Polyelectrolyte Complexes of Ciprofloxacin and Lidocaine Improve Wound Healing in Deep Second Degree Burns and Reduce in Vitro Ciprofloxacin Cytotoxicity in Fibroblasts

The development of new treatments capable of controlling infections and pain related to burns continues to be a challenge. Antimicrobials are necessary tools, but these can be cytotoxic for regenerating cells.In this study, antibiotic-anesthetic smart systems obtained by ionic complexation of polyelectrolytes with ciprofloxacin and lidocaine were obtained as film and hydrogel. The complexation of ciprofloxacin with natural polyelectrolytes efficiently contributed to increasing biocompatibility in a primary culture of isolated fibroblasts. In addition, the relative levels of the proteins integrin β1 and p-FAK involved in cell migration were increased with no modifications in cell mobility. Their evaluation in a deep second-degree burn model revealed fast reepithelization, with appendage conservation and complete dermis organization. Encouragingly, we found that both the film and the hydrogel showed a significantly superior performance compared to the reference treatment of silver sulfadiazine cream. This work highlights the great potential of this smart system as an attractive dressing for burns, which surpasses currently available treatments.

Comparative Analysis of the Functional Properties of Films Based on Carrageenans, Chitosan, and Their Polyelectrolyte Complexes

The influence of the structural features of carrageenan on the functional properties of the films was studied. The carrageenans and chitosan films, as well as three-layer films containing a polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) of the two, were prepared. The X-ray diffractograms of carrageenan films reflected its amorphous structure, whereas chitosan and three-layer films were characterized by strong reflection in the regions of 20° and 15° angles, respectively. The SEM of the cross-sectional morphology showed dense packing of the chitosan film, as well as the layer-by-layer structure of different densities for the PEC. Among the tested samples, κ/β-carrageenan and chitosan films showed the highest tensile strength and maximum elongation. Films containing the drug substance echinochrome were obtained. Mucoadhesive properties were assessed as the ability of the films to swell on the mucous tissue and their erosion after contact with the mucosa. All studied films exhibited mucoadhesive properties. All studied films exhibited mucoadhesive properties which depended on the carrageenans structure. Multilayer films are stronger than single-layer carrageenan films due to PEC formation. The resulting puncture strength of the obtained films was comparable to that of commercial samples described in the literature.

A Mini-Review on Chitosan Microsphere Drug Delivery

The study aims to determine the drug therapy of any disease to attain the desired therapeutic concentration of the drug in plasma or at the site of action and maintain it for the entire duration of treatment. A drug on being used in conventional dosage forms leads to unavoidable fluctuations in the drug concentration leading to under medication or overmedication and increased frequency of dose administration as well as poor patient compliance. To minimize drug degradation and loss, to prevent harmful side effects and to increase drug bioavailability various drug delivery and targeting systems are currently under development. Handling the treatment of severe disease conditions has necessitated the development of innovative ideas to modify drug delivery techniques. Drug carrier systems include polymers, micelles, microcapsules, Liposomes and lipoproteins etc. Different polymer carriers exert different effects on drug delivery. Synthetic polymers are usually no biocompatible, non-biodegradable and expensive. Natural polymers such as chitin and chitosan are devoid of such problems. Chitosan is a biocompatible, biodegradable, and nontoxic natural polymer with excellent film-forming ability. Being of cationic character, chitosan is able to react with polyamines giving rise to polyelectrolyte complexes. Hence chitosan has become a promising natural polymer for the preparation of microspheres or nanospheres and microcapsules. This review focuses on the preparation, characterization of chitosan microspheres and their role in novel drug delivery systems. This review also aims to include the process variables factors that affect the release of drugs from the microspheres.