Retinyl palmitate is a vitamin A ester belonging to the family of endogenous natural retinoid and used to treat various skin disorders like acne, skin aging, wrinkles, and dark spots, as well as to protect against psoriasis. Despite the known therapeutic benefits of retinyl palmitate, the conventional topical delivery of retinyl palmitate commonly associated with adverse reactions such as skin irritation, redness, excessive peeling, and dryness. Therefore, the current study aims to encapsulate the retinyl palmitate in nanoemulsion then incorporate it into a hydrogel system to improve the topical delivery and stability. Low-energy emulsification method was used for the nano-encapsulation of retinyl palmitate. The phase behavior study was used for the investigation and the optimization of the formulation. The droplet size of the optimized nanoemulsion was in nano dimension (16.71 nm) with low polydispersity index (PdI) (0.015), negative zeta potential (−20.6 mV). It demonstrated the influence of vortexing on droplet size and PdI during nanoemulsion preparation. The retinyl palmitate loaded nanoemulgel delivery system exhibited significant improvement (p < 0.05) in skin permeability after topical application. Employment of the nano-encapsulation approach afterward dispersion into hydrogel system for the development of a topical delivery system of retinyl palmitate resulted in improvement in its UV and storage stability as well.

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The current investigation aimed to improve the topical efficacy of imiquimod in combination with curcumin using the nanoemulsion-based delivery system through a combinatorial approach. Co-delivery of curcumin acts as an adjuvant therapeutic and to minimize the adverse skin reactions that are frequently associated with the topical therapy of imiquimod for the treatment of cutaneous infections and basal cell carcinomas. The low-energy emulsification method was used for the nano-encapsulation of imiquimod and curcumin in the nanodroplet oil phase, which was stabilized using Tween 20 in an aqueous dispersion system. The weak base property of imiquimod helped to increase its solubility in oleic acid compared with ethyl oleate, which indicates that fatty acids should be preferred as the oil phase for the design of imiquimod-loaded topical nanoemulsion compared with fatty acid esters. The phase diagram method was used to optimize the percentage composition of the nanoemulsion formulation. The mean droplet size of the optimized nanoemulsion was 76.93 nm, with a polydispersity index (PdI) value of 0.121 and zeta potential value of −20.5 mV. The optimized imiquimod-loaded nanoemulsion was uniformly dispersed in carbopol 934 hydrogel to develop into a nanoemulgel delivery system. The imiquimod nanoemulgel exhibited significant improvement (p < 0.05) in skin permeability and deposition profile after topical application. The in vivo effectiveness of the combination of imiquimod and curcumin nanoemulgel was compared to the imiquimod nanoemulgel and imiquimod gel formulation through topical application for ten days in BALB/c mice. The combination of curcumin with imiquimod in the nanoemulgel system prevented the appearance of psoriasis-like symptoms compared with the imiquimod nanoemulgel and imiquimod gel formulation entirely. Further, the imiquimod nanoemulgel as a mono-preparation slowed and reduced the psoriasis-like skin reaction when compared with the conventional imiquimod gel, and that was contributed to by the control release property of the nano-encapsulation approach.

Introduction: The accelerated transformation in the healthcare system supported by the Saudi Vision 2030 makes the present the best time to start the real application of pharmacogenomics in Saudi Arabia. The current study aimed to assess the knowledge, perception and the application status of pharmacogenomics among pharmacists in the hospital settings in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional observational survey was conducted among 206 qualified pharmacists working in Saudi hospitals. A self-administered questionnaire was sent to all participants. Results: Only 30% of the pharmacists had received any type of formal training on PGx. Of these, only nine participants had actually put the knowledge into practice. Participants showed a moderate to low level of knowledge when responded to the pharmacogenomic knowledge indicators used in the study. The low knowledge and the availability of the pharmacogenetic test are the main barriers for the low adoption of the pharmacogenomics in the clinical practice. Approximately 83% felt the need to know more about pharmacogenomics. Participants show positive perception with high motivation levels to incorporate this technology in practice. For example, 76% stated that pharmacogenetic testing should be applied to pharmacy practice. Around 38% of participants reported that the Saudi government and the Saudi FDA had been promoting the pharmacogenomics. However, 50% of the total participants reported that their hospital management is unaware of the pharmacogenomics importance in clinical practice. Discussion: This study emphasizes on two needs which can help promote the use and implementation of pharmacogenomics. One is the need to update the pharmacy education and training programs with pharmacogenomic-related areas to raise the pharmacist's knowledge and practical skill to apply pharmacogenomics in the clinical practice effectively. Another need is to increase the awareness of the decision and policy-makers with the importance of pharmacogenomics for the patient benefit and safety. This preliminary evaluation will provide future insight into the best approach to applying pharmacogenomics in the Saudi healthcare system.

