Design and evaluation of the anticancer activity of paclitaxel-loaded anisotropic-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles with PEGylated chitosan surface modifications

Classification and design strategies of polysaccharide-based nano-nutrient delivery systems for enhanced bioactivity and targeted delivery: A review

Since many nutrients are highly sensitive, they cannot be absorbed and utilized efficiently by the body. Using nano-delivery systems to encapsulate nutrients is an effective method of solving the problems associated with the application of nutrients at this stage. Polysaccharides, as natural biomaterials, have a unique chemical structure, ideal biocompatibility, biodegradability and low immunogenicity. This makes polysaccharides powerful carriers that can enhance the biological activity of nutrients. However, the true role of polysaccharide-based delivery systems requires an in-depth understanding of the structural and physicochemical characteristics of polysaccharide-based nanodelivery systems, as well as effective modulation of the intestinal delivery mechanism and the latest advances in nano-encapsulation. This review provides an overview of polysaccharide-based nano-delivery systems dependent on different carrier types, emphasizing recent advances in the application of polysaccharides, a biocomposite material designed for nutrient delivery systems. Strategies for polysaccharide-based nano-delivery systems to enhance the bioavailability of orally administered nutrients from the perspective of the intestinal absorption barrier are presented. Characterization methods for polysaccharide-based nano-delivery systems are presented as well as an explanation of the formation mechanisms behind nano-delivery systems from the perspective of molecular forces. Finally, we discussed the challenges currently facing polysaccharide-based nano-delivery systems as well as possible future directions for the future.

Febuxostat solubilization and stabilization approach using solid dispersion method: Synergistic effect of dicalcium phosphate dehydrate and chitosan

Drug solubilization studies are continuously being conducted. Febuxostat (FBX) has a low solubility in water. This study aims to develop a stable FBX-solid dispersion (SD) formulation using a solvent evaporation method. The solubilization strategy of FBX is to develope an optimal FBX-SD formulation by selecting a solubilizer and carrier through the screening method. The final selected solubilizer, macrogol 15 hydroxystearate and polyoxyl 15 hydroxystearate (Kolliphor® HS-15), is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry as a nonionic solubilizing and emulsifying agent and has low toxicity. Especially when commonly used in developing lipophilic drug formulations, it dissolves well in water and ethyl alcohol. The optimal composition ratio of the formulation (SD4) was FBX:HS-15®:granular dicalcium phosphate dehydrate (DCP-D): A synthetic magnesium aluminometasilicate (Neusilin®UFL2):chitosan = 1:3:3:1:1 (w/w) and showed 3.0-, 2.3-, and 1.1-fold higher dissolution (%) of FBX compared to that of the Feburic tab® in pH 1.2 media, distilled water (DW), and pH 6.8 buffer, respectively. Also, in vitro release and in vitro permeability in SD4 formulation showed higher than that of Feburic tab®. Based on its stability over 6 months, it was confirmed that chitosan acted as a stabilizer. Moreover, due to weak intermolecular interactions, FBX in the SD4 formulation was considered to exist in a mixed state of amorphous and crystalline FBX. In conclusion, the improved dissolution (%) and stability of FBX in SD4 formulation were secured through the synergistic effect of excipients.

Folic acid-chitosan functionalized polymeric nanocarriers to treat colon cancer

In the present study, polymeric nanoparticles loaded with IRI and quercetin, a p-gp inhibitor, were developed to target folate receptors expressed by colon cancer cells for oral targeted delivery. This work reports the development of PNPs with an entrapment efficiency of 41.26 ± 0.56 % for IRI and 55.83 ± 4.51 for QT. PNPs were further surface modified using chitosan-folic acid conjugates for better targetability to obtain folic acid-chitosan coated nanoparticles. DLS and FeSEM revealed particles in the nanometric size range with spherical morphology, while FTIR and DSC provided details on their structure and encapsulation. In vitro drug release studies confirmed a sustained release pattern of IRI and QT, while cell line studies confirmed the superiority of C-FA-PNPs when tested on Caco2 cells. Pharmacodynamic studies in colon cancer induced rats showed similar efficacy for PNPs and C-FA-PNPs. Further examination from a bio-distribution study in healthy rats, revealed the failure of C-FA-PNPs to deliver the drugs to the colon adequately, while the PNPs improved the available concentration of IRI at the colon by almost 1.8 folds when compared to the available marketed product. Hence, the developed PNP formulation sticks out as a plausible substitute for the intravenous dosage forms of IRI which have been conventionally prevailing.

Effects of Particle Geometry for PLGA-Based Nanoparticles: Preparation and In Vitro/In Vivo Evaluation

The physicochemical properties (size, shape, zeta potential, porosity, elasticity, etc.) of nanocarriers influence their biological behavior directly, which may result in alterations of the therapeutic outcome. Understanding the effect of shape on the cellular interaction and biodistribution of intravenously injected particles could have fundamental importance for the rational design of drug delivery systems. In the present study, spherical, rod and elliptical disk-shaped PLGA nanoparticles were developed for examining systematically their behavior in vitro and in vivo. An important finding is that the release of the encapsulated human serum albumin (HSA) was significantly higher in spherical particles compared to rod and elliptical disks, indicating that the shape can make a difference. Safety studies showed that the toxicity of PLGA nanoparticles is not shape dependent in the studied concentration range. This study has pioneering findings on comparing spherical, rod and elliptical disk-shaped PLGA nanoparticles in terms of particle size, particle size distribution, colloidal stability, morphology, drug encapsulation, drug release, safety of nanoparticles, cellular uptake and biodistribution. Nude mice bearing non-small cell lung cancer were treated with 3 differently shaped nanoparticles, and the accumulation of nanoparticles in tumor tissue and other organs was not statistically different (p > 0.05). It was found that PLGA nanoparticles with 1.00, 4.0 ± 0.5, 7.5 ± 0.5 aspect ratios did not differ on total tumor accumulation in non-small cell lung cancer.

Effective Cancer Management: Inimitable Role of Phytochemical Based Nano- Formulations

BACKGROUND

Global cancer statistics defines the severity of disease even after significant research worldwide.

PROBLEM

Failure of the currently available treatment approaches, including surgery, radiation therapy and traditional chemotherapy.

AIM

The aim of this review is to discuss the role of phytochemical based nano-formulations for treatment of cancer.

DISCUSSION

In the past few decades, phytochemicals have gained popularity for acting as a potential anticancer treatment with low systemic toxicity, especially in terms of cell cycle control and cancer cell killing. Natural resources, with their immense structural variety, serve as a vital source of fresh, therapeutically useful new chemical entities for the treatment of cancer. Vinca alkaloids (VCR), vinblastine, vindesine, vinorelbine, taxanes (PTX), podophyllotoxin and its derivatives (etoposide (ETP), teniposide, camptothecin (CPT) and its derivatives (topotecan, irinotecan), anthracyclines (doxorubicin, daunorubicin, epirubicin, idarubicin, as natural products or their derivatives account for half of all anticancer drugs approved worldwide, and they have been developed utilising the knowledge learned from the natural small molecules or macromolecules. Trabectedin, an epothilone derivative, ixabepilone, and temsirolimus, three new anticancer medications launched in 2007, were derived from microbial origins. Current therapy regimens require selective drug targeting to enhance efficacy against cancer cells while normal cells remain unharmed. Modified medications and systems for drug delivery based on nanotechnology are in the process of being explored and launched in the industry for enhanced therapy and management of cancer, along with promising outcomes. Many obstacles related to cancer cell drug delivery can be overcome by using nano-particulate drug carriers, including enhancing the stability and solubility of the drug, prolonging half-lives of the drug in the blood, decreasing side effects to undesired organs, and increasing medication concentration at the desired site. The scientific initiatives and studies concerning the use of nanotechnology for some selective compounds derived from plants are discussed in this review article.

CONCLUSION

The present review highlights the phytochemical-based nanoformulations and their strategies in the development of novel systems of drug delivery such as nano-liposomes, functionalized nanoparticles (NPs), and polymer nano-conjugates, SNEDDS (Self nano emulsifying drug delivery system) as this review paper depicts, as well as their rewards over conventional systems of drug delivery, as evidenced by improved biological activity depicted in their in vitro and in vivo anticancer assays.

