An in situ gel system for nasal delivery of menthol: preparation and safety evaluation / 药学实践杂志

Objective To prepare an in situ gel system for nasal delivery of menthol and to evaluate the safety of this formulation.Methods Menthol in situ gel was prepared with deacetylatedgellan gum.The nasal mucocilia toxicities of this formulation was evaluated using in situ toad palate model.Guinea pig skin sensitization test and the rabbit skin irritation test were conducted.Skin allergy and irritation reaction were monitored and scored.Results No significant effect on nasal mucosa ciliary movement and the morphology of rat nasal mucosa were observed.The formulation did not induce any dermal irritation in rabbits.Skin allergic reaction was not found in guinea pigs.Conclusion The preparation of menthol in situ nasal gel with low ciliary toxicity was easily achieved.This gel has good physiological flexibility.The further investigation was warranted for this formulation as an intranasal drug delivery system.

Cuprous oxide nanoparticles effect on the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of B16 cells / 药学实践杂志

Objective To research the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) effects of cuprous oxide nanoparticles (CONPs) on melanoma.Methods Cuprous oxide nanoparticles were prepared hydrothermally.The B16 cells were cultured with cuprous oxide nanoparticlesat different concentrations (5,25,50 μg/ml).The changes of the morphology of the B16 cell were observed under the inverted microscope.The effects of CONPs on B16 cell migration ability were detected through the Wound healing assay and the Transwell assay.Then cell immunofluorescence and western blotting were used to test the EMT related molecular markers, including E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Cytokeratin, and Vimentin.Results The synthesized cuprous oxide nanoparticles distribute uniformly with a diameter of 40 nm.Our study indicated that CONPs inhibited the EMT of B16 cell.A conversion process was discovered in this study.In B16 cells, CONPs inhibited B16 cell migration, promoted the expression of E-cadherin, Cytokeratin and Desmoplakin, while the expression of N-cadherin and Vimentin was repressed in protein level.Conclusion Cuprous oxide nanoparticles can significantly restrain the invasion and metastasis of melanoma cells and inhabit the EMT of B16 cells.