Sharif Digital Repository

Targeted delivery by either passive or active targeting of therapeutics to the bone is an attractive treatment for various bone related diseases such as osteoporosis, osteosarcoma, multiple myeloma, and metastatic bone tumors. Engineering novel drug delivery carriers can increase therapeutic efficacy and minimize the risk of side effects. Developmnet of nanocarrier delivery systems is an interesting field of ongoing studies with opportunities to provide more effective therapies. In addition, preclinical nanomedicine research can open new opportunities for preclinical bone-targeted drug delivery; nevertheless, further research is needed to progress these therapies towards clinical... 

The use of external fields such as magnet and ultrasound to enhance the targeted drug delivery (TDD) by nano-microcarriers could be a potential method. In this research, the drug delivery of magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) coated nanoliposomes and microbubbles (MBs) to the atherosclerosis plaque was investigated under magnetic and ultrasound fields in terms of their adhesion to the plaque through ligand–receptor binding. The Halbach arrangement enhanced the surface density of nanoliposomes and MBs adhered to the plaque by ∼ (Formula presented.) and ∼ (Formula presented.), respectively. A focused transducer at the power of (Formula presented.) led to better drug delivery performance and caused ∼... 

The use of external fields such as magnet and ultrasound to enhance the targeted drug delivery (TDD) by nano-microcarriers could be a potential method. In this research, the drug delivery of magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) coated nanoliposomes and microbubbles (MBs) to the atherosclerosis plaque was investigated under magnetic and ultrasound fields in terms of their adhesion to the plaque through ligand–receptor binding. The Halbach arrangement enhanced the surface density of nanoliposomes and MBs adhered to the plaque by ∼ (Formula presented.) and ∼ (Formula presented.), respectively. A focused transducer at the power of (Formula presented.) led to better drug delivery performance and caused ∼... 

In this research, nanoparticle translocation through cell membrane has been studied and simulated. To this end, gold nanoparticles have been selected as the main carrier of the drug and have been functionalized with some selected ligands. The partial charges of the ligands have been calculated using quantum mechanics based on HF technique with 6-31Gd basis set. To achieve the realistic shape of a drug, the number and arrangement of ligands loaded on the gold nanoparticle have been optimized. After determining the properties such as diffusion coefficient and validating the results with experimental data, a MARTINI coarse-grained mapping of the drugs is created. The coarse-grained model of the... 

In this research, nanoparticle translocation through cell membrane has been studied and simulated. To this end, gold nanoparticles have been selected as the main carrier of the drug and have been functionalized with some selected ligands. The partial charges of the ligands have been calculated using quantum mechanics based on HF technique with 6-31Gd basis set. To achieve the realistic shape of a drug, the number and arrangement of ligands loaded on the gold nanoparticle have been optimized. After determining the properties such as diffusion coefficient and validating the results with experimental data, a MARTINI coarse-grained mapping of the drugs is created. The coarse-grained model of the... 

The prediction of deposition efficiency of submicron particles in the pulmonary alveoli has received special attention due to its importance for drug delivery systems and for assessing air pollutants health risks. In this work, the pulmonary alveoli of a healthy human are idealized by a three-dimensional honeycomb-like configuration and a fluid-structure interaction analysis is performed. In contrast to previous works in which the inlet flow rate is predefined, in this model, a negative pressure is imposed on the outside surface of the flalveolus which causes air to flow in and out of the alveolus. The resulting flow patterns confirmed that there was no circulation in the terminal alveolus.... 

Arrayed Ti6Al4V nanotubes (TNT) coated with hydroxyapatite (HA) were synthesized via electrochemical anodization method. Paracetamol was loaded onto TNT-HA electrode. Effects of anodization, nanotube formation and hydroxyapatite deposition on sorption and release of the drug were investigated. Saturation time of paracetamol on the anodized samples was 30% shorter than the hydroxyapatite-coated samples. Release behavior of the loaded drug was studied by (a) plunging the probe into phosphate buffered saline (PBS), (b) sampling the drug-loaded PBS at different times and (c) analyzing the solution via ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. Results showed that HA electrodes hold higher... 

In the context of controlled release drug delivery approaches, the systems providing zero-order release kinetics have special advantages. Through employing these systems, drug concentration could be maintained within the therapeutic window over release time; thus maximum effectiveness alongside minimized side effects of the drug are achieved. However, obtaining zero-order drug release is extremely challenging. One of the main obstacles is the fact that implemented devices should be designed to overcome the decreasing mass transfer driving force, especially, in polymeric systems in which diffusion mechanism is dominant. In this study, we developed a new configuration of a polymeric matrix... 

Oral administration is a pillar of the pharmaceutical industry and yet it remains challenging to administer hydrophilic therapeutics by the oral route. Smart and controlled oral drug delivery could bypass the physiological barriers that limit the oral delivery of these therapeutics. Micro- and nanoscale technologies, with an unprecedented ability to create, control, and measure micro- or nanoenvironments, have found tremendous applications in biology and medicine. In particular, significant advances have been made in using these technologies for oral drug delivery. In this review, we briefly describe biological barriers to oral drug delivery and micro and nanoscale fabrication technologies.... 

We examine the interactions of chitosan and polyethylene glycol (PEG) with antimicrobial peptide GF-17 to identify a suitable carrier to improve the peptide drug delivery systems. To this end, the molecular dynamics simulations are used to determine the interactions of a typical antimicrobial peptide GF-17 with the chitosan and PEG polymers. The findings indicate the great potential of the peptide to maintain its secondary structure in the adjacent to chitosan polymers. During the interaction with chitosan polymers, the structure of the peptide has smaller fluctuations compared to the PEG polymers. Also, in the presence of both the polymers, the PEG polymers are situated closer to the... 

