Mesoporous silica particles (MSPs) have been investigated as potential carriers to increase the apparent solubility and dissolution rate of poorly water-soluble drugs by physically stabilising the amorphous nature of the loaded drug. In preparing such systems, it is recognized that the loading method has a critical impact on the physical state and performance of the drug. To date, there has been very limited investigation into the use of electrospraying for loading drugs into mesoporous silica. In this study, we further explore the use of this approach, in particular as a means of producing amorphous and high drug-loaded MSPs; the study includes an investigation of the effect of drug loading and MSP concentration on the formulation performance and process. A comparison with rotary evaporation, a more widely utilised loading technique, was conducted to assess the relative effectiveness of electrospraying. The physical state of the drug in the formulations was assessed using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The drug release profiles were determined by a comparative in vitro drug release test. Electrospraying successfully produced formulations containing amorphous drug even at a high drug loading. In contrast, while itraconazole was present in amorphous form at the lower drug-loaded formulations produced by rotary evaporation, the drug was in the crystalline state at the higher loadings. The percentage of drug released was enhanced up to ten times compared to that of pure itraconazole for all the formulations apart from the highest loaded (crystalline) formulation prepared by rotary evaporation. Supersaturation for at least six hours was maintained by the formulations loaded with up to 30 mg/mL itraconazole produced by electrospraying. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate that electrospraying is capable of producing amorphous drug-loaded MSPs at high loadings, with associated favourable release characteristics. A comparison with the standard rotary evaporation approach indicates that electrospraying may be more effective for the production of higher loadings of amorphous material.

The demand for modern electronics and semiconductors has increased throughout the years, which has enabled the innovation and exploration of solution-processed deposition. Solution-based processes have gained a lot of interest due to the low-cost fabrication and the large fabrication areas without the need for high-vacuum equipment. In this study, we utilized the ZnO ink for inkjet printer ink to fabricate a thin film via Electrohydrodynamic printing. Three different ink solutions were prepared for experimentation. The EHD printing technique demonstrated the ink\'s compatibility with and without the modifications. The outcomes of the EHD printed materials were comparable with the spin-coated thin films. The EHD-printed films demonstrated better results in comparison to spin-coated films. Ra and Rq of the EHD film measured at 3.651 nm and 4.973 nm, respectively. It improved the absorbance up to two-fold at 360 nm wavelength and electrical conductivity up to 40% compared to the spin-coated films. Furthermore, the optimization of the printing parameters can lead to the improved morphology and thickness of the EHD thin films.

The focus of the present study is on the fabrication of effective and eco-friendly hybrid electrospun materials based on poly(L-lactide-co-D,L-lactide) (PLDLLA), Fe3O4 and ZnO with an appropriate design for antioxidant and photocatalytic performance. The design of the fibrous materials was purposely tailored in one step by electrospinning and simultaneous electrospinning/electrospraying. Electrospinning of PLDLLA and its mixture with Fe3O4 resulted in the fabrication of materials with design type \"in\". Furthermore, the surface of the electrospun PLDLLA and Fe3O4-in-PLDLLA was decorated with ZnO particles by simultaneous electrospraying, thus materials with design type \"on\" were obtained. In this case, quaternized N,N,N-trimethyl chitosan iodide (QCOS) was used as a sticking agent of ZnO particles onto the fiber\'s surface. Different structures and morphologies of the electrospun materials were observed by SEM equipped with EDX and TEM. TGA and XRD analyses show that the presence of inorganic particles had an impact on the thermal properties and crystallinity of the electrospun materials. Furthermore, the material type \"on\" showed improved wettability with a water contact angle less than 90° compared to the material type \"in\" with an angle larger than 90°. In particular, the presence of Fe3O4 imparts complementary magnetic properties, while ZnO considerably increased the antioxidant activity of the fibrous materials. Materials with design type \"on\" displayed over 70% radical scavenging capacity in contrast to the material type \"in\" with less than 20% capacity within 30 min of contact. Moreover, the purposely tailored design type \"on\" materials provided excellent photocatalytic degradation of model organic pollutant methylene blue dye under UV light irradiation even after 5-fold use, and at the end of the fifth cycle these materials degraded more than 90% of the dye. These results reveal not only a strategy for the fabrication of electrospun hybrid bio-based materials with targeted design but also provide a promising, simple and effective way for mitigating water pollution.

