-
International Journal of Molecular... Sep 2018Nanocarriers encapsulating multiple chemotherapeutics are a promising strategy to achieve combinational chemotherapy for cancer therapy; however, they generally use... (Review)
Review
Nanocarriers encapsulating multiple chemotherapeutics are a promising strategy to achieve combinational chemotherapy for cancer therapy; however, they generally use exotic new carriers without therapeutic effect, which usually suffer from carrier-related toxicity issues, as well as having to pass extensive clinical trials to be drug excipients before any clinical applications. Cargo-free nanomedicines, which are fabricated by drugs themselves without new excipients and possess nanoscale characteristics to realize favorable pharmacokinetics and intracellular delivery, have been rapidly developed and drawn much attention to cancer treatment. Herein, we discuss recent advances of cargo-free nanomedicines for cancer treatment. After a brief introduction to the major types of carrier-free nanomedicine, some representative applications of these cargo-free nanomedicines are discussed, including combination therapy, immunotherapy, as well as self-monitoring of drug release. More importantly, this review draws a brief conclusion and discusses the future challenges of cargo-free nanomedicines from our perspective.
Topics: Drug Delivery Systems; Drug Liberation; Excipients; Humans; Immunotherapy; Nanomedicine; Neoplasms
PubMed: 30274177
DOI: 10.3390/ijms19102963 -
Journal of Controlled Release :... Nov 2022Among the various dosage forms, oral medicine has extensive benefits including ease of administration and patients' compliance, over injectable, suppositories, ocular... (Review)
Review Comparative Study
Among the various dosage forms, oral medicine has extensive benefits including ease of administration and patients' compliance, over injectable, suppositories, ocular and nasal. Despite of extensive demand and emerging advantages, over 50% of therapeutic molecules are not available in oral form due to their physicochemical properties. More importantly, most of the biologics, proteins, peptide, and large molecular drugs are mostly available in injectable form. Conventional oral drug delivery system has limitation such as degradation and lack of stability within stomach due to presence of highly acidic gastric fluid, hinders their therapeutic efficacy and demand more frequent and higher dosing. Hence, formulation for controlled, sustained, and targeted drug delivery, need to be designed with feasibility to target the specific region of gastrointestinal (GI) tract such as stomach, small intestine, intestine lymphatic, and colon is challenging. Among various oral delivery approaches, mucoadhesive vehicles are promising and has potential for improving oral drug retention and controlled absorption to treat local diseases within the GI tract, as well systemic diseases. This review provides the overview about the challenges and opportunities to design mucoadhesive formulation for oral delivery of therapeutics in a way to target the specific region of the GI tract. Finally, we have concluded with future perspective and potential of mucoadhesive formulations for oral local and systemic delivery.
Topics: Humans; Drug Delivery Systems; Excipients; Colon; Gastrointestinal Tract; Administration, Oral; Drug Carriers
PubMed: 36116580
DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.09.024 -
International Journal of Molecular... Feb 2022Local drug delivery is an effective strategy for achieving direct and instant therapeutic effects. Current clinical treatments have fallen short and are limited by... (Review)
Review
Local drug delivery is an effective strategy for achieving direct and instant therapeutic effects. Current clinical treatments have fallen short and are limited by traditional technologies. Bioadhesive nanoparticles (NPs), however, may be a promising carrier for optimized local drug delivery, offering prolonged drug retention time and steadily maintained therapeutic concentrations. In addition, the possibility of clinical applications of this platform are abundant, as most polymers used for bioadhesion are both biodegradable and biocompatible. This review highlights the major advances in the investigations of polymer-based bioadhesive nanoparticles and their innumerable applications in local drug delivery.
Topics: Adhesives; Animals; Drug Carriers; Drug Delivery Systems; Excipients; Humans; Nanoparticles; Polymers
PubMed: 35216484
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23042370 -
Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2021Macromolecular biomolecules are currently dethroning classical small molecule therapeutics because of their improved targeting and delivery properties. Protamine-a small... (Review)
Review
Macromolecular biomolecules are currently dethroning classical small molecule therapeutics because of their improved targeting and delivery properties. Protamine-a small polycationic peptide-represents a promising candidate. In nature, it binds and protects DNA against degradation during spermatogenesis due to electrostatic interactions between the negatively charged DNA-phosphate backbone and the positively charged protamine. Researchers are mimicking this technique to develop innovative nanopharmaceutical drug delivery systems, incorporating protamine as a carrier for biologically active components such as DNA or RNA. The first part of this review highlights ongoing investigations in the field of protamine-associated nanotechnology, discussing the self-assembling manufacturing process and nanoparticle engineering. Immune-modulating properties of protamine are those that lead to the second key part, which is protamine in novel vaccine technologies. Protamine-based RNA delivery systems in vaccines (some belong to the new class of mRNA-vaccines) against infectious disease and their use in cancer treatment are reviewed, and we provide an update on the current state of latest developments with protamine as pharmaceutical excipient for vaccines.
