METHOD: Therefore, there is a need to improve delivery of therapeutic macromolecules to enable non-invasive delivery routes, less frequent dosing through controlled-release drug delivery, and improved drug targeting to increase efficacy and reduce side effects.
RESULT: Non-invasive administration routes such as intranasal, pulmonary, transdermal, ocular and oral delivery have been attempted intensively by formulating macromolecules into nanoparticulate carriers system such as polymeric and lipidic nanoparticles.
CONCLUSION: This review discusses barriers to drug delivery and current formulation technologies to overcome the unfavorable properties of macromolecules via non-invasive delivery (mainly intranasal, pulmonary, transdermal oral and ocular) with a focus on nanoparticulate carrier systems. This review also provided a summary and discussion of recent data on non-invasive delivery of macromolecules using nanoparticulate formulations.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: In situ gels containing 0.5% w/v OS extract prepared using cold dispersion method were subjected to physicochemical characterization, including in vitro-release studies. Antimicrobial efficacy was tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using agar diffusion method.
RESULTS: Thin layer chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography chromatograms confirmed the presence of rosmarinic acid (RA) and sinensitin in OS extracts with same retention factor (0.26 and 0.49) and retention times (12.2 and 20.7 min) against reference standards. A homogenous brown coloured in situ gel exhibited low viscosity as a solution and increased viscosity in gel form at ocular temperature. The optimized formulations, P7 (21% P407/4% P188), P8 (21% P407/5% P188) and F5 (1.5% chitosan and 45% β-glycerophosphate) exhibited ideal ocular pH (7.27-7.46), phase transition at ocular temperature (33-37°C) and prolonged RA release up to 12 h. Formulation F5 showed an inhibition zone of 4.3 mm against M. luteus.
CONCLUSION: Among all, formulation F5 alone exhibited modest antimicrobial activity against M. luteus. OS extracts at 5% and 10% were most active against tested bacteria however, loading them into in situ gels resulted in sedimentation. Hence, isolation of RA from OS extract is suggested before loading into formulations for a better antimicrobial activity.