Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.9
4.9
Journals
Pharmaceutics
Special Issues
Recent Progress in Microencapsulation and Nanoencapsulation for Pharmaceutical Applications
share announcement

Recent Progress in Microencapsulation and Nanoencapsulation for Pharmaceutical Applications

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Pharmaceutical Technology, Manufacturing and Devices".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 April 2025 | Viewed by 3478

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Ljiljana Đekić

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Cosmetology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, Vojvode Stepe 450, 11221 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: microencapsulation; nanoencapsulation; polymer-based drug delivery systems; formulation development; controlled drug delivery; nanotechnology; lipid-based drug delivery systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The encapsulation of pharmaceutical ingredients in particulate and vesicular carriers on a microscale (microencapsulation) and a nanoscale (nanoencapsulation) represents one of the pillars of current drug development with clearly recognized potential for improving the quality, efficiency and safety of pharmaceutical products. The expansion of research in this area over the past half century has led to the extensive application of microencapsulation technologies in the pharmaceutical industry for both small molecules and macromolecules, thus overcoming different formulation and process challenges and achieving controlled drug release. The adaptation of microencapsulation technologies for nanoscale applications with the additional development of diverse exclusive nanotechnological platforms, as well as the progressive development of newly synthesized materials and the exploitation of excipients from renewable sources, may ensure the creation of a multitude of nanocarriers (e.g., nanoemulsions, microemulsions, polymeric nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, liposomes, and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles) with specific characteristics, including stimulus-controlled release for use in target drug delivery, diagnostics, and theranostics. This Special Issue aims to highlight the current progress in the design and physicochemical characterization of micro- and nano-carriers, the assessment of their encapsulation capacity and in vitro/in vivo performances, as well as the permanently demanding aspects of formulation and process development for micro- and nano-encapsulated active ingredients.

Prof. Dr. Ljiljana Đekić
Guest Editor

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. Pharmaceutics 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 2900 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

  • microencapsulation
  • nanoencapsulation
  • small molecules
  • macromolecules
  • microparticles
  • nanoparticles
  • vesicles
  • nanodispersions
  • nanotechnology
  • target drug delivery
  • stimulus-controlled drug release
  • theranostics
  • formulation development
  • process optimization

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 (2 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

23 pages, 8493 KiB  
Article
Chitosan-Tricarbocyanine-Based Nanogels Were Able to Cross the Blood–Brain Barrier Showing Its Potential as a Targeted Site Delivery Agent
by Emilio Rivera López, Cecilia Samaniego López, Carla C. Spagnuolo, Bruno G. Berardino, Agustina Alaimo and Oscar E. Pérez
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(7), 964; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16070964 - 21 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1395
Abstract
Targeting drugs to the central nervous system (CNS) is challenging due to the presence of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). The cutting edge in nanotechnology generates optimism to overcome the growing challenges in biomedical sciences through the effective engineering of nanogels. The primary objective [...] Read more.
Targeting drugs to the central nervous system (CNS) is challenging due to the presence of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). The cutting edge in nanotechnology generates optimism to overcome the growing challenges in biomedical sciences through the effective engineering of nanogels. The primary objective of the present report was to develop and characterize a biocompatible natural chitosan (CS)-based NG that can be tracked thanks to the tricarbocyanine (CNN) fluorescent probe addition on the biopolymer backbone. FTIR shed light on the chemical groups involved in the CS and CNN interactions and between CNN-CS and tripolyphosphate, the cross-linking agent. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments were carried out to determine if CS-NGs can be utilized as therapeutic delivery vehicles directed towards the brain. An ionic gelation method was chosen to generate cationic CNN-CS-NG. DLS and TEM confirmed that these entities’ sizes fell into the nanoscale. CNN-CS-NG was found to be non-cytotoxic, as determined in the SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line through biocompatibility assays. After cellular internalization, the occurrence of an endo-lysosomal escape (a crucial event for an efficient drug delivery) of CNN-CS-NG was detected. Furthermore, CNN-CS-NG administered intraperitoneally to female CF-1 mice were detected in different brain regions after 2 h of administration, using fluorescence microscopy. To conclude, the obtained findings in the present report can be useful in the field of neuro-nanomedicine when designing drug vehicles with the purpose of delivering drugs to the CNS. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Microencapsulation and Nanoencapsulation for Pharmaceutical Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

27 pages, 3038 KiB  
Article
Carbomer Hydrogels with Microencapsulated α-Tocopherol: Focus on the Biocompatibility of the Microcapsules, Topical Application Attributes, and In Vitro Release Study
by Ljiljana Đekić, Jelena Milinković Budinčić, Dušanka Stanić, Jadranka Fraj and Lidija Petrović
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(5), 628; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16050628 - 7 May 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1345
Abstract
The microencapsulation of α-tocopherol based on the complex coacervation of low-molecular-weight chitosan (LMWC) and sodium lauryl ether sulphate (SLES) without harmful crosslinkers can provide biocompatible carriers that protect it from photodegradation and air oxidation. In this study, the influence of the microcapsule wall [...] Read more.
The microencapsulation of α-tocopherol based on the complex coacervation of low-molecular-weight chitosan (LMWC) and sodium lauryl ether sulphate (SLES) without harmful crosslinkers can provide biocompatible carriers that protect it from photodegradation and air oxidation. In this study, the influence of the microcapsule wall composition on carrier performance, compatibility with a high-water-content vehicle for topical application, and release of α-tocopherol were investigated. Although the absence of aldehyde crosslinkers decreased the encapsulation efficiency of α-tocopherol (~70%), the variation in the LMWC/SLES mass ratio (2:1 or 1:1) had no significant effect on the moisture content and microcapsule size. The prepared microcapsule-loaded carbomer hydrogels were soft semisolids with pseudoplastic flow behavior. The integrity of microcapsules embedded in the hydrogel was confirmed by light microscopy. The microcapsules reduced the pH, apparent viscosity, and hysteresis area of the hydrogels, while increasing their spreading ability on a flat inert surface and dispersion rate in artificial sweat. The in vitro release of α-tocopherol from crosslinker-free microcapsule-loaded hydrogels was diffusion-controlled. The release profile was influenced by the LMWC/SLES mass ratio, apparent viscosity, type of synthetic membrane, and acceptor medium composition. Better data quality for the model-independent analysis was achieved when a cellulose nitrate membrane and ethyl alcohol 60% w/w as acceptor medium were used. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Microencapsulation and Nanoencapsulation for Pharmaceutical Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop