Research and development of drug delivery systems based on drug transporter and nano-formulation

In recent years,the continuous occurrence of multi-drug resistance in the clinic has made people pay more attention to the transporter.Changes in the expression and activity of transporters can cause corresponding changes in drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.The drug-drug interactions(DDI)caused by transporters can seriously affect drug effectiveness and toxicity.In the development of pharmaceutical preparations,people have increasingly concerned about the effects and regulation of transporters in drug effects.To improve the targeting and physicochemical properties of drugs,the development of targeted agents is very rapid.Among them,novel nano-formulations are the best.With the continuous innovation and development of nano-formulation,its application has become more and more extensive.Nano-formulation has exerted certain advantages in the drug development based on transporters,and is also involved in the combination of targeted transporters.This review focuses on the application of novel nano-agents targeting transporters and the introduction of drug-transporter-based nano-formulations.

Nano-formulations for transdermal drug delivery:A review

Transdermal drug delivery refers to a means of delivering drugs through the surface of the skin for local or systemic treatment. The drug functions after absorption through the skin into the systemic circulation via capillary action at a certain rate. Use of traditional physical and chemical enhancers to improve the transdermal permeation rate by increasing drug solubility, diffusion coefficient, and reservoir effect is not feasible owing to the toxic side effects of the overuse of chemical penetration enhancers. Nanoformulations generally vary in size and range from 10 nm to 100 nm. The smaller particle size leads to increased drug permeability, stability, retention, and targeting, making nano-formulations suitable for transdermal drug delivery. The different applications of nano-formulations(vesicles or nanoparticles and nanoemulsions) have been widely studied. Here, the classification, characteristics, transdermal mechanism, and application of the most popular nano-formulations in transdermal drug delivery system are reviewed.

Nano-formulated delivery of active ingredients from traditional Chinese herbal medicines for cancer immunotherapy

Cancer immunotherapy has garnered promise in tumor progression, invasion, and metastasis through establishing durable and memorable immunological activity. However, low response rates, adverse side effects, and high costs compromise the additional benefits for patients treated with current chemical and biological agents. Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) are a potential treasure trove of natural medicines and are gaining momentum in cancer immunomodulation with multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics. The active ingredient extracted from CHMs benefit generalized patients through modulating immune response mechanisms. Additionally, the introduction of nanotechnology has greatly improved the pharmacological qualities of active ingredients through increasing the hydrophilicity, stability, permeability, and targeting characteristics, further enhancing anti-cancer immunity. In this review, we summarize the mechanism of active ingredients for cancer immunomodulation, highlight nano-formulated deliveries of active ingredients for cancer immunotherapy, and provide insights into the future applications in the emerging field of nano-formulated active ingredients of CHMs.

Preparation of aripiprazole-poly(methyl vinyl ether-co-maleic anhydride)nanocomposites via supercritical antisolvent process for improved antidepression therapy

Aripiprazole(ARI),a second-generation atypical antipsychotic drug approved for schizophrenia treatment,shows good efficacy against depression.However,the poorly aqueous solubility of ARI leads to low bioavailability and increased dose-related side effects,seriously limiting its application in pharmaceutics.Herein,we demonstrated the fabrication of ARI and poly(methyl vinyl etherco-maleic anhydride)(PVMMA)composite nanoparticles(PA NPs)using the supercritical antisolvent(SAS)process for enhancing its water-solubility and curative anti-depressant effects.Initially,the optimal experimental conditions(ARI/PVMMA mass ratio of 1:6,pressure of 10MPa,and solution flow rate of 0.75ml min^(-1))were determined by a 23 factorial experimental design,resulting in the PA NPs with an excellent particle morphology.In vitro cell experiments showed that PA NPs significantly inhibited the inflammatory response caused by the microglia activation induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS).Similarly,mice behavioral tests demonstrated that PA NPs significantly improved LPS-induced depression-like behavior.Importantly,compared with free ARI,the LPS-induced activation of microglia in the mouse brain and the expression of inflammatory factors in serum were significantly reduced after treatment with PA NPs.Together,the innovative PA NPs designed by SAS processmight provide a candidate for developing new ARI-based nano-formulations.

Curcumin – A review on multipotential phytocompound

Curcumin, a polyphenol (diferuloylmethane), is a derivative obtained from the Curcuma longa. It has many beneficial functions, including pain-killing, activity against reactive oxygen species, preventing inflammation and antibacterial activities, for which it has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medication. The mechanisms showing curcumin activity involve a grouping of signaling pathways in the cell at multiple stages. Recently, the anticancer effects of curcumin were studied on different pathways, including the gene expression for cancer, its spread, the regulation of cell cycle, programmed cell death, and tumor expression. All these studies suggest enormous potential of curcumin in cancer therapy. It has many more potential benefits against cardiovascular diseases, reactive oxygen species, bacteria and fungi. The present review provides a brief description of the studies conducted and the information supportive to pharmaceutical activities of curcumin. It also considers anticancer applications and clinical benefits of nano-formulations of curcumin.