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Glioblastoma is one of the most difficult to treat cancers with poor prognosis and survival of around one year from diagnosis. Effective treatments are desperately needed. This work aims to prepare temozolomide acid (TMZA) loaded albumin nanoparticles, for the first time, to target glioblastoma (GL261) and brain cancer stem cells (BL6). TMZA was loaded into human serum albumin nanoparticles (HSA NPs) using the desolvation method. A response surface 3-level factorial design was used to study the effect of different formulation parameters on the drug loading and particle size of NPs. The optimum conditions were found to be: 4 mg TMZA with 0.05% sodium cholate. This yielded NPs with particle size and drug loading of 111.7 nm and 5.5% respectively. The selected formula was found to have good shelf life and serum stability but with a relatively fast drug release pattern. The optimized NPs showed excellent cellular uptake with ∼ 50 and 100% of cells were positive for NP uptake after 24 h incubation with both GL261 and BL6 glioblastoma cell lines, respectively. The selected formula showed high cytotoxicity with ̴ 20% cell viability at 1 mM TMZA after 72 h incubation time. Finally, the fluorescently labelled NPs showed co-localization with the bioluminescent syngeneic BL6 intra-cranial tumour mouse model after intravenous administration.

Lipoproteins are biodegradable and biocompatible natural carriers that can be utilized for the transport of hydrophobic drugs, such as cyclosporin A (CycloA), a calcineurin inhibitor utilized for the inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis. A major limitation in the drug treatment of inflammatory bowel disease is the inability to deliver the drug selectively toward the inflamed tissues. Nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems have led to an amelioration of the therapeutic selectivity, but still the majority of the entrapped drug is eliminated without exercising a therapeutic effect. The present study aimed to prepare three lipoprotein formulations (HDL-, LDL-, and VLDL-based) loaded with cyclosporin A for the treatment of colitis in a murine model. After an intravenous injection of a drug dose of 2 mg/kg, clinical activity (colon weight/length ratio) and therapeutic effects (evaluated by the inflammatory markers MPO and TNF-α) were compared with those of the untreated colitis control group. All CycloA-containing lipoproteins reduced clinical activity, with a significant decrease in the case of LDL-CycloA formulation, which also led to the higher therapeutic effect.

Psoriasis is a dermatological chronic skin condition with underlying autoimmune etiology. It deeply affects patients’ quality of life. Therefore, it was an interesting target for researchers throughout the past years. Conventionally, the treatment options include anti-inflammatory agents, immune suppressants, biologic treatment, and phototherapy. Nanotechnology offers promising characteristics that allow for tailoring a drug carrier to achieve dermal targeting, improved efficacy and minimize undesirable effects. Being the safest route, the first line of treatment and a targeted approach, we solely discussed the use of the topical route, combined with advanced drug delivery systems for the management of psoriasis in this article. Advanced systems include polymeric, metallic, lipidic and hybrid nanocarriers incorporating different active agents. All formerly mentioned types of drug delivery systems were investigated through the past decades for the purpose of topical application on psoriatic plaques. Scientists’ efforts are promising to reach an optimized formula with a convenient dosage form to improve efficacy, safety, and compliance for the treatment of psoriasis. Accordingly, it will offer a better quality of life for patients.

Tacrolimus is a natural macrolide that exhibits an anti-proliferative action by T-lymphocytic cells inhibition. Hence, it was tested as a potential topical treatment to improve and control psoriatic plaques. In this study, for the first time the lipophilic tacrolimus in chitosan nanoparticles was used to achieve the desired response and dermal retention of the drug using a modified ionic gelation technique. The hydrophobic drug, tacrolimus, was successfully encapsulated into the synthesized positively-charged particles (140.8 nm ± 50.0) and EE of (65.5% ± 1.3). Local skin deposition of the drug was significantly enhanced with 82.0% ± 0.6 of the drug retained in the skin compared to 34.0% ± 0.9 from tarolimus® ointment. An outstanding response to the prepared formula was the enhanced hair growth rate in the treated animals, which can be considered an excellent sign of the skin recovery from the induced psoriatic plaques after only three days of treatment.

This study sought to develop a simple nanoparticle-based approach to enhance the efficiency and tolerability of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a potent ligand of Toll-like Receptor 4 (TLR4), for immunotherapy in cancer. Despite holding promise within this context, the strong pro-inflammatory properties of LPS also account for its low tolerability given localized and systemic side effects, which restrict the administrable dosage. Herein, we investigated the effect of LPS decoration as a surface-active molecule on a polymeric matrix upon its efficiency and tolerability. The LPS-decorated nanoparticles (LPS-NP) were about 150 nm in size, with slightly negative zeta potential (about −15 mV) and acceptable LPS incorporation (about 70%). In vitro, the particles accounted for a higher induction of apoptosis in tumor cells cultured with murine splenocytes compared to LPS solution. When used for the treatment of a murine syngeneic colorectal tumor model, higher intratumoral deposition of the particle-bound LPS was observed. Furthermore, unlike LPS solution, which accounted for localized necrosis at high concentrations, treatment of tumor-bearing animals with equivalent doses of LPS-NP was well tolerated. We propose that the observed localized necrosis can be Shwartzman phenomenon, which, due to modulated 24-h post-injection systemic TNF-α and LPS concentrations, have been avoided in case of LPS-NP. This has in turn enhanced the therapeutic efficiency and enabled complete tumor regression at concentrations at which LPS solution was intolerable. The findings indicate that nanoparticles can serve as beyond carriers for the delivery of superficially decorated LPS molecules, but impact their overall efficiency and tolerability in cancer therapy.

Asenapine Maleate (ASPM) is a second generation antipsychotic used for the management of schizophrenia but with very limited oral bioavailability due to its extensive first pass metabolism. Transdermal administration of ASPM using nanocarriers like invasomes might offer an excellent alternative to its oral administration with enhanced bioavailability and a sustained action. ASPM-loaded invasomes were successfully prepared by thin film hydration technique; meanwhile the penetration enhancing effect of terpenes (cineole and limonene) was compared to hydromiscible cosolvent (Transcutol®). Soft nanovesicles containing Transcutol® displayed smaller particle sizes than invasomes containing limonene and cineole while invasomes showed higher efficiency to encapsulate asenapine. Ex- vivo skin permeation revealed that invasomes with limonene are more efficient than those with cineole for the transdermal delivery of asenapine. The optimum nano-invasomes formulation contained 1% Limonene and showed particle size of 82 ± 0.6 nm, entrapment efficiency of 56.6 ± 1.5 % and transdermal flux of 3401.6 ± 604.2 (μg/h.cm2). Transmission electron microscopy of the selected formulation showed uniform spherical vesicles with intense outline and lighter core and FTIR study emphasized that ASPM was completely incorporated within the vesicles. The in- vivo pharmacokinetic study revealed that transdermal invasomes achieved 2 folds higher Cmax compared to oral suspension and delayed the Tmax from 1.5 h to around 4 h. The bioavailability of asenapine loaded invasomes after transdermal application was significantly improved to 54.5% compared to the 3.6 % achieved with the oral administration and exceeding the bioavailability of sublingual tablets currently available in the market and exhibited sustained release kinetics over 72 h which permits reduction of dosing frequency to increase patient adherence to medication.

Lecithin-chitosan hybrid nanoparticles are emerging as a promising nanocarrier for topical drug delivery. They could achieve a maximized encapsulation of hydrophobic drugs due to the lipophilic nature of lecithin that comprises the core while enhancing retention in the upper skin layers using the positively charged polymeric coat of chitosan. The aim of this study is to incorporate tacrolimus; a hydrophobic anti-proliferative agent into lecithin chitosan hybrid nanoparticles by ethanolic injection technique using a suitable co-solvent to enhance encapsulation of the drug and allow a satisfactory release profile in the upper skin layers. Tacrolimus was successfully incorporated into the synthesized particles using olive oil and Tween 80 as co-solvents, with particle size (160.9 nm ± 15.9 and 118.7 nm ± 13.3, respectively) and EE (88.27% ± 4.3 and 66.72% ± 1.8, respectively). The in vitro drug release profile showed a faster release pattern for the Tween 80-containing particles over a 48-hour period (79.98% vs. 35.57%), hence, were selected for further investigation. The hybrid nanoparticles achieved significantly higher skin deposition than the marketed product (63.51% vs. 34.07%) through a 24-hour time interval, particularly, to the stratum corneum and epidermis skin layers. The in vivo results on IMQ-mouse models revealed superior anti-psoriatic efficacy of the synthesized nanoparticles in comparison to the marketed product in terms of visual observation of the skin condition, PASI score and histopathological examination of autopsy skin samples. Additionally, the in vivo drug deposition showed superior skin deposition of the nanoparticles compared to the marketed product (74.9% vs. 13.4%).

