Advanced Drug Delivery Research

Helminth parasites are the cause of very significant morbidity, mortality and economic losses in man and domestic animals. Most parasitic helminths infect their hosts via the oral route, and live either at the mucosal surface of the gastro-intestinal tract (GIT), or cross this mucosal barrier on their way to predilection sites. Many helminths live at mucosal surfaces, typically the gut

The main objective of this study was to assess awareness of danger
signs of pregnancy and its associated factors in Mekelle public
hospitals, 2014.
Institutional based cross sectional study was conducted among 422
pregnant mothers. Data was collected using interviewer administered
questionnaire; it was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 16.
The data were presented using texts, graphs and tables.
Out of the total participants of this study 79.6% mothers had
information about danger signs of pregnancy from which 61.9%
mothers had information about vaginal bleeding followed by sudden
gush of fluid before labor which was mentioned by 41.9% of
respondents. Severe unusual abdominal pain was the least known
danger signs as mentioned by 19 % of mothers. The main source of
information for the danger signs was health personnel and
Negligence was the main reason for not having good awareness about
danger signs of pregnancy.
Therefore, health extension workers should strengthen their
awareness creation activities; community mobilization and health
education should be considered with policy makers and other
interested organizations.

In recent years, the use of transplanted living cells pumping out active factors directly at the site has proven to be an emergent technology. However a recurring impediment to rapid development in the field is the immune rejection of transplanted allo- or xenogeneic cells. Immunosuppression is used clinically to prevent rejection of organ and cell transplants in humans, but prolonged usage can make the recipient vulnerable to infections, and increase the likelihood of tumorigenesis of the transplanted cells. Cell microencapsulation is a promising tool to overcome these drawbacks. It consists of surrounding cells with a semipermeable polymeric membrane. The latter permits the entry of nutrients and the exit of therapeutic protein products, obtaining in this way a sustained delivery of the desirable molecule. The membrane isolates the enclosed cells from the host immune system, preventing the recognition of the immobilization cells as foreign. This review paper intends to overview th...

oligonucleotides have predominant role in its delivery for various
diseases. Objective: Antisense compounds are biological
molecules consisting of small ribonucleic acid (RNA) or
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) segments (Oligonucleotide) which
have enormous potential for the treatment of number of diseases.
Methods: All the methods analyzed were obtained through high
impact articles. Results: Several impediments were made to
Oligonucleotide for its widespread usage as them as drugs to
overcome their lack of stability in physiological fluids and their
poor penetration into cells. Experiments like, association with or
encapsulation within nano-and micro sized drug delivery systems,
lipids and polymers could help to increase the efficiency of
oligonucleotide delivery. This review discusses the use of cationic
lipids, Cell penetrating peptides, nanoparticles, microparticles and
several novel methods that have recently been explored as delivery
vehicles. Conclusion: The use of naked Oligonucleotide given a
clear cut way to new targets for potential therapeutic compounds.
Apart this, antisense therapy represents a promising and evolving
approach to the management of numerous diseases in which a
specific abnormality has been identified as a primary or major
contributing etiologic factor. In near future, authors strongly
believe that antisense therapy will give a positive way for number
of In vitro experiments and break through for many life
threatening diseases.

Insulin resistance is an important feature of type 2 diabetes and obesity. The underlying mechanisms of insulin resistance are still unclear and may involve pathological changes in multiple tissues. Mitochondrial dysfunction, including mitochondrial loss and over-production of oxidants, has been suggested to be involved in the development of insulin resistance. Increasing evidence suggests that targeting mitochondria to protect mitochondrial function as a unique measure, i.e. mitochondrial medicine, could prevent and ameliorate various diseases associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. In this review, we have summarized recent progress in pharmaceutical and nutritional studies of drugs and nutrients to targeting mitochondria by stimulating mitochondrial metabolism (biogenesis and degradation) to improve mitochondrial function and decrease oxidative stress for preventing and ameliorating insulin resistance. We have focused on nutrients from natural sources to stimulating mitochondrial biogenesis in cellular systems and in animal models. The in vitro and in vivo studies, especially our own work on the effects and mechanisms of mitochondrial targeting nutrients or their combinations, may help us to understand the importance and mechanisms of mitochondrial biogenesis in insulin resistance, and provide hope for developing mitochondria-targeting agents for preventing and treating insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Development of safe and effective cancer vaccine formulation is a primary focus in the field of cancer immunotherapy. The recognition of the crucial role of dendritic cells (DCs) in initiating anti-tumor immunity has led to the development of several strategies that target vaccine antigens to DCs as an attempt for developing potent, specific and lasting anti-tumor T cell responses. The

