Development and characterization of 5-fluorouracil nanofibrous film for the treatment of stomach cancer

Nanofibers Embedded with Nanoparticles as Carriers for the Controlled Release of Anticancer Drug: Promoting the Apoptosis of Breast Cancer Cell Line and Growth Inhibition of Microbial Strains

The polymeric nanofiber mats were produced from polylactic acid, methylcellulose, and polyethylene glycol with 5-fluorouracil (5Fu) drug and iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles. Spectral and crystallographic studies clearly elucidated the ionic interactions, structure and nature of the mats. Fe3O4 nanoparticles <10 nm in size, along with methyl cellulose and polyethylene glycol, have significantly reduced the size of nanofiber mats. The mechanical properties for the mats was found to be challenging; however, surface wettability, swelling capacity, and drug encapsulation efficiency results were promising. A controlled drug release pattern was observed from in vitro drug release study, zero-order kinetics, and a Higuchi model. Nanofiber mats showed higher anticancer activity (78%) against MDA-MB 231 cancer cells, which reveals that a small amount of 5Fu drug (15.86%) with high levels of O2••, H2O2, and OH• radicals generated from Fe3O4 have catalyzed the Fenton's reaction to eradicate the cancer cells, in a shorter span of 24 h, itself. In addition, the apoptosis assay by dual AO/PI staining method clearly exhibited the apoptotic cancer cells by fluorescence microscopy. Incorporation of Fe3O4 nanoparticles enhanced the anticancer activity of the mats, compared to the commercially available standard 5Fu drug. Nanofiber mats significantly controlled the growth of selected pathogenic microbial strains by the action of the 5Fu drug and Fe3+ ions. The degradation of mats was investigated by an in vitro mass loss study for a period of 360 days. In a nutshell, promising nanofiber mats were produced as targeted drug delivery devices for chemotherapy.

Application of Electrospun Drug-Loaded Nanofibers in Cancer Therapy

In the 21st century, chemotherapy stands as a primary treatment method for prevalent diseases, yet drug resistance remains a pressing challenge. Utilizing electrospinning to support chemotherapy drugs offers sustained and controlled release methods in contrast to oral and implantable drug delivery modes, which enable localized treatment of distinct tumor types. Moreover, the core-sheath structure in electrospinning bears advantages in dual-drug loading: the core and sheath layers can carry different drugs, facilitating collaborative treatment to counter chemotherapy drug resistance. This approach minimizes patient discomfort associated with multiple-drug administration. Electrospun fibers not only transport drugs but can also integrate metal particles and targeted compounds, enabling combinations of chemotherapy with magnetic and heat therapies for comprehensive cancer treatment. This review delves into electrospinning preparation techniques and drug delivery methods tailored to various cancers, foreseeing their promising roles in cancer treatment.

Treatment of H. pylori infection and gastric ulcer: Need for novel Pharmaceutical formulation

Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is one of the most prevalent gastro intestinal disorder which often leads to painful sores in the stomach lining and intestinal bleeding. Untreated Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is one of the major reasons for chronic PUD which, if left untreated, may also result in gastric cancer. Treatment of H. pylori is always a challenge to the treating doctor because of the poor bioavailability of the drug at the inner layers of gastric mucosa where the bacteria resides. This results in ineffective therapy and antibiotic resistance. Current treatment regimens available for gastric ulcer and H. pylori infection uses a combination of multiple antimicrobial agents, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), H2-receptor antagonists, dual therapy, triple therapy, quadruple therapy and sequential therapy. This polypharmacy approach leads to patient noncompliance during long term therapy. Management of H. pylori induced gastric ulcer is a burning issue that necessitates alternative treatment options. Novel formulation strategies such as extended-release gastro retentive drug delivery systems (GRDDS) and nanoformulations have the potential to overcome the current bioavailability challenges. This review discusses the current status of H. pylori treatment, their limitations and the formulation strategies to overcome these shortcomings. Authors propose here an innovative strategy to improve the H. pylori eradication efficiency.

Development and characterization of gastro-floating sustained-release capsule with improved bioavailability of levodopa

In this study, a new gastro-floating sustained-release capsule (GFC) with levodopa (LD) and benserazide hydrochloride (BH) was successfully developed. GFCs were prepared by filling the LD and BH granules into hard capsules and coated with cellulose acetate (CA) solution as a controlled-release layer. The effects of formulation factors on the release of GFCs were conducted. The AUC_0~24 (µg h/mL) of LD were 69.31 ± 3.61 (μg h/mL) and 28.87 ± 2.58 (μg h/mL) and the C_max were 7.84 ± 0.34 (μg/mL) and 9.21 ± 1.04 (μg/mL) in the GFCs and commercial tablets respectively. The relative bioavailability of LD was 267.55 ± 34.54%. Compared with commercial tablets, the pharmacokinetic study indicated that the developed GFCs provided a better sustained-release effect and higher bioavailability than commercial tablets.

