Glutaryl Melatonin Niosome Gel for Topical Oral Mucositis: Anti- Inflammatory and Anticandidiasis

In situ gel-forming oil solubilizing α-lipoic acid as a physical shielding alleviated chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis via inhibiting oxidative stress

Oral mucositis (OM) is a common and serious complication of cancer chemoradiotherapy. OM managements mainly focused on topical healthcare or analgesia, which offers limited wound healing. Herein, in situ gel-forming oil (LGF) have been developed as a physical shielding for OM treatment. LGF oil, composed of soybean phosphatidyl choline (40 %, w/w), glycerol dioleate (54 %, w/w), and alcohols (6 %, w/w), is a viscous oil-like liquid. The contact angle of LGF oil on porcine buccal mucosa were 30°, significantly smaller than that of water (60°), indicating its good wetting and spreading properties. Besides, the adhesion force and adhesion energy of LGF oil toward porcine buccal mucosa was as high as 3.9 ± 0.2 N and 60 ± 2 J/m2, respectively, indicating its good adhesive property. Moreover, the hydrophobic α-lipoic acid (LA) as a native antioxidative agent was highly solubilized in LGF oil, its solubility in which was above 100 mg/mL. Upon contacting with saliva, LA-loaded LGF oil (LA-LGF) could rapidly transform from oil into gel that adheres on oral mucosa. Moreover, LA was slowly released from the formed LA-LGF gel, which benefited alleviating oxidative stress caused by chemoradiotherapy. In vivo animal experiments showed that LA-LGF could effectively promote the repairing of oral mucosa wound of 5-fluorouracil induced OM rats. Besides, the mucosa edema was greatly improved and new granulation around wound was produced after LA-LGF treatment. Meanwhile, the production of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, TNF-α, 1L-6 was substantially inhibited by LA-LGF. Collectively, LGF oil as carrier of hydrophobic drug might be a promising strategy for oral mucositis.

Niosome as a promising tool for increasing the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory compounds

Niosomes are drug delivery systems with widespread applications in pharmaceutical research and the cosmetic industry. Niosomes are vesicles of one or more bilayers made of non-ionic surfactants, cholesterol, and charge inducers. Because of their bilayer characteristics, similar to liposomes, niosomes can be loaded with lipophilic and hydrophilic cargos. Therefore, they are more stable and cheaper in preparation than liposomes. They can be classified into four categories according to their sizes and structures, namely small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs), large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs,), multilamellar vesicles (MLVs), and multivesicular vesicles (MVVs). There are many methods for niosome preparation, such as thin-film hydration, solvent injection, and heating method. The current study focuses on the preparation methods and pharmacological effects of niosomes loaded with natural and chemical anti-inflammatory compounds in kinds of literature during the past decade. We found that most research was carried out to load anti-inflammatory agents like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) into niosome vesicles. The studies revealed that niosomes could improve anti-inflammatory agents' physicochemical properties, including solubility, cellular uptake, stability, encapsulation, drug release and liberation, efficiency, and oral bioavailability or topical absorption. See also the graphical abstract(Fig. 1).

Melatonin Maintains Homeostasis and Potentiates the Anti-inflammatory Response in Staphylococcus aureus-Induced Mastitis through microRNA-16b/YAP1

Staphylococcus aureus is a highly infectious pathogen and is a considerable threat to food hygiene and safety. Although melatonin is thought to exert an ameliorative effect on bovine mastitis, the regulatory mechanisms are unclear. In this study, we first verified the therapeutic effect of melatonin against S. aureus in vitro and in vivo, a screening of differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNAs among the blank, and S. aureus and melatonin + S. aureus groups by high-throughput sequencing identified miR-16b and YAP1, which exhibited 1.95-fold upregulated and 1.05-fold downregulated expression, respectively. Moreover, epigenetic studies showed that S. aureus inhibited miR-16b expression by methylation (increased DNMT1 expression). Additionally, the DNMT1 expression level was significantly decreased by melatonin treatment, which might indicate that the inhibition of DNMT1 by melatonin reduces the effect of S. aureus on miR-16b. The flow cytometry, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, EdU assay, and cell morphology results indicated that miR-16b in bovine mammary epithelial cells (in vitro) and in mice (in vivo) can modulate the maintenance of homeostasis and potentiate the anti-inflammatory response. In addition, YAP1 was demonstrated to be the target gene of miR-16b through quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blot, RNA immunoprecipitation, and functional assays. This study indicates that melatonin inhibits S. aureus-induced inflammation via microRNA-16b/YAP1-mediated regulation, and these findings might provide a new strategy for the prevention of bovine mastitis, facilitating further studies good of zoonotic diseases caused by S. aureus infection.

Formulation development and evaluation of lidocaine hydrochloride loaded in chitosan-pectin-hyaluronic acid polyelectrolyte complex for dry socket treatment

The main purpose of this study was to assess a lidocaine hydrochloride-loaded chitosan-pectin-hyaluronic polyelectrolyte complex for rapid onset and sustained release in dry socket wound treatment. Nine formulations (LCs) of lidocaine hydrochloride (LH) loaded into a chitosan–pectin–hyaluronic polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) were assessed using full factorial design (two factors × three levels). The formulations ranged between 4 and 10% w/w LH and 0.5–1.5% w/w HA. The following physicochemical properties of LCs were characterized: size, zeta potential, % entrapment efficiency, viscosity, mucoadhesiveness, % drug release, morphology, storage stability, and cytotoxicity. The particle size, zeta potential, % EE, viscosity, and % mucoadhesion increased with increasing LH and HA concentrations. Rapid release of LH followed a zero-order model, and a steady-state percentage of the drug was released over 4 h. LCs were found to be non-cytotoxic compared to LH solution. LH loaded into PEC demonstrated appropriate characteristics—including suitable rate of release—and fit a zero-order model. Furthermore, it was not cytotoxic and showed good stability in a high-HA formula, making it a promising candidate for future topical oral formulations.

Melatonin-Loaded Nanocarriers: New Horizons for Therapeutic Applications

The use of nanosized particles has emerged to facilitate selective applications in medicine. Drug-delivery systems represent novel opportunities to provide stricter, focused, and fine-tuned therapy, enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of chemical agents at the molecular level while reducing their toxic effects. Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytriptamine) is a small indoleamine secreted essentially by the pineal gland during darkness, but also produced by most cells in a non-circadian manner from which it is not released into the blood. Although the therapeutic promise of melatonin is indisputable, aspects regarding optimal dosage, biotransformation and metabolism, route and time of administration, and targeted therapy remain to be examined for proper treatment results. Recently, prolonged release of melatonin has shown greater efficacy and safety when combined with a nanostructured formulation. This review summarizes the role of melatonin incorporated into different nanocarriers (e.g., lipid-based vesicles, polymeric vesicles, non-ionic surfactant-based vesicles, charge carriers in graphene, electro spun nanofibers, silica-based carriers, metallic and non-metallic nanocomposites) as drug delivery system platforms or multilevel determinations in various in vivo and in vitro experimental conditions. Melatonin incorporated into nanosized materials exhibits superior effectiveness in multiple diseases and pathological processes than does free melatonin; thus, such information has functional significance for clinical intervention.