Synthesis and characterization of a polyurethane carrier used for a prolonged transmembrane transfer of a chili pepper extract

Abstract

PurposeRed chili peppers have been highly valued in gastronomy and traditional medicine since ancient times; it seems that it is not just an ingredient for food but also a good remedy for various medical conditions such as increased blood pressure and high levels of serum triglycerides and cholesterol, myocardial infarction, arthritis, and migraines. The objective of this study is the characterization of a new carrier used for encapsulated extract.MethodsChili pepper extract was obtained and was physically entrapped inside polyurethane microparticles in order to diminish the irritative potential of this extract. The particles were evaluated by Zetasizer measurements, small-angle neutron scattering and thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; the encapsulation efficacy and the drug release profile were assessed by UV-Vis spectroscopy. Bioevaluations on mice skin were performed to predict the irritative potential of the samples.ResultsTwo different types of samples were compared: hollow polyurethane microparticles vs polyurethane particles containing the natural extract. The sizes of the particles were very similar, but the sample containing the extract presents three particle populations (the polydispersity index increases from 0.3 to 0.6 from one sample to another). The zeta-potential measurements and SEM images indicate a medium tendency to form clusters, while the UV-Vis study revealed an almost 70% encapsulation efficacy.ConclusionThe results suggest that encapsulation of a chili pepper extract inside polyurethane microparticles leads to a non-irritative product with a prolonged release: ~30% of encapsulated extract is released within the first 8 days and a maximum 45% is reached in 2 weeks.

Solid Polymeric Nanoparticles of Albendazole: Synthesis, Physico-Chemical Characterization and Biological Activity

“…The UV-Vis evaluation revealed a high encapsulation efficiency (62.4%), in agreement with previous studies which indicated polyurethane nanostructures as suitable carriers for active agents: 67.9% was found in the case of a chili pepper extract [51], and 82.9% for a ginger extract [52].…”

Obtaining and Characterization of a Polydisperse System Used as a Transmembrane Carrier for Isosorbide Derivatives

“…Gurita (Ciobotaru) and her team have reported increases of TEWA around 11 g/h/m 2 and of erythema index approximately 90 units using the same instruments in a 25-h experiment on the skin of healthy human volunteers (Gurita (Ciobotaru) et al, 2019 ). In another study of our team, SLS solution was used as reference in an assessment of the toxicological profile of betulin entrapped in a PU carrier (Borcan et al, 2018c ); they presented comparative values of TEWL and erythema between the PU samples and SLS at 6 days, and important increases were found in the case of the well-known irritative agent (around 4 g/h/m 2 for the transepidermal water loss and more than 175 units for erythema index).…”

“…The cumulative percentage of isosorbide derivatives that were released at a specific moment was determined by maintaining the chitosan-based PU structures with derivatives (sample PU_1) in a degradation medium (a simulated body fluid, SBF according to T. Kokubo recipe; Quan et al, 2016 ) for 3 weeks; the procedure is described in detail in one of our previous papers (Borcan et al, 2018c ).…”

“…A similar study describing a PU with self-healing properties (Kim et al, 2019 ) has revealed that the replacement of traditional chain extenders (such as 1,4-butanediol or 1,6-hexanediol) with isosorbide or isomannide leads to materials with improved mechanical properties. Our research team already synthesized PU nano- and micro-structures with low release rates used as transmembrane delivery systems for different natural extracts (Munteanu et al, 2017 ; Borcan et al, 2018a , b , c , 2019 ). The aim of this study was to obtain and to characterize a chitosan-based PU that can assure a constant release of isosorbide derivatives for a prolonged time.…”

Study on the Release and Bioevaluations of Green Silver Nanoparticles Entrapped Inside Polymer-based Nanovesicles

“…The polymer-based nanovesicles were obtained followed a procedure which was presented in our previous papers [5][6][7][8]: -The two components were mixed under magnetic stirring at 580 rpm and 40 o C; the stirring continued with the same rotation speed for 4 h to ensure the maturation of polyurethane vesicles walls; -Products purification: the suspensions were dried as thin layers at 55 o C for ~24 h and then, they were repeatedly washed with a double distilled water-acetone mixture (1:1.4, v/v), and centrifuged at 3000 rpm.…”