Design and evaluation of dental pastes Containing anti-inflammatory drugs

Abstract Periodontitis is an oral disease associated with inflammation and pain with swollen and bleeding gums. In the present study, dental pastes containing NSAIDs, namely, diclofenac sodium and nimesulide (1 % w/w) were prepared to treat periodontitis. Dental pastes of diclofenac sodium and nimesulide (1 % w/w) were prepared with/without mucoadhesive hydrocolloid polymers such as sodium carboxy methyl cellulose (NaCMC), hydroxyl ethyl cellulose (HEC) and methyl cellulose (MC) by conventional trituration method. The pH, drug content, viscosity, tube spreadability and tube extrudability of these prepared dental pastes were measured. These dental pastes of diclofenac sodium and nimesulide (1 % w/w) were characterized by FTIR analyses for drug-excipient compatibility. The in vitro drug releases from these dental pastes in 6.4 pH phosphate buffer solution displayed sustained release over longer period and the drug release rate was found to be decreased when the concentration of mucoadhesive polymer was increased. These dental pastes displayed good adhesion to the oral mucosa revealing more retention time in mouth when tested for ex vivo mucoadhesion using bovine cheek pouch. The stability study results reveal that the DC3 and NC3 dental paste formulations were found stable enough over a longer period in different storage conditions. The present study revealed that the prepared mucoadhesive dental pastes of diclofenac sodium and nimesulide (1 % w/w) had good adhesion with the oral mucosa to maintain consistent release of drugs over prolonged time.

Bismuth oxide nanoparticles induce oxidative stress and apoptosis in human breast cancer cells.

Metal nanomaterials such as bismuth oxide nanoparticles (Bi2O3NPs) have been extensively used in cosmetics, dental materials, pulp capping, and biomedical imaging. There is little knowledge about the health risk of Bi2O3NPs in humans, which warrants a thorough toxicity investigation of Bi2O3NPs at the cellular level. In this experiment, we investigated the cytotoxic effect of Bi2O3NPs on human breast cancer (MCF-7) cells over 24 and 48 h. MCF-7 cells were exposed to Bi2O3NPs at varying doses (0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 5, 10, 20, 40 µg/mL) for 24 and 48 h. We assessed the toxicity of Bi2O3NPs by measuring its effect on the viability and oxidative stress biomarkers, e.g., GSH, SOD, and catalase in MCF-7 cells. The pro-apoptotic effects of Bi2O3NPs on MCF-7 cells were determined via evaluating dysfunction of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), caspase-3 activity, externalization of phosphatidylserine, and chromosome condensation. Furthermore, apoptotic cells were evaluated using 7-AAD fluorescence stain and Annexin V-FITC. Bi2O3NPs induced oxidative stress in MCF-7 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Bi2O3NPs increased the rate of both necrotic cells and apoptotic cells. In addition, the blue fluorescence of MCF-7 cells with condensed chromatin was increased in a time- and dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, the present study highlights the potential toxic effects of Bi2O3NPs at the cellular level and suggests further investigation of Bi2O3NPs before any medical purposes.

Development, optimization and in vitro-in vivo evaluation of pioglitazone- loaded jackfruit seed starch-alginate beads.

The present investigation describes development and optimization of pioglitazone-loaded jackfruit seed starch (JFSS)-alginate beads by ionotropic-gelation using 3(2) factorial design. The effect of polymer-blend ratio and CaCl2 concentration on the drug encapsulation efficiency (DEE, %), and cumulative drug release after 10 hours (R10h, %) was optimized. The DEE (%) of these beads were 64.80 ± 1.92 to 94.07 ± 3.82 % with sustained in vitro drug release of 64.± 1.83 to 92.66 ± 4.54 % over 10 hours. The in vitro drug release from these beads followed controlled-release pattern with super case-II transport. Particle size range of these beads was 0.77 ± 0.04 to 1.24 ± 0.09 mm. The beads were also characterized by SEM and FTIR. The swelling of these beads was influenced by pH of the test medium. The optimized pioglitazone-loaded JFSS-alginate beads showed significant hypoglycemic effect in alloxan-induced diabetic rats over prolonged period after oral administration.