DEVELOPMENT OF RIVASTIGMINE LOADED SELF ASSEMBLED NANOSTRUCTURES OF NONIONIC SURFACTANTS FOR BRAIN DELIVERY

Objective: Aim of the study is to develop rivastigmine-loaded niosomal in situ gel via the intranasal route to the brain by crossing the Blood-Brain Barrier. For the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, it provides a speedy onset of action, a faster therapeutic effect, avoidance of the first-pass metabolism, and enhanced bioavailability. Methods: Rivastigmine niosomal in situ nasal gel was developed, refined and tested with the goal of delivering the medicine to the brain via the intranasal route Rivastigmine niosomes were formulated by thin-film hydration technique, optimized using (32) factorial design and characterized for its physicochemical parameters. Rivastigmine-loaded niosomes were further incorporated into Carbopal-934P and HPMC-K4M liquid gelling system to form in situ nasal gel. The resulting solution was evaluated for several parameters including, viscosity at pH 5 and pH 6, gelling capacity and gelling time. Results: Optimized best formulation containing span 60 (A) and cholesterol (B) with (1:0.5) ratio identified from the model developed from Design-Expert®12 software, exhibited Entrapment efficiency (76.5±0.23%), particle size (933.4±0.14 nm), in vitro drug release maximum (68.94±0.26%) at 8th hour and further studied for its characteristics by SEM and TEM showed stable vesicles. Polynomial equations of Y1, Y2, and Y3 were conducted and ANOVA results showed a significant impact (p<0.05) on three levels. In vivo perfusion studies using rat model showed, the niosomes developed has good perfusion compared to pure drug with 27.2% of drug absorption in the brain at the end of 3 h. In vitro permeation of Rivastigmine through the dialysis membrane showed that 60.74% w/w drug permeated after 8 h. The formation of stable vesicles was proved by Zeta potential measurements and SEM analysis. Conclusion: Optimized formulation had greater perfusion and was expected to have a good bioavailability compared to conventional other drug delivery systems

NIOSOMES AS AN EMERGING FORMULATION TOOL FOR DRUG DELIVERY-A REVIEW

Nonionic surfactant based vesicles which are uni/multilamellar in structures are called niosomes. These vesicles contains an aqueous interior surrounded by one or more amphiphilic bilayer membrane forming surfactant which separates them from the bulk solution, and are also called as supramolecular aggregates. Niosomes, being an efficient drug delivery system, investigations are carried out to utilize this system to treat various disorders, to promote improved patient compliance, lesser side effects, reduction in dose, lesser dosage frequency, and higher amount of the drug at the particular site so as to lessen an excessive contact with the whole body. The Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic profile of Niosomal drug delivery system vary for various entrapped drugs. Drugs that are successful in the mitigation or treatment of CNS disorders should cross the BBB to reach the brain, as BBB seems to be an obstacle for a large number of drugs, including CNS active drugs. This article compiles recent techniques for the preparation and characterization of niosomes, the effect of formulation variables on its physicochemical properties and discussed about its effective applications in drug delivery

THERMOSENSITIVE HYDROGELS–A POTENTIAL CARRIER FOR THE DELIVERY OF DRUGS AND MACROMOLECULES

In this review, the authors have discussed scientific advances in thermosensitive hydrogels over the past two decades. The ability of the thermo-sensitive hydrogel to undergo rapid changes with response to temperature makes it an attractive candidate for many biomedical applications such as targeted drug delivery, wound healing, soft contact lenses, sensors, tissue regeneration, gene, and protein delivery. This review aims to deliver a brief overview of gelation properties, merits, and demerits of various natural and synthetic thermo-sensitive polymers that have significant clinical relevance. The report emphasizes the importance of injectable thermosensitive hydrogels, as it can offer improved solubility of hydrophobic drugs and site-specificity, extended-release of drugs and macromolecules, improved safety, and local administration of drugs. The authors has also provided a commentary on the delivery of drugs or macromolecules from thermo-sensitive hydrogels through various approaches. This review highlights the current status of research in thermo-sensitive hydrogels and emphasizes the importance of developing nontoxic thermo-sensitive hydrogels, dual responsive, and multi-responsive hydrogel systems

SCREENING AND OPTIMIZATION OF VALACYCLOVIR NIOSOMES BY DESIGN OF EXPERIMENTS

Objective: The objective of the study was to perform a screening, optimization of valacyclovir niosomal formulation to achieve a sustained release of drug using the design of experiments by 32 full factorial design.Methods: Valacyclovir loaded niosomes were prepared using thin film hydration method by varying the ratio of Span 60 and Cholesterol. The prepared niosomes were evaluated for vesicle size, entrapment efficiency, cumulative drug release, fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), zeta potential and surface morphology by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM).Results: The valacyclovir was successfully encapsulated and its entrapment efficiency ranged from 36.70 % to 50.62 %. The average vesicle size of the niosomes was found to be 431 to 623 nm. At 8th hour the drug release varied from 77.50% to 96.31 %. The optimized niosomes were multilamellar with a surface charge potential of about-43.2 mV. The studies revealed that the interaction of cholesterol and surfactant had a substantial effect on vesicle size, entrapment efficiency and drug release from the niosomes. The release kinetics of the optimized niosomes followed zero order kinetics with fickian diffusion controlled mechanism. The stability studies were performed for the optimized formulation and found that the formulation is stable at 4°C ± 2°C.Conclusion: Model equations were developed for the responses. No significant difference was observed between the predicted and observed value, showing that the developed model is reliable

Effect of drought on gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence of groundnut genotypes

Drought is one of the major threats to groundnut productivity, causing a greater loss than any other abiotic factor. Water stress conditions alter plant photosynthetic activity, impacting future growth and assimilating mobilization towards sink tissues. The purpose of this study was to investigate how drought impacts the photosynthesis of plants and its links to drought tolerance. The influence of reproductive stage drought on photosynthetic activity and chlorophyll fluorescence of groundnut is well studied. The experiment was conducted in Kharif 2019 (Jul-Sep), where recent series in groundnut genotypes (60 nos) sown under rainfed conditions and water stress was created by withholding irrigation for 20 days between 35-55 days after sowing in the field to simulate drought conditions. Imposition of water deficit stress reduced PS II efficiency, which significantly altered the photosynthetic rate in the leaf. Observation of gas exchange parameters viz., photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate after 20 days of stress imposition revealed that of all 60 genotypes, 20 genotypes (VG 17008, VG 17046VG 18005, VG 18102, VG 18077, VG 19572, VG 19709, VG 18111, VG19561, VG19576, VG 19620, VG 19681, VG 19688, etc.,) had better Photosynthetic rate, Stomatal conductance. Similarly, PS II efficiency analyzed through fluorescence meter revealed that among the 60 and all the genotypes given above recorded higher value in Fv/Fm. Results obtained from Cluster analysis and PCA confirmed that photosynthetic rate and Fv/Fm is useful parameter in screening adapted cultivars under drought stress. These findings lay the groundwork for a future study to decipher the molecular pathways underpinning groundnut drought resistance

ADVANCEMENTS IN SCAFFOLD-BASED DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS: A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

In the field of tissue engineering, there is a growing focus on developing strategies for the reconstruction of dysfunctional tissue models through the transplantation of cells using stable scaffolds and biomolecules. Recently, significant attention has been focused on the expansion of dynamically responsive platforms that mimic the extracellular environment, leading to the integration of tissues and organs. The successful regeneration or restoration of tissues relies on the presence of a scaffold that serves as a temporary framework for cell proliferation and extracellular matrix formation. Various methods, including solvent abstraction, freeze drying/abstraction/gelation, particle compression, and phase reversal, can be employed to fabricate scaffolds. In the context of drug delivery systems utilizing polymeric scaffolds, careful consideration of optimal parameters such as drug loading capacity is crucial. Biodegradable polymers and bioceramics are commonly utilized to fabricate scaffolds. This review provides an overview of the significance of scaffolds, the materials employed, and the fabrication techniques utilized in the expansion of scaffolds for sustained drug delivery and tissue engineering applications

Potential for domestic thermal storage to absorb excess renewable energy in a low carbon future

Transition to low carbon electricity generation is key to meet the global emission targets. This requires a drastic shift from the current energy mix dominated by coal and gas to renewables especially wind and solar. Due to the intermittent nature of renewable generation, the probability of generation-demand mismatch is high. This mandates the need for storage of the excess generation in order to prevent curtailment. Utilisation of domestic hot water tanks to absorb this excess provides us with an economical option at a nominal incremental cost. This paper develops a method to quantify the capacity of hot water tanks required and the potential savings in a low carbon future. The results are explained with the UK as a case study. The results indicate that between one and ten Terra Watt hours of curtailment can be expected in the UK in the year 2040. Eighty percent of this energy can be captured if one-fifth of all houses in the UK are equipped with smart hot water tanks

Impact of charging rates on electric vehicle battery life

This article synthesizes the sparse empirical literature on the impact of different charging rates on electric vehicle battery life with a focus on popular electric car models. The findings show that rapid and ultra-rapid charging cause more degradation of the most common electric vehicle batteries than fast charging, although this degradation is limited to an extent by battery management systems. The information in this article can aid in planning the expansion of different types of charging infrastructure and be used to inform drivers who are switching to battery electric vehicles

Drug Utilization of Antimicrobials in Pediatrics Population at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Kancheepuram District of Tamilnadu, India

ABSTRACT Drug utilization is an essential part of Pharmacoepidmology and it describes the extent nature and determinants of drug exposure. The aim of the study was to evaluate drug utilization of antimicrobials in pediatrics at SRM medical college. A prospective cross sectional study was carried out for seven months, totally 109 prescription with antibiotics was collected the most commonly prescribed drugs were third generation cephalosporin's like ceftriaxone(27.9%), cefataxim(20.1%), followed by penicillin's ampicillin(12.9%),amoxicillin(12.9%), and there combinations and the highest reported diseases in pediatrics are broncholitis(24.9%), and acute gastro enteritis(22.0%)

FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF NAPROXEN-EUDRAGIT® RS 100 NANOSUSPENSION USING 32 FACTORIAL DESIGN

Objective: The objective of the present investigation was to develop drug loaded Eudragit® RS100 nanosuspension as a sustained release carrier. Methods: All the nanosuspensions of Naproxen loaded Eudragit® RS100 were prepared using the quasi emulsion solvent diffusion technique at different drug: polymer ratios. The formulation was optimized using design of experiments by employing a 2-factor, 3-level factorial design. The drug: polymer ratio (X1) and speed of homogenization(X2), were the independent variables; particle size (Y1), zeta potential (Y2) and entrapment efficiency (Y3) as dependent variables. The nanosuspensions were studied for particle size analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis and surface morphology by scanning electron microscopy. The in vitro release study of Naproxen from nanosuspension was carried out using dialysis bag with molecular weight cut-off value of 12,000 to 14,000 Daltons. Results: Average particle size of nanosuspension was between 159 to 435nm and zeta potential ranges from 20.7 to 53.5 mV. The statistical analysis of data revealed that drug: polymer ratio(X1) has a significant positive influence on particle size (p=0.0077) whereas a negative influence on zeta potential (p=0.0045) and Entrapment efficiency (p=0.0003). The developed model was validated using two check point formulations and found no significant difference between the predicted and observed values. An optimized formulation was also identified during the study. Conclusion: This investigation demonstrated the potential of the experimental design in understanding the effect of formulation variables on the development of Nanosuspensions. The results assures, nanosuspension are promising sustained release system to the naproxen and many other drugs