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Food Chem 2021 Mar 23;355:129661. Epub 2021 Mar 23.

State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, Qilu University of Technology, Shandong Academy of Sciences, Jinan 250353, China; Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, 12211 Giza, Egypt; Department of Medical Pharmacology, Medical Faculty, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey. Electronic address:

Corn starch (CS), octenyl succinic anhydride modified corn starch (OSCS) and shells (OSC) microgels have been prepared using water-in-oil (W/O) inverse microemulsions for loading and releasing of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). The structural and morphological properties of CS, OSCS, and OSC microgels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The strong hydrogen bonds between starch molecules in the W/O system and interplay between hydroxyl groups of EGCG and oxygen atoms of starch microgels were formed. Read More

Inorg Chem 2021 Apr 13. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Key Lab for Special Functional Materials, Ministry of Education, National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for High-Efficiency Display and Lighting Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Nano Functional Materials and Applications, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.

Low-toxic InP quantum dots (QDs) as an ideal candidate for Cd-based QDs have tremendous potential for next-generation commercial display and biological detection applications. However, the progress in biological detection is still far behind that of the Cd-based QDs. This is mainly because the InP-based QDs are of inferior stability and photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY) in aqueous solution. Read More

Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2021 Apr 12:e2000497. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Department of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang, Jiangsu, China.

Platycodin D (PD) is the active metabolite of Platycodon grandiflorum. The main purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsion formulation of PD (PD-ME). The PD-ME was successfully prepared by the water titration method at K  = 2, to draw the pseudoternary phase diagrams. Read More

AAPS PharmSciTech 2021 Apr 6;22(3):125. Epub 2021 Apr 6.

Department of Food and Environment Engineering, Heilongjiang East University, 1 Hanan Road, Harbin, 150086, People's Republic of China.

The main objective of the study was to prepare the microemulsions containing adapalene (MEs-Ap) to enhance epidermal penetration, dermal retention, and local bioavailability compared with the commercial preparation. The optimal formulations were selected by solubility experiments, pseudo-ternary phase diagram, and percutaneous permeation experiments and the physiochemical properties were also investigated. Then, the study of permeability, retention, safety, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacokinetics in the skin for MEs-Ap compared with the commercial preparation were researched. Read More

Curr Opin Colloid Interface Sci 2021 Mar 30:101458. Epub 2021 Mar 30.

Centre for Nanobiotechnology, VIT University, Vellore-632014, Tamil Nadu, India.

Nanoemulsions (NEs) of essential oil (EO) have significant potential to target microorganisms, especially viruses. They act as a vehicle for delivering antiviral drugs and vaccines. Narrowing of drug discovery pipeline and the emergence of new viral diseases, especially, COVID-19 have created a niche to use nanoemulsions (NEs) for augmenting currently available therapeutic options. Read More

Pharmaceutics 2021 Mar 26;13(4). Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Viale Parco Area delle Scienze, 27/a, 43124 Parma, Italy.

Nanotherapeutics based on biocompatible lipid matrices allow for enhanced solubility of poorly soluble compounds in the treatment of ophthalmic diseases, overcoming the anatomical and physiological barriers present in the eye, which, despite the ease of access, remains strongly protected. Micro-/nanoemulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) or nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) combine liquid and/or solid lipids with surfactants, improving drug stability and ocular bioavailability. Current research and development approaches based on try-and-error methodologies are unable to easily fine-tune nanoparticle populations in order to overcome the numerous constraints of ocular administration routes, which is believed to hamper easy approval from regulatory agencies for these systems. Read More

Pharmaceutics 2021 Mar 19;13(3). Epub 2021 Mar 19.

School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung City 80708, Taiwan.

The aim of this study was to design oil in water (O/W) microemulsion formulations for the topical administration of azelaic acid. The permeability of azelaic acid through rat skin and the anti-inflammatory activities of the formulations were conducted to examine the efficacy of the designed formulations. Skin irritation and stability tests were also performed. Read More

Molecules 2021 Mar 31;26(7). Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan.

Preparation and characterization of microemulsions consisting of a plant-derived alkyl polyglycoside (APG) surfactant and the essential oil of (tea tree) was studied. This nonionic APG surfactant used was Triton CG-110 with a CMC at 1748 ppm at 25 °C. Tea tree oil (TTO) was extracted from tea tree leaves by Triton CG-110-assisted hydrodistillation method. Read More

Nanomaterials (Basel) 2021 Mar 31;11(4). Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110016, China.

α″-FeN nanomaterials with a shape anisotropy for high coercivity performance are of interest in potential applications such as rare-earth-free permanent magnets, which are difficult to synthesize in situ anisotropic growth. Here, we develop a new and facile one-pot microemulsion method with Fe(CO) as the iron source and tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) as the N/C source at low synthesis temperatures to fabricate carbon-coated tetragonal α″-FeN nanocones. Magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy is suggested as the driving force for the anisotropic growth of α″-FeN@C nanocones because the easy magnetization direction of tetragonal α″-FeN nanocrystals is along the c axis. Read More

Materials (Basel) 2021 Mar 25;14(7). Epub 2021 Mar 25.

INPHYNY, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS UMR 7010, Parc Valrose, 06108 Nice, France.

Europium (Eu)-doped silica nanoparticles have attracted great interest for different applications, in particular in biomedicine as biosensors or for tissue regeneration. Sol-gel is the most common process used to prepare those particles, with size varying from tens to hundreds of nanometers. In this article, we focus our attention on the comparison between two commonly used sol-gel derived methods: reverse microemulsion (for particles smaller than 100 nm) and Stöber method (for particles larger than 100 nm). Read More

Pharmaceutics 2021 Mar 25;13(4). Epub 2021 Mar 25.

Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Assiut University, Assiut 71526, Egypt.

Treatment of uveitis (i.e., inflammation of the uvea) is challenging due to lack of convenient ophthalmic dosage forms. Read More

Gels 2021 Mar 3;7(1). Epub 2021 Mar 3.

Centre of Experimental Medicine, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, SK-841 04 Bratislava, Slovakia.

Micro- and nanoemulsions are potential drug solubilizers and penetration enhancers through the high surfactant/co-surfactant content. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of minoxidil (MXD) solubilized in the microemulsions (MEs) on drug release by in vitro/ex vivo diffusion through the semi-permeable membrane Spectra/Por (Spectrum Laboratory, Gardena, CA, USA) and porcine ear skin. Moreover, a residual amount of drug in the skin after ex vivo diffusion was evaluated. Read More

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2021 Mar 24;203:111721. Epub 2021 Mar 24.

Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, MG, Brazil. Electronic address:

Although nanoparticles, polymeric micelles, liposomes, nanoemulsions, and microemulsions were extensively evaluated as formulations for nasal administration of drugs, lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC) mesophases have been few studied. The phase transition from a low-viscosity microemulsion to a more viscous LLC may improve the mucoadhesion of the formulation. Donepezil is a drug administered orally in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, and with gastrointestinal side effects that are typical of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Read More

J Pharm Sci 2021 Mar 27. Epub 2021 Mar 27.

Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, People's Republic of China; Department of Neurosurgery, Cancer Center, Integrated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510315, People's Republic of China. Electronic address:

Glioma-targeted drug delivery is a hugely challenging task because of the multibarrier in the brain. In this study, we report a magnetic T7 peptide&AS1411 aptamer-modified microemulsion for triple glioma-targeted delivery of shikonin and docetaxel (FeO@T7/AS1411/DTX&SKN-M). Such a system comprises two tumor-targeted ligands (T7 peptide and AS1411 aptamer), ultra-small superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (FeO), and shikonin&docetaxel-coloaded microemulsion (SKN&DTX-M). Read More

Life Sci 2021 Mar 27;276:119420. Epub 2021 Mar 27.

Department of Chemistry, International Hellenic University, Kavala, Greece. Electronic address:

Quercetin (Q) is formulated into oil-in-water F127 microemulsions to improve its bioavailability. The size of the Q-loaded microemulsions system was about 8 nm by dynamic light scattering analysis. To compare antioxidant activity of bulk solution and microemulsion of Q, free radical scavenging activity was evaluated against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Read More

J Sci Food Agric 2021 Mar 30. Epub 2021 Mar 30.

