Supercritical fluid technologies to fabricate proliposomes

Proliposomes are stable drug carrier systems designed to form liposomes upon addition of an aqueous phase. In this review, current trends in the use of supercritical fluid (SCF) technologies to prepare proliposomes are discussed. SCF methods are used in pharmaceutical research and industry to address limitations associated with conventional methods of pro/liposome fabrication. The SCF solvent methods of proliposome preparation are eco-friendly (known as green technology) and, along with the SCF anti-solvent methods, could be advantageous over conventional methods; enabling better design of particle morphology (size and shape). The major hurdles of SCF methods include poor scalability to industrial manufacturing which may result in variable particle characteristics. In the case of SCF anti-solvent methods, another hurdle is the reliance on organic solvents. However, the amount of solvent required is typically less than that used by the conventional methods. Another hurdle is that most of the SCF methods used have complicated manufacturing processes, although once the setup has been completed, SCF technologies offer a single-step process in the preparation of proliposomes compared to the multiple steps required by many other methods. Furthermore, there is limited research into how proliposomes will be converted into liposomes for the end-user, and how such a product can be prepared reproducibly in terms of vesicle size and drug loading. These hurdles must be overcome and with more research, SCF methods, especially where the SCF acts as a solvent, have the potential to offer a strong alternative to the conventional methods to prepare proliposomes

Synthesis and characterization of antimicrobial colloidal polyanilines

The potential application of colloidal polyaniline (PANI) as an antimicrobial is limited by challenges related to solubility in common organic solvents, scalability, and antimicrobial potency. To address these limitations, we introduced a functionalized PANI (fPANI) with carboxyl groups through the polymerisation of aniline and 3-aminobenzoic acid in a 1:1 molar ratio. fPANI is more soluble than PANI which was determined using a qualitative study. We further enhanced the solubility and antimicrobial activity of fPANI by incorporating Ag nanoparticles onto the synthesized fPANI colloid via direct addition of 10 mM AgNO3. The improved solubility can be attributed to an approximately 3-fold reduction in size of particles. Mean particle sizes are measured at 1322 nm for fPANI colloid and 473 nm for fPANI-Ag colloid, showing a high dispersion and deagglomeration effect from Ag nanoparticles. Antimicrobial tests demonstrated that fPANI-Ag colloids exhibited superior potency against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, Gram-negative Escherichia coli, and Bacteriophage PhiX 174 when compared to fPANI alone. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and minimum virucidal concentration (MVC) values were halved for fPANI-Ag compared to fPANI colloid and attributed to the combination of Ag nanoparticles with the fPANI polymer. The antimicrobial fPANI-Ag colloid presented in this study shows promising results, and further exploration into scale-up can be pursued for potential biomedical applications

Using Technology in Pharmacy Education: Pharmacy Student Performance and Perspectives When Visual Aids Are Integrated Into Learning

Objectives: The role of the pharmacist has evolved and continues to evolve. The traditional role of the dispenser has been replaced with a patient-centered profession. This requires integration and application of pharmaceutical knowledge and skills to solve patient therapeutic problems and advance patient care. Therefore, having evidence-based teaching strategies for learning within pharmaceutical sciences is essential. New and maturing technologies enable traditional principles of pharmaceutical science to be visualized. We aimed to explore pharmacy students' performance before and after visual aids for learning are integrated within pharmaceutical science teaching. Student's opinions and views of the visual aids were determined.Methods: Students were taught about selected pharmaceutical science concepts at two time points; during the second teaching point, visual aids were introduced. Students' performance was compared before and after the implementation of visual aids using pre and post-quizzes. Alongside the post-quiz an evaluation was also completed by the students; a descriptive analysis was conducted for the Likert-type responses and an in-depth thematic analysis of the student's free-text questions was completed using an iterative process.Results: Significant differences were seen between pre and post-quiz sessions for total score and questions that mapped to the revised-Bloom's taxonomy lower and higher categories. Student evaluation of the visual aids were positive. Interesting themes and subthemes emerged regarding the perspectives of pharmacy students to these visual aids. Students indicated visual aids made it easier to understand, compared to written or verbal explanations, and helped with the application of pharmaceutical science concepts. However, a minority of students reported that the visual aids were irrelevant, or they did not understand them.Conclusion: Students had better performance after the introduction of, and favorable responses to, the visual aids. Visual aids were a beneficial tool in regards to understanding and application of complex concepts. Improvements can be made; tailoring accompanying descriptions and using more repetition

Antimicrobial photocatalytic PANI based-composites for biomedical applications

Surface contamination and transmission can lead to Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI) in a healthcare environment. To tackle this problem, a sustainable antimicrobial coating is desirable. Photocatalytic coatings with titanium dioxide (TiO2) as the main component activated by UV light are one option. In order to implement the coating in a real-world hospital setting the photocatalytic component must show activity under visible light. In this article the TiO2 photocatalyst was synthesised as both 2- and 3- component composites with polyaniline (PANI) or poly(aniline-co-3-aminobenzoic acid) (fPANI) and Ag nanoparticles to achieve photocatalytic performance activated by visible light. The UV-DRS results supported the visible light photocatalytic capability of both 2- and 3-component composite systems, and the ESR spectra exhibited the presence of charge carriers (unpaired electrons), which was confirmed by conductivity studies. The intensity of the ESR peak increases around 3-fold for PANI/fPANI-TiO2-Ag composites compared to pure PANI/fPANI. The conductivity of pure PANI and fPANI was only mildly enhanced in 3-component systems, which could be due to presence of TiO2, whereas the value increased by around three times for PANI/fPANI-Ag 2-component system due to conductive Ag nanoparticles. The composites with fPANI showed improved antimicrobial activity than PANI composites against three representative microorganisms Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and a model viral strain bacteriophage Phi X 174. Finally, we proposed a mechanism for photocatalytic activity for both 2- and 3- component systems