Febuxostat is a urate lowering drug, an inhibitor of xanthine
oxidase used in the treatment of hyperuricemia and chronic gout. The
drug shows dissolution-rate limited absorption, there by poor and
variable bioavailability. It needs enhancement in bioavailability to
derive maximum therapeutic efficacy. The main objective of the
present research work is to enhance the solubility and dissolution rate
of Febuxostat by preparing the Spherical agglomerates. Spherical
agglomerates were prepared by the quasi emulsion solvent diffusion
method. N, N-dimethyl form amide, chloroform and water were
selected as good solvent, bridging liquid and poor solvents
respectively. Polyethylene glycol, Poloxomer- F68 and Polyvinyl
alcohol were used as a carrier. Among all the formulations prepared,
spherical agglomerates prepared with Febuxostat and Poloxomer-
F68 in 1:1 ratio showed highest drug release in 60 minutes. Spherical
agglomerates prepared with Febuxostat and Poloxomer- F68 in 1:1
ratio was used in the preparation of orodispersible tablets. To study
the influence of superdisintegrants on performance of Febuxostat
Orodispersible Tablets, a set of three formulations (K1, K2, K3) were
prepared using three superdisintegrants sodium starch glycolate,
Croscarmalose sodium and Crospovidone . The orodispersible tablets
of Febuxostat prepared with Crospovidone showed rapid drug release
when compared to pure drug and other tablet formulations.

The present study was aimed to formulate and evaluate fast
dissolving oral films of Zolmitriptan using sodium alginate, xanthan
gum and sodium starch glycolate, guar gum. The suitable plasticizer
and its concentration were selected on the basis of flexibility, tensile
strength and stickiness of the film. The films are prepared by solvent
casting method and characterized by UV, FTIR studies. The films
were evaluated for disintegration time, Folding endurance, Tensile
Strength, Mouth dissolving time, Thickness, content uniformity and
In-vitro dissolution studies. The F5 formulation has given 98.5% drug
release within 6 minutes and has a tensile strength of 1.80 MPa.

The tools of recombinant protein expression are now being used to provide recombinant sources of both collagen and gelatin. The primary focus of this review is to discuss alternatives to bovine collagen for biomedical applications. Several recombinant systems have been developed for production of human sequence collagens. Mammalian and insect cells were initially used, but were thought to be too costly for commercial production. Yeast have been engineered to express high levels of type I homotrimer and heterotrimer and type II and type III collagen. Co-expression of collagen genes and cDNAs encoding the subunits of prolyl hydroxylase has lead to the synthesis of completely hydroxylated, thermostable collagens. Human types I and III collagen homotrimers have been expressed in transgenic tobacco plants, while transgenic mice have been engineered to produce full-length type I procollagen homotrimer as well as a α2 (I) homotrimeric mini-collagen. Most recently, a transgenic silkworm system was used to produce a fusion protein containing a collagenous sequence. Each of these transgenic systems holds great promise for the cost-effective large-scale production of recombinant human collagens. As seen in other recombinant expression systems, transgenic silkworms, tobacco, and mice lack sufficient endogenous prolyl hydroxylase activity to produce fully hydroxylated collagen. In mice and tobacco, this was overcome by over-expression of prolyl hydroxylase, analogous to what has been done in yeast and insect cell culture. In addition to recombinant alternatives to bovine collagen, other sources such as fish and sponge collagen are discussed briefly. Recombinant gelatin has been expressed in Pichia pastoris and Hansenula polymorpha in both non-hydroxylated and hydroxylated forms. Pichia was shown to be a highly productive system for gelatin production. The recombinant gelatins produced in yeast are of defined molecular weight and physio-chemical properties and represent a new biomaterial not previously available from animal sources. Genetic engineering has made great progress in the areas of recombinant collagen and gelatin expression, and there are now several alternatives to bovine material that offer an enhanced safety profile, greater reproducibility and quality, and the ability of these materials to be tailored to enhance product performance.

The current study was aimed to develop the meclizine hydrochloride
sublimated fast dissolving tablets using different sublimated agents to
enhance the dissolution rate. The prepared fast dissolving tablets
were subjected to pre-compression properties and characterized for
hardness, weight variation, friability, wetting time, water absorption
ratio, and disintegration time. From In vitro dissolution studies, the
formulation F3 containing camphor (10%w/w) as the sublimating
agent showed rapid dissolution of about 98.61% in 30 min, and
disintegration time 43 sec when compared with other sublimating
agents. The percent drug release in 30 min (Q30) and initial
dissolution rate for formulation F3 was 98.61±0.25%, 3.29%/min.
These were very much higher compared to marketed tablets
(65.43±0.57%, 2.18%/min). The dissolution efficiency was found to
be 63.37 and it is increased by 1.4 fold with F3 FDT tablets
compared to marketed tablets. Differential scanning calorimetry and
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies revealed that there
was no possibility of interactions. In conclusion, development of
meclizine hydrochloride fast dissolving tablets by sublimation
method is an appropriate method to enhance the dissolution rate.

At present, nanoparticles are used for various biomedical applications where they facilitate laboratory diagnostics and therapeutics. More specifically for drug delivery purposes, the use of nanoparticles is attracting increasing attention due to their unique capabilities and their negligible side effects not only in cancer therapy but also in the treatment of other ailments. Among all types of nanoparticles, biocompatible superparamagnetic