College of Biological Science and Technology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Biological Resources Protection and Utilization, Key Laboratory of Green Manufacturing of Super-light Elastomer Materials of State Ethnic Affairs Commission, Hubei Minzu University, Enshi, China.

Background: Electrospun fibers are a good candidate for the delivery of bioactive compounds in the food industry because of their advantages that include a tunable diameter, high porosity and a high specific surface area. In the present study, we fabricated gelatin/glycerol monolaurate (GML) microemulsion nanofibers by solubilizing GML in Tween-80 followed by mixing with gelatin solution for electrospinning. We hypothesized that the addition of GML microemulsions affects the properties of the gelatin solution and modifies the physical and antimicrobial properties of the resulting nanofibers. Read More

Adv Exp Med Biol 2021 ;1309:41-65

Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea.

Silica consists of one silicon atom and two oxygen atoms (SiO) and is commonly used in various aspects of daily life. For example, it has been used as glass, insulator, and so on. Nowadays, silica is used as core reagents for fabricating and encapsulating nanoparticles (NPs). Read More

Vet World 2021 Feb 23;14(2):483-491. Epub 2021 Feb 23.

Nanotechnology Research Unit, Animal Health Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt.

Background And Aim: is one of the multiple drug-resistant intestinal pathogens causing necrotic enteritis disease, leading to great economic losses in poultry farms. This study aimed to evaluate the potential use of peppermint oil and its microemulsion (ME) as an alternative to antibiotics to control necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens.

Materials And Methods: Peppermint oil ME formulation (15% oil/water) was prepared and characterized by zeta potential, Fourier transform infrared, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Read More

ACS Appl Nano Mater 2021 Feb 5;4(2):1136-1148. Epub 2021 Jan 5.

Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 1, Utrecht 3584 CC, The Netherlands.

The recent development of liquid cell (scanning) transmission electron microscopy (LC-(S)TEM) has opened the unique possibility of studying the chemical behavior of nanomaterials down to the nanoscale in a liquid environment. Here, we show that the chemically induced etching of three different types of silica-based silica nanoparticles can be reliably studied at the single particle level using LC-(S)TEM with a negligible effect of the electron beam, and we demonstrate this method by successfully monitoring the formation of silica-based heterogeneous yolk-shell nanostructures. By scrutinizing the influence of electron beam irradiation, we show that the cumulative electron dose on the imaging area plays a crucial role in the observed damage and needs to be considered during experimental design. Read More

Adv Pharm Bull 2021 Jan 7;11(1):150-162. Epub 2020 Nov 7.

Department of Pharmaceutics, Dr. D. Y. Patil Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Pimpri, Pune, India - 411018.

The present research work was designed to formulate and evaluate carbamazepine (CBZ) loaded nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) based gel for nasal delivery. The NLC formulation of CBZ was prepared by microemulsion technique followed by probe sonication and evaluated for particle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency and in vitro drug diffusion. NLC formulation was incorporated into gelling formulation using poloxamer 407 (P407), poloxamer 188 (P188) and mucoadhesive polymer. Read More

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2021 May 19;201:111652. Epub 2021 Feb 19.

Amneal Pharmaceutical Pvt Ltd., Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.

The onychomycosis treatment remains a big challenge for onychologist due to the shorter nail residence time of topical formulations and the lack of availability of novel formulations in markets for new generation antifungal drugs. The objective of this work was to design, develop, optimize, and evaluate microemulsion formulations for effective delivery of efinaconazole through transungual route in onychomycosis treatment. Capmul® MCM (Glyceryl Caprylate/Caprate) as oil, Labrasol® (caprylocaproyl polyoxyl-8 glycerides) as a surfactant, and Transcutol® P (diethylene glycol monoethyl ether) as co-surfactant exhibited higher solubility of efinaconazole and surfactant-cosurfactant mixture (Smix) in a ratio of 1:1 rendered higher microemulsion region in the pseudo-ternary phase diagram. Read More

Anal Chim Acta 2021 Apr 5;1154:338225. Epub 2021 Feb 5.

Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, University of Geneva, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, CH-1211, Geneva, Switzerland. Electronic address:

The deprotonation degree of the lipophilic pH indicator dye (chromoionophore) in ionophore-based ion optodes (so-called bulk optodes) has traditionally been measured spectrophotometrically. This makes it difficult to obtain spatially resolved concentration information, for example in the study of heterogenous systems. This article reports on a new colorimetric method that relies on a ratiometric image analysis. Read More

Saudi J Biol Sci 2021 Mar 21;28(3):1826-1834. Epub 2020 Dec 21.

Kuban State University, Stavropolskaya Street, 149, Krasnodar 350040, Russian Federation.

Influence of a new protein-peptide complex on promoting skin wound healing in male mice was studied. Protein-peptide complex, extracted from immune organs, was percutaneously administered using two methods: by lecithin gel-like liquid crystals and by liquid microemulsion. On the fifth day, wound closure in mice with a linear wound model become faster in group (less 2 days comparison to other ones), which was treated with lecithin liquid crystals carrying the protein-peptide complex. Read More

J Drug Target 2021 Apr 7:1-19. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Department of Drugs and Medicines, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Araraquara, SP, Brazil.

Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is a common condition that is induced by acid and pepsin causing lesions in the mucosa of the duodenum and stomach. The pathogenesis of PUD is a many-sided scenario, which involves an imbalance between protective factors, such as prostaglandins, blood flow, and cell renewal, and aggressive ones, like alcohol abuse, smoking, colonisation, and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The standard oral treatment is well established; however, several problems can decrease the success of this therapy, such as drug degradation in the gastric environment, low oral bioavailability, and lack of vectorisation to the target site. Read More

Int J Nanomedicine 2021 9;16:1977-1992. Epub 2021 Mar 9.

Department of Applied Nanomolecules, Bloomsnano Limited, London, UK.

Background: Phytostanols are naturally occurring compounds that reduce blood cholesterol levels significantly. However, their aqueous insolubility poses formulation challenges.

Aim: To formulate and characterize solid lipid nanoparticle carriers for phytostanol esters to enhance the bioavailability of phytostanols. Read More

Dent Mater 2021 Mar 10. Epub 2021 Mar 10.

State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Material Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, PR China.

Objective: Porous materials, especially porous silica particles are of great interest in different areas, and have applied in dental composites as inorganic fillers, due to their potential in constructing micromechanical interlocking at the filler-resin matrix interfaces. However, the facile and precise synthesis of hierarchical porous silica with graded sizes is still a great challenge.

Methods: Here, we synthesized dendritic porous silica (DPS) with center-radial hierarchical pores and controllable size ranging from 75 to 1000nm by varying simultaneously the amounts of silica precursor and template in the microemulsion. Read More

Pharm Dev Technol 2021 Mar 18:1-10. Epub 2021 Mar 18.

Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, PR China.

Solidification of self-microemulsifying drug delivery systems (SMEDDS) is one of the major trends to promote the transformation of self-microemulsion technology into industrialization. Here, a preliminary curcumin SMEDDS formulation was constructed to improve the druggability of curcumin, through the determination of equilibrium solubility determination, self-emulsifying grading assessment, and pseudo-ternary phase diagrams drafting. Furthermore, the optimal curcumin SMEDDS formulation consisted of 10% Ethyl oleate, 57. Read More

Pharmaceutics 2021 Feb 15;13(2). Epub 2021 Feb 15.

Research Center of Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.

The aim of the present study was to develop a microemulsion (ME) containing oil (AGO), 1,8-cineole (C), or methyl eugenol (M) as an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for enhancing their antimicrobial activities. Agar diffusion, broth microdilution, and killing kinetics were used for antimicrobial evaluations. The ME composed of 30% API, 33. Read More

Polymers (Basel) 2021 Feb 21;13(4). Epub 2021 Feb 21.

Centro de Física de Materiales, CSIC-UPV/EHU, Paseo Manuel Lardizábal 5, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.

Encapsulation of the chemotherapy agents within colloidal systems usually improves drug efficiency and decreases its toxicity. In this study, lignin (LGN) (the second most abundant biopolymer next to cellulose on earth) was employed to prepare novel doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded oil-in-water (O/W) microemulsions with the aim of enhancing the bioavailability of DOX. The droplet size of DOX-loaded microemulsion was obtained as ≈ 7. Read More