Recent Developments of Reverse Micellar Techniques for Lysozyme, Bovine Serum Albumin, and Bromelain Extraction

Self-Emulsifying delivery systems for oral administration of exenatide: Hydrophobic ion pairs vs. Dry reverse micelles

This research provides a comparative analysis of two innovative strategies - hydrophobic ion pairing (HIP) and dry reverse micelles (dRM) - to enhance the oral bioavailability of exenatide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, as a diabetes treatment. These techniques were integrated into self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) featuring a lipid matrix composed of propylene glycol dilaurate and salicylic acid methyl ester (32.5 %:32.5 %; v/v) with polyethoxylated-35 castor oil (35 %; v/v) as surfactant. HIP enhances the lipophilicity of exenatide through ion-pairing with cationic surfactants, thereby promoting efficient incorporation into the lipid matrix of SEDDS. In contrast, dRM forms stabilized micellar structures using sorbitan monooleate, improving safety and compatibility. The droplet sizes for SEDDS were analyzed via dynamic light scattering and varied from 95 to 110 nm, with a polydispersity index of approximately 0.25, and zeta potentials between -1 mV and -6 mV. The maximum log DSEDDS/AQ values were 2.13 ± 0.31 for exenatide-loaded HIPs (ExeHIP) and 2.05 ± 0.08 for exenatide-loaded dRM (ExedRM), indicating sufficient lipophilicity, which is crucial for effective absorption and bioavailability. Toxicological assessments showed low toxicity levels. In vivo studies indicated a relative bioavailability of 18.08 % for ExeHIP and 17.06 % for ExedRM compared to intravenous injection. Both strategies demonstrated a similar potential in relative bioavailability, reflecting a significant increase in bioavailability compared to the control. Notably, the HIP formulation provided better control over exenatide release and ensured stable GLP-1 levels, while dRMs are preferable for safety reasons as all excipients have GRAS status and are therefore FDA approved.

Applications of human and bovine serum albumins in biomedical engineering: A review

Serum albumin, commonly recognized as a predominant major plasma protein, is ubiquitously distributed among vertebrates, demonstrating versatility and widespread accessibility. Numerous studies have discussed the composition and attributes of human and bovine serum albumin; nonetheless, few systematic and comprehensive summaries on human and bovine serum albumin exist. This paper reviews the applications of human and bovine serum albumin in biomedical engineering. First, we introduce the differences in the structure of human and bovine serum albumin. Next, we describe the extraction methods for human and bovine serum albumin (fractionation process separation, magnetic adsorption, reverse micellar (RM) extraction, and genetic engineering) and the advantages and disadvantages of recently developed extraction methods. The characteristics of different processing forms of human and bovine serum albumin are also discussed, concomitantly elucidating their intrinsic properties, functions, and applications in biomedicine. Notably, their pivotal functions as carriers for drugs and tissue-engineered scaffolds, as well as their contributions to cell reproduction and bioimaging, are critically examined. Finally, to provide guidance for researchers in their future work, this review summarizes the current state of human and bovine serum albumin research and outlines potential future research topics.

In Vivo Wound Healing in Drosophila melanogaster and Mouse Models: Synergistic Effect of Bovine Serum Albumin and Graphene Quantum Dots

Bovine serum albumin (BSA)-based biomaterials have garnered significant attention for their remarkable potential in wound healing, primarily due to their effective biological actions in addressing the skin inflammation phase and mitigating hypoalbuminemia. Motivated by these attributes, a nanocomposite hydrogel is developed by blending BSA with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), complemented by the incorporation of graphene quantum dot (GQD). The FTIR study establishes a hydrogen-bonding interaction between the -NH2 groups of BSA and the -OH group of PVA. Microscopic investigations establish that the dispersion of GQDs with an average size of 22.5 nm results in smoothening of the surface of the nanocomposite. The nanocomposite hydrogel reveals excellent swelling attributes of about 920% in a period of 6 h due to its optimum cross-linking condition. Furthermore, the hydrogel exhibits a water vapor transmission rate of 8.45 mg cm-2 h-1, akin to the transmission rate of wounded skin. The PVA/BSA@GQD nanocomposite's antibacterial efficacy is evaluated against Morganella morganii bacteria, showing 99% killing, while its cytotoxicity assay against HeLa cells exhibited a minimum cell viability of 76% at a 20 μM concentration, which is ideal for a wound dressing material. In vivo wound healing investigations are conducted on Drosophila, showcasing a 100% wound surface closure within 4 h. This outcome is further substantiated through in vivo studies involving mice, where complete re-epithelialization is achieved within a span of 13 days. The combined results establish the PVA/BSA@GQD nanocomposite as a potential wound dressing material.

Recent Insights Into the Prognostic and Therapeutic Applications of Lysozymes

Lysozymes are naturally occurring enzymes present in a variety of biological organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and animal bodily secretions and tissues. It is also the main ingredient of many ethnomedicines. It is well known that lysozymes and lysozyme-like enzymes can be used as anti-bacterial agents by degrading bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan that leads to cell death, and can also inhibit fungi, yeasts, and viruses. In addition to its direct antimicrobial activity, lysozyme is also an important component of the innate immune system in most mammals. Increasing evidence has shown the immune-modulatory effects of lysozymes against infection and inflammation. More recently, studies have revealed the anti-cancer activities of lysozyme in multiple types of tumors, potentially through its immune-modulatory activities. In this review, we summarized the major functions and underlying mechanisms of lysozymes derived from animal and plant sources. We highlighted the therapeutic applications and recent advances of lysozymes in cancers, hypertension, and viral diseases, aiming toseeking alternative therapies for standard medical treatment bypassing side effects. We also evaluated the role of lysozyme as a promising cancer marker for prognosis to indicate the outcomes recurrence for patients.

Thermally-driven gold@poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) core-shell nanotransporters for molecular extraction

HYPOTHESIS

Molecular extraction efficiency can be boosted with the assistance of nanoparticles (NPs). It is based on adsorption of the extractants in one phase and desorption in another phase, which requires a reversible phase transfer of the NPs.

EXPERIMENTS

We synthesized the gold@poly(N-isopropylacryamide) (Au@PNIPAM) NPs via an interfacial self-assembly method enhanced by post-polymerization. We adopted Rhodamine 6G (R6G) as the model molecule for the extraction test. In comparison, UV-Vis extinction spectra were recorded to monitor the extraction processes with or without the Au@PNIPAM NPs. We further analyzed theoretically with thermodynamics and first-principle calculations.

FINDINGS

The hybrid Au@PNIPAM NPs show a reversible phase transfer between the interface and chloroform phases. The Au NPs assisted extraction efficiency of R6G shows 5 times higher than that without Au NPs. The thermodynamic analysis of the nanotransportation system agrees well with the ab initio density functional theory calculations. This nanoparticle-assisted molecular transportation modifies the extraction kinetics significantly, which will provide further implications for biphasic catalysis, pollutant treatment and drug delivery.

Application of experimental designs and response surface methods in screening and optimization of reverse micellar extraction

Reverse micellar extraction (RME) has emerged as a versatile and efficient tool for downstream processing (DSP) of various biomolecules, including structural proteins and enzymes, due to the substantial advantages over conventional DSP methods. However, the RME system is a complex dependency of several parameters that influences the overall selectivity and performance of the RME system, hence this justifies the need for optimization to obtain higher possible extraction results. For the last two decades, many experimental design strategies for screening and optimization of RME have been described in literature. The objective of this article is to review the use of different experimental designs and response surface methodologies that are currently used to screen and optimize the RME system for various types of biomolecules. Overall, this review provides the rationale for the selection of appropriate screening or optimization techniques for the parameters associated with both forward and backward extraction during the RME of biomolecules.