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Alexiev U, Rühl E. Visualization of Nanocarriers and Drugs in Cells and Tissue. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2024; 284:153-189. [PMID: 37566121 DOI: 10.1007/164_2023_684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
In this chapter, the visualization of nanocarriers and drugs in cells and tissue is reviewed. This topic is tightly connected to modern drug delivery, which relies on nanoscopic drug formulation approaches and the ability to probe nanoparticulate systems selectively in cells and tissue using advanced spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. We first give an overview of the breadth of this research field. Then, we mainly focus on topical drug delivery to the skin and discuss selected visualization techniques from spectromicroscopy, such as scanning transmission X-ray microscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging. These techniques rely on the sensitive and quantitative detection of the topically applied drug delivery systems and active substances, either by exploiting their molecular properties or by introducing environmentally sensitive probes that facilitate their detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Alexiev
- Fachbereich Physik, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Eckart Rühl
- Physikalische Chemie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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2
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Bonanni V, Gianoncelli A. Soft X-ray Fluorescence and Near-Edge Absorption Microscopy for Investigating Metabolic Features in Biological Systems: A Review. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24043220. [PMID: 36834632 PMCID: PMC9960606 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) provides the imaging of biological specimens allowing the parallel collection of localized spectroscopic information by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and/or X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES). The complex metabolic mechanisms which can take place in biological systems can be explored by these techniques by tracing even small quantities of the chemical elements involved in the metabolic pathways. Here, we present a review of the most recent publications in the synchrotrons' scenario where soft X-ray spectro-microscopy has been employed in life science as well as in environmental research.
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Radbruch M, Pischon H, Du F, Haag R, Schumacher F, Kleuser B, Mundhenk L, Gruber AD. Biodegradable core-multishell nanocarrier: Topical tacrolimus delivery for treatment of dermatitis. J Control Release 2022; 349:917-928. [PMID: 35905785 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Two challenges in topical drug delivery to the skin include solubilizing hydrophobic drugs in water-based formulations and increasing drug penetration into the skin. Polymeric core-multishell nanocarrier (CMS), particularly the novel biodegradable CMS (bCMS = hPG-PCL1.1K-mPEG2k-CMS) have shown both advantages on excised skin ex vivo. Here, we investigated topical delivery of tacrolimus (TAC; > 500 g/mol) by bCMS in a hydrogel on an oxazolone-induced model of dermatitis in vivo. As expected, bCMS successfully delivered TAC into the skin. However, in vivo they did not increase, but decrease TAC penetration through the stratum corneum compared to ointment. Differences in the resulting mean concentrations were mostly non-significant in the skin (epidermis: 35.7 ± 20.9 ng/cm2 for bCMS vs. 92.6 ± 62.7 ng/cm2 for ointment; dermis: 76.8 ± 26.8 ng/cm2vs 118.2 ± 50.4 ng/cm2), but highly significant in blood (plasma: 1.1 ± 0.4 ng/ml vs 11.3 ± 9.3 ng/ml; erythrocytes: 0.5 ± 0.2 ng/ml vs 3.4 ± 2.4 ng/ml) and liver (0.01 ± 0.01 ng/mg vs 0.03 ± 0.01 ng/mg). bCMS were detected in the stratum corneum but not in viable skin or beyond. The therapeutic efficacy of TAC delivered by bCMS was equivalent to that of standard TAC ointment. Our results suggest that bCMS may be a promising carrier for the topical delivery of TAC. The quantitative difference to previous results should be interpreted in light of structural differences between murine and human skin, but highlights the need as well as potential methods to develop more a complex ex vivo analysis on human skin to ensure quantitative predictive value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moritz Radbruch
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert-von-Ostertag Str. 15, 14163 Berlin, Germany
| | - Hannah Pischon
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert-von-Ostertag Str. 15, 14163 Berlin, Germany
| | - Fang Du
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 3, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Rainer Haag
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 3, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Fabian Schumacher
- Department for Nutritional Toxicology, Universität Potsdam, Arthur-Scheunert-Allee 114-116, 14558 Nuthetal, Germany; Institute of Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 2+4, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Burkhard Kleuser
- Department for Nutritional Toxicology, Universität Potsdam, Arthur-Scheunert-Allee 114-116, 14558 Nuthetal, Germany; Institute of Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 2+4, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Mundhenk
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert-von-Ostertag Str. 15, 14163 Berlin, Germany
| | - Achim D Gruber
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert-von-Ostertag Str. 15, 14163 Berlin, Germany.
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Characterization and In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Tacrolimus-Loaded Poly(ε-Caprolactone) Nanocapsules for the Management of Atopic Dermatitis. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:pharmaceutics13122013. [PMID: 34959295 PMCID: PMC8707425 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13122013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tacrolimus (TAC) is a drug of natural origin used in conventional topical dosage forms to control atopic dermatitis. However, direct application of the drug often causes adverse side effects in some patients. Hence, drug nanoencapsulation could be used as an improved novel therapy to mitigate the adverse effects and enhance bioavailability of the drug. METHODS Physicochemical properties, in vitro drug release experiments, and in vivo anti-inflammatory activity studies were performed. RESULTS TAC-loaded nanocapsules were successfully prepared by the interfacial deposition of preformed polymer using poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL). The nanoparticulate systems presented a spherical shape with a smooth and regular surface, adequate diameter (226 to 250 nm), polydispersity index below 0.3, and suitable electrical stability (-38 to -42 mV). X-ray diffraction confirmed that the encapsulation method provided mainly the drug molecular dispersion in the nanocapsule oily core. Fourier-transform infrared spectra suggested that nanoencapsulation did not result in chemical bonds between drug and polymer. In vitro drug dissolution experiments showed a controlled release with a slight initial burst. The release kinetics showed zero-order kinetics. As per the Korsmeyer-Peppas model, anomalous transport features were observed. TAC-loaded PCL nanocapsules exhibited excellent anti-inflammatory activity when compared to the free drug. CONCLUSIONS TAC-loaded PCL nanocapsules can be suitably used as a novel nano-based dosage form to control atopic dermatitis.
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Germer G, Ohigashi T, Yuzawa H, Kosugi N, Flesch R, Rancan F, Vogt A, Rühl E. Improved Skin Permeability after Topical Treatment with Serine Protease: Probing the Penetration of Rapamycin by Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:12213-12222. [PMID: 34056375 PMCID: PMC8154144 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c01058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Drug penetration in human skin ex vivo following a modification of skin barrier permeability is systematically investigated by scanning transmission X-ray microscopy. Element-selective excitation is used in the O 1s regime for probing quantitatively the penetration of topically applied rapamycin in different formulations with a spatial resolution reaching <75 nm. The data were analyzed by a comparison of two methods: (i) two-photon energies employing the Beer-Lambert law and (ii) a singular value decomposition approach making use of the full spectral information in each pixel of the X-ray micrographs. The latter approach yields local drug concentrations more reliably and sensitively probed than the former. The present results from both approaches indicate that rapamycin is not observed within the stratum corneum of nontreated skin ex vivo, providing evidence for the observation that this high-molecular-weight drug inefficiently penetrates intact skin. However, rapamycin is observed to penetrate more efficiently the stratum corneum when modifications of the skin barrier are induced by the topical pretreatment with the serine protease trypsin for variable time periods ranging from 2 to 16 h. After the longest exposure time to serine protease, the drug is even found in the viable epidermis. High-resolution micrographs indicate that the lipophilic drug preferably associates with corneocytes, while signals found in the intercellular lipid compartment were less pronounced. This result is discussed in comparison to previous work obtained from low-molecular-weight lipophilic drugs as well as polymer nanocarriers, which were found to penetrate the intact stratum corneum exclusively via the lipid layers between the corneocytes. Also, the role of the tight junction barrier in the stratum granulosum is briefly discussed with respect to modifications of the skin barrier induced by enhanced serine protease activity, a phenomenon of clinical relevance in a range of inflammatory skin disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregor Germer
- Physical
Chemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 22, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Takuji Ohigashi
- UVSOR
Synchrotron Facility, Institute for Molecular
Science, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
| | - Hayato Yuzawa
- UVSOR
Synchrotron Facility, Institute for Molecular
Science, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
| | - Nobuhiro Kosugi
- UVSOR
Synchrotron Facility, Institute for Molecular
Science, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
| | - Roman Flesch
- Physical
Chemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 22, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | | | - Annika Vogt
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Eckart Rühl
- Physical
Chemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 22, Berlin 14195, Germany
