A Review of Electroporation-based Antitumor Skin Therapies and Investigation of Betulinic Acid-loaded Ointment

BACKGROUND

Electrochemotherapy is a novel treatment for cutaneous and subcutaneous tumors utilizing the combination of electroporation and chemotherapeutic agents. Since tumors have an increasing incidence nowadays as a result of environmental and genetic factors, electrochemotherapy could be a promising treatment for cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this article is to summarize the novel knowledge about the use of electroporation for antitumor treatments and to present a new application of electrochemotherapy with a well-known plant derived antitumor drug betulinic acid. For the review we have searched the databases of scientific and medical research to collect the available publications about the use of electrochemotherapy in the treatment of various types of cancer.

METHOD

By the utilization of the available knowledge, we investigated the effect of electroporation on the penetration of a topically applied betulinic acid formulation into the skin by ex vivo Raman spectroscopy on hairless mouse skin.

RESULTS

Raman measurements have demonstrated that the penetration depth of betulinic acid can be remarkably ameliorated by the use of electroporation, so this protocol can be a possibility for the treatment of deeper localized cancer nodules. Furthermore, it proved the influence of various treatment times, since they caused different spatial distributions of the drug in the skin.

CONCLUSION

The review demonstrates that electrochemotherapy is a promising tool to treat different kinds of tumors with high efficiency and with only a few moderate adverse effects. Moreover, it presents a non-invasive method to enhance the penetration of antitumor agents, which can offer novel prospects for antitumor therapies.

Formulation and Investigation of a Lipid Based Delivery System Containing Antimicrobials for the Treatment of Periodontal Disease

BACKGROUND

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease, which affects the supporting tissues of the teeth, and without proper treatment it may lead to tooth loss. Antibiotics - administered orally - have been widely used in the treatment of periodontitis. With the conventional administration routes, adequate drug levels cannot be reached in the periodontal pockets and oral application of antimicrobials could lead to side effects. Drug delivery systems containing antibiotics, administered at the site of infection, could possibly help eliminate pathogen bacteria and treat periodontitis.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the recent study was to create a locally swellable, biodegradable, biocompatible, mucoadhesive, lipophilic drug delivery system containing antimicrobial drugs which softens at body temperature, accommodate to the shape of the periodontal pocket and can provide extended drug release for at least one week.

METHODS

During the formulation, thermoanalytical, consistency, wettability, swelling, degradation and drug release studies were applied to determine the ideal ratios of lipid bases, structure-building components and surface active agent concentrations.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The structure-building component cetostearyl alcohol appeared to be the most convenient, thanks to its wettability and mechanical properties, which led to controlled drug release. With the use of ideal concentrations of components (10% surfactant, 40% structure-building component, 32 % lipid base, 15% antimicrobial agent and 3% polymer), sustained drug release can be provided up to nearly 3 weeks.

In vitro skin models in the optimization of skin formulations

BACKGROUND

Transdermal drug delivery is assumed to have a growing importance in drug development recently, thus it is crucial to optimize the penetration properties of drug into through the skin. Most of the current developments rely on the use of appropriate ex vivo animal or artificial models. However, the limited availability of human skin and the increasing restrictions in connection with animal testing encouraged the searchfor suitable artificial skin models.

METHOD

For the review, we have searched the databases of scientific and medical research to collect the available publications about the in vitro skin models. Furthermore, we overviewed the methods of the DataBase service on ALternative Methods to animal experimentation (DB-ALM) database and the guidelines of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

RESULTS

In vitro skin models have advantages like reproducibility, relatively low cost, easy storage, uncomplicated handling, and they offer a possibility for rapid screening and faster optimization of skin formulations. Furthermore, their composition can be easily modified which allows studying the relationship between certain pathological conditions and barrier function. However, the limitations of these models are needed to be taken into account.

CONCLUSION

This review attempts to provide an overview of the most frequently used models, focusing on their limitations and advantages. Accessibility, easiness of the application, cost and the respective limitations have to be considered in order to choose the most appropriate in vitro model for the particular objective.

Genistein in 1:1 inclusion complexes with ramified cyclodextrins: theoretical, physicochemical and biological evaluation

Genistein is one of the most studied phytocompound in the class of isoflavones, presenting a notable estrogenic activity and in vitro and/or in vivo benefits in different types of cancer such as those of the bladder, kidney, lung, pancreatic, skin and endometrial cancer. A big inconvenience for drug development is low water solubility, which can be solved by using hydrophilic cyclodextrins. The aim of this study is to theoretically analyze, based on the interaction energy, the possibility of a complex formation between genistein (Gen) and three different ramified cyclodextrins (CD), using a 1:1 molar ratio Gen:CD. Theoretical data were correlated with a screening of both in vitro and in vivo activity. Proliferation of different human cancer cell lines, antimicrobial activity and angiogenesis behavior was analyzed in order to see if complexation has a beneficial effect for any of the above mentioned activities and if so, which of the three CDs is the most suitable for the incorporation of genistein, and which may lead to future improved pharmaceutical formulations. Results showed antiproliferative activity with different IC50 values for all tested cell lines, remarkable antimicrobial activity on Bacillus subtilis and antiangiogenic activity as revealed by CAM assay. Differences regarding the intensity of the activity for pure and the three Gen complexes were noticed as explained in the text. The data represent a proof that the three CDs can be used for furtherer research towards practical use in the pharmaceutical and medical field.

Changes in the anti-inflammatory activity of soy isoflavonoid genistein versus genistein incorporated in two types of cyclodextrin derivatives

BACKGROUND

The isoflavonoid genistein represents the major active compound from soybean, the vegetal product from Glycine max (Fabaceae). The aim of this study is to prove that genistein was incorporated in two semisynthetic cyclodextrins, beta-cyclodextrin derivatives: hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin and randomly-methylated-beta-cyclodextrin as well as to compare the anti-inflammatory activity of genistein with that of genistein incorporated in these two types of semisynthetic cyclodextrins.

RESULTS

The animal studies were conducted on 8-week old C57BL/6 J female mice. Inflammation was induced in both ears of each mouse by topical application of 10 micrograms 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-3-acetate dissolved in 0.1 ml solvent (acetone : dimethylsulfoxide in a molar ratio 9:1). Thirty minutes later treatment was applied. The inflammatory reaction was correlated with increased values in ear thickness. Treatment with genistein and genistein incorporated in the two cyclodextrins led to decreased values for ear thickness. Better anti-inflammatory action was found for the complexes of genistein. Both haematoxylin-eosin analysis and CD45 marker expression are in agreement with these findings.

CONCLUSIONS

Results allow concluding that genistein is an active anti-inflammatory phytocompound and its complexation with hydrophilic beta-cyclodextrin derivatives leads to a stronger anti-inflammatory activity.