PEGylated Lipid Polymeric Nanoparticle-Encapsulated Acyclovir for In Vitro Controlled Release and Ex Vivo Gut Sac Permeation

Currently, pharmaceutical research is directed wide range for developing new drugs for oral administration to target disease. Acyclovir formulation is having common issues of short half-life and poor permeability, causing messy treatment which results in patient incompliance. The present study formulates a lipid polymeric hybrid nanoparticles for antiviral acyclovir (ACV) agent with Phospholipon® 90G (lecithin), chitosan, and polyethylene glycol (PEG) to improve controlled release of the drugs. The study focused on the encapsulation of the ACV in lipid polymeric particle and their sustained delivery. The formulation developed for the self-assembly of chitosan and lecithin to form a shell encapsulating acyclovir, followed by PEGylation. Optimisation was performed via Box-Behnken Design (BBD), forming nanoparticles with size of 187.7 ± 3.75 nm, 83.81 ± 1.93% drug-entrapped efficiency (EE), and + 37.7 ± 1.16 mV zeta potential. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy images displayed spherical nanoparticles formation. Encapsulation of ACV and complexity with other physical parameters are confirmed through analysis using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray diffraction. Nanoparticle produced was capable of achieving 24-h sustained release in vitro on gastric and intestinal environments. Ex vivo study proved the improvement of acyclovir's apparent permeability from 2 × 10-6 to 6.46 × 10-6 cm s-1. Acyclovir new formulation was achieved to be stable up to 60 days for controlled release of the drugs. Graphical abstract.

Gastrointestinal bleeding due to whipworm (Trichuris trichiura) infestation: a case report

Severe whipworm infestation, an exceedingly uncommon cause of gastrointestinal bleeding, has not been reported in Taiwan. The reported case concerns a 59-year-old female who had suffered from abdominal pain and passage of tarry stool for several days. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy was performed, and several roundworms were seen in the second portion of duodenum. After removal, the characteristic appearance of Trichuris trichiura was apparent. After exploratory laparotomy for intractable bloody stool, the result of operative findings and pathological reports also confirmed our diagnosis. This is a case presented of massive gastrointestinal bleeding in which the cause of bleeding was diagnosed before operation to be whipworm infestation by endoscopic examination. The clinical and pathologic characteristics of the trichuriasis are described, with a brief review and discussion.