Anti-Obesity Drug Delivery Systems: Recent Progress and Challenges.

Obesity has reached an epidemic proportion in the last thirty years, and it is recognized as a major health issue in modern society now with the possibility of serious social and economic consequences. By the year 2030, nearly 60% of the global population may be obese or overweight, which emphasizes a need for novel obesity treatments. Various traditional approaches, such as pharmacotherapy and bariatric surgery, have been utilized in clinical settings to treat obesity. However, these methods frequently show the possibility of side effects while remaining ineffective. There is, therefore, an urgent need for alternative obesity treatments with improved efficacy and specificity. Polymeric materials and chemical strategies are employed in emerging drug delivery systems (DDSs) to enhance therapy effectiveness and specificity by stabilizing and controlling the release of active molecules such as natural ingredients. Designing DDSs is currently a top priority research objective with an eye towards creating obesity treatment approaches. In reality, the most recent trends in the literature demonstrate that there are not enough in-depth reviews that emphasize the current knowledge based on the creation and design of DDSs for obesity treatment. It is also observed in the existing literature that a complex interplay of different physical and chemical parameters must be considered carefully to determine the effectiveness of the DDSs, including microneedles, for obesity treatment. Additionally, it is observed that these properties depend on how the DDS is synthesized. Although many studies are at the animal-study stage, the use of more advanced DDS techniques would significantly enhance the development of safe and efficient treatment approaches for obese people in the future. Considering these, this review provides an overview of the current anti-obesity treatment approaches as well as the conventional anti-obesity therapeutics. The article aims to conduct an in-depth discussion on the current trends in obesity treatment approaches. Filling in this knowledge gap will lead to a greater understanding of the safest ways to manage obesity.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles prepared by different methods for biomedical applications: Comparative study.

In the current investigation, mesoporous silica nanoparticles were obtained by various techniques, namely sol-gel (S1), micro-emulsion (S2) and hydrothermal synthesis (S3). The effect of those methods on the final features of the obtained mesoporous silica nanoparticles was studied. The obtained nanoparticles were investigated by TEM, BET surface area, Zetasizer, XRD and FTIR. The preparation method effect was evaluated on the drug release behaviour using doxycycline hyclate as a model drug. In addition, the degree of their compatibility against Saos-2 cell line was also determined. The morphology and microstructure of silica nanoparticles were found to be dependent on the utilised method. Those techniques produced particles with particle sizes of 50, 30-20 and 15 nm and also surface areas of 111.04, 164 and 538.72 m2 /g, respectively, for S1, S2 and S3. However, different preparation methods showed no remarkable changes for the physical and chemical integrities. The drug release test showed faster release from S2 compared with S1 and S3, which make them more applicable in cases require large doses for short periods. However, the release behaviour of S3 was satisfied for treatments which require long period with relatively highest release rate. The preparation method influenced the cell viability as S1 and S2 showed acceptable cell cytotoxicity compared with S3.

Nanoparticle- and Nanoporous-Membrane-Mediated Delivery of Therapeutics.

Pharmaceutical particulates and membranes possess promising prospects for delivering drugs and bioactive molecules with the potential to improve drug delivery strategies like sustained and controlled release. For example, inorganic-based nanoparticles such as silica-, titanium-, zirconia-, calcium-, and carbon-based nanomaterials with dimensions smaller than 100 nm have been extensively developed for biomedical applications. Furthermore, inorganic nanoparticles possess magnetic, optical, and electrical properties, which make them suitable for various therapeutic applications including targeting, diagnosis, and drug delivery. Their properties may also be tuned by controlling different parameters, e.g., particle size, shape, surface functionalization, and interactions among them. In a similar fashion, membranes have several functions which are useful in sensing, sorting, imaging, separating, and releasing bioactive or drug molecules. Engineered membranes have been developed for their usage in controlled drug delivery devices. The latest advancement in the technology is therefore made possible to regulate the physico-chemical properties of the membrane pores, which enables the control of drug delivery. The current review aims to highlight the role of both pharmaceutical particulates and membranes over the last fifteen years based on their preparation method, size, shape, surface functionalization, and drug delivery potential.