Plant-derived nanovesicles: Further exploration of biomedical function and application potential.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are phospholipid bilayer vesicles actively secreted by cells, that contain a variety of functional nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids, and are important mediums of intercellular communication. Based on their natural properties, EVs can not only retain the pharmacological effects of their source cells but also serve as natural delivery carriers. Among them, plant-derived nanovesicles (PNVs) are characterized as natural disease therapeutics with many advantages such as simplicity, safety, eco-friendliness, low cost, and low toxicity due to their abundant resources, large yield, and low risk of immunogenicity in vivo. This review systematically introduces the biogenesis, isolation methods, physical characterization, and components of PNVs, and describes their administration and cellular uptake as therapeutic agents. We highlight the therapeutic potential of PNVs as therapeutic agents and drug delivery carriers, including anti-inflammatory, anticancer, wound healing, regeneration, and antiaging properties as well as their potential use in the treatment of liver disease and COVID-19. Finally, the toxicity and immunogenicity, the current clinical application, and the possible challenges in the future development of PNVs were analyzed. We expect the functions of PNVs to be further explored to promote clinical translation, thereby facilitating the development of a new framework for the treatment of human diseases.

Anti-cervical cancer effects of Compound Yangshe granule through the PI3K/AKT pathway based on network pharmacology.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Compound Yangshe granule is a characteristic Chinese preparation against cervical cancer used at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, and it consists of Hedyotis Diffusae Herba, Solani Lyrati Herba, Rubiae Radix et Rhizoma, Echinopsis Radix, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Codonopsis Radix and Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma. AIM OF THE STUDY: The objective of the current study was to investigate the preclinical efficacy of compound Yangshe granule against cervical cancer and elucidate the underlying mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Antitumor effect of the preparation was investigated in U14 cells in vitro and subcutaneous xenograft mice in vivo. The underlying mechanisms were investigated by through network pharmacological analysis and identified by in vitro study. The components of compound Yangshe granule were collected from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology database, and the corresponding targets were predicted by the SwissTargetPrediction database. The targets involved in cervical cancer were collected from the GeneCards, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man and DrugBank databases. A protein‒protein interaction network was constructed by using the String platform. The drug-disease-target network was plotted by Cytoscape software. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Gene Ontology enrichment analyses were performed to investigate hub targets. RESULTS: After treatment with 0.5-10 mg/mL compound Yangshe granule, the survival rates of U14 cells gradually declined to 53.32% for 24 h, 23.62% for 48 h, and 12.81% for 72 h. The apoptosis rates of U14 cells gradually increased to 15.52% for 24 h, 23.87% for 48 h, and 65.01% for 72 h after treatment with 2-10 mg/mL compound Yangshe granule. After oral administration of compound Yangshe granule by xenograft mice, the tumor inhibition rates reached 52.27%, 74.62%, and 82.70% in the low, middle, and high dose groups, respectively. According to the network pharmacological analysis, quercetin, luteolin and naringenin were the most bioactive ingredients of the preparation. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis showed that compound Yangshe granule may combat cervical cancer through the PI3K/AKT pathway. CONCLUSION: In summary, network pharmacology combined with biological experiments demonstrated that the main bioactive components including quercetin, luteolin and naringenin could inhibit the tumor growth by regulating the PI3K/AKT pathway and Bcl-2 family. Thus, compound Yangshe granule may be a promising adjuvant therapy for cervical cancer.

Metabolism, pharmacokinetics, and bioavailability of yuanhuacine in rat using LC-MS.

Yuanhuacine is a Daphne-type diterpene ortho-ester and is one of the main active ingredients of genkwa flos. Anticancer activity of yuanhuacine has been well investigated in various tumor cells and animal models, but information on metabolism and pharmacokinetics is limited. The aims of the present study were to investigate the metabolic and pharmacokinetic profiles of yuanhuacine in rat. The metabolic profile of yuanhuacine was obtained from rat plasma, urine, and feces using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A total of seven metabolites were detected, and the proposed metabolic pathways involved oxidation and glucuronidation. A simple and sensitive ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of yuanhuacine in rat plasma. The linear range of yuanhuacine was 1-1000 ng/ml (R2  = 0.998). The intra- and inter-precision (coefficient of variation %) of the assay was 3.86-6.18% and 2.65-5.75%, respectively, and the intra- and inter-accuracy (relative error %) was -3.83-4.77% and -3.03-5.11%, respectively. The extraction recovery, matrix effect, stability, and incurred sample reanalysis of yuanhuacine were within acceptable levels. The established method was validated and successfully applied to the preclinical pharmacokinetic study of yuanhuacine. The absolute oral bioavailability of yuanhuacine was calculated as 1.14%, and it reached the maximum plasma concentration of 28.21 ± 2.79 ng/ml in rat plasma at 2 h in the oral dosing group. The apparent volume of distribution of intravenous and intragastric administrations was 26.07 ± 6.45 and 21.83 ± 3.54 L/kg, respectively. The half-life of elimination of yuanhuacine was 9.64 ± 1.53 h in the intravenous dosing group.

Natural cell based biomimetic cellular transformers for targeted therapy of digestive system cancer.

Digestive system cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in the world. Although cancer treatment options are increasingly diversified, the mortality rate of malignant cancer of the digestive system remains high. Therefore, it is necessary to explore effective cancer treatment methods. Recently, biomimetic nanoparticle delivery systems based on natural cells that organically integrate the low immunogenicity, high biocompatibility, cancer targeting, and controllable, versatile functionality of smart nanocarrier design with natural cells have been expected to break through the bottleneck of tumor targeted therapy. In this review, we focus on the dynamic changes and complex cellular communications that occur in vivo in natural cells based vehicles. Recent studies on the development of advanced targeted drug delivery systems using the dynamic behaviors such as specific surface protein affinity, morphological changes, and phenotypic polarization of natural cells are summarized. In addition to drug delivery mediated by dynamic behavior, functional "delivery" based on the natural cell themselves is also involved. Aiming to make the best use of the functions of cells, providing clues for the development of advanced drug delivery platforms.

αvß3 integrin-specific exosomes engineered with cyclopeptide for targeted delivery of triptolide against malignant melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Melanoma is the most malignant skin tumor and is difficult to cure with the alternative treatments of chemotherapy, biotherapy, and immunotherapy. Our previous study showed that triptolide (TP) exhibited powerful tumoricidal activity against melanoma. However, the clinical potential of TP is plagued by its poor aqueous solubility, short half-life, and biotoxicity. Therefore, developing an ideal vehicle to efficiently load TP and achieving targeted delivery to melanoma is a prospective approach for making full use of its antitumor efficacy. RESULTS: We applied exosome (Exo) derived from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells (hUCMSCs) and engineered them exogenously with a cyclic peptide, arginine-glycine-aspartate (cRGD), to encapsulate TP to establish a bionic-targeted drug delivery system (cRGD-Exo/TP), achieving synergism and toxicity reduction. The average size of cRGD-Exo/TP was 157.34 ± 6.21 nm, with a high drug loading of 10.76 ± 1.21%. The in vitro antitumor results showed that the designed Exo delivery platform could be effectively taken up by targeted cells and performed significantly in antiproliferation, anti-invasion, and proapoptotic activities in A375 cells via the caspase cascade and mitochondrial pathways and cell cycle alteration. Furthermore, the biodistribution and pharmacokinetics results demonstrated that cRGD-Exo/TP possessed superior tumor targetability and prolonged the half-life of TP. Notably, cRGD-Exo/TP significantly inhibited tumor growth and extended survival time with negligible systemic toxicity in tumor-bearing mice. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that the functionalized Exo platform provides a promising strategy for targeted therapy of malignant melanoma.

The programmed site-specific delivery of LY3200882 and PD-L1 siRNA boosts immunotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer by remodeling tumor microenvironment.

Despite the remarkable success of immunotherapies over the past decade, their effectiveness against triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is limited to a small subset of patients, mainly due to the low immunogenicity and unfavorable tumor microenvironment. In this study, we successfully constructed a programmed site-specific delivery nanosystem for the combined delivery of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß) receptor inhibitor LY3200882 (LY) and PD-L1 siRNA (siPD-L1) to boost anti-tumor immunotherapy. As expected, LY in the outer layer of the nanosystem was released by stimulation of MMP2, and dramatically down-regulated the expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) in the tumor-associated fibroblasts (TAFs), and thus promoted the infiltration of effector T cells and penetration of nanomedicines. Simultaneously, the blockade of TGF-ß by LY also triggered immunogenic cell death (ICD) of tumor cells and induced the maturation of dendritic cells. Moreover, the programmed design provided the siPD-L1/protamine cationic inner core with easier access to tumor cells and TAFs after MMP2-stimulated breakup of the outer layer, down-regulating the expression of PD-L1 in both types of cells. Notably, the synergistic effect of LY and siPD-L1 remarkably enhanced the tumor antigen presentation and immunosuppressive microenvironment remodeling, thus efficiently inhibiting the TNBC growth, metastasis, and recurrence. Therefore, the programmed site-specific delivery nanosystem is a promising drug delivery platform for boosting anti-tumor immunotherapy efficacy for TNBC.

Orally Deliverable Dual-Targeted Pellets for the Synergistic Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis.

PURPOSE: The effective treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) poses substantial challenges, and the aetiopathogenesis of UC is closely related to infectious, immunological and environmental factors. Currently, there is a considerable need for the development of orally bioavailable dosage forms that enable the effective delivery of therapeutic drugs to local diseased lesions in the gastrointestinal tract. METHODS: Berberine (BBR) and Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz (AM) volatile oil, derived from the Chinese herbs Coptis chinensis Franch and Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz, have anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities. In this study, we prepared colon-targeted pellets loaded with BBR and stomach-targeted pellets loaded with AM volatile oil for the synergistic treatment of UC. The Box-Behnken design and ß-cyclodextrin inclusion technique were used to optimize the enteric coating formula and prepare volatile oil inclusion compounds. RESULTS: The two types of pellets were spherical and had satisfactory physical properties. The pharmacokinetic results showed that the AUC and MRT values of the dual-targeted (DPs) pellets were higher than those of the control pellets. In addition, in vivo animal imaging confirmed that the DPs could effectively deliver BBR to the colon. Moreover, compared with sulfasalazine and monotherapy, DPs exerted a more significant anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the expression of inflammatory factors including IL-1ß, IL-4, IL-6, TNF-α and MPO both in serum and tissues and enhancing immunity by decreasing the production of IgA and IgG. CONCLUSION: The DPs play a synergistic anti-UC effect by exerting systemic and local anti-inflammatory and provide an effective oral targeted preparation for the treatment of UC.

Engineering Exosomes Endowed with Targeted Delivery of Triptolide for Malignant Melanoma Therapy.

Malignant melanoma is considered the most aggressive skin carcinoma with invasive growth patterns. Triptolide (TPL) possesses various biological and pharmacological activities involved in cancer treatment. Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) can induce cancer cell apoptosis by binding to DR5 highly expressed on cancer cells. Exosomes are natural nanomaterials with low immunogenicity, nontoxicity, and excellent biocompatibility and have been extensively used as emerging delivery vectors for diverse therapeutic cargos. Herein, a delivery system based on TRAIL-engineered exosomes (TRAIL-Exo) for loading TPL for targeted therapy against malignant melanoma is proposed and systematically investigated. Our results showed that TRAIL-Exo/TPL could improve tumor targetability, enhance cellular uptake, inhibit proliferation, invasion, and migration, and induce apoptosis of A375 cells through activating the extrinsic TRAIL pathway and the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway in vitro. Moreover, intravenous injection of TRAIL-Exo/TPL significantly suppressed tumor progression and reduced the toxicity of TPL in the melanoma nude mouse model. Together, our research presents a novel strategy for high-efficiency exosome-based drug-delivery nanocarriers and provides an alternative dimension for developing a promising approach with synergistic therapeutic efficacy and targeting capacity for melanoma treatment.

Hybrid Membrane-Coated Biomimetic Nanoparticles (HM@BNPs): A Multifunctional Nanomaterial for Biomedical Applications.

The application of nanoparticles in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases has undergone different developmental stages, but phagocytosis and nonspecific distribution have been the main factors restricting the transformation of nanobased drugs into clinical practice. In the past decade, the design of membrane-coated nanoparticles has gained increasing attention. It is hoped that the combination of the cell membrane's natural biological properties and the functional integration of synthetic nanoparticle systems can compensate for the shortage of traditional nanoparticles. The membrane coating gives the nanoparticles unique biological functions such as immune evasion and targeting capability. However, when the encapsulation of monotypic membranes does not meet the diverse demands of biomedicine, the combination of different cell membranes may offer more possibilities. In this review, the composition, preparation, and advantages of biomimetic nanoparticles coated with hybrid cell membranes are summarized, and the applications of hybrid membrane-coated biomimetic nanoparticles (HM@BNPs) in drug delivery, phototherapy, liquid biopsy, tumor vaccines, immune therapy, and detoxification are reviewed. Finally, the current challenges and opportunities with regard to HM@BNPs are discussed.

Redox-sensitive hyaluronic acid-cholesterol nanovehicles potentiate efficient transmembrane internalization and controlled release for penetrated "full-line" inhibition of pre-metastatic initiation.

Metastatic breast cancer is a major cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The tumor-specific penetration and triggered drug release for "full-line" inhibition of pre-metastatic initiation are of essential importance in improving mortality rates. Here, a crosslinked, redox-sensitive amphiphilic conjugate (cHLC) was constructed with a combination of features, including hyaluronic acid (HA)-mediated tumor active targeting, lipoic acid (LA) core-crosslinking based bio-stability and reducibility, and lipid raft anchoring-promoted HA-mediated endocytosis through cholesterol (CHO) modification for the penetrated co-delivery of paclitaxel (PTX) and the multi-targeted anti-metastatic agent, silibinin (SB). Resultantly, the nanodrug (cHLC/(PTX + SB)) demonstrated enhanced tumor cytoplasm-selective rapid drug delivery in a 4T1 model both in vitro and in vivo. The released SB efficiently sensitized cells to PTX treatment and inhibited the whole process of pre-metastatic initiation including epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), local and blood vessel invasion. The exquisite design of this delivery system provides a deep insight into enhancing focus accessibility of multi-targeted drugs for an efficient inhibition of tumor metastasis.

Cell-derived biomimetic nanocarriers for targeted cancer therapy: cell membranes and extracellular vesicles.

Nanotechnology provides synthetic carriers for cancer drug delivery that protect cargos from degradation, control drug release and increase local accumulation at tumors. However, these non-natural vehicles display poor tumor targeting and potential toxicity and are eliminated by the immune system. Recently, biomimetic nanocarriers have been widely developed based on the concept of 'mimicking nature.' Among them, cell-derived biomimetic vehicles have become the focus of bionics research because of their multiple natural functions, such as low immunogenicity, long circulation time and targeting ability. Cell membrane-coated carriers and extracellular vesicles are two widely used cell-based biomimetic materials. Here, this review summarizes the latest progress in the application of these two biomimetic carriers in targeted cancer therapy. Their properties and performance are compared, and their future challenges and development prospects are discussed.

Preparation and characterization of paclitaxel palmitate albumin nanoparticles with high loading efficacy: an in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor study in mouse models.

BACKGROUND: Combination of the prodrug technique with an albumin nano drug-loaded system is a novel promising approach for cancer treatment. However, the long-lasting and far-reaching challenge for the treatment of cancers lies in how to construct the albumin nanometer drug delivery system with lead compounds and their derivatives. METHODS: In this study, we reported the preparation of injectable albumin nanoparticles (NPs) with a high and quantitative drug loading system based on the NabTM technology of paclitaxel palmitate (PTX-PA). RESULTS: Our experimental study on drug tissue distribution in vivo demonstrated that the paclitaxel palmitate albumin nanoparticles (Nab-PTX-PA) remained in the tumor for a longer time post-injection. Compared with saline and paclitaxel albumin nanoparticles (Abraxane®), intravenous injection of Nab-PTX-PA not only reduced the toxicity of the drug in normal organs, and increased the body weight of the animals but maintained sustained release of paclitaxel (PTX) in the tumor, thereby displaying an excellent antitumor activity. Blood routine analysis showed that Nab-PTX-PA had fewer adverse effects or less toxicity to the normal organs, and it inhibited tumor cell proliferation more effectively as compared with commercial paclitaxel albumin nanoparticles. CONCLUSIONS: This carrier strategy for small molecule drugs is based on naturally evolved interactions between long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) and Human Serum Albumin (HSA), demonstrated here for PTX. Nab-PTX-PA shows higher antitumor efficacy in vivo in breast cancer models. On the whole, this novel injectable Nab-PTX-PA has great potential as an effective drug delivery system in the treatment of breast cancer.

Finite Element Analysis for Predicting Skin Pharmacokinetics of Nano Transdermal Drug Delivery System Based on the Multilayer Geometry Model.

BACKGROUND: Skin pharmacokinetics is an indispensable indication for studying the drug fate after administration of transdermal drug delivery systems (TDDS). However, the heterogeneity and complex skin structured with stratum corneum, viable epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue inevitably leads the drug diffusion coefficient (Kp) to vary depending on the skin depth, which seriously limits the development of TDDS pharmacokinetics in full thickness skin. METHODS: A multilayer geometry skin model was established and the Kp of drug in SC, viable epidermis, and dermis was obtained using the technologies of molecular dynamics simulation, in vitro permeation experiments, and in vivo microdialysis, respectively. Besides, finite element analysis (FEA) based on drug Kps in different skin layers was applied to simulate the paeonol nanoemulsion (PAE-NEs) percutaneous dynamic penetration process in two and three dimensions. In addition, PAE-NEs skin pharmacokinetics profile obtained by the simulation was verified by in vivo experiment. RESULTS: Coarse-grained modeling of molecular dynamic simulation was successfully established and the Kp of PAE in SC was 2.00×10-6 cm2/h. The Kp of PAE-NE in viable epidermis and in dermis detected using penetration test and microdialysis probe technology, was 1.58×10-5 cm2/h and 3.20×10-5 cm2/h, respectively. In addition, the results of verification indicated that PAE-NEs skin pharmacokinetics profile obtained by the simulation was consistent with that by in vivo experiment. DISCUSSION: This study demonstrated that the FEA combined with the established multilayer geometry skin model could accurately predict the skin pharmacokinetics of TDDS.

A Novel Drug Delivery Carrier Comprised of Nimodipine Drug Solution and a Nanoemulsion: Preparation, Characterization, in vitro, and in vivo Studies.

PURPOSE: Nimodipine (NIMO) is used clinically to treat ischemic damage resulting from subarachnoid hemorrhage. However, clinical application of NIMO is limited by poor aqueous solubility and low safety. To overcome these limitations, a novel two-vial NIMO-loaded nanoemulsion (NIMO-TNE) was designed in this study. METHODS: NIMO-TNE was prepared by mixing a nimodipine-polyethylene glycol 400 (NIMO-PEG400) solution and a commercially available 20% injectable blank nanoemulsion (BNE). Drug distribution in NIMO-TNE, physical stability, and dilution stability were evaluated in vitro, and pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics were evaluated in vivo. Safety was assessed using the hemolysis test and the intravenous irritation test, and acute toxicity of NIMO-TNE was compared with that of commercial Nimotop injection. RESULTS: Drug loading (DL) in NIMO-TNE was enhanced 5-fold compared with that in Nimotop injection. The mean particle size of NIMO-TNE was 241.53 ± 1.48 nm. NIMO-TNE and NIMO-TNE diluted in 5% glucose injection and 0.9% sodium chloride was stable for a sufficient duration to allow for clinical use. In addition, NIMO-TNE exhibited a similar pharmacokinetic profile and similar brain ischemia reduction in a rat middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model compared to Nimotop injection. Furthermore, NIMO-TNE did not induce hemolysis at 37°C, and NIMO-TNE induced less intravenous irritation than Nimotop injection. Moreover, NIMO-TNE could be injected at a 23-fold higher dose than the LD50 of Nimotop injection with no obvious toxicity or side effects. CONCLUSION: NIMO-TNE is a promising formulation suitable for intravenous injection, is easy to prepare, and exhibits excellent safety.

Study on the cellular internalization mechanisms and in vivo anti-bone metastasis prostate cancer efficiency of the peptide T7-modified polypeptide nanoparticles.

Bone-metastasis prostate cancer (BMPCa)-targeting gene therapy is gaining increasing concern in recent years. The peptide T7-modified polypeptide nanoparticles for delivery DNA (CRD-PEG-T7/pPMEPA1) was prepared as our previous study. However, the feasibility of CRD-PEG-T7/pPMEPA1 for BMPCa treatment, the mechanisms underlying cellular uptake, anti-BMPCa effect, and administration safety requires further research. LNCaP cells treated with endocytosis inhibitors and excessive T7 under different culture condition were carried out to investigate the mechanisms of cellular uptake of the CRD-PEG-T7-pPMEPA1. A transwell assay was applied to evaluate the cell migration ability. Besides, the tumor volume and survival rates of the PCa xenograft mice model were recorded to estimate the anti-tumor effect. In addition, the weight profiles of the PCa tumor-bearing mice, the blood chemistry, and the HE analysis of visceral organs and tumor was conducted to investigate the administration safety of CRD-PEG-T7/pPMEPA1. The results showed that PCa cellular uptake was decreased after treating with excessive free T7, endocytosis inhibitors and lower incubation temperature. Besides, CRD-PEG-T7/pPMEPA1 could inhibit the LNCaP cells chemotaxis and tumor growth. In addition, the survival duration of the PCa tumor-bearing mice treating with CRD-PEG-T7/pPMEPA1 was significantly prolonged with any systemic toxicity or damage to the organs. In conclusion, this research proposes a promising stratagem for treatment BMPCa by providing the biocompatible and effective carrier for delivery DNA therapeutic agents.

Development Of Novel Liposome-Encapsulated Combretastatin A4 Acylated Derivatives: Prodrug Approach For Improving Antitumor Efficacy.

PURPOSE: The objective of the present study was to develop a liposomal drug delivery system based on combretastatin A4 (CA4) prodrugs modified with varying alkyl chains and investigate the in vitro drug conversion from prodrug and in vivo antitumor effect. METHODS: The prodrug of CA4 was synthesized with stearyl chloride (18-carbon chain), palmitoyl chloride (16-carbon chain), myristoyl chloride (14-carbon chain), decanoyl chloride (10-carbon chain), and hexanoyl chloride (6-carbon chain) at the 3'-position of the CA4. Subsequently, it was encapsulated with liposomes through the thin-film evaporation method. Furthermore, the characteristics of prodrug-liposome were evaluated using in vitro drug release, conversion, and cytotoxicity assays, as well as in vivo pharmacokinetic, antitumor, and biodistribution studies. RESULTS: The liposome system with loaded CA4 derivatives was successfully developed with nano-size and electronegative particles. The rate of in vitro drug release and conversion was reduced as the fatty acid carbon chain lengthened. On the contrary, in vivo antitumor effects were improved with the enlargement of the fatty acid carbon chain. The results of the in vivo pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution studies indicated that the reduced rate of CA4 release with a long carbon chain could prolong the circulation time and increase the drug concentration in the tumor tissue. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that the release or hydrolysis of the parent drug from the prodrug was closely related with the in vitro and in vivo properties. The slow drug release of CA4 modified with longer acyl chain could prolong the circulation time and increase the concentration of the drug in the tumor tissue. These effects play a critical role in increasing the antitumor efficacy.

Development of sulconazole-loaded nanoemulsions for enhancement of transdermal permeation and antifungal activity.

Background: Sulconazole (SCZ) is a broad-spectrum transdermally administered anti-fungicidal agent. However, the therapeutic effect of SCZ is generally limited by its poor water solubility. This present study aimed to develop and evaluate sulconazole-loaded nanoemulsions (SCZ-NEs) for enhancement of the transdermal permeation and antifungal activity. Methods: A spontaneous titration method was applied to prepare the SCZ-NEs. And the optimized formulation of SCZ-NEs was screened by central composite design (CCD). In addition, the characteristics of the SCZ-NEs were evaluated, including particle size, zeta potential, drug loading (DL%) and encapsulation efficiency (EE%). The morphology of SCZ-NEs was observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Franz diffusion cells were used to evaluate the transdermal permeability of the SCZ-NEs. The antifungal activity of the SCZ-NEs was measured by a zone of inhibition (ZOI) test. Results: The optimized SCZ-NEs possessed a moderate particle size of 52.3±3.8 nm, zeta potential of 23.3±1.2 mV, DL% of 0.47±0.05% and EE% of 87.1±3.2%. The ex vivo skin permeation study verified that the cumulative permeability (Qn) and penetration rate (Js) of the optimized SCZ-NEs were about 1.7-fold higher than that of a commercial reference, miconazole (MCZ) cream and 3-fold higher than that of SCZ-DMSO solution. The optimized SCZ-NEs exhibited zone of inhibition (ZOI) values of 23.5±2.4 and 20.4±2.5 mm against C. albicans and T. rubrum, which were larger compared with these of the MCZ cream and SCZ-DMSO solution. Conclusion: SCZ-NEs were effectively developed to overcome the poor solubility of SCZ, promote SCZ permeation through the skin and improve its antifungal activity. Thus, the SCZ-NEs are a promising percutaneous administration for skin fungal infections induced by C. albicans and T. rubrum.

Exosomes: Diagnostic Biomarkers and Therapeutic Delivery Vehicles for Cancer.

Exosomes are described as nanoscale extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by multiple cell types and extensively distributed in various biological fluids. They contain multifarious bioactive molecules and transfer them to adjoining or distal cells through systemic circulation, participating in intracellular and intercellular communication, and modulating host-tumor cell interactions. Recent research has indicated that exosomes obtained from different biological fluids and their contents (proteins, nucleic acids, glycoconjugates, and lipids) can serve as biomarkers for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic response. Furthermore, the discovery of exosomes as therapeutic delivery vehicles has drawn much attention in antineoplastic drug delivery. They can be utilized for therapeutic delivery of proteins, genetic drugs, and chemotherapeutic drugs. Herein, this review summarizes the biogenesis, structure, and components of exosomes, focusing primarily on their two possible applications as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic delivery vehicles for cancers.

Advancement of Lipid-Based Nanocarriers and Combination Application with Physical Penetration Technique.

On account of the advantages of transdermal delivery and the application situation of transcutaneous technology in transdermal delivery, the article critically comments on nanosystems as permeation enhancement model. Nanosystems possess great potential for transcutaneous drug delivery. This review focuses on recent advances in lipid-based nanocarriers, including liposome, transfersomes, ethosomes, nanoemulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers and combination application of the lipid-based nanocarriers with microneedle, iontophoresis, electroporation and sonophoresis in the field for the development of the transdermal drug delivery system. We attempted to give an overview of lipid-based nanocarriers with the aim to improve transdermal and dermal drug delivery. A special focus is given to the nanocarrier composition, characteristic and interaction mechanisms through the skin. Recent combination applications of lipid-based nanocarriers with the physical penetration technology demonstrate the superiority of the combined use of nanocarriers and physical methods in drug penetration enhancement compared to their single use. In the future, lipidbased nanocarriers will play a greater role in the field of transdermal and dermal drug delivery.

Transdermal drug delivery of triptolide-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers: Preparation, pharmacokinetic, and evaluation for rheumatoid arthritis.

The objective of this present study was to develop and evaluate the triptolide-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (TPL-NLCs) for transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS). TPL-NLCs was prepared with emulsification technique and optimized by central composite design of a response surface methodology (CCD-RSM). The optimized TPL-NLCs were spherical and physically stable with the average size of 139.6.0 ±â€¯2.53 nm and Zeta potential of -36.03 ±â€¯2.41 mV. The encapsulation efficiency and drug loading were 97.15% ±â€¯9.46 and 10.35% ±â€¯1.12, respectively. Moreover, the in vitro release study showed that TPL-NLCs had a sustained release profiles and the in vitro penetration study indicated that TPL-NLCs could effectively penetrate into skin. Besides, the methodology of skin-blood synchronous microdialysis was established to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of TPL-NLCs in vivo and the results displayed that the TPL concentration in skin was higher than that in blood. And TPL-NLCs presented a remarkable effect of decreasing knee edema, inhibiting inflammation by regulating the levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6, which indicated that TPL-NLCs was a promising topical administration in treatment of edema and inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).