Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.7
5.0
Journals
Gels
Special Issues
Hydrogels, Oleogels and Bigels Used for Drug Delivery
share announcement

Hydrogels, Oleogels and Bigels Used for Drug Delivery

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Processing and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2025 | Viewed by 2892

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Robert-Alexandru Vlad

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Pharmaceutical Technology and Cosmetology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania
Interests: hydrogels; oleogels; bigels; ODTs; ODFs; HPLC; SeDeM; SSCD
Prof. Dr. Adriana Ciurba

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Pharmaceutical Technology and Cosmetology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania
Interests: gels formulation; reology; texture analysis; sensorial analysis; transdermal permeation
Dr. Paula Antonoaea

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Pharmaceutical Technology and Cosmetology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania
Interests: hydrogels; oleogels; bigels; transdermal; nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Prof. Dr. Aline F. Miller

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
Interests: peptide self-assembly; rheology; structure–property relationships; hydrogels; cell culture; tissue engineering; drug delivery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Semisolid preparations have always been preferred by patients due to their decreased risk of side effects and ease of administration. The selected semisolid formulations in this Special Issue are hydrogels, oleogels, and a combination of these two called bigels (a semisolid form that can provide the same or better properties than the latter two; they are also named viscous emulsions). All three of them can incorporate many active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from different biopharmaceutical classes (BCS I-IV), resulting in homogenous (dissolved in the gel base) or heterogenous dispersions (dispersed as an emulsion or suspended in the gel base) that imply distinctive behaviors regarding permeation through different membranes (natural or synthetic). The size of the dispersed API and the application area can influence permeation through the biological membranes. The way the API remains as a dispersion in the gelled matrix also influences the gel’s structure and its behavior regarding consistency, extensometry, cohesiveness, adhesivity, extrudability, etc. This Special Issue aims to outline the current research on semisolid pharmaceutical formulations, focusing on hydrogels, oleogels, and bigels, and welcomes original and review papers on all the aspects of their design, development, manufacturing, characterization, administration, and use for patient-centered therapy.

Dr. Robert-Alexandru Vlad
Prof. Dr. Adriana Ciurba
Dr. Paula Antonoaea
Prof. Dr. Aline F. Miller
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Gels is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • hydrogels, oleogels, and bigels
  • semisolid pharmaceuticals and semisolid dispersions
  • pharmaceutical technology
  • industrial pharmaceutical processes
  • semisolid formulations development
  • topical and in situ gelling systems
  • gelled system formers and gel-forming polymers
  • pharmacotechnical analysis
  • semi-solid control diagram (SSCD)
  • texture and consistency analysis
  • rheology and mathematical modeling
  • in vitro penetration tests, membrane permeation, and mathematical modeling
  • franz and diffusion cells, static permeation flux, and dynamic permeation flux
  • membranes, natural membranes, synthetic membranes
  • transdermal drug delivery
  • quality via the design of experiments

