Comparison of the protective effects of CS/TPP and CS/HPMCP nanoparticles containing berberine in ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity in rat

Abstract

Background Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a globally critical condition with no available efficient treatments. Methods Herein, we generated chitosan (CS) nanoparticles cross-linked with two different agents, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose phthalate (HPMCP; termed as CS/HPMCP) and tripolyphosphate (TPP; termed as CS/TPP), and loaded them with berberine (BBr; referred to as CS/HPMCP/BBr and CS/TPP/BBr, respectively). Alongside the encapsulation efficiency (EE) and loading capacity (LC), the releasing activity of the nanoparticles was also measured in stimulated gastric fluid (SGF) and stimulated intestinal fluid (SIF) conditions. The effects of the prepared nanoparticles on the viability of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were also evaluated. Ultimately, the protective effects of the nanoparticles were investigated in ALD mouse models. Results SEM images demonstrated that CS/HPMCP and CS/TPP nanoparticles had an average size of 235.5 ± 42 and 172 ± 21 nm, respectively. The LC and EE for CS/HPMCP/BBr were calculated as 79.78% and 75.79%, respectively; while the LC and EE for CS/TPP/BBr were 84.26% and 80.05%, respectively. pH was a determining factor for releasing BBr from CS/HPMCP nanoparticles as a higher cargo-releasing rate was observed in a less acidic environment. Both the BBr-loaded nanoparticles increased the viability of MSCs in comparison with their BBr-free counterparts. In vivo results demonstrated CS/HPMCP/BBr and CS/TPP/BBr nanoparticles protected enzymatic liver functionality against ethanol-induced damage. They also prevented histopathological ethanol-induced damage. Conclusions Crosslinking CS nanoparticles with HPMCP can mediate controlled drug release in the intestine improving the bioavailability of BBr.

Evaluating the antibacterial effect of meropenem-loaded chitosan/sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) nanoparticles on Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from hospitalized patients

“…Other researchers have also reported encapsulation efficiency rates of around 75–80% for CS nanoparticles loaded with different drugs other than meropenem [ 54 , 55 ]. These values are consistent with the findings of our experiments.…”

“…Regarding the characterization of the nanoparticles, other researchers have also used the same technique for the preparation of CS nanoparticles and have reported results consistent with our findings. For instance, Mahboubi Kancha et al have reported an average size of around 170–200 nm for CS nanoparticles [ 54 , 55 ]. The zeta potentials of our nanoparticles are also similar to those reported by Mahboubi Kancha et al as these researchers have reported a zeta potential of around 25–30 mV for their CS nanoparticles [ 54 , 55 ].…”

“…For instance, Mahboubi Kancha et al have reported an average size of around 170–200 nm for CS nanoparticles [ 54 , 55 ]. The zeta potentials of our nanoparticles are also similar to those reported by Mahboubi Kancha et al as these researchers have reported a zeta potential of around 25–30 mV for their CS nanoparticles [ 54 , 55 ].…”

“…According to a recent investigation, a drug release rate of around 60% from CS nanoparticles loaded with a particular snake’s venom has been reported [ 54 ], which is slightly lower than our reported release rate. According to another investigation, the release rate of berberine from loaded CS nanoparticles has been reported to be around 77% [ 55 ]. Based on the findings of Elnaggar et al, around 27% release of colistin from CS nanoparticles after 2 h has been documented which is similar to our findings (which was 43 ± 3.694) [ 56 ].…”

“…Our findings are consistent with other similar studies. For instance, researchers have reported that CS nanoparticles cross-linked with either TPP or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose phthalate (HPMCP) do not cause significant cytotoxicity on the viability of mesenchymal stem cells [ 55 ].…”