Lin Fu,Hengxin Ren,Chaoxing Wang,Yaxin Zhao,Bohang Zou,Xiangyu Zhang
Polymer-based drug-controlled release systems offer greater efficacy and potency than conventional therapies. However, prominent drug side effects, lower circulation, and low drug loading capabilities limit their application range. In this work, the combination of Simvastatin (SIV) and Carvacrol (CAV) into PEG-PLGA microspheres (SIV-CAV-PP-MS) was achieved via an emulsification-solvent evaporation technique, resulting in microspheres characterized by high encapsulation efficiency and reduced particle size. In vitro studies demonstrated that the cumulative drug release increased with higher SIV and CAV levels in the release medium, reaching 88.91% and 89.35% at 25 days. Pharmacokinetic analysis revealed that the concentrations of SIV and CAV reached their maximum levels at approximately seven days in the SIV-CAV-PP-MS group, which indicates that using PEG-PLGA as a carrier significantly delays drug release. In vivo, evaluation demonstrated that the SIV-CAV-PP-MS high-dose group and positive drug control group showed reductions in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels by 0.39-fold and 0.36-fold compared to the Hyperlipidemia model group, and the addition of CAV significantly enhanced the lipid-lowering effects of SIV. Histological examinations indicated that the SIV-CAV-PP-MS medium-dose group displayed histological features more closely resembling those of normal mice compared to the Simvastatin control group, with a well-organized hepatocyte structure, a significant reduction in lipids, and improved liver health. The prepared polymeric microsphere utilizing SIV and SAV will be a promising dosage form for hyperlipidemia disease patients, with superior lipid-lowering efficacy and improved patient compliance.
Acute lung injury (ALI) is a serious illness without resultful therapeutic methods commonly. Recent studies indicate the importance of oxidative stress in the occurrence and development of ALI, and mitochondria targeted antioxidant has become a difficult and hot topic in the research of ALI. Therefore, a sialic acid (SA)-modified lung-targeted microsphere (MS) for ALI therapy are developed, with triphenylphosphonium cation (TPP)-modified curcumin (Cur-TPP) loaded, which could specifically target the mitochondria, increasing the effect of antioxidant. The results manifest that with the increase of microsphere, lung distribution of microsphere is also increased in murine mice, and after SA modification, the microsphere exhibits the ideal lung-targeted characteristic in ALI model mice, due to SA efficiently targeting to E-selectin expressed on inflammatory tissues. Further investigations indicate that SA/Cur-TPP/MS has better antioxidative capacity, decreases intracellular ROS generation, and increases mitochondrial membrane potential, contributing to a lower apoptosis rate in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) compared to H2O2 group. In vivo efficacy of SA/Cur-TPP/MS demonstrates that the inflammation has been alleviated markedly and the oxidative stress is ameliorated efficiently. Significant histological improvements by SA/Cur-TPP/MS are further proved via HE stains. In conclusion, SA/Cur-TPP/MS might act as a promising drug formulation for ALI therapy.