Search Results (4)

Thymoquinone (TQ), a bioactive compound found in Nigella sativa seeds, possesses diverse therapeutic properties for skin conditions. However, formulating TQ presents challenges due to its hydrophobic nature and chemical instability, which hinder its skin penetration. Transethosomes, as a formulation, offer an environment conducive to enhancing TQ’s solubility, stability, and skin permeation. To optimize TQ transethosomal formulations, we introduced a combination of ionic and nonionic surfactants, namely Tween 20 and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) or sodium lauroyl glutamate (SLG). Surfactants play a crucial role in stabilizing the formulation, reducing aggregation, improving biocompatibility, and minimizing potential toxicity. We fine-tuned the formulation composition and gained insights into its interfacial behavior using the Langmuir monolayer technique. This method elucidated the interfacial properties and behavior of phospholipids in ethosome and transethosome formulations. Our findings suggest that monolayer studies can serve as the initial step in selecting surfactants for nanocarrier formulations based on their interfacial dilational rheology studies. It was found that the addition of surfactant to the formulation increased the elasticity considering the capability of transethosomes to significantly decrease their radius when permeating the skin barrier. The results of the dilational rheology experiments were most relevant to drug permeation through the skin for the largest amplitude of deformation. The combination of Tween 20 and SLS efficiently modified the rheological behavior of lipids, increasing their elasticity. This conclusion was supported by in vitro studies, where formulation F2 composed of Tween 20 and SLS demonstrated the highest permeation after 24 h (300.23 µg/cm²). Furthermore, the F2 formulation showed the highest encapsulation efficiency (EE) of 94%, surpassing those of the control and ethosomal formulations. Additionally, this transethosomal formulation exhibited antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, with a zone of inhibition of 26.4 ± 0.3 mm. Importantly, we assessed the cytotoxicity of both ethosomes and transethosomes at concentrations ranging from 3.5 µM to 50 µM on HaCaT cell lines and found no cytotoxic effects compared to TQ hydroethanolic solution. These results suggest the potential safety and efficacy of TQ transethosomal formulations. Full article

In this study, we review the properties of three anionic detergents, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), Sarkosyl, and sodium lauroylglutamate (SLG), as they play a critical role in molecular biology research. SDS is widely used in electrophoresis and cell lysis for proteomics. Sarkosyl and, more frequently, SDS are used for the characterization of neuropathological protein fibrils and the solubilization of proteins. Many amyloid fibrils are resistant to SDS or Sarkosyl to different degrees and, thus, can be readily isolated from detergent-sensitive proteins. SLG is milder than the above two detergents and has been used in the solubilization and refolding of proteins isolated from inclusion bodies. Here, we show that both Sarkosyl and SLG have been used for protein refolding, that the effects of SLG on the native protein structure are weaker for SLG, and that SLG readily dissociates from the native proteins. We propose that SLG may be effective in cell lysis for functional proteomics due to no or weaker binding of SLG to the native proteins. Full article

In this paper, sodium lauroyl glutamate (SLG), a stable and inexpensive green surfactant, was used as a flotation collector for the first time in cassiterite flotation. The micro-flotation tests revealed that SLG could effectively collect cassiterite and have superior selectivity against quartz over a wide pH range, compared with benzohydroxamic acid (BHA). The maximum recovery of cassiterite in the presence of SLG was 93.2%, while the quartz recovery was consistently lower than 8%. The adsorption experiments and zeta potential measurements suggested SLG was chemisorbed onto the cassiterite surface. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses indicated that the polar groups of SLG anions (the carboxyl and amide groups) chelate with the Sn ions on the cassiterite surface to form five-membered rings. This structure made SLG attach firmly to the cassiterite surface, effectively recovering cassiterite. Lastly, a good flotation index was achieved in the bench-scale flotation tests using SLG as the collector, which confirmed its potential economic value in practical application. Full article

In the current study, human keratinocyte cell line was used as in vitro cell culture model to elucidate the effects of the fatty acid chain length of acylglutamate (amino acid-based surfactant) namely, sodium cocoyl glutamate, sodium lauroyl glutamate, and sodium myristoyl glutamate on their cytotoxicity and the ultraviolet B induced phototoxicity. The endpoint used to assess toxicity was a tetrazolium-based assay whereas, the phototoxic potential of acylglutamate surfactants was predicted using two models namely, the Photo-Irritation Factor and Mean Photo Effect. The results of this study showed that the fatty acid chain length of acylglutamate greatly influences toxic effects on human keratinocyte cells. In addition, all the acylglutamate surfactants tested on human keratinocyte cells demonstrated significantly less cytotoxicity (when irradiated and non-irradiated with ultraviolet B light; p < 0.05) and no phototoxic potential was observed in any of the acylglutamate surfactants, when compared with the positive control chlorpromazine. In conclusion, the in vitro studies confirm the suitability of sodium lauroyl glutamate destined for the synthesis and stabilization of lipid nanoparticles. Full article