Current Nanomedicine - Volume 15, Issue 1, 2025

Lipid-based formulations, such as Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs), have been thoroughly studied as drug delivery platforms. NLCs are binary systems composed of both solid and liquid lipids that aim to produce a lipidic core that is less ordered. Components of NLCs particularly influence the physicochemical characteristics and efficacy of the final product.

They contain a solid matrix at room temperature and are thought to be superior to many other conventional lipids-based nanocarriers, such as solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), nanoemulsions, and liposomes because of their improved stability, drug loading capacity, good biocompatibility, enhanced permeability, bioavailability, extended half-life, fewer side effects, tissue-specific delivery and wide range of potential applications.

NLCs have multiple applications in the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics due to their ease of preparation, the feasibility of scale-up, non-toxic, improved targeting efficiency and potential for site-specific delivery via various routes of administration.

This review enlightens about the most recent developments of NLCs as a drug delivery system, types of NLCs, current techniques to prepare NLCs, and characterization techniques that are essential for the development of safe, effective and stable formulation. It also encompasses the potential of using NLCs for various administration routes and recent developments in pharmaceutical applications with successful outcomes.

This review certainly provide great insight into formulation considerations using design experts and modification strategies for improved targeting. On the whole, NLCs are broadly explored and preferred lipid nanocarrier systems with several advantages.

Poor wound healing poses a significant global health challenge, leading to increased mortality rates and considerable healthcare expenses. Nanotechnology has emerged as a promising approach to address the complexities associated with wound healing, offering potential solutions to enhance the wound microenvironment and promote efficient tissue repair.

This review aims to comprehensively summarize recent advancements in the application of nanomaterials for wound healing, with a focus on their mechanisms of action. The review also explores the prospects and challenges of using nanomaterials in wound dressings, specifically in the context of antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and angiogenic effects.

The integration of nanomaterials in wound healing has demonstrated significant progress in addressing key challenges, such as providing a suitable environment for cell migration, controlling microbial infections, and managing inflammation. Nanomaterials have been found to stimulate cellular and molecular processes, promoting hemostasis, immune regulation, and tissue proliferation, thereby accelerating wound closure and tissue regeneration.

Nanotechnology-based wound healing has shown great promise in revolutionizing wound care. Nanomaterials offer unique physicochemical and biological properties that can be harnessed to develop advanced wound dressings capable of sustained therapeutic agent delivery and targeted bacterial detection and treatment. Despite these promising advancements, challenges such as reproducibility, stability, toxicity, and histocompatibility must be addressed to ensure successful translation from laboratory research to clinical applications. Further research is required to better understand the in-vivo behaviour of nanomaterial-based wound dressings and to explore innovative approaches, such as intelligent wound dressings that detect and treat infections synergistically, to enhance wound healing outcomes. Overall, nanomaterials hold tremendous potential for future wound healing strategies, paving the way for improved patient outcomes and reduced healthcare burdens.

Currently, developing composite and nanocomposite materials based on natural polymers is attracting the growing attention of scientists. In particular, chitosan succinamide, a modified biopolymer, has good biocompatibility, biodegradability, and electrical conductivity, allowing it to be used as a functional material for creating various electronic devices, including sensors for use in medicine and pharmaceuticals. Composite sensors based on chitosan derivatives have found application for the recognition and determination of enantiomers of tryptophan, tyrosine, naproxen, and propranolol in human urine and blood plasma in tablet forms of drugs without a preliminary active substance.

This article discusses the studies on composite and nanocomposite thin-film structures based on chitosan succinamide obtained using various fillers, such as graphene oxide, single-walled carbon nanotubes, and carbon adsorbents.

The studies used cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The results created field-effect transistors based on the films in question as the transport layer.

The mobility of charge carriers was estimated, and the following values were obtained: μ(SCTS) = 0.173cm²/V·s; μ(SCTS-GO) = 0.509 cm²/V·s; μ(SCTS-CP) = 0.269 cm²/V·s; μ(SCTS-CB) = 0.351cm²/V·s; μ(SCTS-SWCNT) = 0.713 cm²/V·s.

Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) presents a significant challenge due to its aggressive nature and lack of responsive hormone receptors, predominantly affecting younger premenopausal women. Ethyl ferulate (EF), a notable phytochemical, has demonstrated promising anti-cancer properties. This study aimed to enhance the efficacy of EF by synthesizing and characterizing ethyl ferulate gold nanoparticles (EF-AuNps) to passively target TNBC cells via the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect.

We synthesized EF-AuNps using a direct reduction method and characterized the NPs by employing various techniques, including UV-visible spectroscopy, DLS, XRD, EDX, TEM, and FT-IR. The anti-proliferative activity against MDA-MB-231 cells was assessed using MTT and colony formation assays, alongside evaluating cell viability with PI-FACS and live/dead assays. Furthermore, a Western blot was performed to determine the mechanism of action of EF-AuNps in TNBC cells.

We successfully synthesized triangular EF-AuNps (<100nm) and observed a substantial inhibition of cell proliferation (IC50 18µg/ml). Compared to EF alone, EF-AuNps significantly enhanced cell death in TNBC cells, as confirmed by flow cytometry and viability assays. Besides, Western blot analysis verified that the expression of apoptotic-related signal proteins, such as survivin, caspase 3, and caspase 9, were modulated by EF-AuNps.

EF-AuNps showed higher anti-cancer efficacy than EF in the MDA-MB-231 cell line. These findings suggest the therapeutic potential of EF-AuNps for TNBC treatment, advocating for further preclinical and clinical investigations into this promising anti-cancer formulation.

The major goal of this work is to develop letrozole nanoparticles using the polymer precipitation technique. Formulations were prepared by using Ethyl cellulose and Eudragit S100 as polymers.

By varying drug-polymer ratios, a total of ten formulations were prepared. By altering the drug concentration to polymer, five formulations were prepared with Ethyl cellulose and five with Eudragit S100. All ten formulations were evaluated for different characterization and evaluation parameters such as Entrapment efficiency, Loading capacity and in vitro drug release studies, particle size, stability (zeta potential), surface morphology, and drug-polymer interaction study.

In comparison, the NEC 2:1 formulation showed the smallest particle size, high stability, good entrapment efficiency, and sustained drug release. This formulation was further studied to determine the anticancer activity in vitro in the MCF-7 Breast cancer cell line by MTT assay. The results indicated that the prepared formulation exhibited anticancer activity with an IC50 value of 91.26 micromolar.

Comparatively, Ethyl cellulose was proven to be a better polymer than Eudragit S100, and the nanoprecipitation technique was considered the most suitable technique for preparing letrozole nanoparticles.