Multi criteria decision making to select the best method for the preparation of solid lipid nanoparticles of rasagiline mesylate using analytic hierarchy process

Parenteral Lipid-Based Nanoparticles for CNS Disorders: Integrating Various Facets of Preclinical Evaluation towards More Effective Clinical Translation

Contemporary trends in combinatorial chemistry and the design of pharmaceuticals targeting brain disorders have favored the development of drug candidates with increased lipophilicity and poorer water solubility, with the expected improvement in delivery across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The growing availability of innovative excipients/ligands allowing improved brain targeting and controlled drug release makes the lipid nanocarriers a reasonable choice to overcome the factors impeding drug delivery through the BBB. However, a wide variety of methods, study designs and experimental conditions utilized in the literature hinder their systematic comparison, and thus slows the advances in brain-targeting by lipid-based nanoparticles. This review provides an overview of the methods most commonly utilized during the preclinical testing of liposomes, nanoemulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers intended for the treatment of various CNS disorders via the parenteral route. In order to fully elucidate the structure, stability, safety profiles, biodistribution, metabolism, pharmacokinetics and immunological effects of such lipid-based nanoparticles, a transdisciplinary approach to preclinical characterization is mandatory, covering a comprehensive set of physical, chemical, in vitro and in vivo biological testing.

Multi-Criteria Decision-Making System for Wind Farm Site-Selection Using Geographic Information System (GIS): Case Study of Semnan Province, Iran

Selecting the best place for constructing a renewable power plant is a vital issue that can be considered a site-selection problem. Various factors are involved in selecting the best location for a renewable power plant. Therefore, it categorizes as a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem. In this study, the site selection of a wind power plant is investigated in a central province of Iran, Semnan. The main criteria for classifying various parts of the province were selected and pairwise compared using experts’ opinions in this field. Furthermore, multiple restrictions were applied according to local and constitutional rules and regulations. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to weigh the criteria, and according to obtained weights, wind speed, and slope were the essential criteria. Moreover, a geographic information system (GIS) is used to apply the weighted criteria and restrictions. The province’s area is classified into nine classes according to the results. Based on the restrictions, 36.2% of the total area was unsuitable, mainly located in the north part of the province. Furthermore, 2.68% (2618 km2) and 4.98% (4857 km2) of the total area are the ninth and eightieth classes, respectively, which are the best locations for constructing a wind farm. The results show that, although the wind speed and slope are the most essential criteria, the distance from power facilities and communication routes has an extreme impact on the initial costs and final results. The results of this study are reliable and can help to develop the wind farm industry in the central part of Iran.

Nanotechnology-based drug delivery for the treatment of CNS disorders

Approximately 6.8 million people die annually because of problems related to the central nervous system (CNS), and out of them, approximately 1 million people are affected by neurodegenerative diseases that include Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and Parkinson's disease. CNS problems are a primary concern because of the complexity of the brain. There are various drugs available to treat CNS disorders and overcome problems with toxicity, specificity, and delivery. Barriers like the blood-brain barrier (BBB) are a challenge, as they do not allow therapeutic drugs to cross and reach their target. Researchers have been searching for ways to allow drugs to pass through the BBB and reach the target sites. These problems highlight the need of nanotechnology to alter or manipulate various processes at the cellular level to achieve the desired attributes. Due to their nanosize, nanoparticles are able to pass through the BBB and are an effective alternative to drug administration and other approaches. Nanotechnology has the potential to improve treatment and diagnostic techniques for CNS disorders and facilitate effective drug transfer. With the aid of nanoengineering, drugs could be modified to perform functions like transference across the BBB, altering signaling pathways, targeting specific cells, effective gene transfer, and promoting regeneration and preservation of nerve cells. The involvement of a nanocarrier framework inside the delivery of several neurotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of neurological diseases is reviewed in this study.

Importance of Nanoparticles for the Delivery of Antiparkinsonian Drugs

Parkinson's disease (PD) affects around ten million people worldwide and is considered the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease. In addition, there is a higher risk incidence in the elderly population. The main PD hallmarks include the loss of dopaminergic neurons and the development of Lewy bodies. Unfortunately, motor symptoms only start to appear when around 50-70% of dopaminergic neurons have already been lost. This particularly poses a huge challenge for early diagnosis and therapeutic effectiveness. Actually, pharmaceutical therapy is able to relief motor symptoms, but as the disease progresses motor complications and severe side-effects start to appear. In this review, we explore the research conducted so far in order to repurpose drugs for PD with the use of nanodelivery systems, alternative administration routes, and nanotheranostics. Overall, studies have demonstrated great potential for these nanosystems to target the brain, improve drug pharmacokinetic profile, and decrease side-effects.

Nanoliposome Precursors for Shape Modulation: Use of Heuristic Algorithm and QBD Principles for Encapsulating Phytochemicals

BACKGROUND

Screening of multiple methods is worthless for formulators due to material losses, wastage of time, and expenditures. It is imperative to make a quick decision.

OBJECTIVE

The present investigation describes the systematic approach to select the best suitable method for the development of nanoliposomes (NL), the precursor of nanocochleates encapsulating curcumin using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP).

METHODS

Pair-wise comparison matrices were used to achieve the overall priority weight and ranking for the selection of appropriate technique. Furthermore, Plackett-Burman screening Design (PBD) was exploited to investigate specific effects of associated formulation and process variables on particle size (Y1), drug content (Y2), and entrapment efficiency (Y3), while fabricating NL.

RESULTS

Results revealed the reliability of the pair-wise comparison matrices and selected the ethanol injection method with the highest priority weight (0.337). Bland-Altman plot and control chart validated the results of AHP. The preparation of vesicles with the preferred diameter and size distribution was essentially fulfilled. Stirring speed (X5), amount of phospholipid (X4), and cholesterol (X8) showed significant influence (p<0.05;) on Y1 and Y3, PBD revealed. These factors can be further optimized using the design of experiments.

CONCLUSION

AHP being an effective tool, has assisted in selecting the best alternative for fabricating NL, whilst PBD enabled a clear understanding of the effects of diverse formulation variables on responses studied. Results ensure that NL is a riveting candidate for modulating effectively into tailormade diverse shaped nanoformulations for further in vitro; and in vivo; studies.

Nanodelivery of Natural Antioxidants: An Anti-aging Perspective

The aging process is known to be associated with heightened oxidative stress and related systemic inflammation. Therefore, antioxidant supplementation is regarded as a promising strategy to combat aging and associated pathological conditions. Food-grade antioxidants from plant-derived extracts are the most common ingredients of these supplements. Phyto-bioactive compounds such as curcumin, resveratrol, catechins, quercetin are among the most commonly applied natural compounds used as potential modulators of the free radical-induced cellular damages. The therapeutic potential of these compounds is, however, restricted by their low bioavailability related to poor solubility, stability, and absorbance in gastrointestinal tract. Recently, novel nanotechnology-based systems were developed for therapeutic delivery of natural antioxidants with improved bioavailability and, consequently, efficacy in clinical practice. Such systems have provided many benefits in preclinical research over the conventional preparations, including superior solubility and stability, extended half-life, improved epithelium permeability and bioavailability, enhanced tissue targeting, and minimized side effects. The present review summarizes recent developments in nanodelivery of natural antioxidants and its application to combat pathological conditions associated with oxidative stress.

Applying the Analytic Hierarchy Process in healthcare research: A systematic literature review and evaluation of reporting

Background

The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), developed by Saaty in the late 1970s, is one of the methods for multi-criteria decision making. The AHP disaggregates a complex decision problem into different hierarchical levels. The weight for each criterion and alternative are judged in pairwise comparisons and priorities are calculated by the Eigenvector method. The slowly increasing application of the AHP was the motivation for this study to explore the current state of its methodology in the healthcare context.

Methods

A systematic literature review was conducted by searching the Pubmed and Web of Science databases for articles with the following keywords in their titles or abstracts: “Analytic Hierarchy Process,” “Analytical Hierarchy Process,” “multi-criteria decision analysis,” “multiple criteria decision,” “stated preference,” and “pairwise comparison.” In addition, we developed reporting criteria to indicate whether the authors reported important aspects and evaluated the resulting studies’ reporting.

Results

The systematic review resulted in 121 articles. The number of studies applying AHP has increased since 2005. Most studies were from Asia (almost 30 %), followed by the US (25.6 %). On average, the studies used 19.64 criteria throughout their hierarchical levels. Furthermore, we restricted a detailed analysis to those articles published within the last 5 years (n = 69). The mean of participants in these studies were 109, whereas we identified major differences in how the surveys were conducted. The evaluation of reporting showed that the mean of reported elements was about 6.75 out of 10. Thus, 12 out of 69 studies reported less than half of the criteria.

Conclusion

The AHP has been applied inconsistently in healthcare research. A minority of studies described all the relevant aspects. Thus, the statements in this review may be biased, as they are restricted to the information available in the papers. Hence, further research is required to discover who should be interviewed and how, how inconsistent answers should be dealt with, and how the outcome and stability of the results should be presented. In addition, we need new insights to determine which target group can best handle the challenges of the AHP.

Effect of the moist-heat sterilization on fabricated nanoscale solid lipid particles containing rasagiline mesylate

BACKGROUND

Nanoscale solid lipid particles of rasagiline mesylate (RM) were fabricated by microemulsion technique. The nanoscale particle must be sterile for intravenous administration, and several approaches are available for sterilization. However, the selection of sterilization technique for the fabricated RM loaded nanoscale solid lipid particles mainly depends on the nature of the drug that needs to be encapsulated and release pattern of the polymer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We have preferred moist heat sterilization, as it is the most convenient and the composition of the carrier and incorporated drug should remain unchanged and the incorporated drug should not leak out of the drug carrier. The physical and chemical stability of RM loaded nanoscale solid lipid particles investigated during sterilization and to determine the average mean particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential (ZP), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), entrapment efficiency (EE), and drug content after autoclaving.

RESULT

There were no significant changes in the average mean particle size, polydispersity index, ZP, TEM, EE, and drug content of RM loaded nanoscale solid lipid particles after autoclaving (121°C for 20 min [15 lbs]).

CONCLUSION

These observations suggest that the moist heat sterilization by autoclaving is the most suitable method for nanoscale solid lipid formulations.