Delivery of Low Molecular Drugs Using Chitosan and Its Derivatives

Nanocarriers (NCs) have emerged as a favored drug delivery approach towards improving the anticancer benefits of several bioactives for cancer therapy with recent reports showing the application of NC systems in clinical settings [18]. The NCs with size < 100 nm have been associated with enhanced permeation and retention effect (EPR) due to the presence of leaky vasculature in the tumor tissues which contributes to its enhanced efficacy. Also recently, NCs have shown to be effective in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma [19]. A recent study by Kanai et al. showed that the NC albumin-bound paclitaxel and carboplatin (nabPC) repetitively achieved tumor regression in malignant mesothelioma

In this study, published in the scientific journal Advanced Materials, Quanyin Hu has created a better way to administer doxorubicin and TRAIL, two anticancer drugs. By using platelets, part of the blood that aids in clotting, to mask the foreign drugs from the body's defense system, these bioengineers caused the drugs to stay in the body for a longer amount of time when compared to the amount of time non-platelet covered anticancer drugs stayed in the body. The results of this experiment showed that platelet covered anticancer drugs stayed in the body longer than the same anticancer drugs surrounded by a nano-gel system. In this experiment, the dependent variable was the amount of time the anticancer drugs stayed in the body of a mouse.

Docetaxel is a member of taxan family (antineoplastic agents) which exert their cytotoxic effects on microtubules [1]. It inhibits the disassembly of tubulin leading to inhibited cell division and cell death [2, 3]. Docetaxel has demonstrated antitumor activity in the treatment of patients with various cancer types [3]. Due to insolubility of the drug in water, a mixture of ethanol and tween 80 (polysorbate 80) has been used in the commercial docetaxel formulation (taxoter®) to enhance the solubility [4]. There are issues associated with the medication, which are believed to be attributed to the formulation ingredients (ethanol/tween 80). These issues include hypersensitivity reactions, lower uptake by tumour tissue, and higher exposure of other body compartments to the drug [5, 6]. Meanwhile, alternate drug delivery systems have been invented to circumvent problems accompanied with docetaxel pharmacotherapy [7, 8] and make desirable alterations in the pharmacokinetic characteristics that could potentially enhance pharmacodynamic outcomes [9].

Oral delivery of anti-cancer drugs is a greater advancement in chemotherapy, which offers “Treatment at Home” a dream of cancer patients that improves patient compliance with reduced adverse effects. Cancer chemotherapy, mostly involves parenteral administration of anti-cancer drugs either by intravenous infusion or bolus injection, which is associated with serious side effects due to high plasma drug levels above maximum tolerable concentration (MTC) and is also less effective route due to the short exposure time of anti-cancer drugs to cancerous tissue by rapid excretion of the drug from systemic circulation [1]. In contrast, oral chemotherapy improves therapeutic efficiency by maintaining reasonable plasma drug levels, prolonged exposure time of anti-cancer drugs and avoids side effects by maintaining the drug concentration below MTC by moderate prolonged absorption from the gastrointestinal tract into systemic circulation [2]. Docetaxel is a highly effective second-generation taxane anticancer drug used in the treatment of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and other tumors [3-6]. However, oral delivery of docetaxel has negligible oral bioavailability ( 99.9%). Accurately weighed sample (4 mg) was placed in a flat bottomed standard aluminium pan and scanned at a scanning speed of 10°C/min from 30○C to 300○C under a nitrogen gas flow of 80 mL/min.

The ongoing nanoparticle systems have provided a semi-solid foundation in mitigating tumours but further arenas are being explored in cancer therapeutics so as to enhance the drug delivery process. The researchers have suggested and made use of nanoparticles in the size range of 1 -100 nm. Nanoparticles are known to elicit a

Reducing toxicity of therapeutic materials is the main aim of developing drug-delivery systems that is achieved using CNTs.1, 2 The intense interest in CNTs is due to the capability of adsorbing or conjugating with a wide variety of medicinal molecules and their unique chemical and physical properties and potential applications from high strength and low weight nanocomposite materials to electronic devices. Drug molecule penetrate through the cancer cell by CNT to treat diseases and thereby potentially reducing the drug side effects by preserving the non-targeted tissues of the patients.3-5 The

NLC were idealized to overcome inherent disadvantages of SLN. Entrapping structure is a blend of solid and liquid, spatially incompatible, lipids that confers distinct characteristics of NLC when compared with other lipid NPs [80]. Indeed, since the matrix of the lipids composing the nanostructured lipid carriers is more amorphous than for SLN, association efficiency is higher and offers a slower release [81]. The nanodroplet of liquid lipid, containing most of the drug to entrap, becomes dispersed within the solid lipid, granting a slower migration of drug to the outer phase and, therefore, a higher entrapment that lasts longer.

3. Beads received much attention not only for prolonged release, but also for targeting of anticancer drugs to the tumour.

Pharmacy is a noble profession, a profession which touches upon lives; which couples medicine and technology, combines chemistry and biology, to produce a cauldron of exciting formulations and an array of opportunities. Pharmaceutics deals with the formulation of a pure drug substance, which may include generic drugs, into dosage forms such as tablets, capsules, creams, gels, ointments, transdermal and transmucosal patches, solutions, sprays, eye and ear drops, injectables and many others. I would like to come up with a creative yet economically viable process for enhancing drug delivery to improve the effectiveness of existing therapies. The scope and versatility of novel drug delivery systems enraptures me, and I am eager to play my part.

Innovation is the key word in the present era. As scientists are engrossed in development of newer drug molecules, there has also been a continuous demand for the development of delivery forms for these drugs. The main focus is on achieving reduced dosage and to make the drugs more cost effective.

Nanotechnology is an expanding research field that involves the engineering of functional systems at the molecular level and is capable of transforming the view of some pharmaceutical companies in the foreseeable future. This review article discusses the current treatment techniques on nanoparticles as carrier systems for the delivery of anticancer drug molecules. A plethora of nanoparticle drug delivery formulations have been tested for their target specificity. The drug delivery system of nanoparticles is designed in such a way that they are independent of their environments and selective at a biological site. Some key features of drug delivery systems include parameters such as molecular weight, pH, particulate size, ionic strength and

Arthritis constitutes represents one of the major serious conditions that negatively impact affect the patients? quality of life (QoL) of affected patients here in Egypt. Arthritis is associated with comorbid conditions, physical and mental debilitation, increased level of depression and negative influence on life expectancy. Thus, great care is directed to effectively treat this medical condition. Unfortunately, conventional medications such as oral analgesics do not always provide an effective cure. Thus, novel approaches have been adopted that involve the use of monoclonal antibodies that target and inhibit the inflammatory mediators, consequently delay disease progress. However, the delivery of proteins into the human body faces many barriers such as enzymatic degradation in addition to undesirable adverse-effects. Thus, it was mandatory to use a carrier that effectively encapsulate the protein, offer adequate protein protection it against in vivo degradation and provide a prolonged and local protein release at the affected site. Hydrogels (HGs) were selected for this purpose due to their biocompatibility and the feasibility to modify their structures to control the protein release. Hydrogel micro-particles are of distinct interest for this aim; as they can be administered by injection. Such microparticles are accessible via water-in-water emulsion systems. However, proteins may encounter

Pharmaceutical – In the pharmaceutical industry context, the principal water-soluble actives desired to be encapsulated are small water-soluble drugs, enzymes, vaccines, peptides and DNA [3]. The primary feature of microcapsules in the pharmaceutical industry is the drug delivery with controlled and targeted release, leading to an increase of the drug

These free water molecules enhance solubility making the protein soluble in water. This leads to improvement in its performance in hydrogels

blood circulation, such as monoclonal antibody-coupled transporters, prodrugs, liposomes, exosomes and modifying nanoparticles’ surface. For instance, among polysorbate 20, 40, 60 and 80, NP coating with polysorbate 80 was shown to be able to cross the BBB after IV injection [64, 65]. However, functionalization of inorganic silica nanoparticles with highly hydrophilic compound might be complicated due to solubility issues.