The use of polymer blends to improve stability and performance of electrospun solid dispersions: The role of miscibility and phase separation

Berberine-loaded polylactic acid nanofiber scaffold as a drug delivery system: The relationship between chemical characteristics, drug-release behavior, and antibacterial efficiency

Hydrophobic berberine powder (BBR) and hydrophilic BBR nanoparticles (BBR NPs) were loaded into an electrospun polylactic acid (PLA) nanofiber scaffold for modulating the release behavior of BBR in an aqueous medium. The BBR release from the BBR/PLA and BBR NPs/PLA nanofiber scaffolds was investigated in relation to their chemical characteristics, BBR dispersion into nanofibers, and wettability. The BBR release profiles strongly influenced the antibacterial efficiency of the scaffolds over time. When the BBR was loaded, the BBR/PLA nanofiber scaffold exhibited an extremely hydrophobic feature, causing a triphasic release profile in which only 9.8 wt % of the loaded BBR was released in the first 24 h. This resulted in a negligible inhibitory effect against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Meanwhile, the BBR NPs/PLA nanofiber scaffold had more wettability and higher concentration of BBR NPs dispersed on the surface of PLA nanofibers. This led to a sustained release of 75 wt % of the loaded BBR during the first 24 h, and consequently boosted the antibacterial effectiveness. Moreover, the cytotoxicity test revealed that the BBR NPs/PLA nanofiber scaffold did not induce any changes in morphology and proliferation of MA-104 cell monolayers. It suggests that the BBR/PLA and BBR NPs/PLA nanofiber scaffolds can be used in different biomedical applications, such as wound dressing, drug delivery systems, and tissue engineering, according to the requirement of BBR concentration for the desired therapeutic effects.

Design and optimization of pH-sensitive Eudragit nanoparticles for improved oral delivery of triclabendazole

Design of Experiments (DoE) techniques were used to identify and optimize the parameters involved in the formulation of triclabendazole pH-sensitive Eudragit® nanoparticles (NPs). Using a Placket Burmann design, Eudragit® E, Eudragit® RS, and two stabilizers (PVP and PVA) were evaluated for NPs formulation by nanoprecipitation. Based on the screening results, Eudragit E 100® and PVP were selected as excipients, and their levels were studied and optimized using a central composite design, obtaining an optimum nanoparticulated system with a Size of 240 nm, a PDI of 0.420, and a ZP of 46.3 mV. Finally, a full characterization of the optimum system was carried out by XRD, DSC, equilibrium solubility, and dissolution rate in biorelevant mediums. As observed in XRD and DSC, the nanoencapsulation process produced a remarkable reduction in drug crystallinity that improved drug solubility and dissolution rate. Although more than 90% of TCBZ was dissolved in acidic mediums at 10 minutes, no increase in solubility or dissolution rate was observed in simulated saliva. Consequently, the development of pH-sensitive Eudragit® NPs would be a promising strategy in developing an immediate gastric release TCBZ formulation for oral delivery.

Development of fast-dissolving dosage forms of curcuminoids by electrospinning for potential tumor therapy application

Curcuminoids (CUs) of antitumor and various other potential biological activities have extremely low water solubility therefore special formulation was elaborated. New fast dissolving reconstitution dosage forms of four CUs were prepared as fibrous form of 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextin (HP-β-CD). In the electrospinning process HP-β-CD could act both as solubilizer and fiber-forming agent. The solubilization efficiency of the CU-HP-β-CD systems was determined with phase-solubility measurements. The electrospun CUs were amorphous and uniformly distributed in the fibers according to XRD analysis and Raman mappings. The fibrous final products had fast (<5 min) and complete dissolution. In typical iv. infusion reconstitution volume (20 mL) fibers containing 40-80 mg of CU could be dissolved, which is similar to the currently proposed dose (<120 mg/m²). The in vitro cytostatic effect data showed that the antitumor activity of the CU-HP-β-CD complexes was similar or better compared to the free APIs.

Eudragit®: A Versatile Family of Polymers for Hot Melt Extrusion and 3D Printing Processes in Pharmaceutics

Eudragit® polymers are polymethacrylates highly used in pharmaceutics for the development of modified drug delivery systems. They are widely known due to their versatility with regards to chemical composition, solubility, and swelling properties. Moreover, Eudragit polymers are thermoplastic, and their use has been boosted in some production processes, such as hot melt extrusion (HME) and fused deposition modelling 3D printing, among other 3D printing techniques. Therefore, this review covers the studies using Eudragit polymers in the development of drug delivery systems produced by HME and 3D printing techniques over the last 10 years. Eudragit E has been the most used among them, mostly to formulate immediate release systems or as a taste-masker agent. On the other hand, Eudragit RS and Eudragit L100-55 have mainly been used to produce controlled and delayed release systems, respectively. The use of Eudragit polymers in these processes has frequently been devoted to producing solid dispersions and/or to prepare filaments to be 3D printed in different dosage forms. In this review, we highlight the countless possibilities offered by Eudragit polymers in HME and 3D printing, whether alone or in blends, discussing their prominence in the development of innovative modified drug release systems.