PubMed: 34200384
DOI: 10.3390/nano11061508 -
European Journal of Pharmaceutical... May 2022Drug administration by inhalation is a well-established approach to treat respiratory and systemic diseases. To deliver a drug into the lung dry powder inhalation (DPI)... (Review)
Review
Drug administration by inhalation is a well-established approach to treat respiratory and systemic diseases. To deliver a drug into the lung dry powder inhalation (DPI) is an advantageous, but yet challenging option. A variety of strategies is available for developing DPI formulations. These formulation strategies should address the present disadvantage of insufficient drug delivery and enable therapies in general or to reach new targets (e.g. mucosal vaccination). To increase therapy safety and efficacy scientists challenge the limits of technical feasibility to engineer respiratory medicines. In this review, we provide a concise overview of particle engineering as enabling formulation technique or as an optimisation approach for existing strategies in pulmonary drug delivery. It comprehensively describes different techniques for particle engineering in carrier-based blends for inhalation. This covers considerations on which attributes are beneficial for carriers, followed by methods to modify such attributes or directly manufacture the desired carriers. Furthermore, this work comprises the current state of knowledge on nanocrystal and nanoparticle production as well as other carrier-free technologies and their applications. This review is completed by a glance in the future of carrier engineering using additive manufacturing.
Topics: Administration, Inhalation; Aerosols; Drug Delivery Systems; Dry Powder Inhalers; Excipients; Lung; Particle Size; Powders
PubMed: 35248734
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2022.106158 -
Biomaterials Advances Sep 2022Overall, aptamers are special classes of nucleic acid-based macromolecules that are beginning to investigate because of their capability of avidity binding to a specific... (Review)
Review
Overall, aptamers are special classes of nucleic acid-based macromolecules that are beginning to investigate because of their capability of avidity binding to a specific target for clinical use. Taking advantage of target-specific medicine led to more effective therapeutic and limitation of side effects of drugs. Herein, we discuss several aptamers and their binding capability and capacity for selecting tumor biomarkers and usage of them as targeting ligands for the functionalization of nanomaterials. We review recent applications based on aptamers and several nanoparticles to rise efficacy and develop carrier systems such as graphene oxide, folic acid, gold, mesopores silica, and various polymers and copolymer, polyethylene glycol, cyclodextrin, chitosan. The nanocarriers have been characterized by particle size, zeta potential, aptamer conjugation, and drug encapsulation efficiency. Hydrodynamic diameter and Zeta potential can used in order to monitor aptamers' crosslinking, in-vitro drug release, intracellular delivery of nanocarriers, and cellular cytotoxicity assay. Also, they are studied for cellular uptake and internalization to types of cancer cell lines such as colorectal, breast, prostate, leukemia and etc. The results are investigated in in-vivo cytotoxicity assay and cell viability assay. Targeted cancer therapy seems a good and promising strategy to overcome the systemic toxicity of chemotherapy.
Topics: Aptamers, Nucleotide; Drug Delivery Systems; Drug Liberation; Excipients; Humans; Male; Nanoparticles; Neoplasms; Polyethylene Glycols; Polymers
PubMed: 35952549
DOI: 10.1016/j.bioadv.2022.213077 -
Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews Oct 2022Lactose is the most commonly used excipient in carrier-based dry powder inhalation (DPI) formulations. Numerous inhalation therapies have been developed using lactose as... (Review)
Review
Lactose is the most commonly used excipient in carrier-based dry powder inhalation (DPI) formulations. Numerous inhalation therapies have been developed using lactose as a carrier material. Several theories have described the role of carriers in DPI formulations. Although these theories are valuable, each DPI formulation is unique and are not described by any single theory. For each new formulation, a specific development trajectory is required, and the versatility of lactose can be exploited to optimize each formulation. In this review, recent developments in lactose-based DPI formulations are discussed. The effects of varying the material properties of lactose carrier particles, such as particle size, shape, and morphology are reviewed. Owing to the complex interactions between the particles in a formulation, processing adhesive mixtures of lactose with the active ingredient is crucial. Therefore, blending and filling processes for DPI formulations are also reviewed. While the role of ternary agents, such as magnesium stearate, has increased, lactose remains the excipient of choice in carrier-based DPI formulations. Therefore, new developments in lactose-based DPI formulations are crucial in the optimization of inhalable medicine performance.
Topics: Administration, Inhalation; Aerosols; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; Drug Carriers; Dry Powder Inhalers; Excipients; Humans; Lactose; Particle Size; Powders
PubMed: 36070848
DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114527 -
Nature Communications May 2016Injectable hydrophobic drugs are typically dissolved in surfactants and non-aqueous solvents which can induce negative side-effects. Alternatives like 'top-down' fine...
Injectable hydrophobic drugs are typically dissolved in surfactants and non-aqueous solvents which can induce negative side-effects. Alternatives like 'top-down' fine milling of excipient-free injectable drug suspensions are not yet clinically viable and 'bottom-up' self-assembled delivery systems usually substitute one solubilizing excipient for another, bringing new issues to consider. Here, we show that Pluronic (Poloxamer) block copolymers are amenable to low-temperature processing to strip away all free and loosely bound surfactant, leaving behind concentrated, kinetically frozen drug micelles containing minimal solubilizing excipient. This approach was validated for phylloquinone, cyclosporine, testosterone undecanoate, cabazitaxel and seven other bioactive molecules, achieving sizes between 45 and 160 nm and drug to solubilizer molar ratios 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than current formulations. Hypertonic saline or co-loaded cargo was found to prevent aggregation in some cases. Use of surfactant-stripped micelles avoided potential risks associated with other injectable formulations. Mechanistic insights are elucidated and therapeutic dose responses are demonstrated.
Topics: Drug Carriers; Freezing; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; Micelles; Poloxamer; Surface-Active Agents
PubMed: 27193558
DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11649 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2022Pickering emulsions are emulsion systems stabilized by solid particles at the interface of oil and water. Pickering emulsions are considered to be natural,... (Review)
Review
Pickering emulsions are emulsion systems stabilized by solid particles at the interface of oil and water. Pickering emulsions are considered to be natural, biodegradable, and safe, so their applications in various fields-such as food, cosmetics, biomedicine, etc.-are very promising, including as a vehicle for essential oils (EOs). These oils contain volatile and aromatic compounds and have excellent properties, such as antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, and antioxidant activities. Despite their superior properties, EOs are prone to evaporation, decompose when exposed to light and oxygen, and have low solubility, limiting their industrial applications. Several studies have shown that EOs in Pickering emulsions displays less sensitivity to evaporation and oxidation, stronger antibacterial activity, and increased solubility. In brief, the application of Pickering emulsions for EOs is interesting to explore. This review discusses recent progress in the application of Pickering emulsions, particularly as EO carriers, drug carriers, antioxidant and antimicrobial carriers, and in active packaging.
Topics: Emulsions; Oils, Volatile; Antioxidants; Excipients; Anti-Bacterial Agents
PubMed: 36431978
DOI: 10.3390/molecules27227872 -
AAPS PharmSciTech Dec 2014Nanomedicine refers to biomedical and pharmaceutical applications of nanosized cargos of drugs/vaccine/DNA therapeutics including nanoparticles, nanoclusters, and... (Review)
Review
Nanomedicine refers to biomedical and pharmaceutical applications of nanosized cargos of drugs/vaccine/DNA therapeutics including nanoparticles, nanoclusters, and nanospheres. Such particles have unique characteristics related to their size, surface, drug loading, and targeting potential. They are widely used to combat disease by controlled delivery of bioactive(s) or for diagnosis of life-threatening problems in their very early stage. The bioactive agent can be combined with a diagnostic agent in a nanodevice for theragnostic applications. However, the formulation scientist faces numerous challenges related to their development, scale-up feasibilities, regulatory aspects, and commercialization. This article reviews recent progress in the method of development of nanoparticles with a focus on polymeric and lipid nanoparticles, their scale-up techniques, and challenges in their commercialization.
Topics: Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; Drug Carriers; Excipients; Nanomedicine; Nanoparticles; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Polymers; Quality Control; Technology, Pharmaceutical
PubMed: 25047256
DOI: 10.1208/s12249-014-0177-9