Nanocellulose crystals reinforced chitosan hydrogel loaded with artemether-lumefantrine to achieve a sustained release formulation

Authors

  • Chukwuemeka H. EMEDIEGWU Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, College of Medicine Campus, University of Lagos, PMB 12003, Lagos, Nigeria
  • Bukola A. OSENI Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, College of Medicine Campus, University of Lagos, PMB 12003, Lagos, Nigeria
  • Modupe O. OLOGUNAGBA Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, College of Medicine Campus, University of Lagos, PMB 12003, Lagos, Nigeria
  • Oluwadamilola M. KOLAWOLE Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, College of Medicine Campus, University of Lagos, PMB 12003, Lagos, Nigeria
  • Chukwuemeka P. AZUBUIKE Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, College of Medicine Campus, University of Lagos, PMB 12003, Lagos, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26538/tjpps/v3i3.5

Keywords:

sustained release, hydrogel, chitosan, cellulose nanocrystal, artemether-lumefantrine, artemisinin resistance

Abstract

Multiple dosing regimen is one of the factors driving poor adherence and the emerging resistance of parasites to artemisinin utilized in the treatment of malaria. Hence, a cellulose nanocrystal-reinforced chitosan hydrogel loaded with artemether-lumefantrine (AL) for sustained release of AL to achieve a once-daily dosing was developed. Various concentrations of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) of 0 - 2.5% were added to the artemether-lumefantrine (AL) chitosan solution to produce six hydrogel formulations. The drug-excipient compatibility and the effect of the CNC on the mechanical properties, swelling behavior, and in vitro release profile of the hydrogels were determined. The FTIR spectra revealed the presence of a -C=N stretching at 1546 cm-¹ indicating a successful cross-linking within the hydrogel. An increase in the concentration of CNC from 0 to 2.5% increased the maximum compression of the hydrogel from 26.1 ± 1.2 kPa to 52.6 ± 3.1 kPa. All the hydrogels exhibited increased swelling in an acidic medium (pH 2.01); an increase in CNC concentration caused an increase in the swelling of hydrogels. The 0.5% CNC-chitosan hydrogel released the highest amount of drugs (48.0 ± 3.56% and 38.0 ± 2.76% for artemether and lumefantrine respectively) after 12 h; an increase in the CNC concentration causes a decrease in the amount of artemether and lumefantrine released. The cellulose nanocrystals improved the mechanical strength, the swelling behavior and also exhibited a gradual and highest release of AL from the chitosan hydrogel with 0.5% CNC. Hence, the CNC-chitosan hydrogel can be useful in formulating sustained-release artemether-lumefantrine.

         Views | PDF Download | EPUB Download:66 / 52 / 23

References

WHO. World malaria report. [online]. 2022. [cited 2024 Feb 19]. Available from: https://www. who.int/teams/global-malaria-programme/reports/world-malaria-report-2022

Ataba E, Dorkenoo AM, Nguepou CT, Bakai T, Tchadjobo T, Kadzahlo KD, Yakpa K, Atcha-Oubou T. Potential Emergence of Plasmodium Resistance to Artemisinin Induced by the Use of Artemisia annua for Malaria and COVID-19 Prevention in Sub-African Region. Acta Parasitologica. 2021. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-021-00489-y

Fuangchan A, Kongkaew C, Dhippayom T. Intervention to Promote Patients’ Adherence to Antimalarial Medication: A Systematic Review. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2014; 90(1): 11–19.

Challenger JD, Bruxvoort K, Ghani AC, Okell LC. Assessing the impact of imperfect adherence to artemether-lumefantrine on malaria treatment outcomes using within-host modelling. Nature Communications. 2017; 8(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-01352-3.

Ashley GW, Henise J, Reid R, Santi DV. Hydrogel drug delivery system with predictable and tunable drug release and degradation rates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013; 110(6): 2318-23.

Yu A, Shang J, Cheng F, Paik BA, Kaplan JM, Andrade RB, Ratner DM. Biofunctional paper via the covalent modification of cellulose. Langmuir. 2012; 28(30): 11265-73.

Guan X, Zhang W. Applications of Chitosan in Pulmonary Drug Delivery [Online]. Role of Novel Drug Delivery Vehicles in Nanobiomedicine. IntechOpen; 2020. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87932

Lee D, Shayan M, Gwon J, Picha DH, Wu Q. Effectiveness of cellulose and chitosan nanomaterial coatings with essential oil on postharvest strawberry quality. Carbohydr Polym. 2022; 298: 120101. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.120101.

