Structure activity relationships in alkylammonium C12-gemini surfactants used as dermal permeation enhancers

Properties and Applications of Quaternary Ammonium Gemini Surfactant 12-6-12: An Overview

Surfactants are amphiphilic molecules and one of the most versatile products of the chemical industry. They can be absorbed at the air-water interface and can align themselves so that the hydrophobic part is in the air while the hydrophilic part is in water. This alignment lowers the surface or interfacial tension. Gemini surfactants are a modern variety of surfactants with unique properties and a very wide range of potential applications. Hexamethylene-1,6-bis(N-dodecyl-N,N-dimethylammonium bromide) is one such representative compound that is a better alternative to a single analogue. It shows excellent surface, antimicrobial, and anticorrosion properties. With a highly efficient synthetic method and a good ecological profile, it is a potential candidate for numerous applications, including biomedical applications.

Current Status of Amino Acid-Based Permeation Enhancers in Transdermal Drug Delivery

Transdermal drug delivery (TDD) presents many advantages compared to other conventional routes of drug administration, yet its full potential has not been achieved. The administration of drugs through the skin is hampered by the natural barrier properties of the skin, which results in poor permeation of most drugs. Several methods have been developed to overcome this limitation. One of the approaches to increase drug permeation and thus to enable TDD for a wider range of drugs consists in the use of chemical permeation enhancers (CPEs), compounds that interact with skin to ultimately increase drug flux. Amino acid derivatives show great potential as permeation enhancers, as they exhibit high biodegradability and low toxicity. Here we present an overview of amino acid derivatives investigated so far as CPEs for the delivery of hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs across the skin, focusing on the structural features which promote their enhancement capacity.

Macrophage targeting with the novel carbopol-based miltefosine-loaded transfersomal gel for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis: in vitro and in vivo analyses

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to develop novel carbopol-based miltefosine-loaded transfersomal gel (HePCTG) for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) via efficient targeting of leishmania infected macrophages.

METHODS

Miltefosine-loaded transfersomes (HePCT) were prepared by ethanol injection method followed by their incorporation into carbopol gel to form HePCTG. The prepared HePCT were assessed for physicochemical properties including mean particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, morphology, and deformability. Similarly, HePCTG was evaluated for physiochemical and rheological attributes. The in vitro release, skin permeation, skin irritation, anti-leishmanial activity, and in vivo efficacy in BALB/c mice against infected macrophages were also performed for HePCT.

RESULTS

The optimized HePCT displayed a particle size of 168 nm with entrapment efficiency of 92%. HePCTG showed suitable viscosity, pH, and sustained release of the incorporated drug. Furthermore, HePCT and HePCTG demonstrated higher skin permeation than drug solution. The results of macrophage uptake study indicated improved drug intake by passive diffusion. The lower half maximal inhibitory concentration value, selectivity index and higher 50% cytotoxic concentration  value of HePCT compared to that of HePC solution demonstrated the improved anti-leishmanial efficacy and non-toxicity of the formulation. This was further confirmed by the notable reduction in parasite load and lesion size observed in in vivo anti-leishmanial study.

CONCLUSION

It can be stated that the formulated HePCTG can effectively be used for the treatment of CL.

The study of complexation between dicationic surfactants and the DNA duplex using structural and spectroscopic methods

Dicationic (also known as gemini or dimeric) bis-alkylimidazolium surfactants belong to a group of non-viral transfection systems proposed for the successful introduction of different types of nucleic acids (i.e., siRNA, DNA oligomers, and plasmid DNA) into living cells.

Topical and transdermal delivery of caffeine

Caffeine is administered topically and transdermally for a variety of pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications and it is also used as a model hydrophilic compound in dermal risk assessment studies. This review considers the physicochemical and permeation properties of caffeine with reference to its delivery to and through the skin. Since it has been used as a model compound the findings have implications for the delivery of many hydrophilic compounds having similar properties. Various passive and active formulation strategies to promote enhanced skin permeation of caffeine are considered. Models to study percutaneous caffeine penetration are also discussed in detail.

