RESUMEN
Sodium alendronate (ALN) is a very hydrosoluble and poorly permeable molecule used as an antiresorptive agent and with vascular anticalcifying capacity. Loaded into targeted nanovesicles, its anti-inflammatory activity may be amplified towards extra-osseous and noncalcified target cells, such as severely irritated vascular endothelium. Here cytotoxicity, mitochondrial membrane potential, ATP content, and membrane fluidity of human endothelial venous cells (HUVECs) were determined after endocytosis of ALN-loaded nanoarchaeosomes (nanoARC-Chol(ALN), made of polar lipids from Halorubrum tebenquichense: cholesterol 7:3 w/w, 166 ± 5 nm, 0.16 ± 0.02 PDI, -40.8 ± 5.4 mV potential, 84.7 ± 21 µg/mg ALN/total lipids, TL). The effect of nanoARC-Chol(ALN) was further assessed on severely inflamed HUVECs. To that aim, HUVECs were grown on a porous barrier on top of a basal compartment seeded either with macrophages or human foam cells. One lighter and one more pronounced inflammatory context was modelled by adding lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to the apical or the apical and basal compartments. The endocytosis of nanoARC-Chol(ALN), was observed to partly reduce the endothelial-mesenchymal transition of HUVECs. Besides, while 10 mg/mL dexamethasone, 7.6 mM free ALN and ALN-loaded liposomes failed, 50 µg/mL TL + 2.5 µg/mL ALN (i.e., nanoARC-Chol(ALN)) reduced the IL-6 and IL-8 levels by, respectively, 75% and 65% in the mild and by, respectively, 60% and 40% in the pronounced inflammation model. This is the first report showing that the endocytosis of nanoARC-Chol(ALN) by HUVECs magnifies the anti-inflammatory activity of ALN even under conditions of intense irritation, not only surpassing that of free ALN but also that of dexamethasone.
RESUMEN
Chagas disease (CD) is the most important endemic parasitosis in South America and represents a great socioeconomic burden for the chronically ill and their families. The only currently available treatment against CD is based on the oral administration of benznidazole, an agent, developed in 1971, of controversial effectiveness on chronically ill patients and toxic to adults. So far, conventional pharmacological approaches have failed to offer more effective and less toxic alternatives to benznidazole. Nanomedicines reduce toxicity and increase the effectiveness of current oncological therapies. Could nanomedicines improve the treatment of the neglected CD? This question will be addressed in this review, first by critically discussing selected reports on the performance of benznidazole and other molecules formulated as nanomedicines in in vitro and in vivo CD models. Taking into consideration the developmental barriers for nanomedicines and the degree of current technical preclinical efforts, a prospect of developing nanomedicines against CD will be provided. Not surprisingly, we conclude that structurally simpler formulations with minimal production cost, such as oral nanocrystals and/or parenteral nano-immunostimulants, have the highest chances of making it to the market to treat CD. Nonetheless, substantive political and economic decisions, key to facing technological challenges, are still required regarding a realistic use of nanomedicines effective against CD.
RESUMEN
Carotenoids are natural products regulated by the food sector, currently used as feed dyes and as antioxidants in dietary supplements and composing functional foods for human consumption. Of the nearly one thousand carotenoids described to date, only retinoids, derived from beta carotene, have the status of a drug and are regulated by the pharmaceutical sector. In this review, we address a novel field: the transformation of xanthophylls, particularly the highly marketed astaxanthin and the practically unknown bacterioruberin, in therapeutic agents by altering their pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, and pharmacodynamics through their formulation as nanomedicines. The antioxidant activity of xanthophylls is mediated by routes different from those of the classical oral anti-inflammatory drugs such as corticosteroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): remarkably, xanthophylls lack therapeutic activity but also lack toxicity. Formulated as nanomedicines, xanthophylls gain therapeutic activity by mechanisms other than increased bioavailability. Loaded into ad hoc tailored nanoparticles to protect their structure throughout storage and during gastrointestinal transit or skin penetration, xanthophylls can be targeted and delivered to selected inflamed cell groups, achieving a massive intracellular concentration after endocytosis of small doses of formulation. Most first reports showing the activities of oral and topical anti-inflammatory xanthophyll-based nanomedicines against chronic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and dry eye disease emerged between 2020 and 2023. Here we discuss in detail their preclinical performance, mostly targeted vesicular and polymeric nanoparticles, on cellular models and in vivo. The results, although preliminary, are auspicious enough to speculate upon their potential use for oral or topical administration in the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases.
RESUMEN
This study aimed to obtain site-specific and controlled drug release particulate systems. Some particulates were prepared using different concentrations of sodium alginate (Na-Alg) alone and others were formulated using different proportions of Na-Alg with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) stearoxy ether (60M viscosity grade), a hydrophobic form of conventional HPMC, using diclofenac potassium (DP) by ion-exchange methods. Beads were characterized by encapsulation efficiency, release profile, swelling, and erosion rate. The suitability of common empirical (zero-order, first-order and Higuchi) and semi-empirical (Ritger-Peppas and Peppas-Sahlin) models was studied to describe the drug release profile. The Weibull model was also studied. Models were tested by non-linear least-square curve fitting. A general purpose mathematical software (MATLAB) was used as an analysis tool. In addition, instead of the widely used linear fitting of log-transformed data, direct fitting was used to avoid any sort of truncation or transformation errors. The release kinetics of the beads indicated a purely relaxation-controlled delivery, referred to as case II transport. Weibull distribution showed a close fit. The release of DP from Na-Alg particulates was complete in 5-6 hours, whereas from Na-Alg hydrophobic HPMC particulate systems, release was sustained up to 10 hours. Hydrophobic HPMC with Na-Alg is an excellent matrix to formulate site-specific and controlled drug release particulate systems.
Este estudo teve como objetivo a obtenção de sistemas particulados para a liberação controlada de fármacos em sítios de ação específicos. Algumas partículas foram preparadas utilizando-se diferentes concentrações de alginato de sódio (Na-Alg) e outras foram formuladas por diferentes proporções de Na-Alg com estearoxílico éter de hidroxipropilmetilcelulose (HPMC) (grau de viscosidade 60M), uma forma hidrofóbica do convencional HPMC, utilizando o diclofenaco de potássio (DP) por métodos de troca iônica. Os grânulos foram caracterizados pela eficiência de encapsulação, perfil de liberação, inchaço e taxa de erosão. A adequação de diferentes modelos empíricos (de ordem zero, primeira ordem e Higuchi) e semi-empíricos (Ritger-Peppas e Peppas-Sahlin) foi estudada para descrever o perfil de liberação do fármaco. O modelo de Weibull também foi estudado. Os modelos foram testados através de ajuste não linear de curva pelo método dos mínimos quadrados. O software matemático MATLAB foi utilizado como ferramenta de análise matemática. Além disso, em vez do método de ajuste linear de dados transformados, foi utilizado o ajuste direto para evitar qualquer tipo de erro de truncamento ou de transformação. A cinética de liberação dos grânulos indicou liberação controlada puramente pelo processo de relaxamento, referida como transporte caso II. A distribuição de Weibull apresentou bom ajuste. A liberação do DP a partir de partículas de Na-Alg foi concluída em 5-6 horas, enquanto que a partir de sistemas particulados de Na-Alg HPMC hidrofóbico, a liberação foi mantida por até 10 horas. O HPMC hidrofóbico com Na-Alg é uma excelente matriz para a formulação de sistemas particulados para a liberação controlada de fármacos em sítios de ação específicos.
Asunto(s)
/análisis , Alginatos/análisis , Derivados de la Hipromelosa , Liberación de FármacosRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present investigation was to form matrix patches with ethyl cellulose (EC) as the base polymer, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as the copolymer, plasticizer with dibutyl phthalate (DBP) or acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC) and the drug glipizide (gz) by the solvent casting method. Physicochemical properties of the patches and in vitro drug release were determined in a modified Keshary-chien diffusion cell to optimize the patch formulations with the help of experimental data and figures for further studies. TECHNIQUES: EC and PVP of different proportions with different weight percentages of either DBP or ATBC and a fixed amount of glipizide were taken for matrix patch formations. The dried patches were used for measuring their drug contents as well as their thicknesses, tensile strengths, moisture contents and water absorption amounts in percentage. In vitro release amounts at different intervals were measured by UV-spectrophotometer. RESULTS: Drug contents varied from 96 - 99 percent. Thickness and tensile strength varied due to weight variation of the ingredients in the matrix patches. Moisture content and water absorption in wt percent were greater for the patches containing higher amount of PVP due to its hydrophilic nature. Variations in drug release were observed among various formulations. It was found that all of the releases followed diffusion controlled zero order kinetics. Two DBP patches yielded better and more adequate release. CONCLUSIONS: The two formulations with DBP were the preferred choice for making matrix patches for further studies.
O objetivo da presente pesquisa foi formar matrizes para bandagens de liberação transdérmica com etilcelulose (EC) como polímero base, polivinilpirrolidona (PVP), como copolímero, plastificante com ftalato de dibutila (DBP) ou citrato de tributilacetila (ATBC) e o fármaco glipizida (gz) pelo método de evaporação do solvente (moldagem com solvente). As propriedades físico-químicas das bandagens e a liberação do fármaco in vitro na célula de difusão de Keshary-chien modificada foram determinadas para aperfeiçoar as formulações das bandagens com o auxílio de dados experimentais e figuras para estudos posteriores. EC e PVP em diferentes proporções com porcentagens diferentes de massa tanto de DBP quanto de ATBC e quantidade fixa de glipizida foram utilizadas como matrizes para a formação de bandagens de liberação transdérmica. As bandagens secas foram empregadas para medir seus conteúdos em fármaco e, também, a sua espessura, resistência à tensão, conteúdos de umidade e porcentagem de absorção de água. As quantidades liberadas in vitro em diferentes intervalos de tempo foram medidas por espectrofotômetro de UV. Os conteúdos de fármaco variaram de 96 a 99 por cento. A espessura e a resistência à ruptura variaram devido à variação de massa dos componentes da matriz das bandagens. O conteúdo de umidade e a água absorvida, em porcentagem de massa, foram maiores para as bandagens que continham grandes quantidades de PVP devido à sua natureza hidrofílica. As variações na liberação de fármaco foram observadas entre as várias formulações. Todas as liberações seguiram a cinética de difusão controlada de ordem zero. Duas bandagens DBP resultaram em melhor e mais adequada liberação. As duas formulações com DBP foram escolhidas para a preparação de matriz de bandagens para estudos posteriores.