Bioadhesive poly(methyl vinyl ether-co-maleic anhydride)-TPGS copolymer modified PLGA/lipid hybrid nanoparticles for improving intestinal absorption of cabazitaxel

Lipid polymer hybrid nanoparticles: a custom-tailored next-generation approach for cancer therapeutics

Lipid-based polymeric nanoparticles are the highly popular carrier systems for cancer drug therapy. But presently, detailed investigations have revealed their flaws as drug delivery carriers. Lipid polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LPHNPs) are advanced core-shell nanoconstructs with a polymeric core region enclosed by a lipidic layer, presumed to be derived from both liposomes and polymeric nanounits. This unique concept is of utmost importance as a combinable drug delivery platform in oncology due to its dual structured character. To add advantage and restrict one's limitation by other, LPHNPs have been designed so to gain number of advantages such as stability, high loading of cargo, increased biocompatibility, rate-limiting controlled release, and elevated drug half-lives as well as therapeutic effectiveness while minimizing their drawbacks. The outer shell, in particular, can be functionalized in a variety of ways with stimuli-responsive moieties and ligands to provide intelligent holding and for active targeting of antineoplastic medicines, transport of genes, and theragnostic. This review comprehensively provides insight into recent substantial advancements in developing strategies for treating various cancer using LPHNPs. The bioactivity assessment factors have also been highlighted with a discussion of LPHNPs future clinical prospects.

Designing a novel poly (methyl vinyl ether maleic anhydride) based polymeric membrane with enhanced antifouling performance for removal of pentachlorophenol from aqueous solution

In this current study, poly (methyl vinyl ether maleic anhydride) (PMVEAMA), a sustainable additive, was incorporated into poly (ether-ether sulfone) (PEES) polymer to design a novel polymeric hybrid membrane for the efficient filtration of toxic pentachlorophenol (PCP) from an aqueous medium. Hydrophilic additives significantly altered the membrane's morphology, structure, porosity, water content, and flux performance compared to the bare PEES membrane. The influence of PMVEAMA on the structural modification of the synthesized polymer membrane was confirmed by SEM, ATR-FTIR, XRD, AFM, zeta potential and contact angle. Findings revealed that the addition of PMVEAMA to the PEES polymer enhances the porosity (17.7%-28.9%), water content (29.8%-39.8%), and pure water flux (186 Lm^-2h^-1 to 349 Lm^-2h^-1). The effect of PMVEAMA concentration on the PEES membrane exhibited more finger like pores, better porosity and hydrophilicity, reduced surface roughness, fouling and increased permeability. The fouling studies exhibit an improved 57% PCP rejection and permeation flux of 22.3 Lm^-2h^-1 due to the addition of the hydrophilic additive. Surprisingly, the incorporation of PMVEAMA into the bare PEES membrane resulted in a high flux recovery ratio of 73.7%. The antifouling properties and enhanced permeability of the PEES/PMVEAMA membrane indicates its potential application in water purification sectors for the efficient separation of contaminants.

Current development of cabazitaxel drug delivery systems

The second-generation taxane cabazitaxel has been clinically approved for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer after docetaxel failure. Compared with the first-generation taxanes paclitaxel and docetaxel, cabazitaxel has potent anticancer activity and is less prone to drug resistance due to its lower affinity for the P-gp efflux pump. The relatively high hydrophobicity of cabazitaxel and the poor aqueous colloidal stability of the commercial formulation, following its preparation for injection, presents opportunities for new cabazitaxel formulations with improved features. This review provides an overview of cabazitaxel drug formulations and hydrophobic taxane drug delivery systems in general, and particularly focuses on emerging cabazitaxel delivery systems discovered in the past 5 years. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies.

Design as strategy for evaluation of the mechanical properties of binary mixtures composed of poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic anhydride) and Pluronic F127 for biomedical applications

The synergism between thermoresponsive and bioadhesive polymers can lead to the optimization of materials with enhanced mechanical and bioadhesive properties. Quality by Design can assure the understanding and control of formulation variables. In this approach, Design of Experiment has been widely utilized as an important strategy. Poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic anhydride) (PVMMA) is a bioadhesive polymer and Pluronic F127 (PF127) shows thermoresponsiveness. The association of these two polymers has been poorly investigated. The aim of this work was to study the mechanical, bioadhesive and rheological properties of polymer mixtures composed of PVMMA and PF127, in order to select the best conditions and formulations for biomedical applications. Textural properties (hardness, compressibility, adhesiveness, cohesiveness and elasticity), softness index, bioadhesion and rheological characteristics (flow and viscoelasticity) showed that 17.5-20% (w/w) PF127-polymer mixtures displayed improved values of the parameters. However, the rheological interaction parameter showed low synergism, due to the polymers' characteristics and system organization. The formulations displayed gelation temperatures suitable for administration, with improved bioadhesive properties mainly at 34 °C and suggests the formulations can be used for biomedical applications. DoE constituted an important tool to investigate these systems showing the main effects that significantly influence the binary mixtures.

Harnessing Lipid Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles for Enhanced Oral Bioavailability of Thymoquinone: In Vitro and In Vivo Assessments

The clinical application of phytochemicals such as thymoquinone (THQ) is restricted due to their limited aqueous solubility and oral bioavailability. Developing mucoadhesive nanocarriers to deliver these natural compounds might provide new hope to enhance their oral bioavailability. Herein, this investigation aimed to develop THQ-loaded lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (THQ-LPHNPs) based on natural polymer chitosan. THQ-LPHNPs were fabricated by the nanoprecipitation technique and optimized by the 3-factor 3-level Box−Behnken design. The optimized LPHNPs represented excellent properties for ideal THQ delivery for oral administration. The optimized THQ-LPHNPs revealed the particles size (PS), polydispersity index (PDI), entrapment efficiency (%EE), and zeta potential (ZP) of <200 nm, <0.25, >85%, and >25 mV, respectively. THQ-LPHNPs represented excellent stability in the gastrointestinal milieu and storage stability in different environmental conditions. THQ-LPHNPs represented almost similar release profiles in both gastric as well as intestinal media with the initial fast release for 4 h and after that a sustained release up to 48 h. Further, the optimized THQ-LPHNPs represent excellent mucin binding efficiency (>70%). Cytotoxicity study revealed much better anti-breast cancer activity of THQ-LPHNPs compared with free THQ against MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Moreover, ex vivo experiments revealed more than three times higher permeation from the intestine after THQ-LPHNPs administration compared to the conventional THQ suspension. Furthermore, the THQ-LPHNPs showed 4.74-fold enhanced bioavailability after oral administration in comparison with the conventional THQ suspension. Therefore, from the above outcomes, mucoadhesive LPHNPs might be suitable nano-scale carriers for enhanced oral bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy of highly lipophilic phytochemicals such as THQ.

Poly (maleic anhydride-alt-1-octadecene)-based bioadhesive nanovehicles improve oral bioavailability of poor water-soluble gefitinib

The poor water solubility and inadequate oral bioavailability of gefitinib (Gef) remains a critical issue to achieve the therapeutic outcomes. Herein, we designed a poly (maleic anhydride-alt-1-octadecene) (PMA/C18) based lipid nanovehicle (PLN) to improve the intestinal absorption and oral bioavailability of poorly water-soluble Gef. PLN was nanometer-sized particles, and Gef was dispersed in the PLN formulation as amorphous or molecular state. At 4 h of oral administration, the tissue concentration of Gef in duodenum, jejunum and ileum was profoundly enhanced 3.37-, 8.94- and 8.09-fold by PLN when comparing to the counterpart lipid nanovehicle. Moreover, the oral bioavailability of Gef was significantly enhanced 2.48-fold by the PLN formulation when comparing to the free drug suspension. Therefore, this study provides an encouraging bioadhesive delivery platform to improve the oral delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs.