BCS class II drug loaded protein nanoparticles with enhanced oral bioavailability:in vitroevaluation andin vivopharmacokinetic study in rats

Enhanced oral bioavailability from food protein nanoparticles: A mini review

The oral route is the most desirable drug administration path. The oral bioavailability is always compromised from the poor physicochemical and/or biopharmaceutical properties of the active pharmaceutical ingredients. Food protein nanoparticles show promise for oral drug delivery, with improved biosafety and cost-effectiveness compared to polymeric nanoparticles. More importantly, diverse food proteins provide "choice and variety" to meet the challenges faced by different drugs in oral delivery resulting from low solubility, poor permeability, and gastrointestinal stability. The abundance of hydroxyl, amino, and carboxyl groups in food proteins allows easy surface modification of the nanoparticles to impart unique functions. Albeit being in its infancy, food protein nanoparticles exhibit high capability to enhance oral bioavailability of a wide range of drugs from small molecules to biomacromolecules. Considering the rapid growth of the field, the achievements and mechanisms of food protein nanoparticles in enhancing oral bioavailability are reviewed. Factors affecting the performance of food protein nanoparticles are discussed with the purpose to inspire the development of food protein nanoparticle-based oral drug delivery systems.

Single-Step Self-Assembly of Zein–Honey–Chitosan Nanoparticles for Hydrophilic Drug Incorporation by Flash Nanoprecipitation

Zein- and chitosan-based nanoparticles have been described as promising carrier systems for food, biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. However, the manufacture of size-controlled zein and chitosan particles is challenging. In this study, an adapted anti-solvent nanoprecipitation method was developed. The effects of the concentration of zein and chitosan and the pH of the collection solution on the properties of the zein–honey–chitosan nanoparticles were investigated. Flash nanoprecipitation was demonstrated as a rapid, scalable, single-step method to achieve the self-assembly of zein–honey–chitosan nanoparticles. The nanoparticles size was tuned by varying certain formulation parameters, including the total concentration and ratio of the polymers. The zein–honey–chitosan nanoparticles’ hydrodynamic diameter was below 200 nm and the particles were stable for 30 days. Vitamin C was used as a hydrophilic model substance and efficiently encapsulated into these nanoparticles. This study opens a promising pathway for one-step producing zein–honey–chitosan nanoparticles by flash nanoprecipitation for hydrophilic compounds’ encapsulation.

Highly Responsive Chitosan-Co-Poly (MAA) Nanomatrices through Cross-Linking Polymerization for Solubility Improvement

In this study, we report the highly responsive chitosan-based chemically cross-linked nanomatrices, a nano-version of hydrogels developed through modified polymerization reaction for solubility improvement of poorly soluble drug simvastatin. The developed nanomatrices were characterized for solubilization efficiency, swelling studies, sol-gel analysis, in vitro drug release studies, DSC, FTIR, XRD, SEM, particle size analysis, and stability studies. An in vivo acute toxicity study was conducted on female Winstor rats, the result of which endorsed the safety and biocompatibility of the system. A porous and fluffy structure was observed under SEM analysis, which supports the great swelling tendency of the system that further governs the in vitro drug release. Zeta sizer analyzed the particle size in the range of 227.8 ± 17.8 nm. Nano sizing and grafting of hydrophilic excipients to the nanomatrices system explains this shift of trend towards the enhancement of solubilization efficiency, and, furthermore, the XRD results confirmed the amorphous nature of the system. FTIR and DSC analysis confirmed the successful grafting and stability to the system. The developed nanomatrices enhanced the release characteristics and solubility of simvastatin significantly and could be an effective technique for solubility and bioavailability enhancement of other BCS class-II drugs. Due to enhanced solubility, efficient method of preparation, excellent physico-chemical features, and rapid and high dissolution and bio-compatibility, the developed nanomatrices may be a promising approach for oral delivery of hydrophobic drugs.

Synthesis of PEG-4000-co-poly (AMPS) nanogels by cross-linking polymerization as highly responsive networks for enhancement in meloxicam solubility

Poor solubility is an ongoing issue and the graph of poorly soluble drugs has increased markedly which critically affect their dissolution, bioavailability, and clinical effects. This common issue needs to be addressed, for this purpose a series of polyethylene glycol (PEG-4000) based nanogels were developed by free radical polymerization technique to enhance the solubility, dissolution, and bioavailability of poorly soluble drug meloxicam (MLX), as improved solubility is the significant application of nanosystems. Developed nanogels formulations were characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, zeta sizer, percent equilibrium swelling, drug loaded content (DLC), drug entrapment efficiency (DEE), solubility studies, and in vitro dissolution studies. Furthermore, cytotoxicity studies were conducted in order to determine the bio-compatibility of the nanogels drug delivery system to biological environment. Nanogels particle size was found to be 156.19 ± 09.33 d.nm. Solubility study confirmed that the solubility of poorly soluble drug MLX was significantly enhanced up to 36 folds as compared to reference product (Mobic^®). The toxicity study conducted on rabbits and MTT assay endorsed the safety of the developed nanogels formulations to the biological system.