PLGA-PEG-Folate and PLGA from PolySciTech used in Drug-delivery research

Medicinal molecules are only useful if they can reach the site of action. Often, this is simple for drugs such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) which are generic in nature, have relatively little side effects, and can be dosed orally. However for other drugs which do not dissolve well or are required to be delivered to a very specific location, advanced formulation strategies are necessary. Recently, researchers at University of Texas at El Paso used PLGA (AP081) and PLGA-PEG-Folate (AI168) from Polyscitech (www.polyscitech.com) to produce lutein-loaded nanoparticles for testing drug delivery to brain as a treatment for low-oxygen content disease states. This research holds promise to improve therapies against cancer and other disease states which require careful location of drugs. Read more: Bolla, Pradeep Kumar. "Formulation Strategies To Enhance Solubility And Permeability Of Small Molecules For Drug Delivery Applications." PhD diss., The University of Texas at El Paso, 2020. http://search.proquest.com/openview/444a9cea66942e5b372da6e7c3fd2394/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

“Perinatal asphyxia caused due to hypoxia complicates and causes hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Therapeutic hypothermia widely used to treat HIE and is successful in 50%-60% patient population. It was reported that lutein supplementation showed neuroprotective properties in rat model of neonatal HIE. Lutein has poor bioavailability owing to poor aqueous solubility. In the second study, lutein was encapsulated into polymeric nanoparticles (PLGA and PLGA-PEG-FOLATE) and evaluated enhanced uptake in human neuroblastoma cells. Lutein loaded polymeric nanoparticles were prepared using O/W emulsion solvent-evaporation technique. Particle diameter and zeta potential (ZP) were measured using dynamic light scattering (DLS). Other characterizations included DSC, FTIR, SEM, and in vitro release studies. In vitro uptake studies were conducted in neuroblastoma cells using flow cytometry, confocal microscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. Lutein was successfully encapsulated into PLGA and PLGA-PEG-FOLATE nanoparticles with uniform size distribution of around 200 nm and high ZP. Entrapment efficiency of lutein was ~61% and ~73% for lutein PLGA and PLGAPEG-FOLATE nanoparticles, respectively. DSC and FTIR confirmed encapsulation of lutein into nanoparticles. Cumulative release of lutein was higher in PLGA nanoparticles with 100% release within 24 hours. In PLGA-PEG-FOLATE nanoparticles, cumulative release was ~80% at ix 48 hours. Cellular uptake studies in neuroblastoma cells confirmed a significant increase in lutein uptake with PLGA-PEG-FOLATE nanoparticles compared to PLGA nanoparticles and lutein alone. Findings from this study suggest that lutein loaded PLGA-PEG-FOLATE nanoparticles can be potentially used for treatment of HIE.”