scholarly journals Biosurfactants: Properties and Applications in Drug Delivery, Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 115
Author(s):  
Thiago R. Bjerk ◽  
Patricia Severino ◽  
Sona Jain ◽  
Conrado Marques ◽  
Amélia M. Silva ◽  
...  

Surfactants are amphiphilic compounds having hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties in their structure. They can be of synthetic or of microbial origin, obtained respectively from chemical synthesis or from microorganisms’ activity. A new generation of ecofriendly surfactant molecules or biobased surfactants is increasingly growing, attributed to their versatility of applications. Surfactants can be used as drug delivery systems for a range of molecules given their capacity to create micelles which can promote the encapsulation of bioactives of pharmaceutical interest; besides, these assemblies can also show antimicrobial properties. The advantages of biosurfactants include their high biodegradability profile, low risk of toxicity, production from renewable sources, functionality under extreme pH and temperature conditions, and long-term physicochemical stability. The application potential of these types of polymers is related to their properties enabling them to be processed by emulsification, separation, solubilization, surface (interfacial) tension, and adsorption for the production of a range of drug delivery systems. Biosurfactants have been employed as a drug delivery system to improve the bioavailability of a good number of drugs that exhibit low aqueous solubility. The great potential of these molecules is related to their auto assembly and emulsification capacity. Biosurfactants produced from bacteria are of particular interest due to their antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties with therapeutic and biomedical potential. In this review, we discuss recent advances and perspectives of biosurfactants with antimicrobial properties and how they can be used as structures to develop semisolid hydrogels for drug delivery, in environmental bioremediation, in biotechnology for the reduction of production costs and also their ecotoxicological impact as pesticide alternative.

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 885-901
Author(s):  
Shubham Thakur ◽  
Amrinder Singh ◽  
Ritika Sharma ◽  
Rohan Aurora ◽  
Subheet Kumar Jain

Background: Surfactants are an important category of additives that are used widely in most of the formulations as solubilizers, stabilizers, and emulsifiers. Current drug delivery systems comprise of numerous synthetic surfactants (such as Cremophor EL, polysorbate 80, Transcutol-P), which are associated with several side effects though used in many formulations. Therefore, to attenuate the problems associated with conventional surfactants, a new generation of surface-active agents is obtained from the metabolites of fungi, yeast, and bacteria, which are termed as biosurfactants. Objectives: In this article, we critically analyze the different types of biosurfactants, their origin along with their chemical and physical properties, advantages, drawbacks, regulatory status, and detailed pharmaceutical applications. Methods: 243 papers were reviewed and included in this review. Results: Briefly, Biosurfactants are classified as glycolipids, rhamnolipids, sophorolipids, trehalolipids, surfactin, lipopeptides & lipoproteins, lichenysin, fatty acids, phospholipids, and polymeric biosurfactants. These are amphiphilic biomolecules with lipophilic and hydrophilic ends and are used as drug delivery vehicles (foaming, solubilizer, detergent, and emulsifier) in the pharmaceutical industry. Despite additives, they have some biological activity as well (anti-cancer, anti-viral, anti-microbial, P-gp inhibition, etc.). These biomolecules possess better safety profiles and are biocompatible, biodegradable, and specific at different temperatures. Conclusion: Biosurfactants exhibit good biomedicine and additive properties that can be used in developing novel drug delivery systems. However, more research should be driven due to the lack of comprehensive toxicity testing and high production cost which limits their use.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 576-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beibei Yan ◽  
Yu Gu ◽  
Juan Zhao ◽  
Yangyang Liu ◽  
Lulu Wang ◽  
...  

: According to the drug discovery, approximately 40% of the new chemical entities show poor bioavailability due to their low aqueous solubility. In order to increase the solubility of the drugs, self-micro emulsifying drug delivery systems (SMEDDS) are considered as an ideal technology for enhancing the permeability of poorly soluble drugs in GI membranes. The SMEDDS are also generally used to enhance the oral bioavailability of the hydrophobic drugs. At present, most of the self-microemulsion drugs are liquid dosage forms, which could cause some disadvantages, such as the low bioavailability of the traditional liquid SMEDDS. Therefore, solid self-micro emulsifying drug delivery systems (S-SMEDDS) have emerged widely in recent years, which were prepared by solidifying a semi-solid or liquid self-emulsifying (SE) ingredient into a powder in order to improve stability, treatment and patient compliance. The article gives a comprehensive introduction of the study of SMEDDS which could effectively tackle the problem of the water-insoluble drug, especially the development of solidification technology of SMEDDS. Finally, the present challenges and the prospects in this field were also discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 224-235
Author(s):  
Harshal A. Pawar ◽  
Bhagyashree D. Bhangale