Chitosan: A versatile bio-platform for breast cancer theranostics

Breast cancer is considered one of the utmost neoplastic diseases globally, with a high death rate of patients. Over the last decades, many approaches have been studied to early diagnose and treat it, such as chemotherapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, and MRI and biomarker tests; do not show the optimal efficacy. These existing approaches are accompanied by severe side effects, thus recognizing these challenges, a great effort has been done to find out the new remedies for breast cancer. Main finding: Nanotechnology opened a new horizon to the treatment of breast cancer. Many nanoparticulate platforms for the diagnosis of involved biomarkers and delivering antineoplastic drugs are under either clinical trials or just approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is well known that natural phytochemicals are successfully useful to treat breast cancer because these natural compounds are safer, available, cheaper, and have less toxic effects. Chitosan is a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer. Further, it has outstanding features, like chemical functional groups that can easily modify our interest with an exceptional choice of promising applications. Abundant studies were directed to assess the chitosan derivative-based nanoformulation's abilities in delivering varieties of drugs. However, the role of chitosan in diagnostics and theranostics not be obligated. The present servey will discuss the application of chitosan as an anticancer drug carrier such as tamoxifen, doxorubicin, paclitaxel, docetaxel, etc. and also, its role as a theranostics (i.e. photo-responsive and thermo-responsive) moieties. The therapeutic and theranostic potential of chitosan in cancer is promising and it seems that to have a good potential to get to the clinic.

Docetaxel-loaded PLGA nanoparticles to increase pharmacological sensitivity in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells

This study aimed to develop docetaxel (DTX) loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (DTX-NPs) and to evaluate the different pharmacological sensitivity of NPs to MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. NPs containing DTX or coumarin-6 were prepared by the nanoprecipitation method using PLGA as a polymer and d-α-tocopherol polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) as a surfactant. The physicochemical properties of NPs were characterized. In vitro anticancer effect and cellular uptake were evaluated in breast cancer cells. The particle size and zeta potential of the DTX-NPs were 160.5 ± 3.0 nm and –26.7 ± 0.46 mV, respectively. The encapsulation efficiency and drug loading were 81.3 ± 1.85% and 10.6 ± 0.24%, respectively. The in vitro release of DTX from the DTX-NPs was sustained at pH 7.4 containing 0.5% Tween 80. The viability of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells with DTX-NPs was 37.5 ± 0.5% and 30.3 ± 1.13%, respectively. The IC₅₀ values of DTX-NPs were 3.92- and 6.75-fold lower than that of DTX for MDA-MB-231 cells and MCF-7 cells, respectively. The cellular uptake of coumarin-6-loaded PLGA-NPs in MCF-7 cells was significantly higher than that in MDA-MB-231 cells. The pharmacological sensitivity in breast cancer cells was higher on MCF-7 cells than on MDA-MB-231 cells. In conclusion, we successfully developed DTX-NPs that showed a great potential for the controlled release of DTX. DTX-NPs are an effective formulation for improving anticancer effect in breast cancer cells.

Development of a naftopidil-chitosan-based fumaric acid solid dispersion to improve the dissolution rate and stability of naftopidil

Naftopidil (NAF), an α₁-adrenoceptor antagonist, is administered as a treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia; however, according to the Biopharmaceutical Classification System (BCS IV), it is a poorly-soluble drug that exhibits poor permeability. We aimed to increase the dissolution (%) of NAF by adding chitosan to a polymer-free formulation. Compared to the formulation prepared using Flivas®, at 60 min, the solid dispersion (SD) formulation containing NAF, fumaric acid, chitosan, and US2® in a 1:1:2:1 weight ratio improved the dissolution (%) of NAF in distilled water, pH 1.2 media, pH 4.0 and pH 6.8 buffers by 27.2-, 1.2-, 1.1- and 6.5-fold, respectively. The physicochemical properties of the SD1 formulation were also found to be altered, including its thermal properties, crystal intensity, and chemical interaction. As a result, the hydrogen bonding that occurs between NAF and fumaric acid was identified as a major factor in the increase in NAF dissolution (%). Further, chitosan was observed to contribute to the stability of NAF and SD1, which was assessed over a 3-month period. To our knowledge, this is the first study to employ a polymer-free system to improve the solubilization of NAF.

Solubilization of tadalafil using a tartaric acid and chitosan-based multi-system

Solubilization studies of tadalafil (TDF) have recently improved the dissolution (%) using weak acids and bases in our group. However, the weak acid formulations have a low dissolution (%) of TDF as limitation. Thus, the purpose of this study was to improve the dissolution (%) of TDF over 90% in distilled water (DW) by weak acid-chitosan based multi-system. The SD formulation (SD11: TDF, tartaric acid, chitosan, Aerosil®200, and PVP/VA S-630 in a 1:2:1:1:2 weight ratio) showed higher dissolution (%) of TDF by 5.0-, 6.0-, and 5.8-fold at 60 min than that of Cialis® in DW and pH 1.2 and pH 6.8 buffers, respectively. The physical properties of the SD11 formulation were changed. Moreover, the SD11 formulation maintained stability for 3 months. In conclusion, the solubilization of TDF using chitosan was successfully performed for the first time.