Onychomycosis is a disease that affects many adults, whose treatment includes both oral and topical therapies with low cure rates. The topical therapy is less effective but causes fewer side effects. This is why the development of an effective, easy to apply formulation for topical treatment is of high importance. We have used a nanotechnological approach to formulate Pickering emulsions (PEs) with well-defined properties to achieve site-specific delivery for antifungal drug combination of tioconazole and Melaleuca alternifolia essential oil. Silica nanoparticles with tailored size and partially hydrophobic surface have been synthesized and used for the stabilization of PEs. In vitro diffusion studies have been performed to evaluate the drug delivery properties of PEs. Ethanolic solution (ES) and conventional emulsions (CE) have been used as reference drug formulations. The examination of the antifungal effect of PEs has been performed on Candida albicans and Trichophyton rubrum as main pathogens. In vitro microbiological experimental results suggest that PEs are better candidates for onychomycosis topical treatment than CE or ES of the examined drugs. The used drugs have shown a significant synergistic effect, and the combination with an effective drug delivery system can result in a promising drug form for the topical treatment of onychomycosis.
Drug–drug cocrystals are formulated to produce combined medication, not just to modulate active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) properties. Nano-crystals adjust the pharmacokinetic properties and enhance the dissolution of APIs. Nano-cocrystals seem to enhance API properties by combining the benefits of both technologies. Despite the promising opportunities of nano-sized cocrystals, the research at the interface of nano-technology and cocrystals has, however, been described to be in its infancy. In this study, high-pressure homogenization (HPH) and high-power ultrasound were used to prepare nano-sized cocrystals of 4-aminosalysilic acid and sulfamethazine in order to establish differences between the two methods in terms of cocrystal size, morphology, polymorphic form, and dissolution rate enhancement. It was found that both methods resulted in the formation of form I cocrystals with a high degree of crystallinity. HPH yielded nano-sized cocrystals, while those prepared by high-power ultrasound were in the micro-size range. Furthermore, HPH produced smaller-size cocrystals with a narrow size distribution when a higher pressure was used. Cocrystals appeared to be needle-like when prepared by HPH compared to those prepared by high-power ultrasound, which had a different morphology. The highest dissolution enhancement was observed in cocrystals prepared by HPH; however, both micro- and nano-sized cocrystals enhanced the dissolution of sulfamethazine.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.