SCLAREIN (SCLAREol contained in zeIN) nanoparticles: Development and characterization of an innovative natural nanoformulation

Lipid- and polymer-based formulations containing TNF-α inhibitors for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases

Monoclonal antibodies inhibiting tumor necrosis factor-alpha (iTNF-α) have revolutionized the therapeutic regimen of inflammatory bowel disease, but their main drawback is the parenteral route of administration they require. An alternative approach lies in the delivery of these molecules to the area involved in the inflammatory process by means of innovative formulations able to promote their localization in affected tissues while also decreasing the number of administrations required. This review describes the advantages deriving from the use of lipid- and polymer-based systems containing iTNF-α, focusing on their physicochemical and technological properties and discussing the preclinical results obtained in vivo using rodent models of colitis.

Rutin-loaded zein gel as a green biocompatible formulation for wound healing application

Wound healing is a challenging clinical problem and efficient wound management is essential to prevent infection. This is best done by utilizing biocompatible materials in order to complete the healing in a rapid manner, with functional and esthetic outcomes. In this context, the zein protein fulfills the criteria of the ideal wound dressing which include non-toxicity and non-inflammatory stimulation. Zein gels containing rutin were prepared without any chemical refinement or addition of gelling agents in order to obtain a natural formulation characterized by antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to be proposed for the treatment of burns and sores. In vitro scratch assay showed that the proposed gel formulations promoted cell migration and a rapid gap closure within 24 h (~90 %). In addition, the in vivo activities of rutin-loaded zein gel showed a greater therapeutic efficacy in Wistar rats, with a decrease of the wound area of about 90 % at day 10 with respect to the free form of the bioactive and to DuoDERM®. The evaluation of various markers (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10) confirmed the anti-inflammatory effect of the proposed formulation. The results illustrate the feasibility of exploiting the peculiar features of rutin-loaded zein gels for wound-healing purposes.

DIFUCOSIN: DIclofenac sodium salt loaded FUCOidan-SericIN nanoparticles for the management of chronic inflammatory diseases

The current investigation emphasizes the use of fucoidan and sericin as dual-role biomaterials for obtaining novel nanohybrid systems for the delivery of diclofenac sodium (DS) and the potential treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases. The innovative formulations containing 4 mg/ml of fucoidan and 3 mg/ml of sericin showed an average diameter of about 200 nm, a low polydispersity index (0.17) and a negative surface charge. The hybrid nanosystems demonstrated high stability at various pHs and temperatures, as well as in both saline and glucose solutions. The Rose Bengal assay evidenced that fucoidan is the primary modulator of relative surface hydrophobicity with a two-fold increase of this parameter when compared to sericin nanoparticles. The interaction between the drug and the nanohybrids was confirmed through FT-IR analysis. Moreover, the release profile of DS from the colloidal systems showed a prolonged and constant drug leakage over time both at pH 5 and 7. The DS-loaded nanohybrids (DIFUCOSIN) induced a significant decrease of IL-6 and IL-1β with respect to the active compound in human chondrocytes evidencing a synergistic action of the individual components of nanosystems and the drug and demonstrating the potential application of the proposed nanomedicine for the treatment of inflammation.

Gliadin nanoparticles for oral administration of bioactives: Ex vivo and in vivo investigations

This study aims to provide a thorough characterization of Brij O2-stabilized gliadin nanoparticles to be used for the potential oral administration of various compounds. Different techniques were used in order to evaluate their physico-chemical features and then in vivo studies in rats were performed for the investigation of their biodistribution and gastrointestinal transit profiles. The results showed that the gliadin nanoparticles accumulated in the mucus layer of the bowel mucosa and evidenced their ability to move along the digestive systems of the animals. The incubation of the nanosystems with Caenorhabditis elegans, used as an additional in vivo model, confirmed the intake of the particles and evidenced their presence along the entire gastrointestinal tract of these nematodes. The gliadin nanoparticles influenced neither the egg-laying activity of the worms nor their metabolism of lipids up to 10 μg/mL of nanoformulation. The systems decreased the content of the age-related lipofuscin pigment in the nematodes in a dose-dependent manner, demonstrating a certain antioxidant activity. Lastly, dihydroethidium staining showed the absence of oxidative stress upon incubation of the worms together with the formulations, confirming their safe profile. This data paves the way for the future application of the proposed nanosystems regarding the oral delivery of various bioactives.

Strategies of stabilization of zein nanoparticles containing doxorubicin hydrochloride

Hybrid nanoparticles made up of zein and various stabilizers were developed and characterized. In detail, a zein concentration of 2 mg/ml was blended with various amounts of different phospholipids or PEG-derivatives in order to obtain formulations with suitable physico-chemical properties for drug delivery purposes. Doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) was used as a model of a hydrophilic compound and its entrapment efficiency, release profile and cytotoxic activity were investigated. Photon correlation spectroscopy showed that the best formulations were obtained using DMPG, DOTAP and DSPE-mPEG2000 as stabilizers of zein nanoparticles, which were characterized by an average diameter of ~100 nm, a narrow size distribution and a significant time- and temperature-dependent stability. The interaction between protein and stabilizers was confirmed through FT-IR analysis, while TEM analysis showed the presence of a shell-like structure around the zein core. The release profiles of the drug from the zein/DSPE-mPEG2000 nanosystems, evaluated at two pHs (5.5 and 7.4), showed a prolonged and constant leakage of the drug. The encapsulation of DOX within zein/DSPE-mPEG2000 nanosystems did not compromise its biological efficacy, demonstrating the potential application of these hybrid nanoparticles as drug carriers.

