An efficient controlled release strategy for hypertension therapy: Folate-mediated lipid nanoparticles for oral peptide delivery

Enhancement of vitamin B stability with the protection of whey protein and their interaction mechanisms

Vitamin B is easily degraded by light and heat during storage, which results in nutritional loss of food. Whey protein is expected to protect vitamin B by forming complexes through secondary bonds. The properties of the complexes and protective effects of whey protein on vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6 were characterized. The percentage losses of vitamin B were decreased by more than 60% with the protection of whey protein. FTIR, fluorescence spectroscopy, thermodynamic analysis and molecular docking were used to investigate the binding interaction between vitamin B and whey protein. Vitamin B quenched the intrinsic fluorescence of whey protein, mainly with a static nature (Kq > 2.0 × 1010 L/(mol·s)). The interactions between whey protein and vitamin B were mostly mediated by hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces, as demonstrated by the thermodynamic parameters and molecular docking.

Antihypertensive peptide resources map of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenases (RuBisCO) in angiosperms: Revealed by an integrated in silico and in vitro approach

As the most abundant protein on earth, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) has been considered a promising resource of functional foods. This study aimed to explore the full potential of plant RuBisCO proteins as precursors of antihypertensive peptides on a large scale. In total, 12,766 RuBisCO large subunit and 1,020 RuBisCO small subunit sequences of angiosperms were collected for simulated proteolysis and evaluation of antihypertensive potential, revealing a vast reservoir of antihypertensive peptides. Moreover, RuBisCO-derived novel antihypertensive peptides TTVW, TMW, and VPCL were identified with in vitro IC50 of 12.89 ± 0.82, 23.97 ± 1.02, and 339.12 ± 21.64 μM, respectively. Notably, TTVW and TMW are noncompetitive inhibitors predicted to bound adjacent to the catalytic region of ACE, while VPCL is a competitive inhibitor predicted to bound to the central active site inside ACE. Overall, this work provides a powerful theoretical guidance in developing antihypertensive functional foods utilizing plant RuBisCO.

The evaluation of four nano-formulations loaded-Elsinochrome A on characteristics and in vitro cytotoxicity effect

Elsinochrome A (EA) is a naturally occurring photosensitizer with potential applications in photodynamic therapy (PDT) for various malignancies. Despite its promising therapeutic properties, the poor solubility of EA hampers its effective utilization in clinical settings. To circumvent this limitation, we engineered four distinct nano-formulations: PLGA/EA nanoparticles (NPs), CMC-PLGA/EA NPs, mPEG-PCL/EA nanomicelles (NMs), and LHP-CHOL/EA nanoliposomes (NLs), all designed to enhance the solubility of EA. A comparative evaluation of these formulations, based on metrics such as particle size, Zeta potential, drug loading efficiency, and encapsulation efficiency, identified PLGA/EA NPs and mPEG-PCL/EA NMs as the most efficacious candidates. Subsequent in vitro investigations into the drug release kinetics under varying pH conditions and the impact on cell viability and apoptosis in A549 and MCF-7 cell lines were conducted. Remarkably, the maximum drug release for PLGA/EA NPs and mPEG-PCL/EA NMs was recorded at 62.5% and 70.8% in an acidic environment (pH 5.7), respectively. Upon exposure to 460 nm light, PLGA/EA NPs induced a significant reduction in A549 cell viability to 13.8% and an apoptosis rate of 93.8%, whereas mPEG-PCL/EA NMs elicited a decrease in MCF-7 cell viability to 12.8% and an apoptosis rate of 73.0%.

Nanoparticle-Based Therapies in Hypertension

Nearly 1.4 billion people worldwide suffer from arterial hypertension, a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease which is now the leading cause of death. Despite numerous drugs designed to treat hypertension, only ≈14% of hypertensive individuals have their blood pressure under control. A critical factor negatively impacting the efficacy of available treatments is their poor bioavailability. This leads to increased dosing requirements which can result in more side effects, resulting in patient noncompliance. A recent solution to improve dosing and bioavailability issues has been to incorporate drugs into nanoparticle carriers, with over 50 nanodrugs currently on the market across all diseases, and another 51 currently in clinical trials. Given their ability to improve solubility and bioavailability, nanoparticles may offer significant advantages in the formulation of antihypertensives to overcome pharmacokinetic shortcomings. To date, however, no antihypertensive nanoformulations have been clinically approved. This review assesses in vivo study data from preclinical antihypertensive nanoformulation development and testing. Combined, the results of these studies suggest nanoformulation of antihypertensive drugs may be a promising solution to overcome the poor efficacy of currently available antihypertensives, and with further advances has the potential to open paths for new substances that have heretofore been clinically unrealistic due to poor bioavailability.

