Carboxymethyl chitosan-graft-phosphatidylethanolamine: amphiphilic matrices for controlled drug delivery

Modified carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) containing phosphatidylethanolamine (PEA) groups were synthesized by a 1- ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC)-mediated coupling reaction. The structure of the modified CMC exhibiting an amphiphilic character was analysed by FT-IR and 1H NMR. CMC-g-PEA beads were prepared with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) by ionic-crosslinking. The beads sizes were in range from 800 to 1200 lm and encapsulation efficiencies of drug were more than 68%. The morphologies of CMC-g-PEA beads were examined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The release experiments were performed using ketoprofen as an hydrophobic model drug. The drug dissolution kinetics showed longer release times for CMC-g-PEA beads: 20 h (at pH 1.4) and 45 h (at pH 7.4). The amount of the drug release was much higher in acidic solution than in basic solution due to the swelling properties of the matrix at acidic pH. These results suggest that modified CMC with PEA may become a potential delivery system to control the release of hydrophobic drugs

Graft copolymerized chitosan : present status and applications

Chitosan is a natural based polymer obtained by alkaline deacetylation of chitin, exhibiting excellent biological properties such as biodegradation in the human body, and immunological, antibacterial, and wound-healing activity. Chitosan has also been found to be a good candidate as a support material for gene delivery, cell culture and tissue engineering. However, practical use of chitosan has been mainly confined to the unmodified forms. For a breakthrough in utilization, graft copolymerization onto chitosan will be a key point, which will introduce desired properties and enlarge the field of the potential applications of chitosan by choosing various types of side chains. This article reviews the various methods such as free radical, radiation, enzymatic and cationic graft copolymerization onto chitosan, the factors influencing on the grafting parameters such as grafting percentage and grafting efficiency, and the properties of grafted chitosan. This review also screens the current applications of graft copolymerized chitosans in the field of drug delivery, tissue engineering, antibacterial, biomedical, metal adsorption and dye removal

Processing and characterization of chitosan microspheres to be used as templates for layer-by-layer assembly

Chitosan (Ch) microspheres have been developed by precipitation method, cross-linked with glutaraldehyde and used as a template for layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition of two natural polyelectrolytes. Using a LBL methodology, Ch microspheres were alternately coated with hyaluronic acid (HA) and Ch under mild conditions. The roughness of the Ch-based crosslinked microspheres was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Morphological characterization was performed by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and stereolight microscopy. The swelling behaviour of the microspheres demonstrated that the ones with more bilayers presented the highest water uptake and the uncoated cross-linked Ch microspheres showed the lowest uptake capability. Microspheres presented spherical shape with sizes ranging from 510 to 840 lm. ESEM demonstrated that a rougher surface with voids is formed in multilayered microspheres caused by the irregular stacking of the layers. A short term mechanical stability assay was also performed, showing that the LBL procedure with more than five bilayers of HA/Ch over Ch cross-linked microspheres provide higher mechanical stability

A hybrid reference pulse width modulation technique for binary source multilevel inverter

The article presents a seven-level reduced switch asymmetrical multilevel inverter with two different methods of pulse width modulation (PWM) techniques. Phase disposition (PD) PWM and hybrid variable-frequency phase disposition PWM (HVFPD-PWM) are the two different PWM methods for making the quality of output voltage waveform. In the first method, the unipolar sine reference with triangular carriers is used. In the second method, the hybrid unipolar reference (sinusoidal with trapezoidal) is proposed with variable frequency carriers to generate the switching pulses for asymmetric multilevel inverter (MLI). The main objective of this proposed method is to reduce the total harmonic distortion in the output voltage waveforms. A comprehensive comparison of the proposed HVFPD-PWM and the conventional PD-PWM with asymmetrical seven-level inverter is presented to show the enriched performances of the proposed method. The performance and viability of the suggested PWM are evaluated through simulation and experimental results using an asymmetrical seven-level inverter. The total harmonic distortion for the proposed PWM method (16.95%) is significantly reduced as compared with the conventional PWM method (18.01%) at the modulation index of one

Advanced Technologies for Oral Controlled Release: Cyclodextrins for oral controlled release