A three-dimensional model has been developed to describe the multiphase release of macromolecular drugs encapsulated in a hydrogel. The heterogeneity of network mesh size was considered by assigning varying diffusion coefficients to the network lattices randomly. Using a stochastic approach, the random nature of diffusion of drug molecules was captured within the network. The simplest form of distribution containing two diffusion coefficients was tested. To generate the drug release profiles for experimental validation under the limitation of computational cost, a simple scaling relationship was employed. Unlike the single-diffusivity model, the dual-diffusivity model showed good agreement... 

Easily assembled and biocompatible chitosan/hyaluronic acid nanoparticles with multiple stimuli-responsive ability are ideally suited for efficient delivery of therapeutic agents under specific endogenous triggers. We report a simple and versatile strategy to formulate oxidative stress and pH-responsive chitosan/hyaluronic acid nanocarriers with high encapsulation efficiencies of small drug molecules and nerve growth factor protein. This is achieved through invoking the dual role of a thioketal-based weak organic acid to disperse and functionalize low molecular weight chitosan in one-pot. Thioketal embedded chitosan/hyaluronic acid nanostructures respond to oxidative stress and show... 

One of the antibiotics used to treat infections is streptomycin sulfate that inhibits both Gram-negative and -positive bacteria. Nanoparticles are suitable carriers for the direct delivery and release of drug agents to infected locations. Niosomes are one of the new drug delivery systems that have received much attention today due to their excellent biofilm penetration property and controlled release. In this study, niosomes containing streptomycin sulfate were prepared by using the thin layer hydration method and optimized based on the size, polydispersity index (PDI), and encapsulation efficiency (EE%) characteristics. It was found that the Span 60-to-Tween 60 ratio of 1.5 and the... 

The composition and topology of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are exceptionally tailorable; moreover, they are extremely porous and represent an excellent Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area (≈3000–6000 m2·g−1). Nanoscale MOFs (NMOFs), as cargo nanocarriers, have increasingly attracted the attention of scientists and biotechnologists during the past decade, in parallel with the evolution in the use of porous nanomaterials in biomedicine. Compared to other nanoparticle-based delivery systems, such as porous nanosilica, nanomicelles, and dendrimer-encapsulated nanoparticles, NMOFs are more flexible, have a higher biodegradability potential, and can be more easily functionalized to meet... 

With the high rate of mortality associated with breast cancer among women, breast cancer treatment has attracted great deal of attention globally. To reduce the exposure of body organs to high cytotoxicity of the common chemotherapeutic drugs, local co-delivery of selected chemotherapeutics has emerged as a solution. In this work, an electrospun composite including a co-drug-loaded graphene oxide-based nanocarrier is fabricated for local anticancer applications. To increase dispersion and cellular uptake of graphene oxide (GO), first, the hydroxyl groups at the edges of GO are grafted by poly (epichlorohydrin) (PCH) to form GO-PCH. Then, the hydroxyl end groups of PCH are grafted (g) with... 

The present study proposes an exact solution for the release kinetic of a solute from inside a hollow cylindrical polymeric matrix into an infinite medium when the initial concentration of the solute (A) is greater than the solubility limit (Cs). A combination of analytical and numerical methods was used to calculate the solute concentration profile and the release rate. The model was developed for two different conditions including: (1) The release medium was flowing through the hollow cylinder in which the boundary layer may be neglected, and (2) The release medium inside the hollow cylinder was stagnant where the boundary layer needed to be considered. The results indicated that the... 

The chemical synthesis and in vitro drug delivery response of folate-modified, polyethylene glycol-functionalized gold nanoparticles were studied. Lysine-capped gold nanoparticles were first prepared. Subsequently, the widely used anticancer agent doxorubicin (DOX) was successfully attached to the surface of folate-modified, polyethylene glycol-functionalized gold nanoparticles. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to confirm the functionalization and conjugation steps in the chemical synthesis. The DOX-loading efficiency determined by UV-vis spectrometer was 80%. Drug release experiments displayed a controlled-release behavior... 

The aim of this work was to synthesize molecularly imprinted polymer-poly ethylene glycol-folic acid (MIP-PEG-FA) nanoparticles for use as a controlled release carrier for targeting delivery of paclitaxel (PTX) to cancer cells. MIP nanoparticles were synthesized by a mini-emulsion polymerization technique and then PEG-FA was conjugated to the surface of nanoparticles. Nanoparticles showed high drug loading and encapsulation efficiency, 15.6 ± 0.8 and 100%, respectively. The imprinting efficiency of MIPs was evaluated by binding experiments in human serum. Good selective binding and recognition were found in MIP nanoparticles. In vitro drug release studies showed that MIP-PEG-FA have a... 

Obstruction of left anterior descending artery (LAD) due to the thrombosis or atherosclerotic plaques is the leading cause of death worldwide. Targeted delivery of drugs through micro- and nanoparticles is a very promising approach for developing new strategies in clot-busting or treating restenosis. In this work, we modelled the blood flow characteristics in a patient-specific reconstructed LAD artery by the fluid–solid interaction method and based on physiological boundary conditions. Next, we provided a Lagrangian description of micro- and nanoparticles dynamics in the blood flow considering their Brownian motion and the particle–particle interactions. Our results state that the number of... 

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is a biocompatible polymer which can be physically crosslinked by Borax to form hydrogel. PVA-Borax (PB) hydrogel is a promising candidate for drug delivery system. Therefore, it is necessary to find the quantitative relationship between drug release rate and network structure of PB hydrogels to predict and control drug release rate. In this work, at first step the optimum ratio of Borax: PVA was determined by studying the interactions between PVA chains and Borax molecules by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, while viscoelastic properties of prepared PB hydrogels were measured in the oscillatory shear flow field. In the following, curcumin as a...