Surfactant Ratio Research Articles

Self-Nanoemulsifying Drug Delivery System (SNEDDS) for Oral Delivery of Cod Liver Oil

Cod liver oil (CLO) has long been used as medicine or as a functional food. The CLO is a potential source of vitamin D, vitamin A, and omega fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid/EPA and docosahexaenoic acid/DHA). Self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) can enhance dissolution, absorption, and bioavailability of hydrophilic and lipophilic substances for oral administration. The objective of this study was to develop a SNEDDS of CLO with good physical characteristics and stability. The optimization formula was carried out using various ratios of oil, surfactant, and cosurfactant. The physical properties of SNEDDS were determined by transmittance percentage, dispersibility, robustness, thermodynamics stability (heating-cooling cycle, centrifugation, and freeze-thaw cycle), and globule size distribution. The optimum formula of CLO-SNEDDS was obtained at a ratio of surfactant and cosurfactant 2 : 1 and a comparison of oil and surfactant mixtures 1 : 6. The CLO-SNEDDS meets the requirement of percent transmittance (97.90±0.85), dispersibility (grade A), and stability based on robustness and thermodynamic stability tests. Diluted SNEDDS has an average globule size of 125 nm with a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.515. CLO-SNEDDS preparation has good physical characteristics and stability.

Transdermal Delivery of Lidocaine-Loaded Elastic Nano-Liposomes with Microneedle Array Pretreatment

This study aimed to improve the transdermal delivery of lidocaine hydrochloride (LidH) using elastic nano-liposomes (ENLs) and microneedle (MN) array pretreatment. LidH-containing ENLs were prepared using soybean phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol, with Span 80 or Tween 80, using a reverse-phase evaporation method. The ENL particle size, stability, and encapsulation efficiency (EE) were characterized and optimized based on the component ratio, pH, and type of surfactant used. In vitro transdermal diffusion study was performed on MN-pretreated mouse skin using Franz diffusion cells. The anesthetic effects of LidH in various formulations after dermal application were evaluated in vivo in rats by measuring the tail withdrawal latency after photothermic stimulation. Stable LidH-loaded Tween 80 or Span 80 ENLs were obtained with particle sizes of 115.8 and 146.6 nm and EEs of 27% and 20%, respectively. The formulations did not exert any cytotoxicity in HaCaT cells. Tween 80 and Span 80 ENL formulations showed enhanced LidH delivery on pretreated mice skin in vitro and prolonged the anesthetic effect in vivo compared to that by LidH application alone. LidH-loaded ENLs applied to MN-pretreated skin can shorten the onset time and prolong the anesthetic effect safely, which merits their further optimization and practical application.

Preparation and mechanism of pH and temperature stimulus-responsive wormlike micelles

A quaternary ammonium salt surfactant with tertiary amine groups (C16MIMBr) was prepared by the reaction of bromohexadecane with N, N, N, N-tetra methylpropane diamine, and the structure of the product was demonstrated by 1H NMR. A viscoelastic wormlike micellar system was constructed with C16MIMBr as the main agent and potassium bromide as the counterion salt, and the ratio of surfactant to counterion was optimized. It was shown that the viscosity of the system was maximum when the molar ratio of the C16MIMBr-KBr system was 1:4, and the rheological test also indicated that the viscoelasticity was best at 1:4. The pH-stimulated responsiveness and temperature-stimulated responsiveness of the C16MIMBr-KBr system were investigated by rheology and cryo-transmission electron microscopy, and the response mechanism was investigated and analyzed. It is shown that when the system is acidic, the positive charges on both sides of the surfactant lead to strong electrostatic repulsions within and between the surfactant molecules, resulting in a cone-like structure of the surfactant molecules and the formation of spherical micelles with very low viscosity. When the system is deprotonated under alkaline conditions, only one end of the surfactant head group is positively charged, and the inter-and intra-molecular electrostatic repulsive forces are greatly weakened, resulting in the intertwined growth of micelles and the formation of wormlike micelles. The temperature response mechanism analysis of the C16MIMBr-KBr system shows that at low temperature, only a small amount of cation can cross-mix with micelles to form a curved vesicle structure due to the low solubility of the system, resulting in a low viscosity of the system. As the temperature rises to 60 °C, the water solubility of the system is enhanced, and it desorbs from the vesicles into the solution. According to the equation of critical accumulation parameter, the critical accumulation parameter of the system decreases and the transition from vesicles to wormlike micelles occurs, leading to an increase in system viscosity.