Santos RM, Neto WPF, Silverio HA, Martins DF, Dantas NO, Pasquini D. Cellulose nanocrystals from pineapple leaf, a new approach for the reuse of this agro-waste. Industrial Crops and Products. 2013; 50: 707–714.

Lim WL, Gunny AAN, Kasim FH, Gopinath SCB, Kamaludin NHI, Arbain D. Cellulose nanocrystals from bleached rice straw pulp: acidic deep eutectic solvent versus sulphuric acid hydrolyses. Cellulose. 2021; 28: 6183-6199.

Gan PG, Sam ST, Abdullah Muhammad Faiq bin, Omar MF. Thermal properties of nanocellulose‐reinforced composites: A review. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. 2020; 137(11): 48544. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/app.48544

Shafizah S. Saiful Izwan R, Fatirah F, Nadirul Hasraf MN. Review on cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as reinforced agent on electrospun nanofibers: mechanical and thermal properties. International Fundamentum Science Symposium. 2018; 440: 25–26.

Bahram M, Mohseni N, Moghtader M. An Introduction to Hydrogels and Some Recent Applications [Online]. Emerging Concepts in Analysis and Applications of Hydrogels. InTech; 2016. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/64301

Jiang Y, Wang Y, Li Q, Yu C, Chu W. Natural Polymer-based Stimuli-responsive Hydrogels. Current Medicinal Chemistry. 2019; 26(16): 2631-2657

Udeni Gunathilake TMS, Ching YC, Chuah CH. Enhancement of Curcumin Bioavailability Using Nanocellulose Reinforced Chitosan Hydrogel. Polymers. 2017; 9(2):64.

Gupta NV, Shivakumar HG. Investigation of Swelling Behavior and Mechanical Properties of a pH-Sensitive Superporous Hydrogel Composite. Iran J Pharm Res. 2012; 11(2): 481–493.

The United States Pharmacopoeia. Dissolution. [Online]. 2011[Cited 2024 Mar 18]. Available from /https://www.usp.org/sites/default/files/usp/document/harmonization/gen-method/stage_6_monograph_25_feb_2011.pdf on 03/04/2024

Vaidya A, Pathak K. Mechanical stability of dental materials. In: Asiri AM, Inamuddin AM (Eds.). Applications of Nanocomposite Materials in Dentistry. Woodhead Publishing; 2019. 285-305p.

Chavda H, Patel C. Effect of crosslinker concentration on characteristics of superporous hydrogel. Int. J. Pharm. Investig. 2011; 1: 17–21

Yadav M, Behera K, Chang YH, Chiu FC. Cellulose Nanocrystal Reinforced Chitosan Based UV Barrier Composite Films for Sustainable Packaging. Polymers. 2020; 12(1): 202.

Wu T, Farnood R, O'Kelly K, Chen B. Mechanical behavior of transparent nanofibrillar cellulose–chitosan nanocomposite films in dry and wet conditions. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials. 2014; 32: 279–286.

Gaikwad SN, Lonare MC, Tajne MR. Enhancing Solubility and Bioavailability of Artemether and Lumefantrine through a Self-nano Emulsifying Drug Delivery System. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2020; 82(2): 282-290.

Wan HWI, Noor AR, Ishak A, Suria R, Mohd CIM. Drug delivery and in vitro biocompatibility studies of gelatin-nanocellulose smart hydrogels cross-linked with gamma radiation. Journal of Materials Research and Technology. 2021;15: 7145-7157

Nnamani PO, Ugwu AA, Ibezim EC, Kenechukwu FC, Akpa PA, Ogbonna JN, Obitte NC, Odo AN, Windbergs M, Lehr CM, Attama AA. Sustained-release liquisolid compact tablets containing artemether-lumefantrine as alternate-day regimen for malaria treatment to improve patient compliance. Int J Nanomedicine. 2016; 11: 6365-6378.

Dash S, Murthy PN, Nath L, Chowdhury P. Kinetic modeling on drug release from controlled drug delivery systems. Acta Pol Pharm. 2010; 67(3): 217-23.

Downloads

Published

2024-07-03

How to Cite

EMEDIEGWU, C. H., OSENI, B. A., OLOGUNAGBA, M. O., KOLAWOLE, O. M., & AZUBUIKE, C. P. (2024). Nanocellulose crystals reinforced chitosan hydrogel loaded with artemether-lumefantrine to achieve a sustained release formulation. Tropical Journal of Phytochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 3(3), 240–245. https://doi.org/10.26538/tjpps/v3i3.5