Wounds impose a significant health and financial burden on patients, and many approaches have been attempted to seek effective wound healing systems. One of the commonly researched areas is the use of nanoparticles for wound healing, in which nanoparticles are loaded with several therapeutic molecules, or themselves exhibit wound healing properties without drug loading. Therefore, the aim of this chapter is to highlight the most commonly used nanoparticles in this regard, with emphasis on lipid-based systems (vesicular, emulsions, and solid matrix based) as representatives of organic nanoparticles and gold nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles, and metal oxide nanoparticles as representatives of inorganic nanoparticles.

Hyaluronic acid's (HAs) amazing characteristics, including its consistency, biocompatibility, and hydrophilicity, have made it an excellent ingredient in cosmetic dermatology and skin-care products. Moreover, its unique viscoelasticity and limited immunogenicity augmented its use for viscosupplementation in osteoarthritis treatment, as a surgical aid in ophthalmology, and for surgical wound regeneration in dermatology. In addition, HA has currently been explored as a drug delivery agent for different routes such as nasal, pulmonary, ophthalmic, topical, and parenteral. Hence the use of nanotechnology would combine the outstanding properties of HA with the different advantages of nanoparticles such as enhanced therapeutic effects and targetability. In this chapter, the use of HA nanoparticles as a versatile drug delivery system are discussed by highlighting the different production techniques based on the chemical and biological properties of HA, as well as considering some of the their prominent medical applications.

Recently, a selective preferential accumulation of polymeric nanoparticles (in the size range around 100nm) has been observed in the follicular system of dermatitis skin. The present investigation aimed at clearly investigating the effect of irritant contact dermatitis on the barrier permeability for colloidal systems below this size range, namely quantum dots and hydrophilic macromolecules. Irritant dermatitis was induced in mice and the penetrability of quantum dots (5nm) and hydrophilic dextran molecules has been tracked in both healthy and inflamed skin using confocal laser scanning microscopy. The selective accumulation of the quantum dots was clearly observed in inflamed skin while hydrophilic dextran behaved similarly in both healthy and inflamed skin. The therapeutic potential for the transdermal delivery of peptide drugs through inflamed skin has been also tested in rats. Results revealed that the transdermal permeation of insulin and calcitonin was not significantly enhanced in dermatitis compared to healthy skin. On the other side, permeation through stripped skin was significantly higher. However, the effect was limited and shorter compared to the SC injection where tmin was 0.5h and 2h with a 70% and 46% reduction in blood glucose levels for the stripped skin and the SC injection respectively. Similarly, tmin was 4h and 8h with area under the curve of 161±65% and 350±97% for the stripped skin and the SC injection respectively. In conclusion, the changes in skin permeability accompanied with skin inflammation did not affect its permeability to peptide drugs. Our findings also underline that experiments with the tape stripped skin model as a surrogate for inflamed skin can risk misleading conclusions due to significant difference of skin permeability between the tape stripped skin and inflamed skin.

Schizophrenia is a challenging and common psychotic disorder that greatly affects the quality of life of the affected patients. Patient compliance is among the major obstacles throughout treatment journey arising the necessity to novel drug delivery techniques to maximize clinical outcomes. Transdermal drug delivery of antipsychotics is a reliable alternative to improve medication adherence and decreases multiple dosing thus enhances patient compliance. Second generation antipsychotics (SGAs) have proven more efficiency and efficacy in the management of schizophrenic patients. SGAs are used at lower doses and hence, reduction of unwanted side effects is achieved. This review will focus on the application of nanotechnology in transdermal delivery of second generation antipsychotics for treatment for schizophrenia.

The effect of mild hyperthermia (MHT) on nanoparticle (NP) accumulation in rat model liver metastasis and the contribution of neoplastic and non-neoplastic cells were characterized. CdSe/ZnS QD-doped poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) NPs (155 ± 10 nm) were delivered via the ileocolic vein to metastatic livers 15 min after localized MW irradiation (1 min, 41 °C) or in normothermia (37 °C, NT). Quantitative analysis of tissue sections by confocal fluorescence microscopy 1 h after NP injection showed no NP tumor accumulation in NT. On the contrary, MHT increased NP association with tumor, compared to normal tissue. Counterstaining of specific markers showed that the MHT effect is due to an increased NP endocytosis not only by tumor cells, but also by hepatocytes at the growing tumor edge and, to a minor extent, by tumor-associated macrophages. High-NP capturing hepatocytes, close to the tumor, may be a relevant phenomenon in MHT-induced increased targeting of NPs to liver metastasis, influencing their therapeutic efficacy.

Lipid nanocapsules (LNCs) are recently developed nano-carriers widely used for drug delivery with different routes of administration. They are composed of an oily core containing medium chain triglyceride surrounded by a surfactant shell. The aim of this work was to study the possibilities for using essential oils having antifungal activity (Eucalyptus oil and orange oil) for LNCs preparation instead of using medium chain triglyceride (Miglyol®812). A ternary phase diagram was constructed in order to determine the feasibility zones for the LNCs preparation. The average particle size for orange oil LNCs ranged between 26 and 145 nm with narrow size distribution and negative zeta potential. For Eucalyptus oil formulae, average particle size ranged from (60–402 nm) with PDI in the range of (0.2–0.5) and zeta potential (−12 to −34 mV). Formulae O36 (containing orange oil 40%w/v) and E35 (containing eucalyptus oil 35%w/v) were selected for further investigations including Transmission electron microscopy imaging, rheological evaluation, stability studies and microbiological activity evaluation. The results of the in vitro antimycotic activity showed that higher antifungal activity was observed with formula E35 having inhibition zone of 3.56 ± 0.12 cm, compared to formula O36 which exhibited a zone of inhibition of 2.6 ± 0.1 cm indicating preserved anti-fungal activities of the loaded oils.

Due to the increased demand for reliable data regarding penetration into and permeation across human skin, assessment of the absorption of xenobiotics has been gaining in importance steadily. In vitro experiments allow for determining these data faster and more easily than in vivo experiments. However, the experiments described in literature and the subsequent evaluation procedures differ considerably. Here we will give an overview on typical finite and infinite dose experiments performed in fundamental research and on the evaluation of the data. We will point out possible difficulties that may arise and give a short overview on attempts at predicting skin absorption in vitro and in vivo.

Buccal delivery seems to be a very promising administration route for macromolecular drugs. Here, we explored the potential of cationic polymethacrylate nanoparticles (NPs) as a carrier system for the buccal delivery of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH). LMWH-loaded NPs were prepared by emulsification solvent diffusion method and the NPs were analyzed for their physiochemical properties, rheological evaluations and ex vivo transport studies across buccal mucosa. The prepared LMWH-loaded NPs showed a mean diameter between 400 and 500 nm with unimodal size distribution with negative surface charge. Viscosity measurements revealed a positive rheological synergism between the prepared NPs and mucin when mixed under physiological conditions. After 4 h, about 6.3 ± 0.9% of LMWH was released in case of using Eudragit ® RS (ERS); while Eudragit ® RL (ERL) NPs released only 3.0 ± 0.3 % of its LMWH content and this incomplete release was slightly ameliorated in the presence of mucin reaching to 7.2 ± 0.3 % and 4.8 ± 0.3 % for ERS and ERL, respectively. The ex-vivo permeability of heparin through the buccal mucosa was significantly increased after using polymetharylate NPs while no heparin permeation was detected from free heparin solution. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) imaging indicated the mucoadhesive properties of the polymetharylate NPs where the drug-free NPs were detected in the superficial layers of buccal mucosa. LMWH-loaded NPs had less mucoadhesive properties showing significant deeper penetration of the mucosa. The results indicated that mucoadhesive cationic polymethacrylate NPs offer a possible approach for the buccal delivery of heparin.

The creation of composite systems has become an emerging field in drug delivery. Chitosan has demonstrated several pharmaceutical advantages, especially in intranasal delivery. In this manuscript, a comparative study was conducted between regular vesicles (transfersomes and penetration enhancer vesicles) and composite vesicles (chitosan containing transfersomes and penetration enhancer vesicles) loaded with a model antihypertensive drug; verapamil hydrochloride VRP. Composite vesicles displayed larger particle size than regular vesicles owing to the coating potential of chitosan on the vesicular bilayer as displayed by transmission electron microscopy, with an increased viscosity of composite vesicles and a shift in the zeta potential values from negative to positive. The entrapment efficiency of VRP in the vesicles ranged from 24 to 64%, with best physical stability displayed with transfersomal vesicles prepared using sodium deoxycholate. Chitosan slowed the in vitro release of VRP from the selected formulation but managed to achieve high penetrability across sheep nasal mucosa as displayed by confocal laser microscopy. The chitosan composite transfersomal formulation exhibited absolute bioavailability of 81.83% compared to the oral solution which displayed only 13.04%. Findings of this manuscript highly recommend chitosan as a promising functional additive in vesicular formulations to improve the intranasal delivery of drugs with low oral bioavailability.

Inflammatory reactions of the skin are a major therapeutic field; however, drug delivery is nowadays only related to the use of classical formulations like ointments and creams. Here, we report the behaviour of polymeric submicron particles (NP) for selective drug delivery to the inflamed skin. NPs of nominal diameters from 50 to 1000 nm were administered to an experimental dithranol-induced dermatitis inflammation model in mice ears. The results revealed that smaller particles had an around 3-fold stronger and deeper penetration tendency with a preferential accumulation in inflamed skin hair follicles and sebaceous glands (2.8 ± 0.6% and 2.3 ± 0.4% for NP100 and NP50 compared to 0.84 ± 0.04% and 0.92 ± 0.02% for the same sizes on healthy skin). Betamethasone loaded NP confirmed the size dependency by being therapeutically more efficient from histological examination and measurement of different inflammatory markers in the skin (myeloperoxidase activity of untreated control, 1.2 ± 0.4; NP1000, 1.0 ± 0.4; NP100, 0.5 ± 0.2, all U/mg). This approach holds a high potential for a selective therapy to the inflamed skin by increasing the local intradermal availability with simultaneous reduction in systemic adverse effects.

Lipid nanocapsules (LNC) are colloidal carriers providing controlled release profiles and improved bioavailability for many drug substances and diverse administration routes. However, they have not been explored before for transdermal application. Here, we study the behavior of LNC as a transdermal drug delivery system using ibuprofen as a model drug. A comparison to other lipid nanocarriers such as solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) and polymeric nanocarriers has been made. It was found that LNC could increase the flux rate of ibuprofen 21.9±0.5 compared to 5.8±0.4 μg/cm(2)h in case of drug solution. Similar flux rates were obtained for SLN and NLC with average values of 22.9±0.5 and 22.5±2.0 μg/cm(2)h, respectively. On the other side, comparison to polymeric nanoparticles showed that the polymer-based carriers of the same particle size had lower permeation-enhancing effect with a flux rate of 10.62±1.84 μg/cm(2)h. Polymeric carriers had fourfold higher accumulation in the skin compared to that of the LNC and twice the accumulation of SLN and NLC. These results would suggest that the LNC can be considered as efficient as SLN and NLC for the transdermal drug delivery while polymeric nanoparticles are more suitable for localized drug delivery to the skin.

Lipid nanocapsules are recently developed lipid nanocarriers for delivery of lipophilic drugs. Due to their small size and biocompatible nature, lipid nanocapsules (LNC) may be promising carriers for drug delivery with different routes of administration. The aim of this work was to study the effect of formulation variables on the in vitro drug release from LNC. Ibuprofen as a model drug was entrapped in the oily core while Cremophor A25 and Cremophor A6 were used as hydrophilic surfactants in different ratios ranging from 1:1 to 1:0. All the prepared LNC were of comparable particle sizes around 50nm. Varying Cremophor compositions as well as the presence of lecithin, cetyl or stearyl alcohol had no significant effect on the in vitro drug release profiles. However, drug release rates increased significantly with increasing the temperature from 4 to 50 degrees C, i.e. the flux increased from 1.5 to 7microg/(cm(2)min). This was explained by the increased ibuprofen-lipid interactions at reduced temperature where the increased viscosity of the lipid significantly slows down the drug diffusion to the external aqueous phase. In summary, the physicochemical properties of the drug as well as the oil phase have a high impact on the drug release rate while the surfactant type, composition or density exerted only a minor effect.

