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Organic Polymers for Encapsulation of Drugs, Food Ingredients and Agrochemicals II

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Networks".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 February 2024) | Viewed by 12356

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Laboratorio de Ambiental, Facultad de Ingeniería Culiacán, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Ciudad Universitaria, Culiacán, Sinaloa P.O. Box: 80013, Mexico
Interests: synthesis and characterization of polymers; controlled drug delivery; polymeric carriers; water remediation; flocculants and adsorbents; chitosan; stimuli-responsive polymers
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Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, Université de Franche-Comté, 16 Route de Gray, 25000 Besançon, France
Interests: organic and macromolecular chemistry; environmental chemistry; water pollution; water purification technologies; wastewater engineering; adsorption processes; polysaccharides; cyclodextrins; chitosan; hemp; bioassays
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Centro de Graduados e Investigación en Química, Tecnológico Nacional de México/Instituto Tecnológico de Tijuana, A. P. 1166., Tijuana 22000, Mexico
Interests: nanomaterials; temperature and pH-sensitive polymers; amphiphilic polymers; living radical polymerization; controlled drug release
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As you know, drugs, food ingredients, and agrochemicals help to improve the quality of life around the world. In the last decade, researchers have developed outstanding systems to use them in a minimal quantity that allows us to reach the desired efficiency and reduce side effects and/or contamination derived from the overuse of these substances. For this goal, the encapsulation of guest molecules has been studied using organic polymers (natural, synthetic and semi-synthetic chains) as platforms with different architectures, such as films, gels, stars, micelles, liposomes, vesicles, polyelectrolyte complexes, etc. These platforms can protect guest compounds against degradation and provide enhanced water solubility, increasing the percentage of substance that is available for biological action. Additionally, the release of guest molecules can be tuned, resulting in improved effectiveness.

This Special Issue is focused on the collection of current advances in the design of systems involving the encapsulation of drugs (antineoplastics, antibiotics, hormones, etc.), food ingredients (nutraceuticals, dyes, etc.) and agrochemicals (insecticides, herbicides and fungicides) using organic polymers as carriers. We welcome original papers and review articles addressing this topic for platforms from macro- to micro/nano-scales.

Prof. Dr. Lorenzo Antonio Picos Corrales
Dr. Grégorio Crini
Prof. Dr. Angel Licea-Claverie
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • polymeric carriers
  • encapsulation
  • films
  • emulsions
  • gels
  • micelles
  • liposomes
  • vesicles
  • polyelectrolyte complexes
  • star polymers
  • amphiphilic copolymers
  • stimuli-responsive polymers
  • polysaccharides
  • drugs
  • food ingredients
  • agrochemicals

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 3937 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Release of Different Commercial Orally Modified Niacin Formulations In Vitro
by Christiane Chbib, Md. Abdur Rashid, Sarthak M. Shah, Mohsin Kazi and Mohammad N. Uddin
Polymers 2023, 15(14), 3046; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15143046 - 14 Jul 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2246
Abstract
Objectives: To evaluate the release profile of different modified-release oral formulations of niacin, such as immediate-release (IR) powder and tablets, timed-release (TR) caplets, extended-release (ER) capsules, and controlled-release (CR) tablets, to assure their defined release pattern and correlate this release with their matrix [...] Read more.
Objectives: To evaluate the release profile of different modified-release oral formulations of niacin, such as immediate-release (IR) powder and tablets, timed-release (TR) caplets, extended-release (ER) capsules, and controlled-release (CR) tablets, to assure their defined release pattern and correlate this release with their matrix polymers. Significance: Niacin is used to manage hyperlipidemia by reducing cutaneous flushing and hepatotoxicity adverse events. The release profiles of different types of modified-release dosage forms depend on the types of coating materials (polymers) used in the matrix formation. Although different types of niacin formulations exist, none of the niacin dissolution profiles have been evaluated and compared in the literature. Methods: Four commercial orally modified-release niacin brands were collected from a local CVS pharmacy retail store, in Miami, FL, USA. The in vitro release study was conducted in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) conditions. Results: The results of the release patterns of four niacin-modified dosage forms (IR, ER, TR, and CR) were aligned with their release definitions. However, the CR dosage form did not follow an ideal release pattern. Conclusions: The release rate of niacin in vitro was pH dependent, which was confirmed by the similarity factor (f2) results. All the f2 comparison values were below 50 in both the SIF and SGF media, while all the comparisons were below the f2 values for all brands in the SIF media. Full article
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22 pages, 7504 KiB  
Article
Preparation of Crosslinked Poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide)-Grafted Deproteinized Natural Rubber/Silica Composites as Coating Materials for Controlled Release of Fertilizer
by Supharat Inphonlek, Kasama Jarukumjorn, Pranee Chumsamrong, Chaiwat Ruksakulpiwat and Yupaporn Ruksakulpiwat
Polymers 2023, 15(7), 1770; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15071770 - 2 Apr 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3237
Abstract
The crosslinked poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide)-grafted deproteinized natural rubber/silica ((PAA-co-PAM)-DPNR/silica) composites were prepared and applied as coating materials for fertilizer in this work. The crosslinked (PAA-co-PAM)-DPNR was prepared via emulsion graft copolymerization in the presence of MBA as [...] Read more.
The crosslinked poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide)-grafted deproteinized natural rubber/silica ((PAA-co-PAM)-DPNR/silica) composites were prepared and applied as coating materials for fertilizer in this work. The crosslinked (PAA-co-PAM)-DPNR was prepared via emulsion graft copolymerization in the presence of MBA as a crosslinking agent. The modified DPNR was mixed with various contents of silica (10 to 30 phr) to form the composites. The existence of crosslinked (PAA-co-PAM) after modification provided a water adsorption ability to DPNR. The swelling degree values of composites were found in the range of 2217.3 ± 182.0 to 8132.3 ± 483.8%. The addition of silica in the composites resulted in an improvement in mechanical properties. The crosslinked (PAA-co-PAM)-DPNR with 20 phr of silica increased its compressive strength and compressive modulus by 1.61 and 1.55 times compared to the unloaded silica sample, respectively. There was no breakage of samples after 80% compression strain. Potassium nitrate, a model fertilizer, was loaded into chitosan beads with a loading percentage of 40.55 ± 1.03% and then coated with the modified natural rubber/silica composites. The crosslinked (PAA-co-PAM)-DPNR/silica composites as the outer layers had the ability of holding water in their structure and retarded the release of fertilizer. These composites could be promising materials for controlled release and water retention that would have potential for agricultural application. Full article
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18 pages, 4007 KiB  
Article
Formation and Investigation of Physicochemical and Microbiological Properties of Biocomposite Films Containing Turmeric Extract Nano/Microcapsules
by Natalia Stanisławska, Gohar Khachatryan, Karen Khachatryan, Magdalena Krystyjan, Małgorzata Makarewicz and Marcel Krzan
Polymers 2023, 15(4), 919; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15040919 - 12 Feb 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2761
Abstract
In the era of growing plastic consumption, food waste by consumers and overproduction caused by economic reasons, the global goal is to decrease these phenomena. Biocomposite films investigated in the past years are creating a promising future toward ecological, intelligent and active packaging. [...] Read more.
In the era of growing plastic consumption, food waste by consumers and overproduction caused by economic reasons, the global goal is to decrease these phenomena. Biocomposite films investigated in the past years are creating a promising future toward ecological, intelligent and active packaging. Due to their unique properties, they can be used in many areas of our life and reduce the constantly increasing pollution of our planet. The aim of our study was to obtain innovative and flexible biopolymer films based on sodium alginate and chitosan, as well as to develop methods for generating nanocapsules with turmeric extract in them. Bionanocomposites were analyzed using UV-VIS, FTIR, photoluminescence spectroscopy and SEM microscopy, while contact angles, surface free energy, particle size (DLS) and zeta potential were determined. The mechanical and colorimetric properties of the produced films were investigated, and the water content, solubility and water absorption were determined. Microbiological tests were carried out to analyze the influence of the produced films on the development of microorganisms. The results of the performed analyses allowed us to confirm the presence of curcumin nano- and microcapsules in the alginate–chitosan composite. Moreover, studies have shown that the structure of polysaccharides does not change during capsule manufacturing. The film with the highest concentration of the capsules showed better parameters in tests of solubility, water content, degree of swelling and mechanical properties. The obtained properties of the developed films allow them to be used as active and intelligent packaging materials, or as their parts. Full article
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Review

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20 pages, 2750 KiB  
Review
Unravelling the Drug Encapsulation Ability of Functional DNA Origami Nanostructures: Current Understanding and Future Prospects on Targeted Drug Delivery
by Souvik Ghosal, Sagar Bag and Sudipta Bhowmik
Polymers 2023, 15(8), 1850; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15081850 - 12 Apr 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3480
Abstract
Rapid breakthroughs in nucleic acid nanotechnology have always driven the creation of nano-assemblies with programmable design, potent functionality, good biocompatibility, and remarkable biosafety during the last few decades. Researchers are constantly looking for more powerful techniques that provide enhanced accuracy with greater resolution. [...] Read more.
Rapid breakthroughs in nucleic acid nanotechnology have always driven the creation of nano-assemblies with programmable design, potent functionality, good biocompatibility, and remarkable biosafety during the last few decades. Researchers are constantly looking for more powerful techniques that provide enhanced accuracy with greater resolution. The self-assembly of rationally designed nanostructures is now possible because of bottom-up structural nucleic acid (DNA and RNA) nanotechnology, notably DNA origami. Because DNA origami nanostructures can be organized precisely with nanoscale accuracy, they serve as a solid foundation for the exact arrangement of other functional materials for use in a number of applications in structural biology, biophysics, renewable energy, photonics, electronics, medicine, etc. DNA origami facilitates the creation of next-generation drug vectors to help in the solving of the rising demand on disease detection and therapy, as well as other biomedicine-related strategies in the real world. These DNA nanostructures, generated using Watson–Crick base pairing, exhibit a wide variety of properties, including great adaptability, precise programmability, and exceptionally low cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. This paper summarizes the synthesis of DNA origami and the drug encapsulation ability of functionalized DNA origami nanostructures. Finally, the remaining obstacles and prospects for DNA origami nanostructures in biomedical sciences are also highlighted. Full article
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