Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a major contributor to skin aging, cancer, and other detrimental health effects. Sunscreens containing FDA-approved UV filters, like avobenzone, offer protection but suffer from photodegradation and potential phototoxicity. Encapsulation, antioxidants, and photostabilizers are strategies employed to combat these drawbacks. Octocrylene, an organic UV filter, utilizes nanotechnology to enhance sun protection factor (SPF). This review examines recent literature on octocrylene-enriched sunscreens, exploring the interplay between environmental impact, nanotechnological advancements, and clinical trial insights. A critical focus is placed on the environmental consequences of sunscreen use, particularly the potential hazards UV filters pose to marine ecosystems. Research in the Mediterranean Sea suggests bacterial sensitivity to these filters, raising concerns about their integration into the food chain. This review aims to guide researchers in developing effective strategies for photostabilization of UV filters. By combining encapsulation, photostabilizers, and antioxidants, researchers can potentially reduce phototoxic effects and contribute to developing more environmentally friendly sunscreens.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool to revolutionize the healthcare sector, including drug delivery and development. This review explores the current and future applications of AI in the pharmaceutical industry, focusing on drug delivery and development. It covers various aspects such as smart drug delivery networks, sensors, drug repurposing, statistical modeling, and simulation of biotechnological and biological systems. The integration of AI with nanotechnologies and nanomedicines is also examined. AI offers significant advancements in drug discovery by efficiently identifying compounds, validating drug targets, streamlining drug structures, and prioritizing response templates. Techniques like data mining, multitask learning, and high-throughput screening contribute to better drug discovery and development innovations. The review discusses AI applications in drug formulation and delivery, clinical trials, drug safety, and pharmacovigilance. It addresses regulatory considerations and challenges associated with AI in pharmaceuticals, including privacy, data security, and interpretability of AI models. The review concludes with future perspectives, highlighting emerging trends, addressing limitations and biases in AI models, and emphasizing the importance of collaboration and knowledge sharing. It provides a comprehensive overview of AI's potential to transform the pharmaceutical industry and improve patient care while identifying further research and development areas.
Nanoemulsions (NEs) are kinetically stable, thermodynamically unstable colloidal systems composed of nanoscale oil and aqueous domains stabilized primarily by surfactants and, where required, co-surfactants. Their small droplet size, large interfacial area, and tunable physicochemical properties provide opportunities to improve the solubilization, dispersion, permeation, stability, and bioavailability of poorly water-soluble and labile therapeutic agents. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the principles governing NE formulation and their evolving role in pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. Particular emphasis is placed on the selection and functional contribution of formulation components, high- and low-energy preparation approaches, scale-up and manufacturing considerations, critical quality attributes, physicochemical characterization, stability, and nano-bio interactions. The review further summarizes the application of NEs in oral, topical, ocular, pulmonary, parenteral, vaccine, immunological, and disease-specific drug delivery, together with emerging applications in theranostics and imaging. The available evidence indicates that NEs can enhance drug solubilization and delivery performance and can be engineered to incorporate therapeutic and imaging functionalities; however, the extent of targeting and clinical benefit remains dependent on formulation composition, biological barriers, disease heterogeneity, and the stage of translational development. Emerging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning approaches show potential for formulation optimization, prediction of physicochemical and biological behaviour, and interpretation of complex imaging data, but their application to NE systems remains an evolving area constrained by data standardization, model transparency, reproducibility, and regulatory considerations. Major challenges to clinical translation include physical and chemical instability, limitations of passive and active targeting, manufacturing complexity, batch-to-batch reproducibility, scale-up, safety assessment, and regulatory requirements. Overall, NEs represent versatile platforms for pharmaceutical delivery and multifunctional biomedical applications, while further systematic validation, scalable manufacturing, standardized characterization, and clinically relevant evidence are required to translate promising laboratory findings into robust and clinically useful products.
Nanotechnology has emerged as a transformative pathway in vaccine research and delivery. Nanovaccines, encompassing lipid and nonlipid formulations, exhibit considerable advantages over traditional vaccine techniques, including enhanced antigen stability, heightened immunogenicity, targeted distribution, and the potential for codelivery with adjuvants or immune modulators. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements and applications of lipid and non-lipid-based nanovaccines in current vaccination strategies for immunization. The review commences by outlining the fundamental concepts underlying lipid and nonlipid nanovaccine design before delving into the diverse components and production processes employed in their development. Subsequently, a comparative analysis of various nanocarriers is presented, elucidating their distinct physicochemical characteristics and impact on the immune response, along with preclinical and clinical studies. The discussion also highlights how nanotechnology enables the possibility of personalized and combined vaccination techniques, facilitating the creation of tailored nanovaccines to meet the individual patient needs. The ethical aspects concerning the use of nanovaccines, as well as potential safety concerns and public perception, are also addressed. The study underscores the gaps and challenges that must be overcome before adopting nanovaccines in clinical practice. This comprehensive analysis offers vital new insights into lipid and nonlipid nanovaccine status. It emphasizes the significance of continuous research, collaboration among interdisciplinary experts, and regulatory measures to fully unlock the potential of nanotechnology in enhancing immunization and ensuring a healthier, more resilient society.