Gliadin Nanoparticles Containing Doxorubicin Hydrochloride: Characterization and Cytotoxicity

Doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) is a well-known antitumor drug used as first line treatment for many types of malignancies. Despite its clinical relevance, the administration of the compound is negatively affected by dose-dependent off-target toxicity phenomena. Nanotechnology has helped to overcome these important limitations by improving the therapeutic index of the bioactive and promoting the translation of novel nanomedicines into clinical practice. Herein, nanoparticles made up of wheat gliadin and stabilized by polyoxyethylene (2) oleyl ether were investigated for the first time as carriers of DOX. The encapsulation of the compound did not significantly affect the physico-chemical features of the gliadin nanoparticles (GNPs), which evidenced a mean diameter of ~180 nm, a polydispersity index < 0.2 and a negative surface charge. The nanosystems demonstrated great stability regarding temperature (25−50 °C) and were able to retain high amounts of drug, allowing its prolonged and sustained release for up to a week. In vitro viability assay performed against breast cancer cells demonstrated that the nanoencapsulation of DOX modulated the cytotoxicity of the bioactive as a function of the incubation time with respect to the free form of the drug. The results demonstrate the potential use of GNPs as carriers of hydrophilic antitumor compounds.

The bioactivities of sclareol: A mini review

Sclareol, a diterpene alcohol isolated from the herbal and flavor plant clary sage (Salvia sclarea L.), is far-famed as the predominant ingredient in the refined oil of Salvia sclarea (L.). The empirical medicine of Salvia sclarea L. focused on various diseases, such as arthritis, oral inflammation, digestive system diseases, whereas the sclareol possessed more extensive and characteristic bioactivities, including anti-tumor, anti-inflammation and anti-pathogenic microbes, even anti-diabetes and hypertension. However, there is a deficiency of literature to integrate and illuminate the pharmacological attributes of sclareol based on well-documented investigations. Interestingly, sclareol has been recently considered as the potential candidate against COVID-19 and Parkinson’s disease. Accordingly, the bioactive attributes of sclareol in cancer, inflammation, even pharmacochemistry and delivery systems are reviewed for comprehensively dissecting its potential application in medicine.

Co-Encapsulation of Paclitaxel and JQ1 in Zein Nanoparticles as Potential Innovative Nanomedicine

The manuscript describes the development of zein nanoparticles containing paclitaxel (PTX) and the bromo-and extra-terminal domain inhibitor (S)-tertbutyl2-(4-(4-chlorophenyl)-2,3,9-trimethyl-6H-thieno(3,2-f)(1,2,4)triazolo(4,3-a)(1,4)diazepin-6-yl)acetate (JQ1) together with their cytotoxicity on triple-negative breast cancer cells. The rationale of this association is that of exploiting different types of cancer cells as targets in order to obtain increased pharmacological activity with respect to that exerted by the single agents. Zein, a protein found in the endosperm of corn, was used as a biomaterial to obtain multidrug carriers characterized by mean sizes of ˂200 nm, a low polydispersity index (0.1-0.2) and a negative surface charge. An entrapment efficiency of ~35% of both the drugs was obtained when 0.3 mg/mL of the active compounds were used during the nanoprecipitation procedure. No adverse phenomena such as sedimentation, macro-aggregation or flocculation occurred when the nanosystems were heated to 37 °C. The multidrug nanoformulation demonstrated significant in vitro cytototoxic activity against MDA-MB-157 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells by MTT-test and adhesion assay which was stronger than that of the compounds encapsulated as single agents. The results evidence the potential application of zein nanoparticles containing PTX and JQ1 as a novel nanomedicine.

Influence of the Dispersion Medium and Cryoprotectants on the Physico-Chemical Features of Gliadin- and Zein-Based Nanoparticles

The evaluation of the physico-chemical features of nanocarriers is fundamental because the modulation of these parameters can influence their biological and in vivo fate. This work investigated the feasibility of saline, 5% w/v glucose and phosphate-buffered saline solution, as polar media for the development of nanoparticles made up of two vegetal proteins, zein from corn and gliadin from wheat, respectively. The physico-chemical features of the various systems were evaluated using dynamic and multiple light scattering techniques, and the results demonstrate that the 5% w/v glucose solution is a feasible medium to be used for their development. Moreover, the best formulations were characterized by the aforementioned techniques following the freeze-drying procedure. The aggregation of the zein nanoparticles prepared in water or glucose solution was prevented by using various cryoprotectants. Mannose confirmed its crucial role in the cryopreservation of the gliadin nanosystems prepared in both water and glucose solution. Sucrose and glucose emerged as additional useful excipients when they were added to gliadin nanoparticles prepared in a 5% glucose solution. Specifically, their protective effect was in the following order: mannose > sucrose > glucose. The results obtained when using specific aqueous media and cryoprotectants permitted us to develop stable zein or gliadin nanoparticles as suspension or freeze-dried formulations.