Thymoquinone is a natural bioactive with significant therapeutic activity against multiple ailments including wound healing. The poor aqueous solubility and low skin permeability limit its therapeutic efficacy. The present investigation aimed to improve the biopharmaceutical attributes of thymoquinone to enhance its topical efficacy in wound healing. A nanoemulsion-based hydrogel system was designed and characterized as a nanotechnology-mediated drug delivery approach to improve the therapeutic efficacy of thymoquinone, utilizing a high-energy emulsification technique. The black seed oil, as a natural home of thymoquinone, was utilized to improve the drug loading capacity of the developed nanoemulsion system and reduced the oil droplet size to <100 nm through ultrasonication. The influence of formulation composition, and the ultrasonication process conditions, were investigated on the mean globule size and polydispersity index of the generated nanoemulsion. Irrespective of surfactant/co-surfactant ratio and % concentration of surfactant/co-surfactant mixture, the ultrasonication time had a significant (p < 0.05) influence on the mean droplet size and polydispersity index of the generated nanoemulsion. The developed nanoemulgel system of thymoquinone demonstrated the pseudoplastic behavior with thixotropic properties, and this behavior is desirable for topical application. The nanoemulgel system of thymoquinone exhibited significant enhancement (p < 0.05) in skin penetrability and deposition characteristics after topical administration compared to the conventional hydrogel system. The developed nanoemulgel system of thymoquinone exhibited quicker and early healing in wounded Wistar rats compared to the conventional hydrogel of thymoquinone, while showing comparable healing efficacy with respect to marketed silver sulfadiazine (1%) cream. Furthermore, histopathology analysis of animals treated with a developed formulation system demonstrated the formation of the thick epidermal layer, papillary dermis along with the presence of extensive and organized collagen fibers in newly healed tissues. The outcome of this investigation signifies that topical delivery of thymoquinone through nanoemulgel system is a promising candidate which accelerates the process of wound healing in preclinical study.

Hydrogels being a drug delivery system has great significance particularly for topical application in cutaneous open wound. Its specific physicochemical properties such as non-adhesiveness, moisture retention, exudate absorption, and gas permeability make them ideal as a drug delivery vehicle for wound healing application. Further, curcumin (a natural bioactive) was selected as a therapeutic agent to incorporate into the hydrogel system to design and develop nanogel pharmaceutical products for wound healing. Although, curcumin possesses remarkable anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-infective activity along with hastening the healing process by acting over the different stages of the wound healing process, but its poor biopharmaceutical (low aqueous solubility and skin penetrability) attributes hamper their therapeutic efficacy for skin applications. The current investigation aimed to develop the curcumin-loaded nanogel system and evaluated to check the improvement in the therapeutic efficacy of curcumin through a nanomedicine-based approach for wound healing activity in Wistar rats. The curcumin was enclosed inside the nanoemulsion system prepared through a high-energy ultrasonic emulsification technique at a minimum concentration of surfactant required to nanoemulsify the curcumin-loaded oil system (Labrafac PG) having droplet size 56.25 ± 0.69 nm with polydispersity index 0.05 ± 0.01 and negatively surface charge with zeta potential −20.26 ± 0.65 mV. It was observed that the impact of Smix (surfactant/co-surfactant mixture) ratio on droplet size of generated nanoemulsion is more pronounced at lower Smix concentration (25%) compared to the higher Smix concentration (30%). The optimized curcumin-loaded nanoemulsion was incorporated into a 0.5% Carbopol® 940 hydrogel system for topical application. The developed curcumin nanoemulgel exhibited thixotropic rheological behavior and a significant (p < 0.05) increase in skin penetrability characteristics compared to curcumin dispersed in conventional hydrogel system. The in vivo wound healing efficacy study and histological examination of healed tissue specimen further signify the role of the nanomedicine-based approach to improve the biopharmaceutical attributes of curcumin.

Three-dimensional printing (3DP) has a significant impact on organ transplant, cosmetic surgery, surgical planning, prosthetics and other medical fields. Recently, 3 DP attracted the attention as a promising method for the production of small-scale drug production. The knowledge expansion about the population differences in metabolism and genetics grows the need for personalised medicine substantially. In personalised medicine, the patient receives a tailored dose and the release profile is based on his pharmacokinetics data. 3 DP is expected to be one of the leading solutions for the personalisation of the drug dispensing. This technology can fabricate a drug-device with complicated geometries and fillings to obtain the needed drug release profile. The extrusionbased 3 DP is the most explored method for investigating the feasibility of the technology to produce a novel dosage form with properties that are difficult to achieve using the conventional industrial methods. Extrusionbased 3 DP is divided into two techniques, the semi-solid extrusion (SSE) and the fused deposition modeling (FDM). This review aims to explain the extrusion principles behind the two techniques and discuss their capabilities to fabricate novel dosage forms. The advantages and limitations observed through the application of SSE and FDM for fabrication of drug dosage forms were discussed in this review. Further exploration and development are required to implement this technology in the healthcare frontline for more effective and personalised treatment.

The use of 3D printing techniques to control drug release has flourished in the past decade, although there is no generic solution that can be applied to the full range of drugs or solid dosage forms. The present study provides a new concept, using the 3D printing technique to print a coating system in the form of shells with various designs to control/modify drug release in immediate-release tablets. A coating system of cellulose acetate in the form of an encapsulating shell was printed through extrusion-based 3D printing technology, where an immediate-release propranolol HCl tablet was placed inside to achieve a sustained drug release profile. The current work investigated the influence of shell composition by using different excipients and also by exploring the impact of shell size on the drug release from the encapsulated tablet. Three-dimensional printed shells with different ratios of rate-controlling polymer (cellulose acetate) and pore-forming agent (D-mannitol) showed the ability to control the amount and the rate of propranolol HCl release from the encapsulated tablet model. The shell-print approach also showed that space/gap available for drug dissolution between the shell wall and the enclosed tablet significantly influenced the release of propranolol HCl. The modified release profile of propranolol HCl achieved through enclosing the tablet in a 3D printed controlled-release shell followed Korsmeyer–Peppas kinetics with non-Fickian diffusion. This approach could be utilized to tailor the release profile of a Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) class I drug tablet (characterized by high solubility and high permeability) to improve patient compliance and promote personalized medicine.