Abstract
Mucoadhesive polymeric nanocapsules have attracted interest of researchers from different fields from natural sciences because of their ability to interact with the mucosa and increase drug permeation. Anesthesia by immersion causes absorption through the skin and gills of fish, so it is important to evaluate the exposure of these organs to drug nanosystems. Benzocaine (BENZ) is one of the most popular anesthetic agents used in fish anesthesia, but it has drawbacks because of its low bioavailability, resulting in weak absorption after immersion. Here we describe method developed for preparing and characterizing chitosan-coated PLGA mucoadhesive nanoparticles containing BENZ (NPMAs) for zebrafish immersion anesthesia. We determined the lowest effective concentration, characterized the interaction of the mucoadhesive system with fish, measured the anesthetic efficacy, and evaluated possible toxic effects in embryos and adults exposed to the nanoformulations. This study opens perspectives for using nanoformulations prepared with BENZ in aquaculture, allowing reduction of dosage as well as promoting more effective anesthesia and improved interaction with the mucoadhesive system of fish.
Highlights
Despite bright outlooks for the future of nanotechnology, there is increasing concern of human and animal exposure to some types of engineered nanoparticles [1]
The concentration of chitosan used in the coating solution (5 mg/mL-1) provided nanoparticles with a diameter very close to those reported in the literature, with narrow size distribution and thick coating, demonstrating good interaction between the coating layer and the nanocapsule polymer wall [22]
These results demonstrated, through the tracking of the fluorescent probe, that the mucoadhesive nanocapsules containing benzocaine (NPMAs) were able to establish an interaction with the mucous surface of the fish, permeating the tissues of the skin
Summary
Despite bright outlooks for the future of nanotechnology, there is increasing concern of human and animal exposure to some types of engineered nanoparticles [1]. NDDS show improved pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of drugs and reduced toxicity by their accumulation at the target site They enhance aqueous solubility and stability of various therapeutic agents as well as minimize tissue hypersensitivity reactions [2, 3]. Mucoadhesive nanoparticles have gained attention for mucosal drug release [4, 5] In this respect, chitosan-coated nanoparticles are surface-modified nanosystems with the ability to interact electrostatically with the mucosa [6] to overcome steric inhibition of mucin fibers [7] and enhance permeation of drugs due to the reorganization of intercellular junctions of the mucosa [8]. The composition of the fish mucus layer is like the mammal mucus layer, including the presence of mucin [9] These mucosal properties can be exploited for controlled release. There is a biological risk of animals exposed to such nanotechnology
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