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Polyelectrolyte protected β-carotene nanoparticles (nanosuspensions) with average diameter of <100 nm were achieved by turbulent mixing and flash nanoprecipitation (FNP). Three types of multi-amine functional polyelectrolytes, ℇ-polylysine (ℇ-PL), poly(ethylene imine) (PEI), and chitosan, were investigated to electrosterically protect the nanoparticles. Particle size and distribution were measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS); particles were imaged via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). Low pH and high polyelectrolyte molecular weight gave the smallest and most stable particles. High drug loading capacity, >80 wt%, was achieved by using either PEI or chitosan. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed that β-carotene nanoparticles were amorphous. These findings open the way for utilization of FNP for preparation of nanoparticles with enhanced bioavailability for highly water insoluble drugs. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 99:4295–4306, 2010 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring drug loading efficiency and consistency is one of the most critical stages in engineering drug delivery vectors based on porous materials. Here we propose a technique to significantly enhance the efficiency of loading by employing simple and widely available methods: applying low pressure with and without centrifugation. Our results point toward the advantages the proposed method over the passive loading, especially where the size difference of loaded materials and the pore size of the porous silicon particles is smaller, an increase up to 20-fold can be observed. The technique described in the study can be used for efficient and reproducible loading of porous materials with therapeutic molecules, nanoparticles and contrast imaging agents for biomedical application.

A nanoformulated trinuclear hydrolysis product of a bis(alkoxo) salan-Ti(IV) complex shows high antitumor activity, which identifies it as an active species in cells. Additional highly stable mononuclear derivatives also show high activity, when formulated into nanoparticles, thus evincing that biologically friendly Ti(IV) can provide high cytotoxicity with controlled biological function., (Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)