Preparation of albendazole-loaded liposomes by supercritical carbon dioxide processing

The Use of Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complexes to Increase the Solubility and Pharmacokinetic Profile of Albendazole

Albendazole is the preferred deworming drug and has strong insecticidal effects on human and animal helminth parasites, showing remarkable activity against hepatocellular carcinoma and colorectal cancer cells. However, it is classified as being in class II in the Biopharmaceutics Classification System due to its poor water solubility (0.2 mg/L) and high permeability, which make the clinical application of albendazole impractical. Through complexation with methyl-β-cyclodextrin, as the best result so far, albendazole's water solubility was increased by 150,000 times, and albendazole could be 90% released during the first 10 min. In an in vivo pharmacokinetic study, the Cmax and Tmax of the active metabolized sulfoxide were changed from 2.81 µg/mL at 3 h to 10.2 µg/mL at 6 h and the AUC0-48 was increased from 50.72 h⁎μg/mL to 119.95 h⁎μg/mL, indicating that the inclusion complex obtained can be used as a new oral therapeutic anti-anthelmintic and anti-tumor agent formulation.

Preparation, Characterization, and Evaluation of Curcumin-Graphene Oxide Complex-Loaded Liposomes against Staphylococcus aureus in Topical Disease

This study describes the development and characterization of curcumin with graphene oxide complex (CUR + GO) loaded into liposomes for treating skin disease. The developed complex was characterized by X-ray diffraction and showed a broad halo pattern, confirming the amorphous nature of the resulting complex. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy revealed the irregular porous morphology of the complex-highlighting loss of the crystallinity and the emergence of the amorphous phase. Additionally, the liposomes showed long-term stability at 2-8 °C and 25 ± 2 °C/60 ± 5%RH with nonsignificant variations in the particle size, polydispersity index, and zeta potential. Overall, optical and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images of liposomes showed a consistent shape, and no aggregation with uniform particle size distribution was observed. Furthermore, the cumulative drug release in the first 6 h was 71.24 and 64.24% for CUR-loaded liposomes and CUR-GO-loaded liposomes, respectively. The lower value of drug release might be attributed to the complex development. The drug release model found the first order with non-Fickian diffusion process, which is often observed at higher n > 0.5. The antibacterial activity of the CUR with GO-loaded liposome (D2) offered higher anti-microbial activity over other formulations against the mentioned bacterial microorganism that causes skin diseases.

Albendazole Release from Silica-Chitosan Nanospheres. In Vitro Study on Cervix Cancer Cell Lines

In this work, a pH-responsive drug-carrier based on chitosan-silica nanospheres was developed as a carrier for Albendazole (ABZ), a poorly water-soluble anthelmintic drug. Spherical silica nanoparticles were obtained by Stöber method and further etched to obtain mesoporous particles with sizes ranging from 350 to 400 nm. The specific BET area of nanoparticles increased from 15 m2/g to 150 m2/g for etched silica, which also exhibited a uniform pore size distribution. X-ray powder diffraction showed the presence of amorphous phase of silica and a low-intensity peak attributed to ABZ for the drug-loaded nanoparticles. A uniform layer of chitosan was obtained ranging from 10 to 15 nm in thickness due to the small concentration of chitosan used (0.45 mg of chitosan/mg of SiO2). The in vitro evaluation of hybrid nanoparticles was performed using four cervical cancer cell lines CaSki, HeLa, SiHa and C33A, showing a significant reduction in cell proliferation (>85%) after 72 h. Therefore, we confirmed the encapsulation and bioavailability of the drug, which was released in a controlled way, and the presence of chitosan delayed the release, which could be of interest for the development of prolonged release drug delivery systems.

Chitosomes-In-Chitosan Hydrogel for Acute Skin Injuries: Prevention and Infection Control

Burns and other skin injuries are growing concerns as well as challenges in an era of antimicrobial resistance. Novel treatment options to improve the prevention and eradication of infectious skin biofilm-producing pathogens, while enhancing wound healing, are urgently needed for the timely treatment of infection-prone injuries. Treatment of acute skin injuries requires tailoring of formulation to assure both proper skin retention and the appropriate release of incorporated antimicrobials. The challenge remains to formulate antimicrobials with low water solubility, which often requires carriers as the primary vehicle, followed by a secondary skin-friendly vehicle. We focused on widely used chlorhexidine formulated in the chitosan-infused nanocarriers, chitosomes, incorporated into chitosan hydrogel for improved treatment of skin injuries. To prove our hypothesis, lipid nanocarriers and chitosan-comprising nanocarriers (≈250 nm) with membrane-active antimicrobial chlorhexidine were optimized and incorporated into chitosan hydrogel. The biological and antibacterial effects of both vesicles and a vesicles-in-hydrogel system were evaluated. The chitosomes-in-chitosan hydrogel formulation demonstrated promising physical properties and were proven safe. Additionally, the chitosan-based systems, both chitosomes and chitosan hydrogel, showed an improved antimicrobial effect against S. aureus and S. epidermidis compared to the formulations without chitosan. The novel formulation could serve as a foundation for infection prevention and bacterial eradication in acute wounds.

Supercritical fluid assembly of albendazole liposomes targeting gastrin-releasing peptide receptor overexpressing tumors

Aim: To develop albendazole (ABZ)-loaded bombesin(6-14) (BBN(6-14)) functionalized liposomes for targeting GRPR to enhance delivery to cancer cells. Materials & methods: ABZ-loaded liposomes were formulated using supercritical CO2 technology; functionalized with a GRPR-targeted lipid-anchored BBN(6-14) peptide; and evaluated for effects on cell viability, particle size and targeted cell uptake. Results: BBN(6-14)-coated ABZ liposomes decreased cell viability compared with nonfunctionalized ABZ liposomes. The level of GRPR expression positively correlated with intracellular uptake and decreased cell viability. The reduced cell viability, higher cell uptake and GRPR expression were observed in the order PC-3 > Caco-2 > HepG2 cells. Conclusion: BBN(6-14)-functionalized ABZ liposomes showed enhanced reduction in cell viability compared with nonfunctionalized ABZ liposomes.

Using Supercritical Fluid Technology as a Green Alternative During the Preparation of Drug Delivery Systems

Micro- and nano-carrier formulations have been developed as drug delivery systems for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) that suffer from poor physico-chemical, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic properties. Encapsulating the APIs in such systems can help improve their stability by protecting them from harsh conditions such as light, oxygen, temperature, pH, enzymes, and others. Consequently, the API's dissolution rate and bioavailability are tremendously improved. Conventional techniques used in the production of these drug carrier formulations have several drawbacks, including thermal and chemical stability of the APIs, excessive use of organic solvents, high residual solvent levels, difficult particle size control and distributions, drug loading-related challenges, and time and energy consumption. This review illustrates how supercritical fluid (SCF) technologies can be superior in controlling the morphology of API particles and in the production of drug carriers due to SCF's non-toxic, inert, economical, and environmentally friendly properties. The SCF's advantages, benefits, and various preparation methods are discussed. Drug carrier formulations discussed in this review include microparticles, nanoparticles, polymeric membranes, aerogels, microporous foams, solid lipid nanoparticles, and liposomes.