Articles
Publication Date: 2025
International Journal of Pharmaceutics (18733476)684
Transdermal delivery of high-molecular-weight drugs like methotrexate (MTX) is significantly hindered in psoriatic skin. To overcome this barrier, we developed a wearable iontophoretic patch based on a polypyrrole-coated paper substrate for enhanced MTX loading and controlled release. Applying −1.2 V enabled efficient MTX release and permeation (20.8 ± 0.4 μg/cm2 over 2 h) while minimizing passive leakage. In an imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis mouse model, the patch significantly alleviated symptoms and demonstrated low systemic toxicity. Histological analysis confirmed both therapeutic efficacy and biocompatibility. This innovative paper-based iontophoretic platform offers a promising strategy for precise, patient-friendly management of psoriasis and other dermatological disorders. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.
Publication Date: 2025
European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (18790720)209
The efficacy of radiation therapy can decrease due to the inherent radioresistance of different tumor cells. Gadolinium shows significant potential as a radiosensitivity enhancer due to its high atomic number. In this study, a novel theranostic nanoprobe based on folic acid-conjugated gadolinium-loaded nanodroplets (FA-Gd-NDs) has been introduced for ultrasound imaging (USI)-guided radiation therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma. The ultrasound echogenicity evaluation of NDs, Gd release studies, biocompatibility test of Gd-NDs, colony assay, cellular uptake of NDs via fluorescence microscopy, and flow cytometry analysis were performed on Hepa1-6 cancer and L929 normal cell lines. Our results showed that synthesized NDs significantly enhanced ultrasound signal intensity in PBS solution and agarose gel phantom. MTT and clonogenic assays indicated that Gd-NDs substantially reduced the cell viability and also surviving fraction of Hepa1-6 cancer cells under US and X-ray exposure. Additionally, FA-Gd-NDs exhibited sensitization enhancement factor (SER) of 1.8 after concurrent exposure to US and X-ray. Fluorescence imaging demonstrated more internalization of FA-Gd-NDs into cancer cells in comparison with normal cells. According to flow cytometry results, the Gd-NDs and FA-Gd-NDs uptake by L929 cell line were 20 % and 28 %, respectively, while their uptake by Hepa1-6 cells was 60 % and 94 %, respectively. In conclusion, the synthesized novel theranostic nanoprobe shows great potential for enhancing the efficacy of radiation therapy and enabling ultrasound image-guided radiation therapy of cancers. © 2025
Glucose detection is vital for managing diabetes, monitoring metabolic disorders, and developing advanced biosensors. Electrochemical methods are widely used for glucose detection due to their sensitivity, portability, and low cost. However, these methods also have several limitations, such as interference from non-specific molecules, fouling of electrodes, and enzyme stability. Herein, to avoid external interference, we report a fast response cathodic electrochemiluminescence (ECL) glucose biosensor using a closed bipolar electrode (BPE) system with two separate cells (reporting cell and sensing cell). In this platform, Tris(2,2′-bipyridyl) ruthenium and K2S2O8 were used as the luminophore and co-reagent, respectively, to generate the cathodic ECL in the reporting cell, and a commercial test strip modified with GOx (glucose oxidase) and mediator served as the BPE anode to detect glucose in the sensing cell. The developed technique was able to determine glucose with a good correlation in the quantification of glucose in human serum samples with a fast response under a low potential, which avoided side reactions and was comparable to the commercial blood glucose meter. In addition, the sensing mechanism and working principle have been thoroughly studied, with the detailed discussion of the effect of oxygen and acetonitrile in influencing the ECL generation. Using this platform, glucose in the buffer was successfully quantified up to 18 mM, achieving a limit of detection of 3.8 mM and a linear concentration range between 4 and 12 mM. This electrochemical technique offers a simple and cost-effective strategy for point-of-care blood glucose testing without external interference, thereby opening up emerging opportunities in a broad range of sensing applications. © 2025 The Authors