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

19 pages, 3291 KiB  
Article
QbD Approach in Cosmetic Cleansers Research: The Development of a Moisturizing Cleansing Foam Focusing on Thickener, Surfactants, and Polyols Content
by Cătălina Bogdan, Diana Antonia Safta, Sonia Iurian, Dyana Roxana Petrușcă and Mirela-Liliana Moldovan
Gels 2024, 10(8), 484; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10080484 - 23 Jul 2024
Viewed by 546
Abstract
Cleansing products, particularly innovative cosmetic foams, must efficiently remove impurities with minimal impact on the skin barrier and have a favorable sensory profile. The choice of product ingredients is crucial to ensure the optimal characteristics. The current study aims to provide a comprehensive [...] Read more.
Cleansing products, particularly innovative cosmetic foams, must efficiently remove impurities with minimal impact on the skin barrier and have a favorable sensory profile. The choice of product ingredients is crucial to ensure the optimal characteristics. The current study aims to provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the variability in the characteristics of a cleansing foam to achieve desired properties. The novelty of this study lies in the combination of ingredients for their potential synergistic and complementary effects in cleansing dry skin, as well as the application of Quality by Design (QbD) elements to develop and optimize the formulation of cleansing foam. The effects of varying the concentration of mild surfactants, polyols, and gel-forming agents on the properties of the gels and of the generated foams were studied. Significant influences of the formulation factors were observed: an increased ratio of xanthan gum positively impacted the texture properties of the gel, whereas higher concentrations of surfactants had a negative impact on these parameters. Additionally, increasing the polyols ratio was found to negatively influence the foaming property and stability of the foam. The study established an optimal formulation of a cleansing foam with a ratio of 0.45% xanthan gum, 26.19% surfactants and 2.16% polyols to be used for dry skin hygiene. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrogels, Oleogels and Bigels Used for Drug Delivery)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 3685 KiB  
Article
Microemulsion-Based Polymer Gels with Ketoprofen and Menthol: Physicochemical Properties and Drug Release Studies
by Filip Otto and Anna Froelich
Gels 2024, 10(7), 435; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10070435 - 29 Jun 2024
Viewed by 758
Abstract
Ketoprofen is a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug frequently incorporated in topical dosage forms which are an interesting alternatives for oral formulations. However, due to the physiological barrier function of skin, topical formulations may require some approaches to improve drug permeation across the skin. In [...] Read more.
Ketoprofen is a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug frequently incorporated in topical dosage forms which are an interesting alternatives for oral formulations. However, due to the physiological barrier function of skin, topical formulations may require some approaches to improve drug permeation across the skin. In this study, ketoprofen-loaded microemulsion-based gels with the addition of menthol, commonly known for absorption-enhancing activity in dermal products, were investigated. The main objective of this study was to analyze the physicochemical properties of the obtained gels in terms of topical application and to investigate the correlation between the gel composition and its mechanical properties and the drug release process. Microemulsion composition was selected with the use of a pseudoternary plot and the selected systems were tested for electrical conductivity, viscosity, pH, and particle diameter. The polymer gels obtained with Carbopol® EZ-3 were subjected to rheological and textural studies, as well as the drug release experiment. The obtained results indicate that the presence of ketoprofen slightly decreased yield stress values. A stronger effect was exerted by menthol presence, even though it was independent of menthol concentration. A similar tendency was seen for hardness and adhesiveness, as tested in texture profile analysis. Sample cohesiveness and the drug release rate were independent of the gel composition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrogels, Oleogels and Bigels Used for Drug Delivery)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

25 pages, 3496 KiB  
Review
Agriculture 4.0: Polymer Hydrogels as Delivery Agents of Active Ingredients
by Aleksandra Mikhailidi, Elena Ungureanu, Bogdan-Marian Tofanica, Ovidiu C. Ungureanu, Maria E. Fortună, Dan Belosinschi and Irina Volf
Gels 2024, 10(6), 368; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10060368 - 26 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1185
Abstract
The evolution from conventional to modern agricultural practices, characterized by Agriculture 4.0 principles such as the application of innovative materials, smart water, and nutrition management, addresses the present-day challenges of food supply. In this context, polymer hydrogels have become a promising material for [...] Read more.
The evolution from conventional to modern agricultural practices, characterized by Agriculture 4.0 principles such as the application of innovative materials, smart water, and nutrition management, addresses the present-day challenges of food supply. In this context, polymer hydrogels have become a promising material for enhancing agricultural productivity due to their ability to retain and then release water, which can help alleviate the need for frequent irrigation in dryland environments. Furthermore, the controlled release of fertilizers by the hydrogels decreases chemical overdosing risks and the environmental impact associated with the use of agrochemicals. The potential of polymer hydrogels in sustainable agriculture and farming and their impact on soil quality is revealed by their ability to deliver nutritional and protective active ingredients. Thus, the impact of hydrogels on plant growth, development, and yield was discussed. The question of which hydrogels are more suitable for agriculture—natural or synthetic—is debatable, as both have their merits and drawbacks. An analysis of polymer hydrogel life cycles in terms of their initial material has shown the advantage of bio-based hydrogels, such as cellulose, lignin, starch, alginate, chitosan, and their derivatives and hybrids, aligning with sustainable practices and reducing dependence on non-renewable resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrogels, Oleogels and Bigels Used for Drug Delivery)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop