Polymer Vesicles with Upper Critical Solution Temperature for Near-infrared Light-triggered Transdermal Delivery of Metformin in Diabetic Rats

Near-infrared light(NIR)triggered transdermal drug delivery systems are of great interest due to their on-demand drug release,which enable to enhance drug treatment efficiency as well as reduce side effect.Herein,a NIR-triggered microneedle(MN)patch array has been fabricated through depositing the photothermal conversion agent and anti-diabetic drug-loaded polymer vesicles with upper critical solution temperature(UCST)into dissolvable polymer matrix.The UCST-type polymer has a clearing point temperature of 41℃ and the drug-loaded polymer vesicles present excellent NIR-triggered and temperature responsive drug release behavior in vitro due to the disassociation of polymer vesicles upon NIR irradiation.After applying MNs to diabetic rats,significant hypoglycemic effect is achieved upon interval NIR irradiation and the blood glucose concentration can decrease to normal state for several hours,which enables to achieve the goal of on-demand drug release.This work suggests that the NIR-triggered MN drug release device has a potential application in the treatment of diabetes,especially for those requiring an active drug release manner.     

Endogenous nucleotide as drug carrier: base-paired guanosine-5′-monophosphate:pemetrexed vesicles with enhanced anticancer capability

Endogenous substance such as nucleotide as a drug carrier has been proposed as a novel drug delivery system.The nucleotide guanosine-5’-monophosphate(GMP) is used to transport an anticancer drug pemetrexed disodium heptahydrate(PMX) via specific base pairing.The endogenous nature of GMP helps to avoid biocompatibility issues that are generally accompanied with nanocarriers including cytotoxicity,immunogenicity and blood compatibility.Furthermore,the low-molecular weight of the GMP nucleotide carrier significantly boosts the drug loading capacity compared to traditional liposomes and high-molecular weight carriers.Hydrogen-bonding interaction between the carrier and drug realizes the controlled release of loaded drug,and also facilitates large scale manufacture since no additional chemical synthesis is required.More importantly,in vivo experiments reveal that the base-paired GMP:PMX nanovesicles improve the target specificity and pharmacokinetic properties of PMX,and exhibit remarkably enhanced anticancer abilities compared to standalone PMX without any carriers.We envision that this strategy could be extended to other endogenous substances and drugs bearing functional groups capable of specific interaction,and promote the construction of drug delivery systems with inherent biocompatibility,enhanced drug delivery efficacy,and a simplified preparation method.     

Controlled drug release studies of atenolol using differently sulfonated acryloxyacetophenone and methyl methacrylate copolymer resins as drug carriers

2-Acryloxyacetophenone(AAP) was prepared and subjected to suspension polymerization with methyl methacrylate(MMA) using azobisisobutyronitrile(AIBN) as free radical initiator.The differently sulfonated AAP-MMA cross-linked copolymer cationic exchange resins were prepared by sulfonation with concentrated sulphuric acid at 70 °C.Several characteristics of the prepared resins were evaluated,i.e.FTIR,the ion-exchange capacity(IEC),thermo gravimetric analysis(TGA),particle size distribution and microscopic morphology.The resin characteristics were altered with degree of sulfonation,providing that differently sulfonated resins could be prepared.The behavior of atenolol(ATL) loading and in vitro release in the USP stimulated gastric and intestinal fluids of the obtained resins were evaluated.The drug loaded in the resin increased with increasing degree of sulfonation and hence the drug binding site in resin employed.The drug release was lower from the resins with higher content of sulfonic group due to the increase in the diffusive path depth.The drug release was a little lower in stimulated gastric fluid(SGF) than in stimulated intestinal fluids(SIF).The basic groups,ionized to a little greater extent in SGF and preferred binding with the resin rather than releasing.Hence,the differently sulfonated resins could be utilized as novel carriers for drug delivery.     

FACTORS AFFECT THE RELEASE OF PSEUDOEPHDRINE HYDROCHLORIDE FROM THE UNCOATED CATION EXCHANGE RESIN-BASED DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM IN VITRO

1. INTRODUCTIONIn recent years increasing attention has been given to the controlled drug delivery system, which offer a potential advantage over conventional drug therapy. The advantages of a controlled drug release system included localized delivery of the drug to a particular region in the body. This lowers the systemic drug level, increases patient comfort and improves patient compliance. Ion exchange resins are functional polymers that have been used in purification of water, analyti…     

BARRIER PROPERTIES OF VINYLIDENE CHLORIDE COPOLYMERS

The permeability coefficients of a series of copolymers of vinylidene chloride (VDC)with methyl acrylate (MA), butyl acrylate (BA) or vinyl chloride (VC) (as comonomer)to oxygen and carbon dioxide have been measured at 1.0 MPa and 30℃, while those towater vapor have been measured at 30℃ and 100% relative humidity All the copolymersare semicrystalline. VDC/MA copolymers have lower melting temperature compared withVDC/BA copolymers, while that melting temperature of VDC/VC copolymer is higherthan that of VDC/acrylate copolymers with the same VDC content. The barrier propertyof the copolymers is predominantly controlled by crystallite, free volume fraction, andcohesive energy The permeability coefficients of VDC/MA copolymers to oxygen, carbondioxide, and water vapor were successfully correlated with the ratio of free volume tocohesive energy.     

Self-assembled thermosensitive luminescent nanoparticles with peptide-Au conjugates for cellular imaging and drug delivery

A facile and efficient strategy has been developed to fabricate a multifunctional,theranostic anticancer drug delivery platform featuring active targeting,controlled drug release and fluorescence imaging for real-time control of delivery.To this end,thermo sensitive poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide)(PNIPAM)nanospheres are decorated with peptide-Au cluster conjugates as a smart nanomedicine platform.A sophisticated trifunctional peptide is designed to release the anticancer drug doxorubicin(DOX),target cells and reduce Au^3+ions to form luminescent Au cluste rs.Importantly,the peptide-Au cluster moieties are attached to the PNIPAM nanospheres via amide bonds rather than noncovalent interactions,significantly improving their stability in biological medium and drug release efficiency.The in vitro experiments showed that DOX was released in an efficient and controlled manner under physiological conditions.     

Investigation of Microemulsion System for Transdermal Drug Delivery of Amphotericin B

In order to solve the drawback of poor bioavailability by the oral route and infusion-related side effect for Amphotericin B(AmB), microemulsion vehicles composed of isopropyl myristate(IPM), Tween 80, isopropyl alcohol and water for transdermal delivery of AmB were designed. The pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were constructed by the H2O titration method and the structures of the microemulsion were determined by measuring electrical conducti-vities(σ). The diffusion studies of AmB microemulsion were performed via excised rabbit skin on a drug diffusion apparatus. To obtain a high solubization of AmB, three different methods were tested to incorporate AmB into mi-croemulsion. The result suggests adding AmB in the shape of NaOH solution to the O/W blank microemulsion over the phase inversion temperature(PIT) of the emulsifier obtains the maximum drug content(2.96 mg/mL). The pH value of the system could be adjusted to pH8.5 or pH<5.2, in this range AmB molecules converts from aqueous to the hydrophilic shell of the microemulsion droplets, drug precipitate is no more than 5%, and the formulations were corresponding to the characterizations of microemulsion. At pH 5.14, AmB microemulsion with Km 1:1, O/SC 1:9(mass ratio ofoil phase to surfactant/cosurfactant blend), water content 64.6%, drug content (2.93±0.08) mg/mL,showed the maximum permeation rate(3.255±0.64)μg·cm-2·h-1,which is stable for a long time.     

Preparation and characterization of electrospun fibers based on poly(L-lactic acid)/cellulose acetate

PLLA/CA mixtures of different compositions were successfully electrospun to obtain composite nanofibrous membranes.The microstructures of the membrances changed from homogeneous to heterogeneous with the addition of CA, which was observed by FE-ESEM.The PLLA/CA fabric membranes were characterized by mechanical testing,DSC and contact angle measurements.The tensile stress of the composite fibrous membranes increased obviously with the increase of CA content.DSC results indicated that the CA component was the main factor for the changes of enthalpies in the composite fibers.Contact angle measurements showed the hydrophilicity of the electrospun nanofiber membranes was improved with the addition of CA.     

