Recent Patents on Nanotechnology - Volume 14, Issue 4, 2020

Background: Pharmaceutical nanotechnology represents an efficient alternative for the delivery of pharmacologically active plant-derived compounds, considering their protective capacity, oral bioavailability and drug vectorization capacity. In this context, butters obtained from plant seeds have emerged as promising products for the development of pharmacologically active nanostructures. They possess a complex lipid composition, allowing the formation of different emulsion systems with solid cores, since this mixture of different triglycerides is solid at room temperature and body temperature. Therefore, the systematic mapping around the technological development of nanostructures produced from plant-derived butters is potentially valuable for researchers interested in novel alternative formulations for pharmacological therapy, with potential industrial, economic, health and societal impacts. Methods: Systematic review was carried out by the search of scientific papers and patents deposited in official databases concerning the development of nanostructured pharmaceutical products using plantderived butters as starting material. The publications obtained were subjected to sorting and analysis by applying the following inclusion/exclusion criteria. Results: The Solid Lipid Nanoparticle (SLN) was the type of nanostructure produced in all the analyzed scientific papers, due to the physicochemical characteristics of the lipid constituents of plantderived butters. In this sense, 54% of the articles have reported the use of Cocoa Butter for the production of nanostructures; 28% for Shea Butter; 6% for Cupuacu Butter, 6% for Murumuru Butter and 6% for Bacuri Butter. Discussion: In the technological prospection, only two patents exhibited SLN as an invention based on cocoa butter and on shea butter, respectively. The production methods employed have included: phase inversion temperature, microemulsion, hot high pressure homogenization, high shear homogenization and ultrasonication. Conclusion: In light of this prospective review, the encouragement of novel studies in lipids-based nanotechnology is evident, considering the small number of findings so far, in order to stimulate new research involving plant-derived butters from easily cultivated fruits in tropical regions, then stimulating the pharmaceutical development of new therapeutic alternatives using biocompatible and sustainable raw materials.

Background: Poor bioavailability and solubility of drugs in aqueous phase are the most important problems of newly developed chemical entities that can be improved by nanoemulsion. Objectives: BCS class II and IV which are poorly soluble in water demonstrate various problems in conventional dosage forms. For the improvement of solubility, bioavailability and getting the best therapeutic effect of poorly soluble drugs nanoemulsion is the best solution. Methods: Nanoemulsion are thermodynamically unstable isotropic system with droplet size 1-100 nm in which two immiscible fluids are combined together to form one phase by using an emulsifying agent. Nanoemulsion can be designed to promote the bioavailability of API by trapping them inside. Results: Nanoemulsion can be developed in many dosage forms such as oral, parenteral, topical, ophthalmic dosage form in large scale using common operation at a very low cost. Large range of lipophilic drugs can be easily incorporated in nanoemulsion. Conclusion: In this review, attention is focused on the type of nanoemulsions, their advantages over other dosage form, method for their preparation, characterization, applications and patents in various fields.

Background: Graphdiyne has a unique pi-conjugated structure, perfect pore distribution and adjustable electronic properties of sp², sp hybrid planar framework. Due to the presence of acetylenic bonds, it has more excellent properties compared to grapheme, such as a unique structure-dependent Dirac cone, abundant carbon bonds and a large bandgap. As one of the important raw materials for nanodevices, it is extremely important to study the thermal properties of graphdiyne nanoribbon. Objective: This paper mainly introduces and discusses recent academic research and patents on the preparation methods and thermal conductivity of graphdiyne nanoribbons. Besides, the applications in engineering and vacancy defects in the preparation process of graphdiyne are described. Methods: Firstly, taking thermal conductivity as an index, the thermal conductivity of graphdiyne with various vacancy defects is discussed from the aspects of length, defect location and defect type. In addition, the graphdiyne nanoribbons were laterally compared with the thermal conductivity of the graphene nanoribbons. Results: The thermal conductivity of graphdiyne with defects increases with the length and width, which is lower than the intrinsic graphdiyne. The thermal conductivity of the acetylene chain lacking one carbon atom is higher than the one lacking the benzene ring. Typically, the thermal conductivity is larger in armchair than that of zigzag in the same size. Moreover the thermal conductivity of nanoribbons with double vacancy defects is lower than those nanoribbons with single vacancy defects, which can also decrease with the increase of temperature and the number of acetylene chains. The thermal conductivity is not sensitive to shear strain. Conclusion: Due to the unique structure and electronic characteristics, graphdiyne has provoked an extensive research interest in the field of nanoscience. Graphdiyne is considered as one of the most promising materials of next-generation electronic devices.

Background: Technology experts foresee that nanotechnology is the next industrial revolution and it has great potential to bring solutions to many challenges of global relevance in terms of a diverse range of applications. Efficiency-driven economies are transforming into innovation-driven economies where Intellectual Property (IP) plays a pivotal role in achieving a competitive advantage. Whereas industry analysts assert that IP roadblocks will be a severe detriment to the development of nanotechnology due to infringements and high-profile patent battles. Various authors have made a significant effort to analyse the implications of IP on nanotechnology but most of the published literature covers only the years 2000- 2010. Data and insights pertaining to recent developments are lagging behind. Therefore, the objective of this review was to explore cutting-edge empirical evidence towards emerging trends of Intellectual Property protection in nanotechnology, thereby to provide insights aimed at unleashing the full potential of nanotechnology innovation for socio-economic advantage. Materials and Methods: Patent information over the period 2000 to 2018 was collated and analysed to determine the latest trends. To gain a global perspective, nanotechnology patents issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and nanotechnology patents published in the ‘PatentScope’ of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) were surveyed along with literature in relation to nanotechnology commercialization and litigation. Results: Our study revealed that worldwide protection of Intellectual Property in nanotechnology has steadily been increasing year-on-year accounting 3.3 million patent applications filed in 2018 in which China and U.S. are dominating. The other main contributors are Japan, Germany Republic of Korea, France and U.K. Asia has emerged as the single region to file more than half of total filings for the first time thus shifting global IP landscape from Europe to Asia. Another notable finding is that there is a significant growth in trademark registration in many of the leading economies. Top five technology fields with high international patenting activity are computer technology, medical technology, digital communication, electrical machinery and pharmaceuticals where computer technology is dominating. More than 90% of the total patents are granted on materials, devices and processes developed as basic building blocks of nanotechnology at laboratory level which sound as more downstream innovations in the short-term. Amid the upward trends in nanotechnology patenting, newly emerging obstacles pose risks to innovation. A key finding of the present study is that the increasing trend of patent litigation almost follows the same path of patent grants indicating a positive correlation. A global prominence of middle-income and low-income countries in patent filing is yet to emerge which foreshadows an IP divide. Discussions: A secondary market for patent assets is pronounced with many new types of players leading to a high cost of patenting nanotechnology. These trends foreshadow a surge of patent filings in the years to come and the patent offices will be confronted with that ‘surge’ of patent applications of increased complexity and multidisciplinary nature. Patent offices with inadequate efficacy will ultimately produce lowquality patents along with a difficulty to enter into markets and will facilitate exploiting of the IP legal systems to extract rewards for infringement without contributing to innovation or social prosperity of nations. Conclusion: Insights and recommendations given in this paper will enable nanotechnology researchers, inventors, technopreneurs and investors to understand recent trends and global perspectives on implications of IP in nanotechnology and intensifying IP battle thereby to contemplate and succeed in their roadmaps towards leveraging on nanotechnology.

Background: COVID-19 pandemic is a global problem that requires the point of view of basic sciences and medicine as well as social, economics and politics disciplines. Viral particles of coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2 as well as other enveloped viruses like influenza virus could be considered as an approximation to functional core-shell nanoparticles and therefore, their study enters the realm of nanotechnology. In this context, nanotechnology can contribute to alleviate some of the current challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The present analysis contributed to diverse sources of general information, databases on scientific literature and patents to produce a review affording information on relevant areas where as nanotechnology has offered response to coronavirus challenges in the past and may be relevant now, and has offered an update of the current information on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 issues. Results: This review contribution includes specific information including: 1) An introduction to current research on nanotechnology and related recent patents for COVID-19 responses; 2) Analysis of nonimmunogenic and immunogenic prophylaxis of COVID-19 using Nanotechnology; 3) Tools devoted to detection & diagnosis of coronaviruses and COVID-19: the role of Nanotechnology; and 4) A compilation on the research and patents on nanotechnology dealing with therapeutics & treatments of COVID-19. Conclusion: Among the increasing literature on COVID-19, there are few works analyzing the relevance of Nanotechnology, and giving an analysis on patents dealing with coronaviruses that may provide useful information on the area. This review offers a general view of the current research investigation and recent patents dealing with aspects of immunogenic and non-immunogenic prophylaxis, detection and diagnosis as well as therapeutics and treatments.

Drug delivery for a long time has been a major problem in the pharmaceutical field. The development of a new Nano-carrier system called nanosponge has shown the potential to solve the problem. Nanosponge has a porous structure and can entrap the drug in it. It can carry both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs. They also provide controlled release of the drugs and can also protect various substances from degradation. Nanosponge can increase the solubility of drugs and can also be formulated into an oral, topical and parenteral dosage form. The current review explores different preparation techniques, characterization parameters, as well as various applications of nanosponge. Various patents related to nanosponge drug delivery system have been discussed in this study.

Background: Targeted nanocarriers can be used for reducing the unwanted side effects of drugs in non-target organs. Punicic acid, the polyunsaturated fatty acid of pomegranate seed oil, has been shown to possess anti-cancer effects on prostate cancer and the study also covers recent patents related to prostate cancer. The objective of the current study was to synthesize a co-polymeric micelle for delivery of Flutamide (FL) in prostate cancer using Polyacrylamide (PAM) and Punicic Acid (PA). Methods: The co-polymer of PAM and PA was synthesized and conjugated to folic acid. The successful conjugation was studied computationally by the density functional theory method and was confirmed by the FT- IR and ¹HNMR. The folate-PAMPA micelles produced by the film casting method were characterized physically. FL was loaded in the nanomicelles and its release test was done at different pH. The Critical Micelle Concentration (CMC) was measured by pyrene as a fluorescent probe. Their cellular uptake and cytotoxicity were evaluated on PC3 prostate cancer cells. The molecular geometry and vibrational frequencies of two different possibilities for conjugation were calculated using the B3LYP/6-31G basis set. Results: The CMC of the micelles and their particle size were 79.05 μg/ml and 88 nm, respectively. The resulting nanocarriers of FL showed significantly more cytotoxic effects than the free drug at a concentration of 25 μM. The calculated results showed that the optimized geometries could well reproduce the structural parameters, and the theoretical vibrational frequencies were in good agreement with the experimental values. Conclusion: Folate-PAMPA nanomicelles may be promising for the enhancement of FL cytotoxicity and seem to potentiate the effect of chemotherapeutic agents used in prostate cancer treatment.