Advancing the Identification of Bioactive Molecules and the Construction of a Synergistic Drug Delivery System in Combating Lung Injury

In recent years, pneumonia caused by multiple viruses has posed a significant threat to public health, particularly affecting vulnerable populations such as the elderly and immunocompromised individuals. Current treatments primarily focused on antiviral medications, lacking "miracle cure" and innovative approaches for the pathological damage caused by viruses. Since 2019, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has shown remarkable efficacy in treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the application is hindered by intricate mechanisms, variable quality, and slow onset. Clinically, Ge-Gen Decoction (GGD) effectively reduced the severity in patients with viral infections. Taking COVID-19 as a case, the bioactive ingredients from GGD: glabridin (GLA) and puerarin (PUE) are identified. Interestingly, it was discovered that PUE can self-assemble into a 3D hydrogel structure upon heating and cooling, namely PUE@gel. This process mirrored the formation of gel-like precipitates in GGD post-decoction. Motivated by this phenomenon, a decoction-mimicking drug delivery system, glabridin─puerarin self-assembled hydrogel (GLA-PUE@gel) was constructed, which exhibits strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, comparable to GGD at the same dosage. Additionally, PUE that has a high biosafety threshold can competitively bind to angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) on host cells, preventing SARS-CoV-2 from invading. This study offered a promising approach for treating virus-induced lung injury.

Fabrication and Characterization of a Novel Solid Nano-Dispersion of Emamectin Benzoate with High Dispersibility and Wettability

Pesticides, as an indispensable component in agricultural production, play a crucial role in ensuring global food security. However, the low efficiency of pesticide utilization remains a significant challenge. The key method of improving the effective utilization rate of pesticides is mainly to enhance the affinity between pesticides and leaf surfaces while improving their deposition and adhesion properties. In this study, we utilized PEG 4000 as a carrier and emulsifier 600 and emulsifiers 700 as surfactants to prepare solid nano-dispersion of emamectin benzoate (SND-EB) by the melting method. SND-EB particles were spherical with an average diameter of 17 nm, a loading capacity of up to 50%, and excellent dispersibility. Contact angle and bouncing behavior tests on cabbage and pepper leaves demonstrated that SND-EB had superior wetting properties and spreading capabilities. Surface tension and leaf retention measurements further confirmed that SND-EB possessed excellent adhesion and leaf affinity. The SND-EB showed a 1.8-fold increase in biological activity against Spodoptera exigua compared to commercial emamectin benzoate water-dispersible granule (WDG-EB). In addition, the fabricated nanoparticles exerted no toxic effect on HepG2 cells. These results demonstrated that a 50% content of SND-EB exhibited excellent water dispersity, wettability, and insecticidal activity, providing a novel and efficient strategy for pest control.

Enhanced Anti-inflammatory Effect of Puerarin through Optimized Release and Bioavailability via PDLG-Loaded Nanoparticles

Puerarin (PU), a bioactive constituent reported to possess therapeutic effectiveness, but it suffers a drawback of poor bioavailability. In the present study, the PU nanoparticles (PU-NPs) were prepared using solvent-diffusion-evaporation method and optimized using Box-Behnken design (BBD), a response surface methodology for obtaining the optimal material ratio of PU-NPs. Further, PU and PU-NPs were evaluated to assess their cytotoxic effect and in vitro efficiency of inflammatory responses using lipopolysaccharide-sensitive macrophage cell line (RAW264.7). Also, PU-NPs were assessed for, in vivo anti-inflammatory activity using a carrageenan-induced rat paw edema model and an oral pharmacokinetic release study. PU-NPs formulation exhibited smaller particle sizes, an increase in the amorphous structure stability, and a higher dissolution rate, as compared to PU. The relative bioavailability of PU-NPs increased up to five-fold compared to PU suspension, as demonstrated by the parameters like the area under the curve (AUC), t1/2, and the mean residence time (MRT). It mitigates enhanced cell viability and lowers the production of pro-inflammatory mediators [nitric oxide (NO), tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6)]. Moreover, PU-NPs showed a marked reduction in the development of paw edema at low doses compared to PU in an in vivo carrageenan-induced rat paw edema model. The results of the study affirm the potential of PU-NPs compared to PU in enhancing in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory responses by prolonging release and enhancing relative bioavailability.

Hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT)-loaded PEGlated lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles for effective delivery of HCPT: QbD-based development and evaluation

Lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LPNs) are promising drug delivery systems in various of disease treatment areas, particularly for cancer treatments. Here, a water-insoluble antitumor agent, hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT), was successfully incorporated into LPNs formed from polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-(methoxy(polyethylene glycol)-2000) (DSPE-PEG2000), and lecithin, by a modified single emulsification-solvent evaporation method. Quality-by-design (QbD) strategy composed of Plackett-Burman and Box-Behnken designs were applied for optimizing HCPT-LPNs with desired properties. The optimized HCPT-loaded lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (HCPT-LPNs) were on the nanoscale, with a final size of 220.9 nm, drug loading of 2.50%. HCPT-LPNs were highly stable in plasma and had pH- and drug loading-related sustained release characteristics. The in vitro cytotoxicity of HCPT-LPNs against MCF-7 and HepG2 cells showed that HCPT-LPNs had higher in vitro cytotoxicity than HCPT solution (HCPT-Sol) with reduced cell viability and IC50 values. In vivo pharmacokinetic assays demonstrated that the AUC of HCPT-LPNs was more than 3 times higher than that of HCPT-Sol after tail vein injection in SD rats. Tumor growth was significantly inhibited compared with HCPT-Sol after a single tail vein injection of HCPT-LPNs in murine LLC-GFP-luc lung cancer bearing mice at a dose of 6 mg/kg, without severe side effects. These results indicate that HCPT-LPNs are the promising drug delivery system for antitumor treatments.

Research progress on nanotechnology for delivery of active ingredients from traditional Chinese medicines

There is growing acceptance of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) as potential sources of clinical agents based on the demonstrated efficacies of numerous bioactive compounds first identified in TCM extracts, such as paclitaxel, camptothecin, and artemisinin. However, there are several challenges to achieving the full clinical potential of many TCMs, particularly the generally high hydrophobicity and low bioavailability. Recently, however, numerous studies have attempted to circumvent the limited in vivo activity and systemic toxicity of TCM ingredients by incorporation into nanoparticle-based delivery systems. Many of these formulations demonstrate improved bioavailability, enhanced tissue targeting, and greater in vivo stability compared to the native compound. This review summarizes nanoformulations of the most promising and extensively studied TCM compounds to provide a reference for further research. Combining these natural compounds with nanotechnology-based delivery systems may further improve the clinical utility of these agents, in turn leading to more intensive research on traditional medicinal compounds.

Pharmacokinetics and drug delivery systems for puerarin, a bioactive flavone from traditional Chinese medicine

Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi is a medicinal and edible homologous plant with a long history in China. Puerarin, the main component isolated from the root of Pueraria lobata, possesses a wide range of pharmacological properties. Daidzein and glucuronides are the main metabolites of puerarin and are excreted in the urine and feces. As active substrates of P-gp, multidrug resistance-associated protein and multiple metabolic enzymes, the pharmacokinetics of puerarin can be influenced by different pathological conditions and drug-drug interactions. Due to the poor water-solubility and liposolubility, the applications of puerarin are limited. So far, only puerarin injections and eye drops are on the market. Recent years, researches on improving the bioavailability of puerarin are developing rapidly, various nanotechnologies and preparation technologies including microemulsions and SMEDDS, dendrimers, nanoparticles and nanocrystals have been researched to improve the bioavailability of puerarin. In order to achieve biocompatibility and desired activity, more effective quality evaluations of nanocarriers are required. In this review, we summarize the pharmacokinetics and drug delivery systems of puerarin up to date.

Synthesis, characterization, and formulation of poly-puerarin as a biodegradable and biosafe drug delivery platform for anti-cancer therapy

Poly-puerarin, a novel biodegradable biomaterial as a drug delivery platform in anti-tumour therapy.

Development of an Oral Compound Pickering Emulsion Composed of Nanocrystals of Poorly Soluble Ingredient and Volatile Oils from Traditional Chinese Medicine

In this study, an oral drug nanocrystals self-stabilized Pickering emulsion (NSSPE), which used nanocrystals of a poorly soluble ingredient from Puerariae Radix called puerarin as solid particle stabilizers and Ligusticumchuanxiong essential oil since the main oil phase had been developed to improve the oral bioavailability of puerarin. The appearance of emulsions, size and zeta potential of droplets, and content of puerarin in emulsified layer during a storage of six months at 4, 25, and 40 °C were investigated. The centrifugation stability at 4000× g was also studied. The micro-structure of emulsion droplets was characterized by a scanning electron micrograph (SEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), a fluorescence microscope (FM), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The in vivo oral bioavailability of puerarin NSSPE was investigated in rats. Results showed that appearances of puerarin NSSPE kept stable after centrifugation at 4000× g for 15 min or storage for six months at 4, 25, and 40 °C. SEM, CLSM, FM, and DSC showed that the puerarin NSSPE had a stable core-shell structure of emulsion droplets formed by the adsorption of puerarin nanocrystals on the surface of oil droplets of mixed oil of Ligusticumchuanxiong essential oil and Labrafil M 1944 CS (9:1, v/v). The relative bioavailability of puerarin NSSPE to puerarin coarse powder suspension, nanocrystal suspension, and surfactant emulsion were 262.43%, 155.92%, and 223.65%, respectively. All these results indicated that puerarin nanocrystals could stabilize Pickering emulsion of Ligusticumchuanxiong essential oil without any other stabilizers and Pickering emulsion could improve the oral bioavailability of puerarin, which suggests that the drug nanocrystal self-stabilized Pickering emulsion as a promising oral drug delivery system for Traditional Chinese Medicine containing poorly soluble ingredients and volatile oils.

Characterization and evaluation of avermectin solid nanodispersion prepared by microprecipitation and lyophilisation techniques

Poorly water-soluble and photosensitive pesticide compounds are difficult to formulate as solvent-free nanoformulations with high efficacy. A avermectin solid nanodispersion with a mean particle size of 188 nm was developed by microprecipitation and lyophilisation techniques. The suspensibility and wetting time of the solid nanodispersion in water were 99.8% and 13 s, respectively, superior to those of conventional water dispersible granules and wettable powders. The anti-photolysis performance of the nanoformulation was twice that of the technical material, and the biological activity against diamondback moths was more than 1.5 times that of the conventional solid formulations while taking LC 50 as the evaluation index. Moreover, the formulation composition substantially decreased the surfactant content and avoided organic solvents. Microprecipitation combined with lyophilisation is an easy and promising method to construct solid nanoformulations for pesticides with poor water solubility and environmental sensitivity. The application of the highly effective solid nanodispersion in crop production will have a great potential in reducing chemical residues and environmental pollution.

Enhanced dissolution rate and oral bioavailability of ginkgo biloba extract by preparing nanoparticles via emulsion solvent evaporation combined with freeze drying (ESE-FR)

Dissolution rate and oral bioavailability of GBE nanoparticles were significantly improved by emulsion solvent evaporation combined with freeze drying (ESE-FR), implying that ESE-FR has great potential value in the preparation of oral GBE drugs.