Utilizing 4D Printing to Design Smart Gastroretentive, Esophageal, and Intravesical Drug Delivery Systems

The breakthrough of 3D printing in biomedical research has paved the way for the next evolutionary step referred to as four dimensional (4D) printing. This new concept utilizes the time as the fourth dimension in addition to the x, y, and z axes with the idea to change the configuration of a printed construct with time usually in response to an external stimulus. This can be attained through the incorporation of smart materials or through a preset smart design. The 4D printed constructs may be designed to exhibit expandability, flexibility, self-folding, self-repair or deformability. This review focuses on 4D printed devices for gastroretentive, esophageal, and intravesical delivery. The currently unmet needs and challenges for these application sites are tried to be defined and reported on published solution concepts involving 4D printing. In addition, other promising application sites that may similarly benefit from 4D printing approaches such as tracheal and intrauterine drug delivery are proposed.

A Review on Electrospun Nanofibers Based Advanced Applications: From Health Care to Energy Devices

Electrospun nanofibers have been exploited in multidisciplinary fields with numerous applications for decades. Owing to their interconnected ultrafine fibrous structure, high surface-to-volume ratio, tortuosity, permeability, and miniaturization ability along with the benefits of their lightweight, porous nanofibrous structure, they have been extensively utilized in various research fields for decades. Electrospun nanofiber technologies have paved unprecedented advancements with new innovations and discoveries in several fields of application including energy devices and biomedical and environmental appliances. This review article focused on providing a comprehensive overview related to the recent advancements in health care and energy devices while emphasizing on the importance and uniqueness of utilizing nanofibers. A brief description regarding the effect of electrospinning techniques, setup modifications, and parameters optimization on the nanofiber morphology was also provided. The article is concluded with a short discussion on current research challenges and future perspectives.

Eudragit, a Nifty Polymer for Anticancer Preparations: A Patent Review

BACKGROUND

Polymers are the backbone of modern pharmaceutical formulations and drug delivery technologies. Polymers that may be natural, synthetic, or semisynthetic are used to control the release of drugs in a pre-programmed fashion. The drug delivery systems are mainly prepared to enhance the bioavailability, site-specific release, sustained release, controlled release, i.e., to modify the release of drug from dosage form may be a tablet, capsule, etc. Objective: The objective of the present study is to overview the recent patents concerning the application of eudragit in the prevention of cancer and other ailments. Eudragit polymers are polymethacrylates and may be anionic, cationic, or non-ionic polymers of methacrylic acid, dimethyl-aminoethyl methacrylates, and methacrylic acid esters in varying ratios. Eudragit is available in various grades with solubilities at different pH, thus helping the formulators design the preparation to have a well-defined release pattern.

METHOD

In this review, patent applications of eudragit in various drug delivery systems employed to cure mainly cancer are covered.

RESULTS

Eudragit has proved its potential as a polymer to control the release of drugs as coating polymer and formation of the matrix in various delivery systems. It can increase the bioavailability of the drug by site-specific drug delivery and can reduce the side effects/toxicity associated with anticancer drugs.

CONCLUSION

The potential of eudragit to carry the drug may unclutter novel ways for therapeutic intercessions in various tumors.

Coaxially electrospun 5-fluorouracil-loaded PLGA/PVP fibrous membrane for skin tumor treatment

As a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer, poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) has been widely used as a carrier to achieve controlled drug delivery in various forms. Focusing on skin tumor treatment, herein 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) was embedded into the core of coaxially electrospun PLGA fibers to get a drug-loaded core-shell fibrous membrane. In the coaxial electrospinning, poly(vinylpyrrolidone) was applied in the inner flow to facilitate the formation of the core-shell structured fibers. The morphology and micro-structure of the fibers were characterized by scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope. The influences of the molecular weights and chemical compositions of PLGA copolymers on the release behaviors were studied. The cytotoxicity of the fibers was characterized by cell proliferation and living-dead cell staining experiments. The results showed that faster release rates would be obtained if the copolymers were of lower molecular weights and higher fraction of glycidyl unit. All the prepared 5-FU loaded fibrous membranes were non-cytotoxic, suggesting their potential applications in skin tumor treatment.