Buccal mucosal application of dissolvable microneedle patch containing photosensitizer provides effective localized delivery and phototherapy against oral carcinoma

The effectiveness of phototherapy using photosensitizers is limited by the challenges in their delivery at the site of irradiation. Here, we demonstrate the localized application of a photosensitizer-loaded microneedle patch for effective photodynamic and photothermal therapy in oral carcinoma. Indocyanine green (ICG) was studied as a photosensitizer for its effect on oral carcinoma, FaDu cells. Different parameters including concentration, near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation intensity and irradiation time were optimized while measuring temperature increase and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in FaDu cells. A dissolvable microneedle (DMN) patch made of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and sodium alginate was fabricated by the micromolding technique. DMN showed sufficient mechanical strength for insertion in the excised porcine buccal mucosa. DMN dissolved within 30 s in phosphate buffer and 30 min in the excised buccal mucosa. Confocal microscopy studies revealed DMN penetration up to a depth of 300 µm within the buccal mucosa. ICG-DMN applied on the back of the rat was found to be localized at the application site before and after irradiation using an 808 nm NIR laser. ICG-DMN was applied on the FaDu xenografted tumor model in athymic nude mice. The localized temperature increase and ROS generation significantly (P<0.05) decreased the tumor volume after ICG-DMN application compared with the control group. In conclusion, DMN can be developed for the localized administration of photosensitizers for phototherapy in oral carcinoma.

Management of tendinopathies among south Indians using collagen II peptide, glucosamine and vitamin C

Tendinopathy is a multi-factorial, broad spectrum of tendon disorder, characterized by activity-related chronic tendon pain and local tenderness. The point of this study was to assess the adequacy of a nutritional supplement containing Glucosamine, type II collagen and vitamin C on the clinical and auxiliary advancement of tendinopathies. The prospective study was Hospital based randomized control trail comparing the efficacy of collage 2 peptide, glucosamine and vitamin c with placebo in various tendinopathies. All diagnosed patients willing for the treatment attending Konaseema Institute of Medical Sciences during period of 2017-2019 were selected with regular follow up of 2nd week, 2nd month & 6 month. The statistics and visualizations of various observations made in the entire study which include a total of 80 patients with various tendinopathies. 60 of them were given collagen 2, glucosamine and vitamin c (cases) and 20 were given placebo (controls). At the end of 6 months almost 90% patients relieved completely of pain. The duration of maximum benefit to reach is almost around 24 weeks. These are seen more commonly to affect non-athletes rather than athletes.

Green Synthesis of Full-Color Fluorescent Carbon Nanoparticles from Eucalyptus Twigs for Sensing the Synthetic Food Colorant and Bioimaging

Full-color fluorescent carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) are produced by a facile and green hydrothermal method followed by the differential washing technique. Eucalyptus twigs are used as a precursor to synthesize multiemissive light blue, blue, green, and red CNPs. Brilliant Blue FCF (BB) is a widely used synthetic food colorant, which is toxic for the human body, when consumed beyond the permitted limit. Herein, we demonstrate light blue CNPs as a sensor for selective and sensitive detection of BB via a fluorescence quenching mechanism with a limit of detection of 200 nM. Temperature-dependent fluorescence and 1H NMR studies confirmed the mechanism as combined dynamic and static quenching. To demonstrate the practical efficacy of the sensor, BB is effectively detected and estimated in selected food samples procured from the market. Moreover, the biocompatibility of light blue and blue CNPs is examined and confirmed by performing a cytotoxicity assay on MDA-MB-231 cell lines. Subsequently, the cellular imaging study is also carried out to explore the internalization process of the CNPs as a function of concentration. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that Eucalyptus twigs, a natural source of high abundance, are used as raw materials and valorized for sensing artificial food color and bioimaging purposes.

Dissolvable Microneedle-Mediated Transcutaneous Delivery of Tetanus Toxoid Elicits Effective Immune Response

Transcutaneous immunization using a microneedle device presents a promising alternative to syringe-based injection of vaccines. The aim of this study was to investigate the effective immune response elicited after application of tetanus toxoid antigen-loaded dissolvable microneedles (TT-MN) in mice model. Dissolvable microneedles were prepared using 20% w/v of polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl pyrrolidone polymer mixture by micromolding technique. TT-MN were prepared by addition of tetanus toxoid to polymer mixture before casting microneedles. TT-MN were characterized using texture analyzer, stereomicroscope, and scanning electron microscope. Tetanus toxoid loading was found to be 77 ± 2 μg per microneedle array. Confocal microscopic analysis showed that the microneedles penetrated to a depth of 130 μm inside mouse skin. Complete dissolution of microneedles was achieved within 1 h after insertion in skin. Immunization studies in Swiss albino mice demonstrated significantly (p < 0.001) greater IgG, IgG₁, and IgG_2a antibody titers for TT-MN and intramuscular injection groups compared with naïve control. Splenocyte proliferation assay confirmed effective re-stimulation on exposure to tetanus toxoid in microneedle treatment groups. Taken together, TT-MN can be developed as minimally invasive system for transcutaneous delivery of tetanus toxoid antigen.