Water-dispersible non-aqueous emulsions stabilized by a poly(butadiene)-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) block copolymer

Submicron non-aqueous emulsions, of interest for biomedical and cosmetic formulations, were developed for the system comprising poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) 400 and Miglyol 812, an enzymatic degradable liquid glycerine ester. These emulsions, with PEG 400 as continuous phase and Miglyol 812 droplets, in the size range of 200 nm, were stabilized by a poly(butadiene)-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PBut-b-P2VP) block copolymer with a composition close to 50/50 wt%. The droplet size, stability and the rheological characteristics were examined as a function of the copolymer concentration. An original aspect of these anhydrous emulsions, with a water miscible continuous phase, is their water dispersibility without additional surfactant. In fact, the initial anhydrous emulsion is sterically stabilized and after water addition at low pH, the protonated P2VP sequence of the copolymer provides the electro-steric stabilization. This oil-in-water emulsion is characterized by sub micron sized Miglyol 812 droplets in an aqueous phase of PEG 400 and water at pH 1.     

Effect of a nano-sized natural clinoptilolite modified by the hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium surfactant on cephalexin drug delivery

The use of porous materials as host systems for medical applications has been considered in recent years. The aim of this work is to construct an efficient adsorbent for the adsorption and delivering of cephalexin. For this pupose, pretreated natural nano-sized clinoptilolite (NZ) was modified by the cationic hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium surfactant (HDTMA), and the obtained modified zeolite nanoparticles (SMZ) were used to design systems for storage and release of cephalexin (CPX). The adsorbed and released extents of the drug onto/from the modified zeolite were determined by UV–Vis spectroscopy. The results showed that both decreasing the particle size of clinoptilolite and modifying its surface significantly increase the adsorbed drug extent. All the compounds were characterized by SEM, TEM, FT–IR, TG/DTG, and XRD. TG/DTG and also FT–IR results showed sufficient loading amounts of HDTMA and CPX onto the raw and modified zeolite, respectively. It was proven by means of TG that the composites are more stable thermally when the admicelles contain cephalexin in their interior. IR spectroscopy studies indicated that the zeolite structure remained unchanged after the modification with the surfactant and after the cephalexin drug has been loaded. Due to the presence of hydroxyl and amine groups in the cephalexin structure, pH plays an important role on the adsorbed CPX extent, so that the maximum adsorbed CPX was observed at pH = 12. While the delivery of CPX was better at pH = 2, because at alkaline pHs, the anionic carboxylate form of CPX has higher attractive force with the positive head of the surfactant on the SMZ. Hence, the stomach's acidic pH is appropriate for drug delivery. The effects of some cations in the delivery extent confirm that the diet can significantly affect the delivery of the CPX from the proposed adsorbent.     

Multiscale Control of Hierarchical Structure in Crystalline Block Copolymer Nanoparticles Using Microfluidics

Hierarchical semicrystalline block copolymer nanoparticles are produced in a segmented gas‐liquid microfluidic reactor with top‐down control of multiscale structural features, including nanoparticle morphologies, sizes, and internal crystallinities. Control of multiscale structure on disparate length scales by a single control variable (flow rate) enables tailoring of drug delivery nanoparticle function including release rates.

     

Theoretical investigation of functionalized fullerene nano carrier drug delivery of fluoxetine

In recent years, fullerene nanoparticles have received extensive attention due to their unique physical and chemical properties. Properly modified fullerene nanoparticles have excellent biocompatibility and significant anti-tumor activity and anti-depression, which makes them have broad application prospects in the field of cancer anti-depression. The present study used the density functional theory (DFT) calculations to perform a theoretical examination of the interaction of fluoxetine (F) as medicine with the functionalized fullerene O and NO (F–O and F–NO surface in gas phase physiological media. According to DFT calculations, adsorption energies were ?3396.6350645, ?3540.2952907, ?6778.526894, and ?6952.251487 kJ for F/P complexes (fullerene O and NO (F–O and F–NO surface) respectively, proposing the possibility of the adsorption process of F molecule onto the fullerene surface concerning the energetic perspective. Calculations of electronic parameters aimed at determining the molecule's reactivity. Bandgap of F–O and F–NO were 0.03715, 0.04328 respectively, by this value we can recognize the reactivity of complexes.     

