Drug Carriers Production Processes for Innovative Human Applications (2nd Edition)

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Pharmaceutical Processes".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 September 2025 | Viewed by 193

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The Sustainable Technologies for Pollution Control Laboratory (STPC Laboratory), Department of Chemical, Material and Industrial Production Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Piazzale V. Tecchio, 80125 Napoli, Italy
Interests: drug delivery systems; foams; material science; pharmaceutical material science
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Drug carriers are special tools used for the transportation and preservation of molecules for several pharmaceutical, cosmetic and nutraceutical applications. The main advantage of carriers is their ability to incorporate drugs, enhancing the bioavailability and selectivity of drugs and reducing their side effects on humans.

Drug carriers can be classified according to their nature, shape and production materials. Nanoparticles are spherical objects that are generally employed in pharmaceutical applications, such as gene therapy, the delivery of proteins, dietary supplements, vitamin, antibiotics and vaccines. Nanotubes are hollow cylinders of carbon that are used to treat carcinogenic cells or tissues. Dendrimers are more complex arrays of carriers, with a branched shape used for the simultaneous and efficient transportation of drugs. Liposomes are spherical vesicles composed of an inner aqueous core surrounded by a double layer of phospholipids, and are particularly useful since they are biocompatible with human cells. Polymersomes are spherical vesicles with a polymer coating, which guarantees controlled and delayed drug release. Furthermore, niosomes are spherical vesicles composed of nonionic surfactant active agents. These are only some examples of the carriers utilized in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and nutraceutical applications, but all of them require attention from the scientific community.

Drug delivery can be performed via several routes of administration, namely active or passive. In this Special Issue, we welcome original research papers or reviews that address the following drug delivery routes: ocular, oral, transdermal, nasal, pulmonary, vaginal and urinary, subcutaneous and delivery via patches and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).

Several processes have been proposed for the production of drug carriers in order to improve their properties, such as their nanometric dimensions, encapsulation efficiency, solvent residue, sterility and stability. Therefore, the main properties and characteristics of carriers may vary significantly, depending on the production processes employed. In this Special Issue, we welcome the presentation of novel methodologies for the production of drug carriers, as well as novel findings regarding the mechnisms of the problem. Moreover, innovations in the products provided by conventional methods and in the processes employed should be considered. Finally, this Special Issue aims to provide an economic analysis of the processes of productive plants, as well as the environmental impact of these processes.

Dr. Paolo Trucillo
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. Processes 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 2400 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

  • nanoparticles
  • nanocapsules
  • nanospheres
  • liposomes
  • foams
  • carbon nanotubes
  • dendrimers
  • cubosomes
  • niosomes
  • hydrogels
  • conventional processes
  • drug delivery systems
  • modeling of drug delivery
  • high-pressure systems
  • supercritical processes
  • economic analysis
  • environmental impact of processes

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 policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

18 pages, 4317 KiB  
Article
Cytotoxic and Antibiofilm Properties of Antibiotic-Loaded Thermoresponsive Hydrogels for Root Canal Therapy
by Cristiane Duque, Gabriela Pacheco de Almeida Braga, Juliana Machado de Carvalho, Karina Sampaio Caiaffa, Gabriel Pereira Nunes, Rafaela Laruzo Rabelo, Vanessa Rodrigues dos Santos, Geórgia Rondó Peres, Lucas da Silva Ribeiro and Emerson Rodrigues de Camargo
Processes 2025, 13(3), 661; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13030661 - 26 Feb 2025
Viewed by 87
Abstract
Dental infections can disrupt root development in immature permanent teeth, making traditional endodontic treatment challenging. Apexogenesis, a regenerative approach that promotes natural root development, offers a potential solution. However, issues related to disinfection and material biocompatibility still remain. The objective of this study [...] Read more.
Dental infections can disrupt root development in immature permanent teeth, making traditional endodontic treatment challenging. Apexogenesis, a regenerative approach that promotes natural root development, offers a potential solution. However, issues related to disinfection and material biocompatibility still remain. The objective of this study was to evaluate the synergistic antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties of double and triple antibiotic combinations against common oral pathogens, and to incorporate the most effective combination into a thermosensitive hydrogel, to develop an alternative intracanal medication. Antibiotics were tested alone and in combination in planktonic and biofilm conditions of oral bacteria and Candida albicans. The antibiotic combinations with potential antimicrobial synergy were tested on Enterococcus faecalis biofilms in radicular dentin by confocal microscopy. Metronidazole (ME), ciprofloxacin (CI), and fosfomycin (FO) were incorporated into poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PNVCL) hydrogels, and their antibiofilm activity was compared to PNVCL hydrogels containing chlorhexidine (CHX) or calcium hydroxide (CH). The cytotoxicity of the hydrogels was assessed on MDPC-23 odontoblast-like cells using metiltetrazolium assays. A statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA followed by Tukey’s test (p < 0.05). The combination of ME + CI + FO showed superior antibiofilm effects in mono- and dual-species biofilms and on biofilms inside dentinal tubules, comparable to CHX. PNVCL hydrogels with ME + CI + FO significantly reduced E. faecalis biofilms in dentinal tubules, exhibiting a higher efficacy than PNVCL + CH. Cytotoxicity tests revealed minimal effects on cell viability for both PNVCL hydrogels with and without antibiotics. In conclusion, ME + CI + FO showed potent antimicrobial synergy and, when loaded in thermosensitive PNVCL hydrogel, demonstrated significant antibiofilm activity and low cytotoxicity. These findings emphasize the potential of this formulation as an effective and biocompatible endodontic medication, especially for the treatment of immature permanent teeth. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop