Journal of microencapsulation最新文献

One of the goals of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine is restoring primary living tissue function by manufacturing a 3D microenvironment. One of the main challenges is protecting implanted non-autologous cells or tissues from the host immune system. Cell encapsulation has emerged as a promising technique for this purpose. It involves entrapping cells in biocompatible and semi-permeable microcarriers made from natural or synthetic polymers that regulate the release of cellular secretions. In recent years, droplet-based microfluidic systems have emerged as powerful tools for cell encapsulation in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. These systems offer precise control over droplet size, composition, and functionality, allowing for creating of microenvironments that closely mimic native tissue. Droplet-based microfluidic systems have extensive applications in biotechnology, medical diagnosis, and drug discovery. This review summarises the recent developments in droplet-based microfluidic systems and cell encapsulation techniques, as well as their applications, advantages, and challenges in biology and medicine. The integration of these technologies has the potential to revolutionise tissue engineering and regenerative medicine by providing a precise and controlled microenvironment for cell growth and differentiation. By overcoming the immune system's challenges and enabling the release of cellular secretions, these technologies hold great promise for the future of regenerative medicine.

Aim: To prepare sweet tea extract microcapsules (STEMs) via a spray-drying by applying different wall material formulations with maltodextrin (MD), inulin (IN), and gum arabic (GA). Methods: The microcapsules were characterised by yield, encapsulation efficiency (EE), particle size, sensory evaluation, morphology, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy and in vitro digestion studies. Results: The encapsulation improved the physicochemical properties and bioactivity stability of sweet tea extract (STE). MD5IN5 had the highest yield (56.33 ± 0.06% w/w) and the best EE (e.g. 88.84 ± 0.36% w/w of total flavonoids). MD9GA1 obtained the smallest particle size (642.13 ± 4.12 nm). MD9GA1 exhibited the highest retention of bioactive components, inhibition of α-glucosidase (96.85 ± 0.55%), α-amylase (57.58 ± 0.99%), angiotensin-converting enzyme (56.88 ± 2.20%), and the best antioxidant activity during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. Conclusion: The encapsulation of STE can be an appropriate way for the valorisation of STE with improved properties.

Aim: The work reports a novel nanophytosomal gel encapsulating Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd leaf essential oil to treat periodontal infections.

Methods: Alpinia oil-loaded nanophytosomes (ANPs) were formulated by lipid layer hydration technique and were evaluated by FESEM, cryo-TEM, loading efficiency, zeta potential, particle size, release profile etc. Selected ANPs-loaded gel (ANPsG) was evaluated by both in vitro and in vivo methods.

Results: Selected ANPs were spherical, unilamellar, 49.32 ± 2.1 nm size, 0.45 PDI, -46.7 ± 0.8 mV zeta potential, 9.8 ± 0.5% (w/w) loading, 86.4 ± 3.02% (w/w) loading efficiency with sustained release profile. ANPsG showed good spreadability (6.8 ± 0.3 gm.cm/sec), extrudability (79.33 ± 1.5%), viscosity (36522 ± 0.82 cps), mucoadhesive strength (44.56 ± 3.5 gf) with sustained ex vivo release tendency. Satisfied ZOI and MIC was observed for ANPsG against periodontal bacteria vs. standard/control. ANPsG efficiently treated infection in ligature induced periodontitis model. Key pharmacokinetic parameters like AUC, MRT, V_d were enhanced for ANPsG.

Conclusion: ANPsG may be investigated for futuristic clinical studies.

Aim: The present work is focus on development of anti-psoriasis activity of Karanjin (isolated from Pongamia pinnata seed oil) loaded liposome based lotion for enhancement of skin permeation and retention.

Method: Karanjin was isolated using liquid-liquid extraction method and characterised by HPLC analysis and partition coefficient. Further, isolated Karanjin was loaded into liposomes using thin-film hydration technique and optimised by Box-Behnken design. Selected optimised batch was characterised their mean diameter, PDI, zeta potential, and entrapment efficiency, morphology (by TEM), FTIR and ex-vivo skin retention. Additionally, Karanjin loaded liposomes were formulated into lotion and characterise their rheological, spreadability, texture, ex-vivo skin permeation & retention, stability and anti-psoriatic activity in mouse tail model.

Result: The yield of Karanjin from seed oil was 0.1% w/v and have lipophilic nature. The optimised liposomal formulation showed 195 ± 1.8 nm mean diameter, 0.271 ± 0.02 PDI, -27.0 ± 2.1 mV zeta potential and 61.97 ± 2.5% EE. TEM image revel the spherical shap of liposome surrounded by single phospholipid bilayer and no interection between drug and excipients. Further, lotion was prepared by 0.1% w/v carbopol and found to 615 mPa.sec viscosity, good thixotropic behaviour, spreadability and texture. There was 22.44% increase in drug permeation for Karanjin loaded liposomal lotion compared to pure Karanjin lotion, confirm by ex-vivo permeation and retention. While, in-vivo study revel the liposomal lotion of Karanjin was found to have 16.09% higher drug activity then 5% w/w conventional Karanjin lotion.

Conclusion: Karanjin loaded liposomal lotion have an effective anti-psoriatic agent and showed better skin permeation and retention than the conventional Karanjin lotion.

Green-synthesis of biodegradable polymeric curcumin-nanoparticles using affordable biodegradable polymers to enhance curcumin's solubility and anti-oxidative potential. The curcumin-nanoparticle was prepared based on the ionic-interaction method without using any chemical surfactants, and the particle-size, zeta-potential, surface-morphology, entrapmentefficiency, and in-vitro drug release study were used to optimise the formulation. The antioxidant activity was investigated using H2DCFDA staining in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) model. The mean-diameter of blank nanoparticles was 178.2 nm (±4.69), and that of curcuminnanoparticles was about 227.7 nm (±10.4), with a PDI value of 0.312 (±0.023) and 0.360 (±0.02). The encapsulation-efficacy was found to be 34% (±1.8), with significantly reduced oxidative-stress and toxicity (∼5 times) in the zebrafish model compared to standard curcumin. The results suggested that the current way of encapsulating curcumin using affordable, biodegradable, natural polymers could be a better approach to enhancing curcumin's water solubility and bioactivity, which could further be translated into potential therapeutics.

Aims: This study aimed to encapsulate natural killer (NK) cells in a hydrogel to sustain their function within the hypoxic tumour microenvironments.

Methods: An alginate-gelatine hydrogel was generated via electrospray technology. Hydrogel biocompatibility was assessed through cell counting kit-8 and Live/Dead assays to ascertain cell. Moreover, we analysed lactate dehydrogenase assays to evaluate the cytotoxicity against tumours and utilised RT-qPCR to analyse cytokine gene level.

Results: Alginate and gelatine formed hydrogels with diameters ranging from 489.2 ± 23.0 μm, and the encapsulation efficiency was 34.07 ± 1.76%. Encapsulated NK cells exhibited robust proliferation and tumour-killing capabilities under normoxia and hypoxia. Furthermore, encapsulation provided a protective shield against cell viability under hypoxia. Importantly, tumour-killing cytotoxicity through cytokines upregulation such as granzyme B and interferon-gamma was preserved under hypoxia.

Conclusion: The encapsulation of NK cells not only safeguards their viability but also reinforces anticancer capacity, countering the inhibition of activation induced by hypoxia.

This work aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Lippia sidoides and Syzygium aromaticum essential oils (EOs) encapsulated in nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) as SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors through virucidal activity assessment. We developed anionic and cationic NLCs loaded with the EOs and assessed their physicochemical properties and SARS-CoV-2 virucidal activity, focusing on the effects of EO type and the NLCs composition. The NLCs exhibited particle sizes of 141.30 to 160.53 nm for anionic and 109.30 to 138.60 nm for cationic types, with PDIs between 0.16 and 0.25. High zeta potentials (>29.0 in modulus) indicated stable formulations. The NLCs effectively encapsulated the EOs, achieving encapsulation efficiencies between 84.6 to 100% w/w of marker compound. The EOs-loaded NLCs reduced the SARS-CoV-2 virion count, exceeding 2 logs over the control. NLCs loaded with Lippia sidoides and Syzygium aromaticum EOs represent an innovative strategy for combating SARS-CoV-2.

The instability of ester bonds, low water solubility, and increased cytotoxicity of flavonoid glycoside esters significantly limit their application in the food industry. Therefore, the present study attempted to resolve these issues through liposome encapsulation. The results showed that baicalin butyl ester (BEC4) and octyl ester (BEC8) have higher encapsulation and loading efficiencies and lower leakage rate from liposomes than baicalin. FTIR results revealed the location of BEC4 and BEC8 in the hydrophobic layer of liposomes, which was different from baicalin. Additionally, liposome encapsulation improved the water solubility and stability of BEC4 and BEC8 in the digestive system and PBS but significantly reduced their cytotoxicity. Furthermore, the release rate of BEC4 and BEC8 from liposomes was lower than that of baicalin during gastrointestinal digestion. These results indicate that liposome encapsulation alleviated the negative effects of fatty chain introduction into flavonoid glycosides.

Aims: To construct the microemulsion delivery system (ME) loading ATSO and NA and study their physicochemical characteristics to enhance their stability and water solubility.

Methods: By plotting ternary phase diagrams, the composition and proportions of the MEs were determined. The physicochemical characteristics and stability of MEs were evaluated by mean diameter, polydispersity index (PDI), pH, electrical conductivity, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), rheological behaviour measurement, and phase inversion temperature (PIT).

Results: The MEs was composed with EL-40 as a surfactant and specifically with the addition of ethanol as a cosurfactant in NA-loaded ME. The mean diameters of ATSO-loaded ME and NA-loaded ME were 39.65 ± 0.24 nm and 32.90 ± 2.65 nm, and PDI were 0.49 ± 0.01 and 0.28 ± 0.14, respectively. The TEM confirmed the spherical and smooth morphology of MEs. The rheological results indicated that MEs are dilatant fluids with the advantages of low viscosity, high fluidity, and tolerance to temperature fluctuations. The mean diameter and PDI of MEs showed no significant change after storage at 25 °C for 28 days and centrifugation.

Conclusion: The prepared microemulsions could expand the application prospects of ATSO and NA products in cosmetics, medicine, foods and other fields.

Objective: To investigate the transdermal mechanisms and compare the differences in transdermal delivery of Sinomenine hydrochloride (SN) between solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN), liposomes (LS), and nanoemulsions (NE).

Methods: SN-SLN, SN-LS and SN-NE were prepared by ultrasound, ethanol injection and spontaneous emulsification, respectively. FTIR, DSC, in vitro skin penetration, activation energy (Ea) analysis were used to explore the mechanism of drug penetration across the skin.

Results: The particle size and encapsulation efficiency were 126.60 nm, 43.23 ± 0.48%(w/w) for SN-SLN, 224.90 nm, 78.31 ± 0.75%(w/w) for SN-LS, and 83.22 nm, 89.01 ± 2.16%(w/w) for SN-LS. FTIR and DSC showed the preparations had various levels of impacts on the stratum corneum's lipid structure which was in the order of SLN > NE > LS. Ea values of SN-SLN, SN-LS, and SN-NE crossing the skin were 2.504, 1.161, and 2.510 kcal/mol, respectively.

Conclusion: SLN had a greater degree of alteration on the skin cuticle, which allows SN to permeate skin more effectively.