Bioengineered nanoemulsions-chitosan nanoparticles for rapid brain intranasal delivery of hybrid medicinal compounds

The bioengineering of nanoemulsions for the transportation of various therapeutic agents such as quercetin and eugenol to the brain have sparked a growing interest among researchers. These compounds are known to have great medicinal value and modulatory effects on cell apoptosis and alzheimer via various signaling pathways, but their application are limited. Problems like poor aqueous solubility, rapid metabolism and blood brain barrier make them unreliable for therapeutic purposes. To overcome these issues, development of sustained release and rapid delivery for these compounds is proposed which can be administered directly from nose to brain utilizing olfactory nerve channels. In this study, quercetin-loaded eugenol nanoemulsions (Q-ENEs) were synthesized and coated with chitosan, which induces mucous adhesion. The synthesized Q-ENEs yielded a size of ۱۶.۷ nm ± ۵ nm, PDI of ۰.۲۰۴ ± ۰.۰۸ and zeta-potential of −۸.۸ ± ۱.۴ mV (mean ± SD, for n = ۳ batches) and were larger in size compared to empty ENEs with a size of ۱۴.۱ ± ۳.۷ nm, PDI of ۰.۲۶۶ ± ۰.۰۲, and zeta potential of −۴.۲ ± ۱.۴ mV. Size of chitosan surface-modified Q-ENEs yielded a size of ۱۷.۷ nm ± ۵ nm, PDI of ۰.۲۶۶ ± ۰.۰۶ and zeta-potential of +۲۹.۷ ± ۱.۳ mV. SEM showed spherical shape for these particles. Next, these formulations were analyzed for quercetin release by using the dialysis bag method which showed that Q-ENEs caused a release of ۵۶.۷% of drug within ۱۲ h. Furthermore, The encapsulation efficiency of quercetin (۹۵.۱% ± ۲.۰) showed optimal conditions. The results of the analyzes show that the Q-ENEs along with successful surface modification and good drug penetration, are an appropriate choice for increasing the retention time of hybrid compounds in the nasal cavity and opens the way for further research on the nasal pathway.

Keywords:

Quercetin , Eugenol , Alzheimer , Surface modification , Nasal