Assay for lipid peroxides in animal tissues by thiobarbituric acid reaction

Electrospinning has emerged as one of the potential techniques for producing nanofibers. The use of electrospun nanofibers in drug delivery has increased rapidly over recent years due to their valuable properties, which include a large surface area, high porosity, small pore size, superior mechanical properties, and ease of surface modification. A drug loaded nanofiber membrane can be prepared via electrospinning using a model drug and polymer solution; however, the release of the drug from the nanofiber membrane in a safe and controlled way is challenging as a result of the initial burst release. Employing a core-sheath design provides a promising solution for controlling the initial burst release. Numerous studies have reported on the preparation of core-sheath nanofibers by coaxial electrospinning for drug delivery applications. This paper summarizes the physical phenomena, the effects of various parameters in coaxial electrospinning, and the usefulness of core-sheath nanofibers in drug delivery. Furthermore, this report also highlights the future challenges involved in utilizing core-sheath nanofibers for drug delivery applications.

https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/11/7/305/pdf

Drug Delivery Applications of Core-Sheath Nanofibers Prepared by Coaxial Electrospinning: A Review.

Recent advances in nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery

Functional bowel disorders (FBD), mainly irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional constipation (FC, also called chronic idiopathic constipation), are very common worldwide. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, although less common, has a strong impact on patients' quality of life, as well as being highly expensive for our healthcare. A definite cure for those disorders is still yet to come. Over the years, several therapeutic approaches complementary or alternative to traditional pharmacological treatments, including probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, fibre and herbal medicinal products, have been investigated for the management of both groups of diseases. However, most available studies are biased by several drawbacks, including small samples and poor methodological quality. Probiotics, in particular Saccharomyces boulardii and Lactobacilli (among which Lactobacillus rhamnosus), synbiotics, psyllium, and some herbal medicinal products, primarily peppermint oil, seem to be effective in ameliorating IBS symptoms. Synbiotics and fibre seem to be beneficial in FC patients. The probiotic combination VSL#3 may be effective in inducing remission in patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis, in whom Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 seems to be as effective as mesalamine in maintaining remission. No definite conclusions can be drawn as to the efficacy of fibre and herbal medicinal products in IBD patients due to the low number of studies and the lack of randomized controlled trials that replicate the results obtained in the individual studies conducted so far. Thus, further, well-designed studies are needed to address the real role of these therapeutic options in the management of both FBD and IBD.

Linked Articles
This article is part of a themed section on Principles of Pharmacological Research of Nutraceuticals. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v174.11/issuetoc

https://bpspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/bph.13632

Probiotics, fibre and herbal medicinal products for functional and inflammatory bowel disorders.

Colon targeted drug delivery systems have gained a great deal of attention as potential carriers for the local treatment of colonic diseases with reduced systemic side effects and also for the enhanced oral delivery of various therapeutics vulnerable to acidic and enzymatic degradation in the upper gastrointestinal tract. In recent years, the global pharmaceutical market for biologics has grown, and increasing demand for a more patient-friendly drug administration system highlights the importance of colonic drug delivery as a noninvasive delivery approach for macromolecules. Colon-targeted drug delivery systems for macromolecules can provide therapeutic benefits including better patient compliance (because they are pain-free and can be self-administered) and lower costs. Therefore, to achieve more efficient colonic drug delivery for local or systemic drug effects, various strategies have been explored including pH-dependent systems, enzyme-triggered systems, receptor-mediated systems, and magnetically-driven systems. In this review, recent advancements in various approaches for designing colon targeted drug delivery systems and their pharmaceutical applications are covered with a particular emphasis on formulation technologies.

https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/12/1/68/pdf

Strategic Approaches for Colon Targeted Drug Delivery: An Overview of Recent Advancements.

Nanofiber based drug delivery systems for skin: A promising therapeutic approach

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract with unclear etiology, namely ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Various drug therapies including aminosalicylates and immunomodulators have been approved for use; they have shown to produce diverse side effects. To overcome these limitations of the current therapeutics for IBD, extensive research is underway to identify drugs that are effective and free of undesirable side effects. Recently, various naturally occurring phytochemicals that cover a wide range of chemical entities such as polyphenols, terpeniods, flavonoids, and alkaloids have received attention as alternative candidates for IBD therapy. These phytochemicals act by modulating the immune response, various transcription factors, or reduce cytokine secretion. This review summarizes the findings of recent studies on phytochemicals as therapeutic agents in the management of IBD.

Phytochemicals and their potential usefulness in inflammatory bowel disease.

Enhanced skin permeation of Methotrexate from penetration enhancer containing vesicles: In vitro optimization and in vivo evaluation.

Optimization and evaluation of mucoadhesive buccal films loaded with resveratrol

Background Pterostilbene has a proven chemopreventive effect for colon carcinogenesis but suffers low bioavailability limitations and therefore unable to reach the colonic tissue. Objective and methodology To overcome the issue of low bioavailability, pterostilbene was formulated into an oral colon targeted beads by ionic gelation method using pectin and zinc acetate. Optimization was carried out by 23 factorial design whereby the effect of pectin concentration (X1), zinc acetate concentration (X2) and pterostilbene:pectin ratio (X3) were studied on entrapment efficiency (Y1) and in vitro drug release till 24 h (Y2). The optimized beads were characterized for shape and size, swelling and surface morphology. The optimized beads were uniformly coated with Eudragit S-100 using fluidized bed coater. Optimized coated beads were characterized for in vitro drug release till 24 h and surface morphology. Pharmacokinetic and organ distribution study were performed in rats to ascertain the release of pterostilbene in colon. Results The optimized formulation comprised of 2% w/v of pectin concentration (X1), 2% w/v of zinc acetate concentration (X2) and 1:4 of pterostilbene:pectin ratio (X3), which showed a satisfactory entrapment efficiency (64.80%) and in vitro release (37.88%) till 24 h. The zinc pectinate beads exhibited sphericity, uniform size distribution, adequate swelling and rough surface. The optimized coated beads achieved 15% weight gain, displayed smooth surface and optimum drug release. Pterostilbene from optimized coated beads appeared in the plasma at 14 h and reached the Cmax at 22 h (Tmax), whereas plain pterostilbene exhibited Tmax of 3 h. Discussion and conclusion Thus, larger distribution of pterostilbene was obtained in the colonic tissue compared to stomach and small intestinal tissues. Thus, delayed Tmax and larger distribution of pterostilbene in colonic tissue confirmed the targeting of beads to colon.

Bhakti Sadarani

Papers

Nanofiber based drug delivery systems for skin: A promising therapeutic approach

Phytochemicals and their potential usefulness in inflammatory bowel disease.

Enhanced skin permeation of Methotrexate from penetration enhancer containing vesicles: In vitro optimization and in vivo evaluation.

Optimization and evaluation of mucoadhesive buccal films loaded with resveratrol

Colon targeted beads loaded with pterostilbene: Formulation, optimization, characterization and in vivo evaluation.