Alginate and chitosan particles as drug delivery system for cell therapy

Drug-carrying microstructures which have a size similar to biological structures are very attractive to encapsulate drugs and protect them during the transit in the human body. This paper describes polymeric (alginate and chitosan) particles (average radius 500 nm) produced by homogenization techniques. In vitro studies performed on cell lines demonstrate the effectiveness of such particles for intracellular drug delivery. Our experiments suggest that cellular up - take increases linearly with particle concentration in the growth medium, and the internalization process has a first order kinetics (characteristic time around 0.5 h⁻¹). In addition, the particles degrade within 24 h from the up-take without side effects for cell viability.     

Hydrogels for controlled drug delivery

Physical properties such as number average molecular weight Mn, specific hydrates and changing diffusion coefficient of crystalline/rubbery hydrogels based on poly(ethylene glycol) Mn 3 000-8 000 which affect the diffusion of drugs through the water swollen matrix and across the polymer boundary are discussed. The advantage of starting with a dry, drug-impregnated polymer to obtain the desirable zero order release rate while the hydrogel absorbs water is illustrated. Drugs have been classified into five groups showing different release profiles. The effects of design and loading on the release profile, are described including the first clinical results of morphine loaded hydrogel suppositories.     

Peptide-based soft materials as potential drug delivery vehicles

Emerging concepts in the construction of nanostructures hold immense potential in the areas of drug delivery and targeting. Such nanoscopic assemblies/structures, similar to natural proteins and self-associating systems, may lead to the formation of programmable soft structures with expanded drug delivery options and the capability to circumvent first-pass metabolism. This article aims to illustrate key recent developments and innovative bioinspired design paradigms pertaining to peptide-containing self-assembled tubular and vesicular soft structures. Soft structures are composed of components that self-assemble to reveal diverse morphologies stabilized by weak, noncovalent interactions. Morphological properties of such structures and their ability to encapsulate drugs, biologicals and bioactive small molecules, with the promise of targeted delivery, are discussed.     

Bioerodible polyanhydrides for controlled drug delivery

Initial in vitro and in vivo (rat) studies using a poly(anhydride), poly[bis(p-carboxyphenoxy)methane], as a bioerodible matrix for controlled drug delivery are described. Drug delivery matrices fabricated from this material and containing cholic acid showed a period of nearly zero-order erosion kinetics during which this steroid was released at nearly the same constant rate.     

Thiopyrazole preactivated chitosan: Combining mucoadhesion and drug delivery

The objective of this study was to develop a preactivated chitosan derivative by the introduction of thioglycolic acid followed by 3-methyl-1-phenylpyrazole-5-thiol (MPPT) coupling via disulfide bond formation. The newly synthesized conjugate was characterized in terms of water-absorbing capacity, cohesive properties, mucoadhesion and drug release kinetics. Further in vitro characterization was conducted regarding permeation enhancement of the model compound fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran (FD4) and cytotoxic effects on Caco-2 cells. Based on the attachment of the hydrophobic residue, chitosan–S–S–MPPT test discs showed increased stability of the polymer matrix as well as improved water uptake and liberation of fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran (FD4) compared to chitosan only. The mucoadhesive qualities on porcine intestinal mucosa could be improved 38-fold based on the enhanced bonding between chitosan–S–S–MPPT and mucus through the thiol/disulfide exchange reaction of polymer and mucosal cysteine-rich domains supported by MPPT as the leaving group. This novel biomaterial presents a disulfide conjugation-based delivery system that releases the antibacterial thiopyrazole when the polymer comes into contact with the intestinal mucosa. These properties, together with the safe toxicological profile, make chitosan–S–S–MPPT a valuable carrier for mucoadhesive drug delivery systems and a promising matrix for the development of antimicrobial excipients.     

Alginate encapsulated bioadhesive chitosan microspheres for intestinal drug delivery.

Sustained intestinal delivery of drugs such as 5-fluorouracil (choice for colon carcinomas) and insulin (for diabetes mellitus) seems to be a feasible alternative to injection therapy. For successful therapy, the drug should be delivered at proper sites (here, the intestine) for long duration, for producing maximum pharmacological activity. We have attempted to develop a formulation that can bypass the acidity of the stomach and release the loaded drug for long periods into the intestine by using the bioadhesiveness of polyacrylic acid, alginate, and chitosan. Bromothymol blue was taken as a model drug. The formulation exhibited bioadhesive property and released the drug for an eight-day period in vitro.     