This research investigated the in vivo gelation, biodegradation, and drug release efficiency of a novel injectable sensitive drug delivery system for human growth hormone (HGh). This composite system comprises pH- and temperature-sensitive hydrogel, designated as oligomer serine-b-poly(lactide)-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(lactide)-b-oligomer serine (OS-PLA-PEG-PLA-OS) pentablock copolymer, as matrix and electrosprayed HGh-loaded chitosan (HGh@CS) nanoparticles (NPs) as principal material. The proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of the pH- and temperature-sensitive OS-PLA-PEG-PLA-OS pentablock copolymer hydrogel proved that this copolymer was successfully synthesized. The HGh was encapsulated in chitosan (CS) NPs by an electrospraying system in acetic acid with appropriate granulation parameters. The scanning electron microscopy images and size distribution showed that the HGh@CS NPs formed had an average diameter of 366.1 ± 214.5 nm with a discrete spherical shape and dispersed morphology. The sol-gel transition of complex gel based on HGh@CS NPs and OS-PLA-PEG-PLA-OS pentablock hydrogel was investigated at 15 °C and pH 7.8 in the sol state and gelled at 37 °C and pH 7.4, which is suitable for the physiological conditions of the human body. The HGh release experiment of the composite system was performed in an in vivo environment, which demonstrated the ability to release HGh, and underwent biodegradation within 32 days. The findings of the investigation revealed that the distribution of HGh@CS NPs into the hydrogel matrix not only improved the mechanical properties of the gel matrix but also controlled the drug release kinetics into the systematic bloodstream, which ultimately promotes the desired therapeutic body growth depending on the distinct concentration used.

Electrospraying for Vitamin C (VC) encapsulation in Chitosan (Cs) nanoparticles was investigated and particle size, zeta potential, loading capacity (LC%) and encapsulation efficiency (EE%) were examined. Cs concentration (1-2% w/v) and voltage (21-25 kV) were varied with VC (0.25-0.75 w/w Cs). Twenty experiments in a face-centered CCD-RSM design were evaluated. ANOVA suggested voltage and Cs concentration as significant factors for particle size and VC content affected zeta, LC and EE%. RSM proposed optimum processing parameter at 2% Cs, 0.746 VC: Cs mass ratio and 21 kV voltage with 251.1 ± 59.03 nm particle size, 36.6% LC and an EE of 85.42%. Encapsulated particles were subjected to release behaviour, antioxidant property and analyzed through FTIR, DSC and XRD. Encapsulated VC had better antibacterial properties than Cs nanoparticles, and comparable VC retention in apple juice showed its effectiveness. Overall, nanoencapsulation of VC using electrospraying was successfully developed to be used in numerous food processing applications.

Core-shell particles composed of polycaprolactone/polyvinyl alcohol (PCL/PVA) with pH sensitive properties were successfully fabricated by co-axial electrospraying in which PVA and PCL formed the shell and core layers respectively. The core-shell structure was confirmed by FTIR, DSC and SEM analysis. No chemical interaction between PVA and PCL core-shell were observed in the FTIR analysis. The RAD001 loaded core-shell particles showed a sustained and pH dependent drug release and was assayed via our previously developed HPLC method. After indirect treatment of the PF-A cells with the core-shell particles for 24 h and 5 days a decrease in cell viability was observed. Additionally, a comparison was made with our previously developed nanoparticles containing 2 %PVA-14 %SOL®-0.6 % RAD001, for the cell viability study on ependymoma. Our findings show that optimised core-shell particles exerted a significant effect for the 24 h and 5 day treatment however further studies are required to ensure toxicity of the control core-shell particles with no drug is reduced. In comparison, the 2 %PVA-14 %SOL®-0.6 %RAD001 uniaxial electrosprayed nanoparticles also exerted a toxicity effect decreasing cell viability with no toxicity observed for the control nanoparticles as well. Such pH-sensitive core-shell particles, which can degrade effectively in either acidic or neutral condition, have great potential for application in the biomedical field.