Effects of fecal microbiome transfer in adolescents with obesity: the gut bugs randomized controlled trial

Peer reviewe

A Stability Indicating HPLC Method to Determine Actual Content and Stability of Nicotine within Electronic Cigarette Liquids

(1) Background: Despite the growing use of e-cigarettes, in most countries, there is no regulation covering manufacturing standards of the solution (‘e-liquid’), leading to concerns over the accuracy of labelling and stability of the products under a range of conditions. Following the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements for manufacture of e-liquids, we aimed to develop a simple high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method to determine nicotine content in nicotine-containing e-liquids, even in the presence of degradation products; (2) Methods: We developed an HPLC method to quantify nicotine in the presence of the two major constituents of all e-liquids, glycerine and propylene glycol, and in the presence of degradation products; (3) Results: Our HPLC method performed strongly and was validated according to international guidelines. For the e-liquids tested, nicotine content levels were all higher than labelled (up to 117.9 ± 1.87% of the labelled content). While nicotine was shown to be unstable at 60 °C, it was stabilized at this temperature in the e-liquid formulations for up to 10 days; and (4) Conclusions: The HPLC method is suitable for adoption by laboratories to determine the actual content and stability of nicotine-containing products. The higher than labelled nicotine levels in e-liquids raises clinical and public health concerns

Increasing the Hydrophobic Component of Poloxamers and the Inclusion of Salt Extend the Release of Bupivacaine from Injectable In Situ Gels, While Common Polymer Additives Have Little Effect

Various strategies have been applied to reduce the initial burst of drug release and sustain release from poloxamer-based thermoresponsive gels. This work focussed on investigating different formulation approaches to minimise the initial burst of release and sustain the release of the small hydrophilic drug bupivacaine hydrochloride from poloxamer-based thermoresponsive gels. Various in situ gel formulations were prepared by varying the polypropylene oxide (PPO)/polyethylene oxide (PEO) ratio and by adding additives previously described in the literature. It was observed that increasing the PPO/PEO ratio from 0.28 to 0.30 reduced the initial burst release from 17.3% ± 1.8 to 9.1% ± 1.2 during the first six hours and extended the release profile from 10 to 14 days. Notably, the inclusion of sodium chloride (NaCl 0.4% w/w) further reduced the initial burst release to 1.8% ± 1.1 over the first 6 h. Meanwhile, physical blending with additive polymers had a negligible effect on the burst release and overall release profile. The findings suggest that extended release of bupivacaine hydrochloride, with reduced initial burst release, can be achieved simply by increasing the PPO/PEO ratio and the inclusion of NaCl

Injectable In Situ Gelling System for Sustained Nicotine Delivery as a Replacement Therapy for Smoking Cessation

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is widely used to limit the withdrawal symptoms associated with cigarette smoking cessation. However, the available NRT formulations are limited by their short release profiles, requiring frequent administrations along with local side effects. Thus, the objective of this study is to develop an NRT formulation that offers prolonged, sustained nicotine release. Thermoresponsive in situ gelling systems containing nicotine were prepared using poloxamer 407 (P407) and poloxamer 188 (P188). The system was optimized using a three-factor, two-level full factorial design (23). A formulation composed of P407 (20% w/w), P188 (5% w/w), and loaded with nicotine (0.5% w/w) exhibited sol-to-gel transition at a suitable temperature close to physiological temperature (30 °C). The rheological analysis demonstrated a Newtonian-like flow at room temperature, suggesting ease of administration via injection, and semisolid gel status at physiological temperature. The optimized formulation successfully sustained nicotine in vitro release over 5 days following single administration. The findings suggest that poloxamer based in situ gelling systems are promising platforms to sustain the release of nicotine

Generation of direct current electrical fields as regenerative therapy for spinal cord injury: A review

Electrical stimulation (ES) shows promise as a therapy to promote recovery and regeneration after spinal cord injury. ES therapy establishes beneficial electric fields (EFs) and has been investigated in numerous studies, which date back nearly a century. In this review, we discuss the various engineering approaches available to generate regenerative EFs through direct current electrical stimulation and very low frequency electrical stimulation. We highlight the electrode–tissue interface, which is important for the appropriate choice of electrode material and stimulator circuitry. We discuss how to best estimate and control the generated field, which is an important measure for comparability of studies. Finally, we assess the methods used in these studies to measure functional recovery after the injury and treatment. This work reviews studies in the field of ES therapy with the goal of supporting decisions regarding best stimulation strategy and recovery assessment for future work