Nanosystems in Cardiovascular Medicine: Advancements, Applications, and Future Perspectives

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Despite significant advancements in the development of pharmacological therapies, the challenges of targeted drug delivery to the cardiovascular system persist. Innovative drug-delivery systems have been developed to address these challenges and improve therapeutic outcomes in CVDs. This comprehensive review examines various drug delivery strategies and their efficacy in addressing CVDs. Polymeric nanoparticles, liposomes, microparticles, and dendrimers are among the drug-delivery systems investigated in preclinical and clinical studies. Specific strategies for targeted drug delivery, such as magnetic nanoparticles and porous stent surfaces, are also discussed. This review highlights the potential of innovative drug-delivery systems as effective strategies for the treatment of CVDs.

Mechanisms of Nanoparticle Transport across Intestinal Tissue: An Oral Delivery Perspective

Oral drug administration has been a popular choice due to patient compliance and limited clinical resources. Orally delivered drugs must circumvent the harsh gastrointestinal (GI) environment to effectively enter the systemic circulation. The GI tract has a number of structural and physiological barriers that limit drug bioavailability including mucus, the tightly regulated epithelial layer, immune cells, and associated vasculature. Nanoparticles have been used to enhance oral bioavailability of drugs, as they can act as a shield to the harsh GI environment and prevent early degradation while also increasing uptake and transport of drugs across the intestinal epithelium. Evidence suggests that different nanoparticle formulations may be transported via different intracellular mechanisms to cross the intestinal epithelium. Despite the existence of a significant body of work on intestinal transport of nanoparticles, many key questions remain: What causes the poor bioavailability of the oral drugs? What factors contribute to the ability of a nanoparticle to cross different intestinal barriers? Do nanoparticle properties such as size and charge influence the type of endocytic pathways taken? In this Review, we summarize the different components of intestinal barriers and the types of nanoparticles developed for oral delivery. In particular, we focus on the various intracellular pathways used in nanoparticle internalization and nanoparticle or cargo translocation across the epithelium. Understanding the gut barrier, nanoparticle characteristics, and transport pathways may lead to the development of more therapeutically useful nanoparticles as drug carriers.

Fabrication of a Polysaccharide-Protein/Protein Complex Stabilized Oral Nanoemulsion to Facilitate the Therapeutic Effects of 1,8-Cineole on Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a systemic disease characterized by lipid deposition in the blood vessel wall that urgently requires effective and safe therapeutic drugs for long-term treatment. An essential oil monomer-1,8-cineole (CIN) with ameliorative effects on vascular injuries has considerable potential for preventing the progression of AS because of its antioxidant, anti-inflammation, and cholesterol regulatory effects. However, the high volatility and instability of CIN result in low oral bioavailability and a short half-life, thereby limiting its clinical application. We formulated a nanoemulsion using a polysaccharide-protein/protein complex (dextran-bovine serum albumin/protamine, DEX_5k-BSA/PTM) as an emulsifier, with vitamin B12 (VB₁₂) as the ligand to facilitate the transportation across the small intestine. An emulsion preparation method using a microjet followed by ultraviolet irradiation was developed to obtain the CIN-loaded oral nanoemulsion CIN@DEX_5k-BSA/PTM/VB₁₂. The nanoemulsion improved the stability of CIN both in vitro and in vivo, prolonged the retention time in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), and enhanced the permeability across the mucus layer and intestinal epithelial cells to increase oral bioavailability and plaque accumulation of CIN. Validated in an AS mouse model, CIN@DEX_5k-BSA/PTM/VB₁₂ achieved prominent therapeutic efficacy combating AS. This study highlights the advantages of DEX_5k-BSA/PTM and VB₁₂ in the development of nanoemulsions for CIN and provides a promising oral nanoplatform for the delivery of essential oils.