Drag Reduction in the Flow of Aqueous Solutions of a Mixture of Cocamidopropyl Betaine and Cocamide DEA

The study presents results of rheological tests and measurements of pressure drops occurring during the flow of aqueous solutions of a mixture of drag reducing surfactants: cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB, zwitterionic surfactant) and cocamide DEA (nonionic surfactant) through straight pipes. Tests were carried out at different CAPB/DEA weight ratios and different total concentrations of surfactants in the solution. Rheological measurements demonstrate the formation of a shear-induced structure (SIS) in the temperature range below 10 °C, which provides evidence for the presence of wormlike micelles in CAPB/DEA solutions. Drag reduction was observed during the flow of CAPB/DEA solutions in the temperature range from 3 to 45 °C, however, above 25 °C the degree of drag reduction was markedly decreased. The lower temperature limit at which drag reduction occurs depends on the CAPB and DEA weight ratio in the solution. In the range of higher temperatures, during the flow of CAPB/DEA solutions (similarly to flexible-chain polymer solutions) the onset of drag reduction is noted above a certain critical value of the Rec,0 number, whose value depends on the temperature of the solution, diameter of the pipe and the weight ratio of surfactants. At the same time, the critical value of wall shear stress τw,c0 corresponding to the critical value of Rec,0 is approximately independent of pipe diameter. The critical value of the Rec,0 number has been linked to the clouding of CAPB/DEA solutions.

Tunable NaBH4 Nanostructures Revealing Structure‐Dependent Hydrogen Release

Borohydrides are promising candidates for hydrogen storage and generation assuming these can be tuned to reversibly deliver hydrogen under practical conditions. Nanostructuring of borohydrides has the potential to enable such control but this has remained elusive due to the lack of approaches to effectively prepare and stabilize borohydride nanostructures. Herein, a simple and straightforward method to assemble NaBH4, as a model borohydride, into sphere, cube, and bar‐like shapes using tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB), octadecylamine (ODA), and tridecanoic acid (TDA), respectively, is demonstrated. More importantly, the shape of the NaBH4 nanostructures could be tuned from one morphology to another by simply adjusting the ratio of surfactants and this is found to lead to distinct hydrogen properties. In particular, remarkable shifts in the melting points and hydrogen desorption temperatures are observed depending on the NaBH4 morphologies, i.e., spheres, cubes, or bars. For example, for the NaBH4 spheres, hydrogen release starts at ≈50 °C compared to the >500 °C of bulk NaBH4 without any transition metal dopant or catalyst. Observation of such structure‐dependent relationships finally enables new avenues to deliberately tune borohydrides toward nanostructures with specific hydrogen properties otherwise difficult to control.

Novel epigallocatechin gallate-based polyether surfactants: Synthesis, characterization and demulsification properties

Natural polyphenols such as tannins, procyanidins, and cardanol are widely used in the field of surface chemistry. To further explore the application of the other natural polyphenols, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) derived from green tea was employed. EGCG is an ideal choice to achieve a hyperbranched surfactant. A precursor (EGA) was first obtained by the reaction among the EGCG, formaldehyde, and tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA). EGA surfactants were synthesized in the high-pressure kettle by anionic polymerization with EGA, propylene oxide (PO) and ethylene oxide (EO). The good consistency between the designed PO/EO ratios of EGA surfactants and the theoretical values were proved by 1H NMR spectra. The increase of micelle size with the increase of surfactant concentration and NaCl concentration was observed both by dynamic light scattering and TEM. Result shows EGA surfactants with higher absolute value of ∆G°ads and high interfacial activity have potential demulsification applications. As a result, toward aging oil emulsions of the South China Sea Oilfield, the surfactants exhibited excellent demulsification performance. The dehydration ratio reached 94.3% at a low concentration of 100 mgL−1 for 100 min at 70°C, while the commercial demulsifier SP169 only reached 86.9%. This emulsion could be dehydrated completely at even higher temperature at 80°C as well as higher dosage in 150 mgL−1. Meanwhile, the demulsification ratios of crude oil emulsions and aging oil emulsions produced from Bohai Oilfield reached 94.0% and 95.0%, respectively. Coming from the waste oil after demulsification, aging oil emulsions have more additives than crude oil emulsions, therefore the former is more stable. In addition to the above high interfacial activity, this excellent demulsification performance may result from the assistance of polyphenol structure and multiple branches of EGA surfactants. The demulsification of three above emulsions demonstrated that although there exist great differences in properties of emulsions, EGA surfactants exhibit the universality of efficient demulsification.

