Min Young Jeong

Intratympanic (IT) injection of corticosteroids is a standard clinical treatment for sensorineural hearing loss; however, achieving both biocompatibility and efficient cochlea drug delivery remains a significant challenge. Herein, we engineered a novel drug nanocrystal (NS)-loaded thermo-reversible hydrogel (NS-TG) system of dexamethasone-21-palmitate (DEX-P), a lipophilic prodrug of dexamethasone (DEX), for improved IT delivery. NSs with a mean diameter of 835.0 nm were fabricated using a dual centrifugation process with polyvinyl alcohol as the stabilizer. The NS-TG system, comprising NSs in a 19% (w/v) Poloxamer 407 hydrogel, exhibited rapid gelation (2–3 min) and a 31-fold increase in drug solubility (1.57 ± 0.02 mg/mL) compared to NS alone, through micellar solubilization. In vitro cytotoxicity assays in HEI-OC1 cells revealed that NS-TG is highly biocompatible, maintaining cell viability, whereas the commercial lipid emulsion (Lipothason^®) induced significant cytotoxicity. In vivo pharmacokinetic evaluation in mice revealed that IT NS-TG provided superior cochlear drug absorption compared to DEX-SP solutions and DEX-P NS, despite showing lower absorption than the lipid emulsion. These findings suggest that the DEX-P NS-TG system, pending further investigation, could serve as a promising platform for cochlear steroidal delivery, offering an optimal balance between delivery efficiency and local safety for treating inner ear diseases.

This study investigated the antimicrobial potential of Coptis chinensis rhizome extract against key oral pathogens and evaluated the safety and clinical efficacy of a CCE-loaded mouthwash. CCE exhibited broad-spectrum bactericidal activity, with low minimum inhibitory concentrations (0.002–0.008%) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (0.004–0.016%) against Streptococcus mutans, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, and Porphyromonas gingivalis. Time-kill kinetics revealed that CCE promptly eradicated Porphyromonas gingivalis. To balance antimicrobial potency and sensory acceptability, specifically the extract’s bitterness, we established the CCE concentrations in the mouthwash at 0.01% and 0.02% (w/v). Preclinical safety evaluations in animal models, including oral mucosal irritation and skin sensitization tests, confirmed the biocompatibility of 0.02% CCE, yielding “None” and “Non-sensitizer” ratings, respectively. Furthermore, a four-week, randomized, double-blind clinical trial (n = 73) revealed that 0.02% CCE mouthwash substantially reduced halitosis-inducing volatile sulfur compounds (hydrogen sulfide by 59.5% and methyl mercaptan by 50.0%). Significant improvements were also observed in the Plaque Index (55.2% reduction), Gingival Index (52.0% reduction), and Bleeding on Probing (77.3% reduction), with no adverse effects. These findings provide preliminary evidence that CCE mouthwash improves halitosis-related parameters and gingival indices in adults with self-reported halitosis, though further research is required to evaluate its long-term impact on broader periodontal disease states.

This study designs stable fast-disintegrating oral granules (FDGs) of volatile liquid essential oils (cinnamon, lemon, rose, and peppermint oils) for olfactory rehabilitation. By adsorbing liquid-type essential oils onto colloidal silicon dioxide (1:1 w/w) and incorporating olive oil (1:1:0.25 w/w) as a volatile restrainer, the retention of major odorants—cinnamaldehyde, citral, phenethyl alcohol, and menthol—in cinnamon, lemon, rose, and peppermint oils, respectively, was markedly improved after 12 h of exposure at 40 °C. Then, free-flowing FDG system was formulated with sugar alcohols (mannitol, xylitol, and sorbitol), low substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose, and magnesium stearate, exhibiting rapid spreading and disintegration (82% of cinnamaldehyde, citral, phenethyl alcohol, and menthol for 8 weeks under 25 °C/65% relative humidity (RH) conditions. In an in vitro volatilization test, major odorants were effectively volatilized from artificial saliva-wetted FDGs within 90 min depending on the volatility of each constituent. Therefore, this novel oral FDG system is expected to be a promising alternative for olfactory training for neurogenic smell dysfunction, providing enhanced storage stability, precise dosing, and patient compliance.

A high-payload ascorbyl palmitate (AP) nanosuspension (NS) was designed to improve skin delivery following topical application. The AP-loaded NS systems were prepared using the bead-milling technique, and softly thickened into NS-loaded gel (NS-G) using hydrophilic polymers. The optimized NS-G system consisted of up to 75 mg/mL of AP, 0.5% w/v of polyoxyl-40 hydrogenated castor oil (Kolliphor^® RH40) as the suspending agent, and 1.0% w/v of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (Na.CMC 700 K) as the thickening agent, in citrate buffer (pH 4.5). The NS-G system was embodied as follows: long and flaky nanocrystals, 493.2 nm in size, −48.7 mV in zeta potential, and 2.3 cP of viscosity with a shear rate of 100 s⁻¹. Both NS and NS-G provided rapid dissolution of the poorly water-soluble antioxidant, which was comparable to that of the microemulsion gel (ME-G) containing AP in solubilized form. In an ex vivo skin absorption study using the Franz diffusion cell mounted on porcine skin, NS-G exhibited faster absorption in skin, providing approximately 4, 3, and 1.4 times larger accumulation than that of ME-G at 3, 6, and 12 h, respectively. Therefore, the high-payload NS makes it a promising platform for skin delivery of the lipid derivative of ascorbic acid.

Entecavir (EV) is a first‐line antiretroviral agent to treat chronic hepatitis B. However, its oral administration is challenging, due to food effect on intestinal absorption. Therefore, in order to afford improved patient's compliance, a novel long‐acting injectable oil depot (OD) system of entecavir‐3‐palmiate (EV‐P), a lipidic ester prodrug of EV, was formulated. The OD consisted of oleic acid and benzyl alcohol as oily vehicles, with a suitable viscosity (38.6 centipoise with shear rate of 1 s⁻¹). The prodrug was gradually released from the OD under sink conditions, providing delayed liberation than that by the hydrophilic parent compound. Following the intramuscular injection in rats, EV‐P OD provided a markedly protracted EV profile compared to oral EV; the EV levels in plasma were expanded over 2 weeks, with elimination half‐life of about 7 days. Therefore, we concluded that EV‐P OD can be a promising approach for a prolonged delivery of EV.

Rotigotine (RTG) is prescribed as a once-daily transdermal patch for managing early Parkinson’s disease (PD), which presents issues such as skin irritation and poor patient adherence. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to formulate aqueous and oily vehicle-based RTG crystalline suspensions for prolonged delivery and to compare their pharmacokinetic profiles and the local behaviors of RTG crystals. RTG-loaded aqueous (AS) and oil suspensions (OS) were fabricated using bead-milling technology (100 mg/mL as RTG), employing carboxymethyl cellulose and sesame oil as suspending agent and oily vehicle, respectively. RTG AS and OS exhibited comparable physical properties in terms of particle size (about 800–900 nm), crystallinity, and dissolution profile, despite higher drug solubility in OS than AS (19.6 and 0.07 mg/mL, respectively). However, AS and OS exhibited markedly distinctive local distribution and inflammatory responses at the injection site, which further promoted different pharmacokinetic patterns following subcutaneous injection in rats. With OS, no drug aggregates were observed with prolonged persistence of the Sudan III-stained oily vehicle at the injection site. In contrast, with AS injection, drug clusters > 7 mm were formed, followed by an enclosure with macrophages and a fibroblastic band. Accordingly, AS exhibited a protracted pharmacokinetic profile over 3 weeks, with prolonged elimination half-life. The local inflammatory response caused by AS injection was almost alleviated after 3 weeks post-dosing. Based on these findings, we conclude that RTG AS system can be a platform to design sophisticated long-acting delivery systems with extended dosing intervals to manage PD.