Reconstituted Lipid Nanoparticles from Cells/Tissues for Drug Delivery in Cancer

Nanomedicine represents a promising way to devise better drug delivery systems (DDSs), and the development of cell/tissue-based lipid carriers is a promising strategy. In this study, the author proposes the concept of reconstituted lipid nanoparticles (rLNPs) and offers a facile preparation method. The results demonstrated that the preparation of ultrasmall (∼20 nm) rLNPs can be highly reproducible from both cells (a mouse breast cancer cell line, 4T1) and tissue (mouse liver tissue). As a selected model platform, rLNPs derived from mouse liver tissue can be further labeled with imaging molecules (indocyanine green and coumarin 6) and modified with targeting moiety (biotin). Moreover, rLNPs were proved to be highly biocompatible and able to load various drugs, such as doxorubicin hydrochloride (Dox) and curcumin (Cur). Most importantly, Dox-loaded rLNPs (rLNPs/Dox) exerted good in vitro and in vivo anticancer performances. Therefore, rLNPs might be a potential versatile carrier for the construction of different DDSs and treatment of a variety of diseases.

Orally administered intelligent self-ablating nanoparticles: a new approach to improve drug cellular uptake and intestinal absorption

Oral drug delivery to treat diabetes is being increasingly researched. The mucus and the epithelial cell layers hinder drug delivery. We designed a self-ablating nanoparticle to achieve smart oral delivery to overcome the gastrointestinal barrier. We used the zwitterionic dilauroyl phosphatidylcholine, which exhibits a high affinity toward Oligopeptide transporter 1, to modify poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles and load hemagglutinin-2 peptide to facilitate its escape from lysosomes. Nanoparticles exhibit a core–shell structure, the lipid layer is degraded by the lysosomes when the nanoparticles are captured by lysosomes, then the inner core of the nanoparticles gets exposed. The results revealed that the self-ablating nanoparticles exhibited higher encapsulation ability than the self-assembled nanoparticles (77% vs 64%) and with better stability. Quantitative cellular uptake, cellular uptake mechanisms, and trans-monolayer cellular were studied, and the results revealed that the cellular uptake achieved using the self-ablating nanoparticles was higher than self-assembling nanoparticles, and the number of uptake pathways via which the self-ablating nanoparticles functioned were higher than the self-assembling nanoparticles. Intestinal mucus permeation, in vivo intestinal circulation, was studied, and the results revealed that the small self-assembling nanoparticles exhibit a good extent of intestinal uptake in the presence of mucus. In vitro flip-flop, intestinal circulation revealed that the uptake of the self-ablating nanoparticles was 1.20 times higher than the self-assembled nanoparticles. Pharmacokinetic study and the pharmacodynamic study showed that the bioavailability and hypoglycemic effect of self-ablating nanoparticles were better than self-assembled nanoparticles.

Role of Organic and Inorganic Nanoparticles in the Drug Delivery System for Hypertension Treatment: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

The present investigation was designed to systematically review the antihypertensive effects of all the organic and inorganic nanoparticles in the in vitro, in vivo, and clinical trials.

METHODS

The current study was carried out using 06-PRISMA guideline and registered in the CAMARADES- NC3Rs Preclinical Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Facility (SyRF) database. The search was performed on five English databases, including Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Google Scholar, without time limitation for publications worldwide related to the anti-hypertensive effects of all the organic and inorganic nanoparticles without date limitation, so as to identify all the published articles (in vitro, in vivo, clinical, and case-control). Studies in any language were entered in the search step if they had an English abstract.

RESULTS

Out of 3602 papers, 60 including 25 werein vitro (41.7%), 17 in vitro / in vivo (28.3%), 16 in vivo (26.7%), and 2 in vitro / ex vivo (3.3%) up to 2020 met the inclusion criteria for discussion in this systematic review. The most widely used nanoparticles were organic nanoparticles such as polylactic acid, poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), lipid, chitosan, etc., followed by inorganic nanoparticles such as silver and palladium nanoparticles.

CONCLUSION

This review demonstrated the anti-hypertensive effects of some organic and inorganic nanoparticles alone or in combination with the available anti-hypertensives. We found that organic nanoparticles such as PGLA and chitosan can be considered as preferred options in nanomedicine for treating high blood pressure. The results also showed these nanoparticles displayed antihypertensive effects through some mechanisms such as sustained release forms via increasing bioavailability, increasing oral bioavailability and improving oral and non-oral absorption, counteracting excessive superoxide, decreasing blood pressure, etc. However, further investigations are required to prove these effects, particularly in clinical settings, as well as their accurate possible mechanisms and toxicity.