Preparation and Characterization of Novel Self Nano Emulsifying Drug Delivery System of Allopurinol

The aim of research was to develop self nanoemulsifying drug delivery technology containing low aqueous soluble drug allopurinol for improving solubility, dissolution and bioavaibility. Preliminary screening were carried on the basis of maximum solubility of allopurinol in oil, surfactant, co-surfactant and pseudo-ternary phase diagram was constructed to identify the ratio of surfactant and co-surfactant for nanoemulsion formulation using water titration method. Based on the solubility study, Labrafil M 1944 CS, Cremophor RH 40, Transcutol used as oil, surfactant, and co-surfactant respectively. Pseudo-ternary phase diagram was constructed to identify the ratio of surfactant and co-surfactant for nanoemulsion formation by water titration method. As per the ternary phase diagram ratio of Smix in 2:1 was identified with maximum emulsification area. SNEDDS composed of 35 % Labrafil M 1944 CS, 43.34% Cremophor RH 40, 21.66% Transcutol. Globule size was found to be 25.42 nm, and zeta potential value was -9.26 mV. Prepared SNEDDS were evaluated for globule size, viscosity, emulsification time, cloud point, dilution test and thermodynamic stability study. Prepared liquid SNEDDS then converted into solid SNEDDS via extrusion/spheronization technique using Aerosil 200, lactose monohydrate and Croscarmellose sodium. The pellets containing SNEDDS possessed good flow properties and mechanical strength and other rheological parameters. Self nanoemulsifying pellet exhibited uniform size and shape. Friability, dissolution time and disintegration of pellets formulation shown promising results. Time required for 80% drug release of self nanoemulsifying pellet was found to be 26 min, which was significantly lower than liquid SNEDDS, plain drug containing pellet and marketed preparation of Allopurinol (ZYRIK).

Fluconazole nanosuspension enhances in vitro antifungal activity against resistant strains of Candida albicans

Background: Recently, nanoparticles were widely used in drug delivery. Fluconazole (FLZ) is a lipid-soluble antifungal, which is utilized in treating fungal infections. The current work aimed to investigate the characteristics and antifungal activity of FLZ nanosuspension. Methods: FLZ nanosuspensions were prepared by Ultrasonication (simple and containing polymer). Surfactants in various concentrations were dissolved in the deionized water, and the drug powder was dispersed in the surfactant solution by a high-speed homogenizer to achieve nanosuspension. The polymer was added to the selected formula. FLZ nanosuspension characteristics, including polydispersity, mean particle size, entrapment efficacy, and zeta potential, were assessed. The release profile via dialysis membrane, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and TEM were performed for nanosuspension evaluation. Antifungal activity against resistant strains of C. albicans was defined according to the CLSI document guideline. To analyze the results, one-way ANOVA was used, followed by Tukey test. Results: The results showed that increased sonication time and hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) significantly affected particle size reduction. Moreover, modification in the formulation components had a significant effect on the drug release process, furthermore affecting the properties of the nanoparticles. ATR-FTIR showed no chemical interaction between FLZ and formulation components. Compare to FLZ, a significant reduction (p < 0.05) was detected in the MIC values of both FLZ-resistant and FLZ-susceptible strains of C. albicans against FLZ nanosuspension. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the ratio and amount of surfactants, the HLB, and the sonication process have effects on the properties of the nanoparticle’s characteristics, and selected nanoparticles show suitable antifungal effect against resistant strains of C. albicans.

Formulation and Evaluation of Curcumin Loaded Nanoliposome on Brain Targeted

The present work aimed to produce Curcumin based nanoliposomes that nanoliposome can target the site via the brain in a controlled manner. Nanoliposomes are important in controlling the carriage; Curcumin which is an active constituent of curcuminoids thus also provides an effective treatment for the central nervous system and plays a crucial role. The interaction of the drug was ruled out by FT-IR studies and no incompatibility and lipids and surfactant. To optimize the formulation, factors affecting the physical appearance of Nanoliposomes were investigated. Curcumin-loaded Nanoliposomes were formulated using cholesterol by physical dispersion method and characterized for particle size, drug content, stability, production yield. Prepared nanoliposomes gave the better physical, morphological concerning the concentration of the lipids, surfactant, and ratio of lipid and surfactant. Six different formulations of Nanoliposomes F1-F6 were formulated to obtain the optimized formulation. The TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy) of Nanoliposomes showed that they were rounded in shape and porous in texture. In-vitro drug release of formulation indicates that formulation F6 was selected as an optimized formulation for incorporation into the nanoliposomes among all the six formulations and liposome showed drug release in a controlled manner at the end of 10 hours. Keywords: Curcumin, Nanoliposomes, Physical Dispersion Method, Brain Targeting, Blood-Brain Barrier, Cholesterol, Bioavailability, In vitro Release.

Ultra-High Packing Density Next Generation Microtube Array Membrane for Absorption Based Applications.

Previously, we successfully developed an extracorporeal endotoxin removal device (EERD) that is based on the novel next generation alternating microtube array membrane (MTAM-A) that was superior to the commercial equivalent. In this article, we demonstrated multiple different parameter modifications that led to multiple different types of novel new MTAM structures, which ultimately led to the formation of the MTAM-A. Contrary to the single layered MTAM, the MTAM-A series consisted of a superior packing density fiber connected in a double layered, alternating position which allowed for the greater fiber count to be packed per unit area. The respective MTAM variants were electrospun by utilizing our internally developed tri-axial electrospinning set up to produce the novel microstructures as seen in the respective MTAM variants. A key uniqueness of this study is the ability to produce self-arranged fibers into the respective MTAM variants by utilizing a single spinneret, which has not been demonstrated before. Of the MTAM variants, we observed a change in the microstructure from a single layered MTAM to the MTAM-A series when the ratio of surfactant to shell flow rate approaches 1:1.92. MTAM-A registered the greatest surface area of 2.2 times compared to the traditional single layered MTAM, with the greatest tensile strength at 1.02 ± 0.13 MPa and a maximum elongation of 57.70 ± 9.42%. The MTAM-A was selected for downstream immobilization of polymyxin B (PMB) and assembly into our own internally developed and fabricated dialyzer housing. Subsequently, the entire setup was tested with whole blood spiked with endotoxin; and benchmarked against commercial Toraymyxin fibers of the same size. The results demonstrated that the EERD based on the MTAM-A performed superior to that of the commercial equivalent, registering a rapid reduction of 73.18% of endotoxin (vs. Toraymyxin at 38.78%) at time point 15 min and a final total endotoxin removal of 89.43% (vs. Toraymyxin at 65.03%)

Preparation of Ophthalmic Microemulsions Containing Lithuanian Royal Jelly and Their Biopharmaceutical Evaluation

Royal jelly is a natural substance secreted by worker honeybees that possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and other biological activities. The purpose of this study was to formulate microemulsions with incorporated Lithuanian royal jelly for possible ophthalmic delivery and to evaluate the quality of the microemulsions in vitro. The oil in water type microemulsions were prepared by the oil titration method, incorporating royal jelly, surfactant, co-surfactant, oil, and water. Physicochemical characteristics of the microemulsions and the quantity of 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid released in vitro were assessed. The in vitro assessment of prepared microemulsions formulations was performed with the Statens Seruminstitut rabbit cornea (SIRC) cell culture model. The results revealed that the droplet size of all microemulsion formulations was 67.88–124.2 nm and the polydispersity index was lower than 0.180. In the in vitro release study, the release of 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid depended on the amount of royal jelly incorporated and on the ratio of surfactant and co-surfactant in formulations. The in vitro tests with the SIRC cell culture line have shown that all formulations were found non-irritating.