Advances in drug formulation engineering and the development of nanotechnology for drug delivery applications have recently attracted a major attention. The use of polymeric nanoparticles for the application of local and systemic drugs to the skin is one of the important applications of nanotechnology in the pharmaceutical field. The skin provides a natural protective barrier against particle penetration, but there are several reports about the accumulation in hair follicles and interaction with diseased skin. The following chapter will consider the possible potential of using micro- and nanoparticles for dermal and transdermal drug delivery. Their ability to enhance transdermal drug permeation will be discussed, and an improved understanding of their interaction with the skin will also be addressed.

Atopic dermatitis is one of the most common inflammatory skin conditions with increased prevalence, especially among children. The relapsing nature of the disease opens the need for advanced efficient drug delivery carriers suitable for topical application of therapeutic agents. Recently, nanotechnology has offered many advantages as drug delivery systems for the topical treatment of skin diseases. Atopic dermatitis as one of the most common skin diseases is discussed here; in addition, various types of nanocarriers used for the treatment of atopic dermatitis as well as the associated benefits and risks are explored.

Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) are currently being investigated for various therapeutic, diagnostic and drug delivery applications. The study of their interactions and fate in biological systems is frequently performed via their fluorescent labeling and following them using fluorescent microscopy. Quantum dots are proposed as stable fluorescent label and compared to other organic dyes (Nile red and DiI) in terms of their entrapment, diffusion in different aqueous or lipophilic media and photostability. In vitro transfer to hydrophilic PBS solution showed that after 8h, 4.2±2.2, 15.5±2.0 and 0.9±0.02% was released from the QDs, NR and DiI nanoparticles, respectively. However, higher diffusion rates were observed in the lipophilic medium chain triglyceride and artificial sebum for all the dyes used. Fluorescent intensity of the three different markers was found to be stable over a period of 24h. Continuous illumination with laser beam using a confocal laser scanning microscopy indicated the superior stability of quantum dots compared to the other organic dyes. Skin permeation experiments have shown that QDs were the most representative marker for the polymeric nanoparticles skin penetration.

Topical treatment of skin diseases is an attractive strategy as it receives high acceptance from patients, resulting in higher compliance and therapeutic outcomes. Recently, the use of variable nanocarriers for dermal application has been widely explored, as they offer several advantages compared with conventional topical preparations, including higher skin penetration, controlled and targeted drug delivery and the achievement of higher therapeutic effects. This article will focus on skin inflammation or dermatitis as it is one of the most common skin problems, describing the different types and causes of dermatitis, as well as the typical treatment regimens. The potential use of nanocarriers for targeting skin inflammation and the achievement of higher therapeutic effects using nanotechnology will be explored.

Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) are interesting drug carriers for dermal application and drug targeting to certain skin structures. NP interactions with diseased skin and the associated benefits and risks have been hardly explored. Today, we study the behavior of polymeric NPs for selective drug delivery to inflamed skin. Neutral, cationic, and anionic NPs of nominal diameters around 100 nm were administered to an experimental dithranol-induced dermatitis inflammation model in mice ears. The results showed that the surface charge had an important influence on the penetration and accumulation tendency in the inflamed skin compared with the neutral and cationic (2.8 ± 0.3%, 2.1 ± 0.2%, and 1.9 ± 0.3% for anionic, neutral, and cationic particles, respectively). Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that all particles were accumulated in the inflamed pilosebaceous units. Betamethasone-loaded NPs showed that both charged particles were therapeutically more efficient than the neutral ones. Treatment with anionic and cationic particles led to the reduction of the inflammatory enzyme alkaline phosphatase activity by 50.7 ± 2% and 57.7 ± 5%, respectively, in comparison with the inflamed control. Noncharged particles had a lower therapeutic impact where the activity was only reduced by a factor of 75%. Histological sections examination had also confirmed these results. Therefore, it was concluded that the presence of charge could enhance skin–NPs adhesion and interaction leading to higher therapeutic effect on inflamed skin.

Mammalian genomic DNA complexed to the natural antimicrobial cationic peptide LL37 induces type I interferon but less than bacterial DNA or CG-dinucleotide containing oligodeoxynucleotides. TLR9 detects DNA in endolysosomal compartments of human B cells and PDC. Recently, the concept of the CpG motif specificity of TLR9-mediated detection, specifically of natural phosphodiester DNA, has been challenged. Unlike in human B cells, CpG specificity of natural phosphodiester DNA recognition in human PDC has not been analyzed in the literature. Here, we found that the induction of IFN-α and TNF-α in human PDC by phosphodiester ODNs containing one or two CG dinucleotides was reduced to a lower level when the CG dinucleotides were methylated and was abolished if the CGs were switched to GCs. Consistent with a high frequency of unmethylated CG dinucleotides, bacterial DNA induced high levels of IFN-α in PDC; IFN-α was reduced but not abolished upon methylation of bacterial DNA. Mammalian DNA containing low numbers of CG dinucleotides, which are frequently methylated, induced IFN-α in PDC consistently but on a much lower level than bacterial DNA. For activation of PDC, phosphodiester ODNs and genomic DNA strictly required complexation with cationic molecules such as the keratinocyte-derived antimicrobial peptide LL37 or a scrambled derivative. In conclusion, we demonstrate that self-DNA complexed to cationic molecules activate PDC and thus, indeed, may function as DAMPs; nevertheless, the preference of PDC for CpG containing DNA provides the basis for the discrimination of microbial from self-DNA even if DNA is presented in the condensed form of a complex.

The nanoparticulate carrier systems solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and dendritic core-multishell (CMS) nanotransporters gained interest for the topical treatment of skin diseases as they facilitate the skin penetration of loaded lipophilic drugs. Here, we studied if these carrier systems are also suitable drug delivery systems for more hydrophilic agents using the dye rhodamin B as model compound. Furthermore, the influence of the particle size on the skin penetration was investigated. Loading rhodamin B onto SLN (250-340 nm) and CMS nanotransporters (20-30 nm), the dye amount increased significantly in viable epidermis and dermis as compared to a conventional cream. CMS nanotransporters were most efficient. Creating nanoparticles of 50-200 nm demonstrated only marginal size effect for the skin penetration. Therefore, the superiority of the CMS nanotransporters seems to be attributed to the character of the nanoparticles and not to its smaller size.

The aim of this study was to develop fluconazole in an ultrapure polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel able to deliver the drug in a sustained release pattern for local treatment of skin fungal infections. The topical fluconazole hydrogels were prepared using PVA hydrogels physically cross-linked by freeze-thaw technique. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was added as a hydrophilic excipient as a release enhancer of fluconazole. The effects of PVA molecular weight, PEG molecular weight, and PEG concentration were studied using a 2 x 4 x 2 factorially designed experiment. The selected fluconazole hydrogel proved to be physically stable over a period of 6 months and to be effective in the topical treatment of cutaneous candidiasis. Therefore, it could be concluded that the formula composed of 10% PVA 205000 and 1.5% PEG 4000 and 2% fluconazole and prepared by three cycles of freezing, and thawing is very promising in the local treatment of skin fungal infection as an alternative to the systemic use of fluconazole.

Gels dosage forms are successfully used as drug delivery systems considering their ability to control drug release and to protect medicaments from a hostile environment. Thus, it was desired in this study to formulate fluconazole into a gel that could be used locally in the treatment of different skin fungal infections. Cellulose derivatives, chitosan and poloxamer-407 were used as the gelling agents. Different additives were used to enhance drug release from these preparations including PEG 400, glycerol, Tween 80 and Cetrimide. Different formulae were characterized in terms of spreadability, rheological properties and drug release. The formulae showing the best drug release were selected to study the effect of storage on various parameters over a period of 6 months and for microbiological evaluation. The best release enhancer was glycerol in the concentration of 10% and the formulae containing it were stable and proved to be effective in the inhibition of candidal growth in the in vitro microbiological evaluation. Egyptian Journal of Biomedical Sciences Vol. 23 (1) 2007: pp. 266-286