How biomimetic amino modified mesoporous silica xerogel regulates loading and in vitro sustained delivery of levorotary ofloxacin

Enlarged pore of worm mesoporous silica nanoparticles improves anti-inflammatory drug absorption

Searching for an effective pore-enlarging agent to form mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) with a creative surface frame is of great importance. Herein, several polymers were attempted to be pore-enlarging agents to form seven types of worm mesoporous silica nanoparticles (W-MSN) and analgesic indometacin that exerted functions on inflammatory diseases (breast disease, arthrophlogosis, etc.) was studied to enhance its delivery efficiency. The porous morphology differences between MSN and W-MSN were that MSN had independent mesopores while the enlarged mesopores of W-MSN were interrelated and shaped as a worm. Among all these W-MSN, WG-MSN templated by hydroxypropyl cellulose acetate succinate HG with the highest drug-loading capacity (24.78%), shortest loading time (10 h), drug dissolution improvement of almost 4 times compared to that of the raw drug, and highest bioavailability (5.48 times higher than that of raw drug and 1.52 times higher than that of MSN) was an outstanding drug carrier and can shoulder the mission to deliver drugs with high efficiency.

Curcumin-infused xerogel-based nutraceutical development and its 4D shape-shifting behavior

Cereal-based functional foods with shape-changing (four-dimensional [4D]) properties is a novel approach in the current scenario. The main objective of the research is to develop a bioactive compound incorporated in flat two-dimensional xerogel and its hydromorphic three-dimensional shape transformation. The spray-dried curcumin at three different concentrations was incorporated with hydrogel (wheat-barley flour 8%), and flat xerogel was formed by sessile drop drying at 30°C and 78% relative humidity. The top smooth and rough bottom surface of xerogel provided anisotropic swelling properties during the shape transformation. The antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of xerogel were examined, and the retention of curcumin during the shape transformation was also examined during the research. The porous structure of barley-wheat xerogel has enhanced the incorporation of water-insoluble bioactive components like curcumin. The diffusion properties of curcumin xerogel provided an antimicrobial effect against gram-negative pathogenic bacteria. The optimum temperature (70°C) during the shape-shifting provides the retention of bioavailability and functional properties of curcumin. The work describes the opportunities for developing xerogel incorporated with more bioactive and functional components and study its stability and hydromorphic 4D shape-changing behavior. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Xerogel is a good carrier for different bioactive components. The development of curcumin-infused biodegrade, non-toxic, and cereal-based xerogel provide an excellent opportunity for the delivery of curcumin in a cost-effective way. The shape-changing easily consumable forms of xerogel will attract more consumers, and it retains the bioavailability of infused compounds during processing.

Insights into the Role of Biopolymer-Based Xerogels in Biomedical Applications

Xerogels are advanced, functional, porous materials consisting of ambient, dried, cross-linked polymeric networks. They possess characteristics such as high porosity, great surface area, and an affordable preparation route; they can be prepared from several organic and inorganic precursors for numerous applications. Owing to their desired properties, these materials were found to be suitable for several medical and biomedical applications; the high drug-loading capacity of xerogels and their ability to maintain sustained drug release make them highly desirable for drug delivery applications. As biopolymers and chemical-free materials, they have been also utilized in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine due to their high biocompatibility, non-immunogenicity, and non-cytotoxicity. Biopolymers have the ability to interact, cross-link, and/or trap several active agents, such as antibiotic or natural antimicrobial substances, which is useful in wound dressing and healing applications, and they can also be used to trap antibodies, enzymes, and cells for biosensing and monitoring applications. This review presents, for the first time, an introduction to biopolymeric xerogels, their fabrication approach, and their properties. We present the biological properties that make these materials suitable for many biomedical applications and discuss the most recent works regarding their applications, including drug delivery, wound healing and dressing, tissue scaffolding, and biosensing.

Stimuli-responsive mesoporous silica nanoparticles: A custom-tailored next generation approach in cargo delivery

The pre-mature release of therapeutic cargos in the bloodstream or off-target sites is a major hurdle in drug delivery. However, stimuli-specific drug release responses are capable of providing greater control over the cargo release. Herein, various types of nanocarriers have been employed for such applications. Among various types of nanoparticles, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) have several attractive characteristics, such as high loading capacity, biocompatibility, small size, porous structure, high surface area, tunable pore size and ease of functionalization of the external and internal surfaces, which facilitates the entrapment and development of stimuli-dependent release of drugs. MSNPs could be modified with such stimuli-responsive entities like nucleic acid, peptides, polymers, organic molecules, etc., to prevent pre-mature cargo release, improving the therapeutic outcome. This controlled drug release system could be modulated to function upon extracellular or intracellular specific stimuli, including pH, enzyme, glucose, glutathione, light, temperature, etc., and thus provide minimal side effects at non-target sites. This system has great potential applications for the targeted delivery of therapeutics to treat clinically challenging diseases like cancer. This review summarizes the synthesis and design of stimuli-responsive release strategies of MSNP-based drug delivery systems along with investigations in biomedical applications.