The use of medicinal substances in nanosized forms (nanoforms, nanoparticles) allows the therapeutic effectiveness of pharmaceutical preparations to be increased due to several factors: (1) the high specific surface area of nanomaterials, and (2) the high concentration of surface-active centers interacting with biological objects. In the case of drug nanoforms, even low concentrations of a bioactive substance can have a significant therapeutic effect on living organisms. These effects allow pharmacists to use lower doses of active components, consequently lowering the toxic side effects of pharmaceutical nanoform preparations. It is known that many drug substances that are currently in development are poorly soluble in water, so they have insufficient bioavailability. Converting them into nanoforms will increase their rate of dissolution, and the increased saturation solubility of drug nanocrystals also makes a significant contribution to their high therapeutic efficiency. Some physical and chemical methods can contribute to the formation of both pure drug nanoparticles and their ligand or of polymer-covered nanoforms, which are characterized by higher stability. This review describes the most commonly used methods for the preparation of nanoforms (nanoparticles) of different medicinal substances, paying close attention to modern supercritical and cryogenic technologies and the advantages and disadvantages of the described methods and techniques; moreover, the improvements in the physico-chemical and biomedical properties of the obtained medicinal nanoforms are also discussed.

This study investigates the encapsulation of Tenebrio molitor hydrolysate exhibiting DPP-IV inhibitory activity by spray-drying and electrospraying techniques. First, we optimized the feed formulation and processing conditions required to obtain nano-microcapsules by electrospraying when using Arabic gum as an encapsulating agent and pullulan and Tween 20 as additives. The optimum formulation was also dried by spray-drying, where the removal of the additives was also assayed. Morphology analysis reveals that electrosprayed capsules have a smaller size (1.2 ± 0.5 µm vs. 12.4 ± 8.7 µm) and greater uniformity compared to those obtained by spray-drying. Regarding the surface nitrogen content and DPP-IV inhibitory activity, our results show no significant difference between the electrosprayed capsules and spray-dried capsules containing additives (IC50 of ~1.5 mg protein/mL). Therefore, it was concluded that adding additives during spray-drying allows for a similar encapsulation efficiency and reduced degradation during processing, as achieved by electrospraying technique but providing higher productivity. On the other hand, spray-dried capsules without additives displayed a higher surface nitrogen content percentage, which was mainly due to the absence of Tween 20 in the feed formulation. Consequently, these capsules presented a higher IC50 value (IC50 of 1.99 ± 0.03 mg protein/mL) due to the potential degradation of surface-exposed peptides.

Quantum dots (QDs) are inorganic semiconductor nanocrystals capable of emitting light. The current major challenge lies in the use of heavy metals, which are known to be highly toxic to humans and pose significant environmental risks. Researchers have turned to indium (In) as a promising option for more environmentally benign QDs, specifically indium phosphide (InP). A significant obstacle remains in sustaining the long-term photostability of InP-based QDs when exposed to the environment. To tackle this, electrospraying is used in this work to protect indium phosphide/zinc selenide/zinc sulfide (InP/ZnSe/ZnS) QDs by embedding them within polymer core-shell microparticles of poly[(lauryl methacrylate)-co-(ethylene glycol dimethacrylate)]/poly(methyl methacrylate) (poly(LMA-co-EGDMA)/PMMA). During the flight of droplets, the liquid monomer core of LMA and EGDMA with QDs is encapsulated by the solid shell of PMMA formed due to solvent evaporation, resulting in a liquid-core/solid-shell particle structure. After that, the captured core of monomers is polymerized into a cross-linked polymer with the embedded QDs via a thermal initiation. They demonstrate how a successful core-shell particle formation is achieved to produce structures for initially liquid monomer systems via coaxial electrospraying that are used for cross-linked polymers, which are of major interest for the encapsulation of InP-based QDs for generally improved photostability over pristine QDs.

The shapes of micro- and nano-products have profound influences on their functional performances, which has not received sufficient attention during the past several decades. Electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) techniques, mainly include electrospinning and electrospraying, are facile in manipulate their products\' shapes. In this review, the shapes generated using EHDA for modifying drug release profiles are reviewed. These shapes include linear nanofibers, round micro-/nano-particles, and beads-on-a-string hybrids. They can be further divided into different kinds of sub-shapes, and can be explored for providing the desired pulsatile release, sustained release, biphasic release, delayed release, and pH-sensitive release. Additionally, the shapes resulted from the organizations of electrospun nanofibers are discussed for drug delivery, and the shapes and inner structures can be considered together for developing novel drug delivery systems. In future, the shapes and the related shape-performance relationships at nanoscale, besides the size, inner structure and the related structure-performance relationships, would further play their important roles in promoting the further developments of drug delivery field. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies.