Docetaxel in cationic lipid nanocapsules for enhanced in vivo activity

The Potential of Zebrafish as a Model Organism for Improving the Translation of Genetic Anticancer Nanomedicines

In the last few decades, the field of nanomedicine applied to cancer has revolutionized cancer treatment: several nanoformulations have already reached the market and are routinely being used in the clinical practice. In the case of genetic nanomedicines, i.e., designed to deliver gene therapies to cancer cells for therapeutic purposes, advances have been less impressive. This is because of the many barriers that limit the access of the therapeutic nucleic acids to their target site, and the lack of models that would allow for an improvement in the understanding of how nanocarriers can be tailored to overcome them. Zebrafish has important advantages as a model species for the study of anticancer therapies, and have a lot to offer regarding the rational development of efficient delivery of genetic nanomedicines, and hence increasing the chances of their successful translation. This review aims to provide an overview of the recent advances in the development of genetic anticancer nanomedicines, and of the zebrafish models that stand as promising tools to shed light on their mechanisms of action and overall potential in oncology.

Zebrafish: A Premier Vertebrate Model for Biomedical Research in Indian Scenario

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a versatile model organism that has been used in biomedical research for several decades to study a wide range of biological phenomena. There are many technical advantages of using zebrafish over other vertebrate models. They are readily available, hardy, easy, and inexpensive to maintain in the laboratory, have a short life cycle, and have excellent fecundity. Due to its optical clarity and reproducible capabilities, it has become one of the predominant models of human genetic diseases. Zebrafish research has made rapid strides in the United States and Europe, but in India the field is at an early stage and many researchers still remain unaware of the full research potential of this tiny fish. The zebrafish model system was introduced into India in the early 2000s. Up to now, more than 200 scientific referred articles have been published by Indian researchers. This review gives an overview of the current state of knowledge for zebrafish research in India, with the aim of promoting wider utilization of zebrafish for high level biological studies.

Experimental design-based optimization of lipid nanocarrier as delivery system against Mycobacterium species: in vitro and in vivo evaluation

The study aimed to optimize self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system using experimental design using excipients holding innate anti-mycobacterium activities followed with characterizations for responses such as optical clarity (Y₁), zone of inhibition (ZOI) against Mycobacterium smegmatis strains (Y₂, Y₃), and globular size (Y₄). The optimized formulations (OF1-OF3) were further characterized for responses and evaluated for zeta potential, minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) against non-pathogenic and tubercular strains, morphological (electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy), and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) studies. The desirability analysis suggested that the predicted values of the OF1 for the responses Y₁, Y₂, Y₃, and Y₄ were 0.137, 22.77 mm, 21.9 mm, and 191.11 nm, respectively. The morphological assessment confirmed the in vitro studies and established the inhibition mechanism as evidenced with oozing, ablation, and cell-wall fragmentation followed with cell disruption. The OF1, OF2, and OF3 showed an MIC value at 8.8 ± 0.56 mg/ml, 12.5 ± 0.22 mg/ml, and 15.0 ± 0.4 mg/ml, respectively, corroborating effectiveness against tubercular strain. CLSM studies revealed 75.1, 80.3, and 88.7% as an intense fluorescence intensity of OF1, OF2, and OF3, respectively, as compared with dye solution (∼53%). Conclusively, it can be inferred that the delivery of anti-tubercular drugs might be reassessed using excipients with inherent anti-mycobacterium activities.

In Vitro and Ex Vivo Evaluations of Lipid Anti-Cancer Nanoformulations: Insights and Assessment of Bioavailability Enhancement

Lipid-based nanoformulations have been extensively investigated for improving oral efficacy of plethora of drugs. Chemotherapeutic agents remain a preferred option for effective management of cancer; however, most chemotherapeutic agents suffer from limitation of poor oral bioavailability that is associated with their physicochemical properties. Drug delivery via lipid-based nanosystems possesses strong rational and potential for improving oral bioavailability of such anti-cancer molecules through various mechanisms, viz. improving their gut solubilisation owing to micellization, improving mucosal permeation, improving lymphatic uptake, inhibiting intestinal metabolism and/or inhibiting P-glycoprotein efflux of molecules in the gastrointestinal tract. Various in vitro characterization techniques have been reported in literature that aid in getting insights into mechanisms of lipid-based nanodevices in improving oral efficacy of anti-cancer drugs. The review focuses on different characterization techniques that can be employed for evaluation of lipid-based nanosystems and their role in effective anti-cancer drug delivery.