In Vitro Artificial Membrane-Natural Mucosa Correlation of Carvedilol Buccal Delivery

Decellularized Macroalgae as Complex Hydrophilic Structures for Skin Tissue Engineering and Drug Delivery

Due to their indisputable biocompatibility and abundant source, biopolymers are widely used to prepare hydrogels for skin tissue engineering. Among them, cellulose is a great option for this challenging application due to its increased water retention capacity, mechanical strength, versatility and unlimited availability. Since algae are an unexploited source of cellulose, the novelty of this study is the decellularization of two different species, freshly collected from the Black Sea coast, using two different chemical surfactants (sodium dodecyl sulphate and Triton X-100), and characterisation of the resulted complex biopolymeric 3D matrices. The algae nature and decellularization agent significantly influenced the matrices porosity, while the values obtained for the hydration degree included them in hydrogel class. Moreover, their capacity to retain and then controllably release an anti-inflammatory drug, ibuprofen, led us to recommend the obtained structures as drug delivery systems. The decellularized macroalgae hydrogels are bioadhesive and cytocompatible in direct contact with human keratinocytes and represent a great support for cells. Finally, it was noticed that human keratinocytes (HaCaT cell line) adhered and populated the structures during a monitoring period of 14 days.

Development of a buccal in vitro permeation method - exploring aQbD implementation

The buccal mucosa is arising within the pharmaceutical landscape as an attractive option for local and systemic drug delivery, mostly due to its high vascularization, inherent permeability and robustness. Still, one of the major challenges in bringing oromucosal preparations to market remains the accurate evaluation of permeability. During pre-clinical drug development, in vitro permeation assessment is essential, and methodologies, based on the selection of a proper membrane in a diffusion cell, have become appealing alternatives to the conventional cell-based models. The development of such methods is being constrained by the number of variables - related to study conditions, setup and formulation - that need to be optimized to accurately estimate buccal permeation. The gap of knowledge over the mentioned variables may lead to long costly developments and poorly accurate methods, especially if the empirical analytical approach is used. In this paper, a systematic risk-based analytical quality by design approach was applied to the development of a buccal in vitro permeation method, ensuring that all sources of variability affecting permeation process were identified, explained and managed by appropriate measures. Researchers are guided through a step by step model, successfully demonstrating with experimental data the impact of critical variables on method's performance.

New Methacrylated Biopolymer-Based Hydrogels as Localized Drug Delivery Systems in Skin Cancer Therapy

The aim of the present work was to obtain drug-loaded hydrogels based on combinations of dextran, chitosan/gelatin/xanthan, and poly (acrylamide) as a sustained and controlled release vehicle of Doxorubicin, a drug used in skin cancer therapy that is associated with severe side effects. Hydrogels for use as 3D hydrophilic networks with good manipulation characteristics were produced using methacrylated biopolymer derivatives and the methacrylate group's polymerization with synthetic monomers in the presence of a photo-initiator, under UV light stimulation (365 nm). Transformed infrared spectroscopy analysis (FT-IR) confirmed the hydrogels' network structure (natural-synthetic composition and photocrosslinking), while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis confirmed the microporous morphology. The hydrogels are swellable in simulated biological fluids and the material's morphology regulates the swelling properties: the maximum swelling degree was obtained for dextran-chitosan-based hydrogels because of their higher porosity and pore distribution. The hydrogels are bioadhesive on a biological simulating membrane, and values for the force of detachment and work of adhesion are recommended for applications on skin tissue. The Doxorubicin was loaded into the hydrogels and the drug was released by diffusion for all the resulting hydrogels, with small contributions from the hydrogel networks' relaxation. Doxorubicin-loaded hydrogels are efficient on keratinocytes tumor cells, the sustained released drug interrupting the cells' division and inducing cell apoptosis; we recommend the obtained materials for the topical treatment of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

A novel treatment strategy for preterm birth: Intra-vaginal progesterone-loaded fibrous patches

Progesterone-loaded poly(lactic) acid fibrous polymeric patches were produced using electrospinning and pressurized gyration for intra-vaginal application to prevent preterm birth. The patches were intravaginally inserted into rats in the final week of their pregnancy, equivalent to the third trimester of human pregnancy. Maintenance tocolysis with progesterone-loaded patches was elucidated by recording the contractile response of uterine smooth muscle to noradrenaline in pregnant rats. Both progesterone-loaded patches indicated similar results from release and thermal studies, however, patches obtained by electrospinning had smaller average diameters and more uniform dispersion compared to pressurized gyration. Patches obtained by pressurized gyration had better results in production yield and tensile strength than electrospinning; thereby pressurized gyration is better suited for scaled-up production. The patches did not affect cell attachment, viability, and proliferation on Vero cells negatively. Consequently, progesterone-loaded patches are a novel and successful treatment strategy for preventing preterm birth.

Placental Trophoblast-Inspired Lipid Bilayers for Cell-Free Investigation of Molecular Interactions

The placenta plays a key role in regulating the maternal-fetal transport but it is a difficult organ to study due to a lack of existing in vitro models. Lipid bilayers inspired by the placenta can provide a facile new in vitro tool with promise for screening molecular transport across this important organ. Here we developed lipid bilayers that mimic the composition of human placental trophoblast cells at different times during the course of pregnancy. Mass spectrometry identified five major lipid classes (phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin) present at varying concentrations in trophoblasts representative of the first and third trimesters and full-term placenta. We successfully developed supported and suspended lipid bilayers mimicking these trophoblast lipid compositions and then demonstrated the utility of these synthetic placenta models for investigating molecular interactions. Specifically, we investigated the interactions with di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a common plasticizer and environmental toxicant, and amphotericin B, a common yet toxic, antifungal therapeutic. Overall, we observed that DEHP adsorbs and potentially embeds itself within all placental lipid bilayers, with varying levels of interaction. For both amphotericin B and a liposomal formulation of amphotericin B, AmBisome, we noted lower levels of permeation in transport studies with bilayers and trophoblast cells compared with DEHP, likely driven by differences in size. AmBisome interacted less with both the supported and suspended placental lipid bilayers in comparison to amphotericin B, suggesting that drug delivery carriers can vary the impact of a pharmaceutical agent on these lipid structures. We found that the apparent permeability observed in suspended bilayers was approximately an order of magnitude less than those observed for trophoblast monolayers, which is typical of lipid bilayers. Ultimately, these placenta mimetic lipid bilayers can serve as a platform for the rapid initial screening of molecular interactions with the maternal-fetal interface to better inform future testing.

Mucoadhesion of Progesterone-Loaded Drug Delivery Nanofiber Constructs

Mucoadhesive delivery systems have attracted remarkable interest recently, especially for their potential to prolong dosage form resident times at sites of application such as the vagina or nasal cavity, thereby improving convenience and compliance as a result of less frequent dosage. Mucoadhesive capabilities need to be routinely quantified during the development of these systems. This is however logistically challenging due to difficulties in obtaining and preparing viable mucosa tissues for experiments. Utilizing artificial membranes as a suitable alternative for quicker and easier analyses of mucoadhesion of these systems is currently being explored. In this study, the mucoadhesive interactions between progesterone-loaded fibers (with varying carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) content) and either artificial (cellulose acetate) or mucosa membranes are investigated by texture analysis and results across models are compared. Mucoadhesion to artificial membrane was about 10 times that of mucosa, though statistically significant ( p = 0.027) association between the 2 data sets was observed. Furthermore, a hypothesis relating fiber-mucosa interfacial roughness (and unfilled void spaces on mucosa) to mucoadhesion, deduced from some classical mucoadhesion theories, was tested to determine its validity. Points of interaction between the fiber and mucosa membrane were examined using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to determine the depths of interpenetration and unfilled voids/roughness, features crucial to mucoadhesion according to the diffusion and mechanical theories of mucoadhesion. A Kendall's tau and Goodman-Kruskal's gamma tests established a monotonic relationship between detaching forces and roughness, significant with p-values of 0.014 and 0.027, respectively. A similar relationship between CMC concentration and interfacial roughness was also confirmed. We conclude that AFM analysis of surface geometry following mucoadhesion can be explored for quantifying mucoadhesion as data from interfacial images correlates significantly with corresponding detaching forces, a well-established function of mucoadhesion.

Drug permeability profiling using cell-free permeation tools: Overview and applications

Cell-free permeation systems are gaining interest in drug discovery and development as tools to obtain a reliable prediction of passive intestinal absorption without the disadvantages associated with cell- or tissue-based permeability profiling. Depending on the composition of the barrier, cell-free permeation systems are classified into two classes including (i) biomimetic barriers which are constructed from (phospho)lipids and (ii) non-biomimetic barriers containing dialysis membranes. This review provides an overview of the currently available cell-free permeation systems including Parallel Artificial Membrane Permeability Assay (PAMPA), Phospholipid Vesicle-based Permeation Assay (PVPA), Permeapad®, and artificial membrane based systems (e.g. the artificial membrane insert system (AMI-system)) in terms of their barrier composition as well as their predictive capacity in relation to well-characterized intestinal permeation systems. Given the potential loss of integrity of cell-based permeation barriers in the presence of food components or pharmaceutical excipients, the superior robustness of cell-free barriers makes them suitable for the combined dissolution/permeation evaluation of formulations. While cell-free permeation systems are mostly applied for exploring intestinal absorption, they can also be used to evaluate non-oral drug delivery by adjusting the composition of the membrane.

The development of progesterone-loaded nanofibers using pressurized gyration: A novel approach to vaginal delivery for the prevention of pre-term birth

Recent evidence has continued to support the applicability of progesterone in preventing preterm birth, hence the development of an appropriate vaginal delivery system for this drug would be of considerable interest. Here, we describe the development of progesterone-loaded bioadhesive nanofibers using pressurized gyration for potential incorporation into a vaginal insert, with a particular view to addressing the challenges of incorporating a poorly water-soluble drug into a hydrophilic nanofiber carrier. Polyethylene oxide and carboxymethyl cellulose were chosen as polymers to develop the carrier systems, based on previous evidence of their yielding mucoadhesive nanofibers using the pressurized gyration technique. The fabrication parameters such as solvent system, initial drug loading and polymer composition were varied to facilitate optimisation of fiber structure and efficiency of drug incorporation. Such studies resulted in the formation of nanofibers with satisfactory surface appearance, diameters in the region of 400 nm and loading of up to 25% progesterone. Thermal and spectroscopic analyses indicated that the drug was incorporated in a nanocrystalline state. Release from the drug-loaded fibers indicated comparable rates of progesterone dissolution to that of Cyclogest, a commercially available progesterone pessary, allowing release over a period of hours. Overall, the study has shown that pressurized gyration may produce bioadhesive progesterone-loaded nanofibers which have satisfactory loading of a poorly water-soluble drug as well as having suitable structural and release properties. The technique is also capable of producing fibers at a yield commensurate with practical applicability, hence we believe that the approach shows considerable promise for the development of progesterone dosage forms for vaginal application.