Hydrogen was produced by methane pyrolysis in a molten-metal bubble column reactor. The proposed reactor improves heat transfer to the reactant gas and allows the separation of solid carbon due to the density difference between the molten metal and produced carbon. The effects of the temperature of the molten metal and metal type on the process were studied. The kinetic parameters were estimated by using a semi-numerical model of two reactors in series developed for the system. Molten tin, as reaction medium, showed improved kinetic parameters compared to those of the conventional tubular reactor. Tin-copper and tin-nickel alloys were also used as molten media to study the effect of catalytically active metals. The produced carbon was analyzed to examine its morphology and purity.
This research assesses the beneficial effects of loading terconazole, a poorly water-soluble antifungal drug in silica/chitosan nanoparticles (SCNs) for ocular delivery. Nanoparticles were fabricated by the simple mixing of tetraethyl ortho silicate (TEOS) and chitosan HCl as sources of silica and nitrogen, respectively, along with alcoholic drug solution in different concentrations. Freeze-dried nanoparticles were fabricated using cyclodextrins as cryoprotectants. SCNs were assessed for their particle size, PDI, yield, drug loading and in vitro release studies. A 23.31 full factorial experimental design was constructed to optimize the prepared SCNs. DSC, XRD, FTIR, in addition to morphological scanning were performed on the optimized nanoparticles followed by an investigation of their pharmacokinetic parameters after topical ocular application in male Albino rabbits. The results reveal that increasing the water content in the preparations causes an increase in the yield and size of nanoparticles. On the other hand, increasing the TEOS content in the preparations, caused a decrease in the yield and size of nanoparticles. The optimized formulation possessed excellent mucoadhesive properties with potential safety concerning the investigated rabbit eye tissues. The higher Cmax and AUC0–24 values coupled with a longer tmax value compared to the drug suspension in the rabbits’ eyes indicated the potential of SCNs as promising ocular carriers for poorly water-soluble drugs, such as terconazole.
The eye is an invulnerable organ with intrinsic anatomical and physiological barriers, hindering the development of a pioneer ocular formulation. The aim of this work was to develop an efficient ocular delivery system that can augment the ocular bioavailability of the antifungal drug, terconazole. Mesoporous silica microparticles, Syloid ® 244 FP were utilized as the carrier system for terconazole. Preliminary studies were carried out using different drug:Syloid ® weight ratios. The optimum weight ratio was mixed with various concentrations (30 and 60%w/w) of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), ester or acid-capped and with different monomers-ratio (50:50 and 75:25) using the nano-spray dryer. Results revealed the superiority of drug:Syloid ® weight ratio of 1:2 in terms of yield percentage (Y%), SPAN and drug content percentage (DC%). Furthermore, incorporation of PLGA with lower glycolic acid monomer-ratio significantly increased Y%. In contrast, increasing the glycolic acid monomer-ratio resulted in higher DC% and release efficiency percentage (RE%). Additionally, doubling PLGA concentration significantly reduced Y%, DC%, drug loading percentage (DL%) and RE%. Applying desirability function in terms of increasing DC%, DL% besides RE% and decreasing SPAN, the selected formulation was chosen for DSC, XRD and SEM investigations. Results confirmed the successful loading of amorphized terconazole on PLGA-modified Syloid ® microparticles. Moreover, pharmacokinetic studies for the chosen formulation on male Albino rabbits’ eyes revealed a 2, 6.7 and 25.3-fold increase in mean residence time, C max and AUC 0–24 -values, respectively, compared to the drug suspension. PLGA-modified Syloid ® microparticles represent a potential option to augment the bioavailability of ocular drugs.
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