Deformable liposomes represent valuable drug carriers for cutaneous administration. Nevertheless, the fluid lipid membrane can favor the drug leakage during storage. Proliposomes may represent a ...suitable strategy to solve this issue. As an alternative, a novel carrier, which encloses hydrophobic drugs in the inner core of vesicles, namely, a drug-in-micelles-in-liposome system (DiMiL), has been proposed. In this work, we investigated the possible advantages of combining these two approaches to obtain a formulation able to enhance the skin penetration of cannabidiol (CBD). Proliposomes were prepared by spray-drying or slurry method testing lactose, sucrose, and trehalose as carriers at different sugar/lipid weight ratios. The ratio between soy-phosphatidylcholine (main lipid) and Tween 80 was instead fixed at 85:15 w/w. DiMiL systems were extemporaneously obtained by the hydration of proliposomes with a Kolliphor HS 15 micellar dispersion (containing CBD, when appropriate). Based on the technological properties, sucrose and trehalose at 2:1 sugar/lipid ratio resulted in the best carriers for spray-dried and “slurried” proliposomes, respectively. Cryo-EM images clearly showed the presence of micelles in the aqueous core of lipid vesicles and the presence of sugars did not alter the structural organization of DiMiL systems, as demonstrated by SAXS analyses. All formulations were highly deformable and able to control CBD release regardless of the presence of sugar. The permeation through human epidermis of CBD carried by DiMiL systems was significantly improved compared to that obtained loading the drug in conventional deformable liposomes with the same lipid composition or in an oil solution. Furthermore, the presence of trehalose led to a further slight increase of the flux. Altogether, these results demonstrated that proliposomes may be a valuable intermediate for the preparation of deformable liposome-based cutaneous dosage forms, improving the stability without compromising the overall performances.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid isolated from Cannabis sativa which, given its claimed beneficial properties and therapeutic potential, has lately aroused considerable attention ...from the scientific community. Starting from the little literature evidence, the main purpose of this study was to investigate the topical administration of CBD, with particular focus on the influence of vehicle-related aspects on the skin permeation process. This could provide useful information for the design of suitable drug delivery systems which could be used in developing topical medicines and cosmetics. In vitro human skin permeation studies were conducted using modified Franz diffusion cells to compare the performance of four solutions and two semisolid formulations. The Hildebrand solubility parameter was used to better understand the thermodynamic aspects implied in the partitioning process of the cannabinoid compound into the skin. It was interestingly found that a hydrophilic gel, mostly consisting of propylene glycol (79%,
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), can be an optimal choice for the topical administration of CBD. Moreover, the feasibility of the preparation of CBD-loaded (trans)dermal patches, made with new printing technology, was also demonstrated.
This study aimed to identify a new skin penetrating peptide (SPP) able to enhance unfractionated heparin (UFH) permeation through human epidermis by screening a phage display peptide library. The ...effects of the synthesized heptapeptide (DRTTLTN) on human stratum corneum organization were investigated by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulation. The DRTTLTN penetration within the human epidermis caused both a fluidization of the stratum corneum lipids and the extension of keratins due to the increase of the contribution of α-helices. The coadministration of DRTTLTN with UFH resulted ineffective in increasing skin penetration due to UFH affinity for keratins. The conjugation of DRTTLTN to UFH by N-(3-(dimethylamino)propyl)-N′-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride and sodium N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide led to an increase of the flux of 24–36-fold with respect to raw UFH, depending on the adopted synthetic procedure. The new compounds showed a decrease of the antifactor Xa activity of about 4–5 times. DRTTLTN also permitted to increase the fluxes of small model molecules. In conclusion, these data support the use of SPP to enhance the skin penetration of poorly absorbed compounds even in the case of macromolecules as polysaccharides.
Psoriasis is a lifelong disease which requires treatment adherence for successful management. Considering the complexity of this pathology, the combination of active pharmaceutical ingredients with a ...synergistic mechanism of action can improve the safety and efficacy of the treatment with respect to the conventional monotherapy. Moreover, a fixed dose of therapeutic agents in a topical formulation offers the possibility to simplify administration, reduce the doses of each active ingredient, and improve patient’s compliance. Among the first-line treatments in mild to moderate psoriasis, the formulation of calcipotriol (Cal) and betamethasone dipropionate (BD) in a single vehicle is challenging due to their chemical incompatibility in an aqueous environment and the formation of degradation products. Based on these considerations, this review aims to provide an overview on the biopharmaceutical properties of Cal/BD fixed-dose combination products available on the market (namely ointment, oleogel, foam, and O/W cream), highlighting also the novel approaches under evaluation. The main differences among topical formulations are discussed considering the different features of the anatomic districts involved in psoriasis and the patient’s adherence. Moreover, since in vitro experiments are fundamental to evaluate the skin permeation profile during the development of an efficacious medicinal product, special emphasis is given to models proposed to mimic psoriatic lesions.
The administration of drug fixed combinations by nanocarriers is a new attractive approach since it can allow improvements in both the skin penetration of cargo compounds and their synergistic ...effects. The cutaneous administration of lidocaine (LD) and cannabidiol (CBD) combination can be useful for the local treatment of neuropathic pain. In fact, these drugs might exert a complementary effect on pain acting on sodium and calcium channels. In this study, the feasibility to deliver this combination in the deeper layers of the skin using deformable liposomes was studied. Based on a study of the drug affinity for lipid components performed by DSC, CBD was loaded in the lipid bilayer for limiting the leakage, while LD was loaded in the inner core by a pH gradient method (G-liposomes) or after previous encapsulation in micelle (DiMiL). The effect of the presence of Tween 80 in the liposome membrane was also evaluated. DiMiL increased both the skin permeation and the retention in the dermis of CBD and LD with respect to G-liposomes (R24dermis: 11.52 ± 2.4 against 4.51 ± 0.8 µg/cm2 for CBD; 19.6 ± 2.9 against 3.2 ± 0.1 µg/cm2 for LD). Moreover, both DiMiL and G-liposomes were more efficient than control formulations carrying free drugs in improving drug skin permeation. Interestingly, in the presence of a drug exerting a fluidizing effect such as CBD, the removal of Tween 80 from the composition led to an improved control of drug release and a higher extent of drug retention in the dermis layer.
The use of nanoemulsions in cosmetic products has been enlarged in the last decades because of several formulative advantages (e.g., the improved self-life stability, better texture properties). In ...addition, nanoemulsions seemed to improve the penetration of active ingredients through the human skin, comparing to conventional emulsion. In this contest, the risk of a higher systemic exposure of consumer to active ingredients, due to the ability of nanoemulsion to enhance permeation, results a critical attribute that should be evaluated for assuring the consumer safety. The aim of this work was the evaluation of how an oil-in-water (O/W) nanoemulsion can influence the in vitro skin permeation profiles of two model active ingredients with different polarity (i.e., caffeine and ethyl ximenynate). Preliminarily, since both selected molecules influenced the physical stability of nanoemulsion, formulative studies were carried out to identify the most stable formulation to perform in vitro permeation studies. The overall results demonstrated that nanoemulsions could significantly influence the permeation profiles of molecules as a function of their physicochemical properties. In particular, O/W nanoemulsions significantly improved the permeation profiles of apolar active ingredients in comparison to conventional emulsions, whereas no differences were observable for polar molecules. Considering such findings, it is worth observing that there is room for reconsidering the risk assessment of nanoemulsion-based cosmetic products.
