Biocompatible madecassoside encapsulated alginate chitosan nanoparticles, their anti-proliferative activity on C6 glioma cells

Protection by Nano-Encapsulated Bacoside A and Bacopaside I in Seizure Alleviation and Improvement in Sleep- In Vitro and In Vivo Evidences

Therapeutic options to contain seizures, a transitional stage of many neuropathologies, are limited due to the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Herbal nanoparticle formulations can be employed to enhance seizure prognosis. Bacoside A (BM3) and bacopaside I (BM4) were isolated from Bacopa monnieri and synthesized as nanoparticles (BM3NP and BM4NP, respectively) for an effective delivery system to alleviate seizures and associated conditions. After physicochemical characterization, cell viability was assessed on mouse neuronal stem cells (mNSC) and neuroblastoma cells (N2a). Thereafter, anti-seizure effects, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), apoptosis, immunostaining and epileptic marker mRNA expression were determined in vitro. The seizure-induced changes in the cortical electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyography (EMG), Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) and Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep were monitored in vivo in a kainic acid (KA)-induced rat seizure model. The sizes of BM3NPs and BM4NPs were 165.5 nm and 689.6 nm, respectively. They were biocompatible and also aided in neuroplasticity in mNSC. BM3NPs and BM4NPs depicted more than 50% cell viability in N2a cells, with IC50 values of 1609 and 2962 µg/mL, respectively. Similarly, these nanoparticles reduced the cytotoxicity of N2a cells upon KA treatment. Nanoparticles decreased the expression of epileptic markers like fractalkine, HMGB1, FOXO3a and pro-inflammatory cytokines (P < 0.05). They protected neurons from apoptosis and restored MMP. After administration of BM3NPs and BM4NPs, KA-treated rats attained a significant reduction in the epileptic spikes, sleep latency and an increase in NREM sleep duration. Results indicate the potential of BM3NPs and BM4NPs in neutralizing the KA-induced excitotoxic seizures in neurons.

An optimized chitosan/alginate-based microencapsulation of lime peel essential oil and its application as an antibacterial textile

A functional textile immobilized by microcapsules of the lime peel essential oils of C. aurantifolia (LPEO) was prepared and characterized. A varied amount of Chitosan/Alginate (CH/AG) ratios, followed by a mass of LPEO and concentration of sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) crosslinker, was optimized sequentially to coacervate LPEO using a Tween 80 emulsifier. An antibacterial assay against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was further evaluated for the embedded microcapsules. The LPEO (0.2 g) was effectively coacervated by CH/AG (5:3) crosslinked by 2% of STTP to give a yield, oil content (OC), and encapsulation efficiency (EE) of 53.45 ± 2.16%, 65.08 ± 2.60% and 85.04 ± 0.70% respectively. A rough spherical shape of LPEO microcapsules was homogeneously observed with an average particle size of 0.757 mm. An Avrami's kinetic model revealed the release mechanism of the core following zero-order kinetics (k = 1.11 ± 0.13 × 10-9 s-1, Ea = 70.21 kJ/mol). The LPEO microcapsules demonstrated good thermal stability up to 122 °C and maintained 38% OC at ambient temperature for four weeks. A 70.34 ± 4.16% of the LPEO microcapsules were successfully overlaid onto the gauze with citric acid binder and sodium phosphate catalyst. Overall, the immobilized microcapsules exhibited strong inhibition against S. aureus and moderate against S. epidermidis, E. coli, and K. pneumonia.

Formulation and In Vitro Assessment of Polymeric pH-Responsive Nanogels of Chitosan for Sustained Delivery of Madecassoside

Madecassoside, a triterpenoid saponin compound mainly isolated from the gotu kola herb (Centella asiatica), shows an extensive range of biological activities, including antiapoptotic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, neuroprotective, and wound healing effects. It has been highly used in the management of eczema, skin wounds, and other diseases. Due to poor oral bioavailability, membrane permeability, and intestinal absorption, the clinical application of the madecassoside is limited. Hence, a drug carrier system is needed that not only sustains the release of the madecassoside but also overcomes the drawbacks associated with its administration. Therefore, the authors prepared novel pH-responsive chitosan-based nanogels for the sustained release of madecassoside. Free radical polymerization technique was used for cross-linking of polymer chitosan and monomer methacrylic acid in the presence of cross-linker N',N'-methylene bis(acrylamide). The decrease in polymer crystallinity after polymerization and development of nanogels was demonstrated by XRD and FTIR analysis. The effects of nanogel contents on polymer volume, sol-gel analysis, swelling, drug loading, and release were investigated. Results indicated that high swelling and maximum release of the drug occurred at pH 7.4 compared to pH 1.2 and 4.6, indicating the excellent pH-sensitive nature of the engineered nanogels. High swelling and drug release were perceived with the integration of a high quantity of chitosan, while a decline was observed with the high integration of N',N'-methylene bis(acrylamide) and methacrylic acid contents. The same effects of nanogel contents were shown for drug loading too. Sol fraction was reduced, while gel fraction was enhanced by increasing the chitosan load, N',N'-methylene bis(acrylamide), and methacrylic acid. The Korsmeyer-Peppas model of kinetics was trailed by all nanogel formulations with non-Fickian diffusion. The results demonstrated that prepared nanogels can be employed for sustained release of the madecassoside.

Anti-excitotoxicity and neuroprotective action of asiaticoside encapsulated polymeric nanoparticles in pilocarpine rodent seizure model

Asiaticoside (ASI), an ursane-type triterpenoid saponin, isolated from the memory enhancing herb Centella asiatica, is known for its neuroprotective activities. Here the anti-excitotoxicity and neuro protective effects of ASI encapsulated alginate chitosan nanoparticles (ACNPs) were evaluated in pilocarpine (PC) induced seizure in mice model. ACNPs were prepared by ionic gelation-polyelectrolyte complex method and their physicochemical characterization was carried out by TEM, SEM, DLS, XRD and FT-IR. Subsequently their encapsulation efficiency (EE), in vitro drug release, cell viability, seizure score, DNA fragmentation and mRNA expression of regulatory stress markers were evaluated. Membrane permeability of ACNPs in brain, histopathology and biological TEM and SEM analyses were also carried out. TEM of ACNPs showed spherical morphology with a particle size of 200-400 nm. DLS of ACNPs displayed an average size of 486.2 nm with polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.567 and zeta potential of -14.1 mV. ACNPs achieved high EE (> 90%) and controlled release (10%). Biological evaluation studies revealed ACNPs as non-toxic to mouse neural stem cells (mNSCs). They displayed enhanced brain permeability and attenuated seizure. Our results confirmed ACNPs as effective in crossing the brain membrane barrier and mitigating seizure severity induced by PC.