Nanostructured lipidic carriers of lopinavir for effective management of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder

Comprehensive insights into herbal P-glycoprotein inhibitors and nanoformulations for improving anti-retroviral therapy efficacy

The worldwide HIV cases were 39.0 million (33.1-45.7 million) in 2022. Due to genetic variations, HIV-1 is more easily transmitted than HIV-2 and favours CD4 + T cells and macrophages, producing AIDS. Conventional HIV drug therapy has many drawbacks, including adherence issues leading to resistance, side effects that lower life quality, drug interactions, high costs limiting global access, inability to eliminate viral reservoirs, chronicity requiring lifelong treatment, emerging toxicities, and a focus on managing infections. Conventional dosage forms have bioavailability issues due to intestinal P-glycoprotein (P-gp) efflux, which can reduce anti-retroviral drug efficacy and lead to resistance. Use of phyto-constituents with P-gp regulating actions has great benefits for semi-synthetic modification to create formulations with greater bioavailability and reduced toxicity, which improves drug effectiveness. Lipid-based nanocarriers, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, polymer-based nanocarriers, and inorganic nanoparticles may inhibit P-gp efflux. Employing potent P-gp inhibitors within nanocarriers as a Trojan horse approach can enhance the intracellular accumulation of anti-retroviral drugs (ARDs), which are substrates for efflux transporters. This technique increases oral bioavailability and offers lower-dose options, boosting HIV patient compliance and lowering costs. Molecular docking of the inhibitor with P-gp may anticipate optimum binding and function, allowing drug efflux to be minimised.

Development of Lipid Polymer Hybrid Drug Delivery Systems Prepared by Hot-Melt Extrusion

This study sought to develop polymer-lipid hybrid solid dispersions containing the poorly soluble drug lopinavir (LPV) by hot-melt extrusion (HME). Hence, the lipid and polymeric adjuvants were selected based on miscibility and compatibility studies. Film casting was used to assess the miscibility, whereas thermal, spectroscopic, and chromatographic analyses were employed to evaluate drug-excipient compatibility. Extrudates were obtained and characterized by physicochemical tests, including in vitro LPV dissolution. Preformulation studies led to select the most appropriate materials, i.e., the polymers PVPVA and Soluplus®, the plasticizers polyethylene glycol 400 and Kolliphor® HS15, phosphatidylcholine, and sodium taurodeoxycholate. HME processing did not result in LPV degradation and significantly increased entrapment efficiency (93.8% ± 2.8 for Soluplus® extrudate against 19.8% ± 0.5 of the respective physical mixture). LPV dissolution was also increased from the extrudates compared to the corresponding physical mixtures (p < 0.05). The dissolution improvement was considerably greater for the Soluplus®-based formulation (24.3 and 2.8-fold higher than pure LPV and PVPVA-based extrudate after 120 min, respectively), which can be attributed to the more pronounced effects of HME processing on the average size and LPV solid-state properties in the Soluplus® extrudates. Transmission electron microscopy and chemical microanalysis suggested that the polymer-lipid interactions in Soluplus®-based formulation depended on thermal processing.

Influence of Surface-Modification via PEGylation or Chitosanization of Lipidic Nanocarriers on In Vivo Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Profiles of Apixaban

Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) have been proven to significantly improve the bioavailability and efficacy of many drugs; however, they still have many limitations. These limitations could hinder their potential for enhancing the bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs and, therefore, require further amendments. From this perspective, we have investigated how the chitosanization and PEGylation of NLCs affected their ability to function as a delivery system for apixaban (APX). These surface modifications could enhance the ability of NLCs to improve the bioavailability and pharmacodynamic activity of the loaded drug. In vitro and in vivo studies were carried out to examine APX-loaded NLCs, chitosan-modified NLCs, and PEGylated NLCs. The three nanoarchitectures displayed a Higuchi-diffusion release pattern in vitro, in addition to having their vesicular outline proven via electron microscopy. PEGylated and chitosanized NLCs retained good stability over 3 months, versus the nonPEGylated and nonchitosanized NLCs. Interestingly, APX-loaded chitosan-modified NLCs displayed better stability than the APX-loaded PEGylated NLCs, in terms of mean vesicle size after 90 days. On the other hand, the absorption profile of APX (AUC_0-inf) in rats pretreated with APX-loaded PEGylated NLCs (108.59 µg·mL^-1·h^-1) was significantly higher than the AUC_0-inf of APX in rats pretreated with APX-loaded chitosan-modified NLCs (93.397 µg·mL^-1·h^-1), and both were also significantly higher than AUC_0-inf of APX-Loaded NLCs (55.435 µg·mL^-1·h^-1). Chitosan-coated NLCs enhanced APX anticoagulant activity with increased prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time by 1.6- and 1.55-folds, respectively, compared to unmodified NLCs, and by 1.23- and 1.37-folds, respectively, compared to PEGylated NLCs. The PEGylation and chitosanization of NLCs enhanced the bioavailability and anticoagulant activity of APX over the nonmodified NLCs; this highlighted the importance of both approaches.

Superior possibilities and upcoming horizons for nanoscience in COVID-19: noteworthy approach for effective diagnostics and management of SARS-CoV-2 outbreak

The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused great havoc and affected many parts of the world. It has imposed a great challenge to the medical and health fraternity with its ability to continue mutating and increasing the transmission rate. Some challenges include the availability of current knowledge of active drugs against the virus, mode of delivery of the medicaments, its diagnosis, which are relatively limited and do not suffice for further prognosis. One recently developed drug delivery system called nanoparticles is currently being utilized in combating COVID-19. This article highlights the existing methods for diagnosis of COVID-19 such as computed tomography scan, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, nucleic acid sequencing, immunoassay, point-of-care test, detection from breath, nanotechnology-based bio-sensors, viral antigen detection, microfluidic device, magnetic nanosensor, magnetic resonance platform and internet-of-things biosensors. The latest detection strategy based on nanotechnology, biosensor, is said to produce satisfactory results in recognizing SARS-CoV-2 virus. It also highlights the successes in the research and development of COVID-19 treatments and vaccines that are already in use. In addition, there are a number of nanovaccines and nanomedicines currently in clinical trials that have the potential to target COVID-19.

Quality by design based development of nanostructured lipid carrier: a risk based approach

The aim of this review is to discuss the development of nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) by the application of quality by design (QbD). QbD started with the evolution of the quality concept and slow adaptation of quality guidelines, which has now become a regulatory requirement. In this review, brief history and elements of QbD including risk assessment (RA) have been discussed followed by the design of experiments (DoEs) that acts as a tool to analyze the input whose variation can optimize the output with the desired goal. NLC is a versatile delivery system as researchers widely use it to administer therapeutics with different physicochemical properties. The surface of NLC can be modified, making it a suitable delivery system with targeting potential for therapeutics. Implementation of QbD provides a high-quality robust formulation that can consistently meet the patient’s requirement throughout its life cycle without compromising the safety and effectiveness of the drug and delivery system. This review discusses QbD concepts followed by the systematic development of NLC by the application of DoE. Process analytical technology (PAT) and six sigma concepts have also been included which can benefit in the development of optimized NLC.

Tailoring Apixaban in Nanostructured Lipid Carrier Enhancing Its Oral Bioavailability and Anticoagulant Activity