Regioselective Construction of Chemically Transformed Phosphide-Metal Nanoheterostructures for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Catalysis.

Engineering nanoheterostructures (NHs) plays a key role in exploring novel or enhanced physicochemical properties of nanocrystals. Despite previously reported synthetic methodologies, selective synthesis of NHs to achieve the anticipated composition and interface is still challenging. Herein, we presented a colloidal strategy for the regioselective construction of typical Ag-Co2P NHs with precisely controlled location of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) on unique chemically transformed Co2P nanorods (NRs) by simply changing the ratio of different surfactants. As a proof-of-concept study, the constructed heterointerface-dependent hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysis was demonstrated. The multiple Ag NP-tipped Co2P NRs exhibited the best HER performance, due to their more exposed active sites and the synergistic effect at the interfaces. Our results open up new avenues in rational design and fabrication of NHs with delicate control over the spatial distribution and interfaces between different components.

Enhancement of the Anti-inflammatory Efficacy of Betamethasone Valerate via Niosomal Encapsulation

Betamethasone valerate-loaded niosomes were formulated to improve drug anti-inflammatory efficacy and reduce its systemic side effects by providing prolonged and localized drug delivery into the skin. Niosomes were prepared by thin-film hydration using different molar ratios of surfactant, cholesterol, and charge inducers. Formulations were characterized for entrapment efficiency, morphology, size, and zeta potential. In-vitro release and stability studies were conducted on selected formulations. Two niosomal gels were evaluated for spreadability, pH, rheological behavior, ex-vivo skin permeation, and in-vivo anti-inflammatory efficacy. Formulations showed high encapsulation efficiency reaching 92.03±1.88%. Vesicles were spherical in shape, ranging from 123.1 to 782 nm, and had large negative values of zeta-potential. They showed a biphasic release pattern which was more sustained than free drug suspension. Niosomes demonstrated good physicochemical stability under refrigeration for up to 3 months. Niosomal gels exhibited good spreadability, suitable pH values, favorable rheological behavior, and higher skin permeation than the plain gel. In-vivo studies revealed that niosomal gels showed a better sustained anti-inflammatory effect than drug plain gel and the marketed product, which was confirmed by further histopathological examination of paw tissues. Niosomal gels are promising formulations for sustained local delivery of betamethasone valerate.

Encapsulation and Characterization of Nanoemulsions Based on an Anti-oxidative Polymeric Amphiphile for Topical Apigenin Delivery.

Apigenin (Apig) is used as a model drug due to its many beneficial bio-activities and therapeutic potentials. Nevertheless, its poor water solubility and low storage stability have limited its application feasibility on the pharmaceutical field. To address this issue, this study developed nanoemulsions (NEs) using an anti-oxidative polymeric amphiphile, d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS), hydrogenated soy lecithin (HL), black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) oil, and avocado (AV) oil through pre-homogenization and ultrasonication method. Addition of TPGS (weight ratios 100 and 50% as compared to HL) into NEs effectively reduced particle size and phase transition region area of NEs with pure HL. Incorporation of Apig into NEs made particle size increase and provided a disorder effect on intraparticle molecular packing. Nevertheless, the encapsulation efficiency of NEs for Apig approached to about 99%. The chemical stability of Apig was significantly improved and its antioxidant ability was elevated by incorporation with BSFL oil and AV oil NEs, especially for NEs with single TPGS. NEs with single TPGS also exhibited the best Apig skin deposition. For future application of topical Apig delivery, NEs-gel was formed by the addition of hyaluronic acid (HA) into NEs. Their rheological characteristics were dominated by the surfactant ratios of HL to TPGS.

