Current Nanomedicine - Volume 13, Issue 1, 2023

In nanoemulsions, both oil and water droplets are stabilised by an amphiphilic surfactant. Ultrafine dispersions with varying drug loading, viscoelastic properties, and aesthetic characteristics may be useful for the administration of medication. A 20-500-nanometer droplet size range for nanoemulsions has been established. The biological behavior of a nanoemulsions formulation is heavily influenced by its droplet diameter and surface properties. Small droplet size results in clear emulsions; therefore, the appearance of the product is unaffected even by the addition of an oil phase. Nanoemulsions are oil-in-water dispersions that are transparent or translucent and are stabilized by an interfacial layer of surfactants and cosurfactant particles with droplet size smaller than 100 nm. New nanoscience-based technologies are becoming increasingly popular as a means of improving food safety, quality, and nutrition. In this field, nanoemulsions have been a key focus since they can be readily manufactured using current food components and technology. Food nanoemulsions, which are tiny oil droplets distributed in water, are being used as delivery methods for a variety of hydrophobic compounds, including nutrients, nutraceuticals, antioxidants, and antimicrobial agents. The present review is focused on the formulation, characterization, and applications of nanoemulsions.

In the last decade, the onset of neurodegenerative diseases (ND) has been strongly widespread due to the rapid increase in the world population. There are many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, spinal muscular atrophy, Levy body disease, etc. Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease are most commonly found. Neurodegenerative diseases occur due to the degradation of neurons in the brain and the spinal cord. The diagnosis of both diseases has increased, however, the successful treatment is still very limited because of the lower ability of the drug to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). It is a big challenge to deliver the drug to the brain, because only small and lipid-soluble agents cross the BBB, by considering this assumption, the liposomal drug delivery system is considered one of the effective treatments in neurodegenerative diseases. Liposomes are considered to be an ideal carrier as they are flexible, biocompatible, and can carry different types of therapeutic molecules across the BBB. This review focus on the potential use of lipid delivery system in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and the application of liposomes in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Micellization is the process of formation of micelles using different polymers mainly pluronic (F127, F123, etc.). Polymers are used to formulate polymeric micelles that provide physical and chemical stability of drugs that are encapsulated into them. Moreover, the drugs are encapsulated in the core portion (hydrophobic inner) of micelles and another portion is the shell portion (hydrophilic outer) which provides hydrophilicity to the hydrophobic drug. Delivery of hydrophobic drugs by micelles is easy and preferred due to the nano size structure, well association, low toxicity, biocompatible, well core structure, and a high stability. Several methods of preparation of micelles such as - thin film hydration, solvent evaporation, dialysis, and direct dissolution are discussed here. Micelles formulations in pharmaceutical industries are preferred because they enhance the solubility and bioavailability of drugs of BCS class II and IV. This review focuses on various strategies to overcome the problems related to poor aqueous solubility and bioavailability of drugs, micellar solubilization, and application of micelles for various drug delivery. It also includes future considerations for the development of various polymeric micelles-based drug formulations.

Background: Drugs having high first-pass metabolism or that are susceptible to enzymatic degradation can be administered through the nasal route to avoid their degradation. Lurasidone exhibits less toxicity and side effects as compared to its sister drugs like risperidone, ziprasidone, clozapine, etc. Objective: The present study aimed to develop Lurasidone loaded niosomes for nasal delivery. Methods: Lurasidone niosomes were developed by adapting the ether injection method and optimized using a central composite design. In vitro and in vivo studies were conducted using optimized formulation. Results: The findings showed that the optimized formulation exhibited a particle size of 159.02 ± 0.58 nm and an entrapment efficiency of 91.6 ± 1.6%. The findings from the nasal histopathological analysis revealed that the optimized formulation was non-irritant and non-toxic for nasal mucosa. The findings from in vitro studies revealed 94.61 ± 0.27% of drug release from optimized formulation F7 throughout 24 hrs. The findings of in vivo (Albino Wistar rats) studies demonstrated that various pharmacokinetic parameters (Cmax, Tmax, AUC(0-24), T1/2, Vd and Cl) and pharmcodynamic parameters (conditioned avoidance response, biochemical estimation using oxidative markers such as superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde and glutathione) were significantly improved compared to marketed tablets (Lurasid^® 40 mg) and pure drug suspension. Optimized formulation F-7 exhibited 4.9 times more bioavailability than that of pure drug suspension following intranasal administration. Conclusion: These findings indicate that nasal niosomal formulation of Lurasidone HCl is a promising nanoplatform for enhancing the overall performance of Lurasidone. These results could open new avenues into the future of nanomedicine.

Background: Voriconazole (VRZ) is widely used for fungal keratitis topically. It is sparingly water soluble and has limited permeability which can lead to poor bioavailability. Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLCs) are selected as a carrier for voriconazole as they increase solubility while the lipidic character of the formulation facilitates permeation. Objectives: To develop a new method of preparation of lipidic nanoparticles To apply Quality by design and risk-based approach to find variables To optimize variables and find the design space To evaluate and characterize the optimized formulation Methods: The present study is an attempt to address the challenges in the formulation of NLCs using a high-speed homogenizer. Quality by Design approach was used to find the material attributes and process parameters playing a significant role in the formulation development. Quality Target product profile was prepared, and failure mode and effect analysis was performed for a better understanding of the risks, ways to alleviate risks, and finally, to propose a control strategy. The formulation was optimized by using 3-levels 3-factors central composite design, and design space was obtained by using graphical optimization. The morphology of the particles was studied by using Transmission Electron Microscope. In vitro drug release study was performed using Franz diffusion cell. Results: The amount of solid lipid, solid lipid to total lipid ratio, and concentration of surfactant were found to be high risk variables and their effects on the product quality were examined using Central composite design considering particle size, particle size distribution and %entrapment efficiency as dependent variables. Optimized NLC had a particle size of 72.58 nm with PDI 0.137 and %entrapment efficiency of 78.79%. The in vitro drug release study showed sustained drug release over the period of 24 hrs and followed the Higuchi model with a fickian diffusion mechanism. Conclusion: The present study successfully explored QbD along with Risk-based approach for the development of voriconazole containing lipidic nanoparticles.