Microemulsions as Nanotemplates: A Soft and Versatile Approach

Template efficacy of microemulsions in generating nanoparticles has garnered considerable attention in the world of colloidal science. A microemulsion is an optically isotropic and thermodynamically stable colloidal dispersion, which possess spherical droplets (either of W/O or O/W) of the size <50 nm. In microemulsions, the spontaneous formation of domains of nanometric dimensions significantly facilitates their exploitation as potential nanoreactors for the production of stable nanoparticles (due to their cost-effectiveness and ease of preparation). The present chapter provides an overview of microemulsions as efficient nanotemplates, with a detailed account of plausible nanomaterials, i.e., metallic nanoparticles, quantum dots, polymeric nanoparticles, mesoporous silica nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, etc. Based on the high surface area, good crystallinity, controllable particle size, outstanding catalytic, and magnetic properties, the exploitation of nanoparticles as efficient catalysts and drug delivery modules has also been highlighted

Experimental validation of biocompatible nanostructured lipid carriers of sophorolipid: Optimization, characterization and in-vitro evaluation

To date, the potential of sophorolipids (an important class of glycolipids) has been exploited solely as amphipathic molecules but their ability to formulate lipid nanoparticles has never been explored. In this report, for the first time, lipid nanostructures coated with polysorbates (Tweens) were formulated by a hot dispersion method. By varying the amount of lipid, type of surfactant, and alcohol, dilution ratio etc., the formulation was optimized with respect to its stability, which is a central aspect of their potential applications. Their comprehensive physicochemical characterization was done using static and dynamic light scattering (SLS, DLS), small angle neutron scattering (SANS), zeta-potential, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. Further hemolysis study was conducted to understand the in-vitro cytotoxicity levels of the lipidic nanoparticles prior to its application as a potent drug delivery device for countermanding the problems associated with challenging tuberculosis and leprosy drug-Rifampicin. Attaining high entrapment efficiency and sustained release from the developed carrier, further interaction with bovine serum albumin was investigated, to understand the in-vivo behavior of the nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs)

Comparative study of sevoflurane versus propofol for laryngeal mask airway insertion in adults

Background: Propofol is a preferred induction agent for laryngeal mask airway (LMA) insertion due to its propensity of suppressing oropharyngeal and cough reflexes. Sevoflurane is a nonpungent inhalation anesthetic agent which can be used as an induction agent.&nbsp;The aim of the present study was to compare Sevoflurane versus Propofol for laryngeal mask airway insertion in adults. Material and methods: The present study was carried out in 300 patients to compare Sevoflurane versus Propofol for laryngeal mask airway insertion in adults. In Group-A: induction with propofol and in Group-B: induction was done with inhalational sevoflurane 8. Various vital parameters and other clinical parameters were recorded and compared in both the groups. The statistical analysis was done. Results:Propofol &nbsp;needed leser time to loss of eyelash reflex, Time to jaw relaxation, Time to completion of successful insertion of Laryngeal Mask Airway. The percentage of patients who had successful LMA insertion at first attempt was larger with propofol. The duration of apnea was longer in group propofol. Excitatory movement was more in group propofol. Cough, laryngospasm was absent in propofol. Hiccups was absent in both groups. During insertion of LMA, coughing, gagging was absent in group sevoflurane and laryngospasm was absent in propofol.&nbsp

Physicochemical stimuli as tuning parameters to modulate the structure and stability of nanostructured lipid carriers and release kinetics of encapsulated antileprosy drugs

To unveil the effect of electrolyte concentration, pH and polymer addition on Tween 80 stabilized nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs, based on dialkyldimethylammonium bromides DxDAB and Na oleate), an in-depth scattering analysis was performed. Dynamic and static light scattering (DLS/SLS) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) techniques along with zeta potential studies were exploited to understand the structural evolution and physical stability of NLCs. In these experiments, we varied the salt concentration, pH, and the admixture of Pluronic F127 in order to elucidate their effect on NLC morphologies. In most cases, two populations of different sizes are present which differ by one order of magnitude. The antileprosy drugs (ALD) Rifampicin and Dapsone were encapsulated in NLCs and the vector properties were assessed for a series of DxDAB (where x = 12, 14, 16 and 18) NLCs. The influence of composition on the entrapment and release behavior of NLCs was investigated: The size of NLCs correlates with the release rate of the incorporated drug. The interaction of drug-loaded NLCs with bovine serum albumin was studied to understand the release of ALD in the plasma

Effect of lipid chain length on nanostructured lipid carriers: Comprehensive structural evaluation by scattering techniques

The objective of the present investigation was to evaluate nano-dispersed systems of differently chained lipids (solid phases) using various scattering techniques. Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) were fabricated by employing the microemulsification methodology in which dialkyldimethyl ammonium bromide (DxDAB) of different alkyl chain length (x=12, 14, 16, 18) and oleic acid were used as the solid lipid and liquid lipid, respectively. For the first time, the effect of DxDAB as a function of the chain length of the double alkyl chain on the structural characteristics of NLCs was investigated. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and static light scattering (SLS) results showed that a small but systematic size increase occurs with increase in the chain length ‘x’ of the DxDAB from 12 to 16, yet D18DAB based NLCs exhibited the smallest size irrespective of its higher hydrophobicity. Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) analysis revealed the structural make up of NLCs having spherical nanoparticles and triaxial ellipsoidal core-shell micelles in the system. In-vitro cytotoxicity evaluation indicated that toxicity is simply concentration-dependent phenomena and NLCs with less than 5 mg/mL are preferred for better in-vivo tolerance