Pitavastatin-loaded bilosomes for oral treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: a repurposing approach

The Exploitation of Sodium Deoxycholate-Stabilized Nano-Vesicular Gel for Ameliorating the Antipsychotic Efficiency of Sulpiride

The present study explored the effectiveness of bile-salt-based nano-vesicular carriers (bilosomes) for delivering anti-psychotic medication, Sulpiride (Su), via the skin. A response surface methodology (RSM), using a 33 Box-Behnken design (BBD) in particular, was employed to develop and optimize drug-loaded bilosomal vesicles. The optimized bilosomes were assessed based on their vesicle size, entrapment efficiency (% EE), and the amount of Sulpiride released. The Sulpiride-loaded bilosomal gel was generated by incorporating the optimized Su-BLs into a hydroxypropyl methylcellulose polymer. The obtained gel was examined for its physical properties, ex vivo permeability, and in vivo pharmacokinetic performance. The optimum Su-BLs exhibited a vesicle size of 211.26 ± 10.84 nm, an encapsulation efficiency of 80.08 ± 1.88% and a drug loading capacity of 26.69 ± 0.63%. Furthermore, the use of bilosomal vesicles effectively prolonged the release of Su over a period of twelve hours. In addition, the bilosomal gel loaded with Su exhibited a three-fold increase in the rate at which Su transferred through the skin, in comparison to oral-free Sulpiride. The relative bioavailability of Su-BL gel was almost four times as high as that of the plain Su suspension and approximately two times as high as that of the Su gel. Overall, bilosomes could potentially serve as an effective technique for delivering drugs through the skin, specifically enhancing the anti-psychotic effects of Sulpiride by increasing its ability to penetrate the skin and its systemic bioavailability, with few adverse effects.

Resveratrol-loaded invasome gel: A promising nanoformulation for treatment of skin cancer

Skin cancer is a widespread type of cancer representing 30% of all cancer types worldwide. Resveratrol (RSV) is an anticancer drug used for skin cancer treatment. Several limitations of RSV such as poor aqueous solubility, first-pass metabolism, and instability limit their topical use. The study aimed to develop and optimize RSV-loaded invasomes for topical administration as well as assess their efficacy in vivo. The optimized RSV-loaded invasomes showed small particle size (208.7 ± 74 nm), PDI (0.3 ± 0.03), high % entrapment efficiency (77.7 ± 6%), and negative zeta potential (-70.4 ± 10.9 mV). They showed an initial burst effect followed by controlled drug release for 24 h. RSV-loaded invasomal gel revealed the highest skin deposition percentage (65%) in ex vivo rat skin, the highest potency (low IC50 of 6.34 μg/mL), and the highest cellular uptake when tested on squamous cancerous cells (SCCs) when compared to other formulations. The antitumor effect of topical RSV-loaded invasomes was also evaluated in vivo in Ehrlich-induced mice models. The results revealed that RSV-loaded invasomal gel exhibited the smallest tumor volume with no signs of organ toxicity indicating its safety in skin cancer treatment. Upregulation of BAX and Caspase-3 gene levels and downregulation of NF-kB and BCL2 protein levels were demonstrated using RT-PCR and ELISA tests, respectively. Interestingly, the present study is the first to develop RSV-loaded invasomal gel for topical skin cancer treatment. According to our results, invasomes are considered promising lipid-based nanosystems for topical RSV delivery having high skin penetration ability and anticancer effect in the treatment of skin carcinoma.

Cross-Linked Alginate Dialdehyde/Chitosan Hydrogel Encompassing Curcumin-Loaded Bilosomes for Enhanced Wound Healing Activity

