In vitro and in vivo evaluation of novel interpenetrated polymer network microparticles containing repaglinide

Enhancing the Properties of Self-Healing Gelatin Alginate Hydrogels by Hofmeister Mediated Electrostatic Effect

The cross-linker-free hydrogels have gained attention due to their lack of need for chemically modified polymers, resulting in better biocompatibility. The hydrogel properties can be enhanced by altering physical forces such as electrostatics and H-bonds. Tuning the physical interactions between polymers, salts, and plasticisers can unlock new horizons in material properties. This article examines four different salts and mixtures to determine their impact on gelatin-alginate biomaterial design. Drug release, swelling, and rheological properties are represented using a 3-D plot, and optimum samples are identified. It is concluded that kosmotropes yield better release and swelling results than chaotropes. The physical interactions of these salts with polymers are explained using DLS and FTIR/ATR studies, and these findings are corroborated with release, swelling, and rheological analyses. Another aspect of the biomaterial, self-healing property, is also considered. A 3-D plot is prepared using release kinetics, gel strength, and recovery percentage (three important factors for self-healing hydrogels). Chaotropes are identified as better candidates for self-healing behaviour. However, when considering gel strength, release, and self-healing, kosmotropes are favourable. Hence, different salts can be selected based on the desired application for hydrogels. It is also concluded that electrostatic forces hinder the formation of H-bonds between polymer chains.

Sodium alginate-based drug delivery for diabetes management: A review

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is among the biggest global health problems of the 21st century, which is characterised by insufficient insulin secretion and results in the augmentation of blood sugar levels. The current foundation of hyperglycemia therapy is oral antihyperglycemic medications like biguanides, sulphonylureas, α-glucosidase inhibitors, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) agonists, sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors and others. Many naturally occurring substances have shown promise in treating hyperglycemia. Inadequate prologitivity of action, restricted bioavailability, site specificity, and dose-related side effects are some problems with currently available anti-diabetic medications. Sodium alginate has shown promise as a drug delivery mechanism, potentially solving issues with current therapies for several substances. This review summarizes the research on the efficacy of drug delivery systems based on alginate for transporting oral hypoglycemic medicines, phytochemicals, and insulin for treating hyperglycemia.

A comprehensive review on the COVID-19 vaccine and drug delivery applications of interpenetrating polymer networks

An interpenetrating polymer network (IPNs) is a concoction of two or more polymers (natural, synthetic, and/or a combination of both) in which at least one polymer is synthesized or crosslinked in the intimate presence of the other. These three-dimensional networked systems have gained prominence in a series of biomedical applications, especially in the last two decades. The last decades witnessed a surge in the meaningful applications of interpenetrating polymer networks, especially in drug delivery as simple IPN systems advanced and resulted in the formation of highly efficient microspheres, nanoparticles, nanogels, and hydrogels, intelligent enough to sense and respond to changes in external stimuli such as temperature, pH, and ionic strength. The structure of the polymers, crosslinking agents, crosslinking density, and polymerization method play an integral role in determining the properties and application of IPNs in drug delivery. This review article is a modest effort to highlight the importance and applications of different types of interpenetrating polymer networks for the sustained, site-specific drug delivery of various therapeutic formulations, as witnessed in scientific research literature over the past 22 years (2000-2022). A special section of the manuscript is devoted to studying the efficacy of network polymers in vaccine delivery and highlighting the future scope (if any) of incorporating the IPN system in COVID-related vaccine/drug delivery. Four key focus areas in this review article [1, 2].

Alginate: Enhancement Strategies for Advanced Applications

Alginate is an excellent biodegradable and renewable material that is already used for a broad range of industrial applications, including advanced fields, such as biomedicine and bioengineering, due to its excellent biodegradable and biocompatible properties. This biopolymer can be produced from brown algae or a microorganism culture. This review presents the principles, chemical structures, gelation properties, chemical interactions, production, sterilization, purification, types, and alginate-based hydrogels developed so far. We present all of the advanced strategies used to remarkably enhance this biopolymer's physicochemical and biological characteristics in various forms, such as injectable gels, fibers, films, hydrogels, and scaffolds. Thus, we present here all of the material engineering enhancement approaches achieved so far in this biopolymer in terms of mechanical reinforcement, thermal and electrical performance, wettability, water sorption and diffusion, antimicrobial activity, in vivo and in vitro biological behavior, including toxicity, cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation, immunological response, biodegradation, porosity, and its use as scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. These improvements to overcome the drawbacks of the alginate biopolymer could exponentially increase the significant number of alginate applications that go from the paper industry to the bioprinting of organs.

Current update on psyllium and alginate incorporate for interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) and their biomedical applications

Natural polysaccharides and their designed structures are extremely valuable due to their intrinsic pharmacological properties and are also used as pharmaceutical aids. These naturally occurring polysaccharides (e.g., psyllium and alginate) are gaining popularity for their use in the preparation of interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) materials with improved swelling ability, biodegradability, stability, non-cytotoxic, biocompatibility, and cost-effectiveness. IPN is prepared sequentially or simultaneously by microwave irradiation, casting evaporation, emulsification cross-linking, miniemulsion/inverse miniemulsion technique, and radiation polymerization methods. In addition, the prepared IPNs have has been extensively characterized using various analytical and imaging techniques before sustainable deployment for multiple applications. Regardless of these multi-characteristic attributes, the current literature lacks a detailed overview of the biomedical aspects of psyllium, alginate, and their engineered IPN structures. Herein, we highlight the unique synthesis, structural, and biomedical considerations of psyllium, alginate, and engineered IPN structures. In this review, a wide range of biomedical applications, such as role as a drug carrier for sustain delivery, wound dressing, tissue engineering, and related miscellaneous application of psyllium, alginate, and their IPN structures described with appropriate examples. Further research will be carried out for the development of IPN using psyllium and alginate, which will be a smart and active carrier for drugs used in the treatment of life-threatening diseases due to their inherent pharmacological potential such as hypoglycemic, immunomodulatory, antineoplastic, and antimicrobial.

Phospholipid complex enriched micelles: A novel drug delivery approach for promoting the antidiabetic effect of repaglinide

To enhance the oral antidiabetic effect of repaglinide (RG), a newly emerging approach, based on the combination of phospholipid complexation and micelle techniques, was employed. Repaglinide-phospholipid complex (RG-PLC) was prepared by the solvent-evaporation method then characterized using Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray powder diffraction (XPRD). The results revealed obvious disappearance of the characteristic peaks of the prepared RG-PLCs confirming the formation of drug-phospholipid complex. RG-PLC enriched micelles (RG-PLC-Ms) were prepared by the solvent-evaporation technique employing poloxamer 188 as surfactant. The prepared RG-PLC-Ms showed high drug encapsulation efficiencies (93.81-99.38%), with nanometric particle diameters (500.61-665.32nm) of monodisperse distribution and high stability (Zeta potential < -29.8mV). The in vitro release of RG from RG-PLC-Ms was pH-dependant according to the release media. A higher release pattern was reported in pH=1.2 compared to a more retarded release in pH=6.8 owing to two different kinetics of drug release. Oral antidiabetic effect of two optimized RG-PLC-M formulations was evaluated in an alloxan-induced diabetic rat model for 7-day treatment protocol. The two investigated formulations depicted normal blood glucose, serum malondialdehyde and insulin levels as well as an improved lipid profile, at the end of daily oral treatment, in contrast to RG marketed tablets implying enhanced antidiabetic effect of the drug. Hence, phospholipid-complex enriched micelles approach holds a promising potential for promoting the antidiabetic effect of RG.

In vitro and in vivo assessment of novel pH-sensitive interpenetrating polymer networks of a graft copolymer for gastro-protective delivery of ketoprofen

Novel pH-sensitive IPN microbeads exhibited drug release in response to changing pH and reduced side effects of ketoprofenin vivo.

Mucoadhesive-floating zinc-pectinate-sterculia gum interpenetrating polymer network beads encapsulating ziprasidone HCl

A novel dual crosslinked low-methoxyl (LM) pectinate-sterculia gum (SG) interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) beads was developed for intragastric ziprasidone delivery. The IPN beads were accomplished by simultaneous ionotropic gelation with zinc acetate and covalent crosslinking with glutaraldehyde. The effects of pectin and SG contents on drug entrapment efficiency (DEE, %), and cumulative drug release after 8h (Q8, %) were studied to optimize the IPN beads using a 3(2) factorial design. The optimized beads encapsulating ziprasidone HCl (F-O) displayed DEE of 87.98±1.15% and Q8 of 58.81±1.50% with excellent buoyancy (floating lag time <2min, % buoyancy at 8h >63%) and good mucoadhesivity with the goat gastric mucosa. In most cases, the drug release behaviour obeyed Higuchi kinetics with anomalous transport mechanism. The Zn-pectinate-SG IPN beads were also characterized by SEM, FTIR, DSC and P-XRD analyses.