Background: Lipid based excipients have increased acceptance nowadays in the development of novel drug delivery systems in order to improve their pharmacokinetic profiles. Drugs encapsulated in lipids have enhanced stability due to the protection they experience in the lipid core of these nano-formulations. Phytosomes are newly discovered drug delivery systems and novel botanical formulation to produce lipophilic molecular complex which imparts stability, increases absorption and bioavailability of phytoconstituent. Curcumin, obtained from turmeric (Curcuma longa), has a wide range of biological activities. The poor solubility and wettability of curcumin are responsible for poor dissolution and this, in turn, results in poor bioavailability. To overcome these limitations, the curcumin-loaded nano phytosomes were developed to improve its physicochemical stability and bioavailability. Objective: The objective of the present research work was to develop nano-phytosomes of curcumin to improve its physicochemical stability and bioavailability. Methods: Curcumin-loaded nano phytosomes were prepared by using phospholipid Phospholipon 90 H using a modified solvent evaporation method. The developed curcumin nano phytosomes were evaluated by particle size analyzer and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Results: Results indicated that phytosomes prepared using curcumin and lipid in the ratio of 1:2 show good entrapment efficiency. The obtained curcumin phytosomes were spherical in shape with a size less than 100 nm. The prepared nano phytosomal formulation of curcumin showed promising potential as an antioxidant. Conclusion: The phytosomal complex showed sustained release of curcumin from vesicles. The sustained release of curcumin from phytosome may improve its absorption and lowers the elimination rate with an increase in bioavailability.


Author(s):  
Sunitha M Reddy ◽  
Sravani Baskarla

This article describes current strategies to enhance aqueous solubility and dissolution rate of poor soluble drugs. Most drugs in the market are lipophilic with low or poor water solubility. There are various methods to enhance solubility: co-solvency, particle size reduction, salt formation and Self Nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems, SEDDS is a novel approach to enhance solubility, dissolution rate and bioavailability of drugs. The study involves formulation and evaluation of solid self-Nano emulsifying drug delivery system (S-SNEDDS) to enhance aqueous solubility and dissolution rate. Oral route is the most convenient route for non-invasive administration. S-SNEDDS has more advantages when compared to the liquid self-emulsifying drug delivery system. Excipients were selected depends upon the drug compatibility oils, surfactants and co surfactants were selected to formulate Liquid SNEDDS these formulated liquid self-nano emulsifying drug delivery system converted into solid by the help of porous carriers, Melted binder or with the help of drying process. Conversion process of liquid to solid involves various techniques; they are spray drying; freeze drying and fluid bed coating technique; extrusion, melting granulation technique. Liquid SNEDDS has a high ability to improve dissolution and solubility of drugs but it also has disadvantages like incompatibility, decreased drug loading, shorter shelf life, ease of manufacturing and ability to deliver peptides that are prone to enzymatic hydrolysis.  


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1985-1997
Author(s):  
Peng Wei ◽  
Fabian H. Sobotta ◽  
Carolin Kellner ◽  
Damiano Bandelli ◽  
Stephanie Hoeppener ◽  
...  

Smart nano-carriers such as micelles, vesicles or nanoparticles constructed from amphiphilic polymers promise a new generation of drug delivery systems featuring localized and controlled release.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (13) ◽  
pp. 2105-2114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weizhi Chen ◽  
Shilu Ji ◽  
Xiaoping Qian ◽  
Yajun Zhang ◽  
Cheng Li ◽  
...  

Packaging hydrophobic drugs into nanoparticles can improve their aqueous solubility, tumor-specific accumulation and therapeutic effect.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 1201
Author(s):  
Bharti Gupta ◽  
Varsha Mishra ◽  
Sankalp Gharat ◽  
Munira Momin ◽  
Abdelwahab Omri

One of the major impediments to drug development is low aqueous solubility and thus poor bioavailability, which leads to insufficient clinical utility. Around 70–80% of drugs in the discovery pipeline are suffering from poor aqueous solubility and poor bioavailability, which is a major challenge when one has to develop an ocular drug delivery system. The outer lipid layer, pre-corneal, dynamic, and static ocular barriers limit drug availability to the targeted ocular tissues. Biopharmaceutical Classification System (BCS) class II drugs with adequate permeability and limited or no aqueous solubility have been extensively studied for various polymer-based solubility enhancement approaches. The hydrophilic nature of cellulosic polymers and their tunable properties make them the polymers of choice in various solubility-enhancement techniques. This review focuses on various cellulose derivatives, specifically, their role, current status and novel modified cellulosic polymers for enhancing the bioavailability of BCS class II drugs in ocular drug delivery systems.


Author(s):  
Renu Kadian ◽  
Arun Nanda

Background: The oral route is a highly recommended route for the delivery of a drug. But most lipophilic drugs are difficult to deliver via this route due to their low aqueous solubility. Selfemulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) have emerged as a potential approach of increasing dissolution of a hydrophobic drug due to spontaneous dispersion in micron or nano sized globules in the GI tract under mild agitation. Objective: The main motive of this review article is to describe the mechanisms, advantages, disadvantages, factors affecting, effects of excipients, possible mechanisms of enhancing bioavailability, and evaluation of self-emulsifying drug delivery systems. Result: Self emulsifying systems incorporate the hydrophobic drug inside the oil globules, and a monolayer is formed by surfactants to provide the low interfacial tension, which leads to improvement in the dissolution rate of hydrophobic drugs. The globule size of self-emulsifying systems depends upon the type and ratio of excipients in which they are used. The ternary phase diagram is constructed to find out the range of concentration of excipients used. This review article also presents recent and updated patents on self-emulsifying drug delivery systems. Self-emulsifying systems have the ability to enhance the oral bioavailability and solubility of lipophilic drugs. Conclusion: This technique offers further advantages such as bypassing the first pass metabolism via absorption of drugs through the lymphatic system, easy manufacturing, reducing enzymatic hydrolysis, inter and intra subject variability, and food effects.


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