The current study aimed to fabricate curcumin-loaded bilosomal hydrogel for topical wound healing purposes, hence alleviating the poor aqueous solubility and low oral bioavailability of curcumin. Bilosomes were fabricated via the thin film hydration technique using cholesterol, Span® 60, and two different types of bile salts (sodium deoxycholate or sodium cholate). Bilosomes were verified for their particle size (PS), polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential (ZP), entrapment efficiency (EE%), and in vitro drug release besides their morphological features. The optimum formulation was composed of cholesterol/Span® 60 (molar ratio 1:10 w/w) and 5 mg of sodium deoxycholate. This optimum formulation was composed of a PS of 246.25 ± 11.85 nm, PDI of 0.339 ± 0.030, ZP of -36.75 ± 0.14 mv, EE% of 93.32% ± 0.40, and the highest percent of drug released over three days (96.23% ± 0.02). The optimum bilosomal formulation was loaded into alginate dialdehyde/chitosan hydrogel cross-linked with calcium chloride. The loaded hydrogel was tested for its water uptake capacity, in vitro drug release, and in vivo studies on male Albino rats. The results showed that the loaded hydrogel possessed a high-water uptake percent at the four-week time point (729.50% ± 43.13) before it started to disintegrate gradually; in addition, it showed sustained drug release for five days (≈100%). In vivo animal testing and histopathological studies supported the superiority of the curcumin-loaded bilosomal hydrogel in wound healing compared to the curcumin dispersion and plain hydrogel, where there was a complete wound closure attained after the three-week period with a proper healing mechanism. Finally, it was concluded that curcumin-loaded bilosomal hydrogel offered a robust, efficient, and user-friendly dosage form for wound healing.

Targeted delivery of genistein for pancreatic cancer treatment using hyaluronic-coated cubosomes bioactivated with frankincense oil

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive malignancy that remains a major cause of cancer-related deaths. Research for innovative anticancer therapeutic options is thus imperative. In this regard, phytotherapeutics offer great promise as efficient treatment modalities, especially leveraging nanodrug delivery. Herein, we innovatively coloaded the flavonoid genistein (Gen) and frankincense essential oil (FO) within cubosomes, which were then coated with the bioactive ligand hyaluronic acid (HA/Gen-FO-Cub) for active-targeting of pancreatic cancer. The novel HA/Gen-FO-Cub displayed optimum nanosize (198.2 ± 4.5 nm), PDI (0.27 ± 0.01), zeta-potential (-34.7 ± 1.2 mV), Gen entrapment (99.3 ± 0.01 %), and controlled Gen release (43.7 ± 1.2 % after 120 h). HA/Gen-FO-Cub exerted selective anticancer activity on pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1; 8-fold drop in IC50), cellular uptake and anti-migratory effect compared to Gen solution. HA/Gen-FO-Cub revealed prominent cytocompatibility (100 ± 5.9 % viability of human dermal fibroblast). Moreover, HA/Gen-FO-Cub boosted the in vivo anticancer activity of Gen in an orthotopic cancer model, affording tumor growth suppression (2.5-fold drop) and downregulation of NFκB and VEGF (2.9- and 1.8-fold decrease, respectively), compared to Gen suspension. Antimetastatic efficacy and Bcl-2-downexpression was histologically confirmed. Our findings demonstrate the promising anticancer aptitude of HA/Gen-FO-Cub as an effective phytotherapeutic nanodelivery system for pancreatic cancer therapy.

Magnetic targeting of lornoxicam/SPION bilosomes loaded in a thermosensitive in situ hydrogel system for the management of osteoarthritis: Optimization, in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo studies in rat model via modulation of RANKL/OPG

Osteoarthritis is a bone and joint condition characterized pathologically by articular cartilage degenerative damage and can develop into a devastating and permanently disabling disorder. This investigation aimed to formulate the anti-inflammatory drug lornoxicam (LOR) into bile salt-enriched vesicles loaded in an in situ forming hydrogel as a potential local treatment of osteoarthritis. This was achieved by formulating LOR-loaded bilosomes that are also loaded with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) for intra-muscular (IM) administration to improve joint targeting and localization by applying an external magnet to the joint. A 31.22 full factorial design was employed to develop the bilosomal dispersions and the optimized formula including SPION (LSB) was loaded into a thermosensitive hydrogel. Moreover, in vivo evaluation revealed that the IM administration of LSB combined with the application of an external magnet to the joint reversed carrageen-induced suppression in motor activity and osteoprotegerin by significantly reducing the elevations in mitogen-activated protein kinases, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa beta/osteoprotegerin expressions. In addition, the histopathological evaluation of knee joint tissues showed a remarkable improvement in the injured joint tissues. The results proved that the developed LSB could be a promising IM drug delivery system for osteoarthritis management.

Optimized bilosome-based nanoparticles enhance cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic activity of costunolide in LS174T colon cancer cells

Costunolide (COST) is a sesquiterpene lactone that belongs to the germacranolide group, and occurs mainly in Saussurea lappa Clarke. Although COST inhibits the proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells and induces their apoptosis, it suffers poor water solubility and cellular permeability. Therefore, this study aimed to enhance the anti-proliferative activity of COST in LS174T colon cancer cells through its inclusion in bilosomal nanoformulation (COST-BILs). The optimized BIL formula contained cholesterol and Span-85 in a molar ratio of 1:5 as well as bile salt at a molar concentration of 0.5 mM, with entrapment efficiency of 63.4 ± 3.59 % and particle size of 119.7 ± 3.63 nm. The optimized COST-BILs showed a potent cytotoxic effect against LS174T cells with an IC50 of 6.20 µM; meanwhile, raw COST had an IC50 of 15.78 µM. Safety and relative selectivity were confirmed in the normal human colonic epithelial cells (HCoEpC). Cell cycle analysis indicated that both raw COST and COST-BILs significantly increased the fraction of LS174T cells in the sub-G1 phase. This was accompanied by a significant enhancement of early, late, and total apoptosis, as indicated by annexin-V staining. In addition, COST-BILs exhibited more potent activity in up-regulating CASP3, TP53, and BAX, and in down-regulating the expression of BCL2 mRNA as compared to raw COST. Further, the prepared formula enhanced the release of cytochrome C as well as the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reduced the integrity of mitochondrial membranes. In conclusion, the loading of COST on BILs significantly enhances its pro-apoptotic activity in LS174T cells.

Lactoferrin decorated bilosomes for the oral delivery of quercetin in type 2 diabetes: In vitro and in vivo appraisal

Despite its tremendous potential for type 2 diabetes management, quercetin (QRC) suffers poor gastric stability, poor bioavailability, and extensive first pass metabolism. Drug encapsulation into bilosomes (BSL) has proven enhanced properties in-vitro and in-vivo. Herein, this work endeavoured to evaluate efficacy of QRC-encapsulated bilosomes capped with lactoferrin (LF); a milk protein with antidiabetic potential, for type 2 diabetes oral treatment. The optimized formulation (LF-QRC-BSL) was evaluated in-vitro on α-amylase enzyme inhibition and insulin resistant HepG2 cell model and in vivo on streptozocin/high fat diet induced diabetes in rats. LF-QRC-BSL showed a small size (68.1 nm), a narrow PDI (0.18) and a -25.5 mV zeta potential. A high entrapment efficiency (94 %) with sustained release were also observed. LF-QRC-BSL displayed 100 % permeation through excised diabetic rat intestines after 6 h, 70.2 % inhibition of α-amylase enzyme in-vitro and an augmented recovery of glucose uptake in insulin resistant cells. In diabetic rats, LF-QRC-BSL resulted in significant decrease in blood glucose level, improved lipid profile and tissue injury markers with reduced oxidative stress and inflammatory markers. Further, histopathological examination of the kidneys, liver and pancreas revealed an almost restored normal condition comparable to the negative control. Overall, LF-QRC-BSL have proven to be a promising therapy for type 2 diabetes.

Targeted Fisetin-Encapsulated β-Cyclodextrin Nanosponges for Breast Cancer

Fisetin (FS) is considered a safer phytomedicine alternative to conventional chemotherapeutics for breast cancer treatment. Despite its surpassing therapeutic potential, its clinical utility is hampered by its low systemic bioavailability. Accordingly, as far as we are aware, this is the first study to develop lactoferrin-coated FS-loaded β-cyclodextrin nanosponges (LF-FS-NS) for targeted FS delivery to breast cancer. NS formation through cross-linking of β-cyclodextrin by diphenyl carbonate was confirmed by FTIR and XRD. The selected LF-FS-NS showed good colloidal properties (size 52.7 ± 7.2 nm, PDI < 0.3, and ζ-potential 24 mV), high loading efficiency (96 ± 0.3%), and sustained drug release of 26 % after 24 h. Morphological examination using SEM revealed the mesoporous spherical structure of the prepared nanosponges with a pore diameter of ~30 nm, which was further confirmed by surface area measurement. Additionally, LF-FS-NS enhanced FS oral and IP bioavailability (2.5- and 3.2-fold, respectively) compared to FS suspension in rats. Antitumor efficacy evaluation in vitro on MDA-MB-231 cells and in vivo on an Ehrlich ascites mouse model demonstrated significantly higher activity and targetability of LF-FS-NS (30 mg/kg) compared to the free drug and uncoated formulation. Consequently, LF-FS-NS could be addressed as a promising formulation for the effective management of breast cancer.