Photocaged prodrug under NIR light-triggering with dual-channel fluorescence: in vivo real-time tracking for precise drug delivery

Light-triggered drug delivery system is an effective strategy for precise diagnosis and therapy in cancer treatment. However, it suffers from difficultly balancing the dosimetry of drug with light dose and a lack of in vivo models for validating their clinical benefits. Here we report an unprecedented near-infrared(NIR) light photocaged cyanine-based prodrug Cy-CPT-Biotin with dual-channel fluorescence mode, enabling NIR light to precisely regulate where, when and how the intact and active prodrugs are delivered. The synergy of photochemical reaction and modulation in π-conjugated polyene backbone of cyanine can fully perform distinct dual-channel fluorescence changes in a NIR light-mediated manner. The prodrug has striking characteristics of excellent tumor-targeting ability, real-time monitoring of the in vivo behaviors by dual-channel mode and NIR-light triggering,especially for achieving fine regulation and on-demand drug release in the precise dosimetry of drug with light dose in living animals. This optical orthogonality strategy that conjuncts with NIR light-triggered and dual-channel fluorescence in vivo imaging provides a powerful tool for in vivo real-time tracking and finely tuning the prodrug release for precise drug delivery.     

Pulmonary Drugs and Genes Delivery Systems for Lung Disease Treatment

Pulmonary drugs and genes delivery systems have become an attractive approach in the treatment of lung diseases with the advantages of minimal drug loss,precise quantization,high local drugs concentration and low side effects.However,special attention should be paid to the biological barriers of the lung.The delivery systems need to be designed carefully in order to overcome these biological barriers and maximize the drugs and genes deposition to the lungs.Pulmonary drugs and genes delivery systems can offer some encouraging results for delivering drugs and genes to the lungs.Specifically,some lipid-based and polymer-based delivery systems could control and sustain the release of drugs and genes with minimal or negligible toxicity.This review focuses on the latest development of pulmonary delivery of drugs and genes for the treatment of various lung diseases.The barriers to the lung,the delivery devices,the route of the administration and the delivery systems for drugs and genes pulmonary delivery are described.Based on the rapid development of clinical requirement,novel approaches using delivery systems for pulmonary delivery drugs and genes need to be constructed,which is believed to play an important role in the therapy of lung diseases in the future.     

Histology and antitumor activity study of PTX-loaded micelle,a fluorescent drug delivery system prepared by PEG-TPP

We synthesized PEG-TPP as carrier to encapsulate paclitaxel(PTX) in the form of micelles to overcome its water-solubility problem. PTX-loaded micelles possess a-week stability and appropriate particle size(152.1 ±1.2 nm) which is beneficial for enhanced permeability and retention(EPR) effect. Strong pH dependence of PTX releasing from micelles is verified by in vitro release study. At cellular level, PTXloaded micelles can target mitochondria effectively which may results a better cytotoxicity of micelles(especially IC50= 0.123 ± 0.035 mmol/L of micelles and 0.298 ± 0.067 mmol/L of PTX alone on MCF-7 cells). The fluorescence distributions of both isolated and sliced organs show that the micelles can effectively target tumors. Moreover, we further prove the enhanced therapeutic effects of micelles in tumor-bearing mice comparing with PTX alone. The results show that the biodegradable drug delivery system prepared by PEG-TPP can overcome the poor solubility of paclitaxel and improve its tumor targeting and antitumor activity.     

Dual pH and glucose sensitive gel gated mesoporous silica nanoparticles for drug delivery

A low-molecular-weight gel with dual pH and glucose sensitivity was designed as the gate controller for mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) to fabricate a smart drug delivery system. The smart gel caped MSNs could control the antidiabetic drug release via the detection of glucose and pH levels.     

Immobilization and Properties of Lipase from Candida rugosa on Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes with Biomimetic Phospholipid Moities

Reported here is a protocol to fabricate a biocatalyst with high enzyme loading and activity retention, from the conjugation of electrospun nanofibrous membrane having biomimetic phospholipid moiety and lipase. To improve the catalytic efficiency and activity of the immobilized enzyme, poly（acrylonitrile-co-2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine）s（PANCMPCs） were, respectively, electrospun into nanofibrous membranes with a mean diameter of 90 nm, as a support for enzyme immobilization. Lipase from Candida rugosa was immobilized on these nanofibrous membranes by adsorption. Properties of immobilized lipase on PANCMPC nanofibrous membranes were compared with those of the lipase immobilized on the polyacrylonitrile（PAN） nanofibrous and sheet membranes, respectively. Effective enzyme loading on the nanofibrous membranes was achieved up to 22.0 mg/g, which was over 10 times that on the sheet membrane. The activity retention of immobilized lipase increased from 56.4% to 76.8% with an increase in phospholipid moiety from 0 to 9.6%（molar fraction） in the nanofibrous membrane. Kinetic parameter Km was also determined for free and immobilized lipase. The Km value of the immobilized lipase on the nanofibrous membrane was obviously lower than that on the sheet membrane. The optimum pH was 7.7 for free lipase, but shifted to 8.3-8.5 for immobilized lipases. The optimum temperature was determined to be 35 ℃ for the free enzyme, but 42-44℃ for the immobilized ones, respectively. In addition, the thermal stability, reusability, and storage stability of the immobilized lipase were obviously improved compared to the free one.     

Redox-responsive polymer prodrug/AgNPs hybrid nanoparticles for drug delivery

The redox-responsive hybrid nanoparticles of P(MACPTS-co-MAGP)@AgNPs is developed for drug delivery and fluorescence monitoring of the drug release by applying the NSET-based strategy.     

Prevention of local liver cancer recurrence after surgery using multilayered cisplatin-loaded polylactide electrospun nanofibers

In this study a cisplatin-loaded, multilayered polylactide （PLA） electrospun nanofibers, with the structure of two layers of drug-loaded mat being sandwiched by three layers of blank mat, were designed for prolonged cisplatin release at surgical margin to prevent local cancer recurrence following surgical resection in a murine model. In vivo drug release and biodistribution study suggested that the multilayered fibrous mat displayed a slower cisplatin release behavior and a more stable drug rentention in the local tissue within 24 h than that of single-layered fibrous mat. By covering the surgical site with the multilayered fibrous mat following resection of subcutaneous liver cancer in mice, retarded tumor recurrence, prolonged survival time and less systemic toxicity were observed compared with other treatment groups.     

Advances in high carbon dioxide separation performance of poly(ethylene oxide)-based membranes

Poly(ethylene-oxide)(PEO)-based membranes have attracted much attention recently for CO2 separation because CO2 is highly soluble into PEO and shows high selectivity over other gases such as CH4 and N2.Unfortunately,those membranes are not strong enough mechanically and highly crystalline,which hinders their broader applications for separation membranes.In this review discussions are made,as much in detail as possible,on the strategies to improve gas separation performance of PEO-based membranes.Some of techniques such as synthesis of graft copolymers that contain PEO,cross-linking of polymers and blending with long chains polymers contributed significantly to improvement of membrane.Incorporation of ionic liquids/nanoparticles has also been found effective.However,surface modification of nanoparticles has been done chemically or physically to enhance their compatibility with polymer matrix.As a result of all such efforts,an excellent performance,i.e.,CO2 permeability up to 200 Barrer,CO2/N2 selectivity up to 200 and CO2/CH4 selectivity up to 70,could be achieved.Another method is to introduce functional groups into PEO-based polymers which boosted CO2 permeability up to 200 Barrer with CO2/CH4 selectivity between 40 and 50.The CO2 permeability of PEO-based membranes increases,without much change in selectivity,when the length of ethylene oxide is increased.     

Core-shell lipid-polymer nanoparticles as a promising ocular drug delivery system to treat glaucoma

Nowadays,tremendous researches have been focused on the core-shell lipid-polymer nanoparticles(LPNs) due to the advantages of both liposomes and polymer nanoparticles.In this work,LPNs were applied to encapsulate brinzolamide(Brz-LPNs) for achieving sustained drug release,improving drug corneal permeation and enhancing drug topical therapeutic effect.The structure of Brz-LPNs was composed of poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid(PLGA) nanocore which encapsulated Brz(Brz-NPs) and lipid shell around the core.Brz-LPNs were prepared by a modified thin-film dispersion method.With the parameters optimization of Brz-LPNs,optimal Brz-LPNs showed an average particle size of151.23±1.64 nm with a high encapsulation efficiency(EE) of 86.7%±2.28%.The core-shell structure of Brz-LPNs were confirmed by transmission electronic microscopy(TEM).Fourier transformed infrared spectra(FTIR) analysis proved that Brz was successfully entrapped into Brz-LPNs.Brz-LPNs exhibited obvious sustained release of Brz,compared with AZOPT^■ and Brz-LPs.Furthermore,the corneal accumulative permeability of Brz-LPNs significantly increased compared to the commercial available formulation(AZOPT^■) in vitro.Moreover,Brz-LPNs(1 mg/mL Brz) showed a more sustained and effective intraocular pressure(IOP) reduction than Brz-LPs(1 mg/mL) and AZOPT^■(10 mg/mL Brz) in vivo.In conclusion,Brz-LPNs,as promising ocular drug delivery systems,are well worth developing in the future for glaucoma treatment.     

