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Nanotechnology has emerged as a transformative pathway in vaccine research and delivery. Nanovaccines, encompassing lipid and nonlipid formulations, exhibit considerable advantages over traditional vaccine techniques, including enhanced antigen stability, heightened immunogenicity, targeted distribution, and the potential for codelivery with adjuvants or immune modulators. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements and applications of lipid and non-lipid-based nanovaccines in current vaccination strategies for immunization. The review commences by outlining the fundamental concepts underlying lipid and nonlipid nanovaccine design before delving into the diverse components and production processes employed in their development. Subsequently, a comparative analysis of various nanocarriers is presented, elucidating their distinct physicochemical characteristics and impact on the immune response, along with preclinical and clinical studies. The discussion also highlights how nanotechnology enables the possibility of personalized and combined vaccination techniques, facilitating the creation of tailored nanovaccines to meet the individual patient needs. The ethical aspects concerning the use of nanovaccines, as well as potential safety concerns and public perception, are also addressed. The study underscores the gaps and challenges that must be overcome before adopting nanovaccines in clinical practice. This comprehensive analysis offers vital new insights into lipid and nonlipid nanovaccine status. It emphasizes the significance of continuous research, collaboration among interdisciplinary experts, and regulatory measures to fully unlock the potential of nanotechnology in enhancing immunization and ensuring a healthier, more resilient society.

Background: Nanosuspension-loaded microneedles (MNs) are an emerging and advanced strategy used extensively to formulate lipophilic molecules by embedding them into a suitable polymer matrix for improved transdermal delivery. Area covered: This review focuses on the nanosuspension/nanocrystal-loaded MN approach for improved delivery of hydrophobic molecules. This review discusses the different types of MNs that can be fabricated, such as dissolving, solid, coated, and hollow MNs and the criteria for the choice of the fabrication method. Expert opinion: The drug loading of hydrophobic drugs can be significantly improved using this strategy. Recently, nanosuspension/nanocrystal-loaded MNs have been considered a well-recognized approach in drug delivery owing to their numerous advantages, including controlled drug release, non-invasiveness, and ability to be self-administered. The preparation of nanosuspension-loaded dissolving MNs has been widely carried out using knife-casting methods. In the present review, the various characterization methods, including the in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo techniques, are briefly discussed. Further, the review also describes the potential applications of nanosuspension-loaded MNs.

Byline: K. Deodhar, S. Munot, A. Rojekar, P. Vaideeswar Sir, Small-cell carcinoma of the lung (SCLC) is well known for its aggressive behavior with rapid growth, early metastases and an [...]

To evaluate the computerised tomography (CT) characteristics of phaeochromocytoma (PCC) that differentiate them from other non-benign adrenal masses such as adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), primary adrenal lymphoma (PAL) and adrenal metastases (AM).This retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary health care institute from Western India. Patients presented between January 2013 and August 2016 with histological diagnosis of PCC or other non-benign adrenal mass having adequate reviewable imaging data comprising all four CECT phases were included.The study cohort consisted of 72 adrenal masses from 66 patients (33 PCC, 22 ACC, 4 PAL, 13 AM). Unlike other masses, majority of PCC (25/33) showed peak enhancement in early arterial phase (EAP). PCC had significantly higher attenuation in EAP and early venous phase (EVP), and higher calculated percentage arterial enhancement (PAE) and percentage venous enhancement (PVE) than other adrenal masses (P< 0.001). For diagnosis of PCC with 100% specificity, PAE value ≥100% and EAP attenuation ≥100 HU had 78.8 and 63.6% sensitivity respectively. ACC were significantly larger in size as compared to PCC and metastasis. The adreniform shape was exclusively found in PAL (two out of four) and AM (4 out of 13). None of the enhancement, wash-in or washout characteristics were discriminatory among ACC, PAL and AM.Peak enhancement in EAP, PAE value ≥100% and EAP attenuation ≥100 HU differentiate PCC from other malignant adrenal masses with high specificity.

