Improved oral delivery of resveratrol using proliposomal formulation: investigation of various factors contributing to prolonged absorption of unmetabolized resveratrol

Impact of nanotechnology on the oral delivery of phyto-bioactive compounds

Nanotechnology is an advanced field that has remarkable nutraceutical and food applications. Phyto-bioactive compounds (PBCs) play critical roles in promoting health and disease treatment. However, PBCs generally encounter several limitations that delay their widespread application. For example, most PBCs have low aqueous solubility, poor biostability, poor bioavailability, and a lack of target specificity. Moreover, the high concentrations of effective PBC doses also limit their application. As a result, encapsulating PBCs into an appropriate nanocarrier may increase their solubility and biostability and protect them from premature degradation. Moreover, nanoencapsulation could improve absorption and prolong circulation with a high opportunity for targeted delivery that may decrease unwanted toxicity. This review addresses the main parameters, variables, and barriers that control and affect oral PBC delivery. Moreover, this review discusses the potential role of biocompatible and biodegradable nanocarriers in improving the water solubility, chemical stability, bioavailability, and specificity/selectivity of PBCs.

Resveratrol in disease prevention and health promotion: A role of the gut microbiome

Resveratrol is a bioactive polyphenolic compound mainly present in grapes and red wine. It is known to exert beneficial effects in various experimental settings, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, and immunoregulatory. Accumulating evidence suggests these health benefits might be, at least partially, attributed to resveratrol's role in protecting the intestinal barrier, regulating the gut microbiome, and inhibiting intestinal inflammation. The purpose of this review is to examine the bioactivities of resveratrol in disease prevention and health promotion from the standpoint of regulating the gut microbiome. The article aims to provide additional insight into the potential applications of resveratrol in the food and nutraceutical industry.

Targeted PEGylated Chitosan Nano-complex for Delivery of Sodium Butyrate to Prostate Cancer: An In Vitro Study

Introduction: Cancer remains a challenging issue against human health throughout the world; As a result, introducing novel approaches would be beneficial for cancer treatment. In this research, sodium butyrate (Sb) is one of the effective anti-cancer therapeutics (also a potent survival factor for normal cells) that was used for prostate cancer suppression in the platform of modified chitosan (CS) nano-complex (polyethylene glycol (PEG)-folic acid (FA)-Sb-CS). Methods: Different analytical devices including Fourier transform infrared, dynamic light scattering, high-performance liquid chromatography, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were applied for the characterization of synthetics. On the other hand, biomedical tests including cell viability assay, molecular and functional assay of apoptosis/autophagy pathways, and cell cycle arrest analysis were potentially implemented on human PC3 (folate receptor-negative prostate cancer) and DU145 (folate receptor-positive prostate cancer) and HFF-1 normal cell lines. Results: The quality of the syntheses was effectively verified, and the size range from 140 to 170 nm was determined for the PEG-CS-FA-Sb sample. Also, 75  ±  5% of drug entrapment efficiency with controlled drug release manner (Sb release of 54.21% and 74.04% for pHs 7.4 and 5.0) were determined for nano-complex. Based on MTT results, PEG-CS-FA-Sb has indicated 72.07% and 33.53% cell viability after 24 h of treatment with 9 mM on PC3 and DU145 cell lines, respectively, which is desirable anti-cancer performance. The apoptotic and autophagy genes overexpression was 15-fold (caspase9), 2.5-fold (BAX), 11-fold (ATG5), 2-fold (BECLIN1), and 3-fold (mTORC1) genes in DU145 cancer cells. More than 50% of cell cycle arrest and 45.05% of apoptosis were obtained for DU145 cancer cells after treatment with nano-complex. Conclusion: Hence, the synthesized Sb-loaded nano-complex could specifically suppress prostate cancer cell growth and induce apoptosis and autophagy in the molecular and cellular phases.

Research advances of in vivo biological fate of food bioactives delivered by colloidal systems

Food bioactives exhibit various health-promoting effects and are widely used in functional foods to maintain human health. After oral intake, bioactives undergo complex biological processes before reaching the target organs to exert their biological effects. However, several factors may reduce their bioavailability. Colloidal systems have attracted special attention due to their great potential to improve bioavailability and bioefficiency. Herein, we focus on the importance of in vivo studies of the biological fates of bioactives delivered by colloidal systems. Increasing evidence demonstrates that the construction, composition, and physicochemical properties of the delivery systems significantly influence the in vivo biological fates of bioactives. These results demonstrate the great potential to control the in vivo behavior of food bioactives by designing specific delivery systems. We also compare in vivo and in vitro models used for biological studies of the fate of food bioactives delivered by colloidal systems. Meanwhile, the significance of the gut microbiota, targeted delivery, and personalized nutrition should be carefully considered. This review provides new insight for further studies of food bioactives delivered by colloidal systems, as well as scientific guidance for the reasonable design of personalized nutrition.

Nano-delivery systems for food bioactive compounds in cancer: prevention, therapy, and clinical applications

Bioactive compounds represent a broad class of dietary metabolites derived from fruits and vegetables, such as polyphenols, carotenoids and glucosinolates with potential for cancer prevention. Curcumin, resveratrol, quercetin, and β-carotene have been the most widely applied bioactive compounds in chemoprevention. Lately, many approaches to encapsulating bioactive components in nano-delivery systems have improved biomolecules' stability and targeted delivery. In this review, we critically analyze nano-delivery systems for bioactive compounds, including polymeric nanoparticles (NPs), solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN), nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC), liposomes, niosomes, and nanoemulsions (NEs) for potential use in cancer therapy. Efficacy studies of the nanoformulations using cancer cell lines and in vivo models and updated human clinical trials are also discussed. Nano-delivery systems were found to improve the therapeutic efficacy of bioactive molecules against various types of cancer (e.g., breast, prostate, colorectal and lung cancer) mainly due to the antiproliferation and pro-apoptotic effects of tumor cells. Furthermore, some bioactive compounds have promised combination therapy with standard chemotherapeutic agents, with increased tumor efficiency and fewer side effects. These opportunities were identified and developed to ensure more excellent safety and efficacy of novel herbal medicines enabling novel insights for designing nano-delivery systems for bioactive compounds applied in clinical cancer therapy.

Resveratrol and resveratrol nano-delivery systems in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic disorder associated with the inflammation in the digestive tract. The exact cause of IBD is unknown; nevertheless, in IBD, the homeostasis of key regulatory factors involved in intestinal immunity has been documented to be disrupted. Despite the lack of a viable treatment for IBD, synthetic drugs and monoclonal antibodies are currently used to treat it. However, these treatments have side effects, and the high relapse rate limits their usage. Dietary polyphenols constitute a great variety of compounds and have shown an array of biological properties. Resveratrol is a natural polyphenol found in grapevines and berries. The therapeutic ability of resveratrol against IBD is amply demonstrated in many in vivo studies. Resveratrol can interact with several molecular targets (Nf-kB, SIRT1, mTOR, HIF-1α, miRNAs, and TNF-α) and effectively prevent/ alleviate IBD symptoms with promising results. Although resveratrol has profound anti-inflammatory properties against IBD, its therapeutic employment is limited due to its low water solubility, less chemical stability, less bioavailability, and rapid metabolism in vivo. Hence, resveratrol encapsulation using different carries and its controlled release has become a promising strategy to overcome limitations. Herein, we meticulously review, talk-over the anti-inflammatory effect and mechanisms of resveratrol in IBD. We further provide the latest information on resveratrol formulations and nano-delivery systems used in oral delivery of resveratrol for the treatment of IBD and offer our view on future research on resveratrol in IBD treatment.

Micelle/Hydrogel Composite as a "Natural Self-Emulsifying Reversible Hybrid Hydrogel (N'SERH)" Enhances the Oral Bioavailability of Free (Unconjugated) Resveratrol

The poor oral bioavailability, rapid biotransformation to less active metabolites, and fast elimination from systemic circulation have been identified as the major limitations responsible for the clinical insignificance of many drug candidates and phytonutrients. Despite the technological advancements in the nanoformulations of synthetic drugs, there exist many challenges for nutritional therapy, due to the regulatory issues, use of high levels of synthetic emulsifiers and polymers, low stability, low loading levels, mainly liquid state, etc. Herein, we report the characterization and human pharmacokinetics of a natural self-emulsifying hybrid-hydrogel formulation of trans-resveratrol prepared by uniformly impregnating resveratrol micelles into the fenugreek galactomannan hydrogel scaffold to form a water-soluble micelle/hydrogel composite in powder form (RF-20). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), particle size analysis by dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrated the uniform impregnation of resveratrol micelles within the galactomannan hydrogel matrix to form a soluble (average particle size of 172.0 ± 10.4 nm and -21.0 ± 2.5 mV zeta potential) and amorphous powder form with smooth and translucent surface morphology for RF-20, with no chemical alterations. Upon pharmacokinetic studies on healthy human subjects (n = 16) following a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, 2-arm, 4-sequence crossover design and tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS), 80 mg of trans-resveratrol from RF-20 provided enhanced free resveratrol bioavailability and pharmacokinetic properties compared to the unformulated resveratrol with 98% purity. The enhancement in bioavailability was more when supplemented in sachet (12.98-fold) form than the capsule (10.48-fold) with improved absorption (C _max = 50.97 ± 15.82 ng/mL), circulation half-life (t _1/2 = 7.01 ± 1.44 h), and sustained delivery (T _max = 4.71 ± 0.73 h), as compared to the unformulated form (C _max = 15.07 ± 5.10 ng/mL; t _1/2 = 1.58 ± 0.65 h; T _max = 1.21 ± 0.42 h).

Potential role of resveratrol and its nano-formulation as anti-cancer agent

The uncontrolled and metastatic nature of cancer makes it worse and more unpredictable. Hence, many therapy and medication are used to control and treat cancer. However, apart from this, many medications cause various side effects. In America, nearly 8% of patients admitted to the hospital are due to side effects. Cancer is more seen in people residing in developed countries related of their lifestyle. There are various phytoconstituents molecules in which resveratrol (RSV) is the best-fitted molecule for cancer due to its significantly less adverse effect on the body. RSV inhibits the initiation and progression of cell proliferation due to the modulation of various pathways like the phosphoinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. RSV downgraded cell cycle-regulated proteins like cyclin E, cyclin D1, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and induced the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria, causing apoptosis or programmed cell death (PCD). A great benefit comes with some challenges, hence, RSV does suffer from poor solubility in water i.e. 0.05 mg/mL. It suffers from poor bioavailability due to being highly metabolized by the liver and intestine. Surprisingly, RSV metabolites also induce the metabolism of RSV. Hence, significantly less amount of RSV presented in the urine in the unchanged form. Due to some challenges like poor bioavailability, less aqueous solubility, and retention time in the body, researchers concluded to make the nanocarriers for better delivery. Adopting the technique of nano-formulations, increased topical penetration by up to 21%, improved nano-encapsulation and consequently improved bioavailability and permeability by many folds. Hence, the present review describes the complete profile of RSV and its nano-formulations for improving anti-cancer activity along with a patent survey.

Enhancing Bioavailability of Nutraceutically Used Resveratrol and Other Stilbenoids

Stilbenoids are interesting natural compounds with pleiotropic in vitro and in vivo activity. Their well-documented biological properties include anti-inflammatory effects, anticancer effects, effects on longevity, and many others. Therefore, they are nowadays commonly found in foods and dietary supplements, and used as a part of treatment strategy in various types of diseases. Bioactivity of stilbenoids strongly depends on different types of factors such as dosage, food composition, and synergistic effects with other plant secondary metabolites such as polyphenols or vitamins. In this review, we summarize the existing in vitro, in vivo, and clinical data from published studies addressing the optimization of bioavailability of stilbenoids. Stilbenoids face low bioavailability due to their chemical structure. This can be improved by the use of novel drug delivery systems or enhancers, which are discussed in this review. Current in vitro and in vivo evidence suggests that both approaches are very promising and increase the absorption of the original substance by several times. However, data from more clinical trials are required.

Increasing the Power of Polyphenols through Nanoencapsulation for Adjuvant Therapy against Cardiovascular Diseases

Polyphenols play a therapeutic role in vascular diseases, acting in inherent illness-associate conditions such as inflammation, diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and oxidative stress, as demonstrated by clinical trials and epidemiological surveys. The main polyphenol cardioprotective mechanisms rely on increased nitric oxide, decreased asymmetric dimethylarginine levels, upregulation of genes encoding antioxidant enzymes via the Nrf2-ARE pathway and anti-inflammatory action through the redox-sensitive transcription factor NF-κB and PPAR-γ receptor. However, poor polyphenol bioavailability and extensive metabolization restrict their applicability. Polyphenols carried by nanoparticles circumvent these limitations providing controlled release and better solubility, chemical protection, and target achievement. Nano-encapsulate polyphenols loaded in food grade polymers and lipids appear to be safe, gaining resistance in the enteric route for intestinal absorption, in which the mucoadhesiveness ensures their increased uptake, achieving high systemic levels in non-metabolized forms. Nano-capsules confer a gradual release to these compounds, as well as longer half-lives and cell and whole organism permanence, reinforcing their effectiveness, as demonstrated in pre-clinical trials, enabling their application as an adjuvant therapy against cardiovascular diseases. Polyphenol entrapment in nanoparticles should be encouraged in nutraceutical manufacturing for the fortification of foods and beverages. This study discusses pre-clinical trials evaluating how nano-encapsulate polyphenols following oral administration can aid in cardiovascular performance.

An Overview of Nanoformulated Nutraceuticals and their Therapeutic Approaches

Background:

Economic development and vast changes in food habits have accelerated the consumption of junk foods, which are the leading causes of several disorders that turn the majority of the people to use various herbal formulations or drugs for preventing various lifestyle diseases. Nutraceuticals are the borderline apparatus between nutrients and drugs that provide supplementation of the particular nutrient with a favorable health effect.

Objective:

Various nutraceutical compounds like vitamins, spices, polyphenols, prebiotics, and probiotics in the form of powders, tablets, and capsules are currently marketed globally. Among them, previous literature have reported that polyphenols are the most promising compounds that have been proven to treat various chronic diseases like cancer, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, dyslipidemia, multiple sclerosis, congenital anomalies, Alzheimer’s disease, etc. It is warranted to discuss the benefits of nanoformulations of nutraceuticals.

Methods:

We have searched PubMed using the keywords nutraceuticals, nanoformulations, therapeutic approaches, bionanotechnology, and therapeutics. The relevant papers and classical papers in this field were selected to write this review.

Results and Discussion:

The different classifications of nutraceuticals were described in this review. The comparison between the different categories of nutraceuticals with their nanoformulated forms was made, explaining the benefits of nanoformulations regarding stability, bioavailability, enhanced anti-oxidant properties, etc. A glimpse of the drawbacks of nanoformulations was also included.

Conclusion:

The current review highlights an overview of various nanoformulated nutraceuticals and their approach towards the treatment of multiple diseases.

Resveratrol Modulates Transforming Growth Factor-Beta (TGF-β) Signaling Pathway for Disease Therapy: A New Insight into Its Pharmacological Activities

Resveratrol (Res) is a well-known natural product that can exhibit important pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, anti-diabetes, anti-tumor, and anti-inflammatory. An evaluation of its therapeutic effects demonstrates that this naturally occurring bioactive compound can target different molecular pathways to exert its pharmacological actions. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) is an important molecular pathway that is capable of regulating different cellular mechanisms such as proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis. TGF-β has been reported to be involved in the development of disorders such as diabetes, cancer, inflammatory disorders, fibrosis, cardiovascular disorders, etc. In the present review, the relationship between Res and TGF-β has been investigated. It was noticed that Res can inhibit TGF-β to suppress the proliferation and migration of cancer cells. In addition, Res can improve fibrosis by reducing inflammation via promoting TGF-β down-regulation. Res has been reported to be also beneficial in the amelioration of diabetic complications via targeting the TGF-β signaling pathway. These topics are discussed in detail in this review to shed light on the protective effects of Res mediated via the modulation of TGF-β signaling.

A novel multifaceted approach for wound healing: Optimization and in vivo evaluation of spray dried tadalafil loaded pro-nanoliposomal powder

The topical delivery of nanotherapeutics at the injury site for skin regeneration has received increasing attention as a strategy for wound treatment. This study aimed to investigate the preparation of spray dried tadalafil loaded pro-nanoliposomes powder as a novel system to accelerate wound healing process. The optimization was carried out employing 3² factorial design based on phospholipid and cholesterol concentrations. The physicochemical characterizations, in vitro cellular assessment and in vivo performance were evaluated. The results obtained pointed out that phospholipid concentration presented a positive effect on the entrapment efficacy and particle size, while cholesterol hindered the entrapment efficacy yet presented a prominent influence on particle size. Moreover, the optimized formulation showed a sustained release, high zeta potential and uniform spherical particles indicating entrapment of tadalafil in its amorphous state as demonstrated by FTIR and XPRD results. Cell viability and in vitro scratch assay demonstrated no cytotoxicity on human fibroblast cell lines and the ability of the drug and optimized formulation to promote cell migration. In vivo wound healing studies revealed significantly higher wound closure rates for areas treated with optimized loaded-formulation (65.95±6.47%) compared to unloaded formulation (29.78±9.65%), free drug (38.87±11.44%) and sham group (10.22±5.11%). In the in vivo study, histopathological specimens supported the previous results with presentation of cascade of healing elements via the angiogenetic activity of tadalafil. These outcomes provide an insight of a novel and emerging therapeutic drug system for wound treatment in clinical practice.

Flavonoids and type 2 diabetes: Evidence of efficacy in clinical and animal studies and delivery strategies to enhance their therapeutic efficacy

Diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder develops due to the overproduction of free radicals where oxidative stress could contribute it. Possible factors are defective insulin signals, glucose oxidation, and degradation of glycated proteins as well as alteration in glutathione metabolism which induced hyperglycemia. Previous studies revealed a link between T2DM with oxidative stress, inflammation and insulin resistance which are assumed to be regulated by numerous cellular networks such as NF-κB, PI3K/Akt, MAPK, GSK3 and PPARγ. Flavonoids are ubiquitously present in the nature and classified according to their chemical structures for example, flavonols, flavones, flavan-3-ols, anthocyanidins, flavanones, and isoflavones. Flavonoids indicate poor bioavailability which could be improved by employing various nano-delivery systems against the occurrences of T2DM. These bioactive compounds exert versatile anti-diabetic activities via modulating targeted cellular signaling networks, thereby, improving glucose metabolism, α -glycosidase, and glucose transport or aldose reductase by carbohydrate metabolic pathway in pancreatic β-cells, hepatocytes, adipocytes and skeletal myofibres. Moreover, anti-diabetic properties of flavonoids also encounter diabetic related complications. This review article has designed to shed light on the anti-diabetic potential of flavonoids, contribution of oxidative stress, evidence of efficacy in clinical, cellular and animal studies and nano-delivery approaches to enhance their therapeutic efficacy. This article might give some new insights for therapeutic intervention against T2DM in near future.

Targeted delivery and apoptosis induction of trans-resveratrol-ferulic acid loaded chitosan coated folic acid conjugate solid lipid nanoparticles in colon cancer cells

The present study is aimed to study and to evaluate the colon cancer targeting efficacy of chitosan-coated-trans-resveratrol (RSV) and ferulic acid (FER) loaded SLNs (solid lipid nanoparticles) that conjugated with folic acid (FA) (C-RSV-FER-FA-SLNs) in suitable models (in vitro). The FA conjugation is performed using co-encapsulation method of stearic acid. Similarly, the prepared SLNs are exhibited better stability even under acidic conditions to exhibit their potentials to use as drug delivery system. Further, the optimized formulations (SLNs) are tested for physiochemical characterizations, which include FTIR, XRD, ¹HNMR, particle size, zeta potential, and drug release. In vitro anti-cancer studies using HT-29 cells including, fluorescence staining, flow cytometry, and western blot analysis revealed that the C-RSV-FER-FA-SLNs effectively involved and increased cytotoxicity in cancer cells that leads to induction of apoptosis as compared to free RSV-FER. Thus, it is reported that, the good stability under acidic conditions of this C-RSV-FER-FA-SLNs may serve as a promising candidate for novel nanodrug formulations in cancer therapy.

Design of novel proliposome formulation for antioxidant peptide, glutathione with enhanced oral bioavailability and stability

To develop proliposome formulations to improve the oral bioavailability of l-glutathione (GSH), GSH-loaded proliposomes were prepared using the granule method. Mannitol was selected as an effective excipient to achieve the desired particle size, entrapment efficiency (EE), and solubility for oral delivery of the final formulation. To evaluate the effect of surface charge of proliposomes on the oral bioavailability of GSH, negative (F1-F4) and positive proliposomes (F5-F9) were prepared. Particle size of F1 and F5 was 167.8 ± 0.9 and 175.9 ± 2.0 nm, and zeta potential of F1 and F5 was -8.1 ± 0.7 and 21.1 ± 2.0 mV, respectively. Encapsulation efficiency of F1 and F5 was 58.6% and 54.7%, respectively. Considering their particle size, zeta potential, and EE, the proliposomes F1 and F5 were adopted as the optimal formulations for further experiments. Solid state characterization of the proliposomes confirmed lipid coating on the surface of mannitol. The release of GSH from F1 and F5 formulations was prolonged until 24 h and pH independent. The total antioxidant capacity of GSH was concentration-dependent and maintained after formulation of GSH proliposomes. Circular dichroism spectroscopy confirmed that the molecular structure of GSH was maintained in the proliposome formulations. GSH proliposomes exhibited no significant changes in particle size and zeta potential for 4 weeks. An oral bioavailability study in rats revealed that F5 exhibited 1.05-, 1.08-, and 1.11-fold higher bioavailability than F1, commercial capsule formulation, and pure GSH, respectively. In conclusion, the prepared GSH proliposomes enhanced the poor bioavailability of GSH and prolonged its duration of action.

Brain targeting of resveratrol through intranasal lipid vesicles labelled with gold nanoparticles: in vivo evaluation and bioaccumulation investigation using computed tomography and histopathological examination

Resveratrol is a promising neuroprotective agent against neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. Resveratrol-loaded transferosomes and nanoemulsions were developed and labelled with gold nanoparticles (GNPs). The water maze test was utilised to identify the effect on spatial memory recovery. The treated rats were examined for cellular uptake and bioaccumulation of drug in the brain using computed tomography (CT) and histopathological examination utilising GNPs as a biomarker. Compared with nanoemulsions, transferosomes displayed higher permeation of up to 81.29 ± 2.64% and higher fluorescence intensity with p < .05. Transferosomes significantly enhanced behavioural acquisition and spatial memory function in the amnesic rats compared with both the nanoemulsion formulation and the pure drug. CT effectively demonstrated the accumulation of GNPs in the brains of all treated rats, while superior accumulation of GNPs was observed in the rats that received the transferosome formulation. The histopathology also demonstrated GNP accumulation in the nuclei and cytoplasm in the brain tissues of both the transferosome- and nanoemulsion-treated groups. Therefore, the developed transferosomes may be considered as a well-designed brain targeting system that might further be applied for targeting many drugs to be used in the treatment of central nervous system diseases.

Nanosized Transferosome-Based Intranasal In Situ Gel for Brain Targeting of Resveratrol: Formulation, Optimization, In Vitro Evaluation, and In Vivo Pharmacokinetic Study

Resveratrol (RES) is a potent antioxidant used for the management of several central nervous system diseases. RES bioavailability is less than 1 owing to its low solubility and extensive intestinal and hepatic metabolism. The aim of the study was to enhance RES bioavailability through developing intranasal transferosomal mucoadhesive gel. Reverse evaporation-vortexing sonication method was employed to prepare RES-loaded transferosomes. Transferosomes were developed via 3⁴ definitive screening design, using soya lecithin, permeation enhancers, and surfactants. The optimized formula displayed spherical shape with vesicle size of 83.79 ± 2.54 nm and entrapment efficiency (EE%) of 72.58 ± 4.51%. Mucoadhesive gels were prepared and evaluated, then optimized RES transferosomes were incorporated into the selected gel and characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, in vitro release, and ex vivo permeation study. Histopathological examination of nasal mucosa and in vivo pharmacokinetic study were conducted. In vitro drug release from transferosomal gel was 65.87 ± 2.12% and ex vivo permeation was 75.95 ± 3.19%. Histopathological study confirmed the safety of the optimized formula. The C_max of RES in the optimized RES trans-gel was 2.15 times higher than the oral RES suspension and AUC_(0-∞) increased by 22.5 times. The optimized RES trans-gel developed intranasal safety and bioavailability enhancement through passing hepatic and intestinal metabolism.

Resveratrol: Review on its discovery, anti-leukemia effects and pharmacokinetics

Resveratrol, found in variety of plants, is a natural stilbene structure polyphenol. It has various pharmacological effects, such as antioxidation, anti-aging, anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, antiobesity, anti-diabetes, cardioprotection, neuroprotection. Recently, anti-leukemia activities of resveratrol has been studied extensively via its effects on a variety of biological processes involving cell proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy. Current treatments of leukemia mainly rely on intensive chemotherapy or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, however, these treatments are still with poor survival and high treatment-related mortality. Therefore, it is extremely needed to find relatively non-toxic medicines with minimal side effects but sufficient therapeutic efficacy. Resveratrol is one such potential candidate owing to its reported anti-leukemia effect. In this review, we summarized resveratrol's discovery, sources and isolation methods, administration methods, effects in different types of leukemia, pharmacokinetics and toxicities, aiming to exploit resveratrol as a potential drug candidate for anti-leukemia.

Progress to Improve Oral Bioavailability and Beneficial Effects of Resveratrol

Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene; RSV) is a natural nonflavonoid polyphenol present in many species of plants, particularly in grapes, blueberries, and peanuts. Several in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that in addition to antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective and neuroprotective actions, it exhibits antitumor properties. In mammalian models, RSV is extensively metabolized and rapidly eliminated and therefore it shows a poor bioavailability, in spite it of its lipophilic nature. During the past decade, in order to improve RSV low aqueous solubility, absorption, membrane transport, and its poor bioavailability, various methodological approaches and different synthetic derivatives have been developed. In this review, we will describe the strategies used to improve pharmacokinetic characteristics and then beneficial effects of RSV. These methodological approaches include RSV nanoencapsulation in lipid nanocarriers or liposomes, nanoemulsions, micelles, insertion into polymeric particles, solid dispersions, and nanocrystals. Moreover, the biological results obtained on several synthetic derivatives containing different substituents, such as methoxylic, hydroxylic groups, or halogens on the RSV aromatic rings, will be described. Results reported in the literature are encouraging but require additional in vivo studies, to support clinical applications.

A critical review on grape polyphenols for neuroprotection: Strategies to enhance bioefficacy

The aging of populations worldwide is driving greater demands for dietary polyphenols which have been recognized as promising prophylactic and/or therapeutic agents in the context of neurodegeneration, and are ubiquitously present in plant-based diets. In particular, grape-derived products encompass a wide array of phenolic compounds purported with multiple health benefits including neuroprotective efficacy. Despite the increasing preclinical and clinical evidence demonstrating high potential of grape polyphenol (GPP)-rich botanicals in preventing and attenuating diverse neurodegenerative disorders, the limited bioavailability of GPPs, especially in the brain, generates questions as to their applications and effectiveness in neuroprotection. To address this issue, significant research efforts have been made to enhance oral bioavailability of GPPs via application of novel strategies. This review highlights some critical issues related to the bioavailability and neuroprotective efficacy of GPPs and GPP-rich botanicals. The representative bioavailability-enhancing strategies are critically reviewed to provide practical solutions for augmenting the bioefficacy of GPP-rich botanicals. Synergistic applications of encapsulation techniques (for physiochemical protection and bypassing xenobiotic metabolism) and dietary intervention strategies involving modulation of gut microbiota (for generating more bioavailable phenolic metabolites) appear promising, and may substantially enhance the bioefficacy, especially the neuroprotective efficacy, of orally consumed GPPs.

Lamotrigine encapsulated intra-nasal nanoliposome formulation for epilepsy treatment: Formulation design, characterization and nasal toxicity study

The purpose of this study was to develop lamotrigine nanoliposomes (LTG-NLs) for the treatment in seizures. The formulation was prepared using thin film hydration and rehydration method using the phospholipon 90 G, cholesterol and tween 80 as main ingredients. The nanoliposomes were optimized by plucket burman design (PBD) and response surface methodology (RSM) optimization techniques. The optimized LTGNLopt was further characterized for surface morphology, in-vitro release, stability study, confocal laser scanning microscopic (CLSM) study and naso toxicity study. The results showed that LTGNLopt shown nano size with high entrapment and drug release. The ex-vivo permeation study and confocal laser microscopy study confirmed the enhancement in permeation across the goat nasal mucosa. From the study, it was concluded that the independent variables used to optimize the NLs shown significant effect on the dependent variables and consider effective lipid carrier system for intranasal delivery.

Self-Nanoemulsifying Drug Delivery System for Resveratrol: Enhanced Oral Bioavailability and Reduced Physical Fatigue in Rats

Resveratrol (RES), a natural polyphenolic compound, exerts anti-fatigue activity, but its administration is complicated by its low water solubility. To improve RES bioavailability, this study developed a self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) for RES and evaluated its anti-fatigue activity and rat exercise performance by measuring fatigue-related parameters, namely lactate, ammonia, plasma creatinine phosphokinase, and glucose levels and the swimming time to exhaustion. Through solubility and emulsification testing, the optimized SNEDDS composed of Capryol 90, Cremophor EL, and Tween 20 was developed; the average particle size in this formulation, which had favorable self-emulsification ability, was approximately 41.3 ± 4.1 nm. Pharmacokinetic studies revealed that the oral bioavailability of the optimized RES-SNEDDS increased by 3.2-fold compared with that of the unformulated RES-solution. Pretreatment using the RES-SNEDDS before exercise accelerated the recovery of lactate after exercise; compared with the vehicle group, the plasma ammonia level in the RES-SNEDDS group significantly decreased by 65.4%, whereas the glucose level significantly increased by approximately 1.8-fold. Moreover, the swimming time to exhaustion increased by 2.1- and 1.8-fold, respectively, compared with the vehicle and RES-solution pretreatment groups. Therefore, the developed RES-SNEDDS not only enhances the oral bioavailability of RES but may also exert anti-fatigue pharmacological effect.

Phytobioactive compound-based nanodelivery systems for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus - current status

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major chronic disease that is prevalent worldwide, and it is characterized by an increase in blood glucose, disturbances in the metabolism, and alteration in insulin secretion. Nowadays, food-based therapy has become an important treatment mode for type 2 diabetes, and phytobioactive compounds have gained an increasing amount of attention to this end because they have an effect on multiple biological functions, including the sustained secretion of insulin and regeneration of pancreatic islets cells. However, the poor solubility and lower permeability of these phyto products results in a loss of bioactivity during processing and oral delivery, leading to a significant reduction in the bioavailability of phytobioactive compounds to treat T2DM. Recently, nanotechnological systems have been developed for use as various types of carrier systems to improve the delivery of bioactive compounds and thus obtain a greater bioavailability. Furthermore, carrier systems in most nanodelivery systems are highly biocompatible, with nonimmunologic behavior, a high degree of biodegradability, and greater mucoadhesive strength. Therefore, this review focuses on the various types of nanodelivery systems that can be used for phytobioactive compounds in treating T2DM with greater antidiabetic effects. There is also additional focus on improving the effects of various phytobioactive compounds through nanotechnological delivery to ensure a highly efficient treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Sinonasal Delivery of Resveratrol via Mucoadhesive Nanostructured Microparticles in a Nasal Polyp Mouse Model

Resveratrol (RSV) has been shown to effectively suppress chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps in a mouse model; however, when locally administered to the sinonasal cavity, bolus RSV is limited by low drug bioavailability owing to its low aqueous solubility and relatively rapid clearance from the administration site. To address this limitation, we propose mucoadhesive nanostructured microparticles (PLGA/PEG NM) as a potential carrier for the sinonasal delivery of RSV. In this study, PLGA/PEG NM released RSV in a sustained manner. Owing to the enlarged specific surface area of the nanostructures, PLGA/PEG NM had synergistically enhanced mucoadhesiveness and thus showed improved in vivo retention properties in the sinonasal cavity. Therefore, when tested in a mouse nasal polyp model, PLGA/PEG NM mitigated polyp formation and restored epithelial integrity better than the control treatments. The therapeutic effect was similar at half the dose of PLGA/PEG NM, suggesting improved local bioavailability of RSV in the sinonasal cavity.

Resveratrol: How Much Wine Do You Have to Drink to Stay Healthy?

Resveratrol is a naturally occurring stilbene endowed with multiple health-promoting effects. It is produced by certain plants including several dietary sources such as grapes, apples, raspberries, blueberries, plums, peanuts, and products derived therefrom (e.g., wine). Resveratrol can be isolated and purified from these biological sources or synthesized in a few steps with an overall high yield. This compound and its glucoside, the trans-polydatin piceid, have received worldwide attention for their beneficial effects on cardiovascular, inflammatory, neurodegenerative, metabolic, and age-related diseases. These health-promoting effects are particularly attractive given the prevalence of resveratrol-based nutraceuticals and the paradoxical epidemiologic observation that wine consumption is inversely correlated to the incidence of coronary heart disease. However, the notion of resveratrol as a "magic bullet" was recently challenged by clinical trials showing that this polyphenol does not have a substantial influence on health status and mortality risk. In the present review, we discuss the proposed therapeutic attributes and the mode of molecular actions of resveratrol. We also cover recent pharmacologic efforts to improve the poor bioavailability of resveratrol and influence the transition between body systems in humans. We conclude with some thoughts about future research directions that might be meaningful for resolving controversies surrounding resveratrol.

Curcumin-carboxymethyl chitosan (CNC) conjugate and CNC/LHR mixed polymeric micelles as new approaches to improve the oral absorption of P-gp substrate drugs

The low oral bioavailability of numerous drugs has been mostly attributed to the significant effect of P-gp-mediated efflux on intestinal drug transport. Herein, we developed mixed polymeric micelles (MPMs) comprised of curcumin-carboxymethyl chitosan (CNC) conjugate, as a potential inhibitor of P-gp-mediated efflux and gastrointestinal absorption enhancer, and low-molecular-weight heparin-all-trans-retinoid acid (LHR) conjugate, as loading material, with the aim to improve the oral absorption of P-gp substrate drugs. CNC conjugate was synthesized by chemical bonding of curcumin (Cur) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) taking advantage of the inhibition of intestinal P-gp-mediated secretion by Cur and the intestinal absorption enhancement by CMCS. The chemical structure of CNC conjugate was characterized by ¹H NMR with a degree of substitution of Cur of 4.52-10.20%. More importantly, CNC conjugate markedly improved the stability of Cur in physiological pH. Cyclosporine A-loaded CNC/LHR MPMs (CsA-CNC/LHR MPMs) were prepared by dialysis method, with high drug loading 25.45% and nanoscaled particle size (∼200 nm). In situ single-pass perfusion studies in rats showed that both CsA + CNC mixture and CsA-CNC/LHR MPMs achieved significantly higher K_a and P_eff than CsA suspension in the duodenum and jejunum segments (p <  0.01), which was comparable to verapamil coperfusion effect. Similarly, CsA + CNC mixture and CsA-CNC/LHR MPMs significantly increased the oral bioavailability of CsA as compared to CsA suspension. These results suggest that CNC conjugate might be considered as a promising gastrointestinal absorption enhancer, while CNC/LHR MPMs had the potential to improve the oral absorption of P-gp substrate drugs.

Development of an optimized hyaluronic acid-based lipidic nanoemulsion co-encapsulating two polyphenols for nose to brain delivery

The development of mucoadhesive lipidic nanoemulsion based on hyaluronic acid, co-encapsulating two polyphenols (resveratrol and curcumin) for the transnasal treatment of neurodegenerative diseases was attempted in the current manuscript. Nanoemulsions were prepared by the spontaneous emulsification method, and were characterized for their particle size, zeta potential, mucoadhesive strength and morphology. The selected formula was tested for its antioxidant potential, in vitro and ex vivo release of the two polyphenols, safety on nasal mucosa and in vivo quantification of the two drugs in rat brains. Its stability was tested by monitoring the change in particle size, zeta potential, drugs' content and antioxidant potential upon storage for 3 months. The optimized hyaluronic acid based nanoemulsion formula displayed a particle size of 115.2 ± 0.15 and a zeta potential of -23.9 ± 1.7. The formula displayed a spherical morphology and significantly higher mucoadhesive strength compared to its non mucoadhesive counterpart. In addition, the nanoemulsion was able to preserve the antioxidant ability of the two polyphenols and protect them from degradation. Diffusion controlled release of the two drugs was achievable till 6 hours, with an ex vivo flux across sheep nasal mucosa of 2.86 and 2.09 µg/cm(2)hr for resveratrol and curcumin, respectively. Moreover, the mucoadhesive nanoemulsion was safe on nasal mucosa and managed to increase the amounts of the two polypehnols in the brain (about 7 and 9 folds increase in AUC0-7 h for resveratrol and curcumin, respectively). Hyaluronic acid based lipidic nanoemulsion proved itself as a successful carrier enhancing the solubility, stability and brain targetability of polyphenols.

The main potentialities of resveratrol for drug delivery systems

Resveratrol (RSV), a natural polyphenol found in grapes, was found to be effective in the prevention and therapy of several diseases, however, it does have unfavourable physicochemical properties. In this context, an increasing number of studies have aimed at developing novel therapeutic systems for its delivery to overcome these disadvantages. This review focuses on the mechanisms of action and therapeutic applications. Finally, it also describes some tested formulations for RSV administration, controlled release and targeting, developed with the purpose of increasing RSV bioavailability.

Phospholipid-based solid drug formulations for oral bioavailability enhancement: A meta-analysis

Low bioavailability nowadays often represents a challenge in oral dosage form development. Solid formulations composed of drug and phospholipid (PL), which, upon contact with water, eventually form multilamellar liposomes (i.e. 'proliposomes'), are an emerging approach to solve such issue. Regarded as an 'improved' version of liposomes concerning storage stability, the potential and versatility of a range of such formulations for oral drug delivery have been extensively discussed. However, a systematic and quantitative analysis of the studies that applied solid PL for oral bioavailability enhancement is currently lacking. Such analysis is necessary for providing an overview of the research progress and addressing the question on how promising this approach can be on bioavailability enhancement. The current review performed a systematic search of references in three evidence-based English databases, Medline, Embase, and SciFinder, from the year of 1985 up till March 2015. A total of 112 research articles and 82 patents that involved solid PL-based formulations were identified. The majority of such formulations was intended for oral drug delivery (55%) and was developed to address low bioavailability issues (49%). A final of 54 studies that applied such formulations for bioavailability enhancement of 43 different drugs with poor water solubility and/or permeability were identified. These proof-of-concept studies with in vitro (n=31) and/or animal (n=23) evidences have been systematically summarized. Meta-analyses were conducted to measure the overall enhancement power (percent increase compared to control group) of solid PL formulations on drugs' solubility, permeability and oral bioavailability, which were found to be 127.4% (95% CI [86.1, 168.7]), 59.6% (95% CI [30.1, 89.0]), and 18.5% (95% CI [10.1, 26.9]) respectively. Correlations between the enhancement factors and in silico physiochemical properties of drugs were also performed to check if such approach can be used to identify the best candidates for oral solid PL formulation. In addition to scientific literature, 13 solid PL formulation-related patents that addressed the issue of low oral bioavailability have been identified and summarized; whereas no clinical study was identified from the current search. By providing systematic information and meta-analysis on studies that applied the principle of 'proliposomes' for oral bioavailability enhancement, the current review should be insightful for formulation scientists who wish to adopt the PL based approach to overcome the solubility, permeability and bioavailability issues of orally delivered drugs.

Analysis of influence of baicalin joint resveratrol retention enema on the TNF-α, SIgA, IL-2, IFN-γ of rats with respiratory syncytial virus infection

Explore the influence of baicalin joint resveratrol retention enema on TNF-α, SIgA, IL-2, and IFN-γ of rats with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. The 60 SD rats were randomly divided into normal group, model group, baicalin group, resveratrol group, joint group, and ribavirin group. For model group, baicalin group, resveratrol group, joint group, and ribavirin group, rats were given RSV virus suspension intranasally for 3 days, and model group was not given administration. Baicalin group, resveratrol group, joint group, and ribavirin group were, respectively, given baicalin 100 mg/kg/day, resveratrol 30 mg/kg/day, baicalin joint resveratrol, and ribavirin 1 g/kg/day retention enema. After continuously given administration 7 days, rats were measured in serum TNF-α, IL-2, IFN-γ levels and SIgA levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Model group, TNF-α, IL-2, IFN-γ, and SIgA were significantly higher than the normal group (P < 0.05); Baicalin group, resveratrol group, ribavirin group, TNF-α, IL-2, IFN-γ, and SIgA were significantly higher than the model group (P < 0.05); TNF-α, IL-2 between baicalin group, resveratrol group, ribavirin group, have no significant difference (P > 0.05); Baicalin group, resveratrol group, joint group, IFN-γ, and SIgA were significantly higher than the ribavirin group (P < 0.05); Joint group TNF-α, IL-2, IFN-γ, and SIgA were significantly higher than baicalin group, resveratrol group, and ribavirin group (P < 0.05). Baicalin joint resveratrol retention enema can increase RSV infection model in rats serum TNF-α, IL-2, IFN-γ levels and SIgA levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, which may anti-virus through this mechanism.

Recent advances of resveratrol in nanostructured based delivery systems and in the management of HIV/AIDS

Resveratrol, a natural polyphenolic compound present in trees, in peanuts, in grapevines and exhibited multiple pharmacological activities. Extensive research in last two decades suggested that resveratrol possesses anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-viral, anti-amyloid, anti-arthritic and antioxidant properties. Some clinical reports have proposed that resveratrol might be a potential candidate for the prevention and/or treatment of HIV/AIDS and synergistically enhances the anti-HIV-1 activity. Resveratrol is not toxic to cells, and by itself reduces viral replication by 20% to 30%. With almost 12% of the world population suffering from HIV/AIDS including its resurgence in the developed world, better management of this global threat is highly desired. Further, various studies demonstrated several issues associated with resveratrol which account for its poor systemic bioavailability (almost zero) due to rapid and extensive first pass metabolism and existence of enterohepatic recirculation. In order to improve bioavailability and cellular uptake of resveratrol, various strategies have been adopted to date which includes resveratrol prodrug and the development of nanostructured delivery systems. Besides, nanostructured delivery systems are also known to inhibit the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) efflux, reduced metabolism by gut cytochrome P-450 enzymes, and circumnavigate the hepatic first-pass effect, facilitating absorption of drugs via intestinal lymphatic pathways. This review paper provides an updated bird's-eye view account on the publications and patents study on the recent novel approaches to deliver resveratrol in order to enhance oral bioavailability, overcome first pass metabolism and trounce enterohepatic recirculation to make resveratrol a therapeutically potent drug. Providing a relatively pithy overview, this paper thus presents recent advances of resveratrol for the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS.

Design of lipotomes as a novel dual functioning nanocarrier for bioavailability enhancement of lacidipine: in-vitro and in-vivo characterization

Lipotomes were designed to enhance lacidipine's oral bioavailability by improving its solubility and enhancing the oral lymphatic uptake. Lipotomes were prepared using cetyl alcohol and Tween(®) 80 using a thin film hydration technique. Cetyl alcohol was chosen for imparting a lipophilic environment that would enforce the lymphatic uptake while Tween(®) 80 would improve drug solubility within the lipotomes. Lipotomes were characterized by analyzing their particle size, solubilization efficiency and in-vitro drug release. Central composite design was applied to statistically optimize the formulations using Design-Expert(®) software. The optimum formula (OLT) was made up of excipients:drug ratio of 36.59:1 w/w and Tween(®) 80:cetyl alcohol ratio of 4:1 w/w. OLT was lyophilized and filled into Eudragit(®) L100 enteric coated capsules. Mannitol (10% w/v) was the ideal cryoprotectant to retain the physicochemical characteristics of the OLT formulation after lyophilization. In conclusion, the selected lyophilized formula (L3) succeeded in enhancing drug's oral bioavailability in human volunteers compared to the commercial product confirming the success of lipotomes as a novel oral nanocarrier for insoluble drugs having extensive first pass metabolism.