Preparation and in vitro/in vivo evaluations of novel ocular micelle formulations of hesperetin with glycyrrhizin as a nanocarrier.

The purpose of this study was to explore the potential of formulating hesperetin into an ophthalmic solution with dipotassium glycyrrhizinate (DG) as a micelle nanocarrier. A DG-based micelle ophthalmic solution encapsulating hesperetin (DG-Hes) was developed and its in vitro/in vivo characterizations were evaluated. The optimal formulation featured a DG/hesperetin (Hes) weight ratio of 12:1 and an encapsulation efficiency of 90.4 ± 1.7%; The optimized DG-Hes was characterized as small uniform spheres with an average micelle size of 70.93 ± 3.41 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.11 ± 0.02, and an electrically negative surface (-36.12 ± 2.79 mV). The DG-Hes ophthalmic solution had good tolerance in rabbit eyes. DG-Hes significantly improved the in vitro passive permeation, ex vivo corneal permeation, and in vivo ocular bioavailability of Hes. DG-Hes showed markedly increases in in vitro antioxidant activity. In vitro antibacterial activity tests revealed a lower minimum inhibitory concentration and lower minimum bactericidal concentration for DG-Hes ophthalmic solution were lower than for free Hes. DG-Hes ophthalmic solution also significantly reduced symptoms of eye infection in the rabbit bacterial keratitis model when compared to a Hes suspension. These results suggest that DG-Hes eye drops may be useful as a new ophthalmic preparation for the treatment of ocular diseases, especially bacterial ophthalmopathy.

The Cuproptosis-Related Long Noncoding RNA Signature Predicts Prognosis and Immune Cell Infiltration in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), ranking as one of the most common malignant tumors, is one of the leading causes of cancer death, with a poor prognosis. Cuproptosis, a novel programmed cell death modality that has just been confirmed recently, may play an important role in HCC prognosis. Long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) is a key participant in tumorigenesis and immune responses. It may be of great significance to predict HCC based on cuproptosis genes and their related LncRNA. Methods: The sample data on HCC patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Combined with cuproptosis-related genes collected from the literature search, expression analysis was carried out to find cuproptosis genes and their related LncRNAs significantly expressed in HCC. The prognostic model was constructed by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and multivariate Cox regression. The feasibility of these signature LncRNAs used for the evaluation of the overall survival rate in HCC patients as independent factors was investigated. The expression profile of cuproptosis, immune cell infiltration, and the status of somatic mutation were analyzed and compared. Results: A prognostic model of HCC consisting of seven cuproptosis gene-related LncRNA signatures was constructed. Multiple verification methods have showed that this model can accurately predict the prognosis of HCC patients. It was showed that the classified high-risk group under the risk score of this model had worse survival status, more significant expression of the immune function, and higher mutation frequency. During the analysis, the cuproptosis gene CDKN2A was found to be most closely related to LncRNA DDX11-AS1 in the expression profile of HCC patients. Conclusion: The cuproptosis-related signature LncRNA in HCC was identified, on the basis of which a model was constructed, and it was verified that it can be used to predict the prognosis of HCC patients. The potential role of these cuproptosis-related signature LncRNAs as new targets for disease therapy in antagonizing HCC development was discussed.

Microneedle-mediated delivery of Ziconotide-loaded liposomes fused with exosomes for analgesia.

Ziconotide (ZIC) is an N-type calcium channel antagonist for treating severe chronic pain that is intolerable, or responds poorly to the administration of other drugs, such as intrathecal morphine and systemic analgesics. As it can only work in the brain and cerebrospinal fluid, intrathecal injection is the only administration route for ZIC. In this study, borneol (BOR)-modified liposomes (LIPs) were fused with exosomes from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and loaded with ZIC to prepare microneedles (MNs) to improve the efficiency of ZIC across the blood-brain barrier. To evaluate local analgesic effects of MNs, the sensitivity of behavioral pain to thermal and mechanical stimuli was tested in animal models of peripheral nerve injury, diabetes-induced neuropathy pain, chemotherapy-induced pain, and ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation-induced neurogenic inflammatory pain. BOR-modified LIPs loaded with ZIC were spherical or nearly spherical, with a particle size of about 95 nm and a Zeta potential of -7.8 mV. After fusion with MSC exosomes, the particle sizes of LIPs increased to 175 nm, and their Zeta potential increased to -3.8 mV. The nano-MNs constructed based on BOR-modified LIPs had good mechanical properties and could effectively penetrate the skin to release drugs. The results of analgesic experiments showed that ZIC had a significant analgesic effect in different pain models. In conclusion, the BOR-modified LIP membrane-fused exosome MNs constructed in this study for delivering ZIC provide a safe and effective administration for chronic pain treatment, as well as great potential for clinical application of ZIC.

Preparation of pectin-chitosan hydrogels based on bioadhesive-design micelle to prompt bacterial infection wound healing.

The aim of this study was to design a pectin-chitosan (PEC-CS) hydrogel loaded with a bioadhesive-design micelle containing large amount of ciprofloxacin for antibacterial and healing wound applications. Pectin and chitosan are crosslinked in a safe and convenient way, and the PEC-CS hydrogel have high water content (>95 %), strong water absorption (15,000 %), good water retention (>10,000 % at 30 % RH for 12 h), and the PEC-CS hydrogels showed no cytotoxicity and hemolysis, thus providing a humid microenvironment suitable for wound. Additionally, the dopamine modified carrier can greatly improve the solubility and retention time in the wound of ciprofloxacin, effectively increase the efficiency of drug loading into the PEC-CS hydrogels and exert antibacterial activity in the wound for a long time. In vitro and in vivo pharmacodynamics experiments have shown that PEC-CS#CIP@DPDMCs hydrogels can resist bacteria and promote wound healing. Thus，The PEC-CS#CIP@DPDMCs hydrogels can be a potential anti-infective hydrogel excipient.

Efficacy and safety of sedation with dexmedetomidine in adults undergoing gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: The sedative role of dexmedetomidine (DEX) in gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures is unclear. We performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of sedation with DEX during gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures with a view to providing evidence-based references for clinical decision-making. Methods: The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared DEX with different sedatives comparators (such as propofol, midazolam, and ketamine) for sedation in a variety of adult gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures from inception to 1 July 2022. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) or pooled risk ratios (RR) with 95% CI were used for continuous outcomes or dichotomous outcomes, respectively, and a random-effect model was selected regardless of the significance of the heterogeneity. Results: Forty studies with 2,955 patients were assessed, of which 1,333 patients were in the DEX group and 1,622 patients were in the control (without DEX) group. The results suggested that the primary outcomes of sedation level of DEX are comparable to other sedatives, with similar RSS score and patient satisfaction level, and better in some clinical outcomes, with a reduced risk of body movements or gagging (RR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.37 to 0.97; p = 0.04; I2 = 68%), and a reduced additional requirement for other sedatives, and increased endoscopist satisfaction level (SMD: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.77; p = 0.03; I2 = 86%). In terms of secondary outcomes of adverse events, DEX may benefit patients in some clinical outcomes, with a reduced risk of hypoxia (RR:0.34; 95% CI: 0.20 to 0.55; p < 0.0001; I2 = 52%) and cough (RR: 0.25; 95% CI: 0.12 to 0.54; p = 0.0004; I2 = 0%), no significant difference in the risk of hypotension, while an increased risk of bradycardia (RR: 3.08; 95% CI: 2.12 to 4.48; p < 0.00001; I2 = 6%). Conclusion: This meta-analysis indicates that DEX is a safe and effective sedative agent for gastrointestinal endoscopy because of its benefits for patients in some clinical outcomes. Remarkably, DEX is comparable to midazolam and propofol in terms of sedation level. In conclusion, DEX provides an additional option in sedation for gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/#searchadvanced.

Novel luteolin@pro-phytomicelles: In vitro characterization and in vivo evaluation of protection against drug-induced hepatotoxicity.

A novel nanoformulation with the small molecule phytochemical dipotassium glycyrrhizinate as a nanomaterial was developed for the oral delivery of luteolin (Lut), a widely used phytochemical, but it suffered from poor water solubility and low oral bioavailability. This novel nanoformulation, named Lut@pro-phytomicelles, can be fabricated with a simple process. Lut@pro-phytomicelles can instantly dissolve into aqueous mediums and formulate through self-assembly a clear phytomicelle solution with a Lut encapsulation efficiency of 99.16 ± 0.90%, a small micelle size of 30.32 ± 0.12 nm, and a narrow polydispersity index of 0.138 ± 0.024. The optimized formulation demonstrated that Lut had solubility in up to 50 mg/ml of water as a result of its encapsulation within DG phytomicelles. Lut@pro-phytomicelles exhibited excellent characteristics, including good storage stability, a fast in vitro release profile, improvement in in vitro antioxidant activity, and high safety potential. In the oral bioavailability evaluation, a shorter Tmax, increased Cmax, and improved AUC0-t were obtained with Lut@pro-phytomicelles when compared to bare Lut. The distribution evaluation further showed that Lut@pro-phytomicelles could effectively increase the concentrations of Lut in all the tested organs and gastrointestinal segments. In the protection efficacy evaluation, 100 mg/kg Lut@pro-phytomicelles demonstrated strong effects against acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity. The mechanisms of inhibiting high-mobility group box 1 signaling and suppressing oxidative stress were involved in this strong treatment effect. These results showed that simple but novel Lut@pro-phytomicelles provided a new, promising nano-delivery system for Lut with a significantly improved in vivo profile.

Reactive Oxygen Species-Responsive Polypeptide Drug Delivery System Targeted Activated Hepatic Stellate Cells to Ameliorate Liver Fibrosis.

Hepatic fibrosis is a chronic liver disease that lacks effective pharmacotherapeutic treatments. As part of the disease's mechanism, hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are activated by damage-related stimuli to secrete excessive extracellular matrix, leading to collagen deposition. Currently, the drug delivery system that targets HSCs in the treatment of liver fibrosis remains an urgent challenge due to the poor controllability of drug release. Since the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) increases sharply in activated HSCs (aHSCs), we designed ROS-responsive micelles for the HSC-specific delivery of a traditional Chinese medicine, resveratrol (RES), for treatment of liver fibrosis. The micelles were prepared by the ROS-responsive amphiphilic block copolymer poly(l-methionine-block-Nε-trifluoro-acetyl-l-lysine) (PMK) and a PEG shell modified with a CRGD peptide insertion. The CRGD-targeted and ROS-responsive micelles (CRGD-PMK-MCs) could target aHSCs and control the release of RES under conditions of high intracellular ROS in aHSCs. The CRGD-PMK-MCs treatment specifically enhanced the targeted delivery of RES to aHSCs both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro experiments show that CRGD-PMK-MCs could significantly promote ROS consumption, reduce collagen accumulation, and avert activation of aHSCs. In vivo results demonstrate that CRGD-PMK-MCs could alleviate inflammatory infiltration, prevent fibrosis, and protect hepatocytes from damage in fibrotic mice. In conclusion, CRGD-PMK-MCs show great potential for targeted and ROS-responsive controlled drug release in the aHSCs of liver fibrosis.

Preparation and in vitro-in vivo evaluation of novel ocular nanomicelle formulation of thymol based on glycyrrhizin.

The development of an efficient ocular drug delivery system is helpful in improving the ocular diffusion of topically delivered drugs as well as enhancing drugs therapeutic efficacy. The objective of this study was to explore the potential of self-assembled nanomicelles based on glycyrrhizin in ocular topical applications. In brief, a dipotassium glycyrrhizinate (DG)-based nanomicelle ophthalmic solution encapsulating thymol (DG-THY) was developed using a simple thin-film dispersion method. The optimal formulation featured a DG/thymol (THY) weight ratio of 9:1 and an encapsulation efficiency of 98.25 ±â€¯1.16%; the nanomicelles were ultra-small spheres with an average particle size of 3.30 ±â€¯0.39 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.22 ±â€¯0.02, and an electrically negative surface (-[10.03 ±â€¯1.31] mV) for the optimized DG-THY. This DG-THY ophthalmic solution was observed to be stable upon good storage at both 4 °C and 25 °C for 12 weeks. The DG-THY was observed to remarkably improve in vitro antioxidant activity, in vitro release, and the membrane permeation of THY. The DG-THY ophthalmic solution proved to be very well-tolerated in a rabbit model. The DG-THY ophthalmic solution also demonstrated distinct improvements in the ex vivo and in vivo intraocular permeations of THY. The DG-THY ophthalmic solution also exhibited decreased minimal inhibitory concentrations and minimum bactericidal concentrations of THY. Treatment with the DG-THY ophthalmic solution significantly relieved ocular infection symptoms in rabbit eyes by lowering the number of colony-forming units recovered from the corneas. Therefore, these results demonstrate that DG-THY may be a promising new ophthalmic formulation for the treatment of ocular diseases, especially in terms of oxidative stress-, bacteria-, and inflammation-related eye diseases.

Novel ultrasmall nanomicelles based on rebaudioside A: A potential nanoplatform for the ocular delivery of pterostilbene.

Rebaudioside A (RA) self-assembled into ultrasmall nanomicelles can be utilized as ocular drug delivery system; nevertheless, the therapeutic efficacy of RA micelles has not evaluated thus far. In this manuscript, the RA micelles are thought to strengthen the therapeutic effects of pterostilbene (Pt). Results showed that Pt can be highly encapsulated into RA micelles with ultrasmall particle sizes (3.99 ± 0.03 nm) with a uniform distribution (polydispersity index, PDI = 0.184 ± 0.008). RA-Pt exhibited pronounced improvement for the in vitro antioxidant activity and the in vitro membrane permeation of Pt. RA-Pt exhibited good ocular tolerance. The use of RA-Pt led to the significant improvement in the in vivo intraocular permeation of Pt as well as the improvement in the in vivo anti-inflammatory efficacy. The in vivo evaluation of antioxidant effects revealed that RA-Pt exhibits improvement in suppressing the generation of oxidative stress and inducing the enzymes of reactive oxygen species (ROS) degradation. Furthermore, RA-Pt was confirmed to exhibit a strong treatment efficiency for corneal alkali burns. These findings indicate that RA-based self-assembled ultrasmall nanomicelles demonstrate tremendous potential toward the improvement in the ocular bioavailability as well as a therapeutic effect of poor aqueous soluble drugs such as Pt.

New micelle myricetin formulation for ocular delivery: improved stability, solubility, and ocular anti-inflammatory treatment.

Myricetin (Myr) is a naturally occurring flavonoid exhibiting diverse biological and pharmacological properties, but its characteristics such as water insolubility, poor aqueous stability, and poor bioavailability limit its clinical application, including in ophthalmology. To increase its clinical application in ophthalmology, Myr was designed to be encapsulated in a polyvinyl caprolactam-polyvinyl acetate-polyethylene glycol graft copolymer (PVCL-PVA-PEG) polymeric micelles to increases its aqueous solubility, stability, and corneal permeability to promote its efficacy in eye disease treatments. Thus, the Myr micelle ophthalmic solution was prepared and characterized encapsulation efficiency (EE), micelle size, and zeta potential. The chemical stability of Myr and the short-term storage stability of the Myr micelle ophthalmic solution were evaluated, followed by in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo ocular irritation; in vitro cellular uptake and in vivo corneal permeation; and in vitro antioxidant activity and in vivo anti-inflammatory efficacy were also further evaluated. Myr could be incorporated into micelles with high EE. PVCL-PVA-PEG micelles significantly enhanced Myr's aqueous solubility and chemical stability. The Myr micelle ophthalmic solution also showed high storage stability. In rabbits, the Myr micelle ophthalmic solution displayed good in vitro cellular tolerance. Remarkable improvements in in vitro cellular uptake and in vivo corneal permeation were also observed in the Myr micelle ophthalmic solution, and significant improvements in the in vitro antioxidant activity and in vivo anti-inflammatory efficacy were also obtained. Overall, these results supported that the Myr micelle ophthalmic solution could be a promising nanomedicine for ocular tissues.

Ultra-small micelles based on polyoxyl 15 hydroxystearate for ocular delivery of myricetin: optimization, in vitro, and in vivo evaluation.

The aim was to develop a nanocarrier based on polyoxyl 15 hydroxystearate (Kolliphor® HS15, HS15) micelles for the solubility, stability, and ocular delivery of myricetin (Myr). An optimized ratio of HS15 and Myr was prepared to fabricate HS15-Myr micelle ophthalmic solution. Myr-encapsulating HS15 micelles (HS15-Myr micelles) were subjected to physicochemical characterizations. The chemical stability of Myr in HS15 micelles and storage stability of HS15-Myr micelle ophthalmic solutions were evaluated. In vitro parallel artificial membrane permeability assay and antioxidant activity of Myr in HS15 micelles were also measured. In vivo ocular tolerance, corneal permeation, and anti-inflammatory efficacy studies were conducted following ocular topical administration. HS15-Myr micelles were successfully prepared and presented transparent appearance with high encapsulation (96.12 ± 0.31%), ultra-small micelle size (a mean diameter of 12.17 ± 0.73 nm), uniform size distribution (polydispersity index [PDI] = 0.137 ± 0.013), and negative surface charge (- [4.28 ± 0.42] mV). Myr in HS15 micelle solution demonstrated higher aqueous stability than the free Myr solution among the accepted pH range for eyedrops. HS15-Myr micelle ophthalmic solution demonstrated high storage stability at 4 °C and 25 °C. HS15 micelles could significantly improve in vitro antioxidant activity and faster membrane permeation of Myr. No irritations or corneal damage were revealed in rabbit eyes after ocular administration of HS15-Myr micelle solution. In vivo corneal permeation study demonstrated that HS15-Myr micelles could penetrate the cornea efficiently in mouse eyes. Further, HS15-Myr micelles also demonstrated significant in vivo anti-inflammatory activity. It can be concluded that HS15 micelles are a potential ophthalmic delivery nanocarrier for poorly soluble drugs such as Myr.

Evaluation of polyvinyl caprolactam-polyvinyl acetate-polyethylene glycol graft copolymer nanomicelle for trigeminal ganglion neurons delivering with intranasal administration.

Purpose How to deliver enough medical agents to the trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons conveniently still remains a challenge in pharmaceutics and clinics. The purpose of this study was to reveal that intranasal administration of polyvinyl caprolactam-polyvinyl acetate-polyethylene glycol graft copolymer (PVCL-PVA-PEG) nanomicelle formulation could efficiently deliver agent to TG neurons in mice. Methods Ocular topical or intranasal administration of nanomicelle coumarin-6 was performed in mice, and tissue distribution after administration (0.25, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 h) was analyzed. Fluoro-Gold was used as a retrograde tracer to identify corneal and nasal neurons in the TG. Pharmacokinetic profiles after ocular topical or intranasal administration were explored in detail. Results Coumarin-6 levels in the TG neurons were significantly higher in intranasal administration groups than in topical administration groups, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05) at all time points except for 10 h. Interestingly, in cornea, coumarin-6 was detected after intranasal administration. For intranasal administration groups, it was also interestingly found that coumarin-6 levels in the TG neurons were much higher than that in the brain, suggesting that the TG neurons was a target tissue after the intranasal administration of nanomicelle coumarin-6. These levels also indicated the safety of brain tissue after intranasal administration. Using Fluoro-Gold tract tracing techniques, coumarin-6 was detected in TG neurons after either ocular topical or intranasal administration of nanomicelle coumarin-6, indicating the high colocalization of corneal and nasal neurons in the TG. Conclusions Intranasal administration of PVCL-PVA-PEG nanomicelle formulation could efficiently deliver to TG neurons, and it might be a promising therapy for pathological TG neurons.

Novel ultra-small micelles based on rebaudioside A: A potential nanoplatform for ocular drug delivery.

We investigated if the self-assembled micelles of rebaudioside A (RA) could potentially be utilized as an ocular drug-delivery system in this investigation. RA self-assembled into micelles with ultra-small particle sizes (<4 nm) in a homogeneous distribution state (polydispersity index < 0.3). RA had good cellular tolerance and no cytotoxicity was observed at concentrations ≤ 18.5 mg/ml at 72 h of incubation. RA also did not cause cell apoptosis at concentration ≤ 12 mg/ml. Coumarin-6 (Cou6)-loaded RA micelles had good cellular tolerance and in vivo non-irritants to the rabbit eyes. RA micelles dramatically improved the cellular uptake of Cou6 (compared to free-Cou6 P < 0.05); an energy-independent, active, intracellular endocytosis pathway was apparently involved, and cellular organelles such as lysosomes, endoplasmic reticuli, and mitochondria were observed with a high distribution of Cou6, while a much more sophisticated endocytosis pathway was apparently involved in the ex vivo corneal endocytosis mechanism tests. The use of RA micelles significantly improved in vivo corneal permeation of the encapsulated Cou6 when compared to free-Cou6 eye drops (P < 0.05). These findings indicate that RA micelle formulations have great potential as a novel ocular drug-delivery system to improve the bioavailability of hydrophobic drugs.