Apixaban (Apx), an oral anticoagulant drug, is a direct factor Xa inhibitor for the prophylaxis against venous thromboembolism. Apx has limited oral bioavailability and poor water solubility. The goal of this study was to improve the formulation of an Apx-loaded nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) to increase its bioavailability and effectiveness. As solid lipid, liquid lipid, hydrophilic, and lipophilic stabilizers, stearic acid, oleic acid, Tween 80, and lecithin were used, respectively. Utilizing Box-Behnken design, the effects of three factors on NLC particle size (Y₁), zeta potential (Y₂), and entrapment efficiency percent (Y₃) were examined and optimized. The optimized formula was prepared, characterized, morphologically studied, and pharmacokinetically and pharmacodynamically assessed. The observed responses of the optimized Apx formula were 315.2 nm, -43.4 mV, and 89.84% for Y₁, Y₂, and Y₃, respectively. Electron microscopy revealed the homogenous spherical shape of the NLC particles. The in vivo pharmacokinetic study conducted in male Wistar rats displayed an increase in AUC and C_max by 8 and 2.67 folds, respectively, compared to oral Apx suspension. Moreover, the half-life was increased by 1.94 folds, and clearance was diminished by about 8 folds, which makes the NLC formula a promising sustained release system. Interestingly, the pharmacodynamic results displayed the superior effect of the optimized formula over the drug suspension with prolongation in the cuticle bleeding time. Moreover, both prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time are significantly increased. So, incorporating Apx in an NLC formula significantly enhanced its oral bioavailability and pharmacodynamic activity.

Novel Nanotechnology-Based Approaches for Targeting HIV Reservoirs

Highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) is prescribed for HIV infection and, to a certain extent, limits the infection’s spread. However, it cannot completely eradicate the latent virus in remote and cellular reservoir areas, and due to the complex nature of the infection, the total eradication of HIV is difficult to achieve. Furthermore, monotherapy and multiple therapies are not of much help. Hence, there is a dire need for novel drug delivery strategies that may improve efficacy, decrease side effects, reduce dosing frequency, and improve patient adherence to therapy. Such a novel strategy could help to target the reservoir sites and eradicate HIV from different biological sanctuaries. In the current review, we have described HIV pathogenesis, the mechanism of HIV replication, and different biological reservoir sites to better understand the underlying mechanisms of HIV spread. Further, the review deliberates on the challenges faced by the current conventional drug delivery systems and introduces some novel drug delivery strategies that have been explored to overcome conventional drug delivery limitations. In addition, the review also summarizes several nanotechnology-based approaches that are being explored to resolve the challenges of HIV treatment by the virtue of delivering a variety of anti-HIV agents, either as combination therapies or by actively targeting HIV reservoir sites.

Unraveling enhanced brain delivery of paliperidone-loaded lipid nanoconstructs: pharmacokinetic, behavioral, biochemical, and histological aspects

Antipsychotics are accompanied by extrapyramidal side effects that deter treatment adherence and patient compliance. Paliperidone (PPD), an atypical (second-generation) antipsychotic recommended for managing schizophrenia presents biopharmaceutical challenges and pharmacological constraints which dissuade it from crossing the brain barrier. The present research aimed to assess paliperidone-loaded lipid nanoconstruct (PPD-LNC) for an improved antipsychotic activity for managing schizophrenia. High % cell viability in Neuro-2a cells (70–98%) exhibited the safety of PPD-LNC. The pharmacokinetic data showed a 3.46-fold improvement in the relative bioavailability in the brain for PPD-LNC compared to a drug suspension. The pharmacodynamic evaluation demonstrated a significant (p < .05) reduction in cataleptic behavior, attenuated escape latency, and prolonged stay in the open arm with PPD-LNC, thus showing its effectiveness in reducing extrapyramidal symptoms. The histopathological images further validated the safety of the formulation. Reduction in NF-κB levels as identified by immunohistochemical analysis exhibited the anti-inflammatory effect of PPD-LNC. The formulation demonstrated significant (p < .01) improvement in the activity of oxidative stress parameters and attenuation of neuroinflammatory markers. Based on the study findings, it was observed that formulating LNC of PPD would surmount the pharmacological constraints, improve the in vivo performance, and diminish the associated side effects.

Lipid Nanocarriers for Anti-HIV Therapeutics: A Focus on Physicochemical Properties and Biotechnological Advances

Since HIV was first identified, and in a relatively short period of time, AIDS has become one of the most devastating infectious diseases of the 21st century. Classical antiretroviral therapies were a major step forward in disease treatment options, significantly improving the survival rates of HIV-infected individuals. Even though these therapies have greatly improved HIV clinical outcomes, antiretrovirals (ARV) feature biopharmaceutic and pharmacokinetic problems such as poor aqueous solubility, short half-life, and poor penetration into HIV reservoir sites, which contribute to the suboptimal efficacy of these regimens. To overcome some of these issues, novel nanotechnology-based strategies for ARV delivery towards HIV viral reservoirs have been proposed. The current review is focused on the benefits of using lipid-based nanocarriers for tuning the physicochemical properties of ARV to overcome biological barriers upon administration. Furthermore, a correlation between these properties and the potential therapeutic outcomes has been established. Biotechnological advancements using lipid nanocarriers for RNA interference (RNAi) delivery for the treatment of HIV infections were also discussed.

Dual loaded nanostructured lipid carrier of nano-selenium and Etravirine as a potential anti-HIV therapy

There is a dire need for dual-long-acting therapy that could simultaneously target different stages of the HIV life cycle and providing a dual-prolonged strategy for improved anti-HIV therapy while reducing oxidative stress associated with the prolonged treatment. Thus, in the present work, nanostructured lipid carriers of Etravirine were developed and modified with nano-selenium. The dual-loaded nanocarrier system was fabricated using the double emulsion solvent evaporation method, further screened and optimized using the design of experiments methodology. The spherical core-shell type of a system was confirmed with an electron microscope and small-angle neutron scattering, while XPS confirmed the presence of selenium at the core-shell of the nanocarrier. In vitro assessment against HIV1 (R5 and X4 strains) infected TZM-bl cells exhibited higher efficacy for the dual-loaded nanocarrier system than the plain drug, which could be attributed to the synergistic effect of the nano-selenium. Confocal microscopy and flow cytometry results exhibited enhanced uptake in TZM-bl cells compared to plain drug. A significant increase of GSH, SOD, CAT was observed in animals administered with the dual-loaded nanocarrier system containing nano-selenium, suggesting the protective potential of the lipidic nanoparticle containing the nano-selenium. Improvement in the in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters was also observed, along with a higher accumulation of the dual-loaded nanocarrier in remote HIV reservoir organs like the brain, ovary, and lymph node. The results suggest the potential of a dual-loaded formulation for synergistically targeting the HIV1 infection while simultaneously improving the intracellular anti-oxidant balance for improving a prolonged anti-HIV therapy.

Repurposed drug against COVID-19: nanomedicine as an approach for finding new hope in old medicines

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a threat to global public health. It is caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and has triggered over 17 lakh causalities worldwide. Regrettably, no drug or vaccine has been validated for the treatment of COVID-19 and standard treatment for COVID-19 is currently unavailable. Most of the therapeutics moieties which were originally intended for the other disease are now being evaluated for the potential to be effective against COVID-19 (re-purpose). Nanomedicine has emerged as one of the most promising technologies in the field of drug delivery with the potential to deal with various diseases efficiently. It has addressed the limitations of traditional repurposed antiviral drugs including solubility and toxicity. It has also imparted enhanced potency and selectivity to antivirals towards viral cells. This review emphasizes the scope of repositioning of traditional therapeutic approaches, in addition to the fruitfulness of nanomedicine against COVID-19.

Critical Review of Lipid-Based Nanoparticles as Carriers of Neuroprotective Drugs and Extracts

