In this paper the cosolubilization of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generations of polypropyleneimine (PPI: PPI-G2, -G3, and -G4) dendrimers with sodium diclofenac (Na-DFC) into reverse gyroid cubic (QG) liq. crystals is reported. Structural properties and interactions of PPI dendrimers with and without the drug were studied using small-angle X-ray scattering, attenuated total reflected Fourier transform IR (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. Incorporation of PPI-G2 (without Na-DFC) into QG mesophase led to a decrease of 78 \AA in the lattice parameter. Solubilization of higher PPI generations, G3 and G4, led to increases in the lattice parameter to 57 \AA and 64 \AA, resp. At 25 wt%, each of the dendrimers caused a phase transition QG → reverse hexagonal (HII). According to ATR-FTIR and DSC, the large lattice parameter values of G3 and G4 (relative to G2) embedment were assigned to their interactions with the carboxyl groups of GMO at the interface in comparison to the strong interaction of PPI-G2 with the water. Cosolubilization of Na-DFC with PPI-G2 revealed enlargement of the lattice parameter (of the new HII mesophase), while in the case of G3 and G4 systems no significant influence was seen with Na-DFC. The release of Na-DFC from QG and HII systems was followed by UV-vis spectroscopy and revealed generation-dependence on drug release. As dendrimer generation increased, the cumulative drug release decreased. [on SciFinder(R)]

The study investigates the unit cell structure of inverted hexagonal (HII) mesophase composed of monoolein (1-monoolein, GMO) and water using atomistic mol. dynamics methods without imposing any restraints on lipid and water mols. Statistically meaningful and very contrast images of the radial mass d. distribution, scrutinizing also the sep. components water, monoolein, the polar headgroups of the lipids, the double bond, and the termini of the hydrocarbon chain (the tail), are obtained. The lipid/water interface structure is analyzed based on the obtained water d. distribution, on the estd. no. of hydrogen bonds per monoolein headgroup, and on the headgroup-water radial distribution functions. The headgroup mass d. distribution demonstrates hexagonal shape of the monoolein/water interface that is well-defined at higher water/monoolein ratios. Water interacts with the headgroups by forming a three-layer diffusive mass d. distribution, and each layer's shape is close to hexagonal, which is an indication of long-range structural interactions. It is found that the monoolein headgroups form a const. no. of hydrogen bonds leaving an excessive amt. of water mols. outside the first lipid coordination sphere. Furthermore, the quantity of water at the monoolein/water interface increases steadily upon extension of the unit cell, so the interface should have a very dynamic structure. Investigation of the hydrocarbon residues reveals high compression and well-expressed structuring of the tails. The tails form a very compressed and constrained structure of defined layers across the unit cell with properties corresponding to a more densely packed nonpolar liq. (oil). Due to the hexagonal shape the 2D packing frustration is const. and does not depend on the water content. All reported structural features are based on averaging of the at. coordinates over the time-length of the simulation trajectories. That kind of processing allows the observation of the water/GMO interface shape and its stability and mobility at a time scale close to the ones of the intermol. interactions. [on SciFinder(R)]

In the first part of this study, a computer aided EPR anal. was performed to intensively study the Cu(II) complexation behavior of different dendrimers: (a) a series of PPI dendrimers ranging up to the fifth generation that had either a dense maltose or maltotriose shell; (b) sulfonated or carboxylated carbosilane dendrimers; (c) self-assembling amine- terminated dendrons. The Cu(II) coordination and symmetry of the generated complexes depend on the dendrimer chem. structure, the functionalization in the periphery, dendrimer generation and the ratio of the copper and dendrimer concns. As generation increased, the glycodendrimers showed (a) increased nitrogen coordination in a axial symmetry, due to the increased no. of nitrogen sites in the dendrimer interior, and (b) a rhombic structure which forms in the congested dendrimer periphery where the sugar units are also able to coordinate the copper ions. [on SciFinder(R)]

This invention relates to novel complex dendrimer-lyotropic liq. crystal systems for drug delivery,. A second generation polypropylenimine dendrimer was solubilized into lamellar, diamond reverse cubic and reverse hexagonal lyotropic mesophases composed of glycerol monooleate and water. [on SciFinder(R)]

The structural, dynamic, and kinetic aspects of the HII systems based on glycerol monooleate (GMO), phosphatidylcholine (PC), triacylglycerol (TAG), and water were investigated by dielec. spectroscopy in a frequency range of 10-2-106 Hz, and a temp. range of 290-320 K. Three distinct processes as well as a temp.-activated dc cond. were detected and examd. These were assigned to the reorientation of the GMO polar heads, the tangential movement of counterions at the interface, the transport of TAGs through the lipids tails, and the ion mobility within the water cylinders. Upon addn. of PC, the crit. temp. (T0) of the dehydration of the GMO headgroups increased. The optimal concn. found for structural stabilization of the HII mesophase was 10 wt% PC, since it imparted the strongest bonding at the interfacial layer and increased the assocn. between the lipid tails. Within the HII cluster, TAG percolated and shifted between the hexagonal rods themselves. The present study demonstrated the benefit of controlling the crit. temp. of the HII mesophase partial dehydration and softening, as well as the percolation of TAGs. These factors influence the diffusion mode of embedded drugs in the physiol. temp. range. [on SciFinder(R)]

A review. This article reviews the creation of advanced drug delivery nano systems (aDDnSs) comprised of liposomes and polymers focusing on the interactions of the structural components and their biomedical applications. ADDnSs have been shown to significantly: (a) increase the load of the bioactive substance into the system, which is very important both for manufg.-economic reasons and for toxicity reasons (as less quantity of carrier is used for the same amt. of drug), (b) lower the release rate of the encapsulate drug, a fact that could create a more controlled and/or sustained release profile of the drug in the bloodstream, leading to lower toxicity and higher effectiveness (c) advanced pharmacol. toxicity compared to the free drug and at least equal toxicity compared to the resp. conventional liposomal formulation. A plethora of physicochem. data has begun to shed light to the interactions of the components of these complicate systems that seem to be responsible for the advantages presented by the aDDnSs. [on SciFinder(R)]

Cartilage and/or bone tissue engineering is a very challenging area in modern medicine. Since cartilage is an avascular tissue with limited capacity for self-repair, using scaffolds provides a promising option for the repair of severe cartilage damage caused by trauma, age-related degeneration, and/or diseases. Our aim in this study was to design a model for a functional biomedical membrane to form the interface between a cartilage-forming scaffold and bone. To realize such a membrane gelatin gels contg. calcium or phosphate ions were exposed from one side to a soln. of the other constituent ion (i.e., a sodium phosphate soln. was allowed to diffuse into a calcium-contg. gel and vice versa). The partially calcified gels were analyzed by XRD, ATR-FTIR spectra, E-SEM, and EDX. Thus, we confirmed the existence of a gradient of crystals, with a dense top layer, extending several micrometers into the gel. XRD spectra and Ca/P at. ratios confirmed the existence of calcium deficient apatites. The effect of different exptl. parameters on the calcification process within the gelatin membranes has been elucidated. It was shown that increasing the gelatin concn. from 5 wt % to 10 wt. % retards calcification. A similar effect was obsd. when glycerol, which is frequently used as plasticizer, was added to the system. With increasing calcium concn. within the org. matrix, the quantity and d. of calcium phosphate crystals over/within the gel increased. The possible explanations for the above phenomena are discussed. [on SciFinder(R)]

Pure satd. triacylglycerols (TAGs) in canola oil were used as model systems to analyze oil loss in structured oil both from thermodn. and kinetic perspectives. Two important parameters which effectively and predictively measure the relative propensity of a solid network to lose/hold oil were defined: (1) the rate of oil loss, K, which is a quantified representation of the kinetics of oil loss and (2) the initial amt. of oil susceptible to be lost, i.e., the propensity for oil loss (POL), which is a representation of the thermodn. of oil binding. It was found that the POL and K values do not always trend in the same fashion, suggesting that the mechanism of oil binding is complex, depending on the structurant's cryst. form locked within the oil network. The two parameters were, however, correlated to the melting and thermal behavior of the structurants, to the polymorphic structures that are obtained during the cooling process and to the habit (shape, size and morphol.) of the cryst. phase in the oil. Both POL and K had a strong correlation to the oil loss. [on SciFinder(R)]

Reverse hexagonal mesophase (HII) liq. crystals are provided and relating therapeutic and non-therapeutic applications are demonstrated. [on SciFinder(R)]

The usual treatment of hypercholesterolemia includes a class of drugs known as statins (simvastatin among them), which inhibit the prodn. of cholesterol. Another way of reducing cholesterol levels is with the use of phytosterols, which reduce the transport of exogenic cholesterol from the intestine into the blood stream. The 2 treatments can be combined, achieving an additive effect. However, both simvastatin and phytosterols are practically insol. in water, and therefore their absorption and activity are low. Nanosized self-assembled structured liq. systems are modified microemulsions that present an alternative pathway for improving the bioavailability of poorly water-sol. drugs. The goal of this study was to solubilize the maximal quantity of both simvastatin and phytosterols in a single, fully dilutable microemulsion system. The authors constructed a water-dilutable liq. drug delivery system that includes sucrose monolaurate, propylene glycol, and oleyl lactate. This system exhibits high solubilization capacity for both simvastatin (7.0 wt%) and phytosterols (3.5 wt%) when each is solubilized sep. in a water-free conc. When simvastatin and phytosterols were solubilized together at a wt ratio of 2.5:1, max. solubilization was obtained with 4.7 wt% simvastatin and 1.9 wt% phytosterols. Structural and anal. methods were applied including rheol., DSC, SD-NMR, SAXS, and cryo-TEM. The water-free "conc." consisted of direct micelles for which propylene glycol served as the hydrophilic phase. Upon water diln., the direct micelles appear to form "lipophilic compds. dispersed in hydrophilic continuous phase". The solubilizates are located in the droplet core and/or at the interface. [on SciFinder(R)]

The role of 2nd generation polypropyleneimine (PPIG2) dendrimer in controlling the release of gallic acid (GA) as a model drug from lyotropic liq. crystal was explored. GA (0.2 wt%) was solubilized in three types of mesophases: lamellar (L$\alpha$), cubic (space group of Ia3d, QG), and reverse hexagonal (HII), composed of GMO and water (and D-$\alpha$-tocopherol, or tricaprylin in the case of HII mesophases). Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform IR (ATR-FTIR) along with UV spectrophotometry were utilized to elucidate the structure modifications and release resulting from the cosolubilization of GA and PPIG2. Solubilization of PPIG2 into L$\alpha$ and QG phases caused transformation of both structures to HII. The diffusion of GA out of the mesophases was found to be dependent on water content and PPIG2 concn. Rapid release from L$\alpha$ + PPIG2 and QG + PPIG2 mesophases was recorded. The release from both HII mixts. (with D-$\alpha$-tocopherol and tricaprylin) was shown to be dependent on the type of oil. Release studies conducted for 72 h showed that GA release can be modulated and sustained by the presence of PPIG2, supposedly due to the electrostatic interactions between the dendrimer and the drug mol. [on SciFinder(R)]

A review on immunonanoparticles (immunoNPs) as promising drug-targeting, colloidal carriers, that can ensure the specific recognition of the antigen site and, using the colloidal delivery system, release cytotoxic agents close to the inaccessible pathol. target tissues-over-expressing tumor antigen. The main approaches used for the coupling of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to NPs are reviewed. In addn., the preclin. achievements of NP formulations conjugated to various MAbs are described and updated. Also addressed is the synergistic importance of the MAbs as targeting moieties on immunoNP formulations as compds. that not only target specific pathol. organs, but also ensure increased therapeutic activity of the drug-loaded NPs by actually internalizing them within the desired cells. [on SciFinder(R)]

A review. During the last twenty years dendrimers have attracted wide interest as potential therapeutics. These novel macromols. differ in many ways from traditional polymers. Dendrimers are globular, possessing a core mol. to which layers of branched monomers are attached. The no. of layers is described by so-called generations. The structure of dendrimers results in plenty of terminal surface groups and empty internal cavities. Both these features are important when considering dendrimers for biomedical applications. Moreover, precise methods of synthesis enable the tailoring of dendrimers to specific purposes. In this concise review, a few examples of the part dendrimers play in anti-cancer therapies will be presented. It is worth stressing that these examples of pharma applications of dendrimers do not include all areas of study that are presently being conducted, and that each year produce new ways to use dendrimers in medicine. [on SciFinder(R)]

A review. There is an increasing tendency towards the development of food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical products contg. only natural ingredients. Many proteins and polysaccharides extd. from nature can be used as functional ingredients to form colloidal systems suitable for use in industrial products. These colloidal systems can be fabricated using a variety of physicochem. and processing approaches. This chapter focuses on the fabrication and properties of sub-micron to micron-sized colloidal particles, formed by controlled aggregation/complexation of mixed biopolymer systems. The processes used to fabricate these particles include treatments of globular protein and/or polysaccharide solns. at select temps., pH, ionic strengths, and/or solvent qualities. Potential applications of the biopolymer colloidal particles are discussed. [on SciFinder(R)]

A review. Presented is a brief review of the cylindrical dividing surfaces (planes) of the hexagonal inverse HII phase-Luzzati, pivotal, and neutral. They are presented as interrelated surfaces through the general expression of elastic energy per mol. valid for the corresponding surface. For each of the planes, the routine for deriving the plane parameters-radius, area, and vol. per mol., as well as their role in terms of mech. description the of HII phase-is described in detail. Special attention is paid to the numerical routines for parameter calcns. from exptl. data, using least-squares routines and the related methods of merit function optimization (minimization). In addn., cases of error estn. are presented along with discussions about the accuracy of used numerical routines. [on SciFinder(R)]

A review provides better understanding of the stabilizing mechanisms and pathways and a better control of the release patterns from double emulsions. It discusses the different approaches such as stability considerations, instability pathways, release and transport phenomenon. [on SciFinder(R)]

A review on two major activities of emulsifiers on cocoa butter and chocolate: rheol. and polymorphism. It discusses the effects of emulsifiers on viscosity and bloom. [on SciFinder(R)]

A review. A review on the works that have been done on the antibacterial functionalization of textiles using a sonochem. method. It covers the works published until Dec. 2009 by different authors using ultrasound irradn. [on SciFinder(R)]

Improved technologies for the encapsulation, protection, release and enhanced bioavailability of food ingredients and nutraceutical components are vital to the development of future foods. Encapsulation technologies and delivery systems for food ingredients and nutraceuticals provides a comprehensive guide to current and emerging techniques.Part one provides an overview of key requirements for food ingredient and nutraceutical delivery systems, discussing challenges in system development and analysis of interaction with the human gastrointestinal tract. Processing technologies for enca