Motor oil removal from water by continuous froth flotation: The influence of surfactant structure on interfacial adsorption and foam properties

The influence of the chemical structure of three surfactants, anionic extended surfactant Alfoterra® C145–8PO (ALF), anionic methyl ester sulfonate (MES), and cationic cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), on the adsorption and foam characteristics relating to effectiveness at reduction of motor oil in a continuous froth flotation system. All surfactants were chosen based on having the similar number of carbon atoms in alkyl chain. So the effects of the different head group and the existence of a polypropylene oxide in the ALF’s structure on the surface activity and motor oil removal could be elaborated. The results demonstrated that CTAB, having strongest positively charged head group with the shortest tail length, provided the highest diffusivity, foamability, and foam stability, leading to the highest enrichment ratios of motor oil and surfactant. Conversely, ALF, having the largest molecular size and the longest tail length, gave the lowest diffusivity and foam properties. Hence, it exhibited the highest motor oil removal and surfactant recovery with the lowest enrichment ratios of both motor oil and ALF. The added packing media with 50% packing volume augmented the residence time of the rising air bubbles, enhancing the motor oil removal by about 16%, 15%, and 24% for the ALF, MES, and CTAB, respectively.

Development of poly(ethylene glycol)/silica phase-change microcapsules with well-defined core-shell structure for reliable and durable heat energy storage

Microencapsulation of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) with a silica material to form a phase-change microcapsule system is universally acknowledged as a tough job due to its hydrophilic nature. This paper reported a feasible approach for the fabrication of core-shell structured PEG/silica phase-change microcapsules (PEG@SiO2-MEPCM) through reverse emulsion-templated in-situ polycondensation. The investigation of synthetic technique indicates that the proportion of surfactant and cosurfactant plays a key role in optimizing the morphology and microstructure of the resultant microcapsules, leading to optimal heat energy-storage performance. With the determination of an optimal mass ratio of surfactant to cosurfactant as 5/6, the synthesized PEG@SiO2-MEPCM exhibits a well-defined core-shell structure with regularly spherical morphology and uniform size distribution. It also achieves a high encapsulation ratio of over 80% with a satisfactory latent heat capacity of about 130 J/g thanks to the formation of a perfect microstructure and morphology. Moreover, the PEG@SiO2-MEPCM not only exhibits a good heat energy-storage capability together with high thermal stability and good shape/form stability, but also presents reliable and durable phase-change performance in practical use. This study is notable for its synthetic technique of the core-shell structured PEG/silica phase-change microcapsules with a reliable and durable heat energy-storage capability.

Mixed Pluronic-Cremophor Polymeric Micelles as Nanocarriers for Poorly Soluble Antibiotics-The Influence on the Antibacterial Activity.

In this work, novel polymeric mixed micelles from Pluronic F127 and Cremophor EL were investigated as drug delivery systems for Norfloxacin as model antibiotic drug. The optimal molar ratio of surfactants was determined, in order to decrease critical micellar concentration (CMC) and prepare carriers with minimal surfactant concentrations. The particle size, zeta potential, and encapsulation efficiency were determined for both pure and mixed micelles with selected composition. In vitro release kinetics of Norfloxacin from micelles show that the composition of surfactant mixture generates tunable extended release. The mixed micelles exhibit good biocompatibility against normal fibroblasts MRC-5 cells, while some cytotoxicity was found in all micellar systems at high concentrations. The influence of the surfactant components in the carrier on the antibacterial properties of Norfloxacin was investigated. The drug loaded mixed micellar formulation exhibit good activity against clinical isolated strains, compared with the CLSI recommended standard strains (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29213, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922). P. aeruginosa 5399 clinical strain shows low sensitivity to Norfloxacin in all tested micelle systems. The results suggest that Cremophor EL-Pluronic F127 mixed micelles can be considered as novel controlled release delivery systems for hydrophobic antimicrobial drugs.

Experimental Study on the Partial Discharge Characteristics of Palm Oil and Coconut Oil Based Al2O3 Nanofluids in the Presence of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate.