Tyrosine-derived polycarbonate-silica xerogel nanocomposites for controlled drug delivery

Biodegradable polymer–ceramic composites offer significant potential advantages in biomedical applications where the properties of either polymers or ceramics alone are insufficient to meet performance requirements. Here we demonstrate the highly tunable mechanical and controlled drug delivery properties accessible with novel biodegradable nanocomposites prepared by non-covalent binding of silica xerogels and co-polymers of tyrosine–poly(ethylene glycol)-derived poly(ether carbonate). The Young’s moduli of the nanocomposites exceed by factors of 5–20 times those of the co-polymers or of composites made with micron scale silica particles. Increasing the fraction of xerogel in the nanocomposites increases the glass transition temperature and the mechanical strength, but decreases the equilibrium water content, which are all indicative of strong non-covalent interfacial interactions between the co-polymers and the silica nanoparticles. Sustained, tunable controlled release of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic therapeutic agents from the nanocomposites is demonstrated with two clinically significant drugs, rifampicin and bupivacaine. Bupivacaine exhibits an initial small burst release followed by slow release over the 7 day test period. Rifampicin release fits the diffusion-controlled Higuchi model and the amount released exceeds the dosage required for treatment of clinically challenging infections. These nanocomposites are thus attractive biomaterials for applications such as wound dressings, tissue engineering substrates and stents.     

白蛋白纳米粒的制备及内耳跨膜给药的初步研究

目的 目前在临床上国内外尚无对内耳病局部用药的缓释剂,本研究旨在探讨能否将白蛋白纳米粒载体材料作为鼓室跨膜给药缓释剂.方法 采用去溶剂化法制备空白白蛋白纳米粒并进行系统表征和细胞毒性评价.为便于观察,选取一种红色荧光染料即罗丹明B（RhB）作为模型药物,以物理吸附方式与空白白蛋白纳米粒结合形成载药白蛋白纳米粒,测定其载药量、包封率及体外药物释放曲线,同时采用小动物活体成像技术观察其注入豚鼠听泡内跨圆窗膜转运扩散情况.结果 制备的白蛋白纳米粒为实心球形,表面光滑,平均粒径大小为476 nm,Zeta电位为15.4 mV.体外药物释放结果表明,该纳米粒具有缓释效果.经戊二醛交联固定的白蛋白纳米粒具有一定的细胞毒性;而经热变性处理的白蛋白纳米粒具有较好的细胞相容性.小动物活体成像实验可以看到RhB在听泡内滞留扩散,而后经解剖观察,证明白蛋白纳米粒可在圆窗膜表面附着并穿越圆窗膜实现跨膜向耳蜗内转运.结论 制备的白蛋白纳米粒结构完整,制备方法简单、无毒性,可以很好地包载药物并具有缓释功能,为进一步制备可注射跨圆窗膜定向缓释纳米凝胶奠定了坚实的基础.     

Hierarchical targeted hepatocyte mitochondrial multifunctional chitosan nanoparticles for anticancer drug delivery

The overwhelming majority of drugs exert their pharmacological effects after reaching their target sites of action, however, these target sites are mainly located in the cytosol or intracellular organelles. Consequently, delivering drugs to the specific organelle is the key to achieve maximum therapeutic effects and minimum side-effects. In the work reported here, we designed, synthesized, and evaluated a novel mitochondrial-targeted multifunctional nanoparticles (MNPs) based on chitosan derivatives according to the physiological environment of the tumor and the requirement of mitochondrial targeting drug delivery. The intelligent chitosan nanoparticles possess various functions such as stealth, hepatocyte targeting, multistage pH-response, lysosomal escape and mitochondrial targeting, which lead to targeted drug release after the progressively shedding of functional groups, thus realize the efficient intracellular delivery and mitochondrial localization, inhibit the growth of tumor, elevate the antitumor efficacy, and reduce the toxicity of anticancer drugs. It provides a safe and efficient nanocarrier platform for mitochondria targeting anticancer drug delivery.     

Sol-gel-processed sintered silica xerogel as a carrier in controlled drug delivery.

Sol-gel-processed sintered silica xerogel was studied as a controllable, dissolvable, implantable material. The erosion of the matrix and the release of the preadsorbed drug toremifene citrate was investigated both in vitro and in vivo using mice. In an in vitro dissolution study, 50 to 60% of the drug was released after 24 h, according to the square root of time kinetics, and the weight loss of the silica was 24 wt %. Silica xerogel with tritium-labeled toremifene was implanted subcutaneously in mice for 56 days. To determine the amount of tritiated drug remaining in the silica disks at the implantation site, the disks were excised periodically and the radioactivity measured. About 40% of the radioactivity was released during the first 4 days and all of it within 28 days. Radioactivity also was measured in the liver, lungs, kidneys, uterus, and blood. The radioactivity reached a maximum level after 4 days in the liver, kidneys, and lungs and slowly decreased until all of the drug had been released from the matrix after 28 days. After release of the drug (28 days) the amount of remaining silica xerogel implant was 45 wt %, and at the end of the study (56 days) it was 24 wt %. In the histopathological study, sintered silica xerogel did not show any tissue toxicity at the site of the implantation, in the liver, or in the kidneys. It was concluded that sintered silica xerogel is a biocompatible and controllably resorbable material and therefore is a promising matrix for use in the sustained delivery of drugs.     

药物控释用海藻酸钠、壳聚糖、明胶的研究进展

由于许多药物如肽或蛋白质药物,物理化学性质不稳定,在胃肠道中极易降解.因此,在口服释药设计中,pH敏感水凝胶如海藻酸钠、壳聚糖和明胶作为药物控制释放载体日益引起人们的关注.将针对三种天然高分子材料的来源、结构、性能及共混改性展开讨论.     

Review paper: critical issues in tissue engineering: biomaterials, cell sources, angiogenesis, and drug delivery systems

Tissue engineering is a newly emerging biomedical technology, which aids and increases the repair and regeneration of deficient and injured tissues. It employs the principles from the fields of materials science, cell biology, transplantation, and engineering in an effort to treat or replace damaged tissues. Tissue engineering and development of complex tissues or organs, such as heart, muscle, kidney, liver, and lung, are still a distant milestone in twenty-first century. Generally, there are four main challenges in tissue engineering which need optimization. These include biomaterials, cell sources, vascularization of engineered tissues, and design of drug delivery systems. Biomaterials and cell sources should be specific for the engineering of each tissue or organ. On the other hand, angiogenesis is required not only for the treatment of a variety of ischemic conditions, but it is also a critical component of virtually all tissue-engineering strategies. Therefore, controlling the dose, location, and duration of releasing angiogenic factors via polymeric delivery systems, in order to ultimately better mimic the stem cell niche through scaffolds, will dictate the utility of a variety of biomaterials in tissue regeneration. This review focuses on the use of polymeric vehicles that are made of synthetic and/or natural biomaterials as scaffolds for three-dimensional cell cultures and for locally delivering the inductive growth factors in various formats to provide a method of controlled, localized delivery for the desired time frame and for vascularized tissue-engineering therapies.     

Temporally controlled multiple-gene delivery in scaffolds: A promising strategy to enhance bone regeneration

Bone defects sometimes require more effective repair regimens than conventional clinical therapies can provide. On account of this, tissue-engineered scaffolds have emerged as a promising alternative. Scaffolds that release genes encoding growth factors (GFs) offer additional benefits for bone regeneration in comparison with scaffolds providing protein delivery. The present gene delivery systems focus on unitary or dual genes delivery without controlled release. In the meantime, evidences indicate that bone formation is a complex cascade of events, in which time-dependent expression of multiple growth factors is involved. In our hypothesis, a temporally controlled, multi-gene delivery system embedded in a scaffold matrix can be fabricated; such a system is capable of mimicking the expression of growth factor profile in osteogenesis. Consequently, bone regeneration can be promoted by sequential gene expression of multiple growth factors.     

Core-shell microspheres by dispersion polymerization as promising delivery systems for proteins

Functional poly(methyl methacrylate) core-shell microspheres were prepared by dispersion polymerization. An appropriate selection of experimental parameters and in particular of the initiator and stabilizer amount and of the medium solvency power allowed a monodisperse sample as large as 600 nm to be prepared. To this purpose, low initiator concentration, high steric stabilizer amount and a low solvency power medium were employed. The microspheres present a core-shell structure in which the outer shell is constituted by the steric stabilizer which affords carboxylic groups able to interact with basic proteins, such as trypsin, whose adsorption is essentially driven by the carboxylic group density in the microsphere shell. Finally, fluorescent microspheres were prepared for biodistribution studies and shown to be readily taken up by the cells both in vitro and in vivo. These results suggest that these microspheres are promising delivery systems for the development of novel protein-based vaccines.     

Chitosan-based thermosensitive hydrogel as a promising ocular drug delivery system: Preparation, characterization, and in vivo evaluation

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of in situ thermosensitive hydrogel based on chitosan in combination with disodium α-d-Glucose 1-phosphate (DGP) for ocular drug delivery system. Aqueous solution of chitosan/DGP underwent sol-gel transition as temperature increased which was flowing sol at room temperature and then turned into non-flowing hydrogel at physiological temperature. The properties of gels were characterized regarding gelation time, gelation temperature, and morphology. The sol-to-gel phase transition behaviors were affected by the concentrations of chitosan, DGP and the model drug levocetirizine dihydrochloride (LD). The developed hydrogel presented a characteristic of a rapid release at the initial period followed by a sustained release and remarkably enhanced the cornea penetration of LD. The results of ocular irritation demonstrated the excellent ocular tolerance of the hydrogel. The ocular residence time for the hydrogel was significantly prolonged compared with eye drops. The drug-loaded hydrogel produced more effective anti-allergic conjunctivitis effects compared with LD aqueous solution. These results showed that the chitosan/DGP thermosensitive hydrogel could be used as an ideal ocular drug delivery system in terms of the suitable sol-gel transition temperature, mild pH environment in the hydrogel as well as the organic solvent free.     

Poly (acrylic acid) chitosan interpolymer complexes for stomach controlled antibiotic delivery

The aim of this study was to develop a stomach-specific drug delivery system to increase the efficacy of amoxicillin against Helicobacter pylori. Polyacrylic acid (PAA), chitosan (CS), and amoxicillin (A) were employed to obtain polyionic complexes. The design of the hydrogel delivery system was based on the swellable approach; with a floating feature to prolong the Gastric Residence Time (GRT). The polyionic complex (PAA:CS:A 2.5:5:2) showed a sustained drug release profile in enzyme-free simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and pH 4.0. A pH independent swelling-eroding pattern with adequate maximum swelling ratios of 17.76 and 13.42 was obtained at in SGF and pH 4.0, respectively, with similar eroding profiles in both pH media. This network carrier provides an amoxicillin protective effect towards the hydrolytic degradation in SGF. The in vivo study was performed on healthy volunteers, using the [13C] octanoic acid breath test. The proposed hydrogel showed a prolonged GRT of up to 3 h. The preliminary results from this study suggest that amoxicillin polyionic complexes have potential for improving local antibiotic therapy against H. pylori.     

Nanostructured materials for applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering

Research in the areas of drug delivery and tissue engineering has witnessed tremendous progress in recent years due to their unlimited potential to improve human health. Meanwhile, the development of nanotechnology provides opportunities to characterize, manipulate and organize matter systematically at the nanometer scale. Biomaterials with nano-scale organizations have been used as controlled release reservoirs for drug delivery and artificial matrices for tissue engineering. Drug-delivery systems can be synthesized with controlled composition, shape, size and morphology. Their surface properties can be manipulated to increase solubility, immunocompatibility and cellular uptake. The limitations of current drug delivery systems include suboptimal bioavailability, limited effective targeting and potential cytotoxicity. Promising and versatile nano-scale drug-delivery systems include nanoparticles, nanocapsules, nanotubes, nanogels and dendrimers. They can be used to deliver both small-molecule drugs and various classes of biomacromolecules, such as peptides, proteins, plasmid DNA and synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides. Whereas traditional tissue-engineering scaffolds were based on hydrolytically degradable macroporous materials, current approaches emphasize the control over cell behaviors and tissue formation by nano-scale topography that closely mimics the natural extracellular matrix (ECM). The understanding that the natural ECM is a multifunctional nanocomposite motivated researchers to develop nanofibrous scaffolds through electrospinning or self-assembly. Nanocomposites containing nanocrystals have been shown to elicit active bone growth. Drug delivery and tissue engineering are closely related fields. In fact, tissue engineering can be viewed as a special case of drug delivery where the goal is to accomplish controlled delivery of mammalian cells. Controlled release of therapeutic factors in turn will enhance the efficacy of tissue engineering. From a materials point of view, both the drug-delivery vehicles and tissue-engineering scaffolds need to be biocompatible and biodegradable. The biological functions of encapsulated drugs and cells can be dramatically enhanced by designing biomaterials with controlled organizations at the nanometer scale. This review summarizes the most recent development in utilizing nanostructured materials for applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering.