Current Issue : January - March Volume : 2020 Issue Number : 1 Articles : 5 Articles
Locally delivered anti-inflammatory compounds can restore the homeostasis of the\ndegenerated intervertebral disc (IVD). With beneficial effects on IVD cells, epigallocatechin 3-gallate\n(EGCG) is a promising therapeutic candidate. However, EGCG is prone to rapid degradation and/or\ndepletion. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a method for controlled EGCG delivery\nin the degenerated IVD. Primary IVD cells were isolated fromhuman donors undergoing IVD surgeries.\nEGCG was encapsulated into microparticles by electrospraying of glutaraldehyde-crosslinked gelatin.\nThe resulting particles were characterized in terms of cytocompatibility and anti-inflammatory\nactivity, and combined with a thermoresponsive carrier to produce an injectable EGCG delivery\nsystem. Subsequently, electrospraying was scaled up using the industrial NANOSPIDERâ?¢technology.\nThe produced EGCG microparticles reduced the expression of inflammatory (IL-6, IL-8, COX-2) and\ncatabolic (MMP1, MMP3, MMP13) mediators in pro-inflammatory 3D cell cultures. Combining the\nEGCG microparticles with the carrier showed a trend towards modulating EGCG activity/release.\nElectrospray upscaling was achieved, leading to particles with homogenous spherical morphologies.\nIn conclusion, electrospray-based encapsulation of EGCG resulted in cytocompatible microparticles\nthat preserved the activity of EGCG and showed the potential to control EGCG release, thus favoring\nIVD health by downregulating local inflammation. Future studies will focus on further exploring the\nbiological activity of the developed delivery system for potential clinical use....
Aceclofenac-loaded poly(vinyl-pyrrolidone)-based nanofiber formulations were prepared\nby electrospinning to obtain drug-loaded orally disintegrating webs to enhance the solubility and\ndissolution rate of the poorly soluble anti-inflammatory active that belongs to the BCS Class-II.\nTriethanolamine-containing ternary composite of aceclofenac-poly(vinyl-pyrrolidone) nanofibers\nwere formulated to exert the synergistic effect on the drug-dissolution improvement. The composition\nand the electrospinning parameters were changed to select the fibrous sample of optimum fiber\ncharacteristics. To determine the morphology of the nanofibers, scanning electron microscopy was\nused. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)\nwere applied for the solid-state characterization of the samples, while the drug release profile was\nfollowed by the in vitro dissolution test. The nanofibrous formulations had diameters in the range\nof few hundred nanometers. FT-IR spectra and DSC thermograms indicated the amorphization\nof aceclofenac, which resulted in a rapid release of the active substance. The characteristics of the\nselected ternary fiber composition (10 mg/g aceclofenac, 1% w/w triethanolamine, 15% w/w PVPK90)\nwere found to be suitable for obtaining orally dissolving webs of fast dissolution and potential\noral absorption....
Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis represents one of the most serious fungal infections among\nimmunocompromised patients. In this study, we aimed to analyze the in vivo efficacy of prophylactic\noral amphotericin B (AMB) encapsulated in modified chitosan-nanoparticles (Nanomericsâ?? Molecular\nEnvelope Technology (MET)) supplemented with a standardized extract of cultured Lentinula edodes\nmycelia (AHCC®) in a murine model of pulmonary aspergillosis. We determined fungal burden and\nsurvival of mice and additionally, we carried out a cytokine analysis in an attempt to understand\nthe immunomodulation of the extract. Our results evidenced equivalent efficacy between orally\nadministered AMB-MET and the intravenous liposomal AMB marketed formulation. Addition of\nthe AHCC® supplement significantly improved efficacy in terms of burden reduction and survival\nincrease of both oral and intravenous AMB therapies compared to the untreated control group.\nMoreover, a protective effect of the extract was observed in terms of weight loss. Regarding the\ncytokine profiles, the Th1 immune response was stimulated in treated animals when compared to\nthe control group. This response was marked by an enhancement in the MCP-1, GM-CSF, VEGF,\nRANTES and IL-17 levels and a decrease in the IL-6, a biomarker related to the severity of the infection....
Despite advances in regulations and initiatives to increase pediatric medicine development,\nthere is still an unmet need for age-appropriate medicines for children. The availability of pediatric\nformulations is particularly lacking in resource poor areas, due to, for example, area-specific disease\nburden and financial constraints, as well as disconnected supply chains and fragmented healthcare\nsystems. The paucity of authorized pediatric medicines often results in the manipulation and\nadministration of products intended for adults, with an increased risk of mis-dosing and adverse\nreactions. This article provides an overview of the some of the key difficulties associated with the\ndevelopment of pediatric medicines in both high and low resource areas, and highlights shared and\nlocation specific challenges and opportunities. The utilization of dispersible oral dosage forms and\nsuppositories for low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are described in addition to other platform\ntechnologies that may in the future offer opportunities for future pediatric medicine development for\nlow resource settings....
To develop proper drug formulations and to optimize the delivery of their active ingredients\nthrough the dermal barrier, the Franz diffusion cell system is the most widely used in vitro/ex vivo\ntechnique. However, different providers and manufacturers make various types of this equipment\n(horizontal, vertical, static, flow-through, smaller and larger chambers, etc.) with high variability and\nnot fully comparable and consistent data. Furthermore, a high amount of test drug formulations and\nlarge size of diffusion skin surface and membranes are important requirements for the application\nof these methods. The aim of our study was to develop a novel Microfluidic Diffusion Chamber\ndevice and compare it with the traditional techniques. Here the design, fabrication, and a pilot testing\nof a microfluidic skin-on-a chip device are described. Based on this chip, further developments\ncan also be implemented for industrial purposes to assist the characterization and optimization of\ndrug formulations, dermal pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamic studies. The advantages of\nour device, beside the low costs, are the small drug and skin consumption, low sample volumes,\ndynamic arrangement with continuous flow mimicking the dermal circulation, as well as rapid and\nreproducible results....
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