Characterization and in vitro release kinetics of chitosan based biocomposites from Scotch Bonnets

The main aim of this study is to formulate the combination of the bioactive composite containing chitosan/β -tricalcium phosphate (CH/β-TCP) as potential drug delivery platforms for the sustained release of antibiotics. Herein the mode of amoxicillin (AMX) maintained in the β-TCP/chitosan composite was characterized using XRD, FT-IR to confirm the phase purity and functional groups. SEM was used to examine the size and shape of particles. The SEM images of the biocomposites after drug release confirmed that they are biodegradable. In vitro drug release experiments in PBS (pH 7.4) revealed a sustained release profile in a neutral medium. Drug release profiles were evaluated according to five different kinetic models including Zero Order, First Order, Higuchi, Hixon Crowel, and Korsmeyer-Peppas. The release profile was best expressed by the Korsmeyer Peppas model because the results showed high linearity. Overall, the positive effect of chitosan coating on the drug elution profile of β-TCP as carriers for the controlled delivery of antibiotics was regarded as biocompatible for the controlled drug delivery system.     

Microgels as drug carriers for sonopharmacology

The ultrasound-induced cleavage of covalent and non-covalent bonds to activate drugs (sonopharmacology) is a promising concept to gain control over the action of active pharmaceutical ingredients by an external trigger. Previously, linear polymer architectures bearing drug payloads were exploited for drug release by using the principles of polymer mechanochemistry. In this work, the carrier design is altered by the polymer topology to improve the ultrasound-triggered release of covalently anchored drugs from polymer scaffolds. We use microgels crosslinked by mechanoresponsive disulfides and copolymerized with Diels-Alder adducts of furylated payload molecules and acetylenedicarboxylate. Force-induced thiol formation induces a Michael-type addition liberating the payload from the microgels. The use of microgels significantly reduces sonication times compared to linear polymer chains and shields the cargo efficiently from non-triggered activation using ultrasound that produces inertial cavitation at a frequency of 20 kHz as model condition.     

Tunable self-assembled stereocomplexed-polylactic acid nanoparticles as a drug carrier

In this study, a model hydrophilic drug (porphyrin) was encapsulated within hydrophobic polylactic acid (PLA) nanoparticles (NPs) with different crystallinity and the relevant release behaviors were investigated. The crystalline modification was done using a modified nanoprecipitation method, where homo and stereocomplexed PLA NPs with different average diameters based on varying polymer concentrations and solvent/nonsolvent ratios (S/N) were prepared. Entrapment efficiency and drug release of sterocomplexed-PLA NPs were compared with neat poly(l -lactic acid) (PLLA) NPs. Furthermore, to get the more sustained release, porphyrin-loaded NPs were immobilized within electrospun poly(d ,l -lactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) nanofibers (NFs). Outcomes revealed that solution concentration and solvent/nonsolvent ratio play significant roles in the formation of homo and stereocomplexed NPs. On the other hand, it was found that the formation of stereocrystals did not significantly affect the size and morphology of NPs compared with neat NPs. With regard to the entrapment efficiency and drug content, stereocomplexd-PLA NPs behave relatively the same as neat PLLA NPs while the more sustained release was observed for stereocomplexed NPs. Also, it was observed that electrospinning of PLGA solution loaded by NPs led to the uniform distribution of NPs into PLGA fibers. Encapsulating the drug-loaded NPs into nanofibers decreased the rate of drug release by 50% after 24 h, compared with direct loading of drug into PLGA NFs. We conclude that it is possible to tune the entrapment efficiency and modify the release rate of the drug by giving small changes in the process parameters without altering the physical properties of the original drug substance and polymer.     

Self-assembly in magnetic supramolecular hydrogels

Most recent advances in the synthesis of supramolecular hydrogels based on low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) have focused on the development of novel hybrid hydrogels, combining LMWGs and different additives. The dynamic nature of the noncovalent interactions of supramolecular hydrogels, together with the specific properties of the additives included in the formulation, allow these novel hybrid hydrogels to present interesting features, such as stimuli-responsiveness, gel-sol reversibility, self-healing and thixotropy, which make them very appealing for multiple biomedical and biotechnological applications. In particular, the inclusion of magnetic nanoparticles in the hydrogel matrix results in magnetic hydrogels, a particular type of stimuli-responsive materials that respond to applied magnetic fields. This review focuses on the recent advances in the development of magnetic supramolecular hydrogels, with special emphasis in the role of the magnetic nanoparticles in the self-assembly process, as well as in the exciting applications of these materials.