No abstract

Some kinds of amphiphilic lipids can spontaneously self-assemble with a proper ratio of water to form liquid crystalline, also known as cubic phase. With a curved bi-continuous lipid bilayer and two congruent networks of water channels, cubic phases can enclose hydrophilic, amphiphilic and hydrophobic drugs for delivery. Nanostructured cubosomes, prepared by fragmentation of bulk cubic phase gels or lyotropic methods, retain the same inner structure of cubic phase and possess much larger specific surface area and lower viscosity. These unique properties make cubosomes excellent delivery systems applicable for oral, mucosal, transdermal and parenteral drug delivery. This article gave an overview of the accelerated development and current status of cubosomes research, with respect to their preparation, characteristics and applications in pharmaceutics.

RFA is inferior to MWA for treating HCC within the Milan criteria, but has comparable efficacy to MWA for solitary HCC ≤ 3 cm.

An all-solution processed inverted green quantum dot-based light-emitting diode with concurrent high efficiency and long lifetime is obtained by precisely controlled double shell growth of quantum dots.

Abstract. The oral administration of amphotericin B (AmB) has the major drawback of poor bioavailability. The aim of this work was to evaluate the potential of AmB-loaded cubosomes as an oral formulation with improved bioavailability. This manuscript firstly developed AmB-loaded cubosomes by using the SolEmuls technology. The encapsulation efficiency, the in vitro release, and stability studies in simulated gastrointestinal fluid were used to evaluate AmB-loaded cubosomes. The acute nephrotoxicity, bioavailability, and tissue distribution study of AmB-loaded cubosomes were assayed upon oral administration to rats. SAXS and cryo-TEM exhibited AmB-loaded cubosomes as a bicontinuous cubic liquid crystalline phase with Pn3m geometry. The encapsulation efficiency and the results of in vitro release and stability studies in simulated gastrointestinal fluid further demonstrated that AmB was successfully encapsulated in cubosomes. AmB-loaded cubosomal formulation orally administrated in rats did not show nephrotoxicity and its relative bioavailability was approximately 285% as compared to Fungizone®. The AmB-loaded cubosomal formulation presented an effective potential approach for enhancing the oral bioavailability of AmB.