Background: The purpose of this study was to formulate, characterize and conduct in vitro cytotoxicity of 5-fluorouracil loaded polymeric electrospun nanofibers for the treatment of skin cancer. The patents on electrospun nanofibers (US9393216B2), (US14146252), (WO2015003155A1) etc. helped in the selection of polymers and method for the preparation of nanofibers. Methods: In the present study, the fabrication of nanofibers was done using a blend of chitosan with polyvinyl alcohol and processed using the electrospinning technique. 5-fluorouracil with known chemotherapeutic potential in the treatment of skin cancer was used as a drug carrier. 24-1 fractional factorial screening design was employed to study the effect of independent variables like the concentration of the polymeric solution, applied voltage (kV), distance (cm), flow rate (ml / hr) on dependent variables like % entrapment efficiency and fiber diameter. Results: Scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize fiber diameter and morphology. Results showed that the fiber diameter of all batches was found in the range of 100-200 nm. The optimized batch results showed the fiber diameter of 162.7 nm with uniform fibers. The tensile strength obtained was 190±37 Mpa. Further in vitro and ex vivo drug release profile suggested a controlled release mechanism for an extended period of 24 hr. The 5-fluorouracil loaded electrospun nanofibers were found to decrease cell viability up to ≥50% over 24 hr, with the number of cells dropping by ~ 10% over 48 hr. As the cell viability was affected by the release of 5-fluorouracil, we believe that electrospun nanofibers are a promising drug delivery system for the treatment of Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) skin cancer. Conclusion: These results demonstrate the possibility of delivering 5-Fluorouracil loaded electrospun nanofiber to skin with enhanced encapsulation efficiency indicating the effectiveness of the formulation for the treatment of basal cell carcinoma type of skin cancer.

The purpose of the present investigation was to increase the solubility and dissolution rate of flurbiprofen (FLB) by the preparation of its solid dispersion with polyethylene glycol 4000 and 6000 as carriers using solvent evaporation method (SM) and kneading method (KM). Drug polymer interactions were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), x-ray diffraction (XRD). The prepared solid dispersions were characterized by IR spectroscopy, which suggests no interaction of drug with carriers. XRD and DSC study indicates reduction in drug cr ystallinity. Drug solubility was more and also the dissolution was rapid for Flurbiprofen solid dispersions compared to pure drug.

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Background: The purpose of this study was to formulate, characterize and in-vitro cytotoxicity of 5-Fluorouracil loaded controlled release nanoparticles for the treatment of skin cancer. The patents on nanoparticles (US8414926B1), (US61654404A), (WO2007150075A3) etc helped in the selection polymers and method for the preparation of nanoparticles. Methods: In the present study nanoparticles were prepared by simple ionic gelation method using various concentrations of chitosan and sodium tripolyphosphate. Several process and formulation parameters were screened and optimized using 2^5-2 fractional factorial design.The prepared nanoparticles were evaluated for particle size, shape, charge, entrapment efficiency, crosslinking mechanism and drug release study Results: The optimized 5-Fluorouracil loaded nanoparticle were found with particle size of of 320±2.1 nm, entrapment efficiency of 85.12%± 1.1% and Zeta potential of 29mv±1mv. Scanning electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering technique revealed spherical particles with uniform size. The in-vitro release profile showed controlled release up to 24 hr. Further study was carried using A375 basal cell carcinoma cell-line to elucidate the mechanism of its cytotoxicity by MTT assay. These results demonstrate that the possibility of delivering 5-Fluorouracil to skin with enhanced encapsulation efficiency indicating effectiveness of the formulation for treatment of basal cell carcinoma type of skin cancer.

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