Phytocannabinoids: Chromatographic Screening of Cannabinoids and Loading into Lipid Nanoparticles

Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLN) and Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLC) are receiving increasing interest as an approach to encapsulate natural extracts to increase the physicochemical stability of bioactives. Cannabis extract-derived cannabidiol (CBD) has potent therapeutic properties, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective properties. In this work, physicochemical characterization was carried out after producing Compritol-based nanoparticles (cSLN or cNLC) loaded with CBD. Then, the determination of the encapsulation efficiency (EE), loading capacity (LC), particle size (Z-Ave), polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential were performed. Additionally, the viscoelastic profiles and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) patterns were recorded. As a result, CBD-loaded SLN showed a mean particle size of 217.2 ± 6.5 nm, PDI of 0.273 ± 0.023, and EE of about 74%, while CBD-loaded NLC showed Z-Ave of 158.3 ± 6.6 nm, PDI of 0.325 ± 0.016, and EE of about 70%. The rheological analysis showed that the loss modulus for both lipid nanoparticle formulations was higher than the storage modulus over the applied frequency range of 10 Hz, demonstrating that they are more elastic than viscous. The crystallinity profiles of both CBD-cSLN (90.41%) and CBD-cNLC (40.18%) were determined. It may justify the obtained encapsulation parameters while corroborating the liquid-like character demonstrated in the rheological analysis. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study confirmed the morphology and shape of the developed nanoparticles. The work has proven that the solid nature and morphology of cSLN/cNLC strengthen these particles' potential to modify the CBD delivery profile for several biomedical applications.

Optimized Nanostructured Lipid Carriers Integrated into In Situ Nasal Gel for Enhancing Brain Delivery of Flibanserin

Background and Aim

Flibanserin (FLB) is a multifunctional serotonergic agent used for treating hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women via oral administration. FLB has a reported limited oral bioavailability of 33% that could be attributed to the drug’s first-pass metabolism. In addition, FLB has a pH-dependent solubility that could be a challenging factor for drug dissolution in the body neutral fluid, and consequently, absorption via mucosal barriers. Thus, this work aims at investigating the potential of utilizing nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks and to enhance nose-to-brain drug delivery.

Methods

Box-Behnken design was applied to explore the impact of solid lipid % (SL%, X₁), liquid lipid % (LL%, X₂), and sonication time (ST, X₃) on particle size. The optimized NLC formulation was characterized and incorporated into gellan gum in situ gel. The prepared gel was subjected to in vitro drug release, in vivo pharmacokinetic performance, and histopathological assessment in rats.

Results

Statistical analysis revealed a significant negative effect for both SL% and ST on NLCs size. In contrast, a significant positive effect was observed for the LL%. The optimized formulation showed spherical shape with vesicular size of 114.63 nm. The optimized FLB-NLC in situ gel exhibited adequate stability and enhanced in vitro release compared to raw FLB control gel. The plasma and brain concentrations of the drug after nasal administration in rats increased by more than 3–6-fold, respectively, compared to raw FLB in situ gel. In addition, the histopathological studies revealed the absence of any pathological signs.

Conclusion

The aforementioned results highlight the safety of FLB-NLC in situ nasal gel and its potential to improve the drug bioavailability and brain delivery.

Compritol 888 ATO: a multifunctional lipid excipient in drug delivery systems and nanopharmaceuticals

INTRODUCTION

Compritol® 888 ATO is a lipid excipient that is generally used in cosmetic industry as a surfactant, emulsifying agent and viscosity-inducing agent in emulsions or creams. Based on its chemical composition, Compritol 888 ATO is a blend of different esters of behenic acid with glycerol.

AREAS COVERED

Recently, there has been great interest in the multiple roles that Compritol 888 ATO plays in various pharmaceutical delivery systems. Accordingly, this review aimed at summarizing the current and potential applications of Compritol 888 ATO in various drug delivery areas.

EXPERT OPINION

Different researches have highlighted the feasibility of using Compritol 888 ATO as a lubricant or coating agent for oral solid dosage formulations. It has also been explored as a matrix-forming agent for controlling drug release. At present, the most common pharmaceutical application of Compritol 888 ATO is in lipid-based colloidal drug delivery system such as solid lipid microparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers. Although, Compritol 888 ATO has acceptable regulatory and safety profiles and although the number of articles that emphasize on its applicability as an innovative excipient in pharmaceutical technology is continuously increasing, it is not widely used in the pharmaceutical market products and its use is limited to its sustain release ability in extended release tablets.