Electrokinetic pumping system based on nanochannel membrane for liquid delivery

Nonmechanical pumping of liquids is of key importance for applications from the biomedical microfluidic chip to drug delivery systems. In this paper, a new electrokinetic pump (EOP) system with polycarbonate nanochannel membrane sandwiched between two membrane holders was constructed. The pump was tested with water and phosphate buffer at 1-6 V applied voltage, the maximum pressure and flow rate are 0.32 MPa (3.2 atm) and 4.2 mL/min for phosphate buffer, respectively. This proof-of-concept pump shows its potential use for drugs or chemical agents delivery by the usage of different membrane materials.     

Resorcinarene-centered Amphiphilic Star-block Copolymers: Synthesis,Micellization and Controlled Drug Release

Eight-arm star-shaped poly（■-caprolactone）-block-poly（ethylene glycol）s（SPCL-b-PEG） have been prepared by a combination of controlled ring-opening polymerization（CROP） and coupling reaction. First, eight-arm star-shaped poly（■-caprolactone）s（SPCL） with a resorcinarene core were synthesized using octamethyl tetraundecylresorcinarene octaacetate as octa-initiator and yttrium tris（2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenolate） [Y（DBMP）3] as catalyst. Then the coupling reaction was carried out between SPCLs and carboxyl-terminated methoxy poly（ethylene glycol）s（mP EG-COOH） in the presence of N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide（DCC） and 4-dimethylaminopyridine（DMAP）, resulting in eight-arm star-shaped SPCL-b-PEGs with controlled molecular weight and well-defined architecture. Furthermore, these amphiphilic eight-arm SPCL-b-PEGs could self-assemble into micelles with low critical micellar concentrations（CMC）, which was characterized by fluorescent spectroscopy. Moreover, indomethacin loaded micelles with high drug loading content and high encapsulation efficiency can be prepared, which is probably due to the highly branched architecture. The morphologies of micelles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy（TEM）, which exhibited diverse nanostructures as the drug loading contents varied. In vitro drug release of indomethacin from SPCL-b-PEG micelles was carried out in PBS, from which a sustained release behavior was observed. SPCL-b-PEG micelles did not show significant cytotoxicity at copolymer concentrations up to 1000 mg/L, making them very promising for drug delivery.     

Surface and Interface Engineering for Advanced Nanofiltration Membranes

Nanofiltration has been attracting great attention in alleviating the global water crisis because of its high efficiency,mild operation,and strong adaptability.Over decades,it remains a challenge to break the upper limit of performance and establish the formation-structureproperty relationship for nanofiltration membranes.This feature article summarizes our recent progress in the preparation of high-performance thin-film composite(TFC)nanofiltration membranes,focusing on the mussel-inspired deposition method and the optimized interfacial polymerization(IP).By accelerating the oxidation of polydopamine and equilibrating the rate of aggregation and deposition processes,the mussel-inspired deposition method realizes the rapid and uniform formation of selective coatings or nanofilms.Diverse deposition systems endow the selective layer with rich chemical structures and easy post-functionalization,highlighting its potential in water treatment.As for optimizing the conventional IP,the rapid polycondensation of amine and acid chloride groups is slowed down to enable the controllability of IP at the water-organic interface.The homogeneity and integrity of the TFC membranes are improved by constructing a uniform reaction platform and introducing a viscous medium to control the amine diffusion,which facilitates the water permeability and promotes the separation efficiency.We have proposed a series of practical strategies for improving TFC membranes and might provide more inspiration for other nanofiltration techniques.