RETRACTED: Pluronic® F127 stabilized reduced graphene oxide hydrogel for transdermal delivery of ondansetron: Ex vivo and animal studies

Current Advances in the Development of Hydrogel-Based Wound Dressings for Diabetic Foot Ulcer Treatment

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are one of the most prevalent complications associated with diabetes mellitus. DFUs are chronic injuries that often lead to non-traumatic lower extremity amputations, due to persistent infection and other ulcer-related side effects. Moreover, these complications represent a significant economic burden for the healthcare system, as expensive medical interventions are required. In addition to this, the clinical treatments that are currently available have only proven moderately effective, evidencing a great need to develop novel strategies for the improved treatment of DFUs. Hydrogels are three-dimensional systems that can be fabricated from natural and/or synthetic polymers. Due to their unique versatility, tunability, and hydrophilic properties, these materials have been extensively studied for different types of biomedical applications, including drug delivery and tissue engineering applications. Therefore, this review paper addresses the most recent advances in hydrogel wound dressings for effective DFU treatment, providing an overview of current perspectives and challenges in this research field.

Graphene Oxide Thin Films with Drug Delivery Function

Graphene oxide has been used in different fields of nanomedicine as a manager of drug delivery due to its inherent physical and chemical properties that allow its use in thin films with biomedical applications. Several studies demonstrated its efficacy in the control of the amount and the timely delivery of drugs when it is incorporated in multilayer films. It has been demonstrated that oxide graphene layers are able to work as drug delivery or just to delay consecutive drug dosage, allowing the operation of time-controlled systems. This review presents the latest research developments of biomedical applications using graphene oxide as the main component of a drug delivery system, with focus on the production and characterization of films, in vitro and in vivo assays, main applications of graphene oxide biomedical devices, and its biocompatibility properties.

Promising Graphene-Based Nanomaterials and Their Biomedical Applications and Potential Risks: A Comprehensive Review

Graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNs) have been the subject of research focus in the scientific community because of their excellent physical, chemical, electrical, mechanical, thermal, and optical properties. Several studies have been conducted on GBNs, and they have provided a detailed review and summary of various applications. However, comprehensive comments on biomedical applications and potential risks and strategies to reduce toxicity are limited. In this review, we systematically summarized the following aspects of GBNs in order to fill the gaps: (1) the history, synthesis methods, structural characteristics, and surface modification; (2) the latest advances in biomedical applications (including drug/gene delivery, biosensors, bioimaging, tissue engineering, phototherapy, and antibacterial activity); and (3) biocompatibility, potential risks (toxicity in vivo/vitro and effects on human health and the environment), and strategies to reduce toxicity. Moreover, we have analyzed the challenges to be overcome in order to enhance application of GBNs in the biomedical field.

Triptolide laden reduced graphene oxide transdermal hydrogel to manage knee arthritis: in vitro and in vivo studies

Triptolide (extract of herb Tripterygium wilfordii) is widely used in rheumatoid arthritis due to its potent immunosuppressant effect. The marketed oral (tablet dosage forms) and parenteral injections have short duration of action (half-life = 38 min) and not limited to multiorgan toxicity, which restrict the use of triptolide in clinical practice. In this study, a triptolide-loaded Pluronic® F68-reduced graphene oxide transdermal (non-invasive) hydrogel was developed to achieve sustained release of triptolide. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the synthesis of Pluronic^® F68-reduced graphene oxide. Transmission electron microscopy showed flat wrinkled-nanosheets. The developed hydrogel showed desirable viscosity (11,261-11,365 cps), adhesiveness (0.25 mJ), hardness (6.5 g), and cohesiveness (1.85) for transdermal application. The ex vivo release study demonstrated the ability of the Pluronic^® F68-reduced graphene oxide hydrogel to prolong release up to 14 h (63.64-96.78%), owing to the strong π-π interactions between the graphene oxide and the triptolide. The in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters in the rat model confirmed the improvement in the relative bioavailability (3.3-fold) with Pluronic^® F68-reduced graphene oxide hydrogel in comparison to the control hydrogel without reduced graphene oxide. The anti-rheumatoid efficacy model suggest the potential application of Pluronic^® F68-reduced graphene oxide hydrogel to treat knee rheumatoid arthritis (70-75% resolution) to substitute tablets and parenteral injections.

Advances in Drug Delivery Nanosystems Using Graphene-Based Materials and Carbon Nanotubes

Carbon is one of the most abundant elements on Earth. In addition to the well-known crystallographic modifications such as graphite and diamond, other allotropic carbon modifications such as graphene-based nanomaterials and carbon nanotubes have recently come to the fore. These carbon nanomaterials can be designed to help deliver or target drugs more efficiently and to innovate therapeutic approaches, especially for cancer treatment, but also for the development of new diagnostic agents for malignancies and are expected to help combine molecular imaging for diagnosis with therapies. This paper summarizes the latest designed drug delivery nanosystems based on graphene, graphene quantum dots, graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes, mainly for anticancer therapy.

Optimization of propofol loaded niosomal gel for transdermal delivery

Propofol is an oily liquid widely used for rapid onset of anaesthesia via intravenous route, which shows major limitations of hypersensitivity, anaphylactic reactions and pain. The aim of the present work was to bypass the above issues by formulating tailored niosomal gel to deliver propofol via non-invasive transdermal route. The niosomes were prepared by film hydration method and sonication using cholesterol and Span 80. The Box Behnken design (BBD) was applied to optimize the size (93.5 nm) and the entrapment efficacy (81.5%) of the niosomes by selecting cholesterol at 139 mg, Span 80 at 0.525% and sonication time at 5.13 min. The scanning electron microscopy image showed spherical shape niosomes with smooth surface without aggregation. The ex vivo release data showed significant improvement in the propofol release (92.2% after 10 h) using niosomes in comparison to the control propofol gel (with 30% methanol) without niosomes (25.3% after 10 h). The in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters in the rat model confirmed the improvement in the relative bioavailability with optimized niosomal gel (relative bioavailability = 12.12) in comparison to the control propofol gel. In conclusion, the niosomal gel offered a potential alternative non-invasive route to deliver propofol for procedural sedation especially in pediatric population.

A Review on Recent Advancements of Graphene and Graphene-Related Materials in Biological Applications

Graphene is the most outstanding material among the new nanostructured carbonaceous species discovered and produced. Graphene’s astonishing properties (i.e., electronic conductivity, mechanical robustness, large surface area) have led to a deep change in the material science field. In this review, after a brief overview of the main characteristics of graphene and related materials, we present an extensive overview of the most recent achievements in biological uses of graphene and related materials.

Sustained release of tulobuterol from graphene oxide laden hydrogel to manage asthma

Bronchial asthma is a chronic disease which is currently treated using various inhalants. However, the medication adherence with the inhalants is poor due to complex procedure to use them along with frequent dosing. In this paper, we have developed tulobuterol loaded Pluronic® F127-reduced graphene oxide transdermal hydrogel to sustain the release of tulobuterol to manage asthma for days. The synthesis of Pluronic^® F127-reduced graphene oxide was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. The transmission electron microscope showed wrinkled flat nano sheets. The hydrogel showed sufficient mechanical properties for topical application and was safe in the skin irritation study (rabbit model). The ex vivo release data demonstrated the ability of reduced graphene oxide to sustain the release of tulobuterol for 72 h, due to strong π-π interaction between drug and graphene oxide. The pharmacokinetic profile in Sprague-Dawley rat model confirmed the potential of tulobuterol-Pluronic^® F127-reduced graphene oxide hydrogel to sustain the release of tulobuterol for effective management of asthma.