Preparation of glycyrrhizic acid-modified BSA-nanoparticles and evaluation of their hepatic cellular distribution.

Objectives: Orientation to specific cells is an important topic in active targeting strategy for nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems. While these administered nanoparticles will be sequestrated within the liver, their cellular distribution behaviors in the liver are not clear. The aim of this study was to fabricate glycyrrhizic acid (GL) modified BSA nanoparticles and evaluate their hepatic cellular distribution.

Synergistic Amplification of Ferroptosis with Liposomal Oxidation Catalyst and Gpx4 Inhibitor for Enhanced Cancer Therapy.

As a distinctly different way from apoptosis, ferroptosis can cause cell death through excessive accumulation of lipid peroxide (LPO) and show great potential for cancer therapy. However, efficient strategies for ferroptosis therapy are still facing great challenges, mainly due to insufficient endogenous H O or relatively high pH value for Fenton reaction-dependent ferroptosis, and the high redox level of tumor cells attenuates the oxidation therapy. Herein, an efficient lipid-based delivery system to load oxidation catalyst and glutathione peroxidase 4 (Gpx4) inhibitor is orchestrated, intending to amplify Fenton reaction-independent ferroptosis by bidirectional regulation of LPO accumulation.

Application and Efficacy of Melatonin Elastic Liposomes in Photoaging Mice.

Transdermal drug delivery system is a preferable choice to overcome the low bioavailability of oral medication. Elastic liposomes have shown great effectiveness for percutaneous transport of melatonin (MLT). In this study, the elastic liposomes loaded with MLT were prepared using thin-film dispersion method and optimized through the central composite design (CCD) approach.

"Cascaded Rocket" Nanosystems with Spatiotemporal Separation for Triple-Synergistic Therapy of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains an incurable disease due to the intricate pathogenesis. The neuropathological hallmarks include extracellular amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, tau phosphorylation and extensive oxidative stress in neurons, which facilitate the progression of AD. Based on the complex etiology, a spatiotemporally "cascaded rocket" delivery system (DPH/TPGAS NPs) with metal ion/enzyme responses is established in this study for triple-synergistic AD treatment.

Osthole-Loaded Nanoemulsion Enhances Brain Target in the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease via Intranasal Administration.

Osthole (OST) is a natural coumarin compound that exerts multiple pharmacologic effects. However, the poor water solubility and the low oral absorption of OST limit its clinical application for the treatment of neurologic diseases. A suitable preparation needs to be tailored to evade these unfavourable properties of OST.

Small-molecule inhibitors of breast cancer-related targets: Potential therapeutic agents for breast cancer.

Despite dramatic advances in cancer research and therapy, breast cancer remains a tricky health problem and represents a top biomedical research priority. Nowadays, breast cancer is still the leading cause of malignancy-related deaths in women, and incidence and mortality rates of it are expected to increase significantly the next years. Currently more and more researchers are interested in the study of breast cancer by its arising in young women.

Near-Infrared Light Irradiation Induced Mild Hyperthermia Enhances Glutathione Depletion and DNA Interstrand Cross-Link Formation for Efficient Chemotherapy.

DNA alkylating agents generally kill tumor cells by covalently binding with DNA to form interstrand or intrastrand cross-links. However, in the case of cisplatin, only a few DNA adducts (<1%) are highly toxic irreparable interstrand cross-links. Furthermore, cisplatin is rapidly detoxified by high levels of intracellular thiols such as glutathione (GSH).

Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Loaded with Eugenol for Regulating the Central Nervous System.

Fragrances are extensively applied in food, daily chemicals, tobacco and medicine industries. However, too strong volatility of fragrances results in a fast release rate, thereby reducing the usage time of aromatherapy products. Although loading fragrances into nanomaterials is capable of slowing their rates of release, the encapsulation efficiency of traditional nanomaterials is very low, and the nanomaterials themselves are not stable.

Fluorescent nanomaterials combined with molecular imprinting polymer: synthesis, analytical applications, and challenges.

Fluorescent nanomaterials (FNMs) and molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs) have been widely used in analytical chemistry for determination. However, low selectivity of FNMs and low sensitivity of MIPs hinder their applications. Combining the merits of FNMs and MIPs, FNMs coated with MIPs (FNMs@MIPs) were proposed to solve those problems.

Cationic Nano-Fragrance with Sustained Release Property for Neuroregulation.

Silk is a kind of textile with Chinese characteristics and widely used in clothing, decoration, military and medical fields. Recently, fragrances have been applied to silk to relieve anxiety and stress. However, the problems of too strong aroma and short scent lasting time seriously restrict the development of aromatic silk.

Nano-Fragrance with pH-Sensitive Release Property for Improvement of Central Nervous System.

Fragrance has the function of nerve regulation and is widely used in aromatic therapy. However, the rapid release of fragrance can cause discomfort in the body and have side effects. Besides, fragrance is still released when not in use, which can reduce the service life of fragrance products and limit their application.

Neutrophils, as "Trojan horses", participate in the delivery of therapeutical PLGA nanoparticles into a tumor based on the chemotactic effect.

Inspired by the fact that leukocytes have innate phagocytic functions and oriented migration capabilities in response to chemoattractants, we have unveiled that endogenous neutrophils as "Trojan horses", participate in the delivery of nanoparticles in an "i self-armed assembly" manner. Neutrophils were the main population to preferentially sequester the intravenous administrated nanoparticles with an average size of 260 nm. The pre-implantation of CXCL1-laden hydrogels could trigger and induce a targeted signal to attract an influx of neutrophils carrying the therapeutic goods to the desired position.

Design and Development of Lidocaine Microemulsions for Transdermal Delivery.

Topical administration is a preferable choice for local anesthetic delivery. Microemulsions have shown great effectiveness for transdermal transport of lidocaine. However, fabrication of microemulsions containing highly concentrated lidocaine (10%) to provide an extended local anesthetic effect is still a challenge.

Temporary suppression the sequestrated function of host macrophages for better nanoparticles tumor delivery.

Orchestration of nanoparticles to achieve targeting has become the mainstream for efficient delivery of antitumor drugs. However, the low delivery efficiency becomes the biggest barrier for clinical translation of cancer nanomedicines, as most of them are sequestrated in the liver where more macrophages located in are responsible for capture of systemic administrated nanoparticles. In this study, we found that the depletion of the liver macrophages could lead to a superior improvement in the nanoparticles delivery.

Folic acid-functionalized drug delivery platform of resveratrol based on Pluronic 127/D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate mixed micelles.

A folic acid (FA)-functionalized drug vehicle platform based on Pluronic 127 (P127)/D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) mixed micelles was orchestrated for an effective delivery of the model drug resveratrol in order to address the problem of poor water solubility and rapid metabolism of resveratrol and improve its targeted accumulation at tumor site. The FA-decorated mixed micelles were prepared using thin-film hydration method and optimized by central composite design approach. The micelles were also characterized in terms of size and morphology, drug entrapment efficiency and in vitro release profile.

Fabrication of an ionic-sensitive in situ gel loaded with resveratrol nanosuspensions intended for direct nose-to-brain delivery.

The objective of this study was to fabricate a composite in situ gelling formulation combining nanoparticulates and an ionic-triggered deacetylated gellan gum (DGG) matrix for challenging intranasal drug delivery. The prepared resveratrol nanosuspensions (Res-NSs) were distributed in DGG solutions. Parameters such as the in situ gelation capability, particle size, rheological properties, and texture profiles were used to describe the properties of the in situ gel.

Facile large-scale preparation of mesoporous silica microspheres with the assistance of sucrose and their drug loading and releasing properties.

Mesoporous silica microspheres (MSMs) with a pore-size larger than 10nm and a large pore-volume have attracted considerable attention for their application in delivering poorly water-soluble drugs. Here we developed a simple method for large-scale synthesis of MSMs using sodium silicate as silica precursor. The novelty of this approach lies in the use of sucrose solution to achieve large size and volume of nanopores.

Self-Assembled Cubic Liquid Crystalline Nanoparticles for Transdermal Delivery of Paeonol.

Background: The aim of this study was to optimize the preparation method for self-assembled glyceryl monoolein-based cubosomes containing paeonol and to characterize the properties of this transdermal delivery system to improve the drug penetration ability in the skin.

Material And Methods: In this study, the cubic liquid crystalline nanoparticles loaded with paeonol were prepared by fragmentation of glyceryl monoolein (GMO)/poloxamer 407 bulk cubic gel by high-pressure homogenization. We evaluated the Zeta potential of these promising skin-targeting drug-delivery systems using the Malvern Zeta sizer examination, and various microscopies and differential scanning calorimetry were also used for property investigation.

Simultaneous extraction, identification and quantification of phenolic compounds in Eclipta prostrata using microwave-assisted extraction combined with HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS.

A simple and rapid method was developed using microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) combined with HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS for the simultaneous extraction, identification, and quantification of phenolic compounds in Eclipta prostrata, a common herb and vegetable in China. The optimized parameters of MAE were: employing 50% ethanol as solvent, microwave power 400 W, temperature 70 °C, ratio of liquid/solid 30 mL/g and extraction time 2 min. Compared to conventional extraction methods, the optimized MAE can avoid the degradation of the phenolic compounds and simultaneously obtained the highest yields of all components faster with less consumption of solvent and energy.

In vivo tumor-targeted dual-modal fluorescence/CT imaging using a nanoprobe co-loaded with an aggregation-induced emission dye and gold nanoparticles.

As an intensely studied computed tomography (CT) contrast agent, gold nanoparticle has been suggested to be combined with fluorescence imaging modality to offset the low sensitivity of CT. However, the strong quenching of gold nanoparticle on fluorescent dyes requires complicated design and shielding to overcome. Herein, we report a unique nanoprobe (M-NPAPF-Au) co-loading an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) red dye and gold nanoparticles into DSPE-PEG(2000) micelles for dual-modal fluorescence/CT imaging.

Preparation and optimization of resveratrol nanosuspensions by antisolvent precipitation using Box-Behnken design.

Resveratrol, a natural polyphenolic component, has inspired considerable interest for its extensive physiological activities. However, the poor solubility of resveratrol circumscribes its therapeutic applications. The purpose of this study was to optimize and prepare resveratrol nanosuspensions using the antisolvent precipitation method.

Pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and relative bioavailability of geniposide-solid lipid nanoparticles following oral administration.

Geniposide has various pharmacological effects; however, low oral bioavailability limits its clinical utility. This study explores the pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and relative bioavailability of geniposide-solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) following oral administration. The geniposide solution and geniposide-SLNs were orally administered to the rats, respectively.

Fabrication of a composite system combining solid lipid nanoparticles and thermosensitive hydrogel for challenging ophthalmic drug delivery.

The purpose of this study was to explore a composite thermosensitive in situ gelling formulation using the distribution of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) among poloxamer-based hydrogels as a potential carrier for novel ocular drug delivery. SLNs containing the model drug Resina Draconis were prepared using a melt-emulsion ultrasonication method. A central composite design (CCD) was adopted to screen the thermosensitive hydrogel (THG) formulation.

Pharmacokinetics, bioavailability and tissue distribution of geniposide following intravenous and peroral administration to rats.

In order to characterize the pharmacokinetics, bioavailability and tissue distribution of geniposide following intravenous and peroral administration to rats, a reliable gradient HPLC-based method has been developed and validated. After p.o.