Characterization of the host-guest complex of a curcumin analog with β-cyclodextrin and β-cyclodextrin-gemini surfactant and evaluation of its anticancer activity

Background

Curcumin analogs, including the novel compound NC 2067, are potent cytotoxic agents that suffer from poor solubility, and hence, low bioavailability. Cyclodextrin-based carriers can be used to encapsulate such agents. In order to understand the interaction between the two molecules, the physicochemical properties of the host–guest complexes of NC 2067 with β-cyclodextrin (CD) or β-cyclodextrin–gemini surfactant (CDgemini surfactant) were investigated for the first time. Moreover, possible supramolecular structures were examined in order to aid the development of new drug delivery systems. Furthermore, the in vitro anticancer activity of the complex of NC 2067 with CDgemini surfactant nanoparticles was demonstrated in the A375 melanoma cell line.

Methods

Physicochemical properties of the complexes formed of NC 2067 with CD or CDgemini surfactant were investigated by synchrotron-based powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Synchrotron-based small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering and size measurements were employed to assess the supramolecular morphology of the complex formed by NC 2067 with CDgemini surfactant. Lastly, the in vitro cell toxicity of the formulations toward A375 melanoma cells at various drug-to-carrier mole ratios were measured by cell viability assay.

Results

Physical mixtures of NC 2067 and CD or CDgemini surfactant showed characteristics of the individual components, whereas the complex of NC 2067 and CD or CDgemini surfactant presented new structural features, supporting the formation of the host–guest complexes. Complexes of NC 2067 with CDgemini surfactants formed nanoparticles having sizes of 100–200 nm. NC 2067 retained its anticancer activity in the complex with CDgemini surfactant for different drug-to-carrier mole ratios, with an IC₅₀ (half-maximal inhibitory concentration) value comparable to that for NC 2067 without the carrier.

Conclusion

The formation of host–guest complexes of NC 2067 with CD or CDgemini surfactant has been confirmed and hence the CDgemini surfactant shows good potential to be used as a delivery system for anticancer agents.

Serine-based gemini surfactants with different spacer linkages: from self-assembly to DNA compaction

Cationic gemini surfactants have strong potential as compaction agents of nucleic acids for efficient non-viral gene delivery. In this work, we present the aggregation behavior of three novel cationic serine-based gemini surfactants as well as their ability to compact DNA per se and mixed with a helper lipid, 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE). All the surfactants have a 12-12-12 configuration, i.e. two main 12-carbon alkyl chains linked to the nitrogen atom of the amino acid residue and a 12 methylene spacer, but they differ in the nature of the spacer linkage: for (12Ser)2N12, an amine bond; for (12Ser)2CON12, an amide bond; and for (12Ser)2COO12, an ester bond. Interestingly, while the amine-based gemini aggregates into micelles, the amide and ester ones spontaneously form vesicles, which denotes a strong influence of the type of linkage on the surfactant packing parameter. The size, ζ-potential and stability of the vesicles have been characterized by light microscopy, cryogenic scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The interaction of the gemini aggregates with DNA at different charge ratios and in the absence and presence of DOPE has been studied by DLS, fluorescence spectroscopy and cryo-SEM. All the compounds are found to efficiently compact DNA (complexation > 90%), but relevant differences are obtained in terms of the size, ζ-potential and stability of the lipoplexes formed. Results are rationalized in terms of headgroup differences and the type of aggregates present prior to DNA condensation.

Lysine-based surfactants as chemical permeation enhancers for dermal delivery of local anesthetics

The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of new, biocompatible, lysine-based surfactants as chemical permeation enhancers for two different local anesthetics, tetracaine and ropivacaine hydrochloride, topically administered. Results show that this class of surfactants strongly influences permeation, especially in the case of the hydrophilic and ionized drug, ropivacaine hydrochloride, that is not easily administered through the stratum corneum. It is also seen that the selected permeation enhancers do not have significant deleterious effects on the skin structure. A cytotoxicity profile for each compound was established from cytotoxicity studies. Molecular dynamics simulation results provided a rationale for the experimental observations, introducing a mechanistic view of the action of the surfactants molecules upon lipid membranes.