responsive biomaterials. These "smart" biomaterials can specifically target the diseased tissue, and after "reading" the altered environmental cues, they can respond by altering their physicochemical properties and/or their morphology. In this review, the progress in the field of stimuli-responsive biomaterials for CCVDs in the last five years, aiming at highlighting their potential as early-stage therapeutics in the preclinical scenery, is described.

Multicharged cyclodextrin supramolecular assemblies

Multicharged cyclodextrin (CD) supramolecular assemblies, including those based on positively/negatively charged modified mono-6-deoxy-CDs, per-6-deoxy-CDs, and random 2,3,6-deoxy-CDs, as well as parent CDs binding positively/negatively charged guests, have been extensively applied in chemistry, materials science, medicine, biological science, catalysis, and other fields. In this review, we primarily focus on summarizing the recent advances in positively/negatively charged CDs and parent CDs encapsulating positively/negatively charged guests, especially the construction process of supramolecular assemblies and their applications. Compared with uncharged CDs, multicharged CDs display remarkably high antiviral and antibacterial activity as well as efficient protein fibrosis inhibition. Meanwhile, charged CDs can interact with oppositely charged dyes, drugs, polymers, and biomacromolecules to achieve effective encapsulation and aggregation. Consequently, multicharged CD supramolecular assemblies show great advantages in improving drug-delivery efficiency, the luminescence properties of materials, molecular recognition and imaging, and the toughness of supramolecular hydrogels, in addition to enabling the construction of multistimuli-responsive assemblies. These features are anticipated to not only promote the development of CD-based supramolecular chemistry but also contribute to the rapid exploitation of these assemblies in diverse interdisciplinary applications.

β-Cyclodextrin-based supramolecular nanoparticles: pH-sensitive nanocarriers for the sustained release of anti-tumor drugs

CSL-loaded SBE7-β-CD/HDBAC nanoparticles present pH-trigger controlled release properties, which may enhence the therapeutic effects of the anti-tumor compound CSL.