Synthesis and investigations of ciprofloxacin loaded engineered selenium lipid nanocarriers for effective drug delivery system for preventing lung infections of interstitial lung disease

Advancements in nanotechnology for targeted drug delivery in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a focus on solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers

OBJECTIVE

This review aims to explore innovative therapeutic strategies, with a particular focus on recent advancements in drug delivery systems using bioinspired nanomaterials such as solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) for the idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE REVIEW

Current treatments for IPF, including the FDA-approved anti-fibrotic agents pirfenidone and nintedanib, primarily aim to slow disease progression rather than reverse fibrosis. Bioinspired nanomaterials like SLNs and NLCs have shown promise in enhancing the efficacy of anti-fibrotic agents by improving drug solubility, stability, and targeted delivery. These systems not only minimize systemic side effects but also maximize therapeutic impact in lung tissues, offering a new hope for improved patient management and outcomes in this debilitating disease.

KEY FINDINGS

SLNs facilitate sustained drug release and have demonstrated potential in delivering phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors effectively to lung cells. NLCs, on the other hand, exhibit superior biocompatibility and controlled release properties, making them suitable for pulmonary applications. Studies indicate that both SLNs and NLCs can enhance the bioavailability of drugs like ciprofloxacin and montelukast, thereby improving treatment outcomes in pulmonary conditions.

CONCLUSION

The integration of nanotechnology into anti-fibrotic therapy represents a significant advancement in addressing the challenges posed by IPF. By leveraging the unique properties of SLNs and NLCs, there is potential to overcome the limitations of current treatments and provide new therapeutic options that offer better management and improved outcomes for patients suffering from this debilitating disease.

Ciprofloxacin-Loaded Inhalable Formulations against Lower Respiratory Tract Infections: Challenges, Recent Advances, and Future Perspectives

Inhaled ciprofloxacin (CFX) has been investigated as a treatment for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) associated with cystic fibrosis (CF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and bronchiectasis. The challenges in CFX effectiveness for LRTI treatment include poor aqueous solubility and therapy resistance. CFX dry powder for inhalation (DPI) formulations were well-tolerated, showing a remarkable decline in overall bacterial burden compared to a placebo in bronchiectasis patients. Recent research using an inhalable powder combining Pseudomonas phage PEV20 with CFX exhibited a substantial reduction in bacterial density in mouse lungs infected with clinical P. aeruginosa strains and reduced inflammation. Currently, studies suggest that elevated biosynthesis of fatty acids could serve as a potential biomarker for detecting CFX resistance in LRTIs. Furthermore, inhaled CFX has successfully addressed various challenges associated with traditional CFX, including the incapacity to eliminate the pathogen, the recurrence of colonization, and the development of resistance. However, further exploration is needed to address three key unresolved issues: identifying the right patient group, determining the optimal treatment duration, and accurately assessing the risk of antibiotic resistance, with additional multicenter randomized controlled trials suggested to tackle these challenges. Importantly, future investigations will focus on the effectiveness of CFX DPI in bronchiectasis and COPD, aiming to differentiate prognoses between these two conditions. This review underscores the importance of CFX inhalable formulations against LRTIs in preclinical and clinical sectors, their challenges, recent advancements, and future perspectives.

Multifunctional lipid-based nanoparticles for wound healing and antibacterial applications: A review

Wound healing primarily involves preventing severe infections, accelerating healing, and reducing pain and scarring. Therefore, the multifunctional application of lipid-based nanoparticles (LBNs) has received considerable attention in drug discovery due to their solid or liquid lipid core, which increases their ability to provide prolonged drug release, reduce treatment costs, and improve patient compliance. LBNs have also been used in medical and cosmetic practices and formulated for various products based on skin type, disease conditions, administration product costs, efficiency, stability, and toxicity; therefore, understanding their interaction with biological systems is very important. Therefore, it is necessary to perform an in-depth analysis of the results from a comprehensive characterization process to produce lipid-based drug delivery systems with desired properties. This review will provide detailed information on the different types of LBNs, their formulation methods, characterisation, antimicrobial activity, and application in various wound models (both in vitro and in vivo studies). Also, the clinical and commercial applications of LBNs are summarized.

Antimicrobial and anti-viral effects of selenium nanoparticles and selenoprotein based strategies: COVID-19 and beyond

Deficiency of selenium (Se) has been described in a significant number of COVID-19 patients having a higher incidence of mortality, which makes it a pertinent issue to be addressed clinically for effective management of the COVID-19 pandemic. Se nanoparticles (SeNPs) provide a unique option for managing the havoc caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. SeNPs possess promising anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects by virtue of their nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-stimulator of activated B cells (NFκB), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs), and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) modulatory activity. In addition, SeNPs possess remarkable immunomodulatory effects, making them a suitable option for supplementation with a much lower risk of toxicity compared to their elemental counterpart. Further, SeNPs have been shown to curtail viral and microbial infections, thus, making it a novel means to halt viral growth. In addition, it can be administered in the form of aerosol spray, direct injection, or infused thin-film transdermal patches to reduce the spread of this highly contagious viral infection. Moreover, a considerable decrease in the expression of selenoprotein along with enhanced expression of IL-6 in COVID-19 suggests a potential association among selenoprotein expression and COVID-19. In this review, we highlight the unique antimicrobial and antiviral properties of SeNPs and the immunomodulatory potential of selenoproteins. We provide the rationale behind their potentially interesting properties and further exploration in the context of microbial and viral infections. Further, the importance of selenoproteins and their role in maintaining a successful immune response along with their association to Se status is summarized.

Nano-Nutraceuticals for Health: Principles and Applications

The use of nanotechnological products is increasing steadily. In this scenario, the application of nanotechnology in food science and as a technological platform is a reality. Among the several applications, the main use of this technology is for the development of foods and nutraceuticals with higher bioavailability, lower toxicity, and better sustainability. In the health field, nano-nutraceuticals are being used as supplementary products to treat an increasing number of diseases. This review summarizes the main concepts and applications of nano-nutraceuticals for health, with special focus on treating cancer and inflammation.

Graphical abstract

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43450-022-00338-7.

Managing Apoptosis in Lung Diseases using Nano-assisted Drug Delivery System

Several factors exist that limit the efficacy of lung cancer treatment. These may be tumor-specific delivery of therapeutics, airway geometry, humidity, clearance mechanisms, presence of lung diseases, and therapy against tumor cell resistance. Advancements in drug delivery using nanotechnology based multifunctional nanocarriers, have emerged as a viable method for treating lung cancer with more efficacy and fewer adverse effects. This review does a thorough and critical examination of effective nano-enabled approaches for lung cancer treatment, such as nano-assisted drug delivery systems. In addition, to therapeutic effectiveness, researchers have been working to determine several strategies to produce nanotherapeutics by adjusting the size, drug loading, transport, and retention. Personalized lung tumor therapies using sophisticated nano modalities have the potential to provide great therapeutic advantages based on individual unique genetic markers and disease profiles. Overall, this review provides comprehensive information on newer nanotechnological prospects for improving the management of apoptosis in lung cancer.

Lipid nanoparticle-based mRNA vaccines in cancers: Current advances and future prospects

Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines constitute an emerging therapeutic method with the advantages of high safety and efficiency as well as easy synthesis; thus, they have been widely used in various human diseases, especially in malignant cancers. However, the mRNA vaccine technology has some limitations, such as instability and low transitive efficiency in vivo, which greatly restrict its application. The development of nanotechnology in the biomedical field offers new strategies and prospects for the early diagnosis and treatment of human cancers. Recent studies have demonstrated that Lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-based mRNA vaccines can address the poor preservation and targeted inaccuracy of mRNA vaccines. As an emerging cancer therapy, mRNA vaccines potentially have broad future applications. Unlike other treatments, cancer mRNA vaccines provide specific, safe, and tolerable treatments. Preclinical studies have used personalized vaccines to demonstrate the anti-tumor effect of mRNA vaccines in the treatment of various solid tumors, including colorectal and lung cancer, using these in a new era of therapeutic cancer vaccines. In this review, we have summarized the latest applications and progress of LNP-based mRNA vaccines in cancers, and discussed the prospects and limitations of these fields, thereby providing novel strategies for the targeted therapy of cancers.

Mannose-Anchored Nano-Selenium Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers of Etravirine for Delivery to HIV Reservoirs

The present investigation aims to develop and explore mannosylated lipid-based carriers to deliver an anti-HIV drug, Etravirine (TMC) and Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs), to the HIV reservoirs via the mannose receptor. The successful mannosylation was evaluated by the change in zeta potential and lectin binding assay using fluorescence microscopy. Electron microscopy and scattering studies were employed to study the structure and surface of the nanocarrier system. The presence of selenium at the core-shell of the nanocarrier system was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Further, the in vitro anti-HIV1 efficacy was assessed using HIV1 infected TZM-bl cells followed by in vivo biodistribution studies to evaluate distribution to various reservoirs of HIV. The results exhibited higher effectiveness and a significant increase in the therapeutic index as against the plain drug. The confocal microscopy and flow cytometry studies exhibited the efficient uptake of the coumarin-6 tagged respective formulations. The protective effect of nano selenium toward oxidative stress was evaluated in rats, demonstrating the potential of the lipidic nanoparticle-containing selenium in mitigating oxidative stress in all the major organs. The in vivo biodistribution assessment in rats showed a 12.44, 8.05 and 9.83-fold improvement in the brain, ovary, and lymph node biodistribution, respectively as compared with plain TMC. Delivery of such a combination via mannosylated nanostructured lipid carriers could be an efficient approach for delivering drugs to reservoirs of HIV while simultaneously reducing the oxidative stress induced by such long-term therapies by co-loading Nano-Selenium.

Nano delivery systems to the rescue of ciprofloxacin against resistant bacteria "E. coli; P. aeruginosa; Saureus; and MRSA" and their infections

Ciprofloxacin (CIP) a broad-spectrum antibiotic, is used extensively for the treatment of diverse infections and diseases of bacteria origin, and this includes infections caused by E. coli; P. aeruginosa; S. aureus; and MRSA. This extensive use of CIP has therefore led to an increase in resistance by these infection causing organisms. Nano delivery systems has recently proven to be a possible solution to resistance to these organisms. They have been applied as a strategy to improve the target specificity of CIP against infections and diseases caused by these organisms, thereby maximising the efficacy of CIP to overcome the resistance. Herein, we proffer a brief overview of the mechanisms of resistance; the causes of resistance; and the various approaches employed to overcome this resistance. The review then proceeds to critically evaluate various nano delivery systems including inorganic based nanoparticles; lipid-based nanoparticles; capsules, dendrimers, hydrogels, micelles, and polymeric nanoparticles; and others; that have been applied for the delivery of CIP against E. coli; P. aeruginosa; S. aureus; and MRSA infections. Finally, the review highlights future areas of research, for the optimisation of various nano delivery systems, to maximise the therapeutic efficacy of CIP against these organisms. This review confirms the potential of nano delivery systems, for addressing the challenges of resistance to caused by E. coli; P. aeruginosa; S. aureus; and MRSA to CIP.

Nanostructures for drug delivery in respiratory diseases therapeutics: Revision of current trends and its comparative analysis

Respiratory diseases are leading causes of death and disability in developing and developed countries. The burden of acute and chronic respiratory diseases has been rising throughout the world and represents a major problem in the public health system. Acute respiratory diseases include pneumonia, influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and MERS viral infections; while chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and, occupational lung diseases (asbestosis, pneumoconiosis) and other parenchymal lung diseases namely lung cancer and tuberculosis are examples of chronic respiratory diseases. Importantly, chronic respiratory diseases are not curable and treatments for acute pathologies are particularly challenging. For that reason, the integration of nanotechnology to existing drugs or for the development of new treatments potentially benefits the therapeutic goals by making drugs more effective and exhibit fewer undesirable side effects to treat these conditions. Moreover, the integration of different nanostructures enables improvement of drug bioavailability, transport and delivery compared to stand-alone drugs in traditional respiratory therapy. Notably, there has been great progress in translating nanotechnology-based cancer therapies and diagnostics into the clinic; however, researchers in recent years have focused on the application of nanostructures in other relevant pulmonary diseases as revealed in our database search. Furthermore, polymeric nanoparticles and micelles are the most studied nanostructures in a wide range of diseases; however, liposomal nanostructures are recognized to be some of the most successful commercial drug delivery systems. In conclusion, this review presents an overview of the recent and relevant research in drug delivery systems for the treatment of different pulmonary diseases and outlines the trends, limitations, importance and application of nanomedicine technology in treatment and diagnosis and future work in this field.

Effect of Respiration Training-Assisted Western Medicine Therapy on Activity Tolerance, Pulmonary Function, and Quality of Life of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients in the Stable Phase

Objective

To explore the effect of respiration training-assisted western medicine therapy on activity tolerance, pulmonary function, and quality of life (QOL) of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients in the stable phase.

Methods

The medical data of 90 COPD patients in the stable phase treated in the respiratory medicine of our hospital (November 2020-November 2021) were chosen for the retrospective analysis, and the patients were split into group A (n = 45, respiration training-assisted western medicine therapy) and group B (n = 45, western medicine therapy) according to the clinical reception order, so as to record and compare the activity tolerance, lung function, and QOL between the groups after intervention.

Results

Compared with group B after intervention, group A showed greatly longer mean 6-min walking distance, significantly lower St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) score, significantly higher specific airway conductance (sGAW) and level values of various lung function indicators, and significantly lower level values of airway resistance (RAW) and specific airway resistance (sRAW) (p all<0.001); the total effective rate was significantly higher in group A (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Respiration training-assisted western medicine therapy is a dependable way to improve the activity tolerance of COPD patients in the stable phase, and such strategy largely improves patients' lung function and QOL. Deeper studies will be helpful to establish a preferable solution for such patients.

Inhaled ciprofloxacin-loaded poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) nanoparticles from dry powder inhaler formulation for the potential treatment of lower respiratory tract infections

Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are one of the fatal diseases of the lungs that have severe impacts on public health and the global economy. The currently available antibiotics administered orally for the treatment of LRTIs need high doses with frequent administration and cause dose-related adverse effects. To overcome this problem, we investigated the development of ciprofloxacin (CIP) loaded poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEtOx) nanoparticles (NPs) for potential pulmonary delivery from dry powder inhaler (DPI) formulations against LRTIs. NPs were prepared using a straightforward co-assembly reaction carried out by the intermolecular hydrogen bonding among PEtOx, tannic acid (TA), and CIP. The prepared NPs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction analysis (PXRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The CIP was determined by validated HPLC and UV spectrophotometry methods. The CIP loading into the PEtOx was between 21-67% and increased loading was observed with the increasing concentration of CIP. The NP sizes of PEtOx with or without drug loading were between 196-350 nm and increased with increasing drug loading. The in vitro CIP release showed the maximum cumulative release of about 78% in 168 h with a burst release of 50% in the first 12 h. The kinetics of CIP release from NPs followed non-Fickian or anomalous transport thus suggesting the drug release was regulated by both diffusion and polymer degradation. The in vitro aerosolization study carried out using a Twin Stage Impinger (TSI) at 60 L/min air flow showed the fine particle fraction (FPF) between 34.4% and 40.8%. The FPF was increased with increased drug loading. The outcome of this study revealed the potential of the polymer PEtOx as a carrier for developing CIP-loaded PEtOx NPs as DPI formulation for pulmonary delivery against LRTIs.

Dual loaded nanostructured lipid carrier of nano-selenium and Etravirine as a potential anti-HIV therapy

There is a dire need for dual-long-acting therapy that could simultaneously target different stages of the HIV life cycle and providing a dual-prolonged strategy for improved anti-HIV therapy while reducing oxidative stress associated with the prolonged treatment. Thus, in the present work, nanostructured lipid carriers of Etravirine were developed and modified with nano-selenium. The dual-loaded nanocarrier system was fabricated using the double emulsion solvent evaporation method, further screened and optimized using the design of experiments methodology. The spherical core-shell type of a system was confirmed with an electron microscope and small-angle neutron scattering, while XPS confirmed the presence of selenium at the core-shell of the nanocarrier. In vitro assessment against HIV1 (R5 and X4 strains) infected TZM-bl cells exhibited higher efficacy for the dual-loaded nanocarrier system than the plain drug, which could be attributed to the synergistic effect of the nano-selenium. Confocal microscopy and flow cytometry results exhibited enhanced uptake in TZM-bl cells compared to plain drug. A significant increase of GSH, SOD, CAT was observed in animals administered with the dual-loaded nanocarrier system containing nano-selenium, suggesting the protective potential of the lipidic nanoparticle containing the nano-selenium. Improvement in the in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters was also observed, along with a higher accumulation of the dual-loaded nanocarrier in remote HIV reservoir organs like the brain, ovary, and lymph node. The results suggest the potential of a dual-loaded formulation for synergistically targeting the HIV1 infection while simultaneously improving the intracellular anti-oxidant balance for improving a prolonged anti-HIV therapy.

The Advancing of Selenium Nanoparticles Against Infectious Diseases

Infectious diseases, caused by the direct exposure of cellular or acellular pathogens, are found to be closely associated with multiple inflammation and immune responses, keeping one of the top threats to human health. As an indispensable trace element, Selenium (Se) plays important roles in antioxidant defence and redox state regulation along with a variety of specific metabolic pathways. In recent decades, with the development of novel nanotechnology, Selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs) emerged as a promising agent for biomedical uses due to their low toxicity, degradability and high bioavailability. Taking the advantages of the strong ability to trigger apoptosis or autophagy by regulating reactive oxygen species (ROS), Se NPs have been widely used for direct anticancer treatments and pathogen killing/clearance in host cells. With excellent stability and drug encapsulation capacity, Se NPs are now serving as a kind of powerful nano-carriers for anti-cancer, anti-inflammation and anti-infection treatments. Notably, Se NPs are also found to play critical roles in immunity regulations, such as macrophage and T effector cell activation, which thus provides new possibilities to achieve novel nano-immune synergetic strategy for anti-cancer and anti-infection therapies. In this review, we summarized the progress of preparation methods for Se NPs, followed by the advances of their biological functions and mechanisms for biomedical uses, especially in the field of anti-infection treatments. Moreover, we further provide some prospects of Se NPs in anti-infectious diseases, which would be helpful for facilitating their future research progress for anti-infection therapy.

Incorporation of Antibiotics into Solid Lipid Nanoparticles: A Promising Approach to Reduce Antibiotic Resistance Emergence

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health as current antibiotics are becoming useless against resistant infectious pathogens. Consequently, new antimicrobial strategies are urgently required. Drug delivery systems represent a potential solution to improve current antibiotic properties and reverse resistance mechanisms. Among different drug delivery systems, solid lipid nanoparticles represent a highly interesting option as they offer many advantages for nontoxic targeted drug delivery. Several publications have demonstrated the capacity of SLNs to significantly improve antibiotic characteristics increasing treatment efficiency. In this review article, antibiotic-loaded solid lipid nanoparticle-related works are analyzed to summarize all information associated with applying these new formulations to tackle the antibiotic resistance problem. The main antimicrobial resistance mechanisms and relevant solid lipid nanoparticle characteristics are presented to later discuss the potential of these nanoparticles to improve current antibiotic treatment characteristics and overcome antimicrobial resistance mechanisms. Moreover, solid lipid nanoparticles also offer new possibilities for other antimicrobial agents that cannot be administrated as free drugs. The advantages and disadvantages of these new formulations are also discussed in this review. Finally, given the progress of the studies carried out to date, future directions are discussed.

Abatement of the dysfunctional hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis due to ciprofloxacin administration by selenium in male rats

The present study examined the influence of selenium on ciprofloxacin-mediated reproductive dysfunction in rats. The research design consisted of five groups of eight animals each. The rats were administered 135 mg/kg body weight of ciprofloxacin per se or simultaneously with selenium at 0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg for 15 uninterrupted days. Antioxidant and inflammatory indices were assayed using the testes, epididymis, and hypothalamus of the animals after sacrifice. Results revealed that ciprofloxacin treatment per se interfered with the reproductive axis as demonstrated by diminished serum hormonal levels, sperm quality, and enzymatic indices of testicular function, which were, however, abrogated following selenium co-treatment. Besides this, administration of selenium attenuated the depletion of glutathione level, inhibition of catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione-S-transferase and glutathione peroxidase activities with a concomitant reduction in reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, and lipid peroxidation in ciprofloxacin-treated in rats. Selenium treatment also mitigated ciprofloxacin-mediated elevation in nitric oxide level and of myeloperoxidase activity as well as histological lesions in the animals. Overall, selenium attenuated impairment in the male reproductive axis due to ciprofloxacin treatment through abatement of inflammation and oxidative stress in rats.