• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.39-43
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• 2008

Cyclosporin A (CyA), a potent immunosuppressive drug used in allogeneic transplants and autoimmune disease, is a typical water-insoluble drug. Recently, nanoparticle carriers were investigated to improve the intestinal absorption of drugs. In this study, CyA-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) were prepared from a hot o/w emulsion using the high pressure homogenization method. The NLCs were consisted of cationic lipids, solid lipids, liquid lipids (oils), surfactant and stabilizer. Encapsulation efficiency of CyA in NLCs was approximately 71%. The average particle size and zeta potential of NLCs were below 250 nm and above +40 mV, respectively. The morphology of NLCs was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. Compared to the CyA powder, higher in vitro release of CyA from NLCs was observed after burst release within 30 min. Thus, CyA-loaded NLCs could be applied not only for parenteral route but also for gastrointestinal administration, which needs further investigation.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.956-960
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• 2011

The objective of this investigation was to develop nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) of tacrolimus by the hot homogenization technique by sonication. NLCs are commonly prepared by emulsification and lyophilization. The feasibility of fabricating tacrolimus-loaded NLCs was successfully demonstrated in this study. The developed NLCs were characterized in terms of their particle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency (EE) of tacrolimus, and morphology. Studies were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the NLCs in improving the penetration rate through hairless mouse skin. Tacrolimus-loaded NLCs were found to have an average size of $123.4{\pm}0.3\;nm$, a zeta potential of $-24.3{\pm}6.2\;mV$, and an EE of 50%. In vitro penetration tests revealed that the tacrolimus-loaded NLCs have a penetration rate that is 1.64 times that of the commercial tacrolimus ointment, Protopic$^{(R)}$.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.5185-5188
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• 2016

Objective: Targeted-drug-delivery based lipid nanoparticles has emerged as a new and effective approach in cancer chemotherapy. Here, we investigated the ability of folate-modified nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) to enhance letrozol (LTZ) efficacy in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Methods: New formulations were evaluated regarding to particle size and scanning electron microscope (SEM) features. Anti-proliferative effects of LTZ loaded nanoparticles were examined by MTT assay. To understand molecular mechanisms of apoptosis and cell cycle progression, flow cytometric assays were applied. Results: Optimum size of nanoparticles was obtained in mean average of $98{\pm}7nm$ with a poly dispersity index (PDI) of 0.165. The IC50 value was achieved for LTZ was $2.2{\pm}0.2{\mu}M$. Folate-NLC-LTZ increased the percentage of apoptotic cells from 24.6% to 42.2% compared LTZ alone (p<0.05). Furthermore, LTZ loaded folate targeted NLCs caused marked accumulation of cells in the subG1 phase. Conclusion: Taken together, our results concluded that folate targeted LTZ can be considered as potential delivery system which may overcome limitations of clinical application of LTZ and improve drug efficacy in tumor tissue.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.659-665
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• 2015

Loading of hydrophobic ${\alpha}$-tocopherol into nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) was performed for improving its oxidative stability. First, various NLCs with different constituents and mixing ratios were prepared and their characteristics were investigated. While the stable NLCs were made when cetyl palmitate (CP) or glyceryl monosterate (GMS) was used as a solid lipid, the phase separation occurred in the NLCs consisting of stearic acid. Particle sizes of the NLCs were several hundreds of nanometers and the size decreased with increasing the ratio of solvent to lipid. It was examined from DSC thermogram and anisotropy test that the degree of crystallinity of the lipid phase decreased and the lipid matrix became less ordered when octyldodecanol, a long chain fatty alcohol, was added into the solid lipid. The oxidative stability of ${\alpha}$-tocopherol in NLC was remarkably improved compared to that in solution or emulsion under high temperature ($45^{\circ}C$) and UV radiation, which was verified through DPPH test and peroxide value measurement.