Waleed Y. Rizg

In-depth studies on essential oil–based nanoemulsions (NEs) have centered on a variety of oral health issues. NEs improve the delivery of nonpolar active agents to sites and thereby boost the dissolution and distribution of the agents. Metronidazole-peppermint oil-tranexamic acid self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (MZ-PO-TX-SNEDDS) were created and loaded into novel lozenges to act as antifungal, hemostatic, antimicrobial, and analgesic dosage forms after dental extractions. The design-of-experiments approach was used in creating them. To generate the NEs, different concentrations of MZ-PO (240, 180, and 120 mg), 2% TX (600, 450, and 300 mg), and Smix1:1 (600, 400, and 200 mg) were used. The ideal formulation had serum levels of 1530 U/mL of interleukin-6, a minimal inhibitory concentration against bacteria of 1.5 µg/mL, a droplet size of 96 nm, and a blood coagulation time of 16.5 min. Moreover, the produced NE offered better MZ release. The adopted design was used to produce the ideal formulation; it contained 240 mg of MZ-PO, 600 mg of 2% TX, and 600 mg of Smix1:1. It was incorporated into lozenges with acceptable characteristics and an improved capability for drug release. These lozenges had reasonable coagulation times, IL-6 serum levels, and MIC values. All of these characteristics are desirable for managing symptoms following tooth extractions. Therefore, these lozenges loaded with MZ-PO-TX-SNEDDs might be considered a beneficial paradigm for relieving complications encountered after tooth extractions.

Mucoadhesive nanosized crystalline aggregates (NCs) can be delivered by the gastrointestinal, nasal, or pulmonary route to improve retention at particular sites. Itopride hydrochloride (ITH) was selected as a drug candidate due to its absorption from the upper gastrointestinal tract. For drug localization and target-specific actions, mucoadhesive polymers are essential. The current work aimed to use second-generation mucoadhesive polymers (i.e., thiolated polymers) to enhance mucoadhesive characteristics. An ITH-NC formulation was enhanced using response surface methodology. Concentrations of Tween 80 and Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP K-30) were selected as independent variables that could optimize the formulation to obtain the desired entrapment efficacy and particle size/diameter. It was found that a formulation prepared using Tween 80 at a concentration of 2.55% and PVP K-30 at 2% could accomplish the goals for which an optimized formulation was needed. Either xanthan gum (XG) or thiolated xanthan gum (TXG) was added to the optimized formulation to determine how they affected the mucoadhesive properties of the formulation. Studies demonstrated that there was an initial burst release of ITH from the ITH/NC/XG and ITH/NC/TXG in the early hours and then a steady release for 24 h. As anticipated, the TXG formulation had a better mucin interaction, and this was needed to ensure that the drug was distributed to tissues that produce mucus. Finally, at the measured concentrations, the ITH/NC showed minimal cytotoxicity against lung cells, indicating that it may have potential for additional in vivo research. The enhanced bioavailability and mean residence time of the designed mucoadhesive NC formulations were confirmed by pharmacokinetic studies.