Search Results (4,643)

In this study, taking NdCl₃ and 2-amino-1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid (H₂ATA) as raw materials, a novel lanthanide metal–organic framework, Nd(ATA), was synthesized by the coprecipitation method. After loading antibiotic levofloxacin (LEV), Nd(ATA) was combined with GelMA hydrogel to prepare a drug-loaded composite hydrogel, LEV@Nd(ATA)-Gel, which can emit near-infrared fluorescence under excitation at 808 nm and possesses improved mechanical properties compared to pure GelMA hydrogel. LEV@Nd(ATA)-Gel exhibited high bactericidal activity and low cytotoxicity, with cell viability increased by 35% compared to the control group. The release rate of the loaded LEV was found increasing with the pH decreasing from 7 to 3, and demonstrated a potential responsiveness to wound microenvironment. Furthermore, drug delivery studies revealed a significant correlation with the fluorescence intensity of the composite hydrogel and the drug release behavior, and the extent of drug release was quantitatively captured by an in vitro imaging technology. This study successfully integrated the drug release with fluorescent signal of carrier, providing a highly sensitive and visualizable strategy for the development of internal wound adhesive. Full article

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor, characterized by poor prognosis and a median survival of 12–18 months despite standard therapies such as surgery, radiation, and temozolomide chemotherapy. Its high cellular heterogeneity, along with complex mechanisms of therapy resistance, presents significant challenges for effective treatment. Conventional systemic chemotherapy is limited by the blood–brain barrier (BBB), systemic toxicity, and insufficient drug penetration into the tumor microenvironment. Emerging therapeutic strategies aim to overcome these barriers through novel chemotherapeutic agents, targeted therapies, immunotherapies, and smart drug delivery systems. Endovascular drug delivery, particularly super-selective intra-arterial cerebral infusion (SSIACI), offers a minimally invasive approach to directly target the tumor vasculature, potentially increasing drug concentration at the tumor site while reducing systemic exposure. Complementary techniques, such as MR-guided focused ultrasound, hyperosmotic disruption, and nanoparticle-based carriers, are being explored to enhance BBB penetration and retention of therapeutics within the tumor. Ongoing clinical trials and translational studies provide insights into optimizing these approaches, with future directions focused on precision medicine, biomarker-driven patient selection, and combination therapies. Integrating endovascular strategies with innovative chemotherapies and immunotherapies may transform GBM management, but further research is required to establish their efficacy and safety in clinical practice. Full article

Wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD) is characterized by choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and remains a major cause of severe vision loss in older adults. Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy is the current standard of care for wAMD. However, repeated injections are associated with poor adherence, procedure-related complications, and a substantial cumulative treatment burden. Topical nanocarrier-based systems have therefore attracted increasing attention as needle-free approaches for improving posterior segment drug exposure. Complementing broader reviews of ocular nanomedicine, this review specifically examines topical nanocarrier-mediated posterior segment delivery for wAMD, with a focus on three representative platforms: liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, and polymeric micelles. These systems are engineered through the optimization of particle size, surface properties, drug-loading strategies, and functional modifications to improve payload stability, ocular surface residence, tissue penetration, and lesion-relevant delivery. By integrating formulation design, ocular barrier transport, ocular posterior segment bioavailability, and translational feasibility in the context of wAMD, this review provides a disease-focused and application-oriented perspective that complements existing broader reviews of ocular nanocarriers and ophthalmic nanomedicine. We summarize current evidence from preclinical and translational studies and discuss major barriers limiting clinical application, including insufficient posterior segment drug exposure, dose–safety trade-offs, pharmacokinetic instability, limited targeting efficiency, and challenges in delivering macromolecular biologics, such as anti-VEGF antibodies and fusion proteins. At present, topical nanocarrier-based strategies remain investigational, but they hold potential for development as therapeutic approaches for wAMD. Key priorities for future development include quantitative posterior segment pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic evaluation, long-term safety assessment, payload-specific carrier design, scalable manufacturing, and clinically relevant efficacy endpoints. This review provides a focused framework for the rational design and translational assessment of nanocarrier-based topical strategies for wAMD management. Full article

Cancers still remain one of the most significant challenges in medicine or pharmacy, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths annually and imposing a substantial socioeconomic burden worldwide. Although chemotherapy continues to play a central role in the treatment of many tumors, conventional anticancer therapies are frequently associated with poor selectivity, systemic toxicity, multidrug resistance, and unfavorable pharmacokinetic profiles. Paclitaxel (PTX), one of the most widely used antineoplastic agents, demonstrates remarkable clinical efficacy against breast, ovarian, lung, pancreatic, and several other malignancies. Nevertheless, its clinical application remains limited by poor aqueous solubility, non-specific biodistribution, dose-limiting toxicities, and the development of resistance mechanisms. Nanotechnology-based anticancer drug delivery systems have emerged as a promising strategy to address these limitations. Among them, polymeric nanosystems have attracted particular attention owing to their physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, controlled drug-release capabilities, and potential for tumor-targeted delivery. Natural, semi-synthetic, and synthetic polymers are extensively investigated as carriers for PTX, leading to the development of nanoparticles, micelles, nanogels, nanofibers, dendritic systems, and hybrid nanoplatforms. Nanosystems demonstrate enhanced therapeutic efficacy, reduced systemic toxicity, prolonged circulation times, and improved tumor accumulation in preclinical models. Despite encouraging laboratory results, the clinical translation of polymeric PTX nanocarriers (NCs) remains limited. Numerous barriers, including tumor heterogeneity, variability of the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, manufacturing complexity, regulatory challenges, scale-up difficulties, and discrepancies between animal models and human cancers, continue to hinder successful commercialization and widespread clinical adoption. This review critically discusses the current state of polymeric drug delivery systems (DDSs) that contain PTX, as well as the advantages and limitations of synthetic, natural, and semi-synthetic polymers used in DDS technologies. Furthermore, translational challenges and future perspectives of PTX-based DDSs were analyzed. Full article

Urushiol, the main active compound in raw lacquer, is a catechol derivative with long alkyl side chains. Its use in traditional coatings has long been held back by slow enzymatic curing, UV sensitivity, and its own allergenicity. Over the past decade, greener ways to extract it have emerged—ultrasound- and microwave-assisted methods, plus vortex-assisted matrix solid-phase dispersion and ball-milling-enhanced microextraction. These approaches have been shown to recover urushiol efficiently, using less solvent and lowering operator risk. The catechol structure explains its many uses: fast-curing UV coatings that resist corrosion, antibacterial materials (both plain and metal-coordinated), superwetting surfaces for oil–water separation, and selective uptake of heavy metals and rare-earth ions. Early biomedical work also hints at its potential as a bioactive scaffold, drug carrier, or low-toxicity starting point. To balance performance and safety, multiple strategies have been proposed to reduce allergenicity: protecting the hydroxyl groups, modifying specific sites on the ring, and designing synthetic mimics. Still, a few bottlenecks are holding back industrial scale-up. These include large-scale green extraction, long-term material stability, and the lack of solid biocompatibility data. Future work needs to integrate three core research directions: high-throughput structure–activity–toxicity screening, cross-disciplinary molecular design, and life-cycle assessment. The integrated development of these three directions will facilitate the industrial transformation of urushiol-based materials from laboratory prototypes to high-value commercial products. This review summarizes and outlines a roadmap for green extraction, functional polymer applications, and the safe use of urushiol. Full article

In this work, we develop a coupled multiphysics model that integrates polymer carriers exhibiting time-dependent thixotropic structural recovery with Darcy flow, linear Biot poroelasticity and advection–diffusion transport in a spherically symmetric, isotropic and homogeneous tissue domain. The formulation explicitly links rheological evolution to pressure-driven flow, interstitial deformation and solute transport through a unified framework, enabling systematic prediction of post-injection behavior. Unlike conventional approaches that assume constant carrier properties, the present model incorporates a time-dependent viscosity evolution, capturing the transition from an initially shear-thinned state to a recovered, highly viscous structure. Numerical simulations using hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and methotrexate parameters as representative components demonstrate that rapid post-injection viscosity recovery suppresses pressure-driven transport and diffusion, thereby enhancing local drug retention near the injection site. A systematic sensitivity analysis identifies the equilibrium viscosity as the dominant parameter controlling spatial localization, whereas tissue mechanical properties exert a comparatively minor influence. An effectiveness metric based on the Kullback–Leibler divergence reveals a tumor-size-dependent trade-off between spatial coverage and retention. The proposed framework thus introduces a predictive tool for analyzing coupled rheological-transport interactions and for the rational design and optimization of thixotropy-enhanced local chemotherapy strategies. Full article

Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), as a promising oncological modality, enables the specific therapy of tumor cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissues. It has emerged as a critical strategy for combating refractory malignancies such as glioma, breast cancer, lung cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The development of efficient boron carriers is fundamental to realizing the clinical potential of BNCT. This review systematically traces the evolutionary trajectory of boron carriers, from first-generation soluble borates and second-generation agents to third-generation actively targeted formulations, with a particular focus on the current state of nanoparticle-based carriers. It provides a detailed analysis of the structural properties, boron-loading advantages, targeting modification strategies, and key research findings associated with various nanoplatforms, including liposomes, polymers, dendrimers, boron carbide nanoparticles, and gold nanoparticles. Furthermore, by examining specific tumor cell targets such as folate receptors and integrin receptors, the review elucidates the mechanisms by which nanocarriers achieve tumor boron enrichment through both the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect and ligand-mediated active targeting. The review also critically assesses current challenges in the field, including targeting efficacy, boron loading capacity, in vivo retention, and biocompatibility. Finally, it summarizes emerging strategies—such as multi-target modification, combination immunotherapy, theranostics, and the induction of tumor cell pyroptosis—and provides a forward-looking perspective on future developments, aiming to inform the rational design of next-generation BNCT boron carriers with high targeting specificity, high boron payload, and low toxicity. Full article

We present cystamine-modified polydopamine (PDA) coatings as tunable gatekeepers for mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) in drug delivery. Unlike conventional post-functionalization strategies, cystamine moieties were incorporated directly into the PDA network, enabling tunable shell composition and redox responsiveness by simply adjusting the dopamine-to-cystamine ratio. By varying the cystamine:dopamine ratio, pH- and redox-responsive release of doxorubicin (DOX) and sorafenib (SO) was achieved, with release kinetics following the Higuchi model. Cystamine-modified PDA nanoparticles with varying disulfide bridge content were synthesized and comprehensively characterized using SEM, TGA, FTIR, and zeta potential measurements. The cystamine content was found to influence thermal stability, coating performance, and protective properties. Importantly, increasing disulfide content did not necessarily improve release performance, suggesting that excessive crosslinking may partially restrict shell permeabilization and drug diffusion. These findings reveal important structure–property relationships in catechol-based coatings and underline the significance of disulfide linkages in the design of bioinspired stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems. Full article

The fragmentation of clinical information across health systems, community pharmacies, and specialty providers continues to undermine medication safety and emergency care, particularly when patients are unconscious or otherwise unable to communicate their history. The dominant response to this fragmentation has been the construction of a centralized data infrastructure—health information exchanges, prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), and federated electronic health record (EHR) networks—that aggregates clinical information into institutional databases that are queryable by providers, insurers, regulators, and, in many jurisdictions, law enforcement. This article argues that the same care-coordination problems can be addressed through an architecturally different approach in which the patient, not the institution, holds the integrative artifact. The proposed design, here labeled the Guardian Card (a conceptual architecture, not a commercial product), pairs an HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) clinical payload with the SMART Health Cards verifiable-credential framework and a dual-modality (QR code plus near-field communication) physical carrier. After describing the technical architecture, hardware options, and a five-phase deployment roadmap, the design is situated within the surveillance-critical scholarship that has documented PDMP function creep, third-party doctrine erosion, racial disparities in algorithmic prescribing oversight, and the surveillance-instrumentarian repackaging of nominally de-identified prescription data. The Guardian Card is offered as one operational implementation of a patient-controlled medication-record architecture, with community pharmacy and long-term post-acute care, where the Pharmacist eCare Plan integration is most feasible as a recommended first-deployment venue. Full article

Over the past decade, the use of nanomaterials and nanomedical devices has been increasingly explored for cancer treatment. Although the outcomes of conventional therapies have improved patient survival, these approaches still present important limitations for some types of cancer and metastasis. Challenges such as poor drug accumulation in solid tumors and lack of specificity and selectivity can be addressed through alternative nanomedicine-based treatments. Among the wide range of nanoplatforms whose composition and shape have been designed for cancer treatment, this review focuses specifically on those based on natural proteins, including advanced carriers and engineered proteins bearing active targeting and/or therapeutic agents. The objective of this review is to provide a comparative and translational analysis of protein-based nanomaterials for cancer therapy, highlighting their unique characteristics, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and the ability to integrate bioactive peptides that can trigger or respond to tumor-specific or altered physiological stimuli. Several protein-based nanomedical devices have been developed for theranostic applications, demonstrating enhanced performance in tumor imaging and cancer treatment. This review introduces a structured analytical framework that classifies protein-based nanomaterials according to their biological origin, functional design, and clinical readiness, enabling systematic evaluation across platforms. Rather than providing a descriptive overview, this work offers a structured comparative analysis of protein-based nanomaterials, highlighting design trade-offs, translational challenges, and factors influencing clinical applicability. Full article

Andrographolide-loaded microparticles with an aqueous-based carrier system were developed with the aim of pulmonary drug delivery. Five formulations of andrographolide (0.6–5.8% w/w) loaded on mixed-polymer carriers containing chitosan (CHS), hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), Poloxamer 188, and PEG 20,000, with various ratios were produced under various spray-drying parameters: solution viscosity (5–20 cP), atomization air pressure (0.8–1.5 bar) and solution feed rate (3–6 mL/min). The physiochemical properties of the microparticles were strongly affected by carrier composition and atomization air pressure. The optimal formulation: andrographolide 0.6% w/w, CHS 62.2% w/w, HEC 15.5% w/w and Poloxamer 188 21.7% w/w, spray dried using solution viscosity 15 cP, atomization air pressure 1.1 bar and feed rate 3 mL/min, was selected according to its particle sizes (3–5 µm) with rough morphology, encapsulation efficiency (54.47%) and release behaviors (22.31%/h and 89.23% within 4 h). Good physical, chemical, and thermal stabilities under room storage condition (28 ± 2 °C, 50% relative humidity) were also proven. Importantly, it demonstrated potent antiviral activity against Influenza A/H1N1, achieving a 3.3-log₁₀ reduction in viral titer with 99.95% inhibition. Overall, this aqueous-based carrier approach and spray-drying technique offer a stable and effective inhalable formulation for localized treatment of influenza infections. Full article

One of the most pressing challenges facing healthcare today is the rise of biofilm infections and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which demand entirely new therapeutic strategies beyond conventional antibiotic reliance. A biofilm is a structured community of microorganisms encased in a self-produced extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix, which confers resistance to host immune defenses and antimicrobial agents. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that plant-derived secondary metabolites—including flavonoids, phenolic acids, tannins, terpenoids, and alkaloids—exert potent antibacterial and antibiofilm activities through diverse mechanisms of action. These natural compounds inhibit biofilm formation by disrupting bacterial adhesion, suppressing quorum sensing, degrading the EPS matrix, and impairing bacterial motility. Beyond independent bioactivity, phytochemicals demonstrate significant synergistic potential when combined with conventional antibiotics, revitalizing antimicrobial efficacy against drug-resistant pathogens. Nanoformulation and biogenic carrier technologies further enhance the bioavailability and therapeutic potency of these compounds. Despite these advances, critical challenges persist, including poor bioavailability, physicochemical instability, dose-dependent toxicity, and the risk of resistance development. This review presents a critical and integrative analysis of the pharmacological mechanisms of plant secondary metabolites, with particular emphasis on their role in combating biofilm-associated infections and antibiotic resistance, and discusses translational opportunities including structure–activity relationship (SAR)-guided optimization, high-throughput screening platforms, and advanced drug delivery systems. Collectively, plant secondary metabolites represent a scientifically compelling and clinically relevant pipeline for the development of next-generation antimicrobial and antibiofilm therapeutics. Full article

Background/Objectives: Healthy animals can harbor complex and diverse bacterial communities, including pathogenic taxa capable of causing disease and mortality, and individuals that are kept in zoos may act as asymptomatic carriers of a broad range of pathogens. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the rectal bacterial microbiota of multiple animal classes (reptiles, birds, and mammals), maintained in enclosures, identify known or emerging bacterial pathogens, and characterize the antibiotic resistance profiles of the isolated strains. Methods: A total of 40 samples were collected by rectal swabbing for bacteriological analysis from 31 different animal species living in enclosures in four Algerian zoos. The isolated and identified bacterial strains were tested against certain antibiotics used in human and veterinary medicine. Statistical analyses were performed to assess differences in bacterial isolation among animal classes, sex, age categories, and zoological facilities, as well as the degree of similarity between isolated strains based on their antibiotic resistance profiles. Results: A total of 94 bacterial isolates were recovered from 40 fecal samples. Overall, the bacterial isolates belonged to seven families, 13 genera, and 16 taxa. The families identified were Enterobacteriaceae (50/94; 53.19%), Staphylococcaceae (28/94; 29.78%), Pseudomonadaceae (6/94; 6.38%), Brucellaceae (2/94; 2.12%), Morganellaceae (4/94; 4.25%), Yersiniaceae (3/94; 3.19%), and Erwiniaceae (1/94; 1.06%). Reptiles accounted for the highest number of isolates (37/94; 39.36%), followed by 31/94 isolates (32.97%) for birds and 26/94 isolates (27.65%) for mammals. The highest resistance rates were observed for ampicillin (AMP; 95.73%), followed by amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (AMC; 75.54%) and cephalothin (CEP; 44.90%). Lower resistance rates were detected for trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole (SXT; 18.87%), cefotaxime (CTX; 17.41%), ceftazidime (CX; 13.67%), ciprofloxacin (CIP; 6.38%), and gentamicin (GEN; 1.05%). Conclusion: This study shows the first report that vertebrates in Algerian zoos can harbor a diverse range of cultivable bacteria, often with polymicrobial carriage. Antimicrobial resistance patterns were generally consistent with commonly used veterinary drugs. Overall, these findings contribute to a better understanding of the composition of rectal bacterial carriage in zoos. Full article

The development of oral drug delivery systems has become a major priority for pharmaceutical technology, driven by the growing demand for medicinal products that improve compliance, enhance therapeutic efficacy, and minimise drug-related adverse effects. Therefore, the ability to modulate drug release kinetics through systems capable of controlled and targeted delivery is crucial. In this context, Eudragit-based nanoparticles have demonstrated great potential in enhancing drug stability, controlling release profiles, and improving site-specific targeting in the gastrointestinal tract. Polymethacrylate copolymers (Eudragit^®) exhibit pH-dependent solubility, mucoadhesive properties, and tunable drug-loading capacities, making them highly suitable for advanced oral formulations. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the use of Eudragit^® in the design of nanoparticulate systems for oral drug delivery: inorganic nanoparticles, nanocrystals, lipid-based carriers, and polymeric nanoparticles. A special focus is given to the formulation’s composition, preparation method, physicochemical properties and the mechanisms of controlled drug release, but also to in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo characterisation. Emphasis is placed on controlled-release strategies, targeted delivery, and the impact of polymeric materials in optimising therapeutic outcomes. By exploring these aspects, this review aims to highlight current research advances on Eudragit-based nanoparticles, their potential applications, and the challenges that must be addressed before these nanosystems can be considered robust platforms for improving oral drug bioavailability and efficacy. Full article