The freeze-drying of complex formulations, such as liposomes, is challenging, particularly if dispersions contain residual organic solvents. This work aimed to investigate the effects of possible ...protectants, namely sucrose, trehalose and/or poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP), on the main features of the dried product using a 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC)-based liposomal dispersion prepared by ethanol injection and containing ethanol up to 6%, as a model. The interactions among vesicles and protectants were preliminary screened by Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations, which have been proved useful in rationalizing the selection of protectant(s). The freeze-drying protocol was based on calorimetric results. Overall data suggested a stronger cryo-protectant effect of trehalose, compared with sucrose, due to stronger interactions with the DPPC bilayer and the formation of highly ordered clusters around the lipids. The effect further improved in the presence of PVP. Differently from the other tested protectants, the selected trehalose/PVP combination allows to preserve liposome size, even in the presence of 6% ethanol, as demonstrated by Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA). Nevertheless, it should be also underlined that cakes blew out at an ethanol concentration higher than 1% v/v, probably due to the poor cohesion within the cake and solvent vapour pressure upon sublimation.
Moving towards a real mass vaccination in the context of COVID-19, healthcare professionals are required to face some criticisms due to limited data on the stability of a mRNA-based vaccine ...(Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in the US or Comirnaty in EU) as a dose in a 1 mL-syringe. The stability of the lipid nanoparticles and the encapsulated mRNA was evaluated in a “real-life” scenario. Specifically, we investigated the effects of different storing materials (e.g., syringes vs. glass vials), as well as of temperature and mechanical stress on nucleic acid integrity, number, and particle size distribution of lipid nanoparticles. After 5 h in the syringe, lipid nanoparticles maintained the regular round shape, and the hydrodynamic diameter ranged between 80 and 100 nm with a relatively narrow polydispersity (<0.2). Samples were stable independently of syringe materials and storage conditions. Only strong mechanical stress (e.g., shaking) caused massive aggregation of lipid nanoparticles and mRNA degradation. These proof-of-concept experiments support the hypothesis that vaccine doses can be safely prepared in a dedicated area using an aseptic technique and transferred without affecting their stability.
Interdental papilla are an interesting source of mesenchymal stromal cells (GinPaMSCs), which are easy to isolate and expand in vitro. In our laboratory, GinPaMSCs were isolated, expanded, and ...characterized by studying their secretome before and after priming with paclitaxel (PTX). The secretome of GinPaMSCs did not affect the growth of cancer cell lines tested in vitro, whereas the secretome of GinPaMSCs primed with paclitaxel (GinPaMSCs/PTX) exerted a significant anticancer effect. GinPaMSCs were able to uptake and then release paclitaxel in amounts pharmacologically effective against cancer cells, as demonstrated in vitro by the direct activity of GinPaMSCs/PTX and their secretome against both human pancreatic carcinoma and squamous carcinoma cells. PTX was associated with extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by cells (EVs/PTX), suggesting that PTX is incorporated into exosomes during their biogenesis. The isolation of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) from gingiva is less invasive than that from other tissues (such as bone marrow and fat), and GinPaMSCs provide an optimal substrate for drug-priming to obtain EVs/PTX having anticancer activity. This research may contribute to develop new strategies of cell-mediated drug delivery by EVs that are easy to store without losing function, and could have a superior safety profile in therapy.
Topical β-blockers have recently been proposed as a valid alternative to oral drugs for treating cutaneous infantile haemangiomas, but clinical results in the literature are inconsistent due to the ...empirical choice of topical preparations. The current investigation aimed to rationalize the selection of a semi-solid vehicle for a locally applied drug product containing 1% w/w propranolol hydrochloride (PR-Cl).
A hydrophobic ointment of PR-Cl, two lipophilic creams, and a hydrophilic cream were prepared. In vitro release and skin permeation studies through human epidermis and full-thickness skin were performed by Franz diffusion cells.
The overall results highlighted that PR-Cl was able to permeate the human epidermis, and its penetration pattern was strongly influenced by the composition of the semi-solid vehicle. PR-Cl release and permeation from lipophilic vehicles were extremely limited and influenced by their composition. Best results were obtained by using the hydrophilic cream. Furthermore, the retention study evidenced that epidermis acted as a reservoir, releasing the PR-Cl accumulated after preparation removal.
The 1% w/w PR-Cl cream resulted the most suitable formulation for improving drug permeation through the human epidermis. On the contrary, the negligible permeation profile through full-thickness skin pointed out that PR-Cl cannot diffuse significantly to reach the deeper layers of human skin.
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