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Osorio-Blanco ER, Rancan F, Klossek A, Nissen JH, Hoffmann L, Bergueiro J, Riedel S, Vogt A, Rühl E, Calderón M. Polyglycerol-Based Thermoresponsive Nanocapsules Induce Skin Hydration and Serve as a Skin Penetration Enhancer. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:30136-30144. [PMID: 32519848 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c06874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The use of penetration enhancers (chemical or physical) has been proven to dramatically improve the penetration of therapeutics. Nevertheless, their use poses great risks, as they can lead to permanent damage of the skin, reduce its barrier efficiency, and result in the intrusion of harmful substances. Among the most used skin penetration enhancers, water is greatly accepted because skin quickly recovers from its exposure. Nanocapsules (NCs) represent a promising combination of the carrier system and penetration enhancer because their water-containing void combined with their polymer-based shell can be used to induce high local skin hydration, while simultaneously aiding the transport of drugs across the skin barrier. In this study, NCs were synthesized with a void core of 100 nm in diameter, a thermoresponsive shell based on different ratios of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide) as thermoresponsive polymers, and dendritic polyglycerol as a macromolecular cross-linker. These NCs can shrink or swell upon a thermal trigger, which was used to induce the release of the entrapped water in a controlled fashion. The interactions and effects of thermoresponsive NCs on the stratum corneum of excised human skin were investigated using fluorescence microscopy, high-resolution optical microscopy, and stimulated Raman spectromicroscopy. It could be observed that the thermoresponsive NCs increase the amount of deuterated water that penetrated into the viable epidermis. Moreover, NCs increased the skin penetration of a high-molecular weight dye (Atto Oxa12 NHS ester, MW = 835 g/mol) with respect to formulations in water or 30% DMSO, emphasizing the features of the NCs as a skin penetration enhancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernesto R Osorio-Blanco
- Freie Universität Berlin, Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Takustr. 3, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Fiorenza Rancan
- Clinical Research Center for Hair and Skin Science, Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - André Klossek
- Freie Universität Berlin, Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Arnimallee 22, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan H Nissen
- Freie Universität Berlin, Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Fabeckstr. 34/36, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Luisa Hoffmann
- Clinical Research Center for Hair and Skin Science, Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Julian Bergueiro
- Freie Universität Berlin, Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Takustr. 3, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS), Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidade de Santiago de Comopostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Sebastian Riedel
- Freie Universität Berlin, Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Fabeckstr. 34/36, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Annika Vogt
- Clinical Research Center for Hair and Skin Science, Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Eckart Rühl
- Freie Universität Berlin, Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Arnimallee 22, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcelo Calderón
- Freie Universität Berlin, Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Takustr. 3, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- POLYMAT and Applied Chemistry Department, Faculty of Chemistry, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 3, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
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Dermal Delivery of the High-Molecular-Weight Drug Tacrolimus by Means of Polyglycerol-Based Nanogels. Pharmaceutics 2019; 11:pharmaceutics11080394. [PMID: 31387279 PMCID: PMC6723892 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics11080394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2019] [Revised: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Polyglycerol-based thermoresponsive nanogels (tNGs) have been shown to have excellent skin hydration properties and to be valuable delivery systems for sustained release of drugs into skin. In this study, we compared the skin penetration of tacrolimus formulated in tNGs with a commercial 0.1% tacrolimus ointment. The penetration of the drug was investigated in ex vivo abdominal and breast skin, while different methods for skin barrier disruption were investigated to improve skin permeability or simulate inflammatory conditions with compromised skin barrier. The amount of penetrated tacrolimus was measured in skin extracts by liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), whereas the inflammatory markers IL-6 and IL-8 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Higher amounts of tacrolimus penetrated in breast as compared to abdominal skin or in barrier-disrupted as compared to intact skin, confirming that the stratum corneum is the main barrier for tacrolimus skin penetration. The anti-proliferative effect of the penetrated drug was measured in skin tissue/Jurkat cells co-cultures. Interestingly, tNGs exhibited similar anti-proliferative effects as the 0.1% tacrolimus ointment. We conclude that polyglycerol-based nanogels represent an interesting alternative to paraffin-based formulations for the treatment of inflammatory skin conditions.
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