Rutin-Loaded Poloxamer 407-Based Hydrogels for In Situ Administration: Stability Profiles and Rheological Properties

Abstract

Rutin is a flavone glycoside contained in many plants, and exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and wound-healing properties. The main disadvantage related to the use of this molecule for pharmaceutical application is its poor bioavailability, due to its low solubility in aqueous media. Poloxamer 407-hydrogels show interesting thermo-sensitive properties that make them attractive candidates as pharmaceutical formulations. The hydrophobic domains in the chemical structure of the copolymer, a polymer made up of two or more monomer species, are useful for retaining poorly water-soluble compounds. In this investigation various poloxamer 407-based hydrogels containing rutin were developed and characterized as a function of the drug concentration. In detail, the Turbiscan stability index, the micro- and dynamic rheological profiles and in vitro drug release were investigated and discussed. Rutin (either as a free powder or solubilized in ethanol) did not modify the stability or the rheological properties of these poloxamer 407-based hydrogels. The drug leakage was constant and prolonged for up to 72 h. The formulations described are expected to represent suitable systems for the in situ application of the bioactive as a consequence of their peculiar versatility.

Design and Characterization of Glyceryl Monooleate-Nanostructures Containing Doxorubicin Hydrochloride

“…The stability of the nanostructures containing the anticancer drug at room temperature (20 °C) and at body temperature (37 °C) was also investigated by means of a Turbiscan Lab ® Expert apparatus, which is able to correlate the transmittance and backscattering of a formulation as a function of time and temperature [ 40 , 41 ]. The resulting data confirmed that the encapsulation of the active compound did not induce any significant variation in the TSI profiles at room temperature in both nanosystems as compared to the empty formulations, suggesting that the nanostructures effectively retain the drug with no destabilizing phenomena across time ( Figure 2 ).…”

Biodegradable Polymeric Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery to Solid Tumors

“…Pluronics® are water-soluble triblock copolymers made up of a hydrophobic core of polyoxypropylene (POP) between two hydrophilic units of polyoxyethylene (POE) ( Giuliano et al, 2020 ). As GRAS (generally recognized as safe) excipients, they have been widely used in the development of many pharmaceutical formulations ( Akash and Rehman, 2015 ; Bodratti and Alexandridis, 2018 ; Giuliano et al, 2019 ).…”

Influence of Various Model Compounds on the Rheological Properties of Zein-Based Gels

“…The microrheological analysis of zein gels was performed through diffusive wave spectroscopy (DWS) with a microrheometer Rheolaser Master (Formulaction, I’Union, Toulouse, France) and expressed as solid-liquid balance (SLB) value, which provides information about the solid-like and liquid-like character of the sample as a function of time, as previously reported [ 26 , 34 , 35 ]. In detail, a value of 0 < SLB < 0.5 indicates a solid behavior, while a value of 0.5 < SLB < 1 means that the liquid behavior is predominant (Rheolaser Master™ user guide, Formulaction, France).…”