Mechanoelectrical transduction in chondrocytes

Cartilage tissue lines the joints of mammals, helping to lubricate joint movement and distribute mechanical loads. This tissue is comprised of isolated cells known as chondrocytes which are embedded in an extracellular matrix. Chondrocytes produce and maintain the cartilage by sensing and responding to changing mechanical loads. Mechanosensitive ion channels have been implicated in chondrocyte mechanotransduction and recent studies have shown that both PIEZO1 and TRPV4 can be activated by mechanical stimuli in these cells. The 2 channels mediate separate but overlapping mechanoelectrical transduction pathways, PIEZO1 in response to stretch and substrate deflections and TRPV4 in response to substrate deflections alone. These distinct pathways of mechanoelectrical transduction suggest a mechanism by which chondrocytes can distinguish between different stimuli that arise in their complex mechanical environment.     

Demonstration of pharmaceutical tablet coating process by injection molding technology

We demonstrate the coating of tablets using an injection molding (IM) process that has advantage of being solvent free and can provide precision coat features. The selected core tablets comprising 10% w/w griseofulvin were prepared by an integrated hot melt extrusion-injection molding (HME-IM) process. Coating trials were conducted on a vertical injection mold machine. Polyethylene glycol and polyethylene oxide based hot melt extruded coat compositions were used. Tablet coating process feasibility was successfully demonstrated using different coating mold designs (with both overlapping and non-overlapping coatings at the weld) and coat thicknesses of 150 and 300?μm. The resultant coated tablets had acceptable appearance, seal at the weld, and immediate drug release profile (with an acceptable lag time). Since IM is a continuous process, this study opens opportunities to develop HME-IM continuous processes for transforming powder to coated tablets.     

Lipid nanocarriers as skin drug delivery systems: Properties,mechanisms of skin interactions and medical applications

During the past decades, lipid nanocarriers are gaining momentum with their multiple advantages for the management of skin diseases. Lipid nanocarriers enable to target the therapeutic payload to deep skin layers or even to reach the blood circulation making them a promising cutting-edge technology.Lipid nanocarriers refer to a large panel of drug delivery systems. Lipid vesicles are the most conventional, known to be able to carry lipophilic and hydrophilic active agents. A variety of lipid vesicles with high flexibility and deformability could be obtained by adjusting their composition; namely ethosomes, transfersomes and penetration enhancer lipid vesicles which achieve the best results in term of skin permeation. Others are designed with the objective to perform higher encapsulation rate and higher stability, such as solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid nanocarriers.In this review, we attempted to give an overview of lipid based nanocarriers developed with the aim to enhance dermal and transdermal drug delivery. A special focus is put on the nanocarrier composition, behavior and interaction mechanisms with the skin. Recent applications of lipid-based nanocarriers for the management of skin diseases and other illnesses are highlighted as well.