Introduction Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are of great interest due to their unique and controllable characteristics. Different synthesis methods have been proposed to produce these nanoparticles, which often require elevated temperatures/pressures or toxic solvents. Thus, green synthesis could be a replacement option as a simple, economically viable and environmentally friendly alternative approach for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. Methods Here, the potential of the walnut green husk was investigated in the production of silver nanoparticles. An aqueous solution extracted from walnut green husk was used as a reducing agent as well as a stabilizing agent. Then, the synthesized nanoparticles were characterized with respect of their anticancer, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. Results Results showed that the synthesized nanoparticles possessed an average size of 31.4 nm with a Zeta potential of -33.8 mV, indicating high stability. A significant improvement in the cytotoxicity and antioxidant characteristics of the green synthesized Ag nanoparticles against a cancerous cell line was observed in comparison with the walnut green husk extract and a commercial silver nanoparticle (CSN). This could be due to a synergistic effect of the synthesized silver nanoparticles and their biological coating. AgNPs and the extract exhibited 70% and 40% cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cancerous cells, respectively, while CSN caused 56% cell death (at the concentration of 60 µg/mL). It was observed that AgNPs were much less cytotoxic when tested against a noncancerous cell line (L-929) in comparison with the control material (CSN). The free radical scavenging analysis demonstrated profound anti-oxidant activity for the synthesized nanoparticles in comparison with the extract and CSN. It was also detected that the synthesized AgNPs possess antibacterial activity against nosocomial and standard strains of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (minimum inhibitory concentration =5-30 µg/mL). Conclusion These findings imply that the synthesized nanoparticles using green nanotechnology could be an ideal strategy to combat cancer and infectious diseases.

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Selective cytotoxicity of green synthesized silver nanoparticles against the MCF-7 tumor cell line and their enhanced antioxidant and antimicrobial properties

Design of liposomes as drug delivery system for therapeutic applications.

In the golden age of pharmaceutical nanocarriers, we are witnessing a maturation stage of the original concepts and ideas. There is no doubt that nanoformulations are extremely valuable tools for drug delivery applications; the current challenge is how to optimize them to ensure that they are safe, effective and scalable, so that they can be manufactured at an industrial level and advance to clinical use. In this context, lipid nanoparticles have gained ground, since they are generally regarded as non-toxic, biocompatible and easy-to-produce formulations. Pharmaceutical applications of lipid nanocarriers are a burgeoning field for the transport and delivery of a diversity of therapeutic agents, from biotechnological products to small drug molecules. This review starts with a brief overview of the characteristics of solid lipid nanoparticles and discusses the relevancy of performing systematic preformulation studies. The main applications, as well as the advantages that this type of nanovehicles offers in certain therapeutic scenarios are discussed. Next, pharmacokinetic aspects are described, such as routes of administration, absorption after oral administration, distribution in the organism (including brain penetration) and elimination processes. Safety and toxicity issues are also addressed. Our work presents an original point of view, addressing the biopharmaceutical aspects of these nanovehicles by means of descriptive statistics of the state-of-the-art of solid lipid nanoparticles research. All the presented results, trends, graphs and discussions are based in a systematic (and reproducible) bibliographic search that considered only original papers in the subject, covering a 7 years range (2013-today), a period that accounts for more than 60% of the total number of publications in the topic in the main bibliographic databases and search engines. Focus was placed on the therapeutic fields of application, absorption and distribution processes and current efforts for the translation into the clinical practice of lipid-based nanoparticles. For this, the currently active clinical trials on lipid nanoparticles were reviewed, with a brief discussion on what achievements or milestones are still to be reached, as a way of understanding the reasons for the scarce number of solid lipid nanoparticles undergoing clinical trials.

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Solid Lipid Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery: Pharmacological and Biopharmaceutical Aspects

Background The word “nutraceutical” can be defined as a food substance or part of it, which provides the body with medical or health benefits, including disease prevention and therapy. Scope and approach Nutraceuticals are a natural way to achieve therapeutic outcome with minimal or no side effects. However, they are subject to degradation resulting from exposure to environmental factors such as humidity, oxygen, heat, light and extreme pH values. Nanoliposome, or nanometric bilayer phospholipid vesicle, is a very promising encapsulation technology for the nutraceutical industry. Protection of sensitive bioactive molecules, storage stability, high loading capacity, enhanced bioavailability, and sustained-release mechanism are among the advantages offered by nanoliposome technology. They can encapsulate lipophilic and hydrophilic material at the same time providing synergistic effect. This article reviews various aspects of nanoliposome technology including their main physicochemical properties, generally employed preparation methods, targeting strategies and their application in food and nutraceutical industries. Key findings and conclusions The great potential of nanoliposomes in food and nutraceutical industries is being rapidly established due to unique properties of these nanocarriers. Considering the global health problems, their utilization for effective disease prevention and health promotion is of vital importance.

Nanoliposome technology for the food and nutraceutical industries

Introduction: Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) are solid core lipid nanocarriers, which can hold both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs. They can be made up of biocompatible ingredients and therefore are one of the preferred choices for drug delivery. Surface modifications of SLNs may further provide unique features to them like mucoadhesiveness or targeting capability.Areas covered: In this review, the authors have covered areas from the basic introduction of SLNs to its applications in controlled drug delivery. More specifically, the authors have covered patents disclosed related to the SLNs for the period 2014-2019; however, a summary of patents of 2008-2013 is also included.Expert opinion: SLNs have been explored for development of compositions/formulations with improved therapeutics or cosmetic applications or for nutraceutical applications. Targeted SLNs compositions have been patented as evidenced from the literature; however, not such types of enough SLNs formulations have been claimed for the same.

Solid lipid nanoparticles: a review on recent perspectives and patents.

Lipid-based drug delivery systems, or lipidic carriers, are being extensively employed to enhance the bioavailability of poorly-soluble drugs. They have the ability to incorporate both lipophilic and hydrophilic molecules and protecting them against degradation in vitro and in vivo. There is a number of physical attributes of lipid-based nanocarriers that determine their safety, stability, efficacy, as well as their in vitro and in vivo behaviour. These include average particle size/diameter and the polydispersity index (PDI), which is an indication of their quality with respect to the size distribution. The suitability of nanocarrier formulations for a particular route of drug administration depends on their average diameter, PDI and size stability, among other parameters. Controlling and validating these parameters are of key importance for the effective clinical applications of nanocarrier formulations. This review highlights the significance of size and PDI in the successful design, formulation and development of nanosystems for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and other applications. Liposomes, nanoliposomes, vesicular phospholipid gels, solid lipid nanoparticles, transfersomes and tocosomes are presented as frequently-used lipidic drug carriers. The advantages and limitations of a range of available analytical techniques used to characterize lipidic nanocarrier formulations are also covered.

A Dokhani

Papers

Impact of Particle Size and Polydispersity Index on the Clinical Applications of Lipidic Nanocarrier Systems.