This experimental study aims to examine the partial discharge (PD) properties of palm oil and coconut oil (CO) based aluminum oxide (Al2O3) nanofluids with and without surfactants. The type of surfactant used in this study was sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The volume concentrations range of Al2O3 dispersed in oil samples was varied from 0.001% to 0.05%. The ratio of surfactants to nanoparticles was set to 1:2. In total, two different types of refined, bleached and deodorized palm oil (RBDPO) and one type of CO were measured for PD. Mineral oil (MO) was also examined for comparison purpose. PDIV measurements for all samples were carried out based on rising voltage method whereby a needle-sphere electrode configuration with a gap distance of 50 mm was chosen in this study. Al2O3 improves the PDIVs of RBDPO, CO and MO whereby the highest improvements of PDIVs are 34%, 39.3% and 27%. The PD amplitude and repetition rate of RBDPO improve by 38% and 81% while for CO, it can increase up to 65% and 80% respectively. The improvement of PD amplitude and repetition rate for MO are 18% and 95%, regardless with and without SDS. Without SDS, the presence of Al2O3 could cause 26%, 75% and 65% reductions of the average emission of light signals for RBDPOA, RBDPOB and CO with the improvement of PD characteristics but both events do not correlate at the same volume concentration of Al2O3. On the other hand, the average emission of light signal levels of the oils increases with the introduction of SDS. The emission of light signal in MO does not correlate with the PD characteristics improvement either with or without SDS.

Identifikasi Karakteristik Pengecilan Ukuran dengan Metode Sonikasi dari Formula Insektisida yang Ditambahkan Surfaktan Berbasis Sawit

Size reduction of pesticide formulation can improve its performance to pest and disease control in plant. Size reduction methods were high speed agitation, ultrasonic emulsification, high pressure homogenization, microfluidic and membrane emulsification. Homogenizer and sonication methods were most widely used because its high effectivity in size reduction. The purpose of this research was to identify the effect of size reduction on physico chemical properties of the insecticide formulation by adding palm oil surfactant. The method of this research was to make an emulsifiable concentrate (EC) formulation using 15% active ingredient of emamectin benzoate, xylene, cationic surfactant of 1%, nonionic surfactants of 6% with DEA and APG surfactant ratio of 2:3. This formulation was mixed using Homogenizer at a speed of 4000 rpm and sonication with frequencies of 42 kHz at various times of 15, 30 and 45 minutes. The best result of this research was using sonication method for 45 minutes. The best physico-chemical properties were emulsion stability after 2 hours, cream formation after 24 hours emulsion, particle size of 0.70 μm with homogenous dispersion, surface tension of 25.54 dyne/cm, contact angle at 0 minutes of 25.05⁰ and contact angle after 15 minutes of 0⁰.

DEVELOPMENT AND OPTIMIZATION OF MANNOSYLATED NARINGENIN LOADED TRANSFERSOMES USING RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY FOR SKIN CARCINOMA

Objective: The flavonoidal drug Naringenin offers a natural defense against free radical generation due to their antioxidant i.e. free radical scavenging property. The continuation of research work towards the invention of targeting the flavonoidal drug for skin carcinoma. Naringenin is a potent antioxidant, having remarkable reactive oxygen species scavenging potential and abundantly found in citrus fruits.
 Methods: The optimization of the formulated mannosylated naringenin-loaded transfersomes (MA-NgTfs) was performed using Box–Behnken statistical design to obtain crucial variable parameters that influence vesicular size, size distribution and surface charge. Therefore keeping both the concepts in mind our objective is to design and optimize the mannosylated naringenin loaded transfersomes (MA-NgTfs) for macropahge targeting. The Box Behnken with 3D surface response design graph was employed to optimize the formulation.
 Results: Phospholipids and surfactant ratio played a remarkable role to determine the mean vesicular size and the Zeta potential of the vesicles. The Zeta potential is found in the formulation having a range of-18.01±1.05 to-28.7±1.008 mV represents the good stability of the formulation. The vesicles size range was found in the range of 102.4±1.01 to 263.74±0.63 and range of Entrapment efficiency of nanovesicles was as 72.04±1.53 to 82.04±0.81. In vitro drug release study shows that mannosylated naringenin loaded transfersomes (MA-NgTfs), and marketed formulation dispersion was found 69.31 %, 62.03 %, 58.71 %, and 65.02 % respectively. Ex vivo skin permeation and deposition study shows that the marketed product and pure drug suspension optimized transfersomes through the skin of mice was of flux 6.5±3.07 and the percentage of drug retention was 0.76±1.26. The results gave us strong evidence of cellular uptake bymannose–directed transfersomes via mannose receptor-based endocytosis.
 Conclusion: On the basis of findings, the study revealed that the prepared formulation has characteristic potential for targeting and the concept of ligand directed nanocarrier formulation was imparts synergistic effect against UV-induced skin carcinoma.