Pimozide and Adipic Acid: A New Multicomponent Crystalline Entity for Improved Pharmaceutical Behavior.

Pimozide is a first-generation antipsychotic used in the treatment of schizophrenia, Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, and other chronic psychoses. Its in vivo efficacy is limited by poor solubility and consequent poor bioavailability. Therefore, adipic acid was used as a coformer for the preparation of a binary product with improved pharmaceutical properties.

A Perspective on the Use of Hydroxyapatites to Improve the Dissolution Behavior of Poorly Water-Soluble Piretanide.

Background/objectives: Interest in drug delivery systems (DDS) based on inorganic substrates has increased in parallel with the increase in the number of poorly water-soluble drugs. Hydroxyapatite is one of the ideal matrices for DDS due to its biocompatibility, low cost, and ease of preparation.

Methods: We propose two doped hydroxyapatites, one with Ba on Ca sites another with Si on P sites, with the aim of improving the dissolution rate of piretanide, a diuretic, poorly water-soluble drug.

Physicochemical Characterization of Hydroxyapatite Hybrids with Meloxicam for Dissolution Rate Improvement.

Organic-inorganic hybrids represent a good solution to improve the solubility and dissolution rates of poorly soluble drugs whose number has been increasing in the last few years. One of the most diffused inorganic matrices is hydroxyapatite (HAP), which is a biocompatible and osteoconductive material. However, the understanding of the hybrids' functioning mechanisms is in many cases limited; thus, thorough physicochemical characterizations are needed.

NaMnTi(PO)/C Nanofiber Free-Standing Electrode for Long-Cycling-Life Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Self-standing NaMnTi(PO)/carbon nanofiber (CNF) electrodes are successfully synthesized by electrospinning. A pre-synthesized NaMnTi(PO) is dispersed in a polymeric solution, and the electrospun product is heat-treated at 750 °C in nitrogen flow to obtain active material/CNF electrodes. The active material loading is 10 wt%.

Design of NaMnZr(PO)/Carbon Nanofiber Free-Standing Cathodes for Sodium-Ion Batteries with Enhanced Electrochemical Performances through Different Electrospinning Approaches.

The NASICON-structured NaMnZr(PO) compound is a promising high-voltage cathode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). In this study, an easy and scalable electrospinning approach was used to synthesize self-standing cathodes based on NaMnZr(PO) loaded into carbon nanofibers (CNFs). Different strategies were applied to load the active material.

New Findings on the Crystal Polymorphism of Imepitoin.

Scientific and industrial reasons dictate the study of the solid state of imepitoin, a highly safe and tolerable anticonvulsant drug used in the therapy of epileptic dogs that was approved in the Europe Union in 2013. Our investigations allowed us to discover the existence of a new polymorph of imepitoin, which finds itself in a monotropic relationship with the crystalline form (polymorph I) already known and present on the market. This form (polymorph II), obtained by crystallization from xylene, remains metastable under ambient conditions for at least 1 year.

Design of Etched- and Functionalized-Halloysite/Meloxicam Hybrids: A Tool for Enhancing Drug Solubility and Dissolution Rate.

The study focuses on the synthesis and characterization of Meloxicam-halloysite nanotube (HNT) composites as a viable approach to enhance the solubility and dissolution rate of meloxicam, a poorly water-soluble drug (BCS class II). Meloxicam is loaded on commercial and modified halloysite (acidic and alkaline etching, or APTES and chitosan functionalization) via a solution method. Several techniques (XRPD, FT-IR, C solid-state NMR, SEM, EDS, TEM, DSC, TGA) are applied to characterize both HNTs and meloxicam-HNT systems.

Surface Properties of a Biocompatible Thermoplastic Polyurethane and Its Anti-Adhesive Effect against and .

Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is a polymer used in a variety of fields, including medical applications. Here, we aimed to verify if the brush and bar coater deposition techniques did not alter TPU properties. The topography of the TPU-modified surfaces was studied via AFM demonstrating no significant differences between brush and bar coater-modified surfaces, compared to the un-modified TPU (TPU Film).

Hydroxyapatite Nanorods Based Drug Delivery Systems for Bumetanide and Meloxicam, Poorly Water Soluble Active Principles.

Poorly water-soluble drugs represent a challenge for the pharmaceutical industry because it is necessary to find properly tuned and efficient systems for their release. In this framework, organic-inorganic hybrid systems could represent a promising strategy. A largely diffused inorganic host is hydroxyapatite (HAP, Ca(PO)(OH)), which is easily synthesized with different external forms and can adsorb different kinds of molecules, thereby allowing rapid drug release.

Investigation on Electrospun and Solvent-Casted PCL-PLGA Blends Scaffolds Embedded with Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells for Tissue Engineering.

The design, production, and characterisation of tissue-engineered scaffolds made of polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), polycaprolactone (PCL) and their blends obtained through electrospinning (ES) or solvent casting/particulate leaching (SC) manufacturing techniques are presented here. The polymer blend composition was chosen to always obtain a prevalence of one of the two polymers, in order to investigate the contribution of the less concentrated polymer on the scaffolds' properties. Physical-chemical characterization of ES scaffolds demonstrated that tailoring of fibre diameter and Young modulus (YM) was possible by controlling PCL concentration in PLGA-based blends, increasing the fibre diameter from 0.

Photodynamic toluidine blue-gold nanoconjugates as a novel therapeutic for biofilms.

are among the most frequent bacteria known to cause biofilm-related infections. Pathogenic biofilms represent a global healthcare challenge due to their high tolerance to antimicrobials. In this study, water soluble polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated gold nanospheres (28 ppm) and nanostars (15 ppm) with electrostatically adsorbed photosensitizer (PS) Toluidine Blue O (TBO) ∼4 μM were successfully synthesized and characterized as PEG-GNPs@TBO and PEG-GNSs@TBO.

Electrospun Fibers Loaded with Pirfenidone: An Innovative Approach for Scar Modulation in Complex Wounds.

Hypertrophic scars (HTSs) are pathological structures resulting from chronic inflammation during the wound healing process, particularly in complex injuries like burns. The aim of this work is to propose Biofiber PF (biodegradable fiber loaded with Pirfenidone 1.5 /), an electrospun advanced dressing, as a solution for HTSs treatment in complex wounds.

Hybrid 3D-Printed and Electrospun Scaffolds Loaded with Dexamethasone for Soft Tissue Applications.

Background: To make the regenerative process more effective and efficient, tissue engineering (TE) strategies have been implemented. Three-dimensional scaffolds (electrospun or 3D-printed), due to their suitable designed architecture, offer the proper location of the position of cells, as well as cell adhesion and the deposition of the extracellular matrix. Moreover, the possibility to guarantee a concomitant release of drugs can promote tissue regeneration.

Influence of Electrospun Fibre Secondary Morphology on Antibiotic Release Kinetic and Its Impact on Antimicrobic Efficacy.

Vascular graft infections are a severe complication in vascular surgery, with a high morbidity and mortality. Prevention and treatment involve the use of antibiotic- or antiseptic-impregnated artificial vascular grafts, but currently, there are no commercially available infection-proof small-diameter vascular grafts (SDVGs). In this work we investigated the antimicrobic activity of two SDVGs prototypes loaded with tobramycin and produced via the electrospinning of drug-doped PLGA (polylactide-co-glycolide) solutions.

Hybrid Nanocomposites of Tenoxicam: Layered Double Hydroxides (LDHs) vs. Hydroxyapatite (HAP) Inorganic Carriers.

The search for effective systems to facilitate the release of poorly bioavailable drugs is a forefront topic for the pharmaceutical market. Materials constituted by inorganic matrices and drugs represent one of the latest research strategies in the development of new drug alternatives. Our aim was to obtain hybrid nanocomposites of Tenoxicam, an insoluble nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, with both layered double hydroxides (LDHs) and hydroxyapatite (HAP).

Synthesis and Characterization of Carvedilol-Etched Halloysite Nanotubes Composites with Enhanced Drug Solubility and Dissolution Rate.

Carvedilol is a poorly water-soluble drug employed to treat chronic heart failure. In this study, we synthesize new carvedilol-etched halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) composites to enhance solubility and dissolution rate. The simple and feasible impregnation method is used for carvedilol loading (30-37% weight).

ZnS-rGO/CNF Free-Standing Anodes for SIBs: Improved Electrochemical Performance at High C-Rate.

ZnS-graphene composites (ZnSGO) were synthesized by a hydrothermal process and loaded onto carbon nanofibers (CNFs) by electrospinning (ZnS-GO/CNF), to obtain self-standing anodes for SIBs. The characterization techniques (XRPD, SEM, TEM, EDS, TGA, and Raman spectroscopy) confirm that the ZnS nanocrystals (10 nm) with sphalerite structure covered by the graphene sheets were successfully synthesized. In the ZnS-GO/CNF anodes, the active material is homogeneously dispersed in the CNFs' matrix and the ordered carbon source mainly resides in the graphene component.

Electrospun Naringin-Loaded Fibers for Preventing Scar Formation during Wound Healing.

Hypertrophic scars (HTSs) are aberrant structures that develop where skin is injured complexly and represent the result of a chronic inflammation as a healing response. To date, there is no satisfactory prevention option for HTSs, which is due to the complexity of multiple mechanisms behind the formation of these structures. The present work aimed to propose Biofiber (Biodegradable fiber), an advanced textured electrospun dressing, as a suitable solution for HTS formation in complex wounds.

Strontium-doped apatitic bone cements with tunable antibacterial and antibiofilm ability.

Injectable calcium phosphate cements (CPCs) represent promising candidates for the regeneration of complex-shape bone defects, thanks to self-hardening ability, bioactive composition and nanostructure offering high specific surface area for cell attachment and conduction. Such features make CPCs also interesting for functionalization with various biomolecules, towards the generation of multifunctional devices with enhanced therapeutic ability. In particular, strontium-doped CPCs have been studied in the last years due to the intrinsic antiosteoporotic character of strontium.

FeO-Halloysite Nanotube Composites as Sustainable Adsorbents: Efficiency in Ofloxacin Removal from Polluted Waters and Ecotoxicity.

The present work aimed at decorating halloysite nanotubes (HNT) with magnetic FeO nanoparticles through different synthetic routes (co-precipitation, hydrothermal, and sol-gel) to test the efficiency of three magnetic composites (HNT/FeO) to remove the antibiotic ofloxacin (OFL) from waters. The chemical-physical features of the obtained materials were characterized through the application of diverse techniques (XRPD, FT-IR spectroscopy, SEM, EDS, and TEM microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and magnetization measurements), while ecotoxicity was assessed through a standard test on the freshwater organism . Independently of the synthesis procedure, the magnetic composites were successfully obtained.

Mesenchymal Stromal Cell on Liver Decellularised Extracellular Matrix for Tissue Engineering.

Background: In end-stage chronic liver disease, transplantation represents the only curative option. However, the shortage of donors results in the death of many patients. To overcome this gap, it is mandatory to develop new therapeutic options.

A proof of concept to define the parameters affecting poly-L-lactide-co-poly-ε-caprolactone shape memory electrospun nanofibers for biomedical applications.

This study is a proof of concept performed to evaluate process parameters affecting shape memory effect of copolymer poly-L-lactide-co-poly-ε-caprolactone (PLA:PCL) 70:30 ratio based nanofibrous scaffolds. A design of experiment (DOE) statistical approach was used to define the interaction between independent material and process variables related to electrospun scaffold manufacturing, such as polymer solution concentration (w/v%), spinning time (min), and needle size (Gauge), and their influence on Rf% (ability of the scaffold to maintain the induced temporary shape) and Rr% (ability of the scaffold to recover its original shape) outputs. A mathematical model was obtained from DOE useful to predict scaffold Rf% and Rr% values.

BioFiber: An advanced fibrous textured dressing to manage exudate in severe wounds.

Biofiber is a new generation of highly absorbent, and textured bandage with patented fiber technology. Biofiber has a sophisticated texture that provides an optimum balance of moisture, flexibility, and conformability, and it has been developed with specific properties to treat complex injuries like burns. The dressing has been designed to be completely adaptable to human anatomy, and it can be fitted to any part of the body, adapting to all curves and jointures, as well as fitting the facial features.

Early Osteogenic Marker Expression in hMSCs Cultured onto Acid Etching-Derived Micro- and Nanotopography 3D-Printed Titanium Surfaces.

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) titanium composite (PTC) is a novel interbody fusion device that combines a PEEK core with titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) endplates. The present study aimed to investigate the in vitro biological reactivity of human bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) to micro- and nanotopographies produced by an acid-etching process on the surface of 3D-printed PTC endplates. Optical profilometer and scanning electron microscopy were used to assess the surface roughness and identify the nano-features of etched or unetched PTC endplates, respectively.

Tablet Formulations of Polymeric Electrospun Fibers for the Controlled Release of Drugs with pH-Dependent Solubility.

A challenge in the pharmaceutical sector is the development of controlled release dosage forms for oral administration of poorly soluble drugs, in particular, drugs characterized by pH-dependent solubility through the gastrointestinal tract, which itself shows wide variability in terms of environmental pHs. The best approach is to increase the dissolution rate of the drugs at the different pHs and only then modify its release behavior from the pharmaceutical form. This work aims to demonstrate the ability of properly designed polymeric nanofibers in enhancing the release rate of model drugs with different pH-dependent solubility in the different physiological pHs of the gastrointestinal tract.