From Sea to Therapy: Marine Biomaterials for Drug Delivery and Wound Healing.

Marine biomass represents a valuable yet underexploited resource for the development of high-value biomaterials. Recent advances have highlighted the significant potential of marine-derived polysaccharides, proteins, and peptides in biomedical applications, most notably in drug delivery and wound healing. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of current research on the extraction, processing and pharmaceutical valorization of these biopolymers, with a focus on their structural and functional properties that allow these materials to be engineered into nanocarriers, hydrogels, scaffolds, and smart composites.

Nanostructured Strategies for Melanoma Treatment-Part II: Targeted Topical Delivery of Curcumin via Poloxamer-Based Thermosensitive Hydrogels.

: Curcumin (CUR) is a natural compound with notable antitumor properties but faces limitations in topical applications due to poor aqueous solubility, instability, and insufficient skin penetration. To overcome these challenges, a nanomicellar formulation (TPGS30ELP15) was developed to enhance CUR solubility, stability, and skin penetration. This study aimed at evaluating the skin permeation and retention of CUR when delivered through nanomicelles alone or combined with a thermosensitive hydrogel for potential melanoma therapy.

Nanostructured Strategies for Melanoma Treatment-Part I: Design and Optimization of Curcumin-Loaded Micelles for Enhanced Anticancer Activity.

: Melanoma is a pathology that affects a large part of the population, and the currently available therapies have many limitations, including the selective targeting of the site of action. This study explores the development of curcumin (CUR)-loaded nanostructured delivery systems for topical melanoma treatment, addressing CUR's limitations in bioavailability, solubility, and stability. : Binary surfactant mixtures of Vitamin E-TPGS (TPGS) and Kolliphor ELP (ELP) were selected to form stable micelles for curcumin encapsulation.

Nanomicellar eye drops: a review of recent advances.

Introduction: Research on nanotechnology in medicine has also involved the ocular field and nanomicelles are among the applications developed. This approach is used to increase both the water solubility of hydrophobic drugs and their penetration/permeation within/through the ocular tissues since nanomicelles are able to encapsulate insoluble drug into their core and their small size allows them to penetrate and/or diffuse through the aqueous pores of ocular tissues.

Areas Covered: The present review reports the most significant and recent literature on the use of nanomicelles, made up of both surfactants and amphiphilic polymers, to overcome limitations imposed by the physiology of the eye in achieving a high bioavailability of drugs intended for the therapeutic areas of greatest commercial interest: dry eye, inflammation, and glaucoma.

Binary Polymeric Surfactant Mixtures for the Development of Novel Loteprednol Etabonate Nanomicellar Eyedrops.

The treatment of several ocular inflammatory conditions affecting different areas of the ocular globe involves the administration of topical ophthalmic formulations containing corticosteroids. This research was aimed at evaluating the solubilising efficacy of 5.0% / of different binary mixtures of commercial amphiphilic polymeric surfactants with the purpose of obtaining nanomicellar solutions containing a high amount of loteprednol etabonate (LE).

Sporopollenin Microcapsule: Sunscreen Delivery System with Photoprotective Properties.

In recent years, the demand for high-quality solar products that combine high efficacy with environmentally friendly characteristics has increased. Among the coral-safe sunscreens, ethylhexyl triazone (Uvinul T150) is an effective organic UVB filter, photostable and practically insoluble in water, therefore difficult to be formulated in water-based products. Oil-free sunscreens are considered ideal for most skin types, as they are not comedogenic and do not leave the skin feeling greasy.

Ciclopirox Hydroxypropyl Chitosan (CPX-HPCH) Nail Lacquer and Breathable Cosmetic Nail Polish: In Vitro Evaluation of Drug Transungual Permeation Following the Combined Application.

Background: Onychomycosis produces nail chromatic alterations that lead patients to mask them with cosmetic enamels. Objectives Evaluate drug transungual permeation and antimycotic activity against selected strains after application of CPX-HPCH nail lacquer (NL) on the nail pre-covered with breathable cosmetic polish.

Methods: CPX transungual permeation after applying CPX-HPCH NL once or twice a day on bovine hoof membranes pre-covered with a breathable cosmetic nail polish was compared to that obtained applying CPX-HPCH NL directly on the membrane.

Nanostructured Drug Delivery Systems for Targeting 5-α-Reductase Inhibitors to the Hair Follicle.

Androgenetic alopecia is a multifactorial condition characterized by noticeable hair loss, affecting both men and women and representing a debilitating and chronic disorder that considerably affects the quality of life. Available topical treatments based on minoxidil or finasteride require repeated applications and are associated with a certain number of adverse effects. The challenges associated with current treatments pave the way for the research of new therapeutic strategies, more precise and selective, and capable of providing long-term results.