The biggest obstacle to the treatment of diseases that affect the central nervous system (CNS) is the passage of drugs across the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a physical barrier that regulates the entry of substances into the brain and ensures the homeostasis of the CNS. This review summarizes current research on lipid-based nanoparticles for the nanoencapsulation of neuroprotective compounds. A survey of studies on nanoemulsions (NEs), nanoliposomes/nanophytosomes and solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs)/nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) was carried out and is discussed herein, with particular emphasis upon their unique characteristics, the most important parameters influencing the formulation of each one, and examples of neuroprotective compounds/extracts nanoencapsulated using these nanoparticles. Gastrointestinal absorption is also discussed, as it may pose some obstacles for the absorption of free and nanoencapsulated neuroprotective compounds into the bloodstream, consequently hampering drug concentration in the brain. The transport mechanisms through which compounds or nanoparticles may cross BBB into the brain parenchyma, and the potential to increase drug bioavailability, are also discussed. Additionally, factors contributing to BBB disruption and neurodegeneration are described. Finally, the advantages of, and obstacles to, conventional and unconventional routes of administration to deliver nanoencapsulated neuroprotective drugs to the brain are also discussed, taking into account the avoidance of first-pass metabolism, onset of action, ability to bypass the BBB and concentration of the drug in the brain.

Incorporation of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) enhances nanodelivery of antiretroviral across the blood-brain barrier for treatment of HIV reservoir in brain

Although the newer antiretroviral (ARV) drugs are highly active against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the body compartment, they often fail to effectively tackle the HIV reservoir in the brain because of inefficient penetration to the blood-brain barrier (BBB). In this study, we investigated the potential benefits of incorporating docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid essential for brain development, in lipid nanocarriers for facilitating the BBB passage of an ARV darunavir. The resulting nanocarriers (nanoARVs) containing 5-15% DHA were 90-140 nm in size, had high darunavir payload (~11-13% w/w), good stability and minimal cellular toxicity, and could be further decorated with transferrin (Tf) for Tf-receptor targeting. In BBB models of hCMEC/d3 cells, nanoARVs with higher DHA content achieved increased nanocarrier uptake and up to 8.99-fold higher darunavir permeation than free darunavir. In animals, nanoARVs were able to achieve 3.38-5.93-fold increase in brain darunavir level over free darunavir. Tf-conjugated nanoARVs also achieved significantly higher anti-HIV activity than free darunavir (viral titer 2 to 2.6-fold higher in latter group). Comparison of DHA incorporation and Tf-receptor targeting showed that while both strategies could enhance the cellular uptake and brain accumulation of the nanocarriers, DHA was more effective (P < 0.05) for improving BBB permeation and brain accumulation of the darunavir payload. Substituting DHA with another oil noticeably reduced the cellular uptake of nanoARVs. Overall, this proof-of-concept study has supported the development of DHA-based nanoARVs as an effective, safe yet technically simple strategy to enhance brain delivery of darunavir and potentially other lipophilic ARVs for treatment of HIV reservoir.

Boosting the Brain Delivery of Atazanavir through Nanostructured Lipid Carrier-Based Approach for Mitigating NeuroAIDS

Atazanavir (ATZ) presents poor brain availability when administered orally, which poses a major hurdle in its use as an effective therapy for the management of NeuroAIDS. The utilization of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) in conjunction with the premeditated use of excipients can be a potential approach for overcoming the limited ATZ brain delivery. Methods: ATZ-loaded NLC was formulated using the quality by design-enabled approach and further optimized by employing the Box–Behnken design. The optimized nanoformulation was then characterized for several in vitro and in vivo assessments. Results: The optimized NLC showed small particle size of 227.6 ± 5.4 nm, high entrapment efficiency (71.09% ± 5.84%) and high drug loading capacity (8.12% ± 2.7%). The release pattern was observed to be biphasic exhibiting fast release (60%) during the initial 2 h, then trailed by the sustained release. ATZ-NLC demonstrated a 2.36-fold increase in the cumulative drug permeated across the rat intestine as compared to suspension. Pharmacokinetic studies revealed 2.75-folds greater C_max in the brain and 4-fold improvement in brain bioavailability signifying the superiority of NLC formulation over drug suspension. Conclusion: Thus, NLC could be a promising avenue for encapsulating hydrophobic drugs and delivering it to their target site. The results suggested that increase in bioavailability and brain-targeted delivery by NLC, in all plausibility, help in improving the therapeutic prospects of atazanavir.