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are used in oral pharmaceutical formulations, by means of inclusion complexes formation, with the following advantages for the drugs: (1) solubility, dissolution rate, stability and bioavailability enhancement; (2) to modify the drug release site and/or time profile; and (3) to reduce or prevent gastrointestinal side effects and unpleasant smell or taste, to prevent drug-drug or drug-additive interactions, or even to convert oil and liquid drugs into microcrystalline or amorphous powders. A more recent trend focuses on the use of CDs as nanocarriers, a strategy that aims to design versatile delivery systems that can encapsulate drugs with better physicochemical properties for oral delivery. Thus, the aim of this work was to review the applications of the CDs and their hydrophilic derivatives on the solubility enhancement of poorly water soluble drugs in order to increase their dissolution rate and get immediate release, as well as their ability to control (to prolong or to delay) the release of drugs from solid dosage forms, either as complexes with the hydrophilic (e.g. as osmotic pumps) and/ or hydrophobic CDs. New controlled delivery systems based on nanotechonology carriers (nanoparticles and conjugates) have also been reviewed

Transport of small anionic and neutral solutes through chitosan membranes: Dependence on cross-linking and chelation of divalent cations

Chitosan membranes were prepared by solvent casting and cross-linked with glutaraldehyde at several ratios under homogeneous conditions. The cross-linking degree, varying from 0 to 20%, is defined as the ratio between the total aldehyde groups and the amine groups of chitosan. Permeability experiments were conducted using a side-by-side diffusion cell to determine the flux of small molecules of similar size but with different chemical moieties, either ionized (benzoic acid, salicylic acid, and phthalic acid) or neutral (2-phenylethanol) at physiological pH. The permeability of the different model molecules revealed to be dependent on the affinity of those structurally similar molecules to chitosan. The permeability of the salicylate anion was significantly enhanced by the presence of metal cations commonly present in biological fluids, such as calcium and magnesium, but remained unchanged for the neutral 2-phenylethanol. This effect could be explained by the chelation of metal cations on the amine groups of chitosan, which increased the partition coefficient. The cross-linking degree was also correlated with the permeability and partition coefficient. The change in the permeation properties of chitosan to anionic solutes in the presence of these metallic cations is an important result and should be taken into consideration when trying to make in vitro predictions of the drug release from chitosan-based controlled release systems

Solvothermal synthesis of SnO2/graphene nanocomposites for supercapacitor application

A facile solvent-based synthesis route based on the oxidation–reduction reaction between graphene oxide (GO) and SnCl2·2H2O has been developed to synthesize SnO2/graphene (SnO2/G) nanocomposites. The reduction of GO and the in situ formation of SnO2 nanoparticles were achieved in one step. Characterization by X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) absorption spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) confirmed the feasibility of using the solvothermally treated reaction system to simultaneously reduce GO and form SnO2 nanoparticles with an average particle size of 10 nm. The electrochemical performance of SnO2/graphene showed an excellent specific capacitance of 363.3 F/g, which was five-fold higher than that of the as-synthesized graphene (68.4 F/g). The contributing factors were the synergistic effects of the excellent conductivity of graphene and the nanosized SnO2 particles

Positioning and Surveying Requirements for Exploration and Exploitation of Ocean Wealth

Deep sea mining, such as is now being planned to be carried out in the Indian Ocean, requires an accurate positioning system for navigation and for the control of the equipment. Short range systems using electromagnetic principles cover only a limited area while the longer range systems which can be used for offshore, deep ocean work although covering large areas, have limited accuracy. This paper reviews the requirements for position fixing systems for deep ocean mining and the ways to reach the best solution at the most reasonable cost

A photovoltaic system using supercapacitor energy storage for power equilibrium and voltage stability

In a photovoltaic system, a stable voltage and of tolerable power equilibrium is needed. Hence, a dedicated analog charge controller for a storage system which controls energy flow to impose power equilibrium, and therefore, voltage stability on the load is required. We demonstrate here our successful design considerations employing supercapacitors as main energy storage as well as a buffer in a standalone photovoltaic system, incorporating a dedicated supercapacitor charge controller for the first time. Firstly, we demonstrated a photovoltaic system employing supercapacitors as main energy storage as well as a buffer in a standalone photovoltaic system. Secondly, we design a constant voltage maximum power point tracker (MPPT) for peak power extraction from the photovoltaic generator. Thirdly, we incorporated a supercapacitor charge controller for power equilibrium and voltage stability through a dedicated analog charge controller in our design, the first of its kind. Fourthly, we analyzed the use of supercapacitor storage to mitigate disequilibrium between power supply and demands, which, in turn, causes overvoltage or under voltage across the load. Lastly, we then went ahead to demonstrate the control of the energy flow in the system so as to maintain rated voltage across a variant demand load