Formulation and In Vitro Evaluation of Telmisartan Nanoparticles Prepared by Emulsion-Solvent Evaporation Technique

Nanotechnology-Based Strategies for Extended-Release Delivery of Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs): A Comprehensive Review

There has been a significant shift in the perception of hypertension as an important contributor to the global disease burden. Approximately 6 % and 8 % of pregnancies are affected by hypertension, which can adversely affect the mother and the fetus. Furthermore, a hypertensive individual is at increased risk of developing kidney disease, arterial hardening, eye damage, and strokes. Using angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) is widespread in treating hypertension, heart failure, coronary artery disease, and diabetic nephropathy. Despite this, some ARBs have limited use due to their poor oral bioavailability and water solubility. To tackle this, a variety of nanoparticle (NP)-based systems, such as polymeric NPs (i. e., dendrimers), polymeric micelles, polymer-drug conjugates, lipid NPs, nanoemulsions, self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS), solid lipid NPs (SLNs), nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs), carbon-based nanocarriers, inorganic NPs, and nanocrystals, have been recently developed for efficient delivery of losartan, Valsartan (Val), Olmesartan (OLM), Telmisartan (TEL), Candesartan, Eprosartan, Irbesartan, and Azilsartan to target cells. This review article provides a literature-based comparison of the various classes of ARBs, their mechanisms of action, and an overview of the nanoformulations developed for ARB delivery and successfully applied to managing hypertension, diabetic complications, and other conditions.

Repositioning of drugs for Parkinson's disease and pharmaceutical nanotechnology tools for their optimization

Parkinson's disease (PD) significantly affects patients' quality of life and represents a high economic burden for health systems. Given the lack of safe and effective treatments for PD, drug repositioning seeks to offer new medication alternatives, reducing research time and costs compared to the traditional drug development strategy. This review aimed to collect evidence of drugs proposed as candidates to be reused in PD and identify those with the potential to be reformulated into nanocarriers to optimize future repositioning trials. We conducted a detailed search in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus from January 2015 at the end of 2021, with the descriptors "Parkinson's disease" and "drug repositioning" or "drug repurposing". We identified 28 drugs as potential candidates, and six of them were found in repositioning clinical trials for PD. However, a limitation of many of these drugs to achieve therapeutic success is their inability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), as is the case with nilotinib, which has shown promising outcomes in clinical trials. We suggest reformulating these drugs in biodegradable nanoparticles (NPs) based on lipids and polymers to perform future trials. As a complementary strategy, we propose functionalizing the NPs surface by adding materials to the surface layer. Among other advantages, functionalization can promote efficient crossing through the BBB and improve the affinity of NPs towards certain brain regions. The main parameters to consider for the design of NPs targeting the central nervous system are highlighted, such as size, PDI, morphology, drug load, and Z potential. Finally, current advances in the use of NPs for Parkinson's disease are cited.