Preparation and characterization of Berberine Hydrochloride and Trimethoprim Chitosan/ SBE7-β-CD microspheres

Enhanced oral delivery of hesperidin-loaded sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin/chitosan nanoparticles for augmenting its hypoglycemic activity: in vitro-in vivo assessment study

Hesperidin (Hsd), a bioactive phytomedicine, experienced an antidiabetic activity versus both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes mellitus. However, its intrinsic poor solubility and bioavailability is a key challenging obstacle reflecting its oral delivery. From such perspective, the purpose of the current study was to prepare and evaluate Hsd-loaded sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin/chitosan nanoparticles (Hsd/CD/CS NPs) for improving the hypoglycemic activity of the orally administered Hsd. Hsd was first complexed with sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD) and the complex (CX) was found to be formed with percent complexation efficiency and percent process efficiency of 50.53 ± 1.46 and 84.52 ± 3.16%, respectively. Also, solid state characterization of the complex ensured the inclusion of Hsd inside the cavity of SBE-β-CD. Then, Hsd/CD/CS NPs were prepared using the ionic gelation technique. The prepared NPs were fully characterized to select the most promising one (F1) with a homogenous particle size of 455.7 ± 9.04 nm, a positive zeta potential of + 32.28 ± 1.12 mV, and an entrapment efficiency of 77.46 ± 0.39%. The optimal formula (F1) was subjected to further investigation of in vitro release, ex vivo intestinal permeation, stability, cytotoxicity, and in vivo hypoglycemic activity. The results of the release and permeation studies of F1 manifested a modulated pattern between Hsd and CX. The preferential stability of F1 was observed at 4 ± 1 °C. Also, the biocompatibility of F1 with oral epithelial cell line (OEC) was retained up to a concentration of 100 µg/mL. After oral administration of F1, a noteworthy synergistic hypoglycemic effect was recorded with decreased blood glucose level until the end of the experiment. In conclusion, Hsd/CD/CS NPs could be regarded as a hopeful oral delivery system of Hsd with enhanced antidiabetic activity.

An electrostatic self-assembly approach to prepare tebuconazole nanoparticles with improved sustained release and enhanced antifungal activity

Compared with the traditional pesticides, the nanopesticides (NPs) exhibit better sustained release performance, higher utilization efficiency and reduction of environmental pollution. In this study, the antifungal tebuconazole (TEB) loaded nanoparticles (TEB NPs) were prepared by electrostatic self-assembly of the positively charged poly dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride (PDADMAC) and sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin (SCD) inclusion complex (TEB-SCD) with negative charge. The water solubility and thermal stability of TEB were significantly improved after forming the inclusion complex. The blank NPs and TEB NPs were both characterized by particle size, zeta potential, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), sustained release and antifungal activity. The average particle size of the TEB NPs were 411.75 ± 61.65 nm, and the polydispersity index (PDI) showed low values (< 0.3). The TEB NPs were stable for at least 28 days at 25 °C. Compared with pure TEB, TEB NPs showed the sustained release properties. In addition, TEB NPs exhibited better antifungal activity than TEB industrial concentrate (TC, 98%) and commercially available TEB suspension concentrate (SC) with the 96.33 ± 13.52% antifungal rate of fusarium graminearum. The results indicated that the TEB NPs can improve the antifungal activity and reduce environmental pollution.

A review of the berberine natural polysaccharide nanostructures as potential anticancer and antibacterial agents

Despite the promising medicinal properties, berberine (BBR), due to its relatively poor solubility in plasma, low bio-stability and limited bioavailability is not used broadly in clinical stages. Due to these drawbacks, drug delivery systems (DDSs) based on nanoscale natural polysaccharides, are applied to address these concerns. Natural polymers are biodegradable, non-immunogenic, biocompatible, and non-toxic agents that are capable of trapping large amounts of hydrophobic compounds in relatively small volumes. The use of nanoscale natural polysaccharide improves the stability and pharmacokinetics of the small molecules and, consequently, increases the therapeutic effects and reduces the side effects of the small molecules. Therefore, this paper presents an overview of the different methods used for increasing the BBR solubility and bioavailability. Afterwards, the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic of BBR nanostructures were discussed followed by the introduction of natural polysaccharides of plant (cyclodextrines, glucomannan), the shells of crustaceans (chitosan), and the cell wall of brown marine algae (alginate)-based origins used to improve the dissolution rate of poorly soluble BBR and their anticancer and antibacterial properties. Finally, the anticancer and antibacterial mechanisms of free BBR and BBR nanostructures were surveyed. In conclusion, this review may pave the way for providing some useful data in the development of BBR-based platforms for clinical applications.

Exploration of yellow-emitting phosphors for white LEDs from natural resources

White light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are widely used in various lighting fields as a part of energy-efficient technology. However, some shortcomings of luminescent materials for white LEDs, such as complexity of synthesis, high cost, and harmful impact on the environment, limit their practical applications to a large extent. In this respect, the present work aims to study the ability of using Berberine (BBR) chloride extracted from Rhizoma coptidis and Phellodendron Chinese herbs as yellow phosphor for white LEDs. For this, white LEDs were successfully fabricated by applying 0.006 g of BBR chloride onto the blue LED chips (450 nm). The produced LEDs exhibited good luminescence properties at a voltage of 2.4 V along with eco-friendly characteristics and low cost. The Commission International de l'Eclairage chromaticity, the correlated color temperature, and the color rendering index were determined to be (${x} = {0.32}$, ${y} = {0.33}$), 5934 K, and 74, respectively. Therefore, BBR chloride is a suitable environmentally friendly and easily accessible yellow phosphor for white LEDs.