Clotrimazole-loaded Eudragit® RS100 nanocapsules: Preparation,characterization and in vitro evaluation of antifungal activity against Candida species

Clotrimazole is a common choice for the treatment of vulvovaginal infections, but its low solubility and some side effects pose a challenge to its application. This work evaluated the feasibility to formulate clotrimazole-loaded cationic nanocapsules using Eudragit® RS100 and medium chain triglycerides as polymer and oily core, respectively, by the method of interfacial deposition of a preformed polymer. The physicochemical characteristics of nanocapsule formulations were evaluated at 0 day and 60 days after preparation. Particle size, zeta potential, polydispersity index, pH and drug content were stable during this period. In addition, nanocapsules were able to protect clotrimazole from photodegradation under UV radiation. By the dialysis bag diffusion technique, the nanosized formulations showed prolonged release of clotrimazole by anomalous transport and first order kinetics. A microbiological study was carried out by the microdilution method and showed that nanocapsules (mean size: 144 nm; zeta potential: + 12 mV) maintained the antifungal activity of clotrimazole against Candida albicans and Candida glabrata strains susceptible and resistant to fluconazole.     

Hydrogels containing redispersible spray-dried melatonin-loaded nanocapsules: a formulation for transdermal-controlled delivery

The aim of the present study was to develop a transdermal system for controlled delivery of melatonin combining three strategies: nanoencapsulation of melatonin, drying of melatonin-loaded nanocapsules, and incorporation of nanocapsules in a hydrophilic gel. Nanocapsules were prepared by interfacial deposition of the polymer and were spray-dried using water-soluble excipients. In vitro drug release profiles were evaluated by the dialysis bag method, and skin permeation studies were carried out using Franz cells with porcine skin as the membrane. The use of 10% (w/v) water-soluble excipients (lactose or maltodextrin) as spray-drying adjuvants furnished redispersible powders (redispersibility index approximately 1.0) suitable for incorporation into hydrogels. All formulations showed a better controlled in vitro release of melatonin compared with the melatonin solution. The best controlled release results were achieved with hydrogels prepared with dried nanocapsules (hydrogels > redispersed dried nanocapsules > nanocapsule suspension > melatonin solution). The skin permeation studies demonstrated a significant modulation of the transdermal melatonin permeation for hydrogels prepared with redispersible nanocapsules. In this way, the additive effect of the different approaches used in this study (nanoencapsulation, spray-drying, and preparation of semisolid dosage forms) allows not only the control of melatonin release, but also transdermal permeation.     

Fish Oil Decreases C-Reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio Improving Nutritional Prognosis and Plasma Fatty Acid Profile in Colorectal Cancer Patients

Previous studies have shown that n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids n‐3 (n‐3 PUFA) have several anticancer effects, especially attributed to their ability to modulate a variety of genomic and immune responses. In this context, this randomized, prospective, controlled clinical trial was conducted in order to check whether supplementation of 2 g/day of fish oil for 9 weeks alters the production of inflammatory markers, the plasma fatty acid profile and the nutritional status in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Eleven adults with CRC in chemotherapy were randomized into two groups: (a) supplemented (SG) daily with 2 g/day of encapsulated fish oil [providing 600 mg/day of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)] for 9 weeks (n = 6), and (b) control (CG) (n = 5). All outcomes were evaluated on the day before the first chemotherapy session and 9 weeks later. Plasma TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐10 and IL‐17A, the pro/anti‐inflammatory balance (ratio TNF‐α/IL‐10 and IL‐1β/IL10) and serum albumin, showed no significant changes between times and study groups (p > 0.05). C‐reactive protein (CRP) and the CRP/albumin ratio showed opposite behavior in groups, significantly reducing their values in SG (p < 0.05). Plasma proportions of EPA and DHA increased 1.8 and 1.4 times, respectively, while the ARA reduced approximately 0.6 times with the supplementation (9 weeks vs baseline, p < 0.05). Patients from SG gained 1.2 kg (median) while the CG lost ?0.5 kg (median) during the 9 weeks of chemotherapy (p = 0.72). These results demonstrate that 2 g/day of fish oil for 9 weeks of chemotherapy improves CRP values, CRP/albumin status, plasma fatty acid profile and potentially prevents weight loss during treatment.     

Prediction of ordered phases of encapsulated C60, C70, and C78 inside carbon nanotubes

We report the first detailed fully atomistic molecular dynamics study of the encapsulation of symmetric (C(60)) and asymmetric fullerenes (C(70) and C(78)) inside single-walled carbon nanotubes of different diameters. Different ordered phases have been found and shown to be tube diameter dependent. Rotational structural disorder significantly affecting the volume fraction of the packing was observed for the molecular arrangements of asymmetric fullerenes. Although these effects make more difficult the existence of ordered phases, our results showed that complex packing arrangements (very similar to the ones obtained for C(60)) are also possible for C(70) and C(78). Comparisons with results from continuum and hard-sphere models, ab initio electronic structure calculations, and simulations of the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images of the obtained fullerene packing phases are also presented.     

Physico-chemical characterization and in vivo evaluation of indomethacin ethyl ester-loaded nanocapsules by PCS, TEM, SAXS, interfacial alkaline hydrolysis and antiedematogenic activity

Nanocapsules are vesicular drug carriers constituted of an oil core, a polymeric wall, and surfactants. A general understanding about the influence of the polymeric wall of nanocapsules on the release profiles of drugs is not known. So, this work was devoted to characterize formulations prepared without polymer or containing it at different concentrations. The indomethacin ethyl ester was used as model and the strategy was based on its interfacial alkaline hydrolysis simulating a sink condition for the release. The antiedematogenic activity in rats for ester-loaded-nanocarriers was also evaluated. The nanocapsules (NC) and nanoemulsion (NE) presented particle sizes below 300 nm, polydispersity lower than 1.2 and pH around 5. SAXS analyses showed that the sorbitan monostearate is dissolved in the oil and the polymer presents regions of crystallinity independently on the PCL concentration. TEM analyses showed droplets (NE) and spherical particles (NC). The time for the total disappearance of the ester varied from 12 h to 24 h depending on the polymer concentration. The biexponential model showed that the indomethacin ester was essentially entrapped within the nanocarriers in an extension of 85 to 95%. The half-lives varied from 147 to 289 min for the sustained phases and from 3 to 6 min for the burst phases. The ester-loaded-NC showed significant antiedematogenic activity, while the ester-loaded-NE did not inhibit the carrageenin-induced paw edema. The nanocapsules promoted the absorption of the indomethacin ethyl ester and the presence of the polymer is important to achieve the pharmacological effect.