Drug nanoparticles by emulsion-freeze-drying via the employment of branched block copolymer nanoparticles

Nanosuspensions technology as a master key for nature products drug delivery and In vivo fate

The drug nanosuspensions is a universal formulation approach for improved drug delivery of hydrophobic drugs and one the most promising approaches for increasing the biopharmaceutical performance of poorly water-soluble drug substances, especially for nature products. This review aimed to summarize the nanosuspensions preparation approaches and the main technological difficulties encountered in nanosuspensions development, such as guidelines for stabilizers screening, in vivo fate of the intravenously administrated nanosuspensions, and how to realize the intravenously target delivery was reviewed. Furthermore, challenges of nanosuspensions for the nature products delivery also was discussed and commented. Therefore, it hoped to provide reference and assistance for the nanosuspensions production, stabilizers usage, and predictability of in vivo fate and controllability of targeting delivery of the nature products nanosuspensions.

Fundamentals and Design-Led Synthesis of Emulsion-Templated Porous Materials for Environmental Applications

Emulsion templating is at the forefront of producing a wide array of porous materials that offers interconnected porous structure, easy permeability, homogeneous flow-through, high diffusion rates, convective mass transfer, and direct accessibility to interact with atoms/ions/molecules throughout the exterior and interior of the bulk. These interesting features together with easily available ingredients, facile preparation methods, flexible pore-size tuning protocols, controlled surface modification strategies, good physicochemical and dimensional stability, lightweight, convenient processing and subsequent recovery, superior pollutants remediation/monitoring performance, and decent recyclability underscore the benchmark potential of the emulsion-templated porous materials in large-scale practical environmental applications. To this end, many research breakthroughs in emulsion templating technique witnessed by the recent achievements have been widely unfolded and currently being extensively explored to address many of the environmental challenges. Taking into account the burgeoning progress of the emulsion-templated porous materials in the environmental field, this review article provides a conceptual overview of emulsions and emulsion templating technique, sums up the general procedures to design and fabricate many state-of-the-art emulsion-templated porous materials, and presents a critical overview of their marked momentum in adsorption, separation, disinfection, catalysis/degradation, capture, and sensing of the inorganic, organic and biological contaminants in water and air.

Pure paclitaxel nanoparticles: preparation, characterization, and antitumor effect for human liver cancer SMMC-7721 cells

Introduction

Pure paclitaxel nanoparticles (PPN), consisting entirely of drug molecules, were prepared by the electrostatic spraying method as promising candidates for antitumor application. Compared with the traditional preparation method, the advantage of the electrostatic spraying method included high production rates, relatively small particle sizes, and ease of preparation.

Materials and methods

Paclitaxel was used to prepared PPN by electrostatic spray. The electrostatic spray device included a constant speed pump with a syringe, a high-voltage power supply, and a metal foil receiver was used to prepare and evaluate PPN. The syringe drew off a certain amount of paclitaxel chloroform solution (150 μg/mL) and was placed on the constant speed injection pump. The dissolution behavior of PPN was evaluated by dissolution test and the presence of paclitaxel in PPN was detected by X-Ray powder diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. Effect of PPN on SMMC-7721 cells were studied by cell uptake, cell apoptosis and antitumor study.

Results

The results of X-ray powder diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry characterization showed that the PPN were in an amorphous state. A dissolution study indicated that PPN have a significantly enhanced dissolution rate of paclitaxel. Moreover, SMMC-7721 tumor cells treated with PPN exhibited a distinctly high uptake rate that promoted cell apoptosis. An in vivo antitumor study demonstrated that PPN had significant antitumor efficacy.

Conclusion

All conclusions verified that electrostatic spraying is a potential technology for developing PPN, and PPN can be regarded as a promising treatment for cancer.

Development of Andrographolide-Carboxymethyl Chitosan Nanoparticles: Characterization, in vitro Release and in vivo Antimalarial Activity Study

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of andrographolide-carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles formation on the physical characteristics, in vitro release profile and in vivo antimalarial activity of andrographolide.

Materials and Methods

Nanoparticles were prepared by ionic gelation method-spray drying using CaCl₂ as the crosslinker with a composition of drug: polymer: CaCl₂=40: 250: 100. The obtained particles were evaluated for its size and morphology; physical state, drug content, in vitro drug release and in vivo antimalarial activity on Plasmodium berghei infected mice.

Results

The results of DTA and XRD showed that nanoparticle systems had a lower melting point and lower crystallinity degree. The drug dissolved from the nanoparticles was increased up to 6.5 times and the in vivo antimalarial activity was 1.65 times higher compared to andrographolide.

Conclusion

The formation andrographolide-carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles affected the physical characte-ristics of andrographolide. The decrease crystallinity of andrographolide resulted in a lower melting point of andrographolide. Such changes provided a positive impact to the drug dissolution and then its activity.

Unimolecular branched block copolymer nanoparticles in methanol for the preparation of poorly water-soluble drug nanoparticles

Unimolecular branched polymer nanoparticles are formed in methanol via a simple thermal annealing process, which can be used to produce aqueous drug nanoparticle suspensions.

A new paradigm on the chemical potentials of components in multi-component nano-phases within multi-phase systems

A new paradigm is offered claiming that the thermodynamic nano-effect in multi-component and multiphase systems is proportional to the increased surface areas of the phases and not to their increased curvatures (as the Kelvin paradigm claims).

Tailored mesoporous silica nanosystem with enhanced permeability of the blood-brain barrier to antagonize glioblastoma

Cancer-targeted drug delivery systems with permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) have become of great interest for the rational design of high-efficiency anticancer agents. Herein, a tailored mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) nanosystem modified by RGD (arginine-glycine-aspartate) peptide was designed and tested for use as a carrier of anticancer agents, by using a novel organic selenium compound BSeC as a model molecule. As expected, the nanosystem (BSeC@MSNs-RGD) could effectively enhance the BBB permeability and the cellular uptake of BSeC in tumor cells. The internalized BSeC@MSNs-RGD triggered mitochondrial dysfunction and intracellular ROS overproduction, which subsequently activated the p53 and MAPKs pathways. Moreover, the nanosystem could inhibit the U87 tumor spheroids growth, significantly prolong the blood circulation time of the loaded drug in vivo and effectively reduce its in vivo toxicity. Taken together, this study provides a strategy for the rational design of a tailored nanomedicine with enhanced BBB permeability to treat human brain glioma.

Macroporous Polymers with Aligned Microporous Walls from Pickering High Internal Phase Emulsions

A novel class of macroporous polymers, open macroporous polymers with aligned microporous void walls, were prepared by combining particle-stabilized high internal phase emulsion (Pickering HIPE) and unidirectional freezing technique. These Pickering HIPEs were prepared by utilizing poly(urethane urea)/(vinyl ester resin) nanoparticles as the sole stabilizer, and this nanoparticles also acted as building blocks for the resulting macroporous polymers. Moreover, the morphology and compression modulus of the resulting porous materials could be tuned easily. This means now Pickering-HIPE templated open-cell foams can be prepared, and this route was normally achieved with surfactant and/or chemical reaction involved.