Chondroitin Sulphate-Chitosan polyelectrolyte complexes for etorocoxib transdermal delivery: in silico, in vitro and in vivo studies

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease which affects around 1% globally leading to joint inflammation and disability. Etorocoxib (ETR) is a potent COX-2 inhibitor traditionally used orally to alleviate RA induced inflammation, yet it causes hepatic side effects on prolonged use. This study aims for in silico optimization of ETR polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) utilizing chondroitin sulphate (CS) and chitosan (CH) for transdermal delivery to RA-inflamed joints with a synergistic anti-inflammatory action owing to CS. An artificial neural network (ANN) combined with 22 factorial design was used to optimize the PEC formula according to particle size (PS) and entrapment efficiency (%EE) by varying CS and CH concentrations. The optimum ETR PEC was incorporated in a gel and examined for its in vitro release, ex vivo permeation, in vivo inflammatory biomarkers, and histopathological evaluation in rats. The optimized formula (F3) with 0.1 CH% w/w and 0.5 CS %w/w showed a PS of 214.98 ± 17.24 nm, %EE 75.31 ± 1.67%, and enhanced in vitro release profile, ex vivo permeation and in vivo anti-inflammatory effect compared to ETR gel via suppressing the expression of IL-6, TNF-α, and TGF-β pro-inflammatory cytokines as well as the additional anti-inflammatory effect of CS. In conclusion, ETR-PEC gel holds promise as transdermal therapy for managing RA-induced inflammation.

Utilization of response surface design for development and optimization of rosuvastatin calcium-loaded nano-squarticles for hair growth stimulating VEGF and IGF production: in-vitro and in-vivo evaluation

INTRODUCTION

Countless individuals experience negative emotions as hair loss pattern affects their self-esteem and well-being. Rosuvastatin calcium (Ca-RUV) was reported to stimulate the growth of the hair in the applied area, hence, it was selected as a potential hair loss treatment drug.

SIGNIFICANCE

This study aims to develop and optimize (Ca-RUV) loaded squarticles (SQRs) and assess their ability to deliver and release Ca-RUV in the hair follicle for the promotion of hair growth.

METHODS

A response surface design was utilized to study the effect of varying Pluronic® F68 (PF68) and the percentage of liquid lipids within the core of the SQRs and the effects of particle size, entrapment efficiency, and drug released percentage after 24 h (%Q24) were assessed. The optimized formula was subjected to DSC, XRD, and in-vivo evaluation in rats.

RESULTS

SQRs stabilized by 0.8% PF68 and contained 37.5% liquid lipids showed an acceptable particle size (250 nm), drug entrapment efficiency (75%), and %Q24 (100%). The in-vivo studies illustrated the ability of the formula to regrow hair in animals after 10 days due to the elevation of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) to their normal values and by 9% and 54%, respectively, relative to standard therapy minoxidil (5%).

CONCLUSION

Thus, it can be concluded that the optimized formula of Ca-RUV loaded SQRs showed superior in-vivo results in the promotion of hair growth in a shorter period relative to the marketed product. Therefore, the formula can offer a viable option for the treatment of hair loss.