Lubricant Strategies in Osteoarthritis Treatment: Transitioning from Natural Lubricants to Drug Delivery Particles with Lubricant Properties.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating joint disease characterized by cartilage degradation, leading to pain and functional impairment. A key contributor to OA progression is the decline in cartilage lubrication. In physiological conditions, synovial fluid (SF) macromolecules like hyaluronic acid (HA), phospholipids, and lubricin play a crucial role in the boundary lubrication of articular cartilage. In early OA, cartilage damage triggers inflammation, altering SF composition and compromising the lubrication layer. This increases friction between mating interfaces, worsening cartilage degradation and local inflammation. Therefore, early-stage restoration of lubrication (by injecting in the joint different classes of compounds and formulations) could alleviate, and potentially reverse, OA progression. In the light of this, a broad variety of lubricants have been investigated for their ability to reduce friction in OA joints and promote cartilage repair in clinical and preclinical studies. This review examines recent advancements in lubricant-based therapy for OA, focusing on natural, bioinspired, and alternative products. Starting from the currently applied therapy, mainly based on natural lubricants as HA, we will present their modified versions, either in hydrogel form or with specific biomimetic moieties with the aim of reducing their clearance from the joint and of enhancing their lubricating properties. Finally, the most advanced and recent formulation, represented by alternative strategies, will be proposed. Particular emphasis will be placed on those ones involving new types of hydrogels, microparticles, nanoparticles, and liposomes, which are currently under investigation in preclinical studies. The potential application of particles and liposomes could foster the transition from natural lubricants to Drug Delivery Systems (DDSs) with lubricant features; transition which could provide more complete OA treatments, by simultaneously providing lubrication replacement and sustained release of different payloads and active agents directly at the joint level. Within each category, we will examine relevant preclinical studies, highlighting challenges and future prospects.

The Risk of Drug Interactions in Older Primary Care Patients after Hospital Discharge: The Role of Drug Reconciliation.

INTRODUCTION: Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) represent an important clinical problem, particularly in older patients, due to polytherapy, comorbidity, and physiological changes in pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic pathways. In this study, we investigated the association between drugs prescribed after discharge from the hospital or clinic and the risk of DDIs with drugs used daily by each patient. METHODS: We performed an observational, retrospective, multicenter study on the medical records of outpatients referred to general practitioners. DDIs were measured using the drug interaction probability scale. Potential drug interactions were evaluated by clinical pharmacologists (physicians) and neurologists. Collected data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. RESULTS: During the study, we evaluated 1772 medical records. We recorded the development of DDIs in 10.3% of patients; 11.6% of these patients required hospitalization. Logistic regression showed an association among DDIs, sex, and the number of drugs used (p = 0.023). CONCLUSIONS: This observational real-life study shows that the risk of DDIs is common in older patients. Physicians must pay more attention after hospital discharge, evaluating the treatment to reduce the risk of DDIs.

Microfluidic mixing as platform technology for production of chitosan nanoparticles loaded with different macromolecules.

In recent decades, biotechnological drugs have emerged as relevant therapeutic tools. However, therapeutic molecules can exert their activity only if properly formulated and delivered into the body. In this regard, nano-sized drug delivery systems have been shown to provide protection, stability, and controlled release of payloads, increasing their therapeutic efficacy. In this work, a microfluidic mixing technique for the preparation of chitosan-based nanoparticles was established with the capability of easily exchanging macromolecular biological cargos such as the model protein ß-Galactosidase, mRNA, and siRNA. The nanoparticles obtained showed hydrodynamic diameters ranging from 75 nm to 105 nm, low polydispersity of 0.15 to 0.22 and positive zeta potentials of 6 mV to 17 mV. All payloads were efficiently encapsulated (>80 %) and the well-known cytocompatibility of chitosan-based nanoparticles was confirmed. Cell culture studies demonstrated increased cellular internalization of loaded nano-formulations compared to free molecules as well as successful gene silencing with nano-formulated siRNA, suggesting the ability of these nanoparticles to escape the endosome.

Shaping the future from the small scale: dry powder inhalation of CRISPR-Cas9 lipid nanoparticles for the treatment of lung diseases.

INTRODUCTION: Most lung diseases are serious conditions resulting from genetic and environmental causes associated with high mortality and severe symptoms. Currently, treatments available have a palliative effect and many targets are still considered undruggable. Gene therapy stands as an attractive approach to offering innovative therapeutic solutions. CRISPRCas9 has established a remarkable potential for genome editing with high selectivity to targeted mutations. To ensure high efficacy with minimum systemic exposure, the delivery and administration route are key components that must be investigated. AREAS COVERED: This review is focused on the delivery of CRISPRCas9 to the lungs, taking advantage of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), the most clinically advanced nucleic acid carriers. We also aim to highlight the benefits of pulmonary administration as a local delivery route and the use of spray drying to prepare stable nucleic-acid-based dry powder formulations that can overcome multiple lung barriers. EXPERT OPINION: Exploring the pulmonary administration to deliver CRISPRCas9 loaded in LNPs as a dry powder increases the chances to achieve high efficacy and reduced adverse effects. CRISPRCas9 loaded in LNP-embedded microparticles has not yet been reported in the literature but has the potential to reach and accumulate in target cells in the lung, thus, enhancing overall efficacy and safety.

CD44-Targeted Carriers: The Role of Molecular Weight of Hyaluronic Acid in the Uptake of Hyaluronic Acid-Based Nanoparticles.

Nanotechnology offers advanced biomedical tools for diagnosis and drug delivery, stressing the value of investigating the mechanisms by which nanocarriers interact with the biological environment. Herein, the cellular response to CD44-targeted nanoparticles (NPs) was investigated. CD44, the main hyaluronic acid (HA) receptor, is widely exploited as a target for therapeutic purposes. HA NPs were produced by microfluidic platform starting from HA with different molecular weights (Mw, 280, 540, 820 kDa) by polyelectrolyte complexation with chitosan (CS). Thanks to microfluidic technology, HA/CS NPs with the same physical features were produced, and only the effects of HA Mw on CD44-overexpressing cells (human mesenchymal stem cells, hMSCs) were studied. This work provides evidence of the HA/CS NPs biocompatibility regardless the HA Mw and reveals the effect of low Mw HA in improving the cell proliferation. Special attention was paid to the endocytic mechanisms used by HA/CS NPs to enter hMSCs. The results show the notable role of CD44 and the pronounced effect of HA Mw in the NPs' internalization. HA/CS NPs uptake occurs via different endocytic pathways simultaneously, and most notably, NPs with 280 kDa HA were internalized by clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Instead, NPs with 820 kDa HA revealed a greater contribution of caveolae and cytoskeleton components.

Hyaluronic Acid-Based Nanoparticles for Protein Delivery: Systematic Examination of Microfluidic Production Conditions.

Hyaluronic acid-based nanoparticles (HA NPs) can be used to deliver a protein cargo to cells overexpressing HA receptors such as CD44 since they combine the low toxicity of the carrier and the retention of the protein integrity with the receptor-mediated internalization. HA properties play a crucial but sometimes unclear role in managing the formation and stability of the meshwork, cell interactions, and ultimately the protein entrapment efficacy. Nowadays, microfluidic is an innovative technology that allows to overcome limits linked to the NPs production, guaranteeing reproducibility and control of individual batches. Taking advantage of this technique, in this research work, the role of HA weight average molecular weight (Mw) in NPs formation inside a microfluidic device has been specifically faced. Based on the relationship between polymer Mw and solution viscosity, a methodological approach has been proposed to ensure critical quality attributes (size of 200 nm, PDI ≤ 0.3) to NPs made by HA with different Mw (280, 540, 710 and 820 kDa). The feasibility of the protein encapsulation was demonstrated by using Myoglobin, as a model neutral protein, with an encapsulation efficiency always higher than 50%. Lastly, all NPs samples were successfully internalized by CD44-expressing cells.

Microfluidic-assisted synthesis of multifunctional iodinated contrast agent polymeric nanoplatforms.

Contrast Induced Nephropathy is the most severe side-effect arising after non-ionic iodinated contrast agents (CAs) intravenous administration. The use of antioxidants (i.e., N-Acetylcysteine; NAC) is one of the attempted prevention approaches. Herein, we describe the microfluidic-assisted synthesis of iodinated polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) as new multifunctional blood pool CA. The aim of this research is to co-encapsulate Iohexol (IOX; iodinated CA) and NAC (preventive agent) into poly-D,L-lactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) and PEGylated-PLGA (PLGA-PEG) NPs to exploit CA diagnostic proprieties and NAC preventing antioxidant activity. A microfluidic-assisted nanoprecipitation protocol has been set-up for PLGA and PLGA-PEG NPs, evaluating the effect of formulation and microfluidic parameters by analysing the size, PDI and IOX and NAC encapsulation efficiency. The optimized NPs (PLGA-PEG, L:G 50:50, 5% PEG, Mw 90 kDa) formulated with a size of 67 ± 2.8 nm with PDI < 0.2, spherical shape, and an IOX and NAC encapsulation efficiency of 38% and 20%, respectively. The IOX and NAC encapsulation was confirmed by FTIR and DSC. In vitro release study showed an IOX retention into the polymeric matrix and NAC sustained release up to 24-48 h stating microfluidics as powerful tool for the formulation of multifunctional nanoplatforms. Finally, the protective effect of NPs and NAC were preliminary assessed on human kidney cells.

On-Chip Synthesis of Hyaluronic Acid-Based Nanoparticles for Selective Inhibition of CD44+ Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Proliferation.

In this study, an innovative microfluidics-based method was developed for one-step synthesis of hyaluronic acid (HA)-based nanoparticles (NPs), by exploiting polyelectrolytic interactions between HA and chitosan (CS), in order to improve reliability, reproducibility and possible scale-up of the NPs preparation. The on-chip synthesis, using a staggered herringbone micromixer, allowed to produce HA/CS NPs with tailored-made size and suitable for both parenteral (117.50 ± 4.51 nm) and loco-regional (349.15 ± 38.09 nm) administration, mainly composed by HA (more than 85% wt) with high negative surface charge (< -20 mV). HA/CS NPs were successfully loaded with a challenging water-insoluble molecule, Everolimus (EVE), an FDA- and EMA-approved anticancer drug able to lead to cell cycle arrest, reduced angiogenesis and promotion of apoptosis. HA/CS NPs resulted to be massively internalized in CD44+ human mesenchymal stem cells via CD44 receptor-mediated endocytosis. HA/CS NPs selectiveness towards CD44 was highlighted by blocking CD44 receptor by anti-CD44 primary antibody and by comparison to CS-based NPs cellular uptake. Eventually, high effectiveness in inhibiting cell proliferation was demonstrated on-chip synthetized EVE loaded HA/CS NPs by tracking in vitro DNA synthesis.

Staggered Herringbone Microfluid Device for the Manufacturing of Chitosan/TPP Nanoparticles: Systematic Optimization and Preliminary Biological Evaluation.

Chitosan nanoparticles (CS NPs) showed promising results in drug, vaccine and gene delivery for the treatment of various diseases. The considerable attention towards CS was owning to its outstanding biological properties, however, the main challenge in the application of CS NPs was faced during their size-controlled synthesis. Herein, ionic gelation reaction between CS and sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP), a widely used and safe CS cross-linker for biomedical application, was exploited by a microfluidic approach based on a staggered herringbone micromixer (SHM) for the synthesis of TPP cross-linked CS NPs (CS/TPP NPs). Screening design of experiments was applied to systematically evaluate the main process and formulative factors affecting CS/TPP NPs physical properties (mean size and size distribution). Effectiveness of the SHM-assisted manufacturing process was confirmed by the preliminary evaluation of the biological performance of the optimized CS/TPP NPs that were internalized in the cytosol of human mesenchymal stem cells through clathrin-mediated mechanism. Curcumin, selected as a challenging model drug, was successfully loaded into CS/TPP NPs (EE% > 70%) and slowly released up to 48 h via the diffusion mechanism. Finally, the comparison with the conventional bulk mixing method corroborated the efficacy of the microfluidics-assisted method due to the precise control of mixing at microscales.

Annular lichenoid dermatitis of youth ... and beyond: a series of 6 cases.

Annular lichenoid dermatitis of youth (ALDY) is a clinico-pathologic entity described in children and young patients, clinically reminiscent of morphea, annular erythema, vitiligo or mycosis fungoides. We report on six patients presenting single or multiple lesions, distributed particularly on the flanks and abdomen, with clinical and histologic features consistent with ALDY. Two patients were young girls and four were adults males. Three patients received topical therapy and four showed complete resolution of the lesions after a 24-65 months follow-up. Analogously to the cases reported so far, immunohistochemistry showed a T cell infiltrate with a predominance of CD8+ lymphocytes, while T cell receptor rearrangement was absent in all cases. It seems appropriate to include annular lichenoid dermatitis of youth among the dermatoses with a lichenoid pattern. For the first time, we found that it can affect also adult patients, therefore we propose to rename the disease annular lichenoid dermatitis. The differential diagnosis with mycosis fungoides, especially in adult patients, is particularly crucial for their proper management and treatment.