Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology - Volume 9, Issue 1, 2021

Helminths infections are among the most important problems in animal health and husbandry. Moreover, zoonotic helminths endanger rural communities, particularly in developing countries. Helminthiasis are not only important in relation to the harmful effects of parasites; additional issues like anthelmintic resistance spread became more important over time. As new anthelmintic development takes many years and millions of dollars of investment, some strategies are currently focused on the modification of already available drugs, in order to improve their efficacy and overcome their limitations. In this field, nanotechnology has brought a novel approach, showing advantages like the regulation of the drug’s delivery and kinetics, reaching of specific targets, and possibilities to avoid the systemic spread and side effects. Taking this into account, the present review aims to introduce some of the current knowledge in anthelmintic improvement based on nanotechnology, and how researchers could benefit from this technology in order to overcome the drugs limitations. Finally, some insights into potential field applications are discussed, based on the most important concerns of current anthelmintic therapy.

Background: The veterinary pharmaceutical industry has shown significant growth in recent decades. Several factors contribute to this increase as the demand for the improvement of the quality of life of both domestic and wild animals, together with the need to improve the quality, productivity, and safety of foodstuffs of animal origin. Methods: The goal of this work was to identify the most suitable medicines for animals that focus on drug delivery routes as those for humans, although they may have different devices, such as collars and ear tags. Results: Recent advances in drug delivery systems for veterinary use are discussed, both from academic research and the global market. The administration routes commonly used for veterinary medicines are also explored, while special attention is given to the latest technological trends to improve the drug performance, reducing the number of doses, animal stress, and side effects. Conclusion: Drug delivery system in veterinary decreased the number of doses, side effects, and animal stress that are a small fraction of the benefits of veterinary drug delivery systems and represent a significant increase in profit for the industry; also, it demands investments in research regarding the quality, safety, and efficacy of the drug and the drug delivery systems.

Nanotechnology has been a rapidly expanding area of research with huge potential in many sectors, including animal healthcare. It promises to revolutionize drug and vaccine delivery, diagnostics, and theranostics, which has become an important tool in personalized medicine by integrating therapeutics and diagnostics. Nanotechnology has also been used successfully in animal nutrition. In this review, the application of nanotechnology in animal health will be reviewed with its pros and cons.

Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is a versatile synthetic polymer comprehensively used in the pharmaceutical sector because of its biocompatibility and biodegradability. These benefits lead to its application in the area of nanoparticles (NPs) for drug delivery for over thirty years. This article offers a general study of the different poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles (PNPs), preparation methods such as emulsification-solvent evaporation, coacervation, emulsification solvent diffusion, dialysis, emulsification reverse salting out, spray drying nanoprecipitation, and supercritical fluid technology, from the methodological point of view. The physicochemical behavior of PNPs, including morphology, drug loading, particle size and its distribution, surface charge, drug release, stability as well as cytotoxicity study and cellular uptake, are briefly discussed. This survey additionally coordinates to bring a layout of the significant uses of PNPs in different drug delivery system over the three decades. At last, surface modifications of PNPs and PLGA nanocomplexes (NCs) are additionally examined.

Background: Phyto, or plant-derived metal nanoparticles, are an interesting and intensive studied group of green synthesized nanoparticles. In the last decade, numerous medicinal plant extracts were used for the synthesis of stable gold or silver nanoparticles with diverse biological effects, such as antioxidant activity, antimicrobial activity, anti-inflammatory activity, hypoglycemic effect, antitumor activity and catalytic activity. Results: This review has systematized and discussed information from the last 5 years about the research regarding antitumor/anticancer potential of gold nanoparticles obtained via medicinal plant extracts, with special attention on their selective cytotoxicity on tumor cells and on their mechanism of action, in vitro and in vivo assessments. Conclusion: Much more in vivo and clinical studies are needed before considering phyto-synthesized gold nanoparticles as significant for future medicine.

Background: Ticagrelor (TGR), being an antiplatelet agent, belongs to BCS class IV drug with low solubility and permeability that undergoes first-pass metabolism, leading to reduced bioavailability of 36%. Objective: The main objective of this study is to develop TGR SNEDDS for enhancing solubility and oral bioavailability. Methods: An oil, surfactant and co-surfactant (miglyol 810, brij 35 and lauro glycol FCC) are chosen based on the maximum solubility of TGR. The selected vehicles are mixed in different ratios and are agitated mildly. Transmittance values that are more than 80 were noted and are used for constructing pseudo ternary phase diagram. Formulations that passed stability testing were evaluated for % transmission, drug content and in vitro drug release analysis. In vivo bioavailability studies of optimized SNEDDS are performed in Wistar rats. Results: From evaluation studies of TGR, formulation F13 with maximum drug release of 98.99% in 60 minutes, that is higher than 31.99% of the pure drug is considered as an optimised formulation. The particle size, Z average and zeta potential of the optimized TGR formulation F13 was 289.6 nm, 185.1 nm and -18.3 mV respectively. The FTIR and SEM studies do not indicate any drug excipient interaction and confirm nano size which is stable for 3 months. From in vivo bioavailability studies in rats, the Cmax of optimized TGR SNEDDS (302.43±4.78 ng/ml) is higher than pure TGR suspension (47.32±2.75 ng/ml) and optimized SNEDDS exhibited 5 folds increase in oral bioavailability when compared to pure drug. Conclusion: Hence the results reveal that, application of SNEDDS formulation technique for TGR Increases solubility and oral bioavailability.

Background: Niosomes are a vesicular carrier system comprised of a Nonionic surfactant bilayer surrounding an aqueous compartment. Niosomes are presumed to raise the intake of the poorly water-soluble drugs by M cells of Peyer's patches present in the intestine's lymphatic tissues, thereby avoiding the first-pass metabolism and increasing its oral bioavailability. Biodegradability, nonimmunogenic nature, minimal side effects, low cost, good stability, and flexibility to incorporate hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs are other advantages of niosomes. Objective: To formulate and evaluate a novel vesicular carrier system of a poorly soluble drug Lurasidone hydrochloride for the enhancement of its solubility and bioavailability. Methods: The thin-film hydration technique used to prepare Lurasidone hydrochloride loaded niosomes using different grades of nonionic surfactants like Brij, Span, and Tween. They evaluated for particle size, zeta potential, percent entrapment efficiency, in-vitro drug release, and in-vivo study. Results: Niosomes comprised of Brij S-100 in drug: cholesterol: surfactant (1:1:1) showed particle size (1.15 ± 0.21 μm) and percent entrapment efficiency (97.02 ± 0.21%) and was selected for further studies. Various pharmacokinetic parameters like Cmax (281.27ng/ml), Tmax (5 h), and AUC (2640.197) were found to be significantly improved compared to plain drug solution. Conclusion: The Niosomal formulation could be the promising drug delivery system for the controlled and sustained release of Lurasidone.