Polymers Enhancing Bioavailability in Drug Delivery, 3rd Edition

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Drug Delivery and Controlled Release".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2024 | Viewed by 2521

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CiiEM–Interdisciplinary Research Center Egas Moniz, Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz, Quinta da Granja, Monte de Caparica, 2829-511 Caparica, Portugal
Interests: polymers and polymeric systems; protein delivery; formulation in pediatrics; drug solubility enhancement; 3D-printing of pharmaceuticals
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Dear Colleagues,

Currently, many of the drug entities entering the clinic face bioavailability issues, mainly due to poor water solubility and/or permeability, in addition to issues with physicochemical instability or degradation in the body. To overcome biological barriers, drug sensitivity, and formulation problems, the use of several polymers has been considered. Polymers, either natural or synthetic, present an array of different backbones and functional groups, sizes, shapes, as well as mechanical and degradation properties, which have been exploited in drug delivery and targeting. Strategies for bioavailability enhancement using functionalized polymers include solid amorphous dispersions for improved solubility; chemical modification for extended blood residence and reduced or abrogated immunogenicity and antigenicity; protection from harsh pH or enzymatic degradation; as well as tailored rate and temporal–spatial drug release.

This Special Issue, Polymers Enhancing Bioavailability in Drug Delivery, 3rd Edition, aims to review the specific functional benefits granted by polymers to formulations, which are very much reliant on polymer structure and design, and result in improved drug bioavailability and therapeutic index. You are welcome to submit your research or review papers to this Special Issue, thus contributing to this exciting field.

Dr. Ana Isabel Fernandes
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • polymers
  • bioavailability enhancement
  • aqueous solubility enhancement
  • drug solubilization
  • improved drug pharmacokinetics
  • drug delivery and targeting

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 3674 KiB  
Article
Antitumoral-Embedded Biopolymeric Spheres for Implantable Devices
by Valentina Grumezescu, Oana Gherasim, Bianca Gălățeanu and Ariana Hudiță
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(6), 754; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16060754 - 3 Jun 2024
Viewed by 685
Abstract
The bioactive surface modification of implantable devices paves the way towards the personalized healthcare practice by providing a versatile and tunable approach that increase the patient outcome, facilitate the medical procedure, and reduce the indirect or secondary effects. The purpose of our study [...] Read more.
The bioactive surface modification of implantable devices paves the way towards the personalized healthcare practice by providing a versatile and tunable approach that increase the patient outcome, facilitate the medical procedure, and reduce the indirect or secondary effects. The purpose of our study was to assess the performance of composite coatings based on biopolymeric spheres of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) embedded with hydroxyapatite (HA) and methotrexate (MTX). Bio-simulated tests performed for up to one week evidenced the gradual release of the antitumor drug and the biomineralization potential of PLGA/HA-MTX sphere coatings. The composite materials proved superior biocompatibility and promoted enhanced cell adhesion and proliferation with respect to human preosteoblast and osteosarcoma cell lines when compared to pristine titanium. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers Enhancing Bioavailability in Drug Delivery, 3rd Edition)
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14 pages, 2207 KiB  
Article
On-Demand Release of Anti-Infective Silver from a Novel Implant Coating Using High-Energy Focused Shock Waves
by Jan Puetzler, Julian Hasselmann, Melanie Nonhoff, Manfred Fobker, Silke Niemann, Christoph Theil, Georg Gosheger and Martin Schulze
Pharmaceutics 2023, 15(9), 2179; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15092179 - 22 Aug 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1174
Abstract
Implant-related infections are a significant concern in orthopedic surgery. A novel anti-infective implant coating made of bioresorbable polymer with silver nitrate was developed. A controlled release of silver ions into the vicinity of the prosthesis can be triggered on-demand by extracorporeal shock waves [...] Read more.
Implant-related infections are a significant concern in orthopedic surgery. A novel anti-infective implant coating made of bioresorbable polymer with silver nitrate was developed. A controlled release of silver ions into the vicinity of the prosthesis can be triggered on-demand by extracorporeal shock waves to effectively combat all clinically relevant microorganisms. Microscopy techniques were used to examine the effects of shock wave application on coated titanium discs. Cytotoxicity was measured using a fibroblast proliferation assay. The anti-infective effect was assessed by monitoring the growth curves of three bacterial strains and by conventional culture. Microscopic analysis confirmed surface disruption of the coatings, with a complete release of silver in the focus area after shock wave application. Spectrometry detected an increase in silver concentration in the surrounding of the discs that surpassed the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for both S. epidermidis RP62A and E. coli ATCC 25922. The released silver demonstrated an anti-infective effect, significantly inhibiting bacterial growth, especially at 6% and 8% silver concentrations. Cytotoxicity testing showed decreasing fibroblast viability with increasing silver concentration in the coating, with 6% silver maintaining viability above 25%. Compared to a commonly used electroplated silver coating on the market, the new coating demonstrated superior antimicrobial efficacy and lower cytotoxicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers Enhancing Bioavailability in Drug Delivery, 3rd Edition)
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