The biomedical, biotech, and food industries all use polysaccharides as vital biomolecules with a variety of applications. Polysaccharides have a great deal of potential as biomaterials, and polysaccharide-based nanogels have attracted a lot of attention as carriers for different bioactive agents due to their unique versatile groups, specifically for site-directed or controlled delivery of the payload and, particularly, because of their physicochemical properties, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. The 3D polymer network of NG produced by chemical crosslinking or physical self-assembly may be used to incorporate hydrophilic or hydrophobic molecules, including tiny drugs and proteins, genetic material patterns, and even ultrasmall nanoparticles. In this review, the chemistry of specific common polysaccharides and the various methods used to fabricate polysaccharide-based NG is discussed, with an emphasis on their use NG as drug delivery systems.

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) continues to be a major global health issue, with 38.4 million people infected at the end of 2021. The daily dosage regimen of Anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment leads to poor treatment adherence and patients’ non-compliance. Tenofovir and its prodrugs, such as Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) are generally used for the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) of HIV. The current work focusses on the development of long acting TAF loaded Poly-Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid (PLGA) Microspheres (MS) to improve the treatment adherence and patient compliance. MS were formulated using the industrially scalable in-line homogenizer approach using the solid-in-oil-in-water (S/O/W) emulsion solvent evaporation method. The surface morphology study carried out by SEM indicated the formation of dense, non-porous and spherical MS. The Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray Diffractometry (XRD) study revealed the formation of an amorphous form of TAF in the MS. The in vitrorelease study indicated the lower initial burst release of TAF and sustained release of TAF up to 15 days from the MS. The cytotoxicity and HIV inhibitory studies in the reporter TZM-bl cell line with different HIV-1 strains indicated the safety and effectiveness of TAF loaded PLGA MS. Thus, the long-acting MS would be a better alternative as a PrEP measure for HIV infection.

The pulsed oxygen plasma treatment (POPT) of the ritonavir (RTV) powder/compacts was investigated as a novel possible physical technique for improving wettability, intrinsic dissolution rate (IDR), and, consequently, solubility of the poorly water-soluble RTV drug. Induction of POPT for 30 min enhanced 5.87-folds apparent solubility and 1.95-folds IDR at 24 h, attributed to RTV's surface hydrophilization. The POPT RTV exhibited zero contact angle compared to RTV suggesting improved wettability (untreated RTV = 74° and 30 min after POPT = 0°). The ATR-FTIR showed a broad peak of –OH group around 3300 cm -1, and XPS showed an increase in surface oxygen concentration from 9 % to 12 % aided through POPT lead to improved wettability of RTV. Moreover, the increased negative zeta potential was observed due to surface hydroxylation on the POPT RTV, resulting in increased surface polarity and RTV's solubility. It was found that there was no substantial thermal or physical alteration after POPT, as evident from DSC, SEM, and XRD studies. This study successfully demonstrated the impact of POPT on improvement in the wettability, solubility, and IDR of hydrophobic drugs RTV.

In the present work, pulsed radio frequency (RF) plasma (PRFP) was used to functionalize omeprazole (OME) microparticles using precursor monomers methacrylic acid (MAA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA). This method had two significant factors involved – 1) ratio of monomer flow rate and 2) graded deposition by systematically varying the duty cycle of pulsed plasma. The MAA flow was set to 100 cc/min and MMA to 200 cc/min to rationalize the ratio (1:2) of monomers. Systematic variation in duty cycle (keeping ON time constant and increasing OFF time of the pulse) ensured graded deposition and functionalization of OME. The plasma functionalized OME microparticles were evaluated in-vitro via dissolution studies in pH 1.2 buffer showed a cumulative release of 3.6–9.1% within 120 min compared to complete release under 60 min in pH 6.8. Raman analysis exhibited the absence of peaks from 1800 to 1000 cm −1 and XPS studies showed an increase in oxygen-containing moieties on plasma functionalized OME surface. Thermal, NMR and HR-MS analysis confirmed successful deposition without alteration in original OME molecular structure. The decreased contact angle of post plasma treated OME resulted from hydrophilization of the OME surface. XRD data of plasma treated OME showed an improved degree of crystallinity with an increase in average crystallite size. Post plasma treated OME microparticles size through DLS corroborated well with SEM. Thus, the use of graded PRFP functionalization has proved it's potent to deliver a new, safe, and cheaper alternative to contemporary drug surface modification methods.